There were many brothels in Snow Lotus City, and they were clustered together. The tall buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, and the layers upon layers of overhanging eaves actually gave off a grandeur similar to that of an imperial palace. The Snow Lotus Building was the one with the tallest eaves, and it had eight floors. The name of the Sleepless City also came from this. It was dawn, but the wide main street was not deserted. There were constantly rich men in disheveled clothes walking out of the brothels with enchanting women snuggling up to them. If they met their "brother-in-law" on the bed on the street, the men would look at each other and smile. Everything would be understood without words.
Hsu Fengnian let the man of sacrifice from the Whisk Room lead the way. When he walked on the street full of the strong fragrance of cosmetics, there were many brothel girls who were tired and should have gone back to the building to catch up on sleep. They threw flirtatious glances at Hsu Fengnian. Some of the bolder girls even tried to seduce this handsome guy with a strange face. The street was very long. Xu Fengnian walked forward with his saber hanging on his waist. Amidst the surprised cries, shouts, and laughter, there were many women who had just climbed into their beds but had not yet fallen asleep. Following the sounds and movements, they opened their windows and leaned against the railings, smiling as they watched this distinguished and elegant young master. Someone started shouting, "Young master, your servant will pay you twenty taels of silver. Do you want to come?" Very soon, there were people offering thirty taels of silver. The second class spy from the Whisk Room, who was the only one other than Mrs. Song in the Snow Lotus Building who knew about Hsu Fengnian's identity, broke out in a cold sweat. At the same time, he also had a heroic spirit. He thought that if the northern barbarians had a young empress, then Liang Mang wouldn't have to fight anymore.
Hsu Fengnian dodged the messy things like fruits, silk scarves, and undergarments. He felt a little helpless. Only then did he remember that he hadn't been to a brothel since he parted with the girl who held the white cat, Wu Meiniang. Earlier, when he was hanging out with Li Han, Lin Yan, and the other martial arts addicts, he often saw this scene. However, at that time, the brothels in Liangzhou and Lingzhou all knew about his background. They were more interested in His Royal Highness title and the money in their pockets. Unlike other brothels, the Snow Lotus Building was located on both sides of the street. It occupied the end of the street and stood out like a crane among chickens. It was like a king facing the north and facing the south. The unusual noise on the street also alarmed the Snow Lotus Building. Therefore, when Hsu Fengnian walked out of the building, there were curious girls on the sixth floor and below sticking their heads out of the windows. However, the rules of the Snow Lotus Building were strict. They didn't dare to join in the fun like their peers. Especially when they saw the burly man standing at the bottom of the stairs in a respectful manner, they didn't dare to act rashly.
Hsu Fengnian didn't care about this harmless episode. Tuoba Bodhisattva of the Four Great Grandmasters had already confirmed his return to the north. Đồng Thái had never been an enemy. Cao Changqing was in Guangling Road. Who in the world could assassinate him? Who would dare?
Madam Song didn't go downstairs to welcome him with great fanfare. Obviously, she was being cautious. Hsu Fengnian went straight to the top floor. Madam Song and the new courtesan of the Snow Lotus Building, Yu Qingling, whom he had met not long ago, stood at the door of an elegant room. Madam Song pushed the door open. Hsu Fengnian stepped over the threshold and entered the quaint room. Madam Song and Yu Qingling quietly followed behind. The burly man quickly closed the door and stood outside the room like a door god. After Hsu Fengnian found a chair and sat down, Yu Qingling began to brew tea without Madam Song's instruction. The tea set on the table had already been prepared. Hsu Fengnian signaled Madam Song to sit down with him. She gently asked if he wanted to eat breakfast. Hsu Fengnian shook his head and asked, "Have you settled Shao Mu and the two children?"
Madam Song reported, "Everything has been settled. According to the order, the forces in the Snow Lotus Building have begun to operate. They will be able to seize the snow lotus in Liu Huaixi's residence by tonight at the latest."
Yu Qingling's smooth movements of brewing tea suddenly became sluggish. Madam Song's expression didn't change, but her eyes narrowed in an instant. Hsu Fengnian waved his hand and said, "Cancel the mission. There's no need for it."
Madam Song nodded and didn't show any doubt.
Hsu Fengnian said softly, "I'll rest in the Snow Lotus Building for a day. You can carry on as usual. You don't have to spend time entertaining me."
Madam Song wanted to say something but hesitated. Without waiting for Hsu Fengnian to speak, she immediately dismissed the idea and said with a guilty expression, "I've overstepped."
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "There's nothing to hide. I just fought with Tuoba Bodhisattva, who chased me all the way to Snow Lotus City. We still couldn't determine the winner. I reckon Li Mibi is beating his chest and stamping his feet right now. Beimang paid a great price for this assassination. "
Yu Qingling felt as if she was struck by lightning.
Beimang's military god, Tuoba Bodhisattva, and Li Mibi, the ancestor of spies, which one of them wasn't a terrifying figure?
Hsu Fengnian said apologetically, "After I step into the Snow Lotus Building, your identities will soon be discovered. Among the forces in Snow Lotus City, the only threat is Western Shu. But don't worry, Western Shu can't take care of itself in a short period of time. In addition, their spies have always been weak. Furthermore, I will also send a group of Fu Shui House's men of sacrifice here. If there's no accident, the leader will be called Fan Xiaochai. If necessary, the Finger Xuan Sword Grandmaster, Mi Fengjie, will also accompany her. Because Snow Lotus City cannot be abandoned for the time being, I need the Snow Lotus House, which has the innate advantage of being close to the water tower, to help keep an eye on the changes in the situation between Western Shu and Nanzhao. In the future, I may force you to go to Nanzhao and contact some people. "
Madame Song smiled and said, "It's Snow Lotus Building's great honor to be able to contribute to Mount Qing Liang and Fu Shui House. I won't refuse even if I have to die ten thousand times."
From the corner of Yu Qingling's eyes, she could see that Madam Song was in high spirits and had a warm smile on her face. This was very different from the Madam Song in her memory. Ever since Yu Qingling settled down in the Snow Lotus House when she was young, the Madam Song in her memory had always been a serious and cold person. Even when facing the courtesans like Yu Qingling, she was always stingy with her smiles. This was the first time Yu Qingling knew that a Madame Song who smiled from the bottom of her heart was like a finishing touch. Soon, Yu Qingling calmed herself down and tidied up her chaotic emotions. She handed the young man a cup of Sparrow Tongue Tea that was picked from the old tea tree on the top of Tianmu Peak in Nanzhao. Yu Qingling took advantage of the short time when he reached out to take the teacup and casually glanced at him. She was not stupid. If he was only treated with respect by Madame Song, then all the hidden leaders of the Fu Shui House in Beiliang were qualified. However, if it was a battle with Tuoba Bodhisattva, and there was a sense of victory and defeat, then the identity of the handsome man in front of her naturally came to light. In the entire Beiliang, there was only one person who was more powerful than Chu Lushan, the Fu Shui House's behind-the-scenes leader who was also the Protector General of Beiliang. Prince Liang, Hsu Fengnian! Yu Qingling could not help but sigh. He was really young.
Hsu Fengnian did not care about Yu Qingling's little thoughts. He leisurely drank tea while casually chatting with Madame Song about the local conditions and customs of Snow Lotus City. Moreover, he had been entangled with Tuoba Bodhisattva for more than half a month and was constantly on the verge of death. He also needed to learn about the situation of Liang Mang's battle and the changes in the world from the Snow Lotus House. However, the Snow Lotus House was located in a small city outside the Great Wall in the southwest border. Its geographical location could not be compared with the Eight Houses in the Nanzhao Kingdom of Western Shu. The Snow Lotus House was only in the middle of the seventy-two houses inside and outside the Whispering House. However, Madame Song's identity was so special that even Chu Lushan had a whole new level of respect for her. In addition, Hsu Fengnian and Tuoba Bodhisattva had fought all the way from the northern part of the Western Regions to the southern part of the Western Regions. Therefore, the Whispering House sent some extra spies to the Snow Lotus House so that once Hsu Fengnian entered Snow Lotus City, he would be the first to receive the news. However, Hsu Fengnian only knew that Liu Gui's Hutou City was still intact. The construction of the huge new city in the northern part of Liangzhou Province, which was even larger than Hutou City, was about to begin. In the area of Qingcang City in Liuzhou Province, the Long Xiang Army and Liu Gui's Army had a probing battle. Both sides suffered losses that were within the acceptable range. Furthermore, after Crouching Gong and Luanhe Cities were breached by Beimang's vanguard general Zhong Tan, Xiaguang City also fell to Beimang's all-out offensive. The Tiger Pouncing Camp, which had been personally approved by the King of Beiliang and personally issued a military order in the name of the Beiliang Protectorate and Chu Lushan, had once made outstanding contributions to the Youzhou infantry headquarters. From the main general, Xun Shu, to the twenty-three captains and forty-seven deputy captains, to all the soldiers, the 2726 people in the camp had all died in battle. Yu Qingling didn't know why, but when she heard these concise words from Madam Song's mouth, she felt as if she could hear the sounds of battle drums, battle cries, smoke, corpses, faces covered in blood, and unsheathed Beiliang sabers … She didn't know when, but when tears streamed down her face, she saw the young vassal king leaning back in his chair and drinking tea. His face was expressionless and indifferent. Yu Qingling, this lowly chess piece of the Fu Shui Chamber who had worked so hard to become a second-class concubine, suddenly couldn't help but feel angry. She suddenly felt a surge of courage. She stared straight at this young man who could, at times, openly wear a python robe. Her eyes were filled with doubt and resentment. The soldiers at the border were sacrificing their lives for you, for your Xu family. Could it be that you couldn't show a bit of grief? Could it be that just because they were one of the 300,000 cavalrymen of Beiliang, they had to die as if it was right and proper? They couldn't even be bothered to make you frown?!
Madam Song said softly, "Since the battle between You and Liang provinces started, no one from the Beiliang Frontier Army has surrendered."
Hsu Fengnian nodded and said, "Before Beimang's army enters the border, even if some of us are willing to surrender, Beimang won't accept it."
Yu Qingling was supposed to pour tea for him and refill his cup, but she put down the teapot heavily to vent her anger. Then she smiled bitterly. With the mentality of death, she wanted to ask this young vassal king whether he had a heart or not.
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