Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 154 Thoughts and Understanding
He hadn't drunk much just now, but he suddenly got drunk and said something like that. When he was dragged out of the house by Lu Sanlang and stood in the yard in the cold wind, Zhu Er felt that he had finally calmed down. But because he was sober, he felt that he had agreed with Zhang Shou's words about singing to the sky, and then slammed the table and stood up, which was simply courting death.
Does he really intend to be the second master Zhu for the rest of his life and never go to places like brothels again?
As long as word of mouth spreads, who among those beautiful top girls would be willing to look at him straight in the eye?
When Zhu Er was complaining about himself, Lu Sanlang, as he always did, put his arm around his shoulder and said warmly and enthusiastically: "Brother Zhu, you are really good! What you said just now was really... you were very good at agreeing with others and very good at insulting others! We were estranged from each other before, but we will remain the same in the future. It's just a small disagreement, you won't remember it for the rest of your life, right?"
"How dare you say that?" Zhu Er finally came to his senses and said angrily, "You lied to me before, and you lied to me today too. Why didn't you tell me earlier about coming to Tingyu Cottage and the Twelve Rain Dance? If what I just said gets out..."
"Spread the word that you are a good brother who loves his sister, respects his teachers, and supports his future brother-in-law!" Lu Sanlang interrupted Zhu Er with a smile, and then said in a gentle and persuasive manner, "Do you know what your sister's status is in front of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the palace? Do you know what your future brother-in-law's status is in front of the Emperor and Master Ge?"
"It's much more cost-effective to protect them than to please those women in these places. The fame these women bring to you is something you don't need at all. And if they ruin your reputation, you don't care at all."
Seeing Zhu Er was stunned, Lu Sanlang sneered and said, "Don't be fooled by the fact that these red-light districts in the capital have produced one top prostitute after another, whether they are nobles or talented men, they all flock to them. But we are different from those talented men! Top prostitutes need talented men to help them become famous, and talented men also need these women to help them spread their poems and essays. Everyone gets what they need."
Zhu Er was a little stunned after hearing this: "Then we..."
"We are the sons of officials and nobles, and we are just looking for something that we don't have at home. Do the maids in your family dare to be cold and indifferent to you?" Seeing Zhu Er's subconscious words, Lu Sanlang slapped his forehead and thought that your family situation is really different from others. He could only change his words temporarily, otherwise he would be choked back by Zhu Er again.
"The children of the rich and powerful visit places like this just for fun. You lower yourself to please them, but they are reluctant to accept your offer. In the end, as long as you have money and power, you can do whatever you want. Do you believe that not only will they not dare to spread a word, but they will also come back to apologize to you? Otherwise, Tingyu Cottage will no longer be Twelve Rains in the future, and it doesn't matter if it is changed to Twelve Flowers!"
Lu Sanlang held Zhu Er and whispered to him, while Zhu Ying stood in the corridor and watched them. Zhang Shou had asked Ah Liu to send her a letter, and she had really not planned to come, but when she heard that Zhang Shou actually took Zhu Er with him, she couldn't hold back. The second brother had done countless stupid things, but Zhang Shou was not worried. What if the second brother was stupid enough to help outsiders to cheat his own people?
But she felt a little .
Therefore, after much hesitation, she finally stepped forward. Seeing that Lu Sanlang immediately shut up and Zhu Er was obviously a little frightened when he saw her, she didn't bother to pay attention to her second brother. She looked at Lu Sanlang and said, "The matter that Shou asked me to pay attention to has been resolved. Maybe you can see him next time you have a day off, or the next time you have a day off. Then Shou and I will accompany you."
Zhu Er was confused, but Lu Sanlang's eyes lit up. Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou were going to accompany him... where? Of course, they were going to meet each other! He didn't care about family background at all. As long as the woman fits his character and has a clean family background, she would be fine! At that moment, he immediately bowed deeply without thinking.
"I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. When things are done in the future, I will definitely repay you handsomely!"
Zhu Ying couldn't help but burst out laughing. Even though she had recently felt that the little fat boy that her second brother had chosen for her was becoming more and more interesting, and was not at all the fool she had initially thought, she still found it funny to think that she would become the little fat boy's matchmaker.
And then, seeing Lu Sanlang tactfully giving Zhu Er to her, and thinking of the way the little fat boy used to get close to her with a lecherous face, she couldn't help but mutter that this guy was really good at whatever he acted, and it was a pity that he didn't go to the stage to perform.
“Yingying…”
Hearing this call in her ear, Zhu Ying came back to her senses immediately. Seeing Zhu Er looking at her cautiously, she couldn't help but get angry and stepped on him lightly. Until he grimaced but didn't dare to cry out in pain, she snorted in frustration.
"You may not be as wise and brave as my elder brother, but you are still my brother. Otherwise, you would have cheated me of so much money. If it were someone else, I would have killed him long ago! When you took a fancy to Lu Zhutou, even if you had a thousand or ten thousand reasons, as long as you didn't get my consent, you are a bastard!"
"But it's all over. Grandmother has punished you, and I won't remember it anymore. Otherwise, how can you live well after mother comes back?"
Thinking of how powerful his stepmother was, Zhu Er shrank his head unnaturally: "I know that Yingying, you are a magnanimous person, and my grandmother and mother are also magnanimous people..."
"Stop talking nonsense! Just like you defended me and Ah Shou today, you are my brother, and of course I will help you at the critical moment!" Zhu Ying stretched out her hand to straighten Zhu Er's crooked hair crown, and said softly, "My eldest brother's fiancée, who had been engaged for many years, died of an acute illness before the wedding, so he dragged it on until he went to war and didn't get married. Now there is no news. Second brother, it's your turn to shoulder the burden from now on!"
Zhu Er had asked Zhang Shou about this question today, but he didn't get a clear answer. He couldn't help but ask again, "But what should I do? I don't have the talent of Lu Sanlang..."
"Do Zhang Chen and the other two have talent?" Zhu Ying sneered, then raised her head and said, "I was born with talent and it will be useful. Even if I lose all my money, I will get it back. We should be confident! Others think that Princess Yongping is a talented woman who is good at music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but I only have a pretty face. But so what? As long as I think I am not inferior to her, that's enough!"
This is a perverse theory, isn't it? Zhu Er suddenly felt a little sweat on his back.
You think that if you don't lose to her, then you won't lose to her? Can a person achieve success just by being confident?
But when Zhu Ying said the next thing, he, who had originally been full of disapproval, was suddenly stunned.
"She thinks she can help the emperor discover and recruit talents...but is this necessary? The imperial examination is based on eight-part essays. She doesn't need to do it. The examiners will conscientiously select the candidates and present them to the emperor. Her Yuehua Tower Literary Gathering, to put it bluntly, where does it put the examiners? If she has the time to select talents, she might as well find a husband for herself!"
"Just like I fell in love with Shou at first sight!" Zhu Ying looked into Zhu Er's eyes and said with a smile, "So, second brother, if you really want to make progress, you should first marry my second sister-in-law."
It seems that I don't have the final say in my marriage? Zhu Er felt a little itchy, but when he thought about the rich girls he had met, he felt that most of them were boring. Until this moment, he felt that although his sister Zhu Ying seemed to have a lot of shortcomings, she was at least lively and interesting, not as old-fashioned and dull as some girls.
Thinking that they were in Tingyu Cottage and it was inappropriate to hastily discuss his lifelong affairs, he swallowed hard and had to change the subject: "Zhang Shou and Weinan Bo have been talking for quite a while. What on earth are they discussing? Why are they so secretive?"
"It's probably related to some kind of mathematics." Zhu Ying frowned worriedly, "It's a pity that I don't know anything about it..."
Just when Zhu Ying was once again frustrated about her poor mathematical talent, she suddenly heard some movement outside the courtyard gate. She felt a little strange and simply walked over. When she saw that the Twelve Rains who had just danced to that song were all here, but now they had taken off their gorgeous clothes and were now wearing plain clothes, barefoot, with dishevelled hair, looking like criminals, she couldn't help but feel angry and amused.
Before they could speak or move, she impatiently threw her sleeves heavily.
"My second brother lost his temper just now, and you have apologized, so the two have canceled each other out. Why are you still coming here to put on this show? You dance well, and I feel pity for you. It's a pity that my Ah Shou doesn't understand romance! You are unlucky to enter this place. As long as you don't come to provoke my family, I have no grudge against you, and I won't fight and kill you because of the slightest thing. Get out!"
At this moment, Zhang Shou took the note where Zhang Kang had written down the code for the 14-ring turntable and just pushed the door open. Hearing what Zhu Ying said, he smiled at Zhang Kang beside him, but did not mention the scene outside: "Uncle, just now Lu Sanlang and Yingying made room for us to talk. We have been standing in the yard for so long, shouldn't you find another place to treat everyone to a meal?"
Zhang Kang was frowning because of the mess outside. When he heard Zhang Shou's words, he immediately put on an attitude of following suit and said with a smile, "Okay, let's change the place and I'll set up another table! Lao Wan, let them go. Don't ruin the fun!"
Seeing Wan Yuanbao quickly putting on a smile and chasing Twelve Rain back as if he was chasing something, Zhu Er thought about what Lu Sanlang had just said, and he felt that his mind suddenly became clear.
Whether it's Tingyu Cottage, Twelve Rains, or other romantic places, in the end, isn't it all about power? Who of the nobles who hang out in these places really dares to take a top prostitute home? Those who keep concubines are all doing it secretly!
So, don’t say that he didn’t say anything wrong before. Even if he did say something wrong, what’s there to be afraid of?
Just think about how he was once bewitched by several so-called top women, and he hadn't even gotten close to them. How embarrassing!
