Chapter 23

Chang'an Street was thronging with people.

Jin Wang had the carriage stop in a quiet, narrow alley, and without bringing any attendants, took Ye Shu's hand and stepped down.

Ye Shu had ultimately chosen to wear the disguise.

His reasoning: since His Majesty had accepted the offered beauty, the court officials must not be disappointed — this beauty ought to be well and duly favored.

But Jin Wang knew perfectly well that he was just stirring up trouble on purpose.

Wanting the outside world to see him as fickle and inconstant.

Truly deserving punishment. Jin Wang thought silently.

"Shall we go and take a look over there?" Ye Shu turned to look at him, his eyes bright and laughing.

The face Ye Shu had chosen for the disguise was also quite beautiful, but compared to his real face it was far more understated — leaning toward refined and clean rather than breathtaking.

Having grown accustomed to exceptional beauty, Jin Wang found this sort of face barely worth a glance.

But now that he knew who was wearing it, even this face had become pleasing to look at.

Jin Wang was momentarily distracted. Ye Shu didn't wait for a reply and simply pulled him into Chang'an Street.

It was still daytime, and the street was nowhere near as lively as it would be at night — but it was lively enough.

Vendors hawked their wares on both sides of the road. Pedestrians streamed past in groups of three and five, the whole scene a picture of peaceful prosperity.

As an emperor, witnessing this flourishing peace within his own domain should have been gratifying. But with this particular troublemaker at his side, Jin Wang had not the slightest desire to appreciate the sights.

Why did he have to walk so fast — didn't he know he needed to take things slowly now?

And he kept pushing into the most crowded spots. What if he got bumped or knocked?

Letting go of Our hand again — just see if We let you out next time!

Jin Wang gripped Ye Shu's hand firmly. "Stay close."

Ye Shu looked back at him, and found himself met with Jin Wang's dark expression.

The two of them looked at each other in silence for a moment.

Ye Shu smiled. "We're out here to have fun — what's with the grim face? Here — this is for you."

He pressed a skewer of candied hawthorn into Jin Wang's hand.

Jin Wang was taken aback. He asked somewhat dazedly: "You… you bought this for Us?"

"Yes." Ye Shu held his own skewer and touched his tongue lightly to the sugary coating. "Your Majesty probably hasn't had the chance to try these things before — have a taste. They're delicious."

Jin Wang bent his head and took a bite.

Sweet and tart on the tongue — remarkably like this person's pheromone scent.

No — hawthorn had more of an astringent bite. Nowhere near as good as the pheromone.

Wait — hawthorn…

The physician had just recently warned: hawthorn was forbidden for kun-sovereigns during pregnancy.

This person was walking straight into trouble again!

Ye Shu had just bitten into the candied hawthorn when Jin Wang's hand shot out like lightning and seized the skewer.

Ye Shu: "?"

Jin Wang kept his face blank. "Spit it out."

Ye Shu obediently opened his mouth.

Jin Wang pulled the skewer free. "We want this one."

Ye Shu: "??"

Ye Shu asked: "Don't you have your own?"

Jin Wang said unreasonably: "But We want yours."

"…"

Ye Shu was silent for a moment, then spread his hand in resignation. "Fine then, take it — who told you to be the sovereign…"

Perhaps those words meant nothing in particular, but Jin Wang suddenly remembered that in the harshest days of the past, Ye Shu had also always given him the best of whatever there was.

Always yielding, never competing.

Jin Wang's thoughts drifted for a moment — but Ye Shu had already been drawn away by something new and was pulling him forward at a brisk pace.

They soon found themselves in front of a small building.

On the plaque above the entrance were written three large characters.

— "Chunjiang Pavilion."

The finest pleasure house in the capital.

Ordinary establishments of this kind were deserted during the day and only grew lively at night. But this place was different.

People came and went outside Chunjiang Pavilion. And upstairs, rather than the usual flirtatious men and women beckoning at the door, there were only two young attendants standing properly at the entrance, welcoming and seeing off guests with quiet courtesy — making a place of pleasure look, against all expectation, like a refined establishment of culture.

Ye Shu couldn't help but look a few extra times.

Jin Wang asked: "Would you like to go in?"

Ye Shu quickly shook his head. "No, no, no…"

"If you want to go, just say so — We can agree to it."

"I don't — wait." Ye Shu's eyes lit up. "You truly mean it?"

Jin Wang smiled and pulled him straight inside Chunjiang Pavilion.

A young attendant quickly appeared to welcome them. Jin Wang had them shown to a fine private room.

The room's window was wide open, giving a full view of the entire Chunjiang Pavilion, looking out directly at the performance stage in the main hall below.

Once the attendant had served the tea and left, Ye Shu couldn't help asking: "You… you've been here before?"

More than just "been here" — from how familiar Jin Wang seemed with the place, and how naturally he had given instructions to the attendants, he was clearly a regular.

Ye Shu's expression became very peculiar.

So you're this kind of person, dog emperor.

Jin Wang cleared his throat and explained: "The late emperor indulged in pleasure and was particularly fond of establishments like this, which is why pleasure houses filled every street in the capital. Do you think that happened without the imperial family quietly encouraging it from behind the scenes?"

"You— you mean…"

Jin Wang said flatly: "At the time, more than half the pleasure houses in the capital were effectively imperial property."

Ye Shu understood. "So this place is also…"

"After We ascended the throne, We had those pleasure houses closed one by one. Only Chunjiang Pavilion was kept." Jin Wang paused, and frowned. "…Don't look at Us like that. We are nothing like that foolish ruler. Keeping a pleasure house was not for indulgence."

Ye Shu pretended not to have heard Jin Wang referring to his own late father as "that foolish ruler," and asked: "Then what for?"

Jin Wang was silent for a long moment.

After a while, he said leisurely: "Our three hundred intelligence agents are spread throughout the common people. They need a place where information can flow freely."

Ye Shu did remember the novel mentioning that those three hundred agents had hidden among ordinary folk, favoring inns, taverns, and other high-traffic establishments for passing messages.

The novel hadn't specifically named Chunjiang Pavilion — but it certainly fit the description.

Ye Shu took a sip of tea. He found this rather interesting.

The largest pleasure house in the kingdom, and its true owner was the sovereign himself.

Who would ever believe it if he told them?

"Chunjiang Pavilion only offers performances, poetry gatherings, tea, and music during the day. Night is when it becomes a true pleasure house." Jin Wang glanced over at him and said leisurely: "We leave when the sun goes down."

Understanding what he meant, Ye Shu let out a subdued "oh."

Even came to a pleasure house and wouldn't let him sample its pleasures.

What fun.

On the performance stage below, a song and dance number had begun. Jin Wang had no interest in watching. He propped his chin in his hand and looked at Ye Shu.

Oddly enough, Ye Shu seemed somewhat absent-minded as well.

A silence settled over the room.

Ye Shu finally couldn't hold back. "Why do you keep looking at me?"

Jin Wang smiled. "You're all Ours anyway — can't We look?"

"…Do… do as you like." Ye Shu set his teacup down on the table. "Not much going on here. Shall we go somewhere else?"

But Jin Wang didn't move.

The two of them looked at each other in silence for a while. Jin Wang let out a quiet sigh. "A Shu — when will you ever learn to be a little more sensible?"

Ye Shu looked uneasy. "What… what did I do?"

Jin Wang said calmly: "Since we came out, you have left seven or eight trail markers in the streets. Did you think We wouldn't notice?"

The fingers Ye Shu had hidden beneath the table curled tight.

He had indeed been leaving trail markers along the way.

He had fallen into someone else's hands after leaving the ancestral temple and had never met up with Changyuan. Changyuan had waited in vain, and he didn't know where the man might have gone. He had coaxed Jin Wang into coming out precisely to leave markers in the streets — to let Changyuan know his whereabouts.

Ye Shu let out a dry laugh. "What markers — this subject doesn't understand what Your Majesty is referring to…"

Jin Wang only looked at him with a mild expression.

Ye Shu lowered his eyes and said quietly: "Alright, I'll tell you. I just wanted to find Changyuan."

At the mention of that name, a dark flash crossed Jin Wang's eyes.

Afraid Jin Wang wouldn't believe him, Ye Shu explained: "I'm genuinely not trying to run. It's just… just that Changyuan doesn't know where I am. He must be very worried. I only wanted to find him."

Jin Wang looked at him steadily.

After a moment, he raised his hand and brushed a loose strand of hair back from Ye Shu's brow, his tone gentle. "In truth, there was a much simpler way you could have gone about this."

That tone carried a subtle undertone of danger. Ye Shu shrank slightly and asked: "W— what way?"

Jin Wang smiled. "You could have asked Us."

Ye Shu didn't answer.

Although it was daytime, Chunjiang Pavilion was still a pleasure house at its core. The room was decorated with a suggestive air, incense with a sweet and heavy fragrance burning within — and the atmosphere between the two of them had, along with it, grown somewhat charged.

Ye Shu swallowed. "Your Majesty…"

"Mm?"

Ye Shu's expression was slightly tense. Under the table, he gripped his hands together tightly — then suddenly said: "Actually, never mind."

Jin Wang was mildly surprised.

Ye Shu said quickly: "He'll leave on his own if he can't find me. That's probably for the best — no need to involve him any further."

The room fell silent again. A moment later, Jin Wang gave a soft laugh, and all the weight that had gathered in his manner dissolved at once.

"All right — whatever you say."

Ye Shu quietly exhaled in relief.

Another hurdle cleared.

Changyuan had helped him escape. There was no chance this dog emperor would be willing to help him look for the man.

If he actually asked Jin Wang to find Changyuan, who knew whether the person who came back would be alive or dead, with all their limbs intact.

Poor little Changyuan — he could only hope the man would never be found by this dog emperor.

Ye Shu thought this to himself quietly.

The two of them sat a little longer and then stood to leave the private room.

As they reached the top of the staircase, a figure came stumbling toward them and nearly collided with Ye Shu. Jin Wang quickly pulled Ye Shu back half a step. The figure tumbled to the ground at their feet.

Jin Wang's brow furrowed. A glint of cold anger flickered in his eyes.

But the young person who had fallen didn't stop to think about that — they scrambled forward on all fours and grabbed Ye Shu's hem. "Please — please save me…"

A honeyed floral fragrance drifted through the air.

"You…"

Ye Shu was about to speak when he heard a sharp cry from behind. "Where do you think you're going — you dare disturb the guests? Get him back here!"

Several young attendants immediately stepped forward and seized the fallen figure.

The person looked up.

They were not very old — from appearances, only sixteen or seventeen. Their face was delicate and youthful, with a cinnabar mole at the center of their brow. Their forehead had caught the edge of the staircase and been cut open in a small wound.

But the young person seemed not to feel the pain. They struggled with everything they had. "Let me go — I don't want to stay here——"

Ye Shu: "Wait!"

Everyone froze.

The young person was dressed in plain rough cloth, clearly terrified — trembling faintly all over.

Ye Shu understood immediately.

Had he just walked into one of those stories about a poor young person sold into a pleasure house?

Sure enough — a woman dressed as a proprietress came sauntering over. "What are you all standing around for? Get hold of him! I paid good money to buy this kun-sovereign — if he escapes, every last one of you is out of here!"

"…"

Just as he'd thought.

The attendants moved to grab the young person again. They scrambled and crawled behind Ye Shu, clutching at him. "Please save me, please save me…"

"Still running? Your father sold you into——" The proprietress was still talking as she walked over, and then she looked up and saw Jin Wang's face. Her voice stopped cold. "Your— Your…"

Jin Wang gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Chunjiang Pavilion served as a base for his intelligence agents, and the proprietress was naturally one of those agents herself.

Ye Shu hadn't noticed any of this. He gave Jin Wang's sleeve a light tug. "A Yuan…"

Jin Wang turned to look at him. "Mm?"

"This child…" Ye Shu hesitated for a moment, then said: "You said you could return the family assets to me — can I take some of it out in advance and help him?"

Jin Wang didn't hesitate for even a moment. He smiled. "Of course."

He turned to look at the proprietress. "You heard?"

"I— I heard…" The proprietress kept her expression calm on the surface, but inwardly her mind was in upheaval.

His Majesty the sovereign, speaking to someone else in such a gentle and considerate manner?

Had she somehow gotten the wrong person???

Jin Wang said mildly: "Name your price."

Even if someone gave her ten thousand more times the courage, she would not dare take the sovereign's money. She shook her head rapidly. "No, no…"

Jin Wang: "We told you to name a price."

"…F— five hundred taels." Worried that Jin Wang might think she was being outrageous, the proprietress hastily explained: "This child is a kun-sovereign who differentiated earlier than most — truly rare. I outbid several others to get him. If you like him, s— sir, I can even give you a discount?"

"No need." Jin Wang said. "We'll take him with Us now. The silver will be delivered later."

He turned to look at Ye Shu. "Satisfied now?"

Ye Shu didn't answer.

Something the proprietress had said had left him completely baffled.

What was a kun-sovereign???

And differentiation — what on earth was that???