Talk as You Go
Su Zimo's gaze flashed as she asked again, "So Your Majesty wants to go to that shop?"
"Just go and take a look at the Zhuang's porcelain shop! I heard that among the shops owned by the Zhuang family, after the wine shop, clothing store, and rice shop, the most popular ones are the restaurant and the porcelain shop. As for the restaurant, I won't go there. I want to! When I go there, someone is bound to be poisoned."
Su Zimo was stunned upon hearing this. "Your Majesty is really joking."
Su Zimo naturally understood that Emperor Haoyue, who had seen countless people, could naturally see that all these people today were targeting her.
She hoped that Mingyue Porcelain wouldn't cause any trouble, but upon reflection, Ji Yu was among these people, and today Emperor Haoyue accompanied them. With the addition of her letting the siblings go earlier, how could Ji Yu easily give up?
"I don't make such jokes."
Emperor Haoyue continued chatting with Su Zimo as if nothing had happened.
"Your Majesty, please!"
Su Zimo quickly gave a signal to He Yunting.
He Yunting understood and turned to the wine shop to give some instructions before quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Mu Yunxuan looked at the person who claimed to be the master of the Dark Night Pavilion behind Emperor Haoyue. They had already vanished, which made him even more suspicious. He needed to find out who the owner of the Dark Night Pavilion was as soon as possible.
The group of people moved towards the porcelain shop.
"Ah, Yunfan, what's the matter with your sister-in-law? It's clear that those two siblings were manipulated by someone, so how could your sister-in-law let them go so easily?"
Murong Xingchen couldn't understand.
"Who do I ask if you ask me?" Mu Yunfan also looked puzzled.
"My sister-in-law didn't let them go; she wanted to find the mastermind through them. But Junlintian is too foolish and became my sister-in-law's stepping stone."
Mu Yunhan approached them with a smile, a smile filled with admiration.
"Yunhan, so you had already figured it out?" Murong Xingchen looked at Mu Yunhan. Why hadn't she realized it?
"Hehe, it's not difficult to figure it out."
"Second brother, why aren't you with the eldest brother and the others?" Mu Yunfan asked.
"Big brother asked me to secretly observe the situation in each shop. They went to the porcelain shop. Do you want to go there too?"
"Of course, why not? We've been following along all this way." Murong Xingchen's eyes sparkled. She and Mu Yunfan loved to join in the fun.
"Then let's go!" Mu Yunhan smiled. Dressed in a red robe, he looked exceptionally beautiful.
"By the way, second brother, where are our parents?" Mu Yunfan knew that on a day like today, their parents wouldn't stay in the Yun City without going out.
"Mom and Dad went to the clothing store. You didn't see that all of my sister-in-law's shops have been very busy."
As they walked and talked, their interest grew stronger.
Not far from the wine shop, on a hidden yet luxurious second floor, a couple stood by the window, observing everything below.
The woman had a beautiful face, while the man had extraordinary looks, exuding an imposing presence.
"Ah!" The beautiful lady sighed heavily!
As she watched their fading figures, tears silently fell from her beautiful face.
"Ruoyan, don't be too sad. We will soon be able to reunite with our children."
The man gently wiped away the tears from his wife's face, his resolute and handsome face filled with pain.
"Will our children forgive us, Ruoyan? After all, it was we who abandoned them without a care all those years ago."
Situru Ruoyan was filled with anxiety.
"Ruoyan, they will understand us. Look at our Mo'er, she's so spirited and brave. And our Nian'er, she's reserved and likable. As for Jue'er, he excels in both literary and martial arts, and he has a dignified appearance. If you can't wait any longer, let's go to Mingyue Manor tonight to meet our children."
Nalan Wenhao said excitedly. For so many years, he had imagined countless times the scene of meeting his children. He was filled with anticipation and longing. Nalan Wenhao clenched his fists. Finally, he no longer had to worry about anything. He could let his children return to his side.
"How can I face our children? Besides, we have suffered greatly. In their hearts, our suffering is just an excuse. I remember when I left, Momo was still so young. She probably doesn't even remember what her mother looks like." Situru Ruoyan's tears poured down, regret and self-blame evident on her face.
"Ruoyan, I have made up my mind about this matter! You must trust me."
"Alright, let's go to Mingyue Manor tonight."
Situru Ruoyan wiped away her tears. She was not afraid of gossip or rumors. She only wanted her children and grandson.
"Good! Let's go. I hope no one will cause trouble. Seeing Momo dealing with the enemy so resolutely and enduring hardships, it feels like a knife cutting through my heart."
The two walked out of the room, followed by more than a dozen covert guards.
Su Zimo and Emperor Haoyue chatted happily along the way, but Emperor Haoyue avoided discussing state affairs and focused on business matters. Su Zimo carefully responded to each question related to business.
Suddenly, Emperor Haoyue stopped in his tracks and gazed into a brothel below where the girls were soliciting customers.
Su Zimo felt puzzled. Could Emperor Haoyue be interested in going to a brothel in broad daylight?
In an instant, Su Zimo's mind wandered, and even the people behind her began to speculate.
"Does the master of the Zhuang family also manage brothels?"
A soft voice reached Su Zimo's ears.
"Mhmm!" Su Zimo awkwardly hummed softly.
Could Emperor Haoyue really want to discuss brothels with her?
Mu Yunxuan's gaze flickered, unable to read Emperor Haoyue's thoughts for the first time.
The others had the same thoughts.
"As long as they are businessmen, it's natural for them to operate brothels. Madam has no brothel in Emperor Haoyue's capital, but there is one at the border."
Su Zimo pondered for a moment. She was not coy about this matter, but Emperor Haoyue's gaze was a bit...
"What is the master's opinion of those girls in the brothel?"
Emperor Haoyue asked again. When he was a prince, he had visited such establishments, but after becoming emperor, he hadn't gone anymore. He saw the girls in the brothel, beautifully dressed and always smiling and laughing with men. He had always thought that those girls enjoyed such a lifestyle willingly. Therefore, after becoming emperor, he didn't have many regulations regarding brothels.
"Does Your Majesty want to hear the truth or a lie?"
Su Zimo wondered whether Emperor Haoyue was genuinely naive or testing her. How did the conversation veer towards brothels? Su Zimo was embarrassed, inwardly screaming. Was it really necessary for a woman like her to discuss this topic with the emperor? Weren't ancient people more reserved? Emperor Haoyue was truly...
"Why do you ask? I just wanted to hear the master's opinion on the girls in the brothel."
Emperor Haoyue furrowed his brow. There was indeed a distinction between truth and falsehood, but since ascending the throne, he hadn't dealt with such matters much.
Alright! Su Zimo was speechless. Since it was like this, it didn't matter if Emperor Haoyue heard the truth. They still had some time before reaching the porcelain shop.
"Your Majesty, let's continue our conversation as we walk."
Mu Yunxuan frowned, wondering if Mo'er really wanted to discuss brothels with her uncle.
Everyone perked up their ears, waiting for Su Zimo to speak.
"Your Majesty, the lives of the girls in the brothel are like puppets in the hands of men. They rarely have the chance to make decisions for themselves. In the eyes of the world, they may appear refined and influential, but their actions are driven by the desire to find someone they truly love and escape the superficial and empty life they lead. However, most of the girls in the brothel are beautiful but doomed to tragic fates..."
"Why? They seem happy every day," Emperor Haoyue suddenly interrupted Su Zimo.
Su Zimo: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Su Zimo glanced at Emperor Haoyue with suspicion, trying to determine whether he was genuinely naive or pretending. Based on Emperor Haoyue's expression, it seemed he had been to brothels before.
However, all Su Zimo saw on Emperor Haoyue's face was innocence.
Alright! Su Zimo was utterly speechless.
To what extent did the allure of brothels reach? Why did scholars abandon their families and careers, yearning for such a place? She felt it was necessary to have a proper conversation with Emperor Haoyue about it!
"Do you have a deep understanding of brothels, Master?" Emperor Haoyue asked again.
"Mhmm!" Mu Yunxuan couldn't help but hum softly. Did her uncle really want to hear about the deeds of brothels from Mo'er's mouth? Well, it made sense. Her uncle ascended the throne smoothly, so he didn't need to gather information from brothels across the country.
"Xuan'er, is there something inappropriate?" Su Zimo kindly reminded.
"No, Uncle, there are people from other countries present," Mu Yunxuan warned.
Emperor Haoyue furrowed his brow but didn't pay it much attention.
"Continue! This is the first time I've been interested in this topic," Emperor Haoyue commanded.
Su Qi's large eyes shifted, realizing that this was not a suitable topic for children. Did Emperor Haoyue forget about his presence? Su Qi was usually quite noticeable.
Meanwhile, Nalan Lixing blushed and hid behind Murong Shaofeng.
The others looked at Su Zimo with various expressions.
Su Zimo forced a smile, suddenly catching sight of shadows rushing towards them from all directions on the rooftop. Her smile froze on her face. How was it that her luck always seemed so good?
"Your Majesty, it's not necessary to discuss it now. Let's resolve the imminent crisis first!" Su Zimo exclaimed.
In an instant, Emperor Haoyue's gaze turned cold as they all saw the shadows rushing in.
Mu Yunxuan's eyes gleamed with coldness as he observed the "Tian" character on the chests of the approaching individuals.
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