Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law-Chapter 570: Keeping the Appointment with Zhihua
Main bedroom of the other courtyard.
"Miss Zhihua will invite you to Tingxuan Building by the Qinhuai River tomorrow to thank you for saving her yesterday when the horse was startled." Yue Ruyan read the invitation sent by Zhihua and relayed it to Chen Mo.
"Zhihua..." Chen Mo raised an eyebrow slightly. Although he was surprised by Zhihua, he didn’t take it too seriously. But today’s invitation made him feel that the whole situation was filled with strangeness.
"It seems that this Zhihua wants to throw herself at you. Yesterday’s horse incident should have been specially planned by her," Yue Ruyan said clearly.
She still regarded Zhihua’s incident as a deliberately manufactured encounter meant to attract Chen Mo, and tomorrow’s invitation was likely to require actual action.
Chen Mo gave her a sidelong glance and then looked at Xiao Yunxi: "What kind of place is this Tingxuan Building?"
"It’s a high-end restaurant located on a houseboat, owned by the Qin Family. Only nobles and dignitaries can afford it. It seems this Miss Zhihua is willing to spend some silver to thank you, husband," Xiao Yunxi said with a mocking smile.
"You all think this is a romantic encounter, but what if it’s a honey trap to plot against me?" Chen Mo glared lightly at the two women and said.
"Are you going to accept the invitation then?" Yue Ruyan asked.
"Yes, I want to see what kind of trick she’s hiding," Chen Mo replied.
Yue Ruyan gave Chen Mo a reproachful glance and said, "That’s resolved then."
Ignoring her, Chen Mo turned to Xiao Yunxi: "How’s the investigation going that you asked Xiao Quan to do?"
"I’ll go and ask in a bit," Xiao Yunxi replied.
...
The Xiao Family’s influence is significant throughout Jiangnan, so it doesn’t take long to investigate a person.
Soon, Xiao Yunxi came to tell Chen Mo what had been found.
"The situation is similar to what Zhihua said yesterday. Zhihua’s original name was Xiaohua, given by a human trafficker. After being sold to the Flower Fragrance Building, she changed her name to Zhihua. Her slave documents are still in the government office’s document library," Xiao Yunxi said slowly.
"Can we still find that human trafficker?"
"My cousin said that the human trafficker is not local and is not currently in Jiangnan. According to the current investigation, this trafficker specializes in selling underage girls, gathering some orphans from all over Great Song and selling them in Jiangnan," Xiao Yunxi said.
Yue Ruyan frowned and interjected, "Don’t the Jiangnan offices care?"
Xiao Yunxi sighed, "It’s impossible to control. In today’s chaotic times, the government’s office can’t know whether the girls in the trafficker’s hands came through legitimate means or were kidnapped."
"This could be legal?" Yue Ruyan’s eyebrows tightened, and she said coldly, "Even if it’s legal, transportation businesses should be punished."
"Yes, when the Grand Ancestor Emperor first established the dynasty, everything was in ruins, and the economy was bleak. A great famine broke out, causing grain prices to soar, and people began to eat each other, with more than half dead or wounded. The Grand Ancestor Emperor issued a holy decree allowing people to sell their children in exchange for life-saving grain. Moreover, slaves themselves can be freely bought and sold. In today’s chaotic world, even legitimate children without background might be targeted by the powerful, collude with government offices, and be forcibly turned into slaves," Xiao Yunxi said.
"So in that case, there’s no way to investigate further," Chen Mo said.
...
The next day, at Tingxuan Building.
Tingxuan Building was docked in one of the most picturesque spots by the Qinhuai River. As one of the only two extravagant places in Qinhuai City, Tingxuan Building was surrounded by many scholars and ladies.
As Chen Mo would say, they were all gathered there to "check-in."
The same dish that would cost only a few tens or hundreds of cents at a regular restaurant would be tenfold or more at Tingxuan Building. Even so, guests still flocked in, and the three-story houseboat was almost always full, with private rooms in short supply and requiring reservations.
At this moment, a carriage slowly approached from a distance. People turned their attention not because the carriage was lavish, but because they had seen it the day before. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
"It’s Miss Zhihua’s carriage."
They were quite surprised.
After all, even though Zhihua was a courtesan in a brothel, Tingxuan Building was a true high-end venue for nobles and dignitaries.
With the Xiahe Banquet approaching, Zhihua not staying at the Flower Fragrance Building and coming to Tingxuan Building inevitably made people wonder which noble young master had invited Zhihua in advance to break her purity.
Since the norms of great noble families are strict, the meeting must have been arranged at Tingxuan Building for privacy.
The carriage stopped on the bank. The horse servant got down first, placed a small wooden step in front of the carriage, and lifted the curtain. A graceful woman slowly stepped down from the carriage.
She wore a luxurious golden dress, was tall, with brows like crescent moons, and clear eyes like lake water. Her figure was lithe like willow, her hair black and piled high in a bun.
One of the three Eighth-Grade Martial Artists hired as guards at Tingxuan Building stepped forward to lower a gangplank onto the houseboat.
"Has the noble arrived?" Zhihua asked softly after approaching and giving a bow.
Just as the guard at Tingxuan Building was about to speak...
The orderly sound of footsteps, "da da da," was heard not far away.
Everyone on the shore looked over.
A troop of Armored Warriors approached, their armor leaves making a creaking sound as they walked. The sunlight striking their bright armor made them appear very majestic and striking.
A horse-drawn carriage bearing the Xiao Clan’s Emblem approached, and the onlookers quickly made way.
"It’s Duke An!"
The crowd erupted in astonishment. In Jiangnan, the Xiao Family was the only noble family with troops. Although this was a Xiao Family carriage, the troops opening the way wore armor signifying they were Duke An’s personal soldiers.
"Why is Duke An here? Could it be that the noble Zhihua mentioned is Duke An?" someone murmured.
The Armored Warriors stopped in front of Zhihua, then spread out, their long spears pressed against the ground, the tips gleaming with cold light, causing the young girls to retreat.
Zhihua stepped forward to greet the carriage.
The carriage stopped, and Chen Mo stepped down.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Chen Mo glanced at Zhihua and said with a smile.
"I just arrived myself," Zhihua curtsied to Chen Mo.
"After you, Duke An," Zhihua said softly.
Chen Mo nodded and walked towards Tingxuan Building with Zhihua following behind.
Sun Meng followed with the armored soldiers. Chen Mo suddenly turned back: "Wait outside, and don’t come in without my order."
Sun Meng glanced at Zhihua and nodded.
Yet, in the eyes of outsiders, this naturally seemed like Zhihua had caught Duke An’s eye, and they were ready for an intimate encounter at Tingxuan Pavilion today.
"Duke An has indeed been captivated by Zhihua."
"Zhihua is about to leap onto a branch and become a phoenix."
