HLnovel Chapter 228 Xiyan
Chapter 228 Xiyan
We hurried all the way and finally arrived in Xiyan City on the 20th day.
Xiyan prefers dark colors, so the entire Xiyan City is clad in black and brown bricks and tiles, with only subtle carvings in conspicuous places and occasional gold edges dotted at the corners. Spreading out from a high place, it looks solemn and majestic, with a magnificent atmosphere.
I had no intention of watching carefully, so I asked Guifang to buy two hats and put them on us, and then we went into the city one after the other, separated by a few people. There were many men, women, old and young in the city, most of them wearing black, and it was bustling. Thinking that Tu Shanjing and I were finally in the same place, my heart, which had been tense, relaxed a little.
Gui Fangduan came closer to me and asked, "There are so many people here, that guy... is like a fish entering the sea, where can I find him?"
I thought about it, and it seemed that there was no mention of where Tu Shanjing was imprisoned. I only knew that he was in Xiyan City. It seemed that I could only find a well-informed place to inquire.
My mind suddenly moved, and I remembered someone, so I stopped a young man, bowed and asked, "I am honored. May I ask if you know which restaurant the famous dancer Miss Jinxuan is in?"
He laughed, his eyes swept over Gui Fangduan, and he leaned over and whispered, "Is Miss Jin Xuan so famous? Guests from far away are vying to see her beauty? She is in Zuihualou, but she doesn't appear every day. It all depends on the mood of the beauty. If you two want to see her beauty, I'm afraid you will have to spend money."
I thanked him and rode a few steps with Gui Fangduan who looked puzzled. Gui Fangduan then asked, "You... Could it be that you...?!"
I glared at him through my veil, then remembered that he probably couldn't see me, so I replied, "I'm not going to have a drink! I'm going to get some information!"
He suddenly realized, "Yes! It is true that there are all kinds of people in these brothels and taverns, and they are the best places to get information. But..." He took out his shriveled purse and shook it in front of me, and continued, "Miss Bai, you heard it too, the beauty you want to see is very expensive, but we are... short of money!"
At this moment, I really regretted my habit of not wearing jewelry. Otherwise, even if the money bag was donated to the prison guards, I could still make ends meet by taking off the gold hairpins on my head and the gold bracelets on my hands. The next head of the Guifang family and the first-class maid of the Tushan family were embarrassed by money. If it got out, people would laugh.
I looked up and saw a pawnshop not far away. I gritted my teeth, got off the horse and walked in.
The shopkeeper came up to me and asked me what I wanted to do.
I touched the only valuable thing on me - the pearl earrings dangling on my ears, and took them off with determination and handed them to him: "I want to pawn this pair of pearl earrings."
The shopkeeper took the earrings and examined them carefully against the light, then returned one to me: "Miss, I'm sorry, this one is stained with blood, and I don't think it can be removed, so it can't be pawned. Although your pearls are of high quality and water content, only a pair of earrings is valuable. If you leave this one alone, I'm afraid you can only change it into a necklace pendant or a ring, and you have to pay for the labor, so the price won't be that high."
I took the pearl earrings he returned to me and saw that there was indeed a small patch of dark red on the back. Thinking that it might be Xiao Hui's blood that day, my heart ached and my eyes were sore.
I took a deep breath, calmed my breathing, and replied, "Then just treat it as that one, please trouble the shopkeeper."
He smiled, took the remaining one and walked into the inner hall. After a while, he took out a few banknotes and a contract, handed them to me and said, "Miss, count them. If you think it's okay, just sign and put your fingerprints here."
I thought I could redeem the earrings later, so it was important to find out more about Tu Shanjing. I didn't bother to bargain, so I signed the document, took the banknote and walked out of the pawnshop.
Gui Fangduan saw me coming out, led his horse over and said, "I just heard that Zuihualou is going that way."
I nodded and followed him towards the south of the city.
Zuihua Tower is worthy of its name. You can smell the aroma of wine from a long distance away. When you get closer, you can see colorful flowers decorated outside the tower. The fragrance of flowers mixed with the aroma of wine and cosmetics, coupled with the sound of stringed instruments from upstairs, it really is true that people are intoxicated even without the wine.
Gui Fangduan had never seen such a decadent scene before, and he involuntarily retreated behind me and asked me quietly: "Are we... going to live here?"
I replied: "Yes, sister will help you open your eyes! Let's go!"
Gui Fangduan was holding the reins of my horse and he followed me reluctantly.
The welcoming girl came in with a scent of fragrance, looked him up and down with a smile, and said, "Excuse me, where are you from, sir? This is not an ordinary restaurant, and it may not be appropriate for a girl to go in."
I took out a silver note from my pocket and shook it, then nodded to Gui Fangduan: "Miss, I brought my cousin out to see the world and eat some meat. I have heard of your great reputation for a long time, and I want to stay here for a few days. I wonder if you can help me?"
The girl saw the banknotes and smiled charmingly, "If you don't mind, we welcome you! Please come in, both of you!"
A clever servant came and took our horse away, and we followed her up to the second floor, amidst all the beauties, flowers of all colors, pink and fragrant, which dazzled our eyes.
She led us to the two rooms at the end of the corridor and turned around and said, "Girl, this is the room closest to the edge and is quieter. You should stay here. Your brother will live across from you, so he can take care of you and you won't hear any noise."
Gui Fangduan asked curiously, "What's going on? Can't I live next to her?"
The girl raised her delicate, nail-painted hand, covered her mouth with her hands and giggled. She glanced at him with her seductive eyes and said to me with a smile, "Your brother... is he still a married man? I'll find him some gentle courtesans later."
Gui Fangduan blushed when he heard this and was about to speak again, but I stopped him: "Shut up first!"
Then I apologized and asked the girl, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you! I'll let him figure it out on his own and I'll contact you to arrange it if necessary."
The girl smiled and said, "Okay, my name is Yuyun. If you want to find me, just go to the door or ask the servant to call me. What are your names?"
I answered casually: "My name is Yu Sulan, his name is Fang——"
"Fang Siyuan." Gui Fang answered quickly.
"Then please, Mr. Fang, Miss Yu, take a rest. If you want to eat or drink anything, just let us know." Yuyun smiled, bowed, and turned to leave.
When she came downstairs, Gui Fangduan looked at my expression and asked, "Can you please come in? Let's discuss this?"
I said "hmm" and followed him into his room.
The room was still fragrant and magnificent, with fine mahogany furniture and porcelain ornaments everywhere.
I praised: "You reacted very quickly just now."
Gui Fangduan scratched his head: "Siyuan is my name. I am not like you, who can think quickly. I can only use the existing one."