Chapter 36
Since Ji Qingzhou had entered the palace, he had always worn an inner attendant’s uniform and hadn’t really had a chance to wear anything else.
But since he was going out to the Jiao Fang Department today, he certainly couldn’t go dressed in an inner attendant’s uniform—that would be far too inappropriate.
Fortunately, after receiving his salary last month, Tu Dayou had arranged for someone to make him a new set of clothes. Today, Ji Qingzhou took them out and changed into them. The outfit was a plain white color, with pale golden trim along the edges. It looked simple at first glance, but once Ji Qingzhou put it on, it greatly enhanced his appearance, lending the youth a touch of refined, scholarly elegance.
“Whoa!” Qin Zheng’s eyes lit up when he saw Ji Qingzhou. He grinned and said, “You’d better be careful wearing that to the Jiao Fang Department.”
“Why?” Ji Qingzhou was confused, his face showing clear puzzlement.
Qin Zheng said, “It’s not just the clothes. With that face of yours standing in the Jiao Fang Department, the ladies and gentlemen there will pale in comparison. Someone who doesn’t know better might think—”
“Qin Zheng.” Li Zhan’s cold voice cut in. Qin Zheng immediately shut his mouth.
Ji Qingzhou looked up at Li Zhan and saw that today he was dressed in a dark blue outer robe, his hair tied with a white jade crown. He looked particularly graceful and refined, even more striking than usual.
“It’s a bit too plain…” Li Zhan commented as he looked at Ji Qingzhou. He turned to the table, opened a wooden box, and took out a jade hairpin. He reached up and fastened it into Ji Qingzhou’s hair. The hairpin was of excellent quality, and as it nestled into Ji Qingzhou’s dark hair, it instantly gave the youth a more distinguished air. He no longer looked so naive and childlike—it made him seem just a little more mature.
“Much better,” Li Zhan said after examining him for a moment.
Only then did Ji Qingzhou realize that Li Zhan was worried he might look too young and get questioned at the Jiao Fang Department.
Last night, Ji Qingzhou had asked the people at Yinghui Pavilion about the v and learned that it wasn’t like an ordinary brothel. Its patrons were typically officials from the capital, and there were plenty of rules. One of those rules was that no one who looked too young would be allowed in.
“Let’s go. I’ve already arranged for the carriage,” Qin Zheng said excitedly.
“No need for a carriage. We’ll walk,” Li Zhan replied.
“Walking from the palace gate to the Jiao Fang Department takes at least two cups of tea’s time. Aren’t you worried about getting tired?” Qin Zheng said. “It’s scorching hot—by the time you get there, you’ll be covered in sweat. The ladies won’t like that.”
Li Zhan shot Qin Zheng a glance and said, “You’re staying in the palace today, helping His Majesty with his studies.”
“What?” Qin Zheng was stunned. “You’re going to the Jiao Fang Department and leaving me behind?”
“Mm.” Li Zhan responded blandly, then said to Ji Qingzhou, “Let’s go.”
Ji Qingzhou quickly followed behind Li Zhan. Qin Zheng, unwilling to give up, tried to follow too—only for Li Zhan to casually snatch the waist token off his belt.
“You took my waist token—how am I supposed to get in?” Qin Zheng protested.
“That’s why you’re staying in the palace,” Li Zhan replied, waving him off without looking back.
Qin Zheng stood there fuming but could only accept his fate and obediently went off to Fu’an Palace to find the young emperor.
Once they exited the palace, Ji Qingzhou finally realized that Li Zhan wasn’t joking about walking.
By now it was nearly noon, and the sunlight outside was quite harsh. But Li Zhan seemed perfectly at ease, walking down the bustling main street of the capital like a noble young master. He looked completely different from the stern and taciturn figure he was in the court.
“Wang Ye… Isn’t it a bit risky to go without guards?” Ji Qingzhou asked worriedly.
This was his first time leaving the palace so openly since arriving in this world, and he was alone with Li Zhan—he hadn’t even brought Dong Dong. Ji Qingzhou couldn’t help recalling countless dramatic scenes from film and television. What if they ran into an assassin? If Li Zhan were attacked, his own life would likely be forfeit too.
“Change the way you address me,” Li Zhan said.
“Yes… Young Master,” Ji Qingzhou quickly corrected himself.
Li Zhan stopped walking and looked at him, a faint smile in his eyes. Although Ji Qingzhou’s clothes were simple, his bearing didn’t suffer at all. Standing in front of Li Zhan, he didn’t look like a servant or a lackey in the slightest.
After a moment, Li Zhan said, “Call me ‘brother.’”
“Oh…” Ji Qingzhou obeyed and said, “Brother, isn’t it dangerous without guards…”
Hearing him still fuss over the guards, Li Zhan chuckled and said, “It’s broad daylight. What, are the two of us grown men going to get eaten on the street?”
“I’m just concerned about your safety… brother,” Ji Qingzhou looked around anxiously, his expression cautious.
You couldn’t really blame him. The last two times he’d gone out of the palace—once to the estate, once to visit the Old Wang Ye—he’d been surrounded by guards from the Prince Residence. But today, Li Zhan had come alone, and he’d only brought Ji Qingzhou, who couldn’t even lift a bucket. Of course Ji Qingzhou would be nervous.
Isn’t this how it always goes in TV dramas?
The emperor goes out in disguise, only to be ambushed by some secret society or assassin group…
“You’re the one acting suspicious. That’s what draws attention. Just be normal,” Li Zhan leaned close and said softly in Ji Qingzhou’s ear.
Ji Qingzhou took a deep breath and obediently followed behind Li Zhan, finally calming down enough to look around.
The scenery of the capital didn’t feel particularly novel to him. He had visited film sets and cultural towns before, and this felt quite similar. Even the juggling stage performances on the street looked familiar to him… But then he reminded himself—he had transmigrated into a book, and the world in the book was obviously modeled after those film and TV dramas.
After all, the author had never actually lived in ancient times, so their imagination of the past could only be built on what they already knew.
As the two of them crossed an intersection, a street performer on the stage was playing with fire. He held a wooden stick with a ball on the end, and when he blew at it, the ball burst into flames, earning a wave of cheers from the crowd.
Ji Qingzhou found the spectacle dull. It didn’t interest him in the slightest.
A moment later, the performer swung the stick, which suddenly transformed into a long whip. With the flaming ball still attached, he cracked the whip in their direction. Ji Qingzhou was startled and instinctively grabbed Li Zhan, pulling him backward while shouting, “Watch out!”
From the looks of it, they were definitely going to fall. But Li Zhan merely stepped back, wrapped an arm around Ji Qingzhou’s waist, and pulled him upright with steady ease. The flaming whip swept past the crowd, drawing startled gasps before being reeled back in.
Ji Qingzhou: …
He had expected a dramatic moment of heroically shielding a superior—only to realize the fool in this story was himself.
“I… I thought…” Ji Qingzhou scratched his head awkwardly, his expression full of embarrassment.
Li Zhan’s gaze rested on his face for a moment, the corners of his eyes holding the faintest trace of amusement. Then he reached out to tidy the collar Ji Qingzhou had messed up, and leaned in to whisper, “Were you trying to protect me just now?”
“I thought that man was an assassin,” Ji Qingzhou murmured.
The smile in Li Zhan’s eyes deepened. He said in a low voice, “There are hidden guards following us. Stop being so jumpy.”
Ji Qingzhou reflexively looked around after hearing that and finally relaxed a little.
Once he had calmed down somewhat, he thought back to what had just happened and felt even more embarrassed.
The Jiao Fang Department was still two streets away. As they walked, Ji Qingzhou kept an eye on the shops along the road. Finally, at an inconspicuous street corner, he spotted the clinic that Tu Dayou had told him about. The clinic didn’t even have a proper storefront—just a wooden sign hanging at the corner, marked with a jagged line ending in an arrow pointing inward.
In other words, the clinic wasn’t directly on the street; they’d have to turn into an alley.
Ji Qingzhou quietly wondered how he could slip away from the Regent to visit the clinic.
Li Zhan noticed that the youth was glancing around restlessly—first eyeing a snack stall, then a noodle shop. His pace also slowed, as if he was getting tired of walking.
Li Zhan raised an eyebrow. Is he hungry?
“Do you want to eat something?” Li Zhan asked.
“Yeah,” Ji Qingzhou replied distractedly, only realizing what he’d agreed to after speaking.
Li Zhan had already led him into a roadside noodle stall and ordered two bowls of noodles.
Ji Qingzhou was about to say he wasn’t hungry, but the smell of noodles drifting from the table next to them made him swallow involuntarily.
“You probably didn’t eat by the roadside much in the past, right?” Li Zhan asked, watching the youth.
“Not really…” Ji Qingzhou thought back to how he used to eat grilled skewers on the street. But considering that the Ji Qingzhou in the original book came from a scholarly family, he probably had never done something like eating noodles at a street stall. So he said, “I haven’t had it much… but it smells really good.”
Li Zhan sat on the long bench by the roadside, watching the bustling crowd passing by. He said, “I didn’t eat this way much either… But sometimes I think, after living in luxury for so long, it gets dull. I actually long for this kind of grounded, everyday atmosphere.”
Ji Qingzhou thought to himself: Isn’t that just upper-class humblebragging?
But then he remembered how hard Li Zhan worked every day. In the original book, he never even had a single romantic relationship his whole life. That was kind of tragic. Outsiders might envy his power and position—being second only to the emperor—but if you thought about it from Li Zhan’s perspective, maybe his life really was quite boring.
“If you like it, brother… we can come out like this more often,” Ji Qingzhou said.
Li Zhan paused and looked at Ji Qingzhou, his gaze carrying an unreadable expression.
“Here we go—two bowls of noodles,” the server said as he brought over the steaming dishes. “Enjoy your meal, Young Masters.”
Ji Qingzhou handed a pair of chopsticks to Li Zhan, then finally started eating himself.
The noodles were quite springy. Though the taste couldn’t compare to Xiao Shan’s cooking, it wasn’t bad either. Ji Qingzhou lowered his head and finished more than half a bowl in one go. When he looked up, he noticed that Li Zhan hadn’t touched his food at all and had simply been watching him the whole time.
“Why aren’t you eating, brother?” Ji Qingzhou asked.
“Watching you eat is enough,” Li Zhan replied with a faint smile.
Ji Qingzhou felt a little awkward and was just about to put down his chopsticks when Li Zhan pushed his own bowl of noodles over and said, “They’re all for you. You haven’t been eating much lately—your stomach’s been rumbling all the time…”
“Uh…” Ji Qingzhou replied, embarrassed, “I was afraid of gaining weight.”
“There’s nothing wrong with putting on a bit of weight.” Li Zhan lightly grasped his wrist and said, “Better than looking skinny and frail like now. People might think Yinghui Pavilion doesn’t even feed you properly.”
Ji Qingzhou felt a bit helpless, but he really wasn’t full yet, so he didn’t refuse and ended up finishing Li Zhan’s noodles as well.
After Ji Qingzhou was full and satisfied, Li Zhan brought him to a teahouse just across the street.
The place looked modest from the outside, but the interior was elegant and tasteful.
As soon as they entered, a server came up to greet them. Li Zhan said, “We’re meeting with the young master who came in a moment ago.”
Hearing this, the server led them up to the second floor.
Ji Qingzhou looked surprised. Only then did he realize that Li Zhan had brought him here to wait for someone…
Inside a private room on the second floor sat a young man in his twenties, dressed in a pale apricot-colored robe. He looked refined and well-mannered, with striking features and a scholarly air typical of a cultured gentleman.
“Wang Ye,” the young man stood and saluted upon seeing Li Zhan enter.
Li Zhan waved his hand, indicating there was no need for formality, then turned to Ji Qingzhou and said, “This is Chi Zhou, the Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.”
Ji Qingzhou hadn’t expected Li Zhan to introduce the man to him. He quickly returned the gesture with a bow and introduced himself, “Yinghui Pavilion, Ji Qingzhou.”
“So it’s Young Master Ji…” Chi Zhou responded with realization but didn’t say much more. He personally poured tea for both Li Zhan and Ji Qingzhou.
Ji Qingzhou reached out to take the teapot, but Li Zhan stopped him with a gesture, telling him there was no need to stand on ceremony.
Seeing Ji Qingzhou and Li Zhan come in together, Chi Zhou quickly understood the situation and didn’t dare let Ji Qingzhou serve.
“The matter Wang Ye instructed has been mostly investigated, the jade, silk, tea, rouge, and other goods purchased for the palace in recent years were indeed, as Wang Ye suspected, being skimmed for profit. The prices of these goods have always fluctuated,” he continued. “Though the Inner Attendant Department oversees procurement, they don’t investigate minor discrepancies—so no one has reported anything all this time.”
Li Zhan said, “Or perhaps someone did discover it, but decided to keep quiet, thinking less trouble is better than more.”
Chi Zhou glanced at Ji Qingzhou and added, “Most of the tampering was done before the goods even reached the palace. The Inner Attendant Department has no idea who’s behind it, so naturally, they don’t dare make any accusations. It’s understandable.”
Ji Qingzhou listened, confused. So Li Zhan had asked Chi Zhou to investigate palace procurement and Chi Zhou had discovered corruption. The main culprits were outside the palace, but the Inner Attendant Department had failed to notice it and bore some responsibility. Still, seeing Ji Qingzhou present, Chi Zhou softened his tone.
Ji Qingzhou thought to himself—this must be confidential business, right?
Li Zhan was preparing to deal with someone… but who?
Wait, if it was so secret, why was he being told all this?
“Don’t act rashly,” Li Zhan instructed. “Organize your findings into a file and have someone send it to Yinghui Pavilion. Don’t alert anyone or let them know you’re involved.”
“Not submitting it under the name of the Court of Judicial Review?” Chi Zhou asked.
“Not yet,” Li Zhan replied. “The time isn’t right.”
Chi Zhou nodded. “How long do I wait?”
“Until the end of June…” Li Zhan answered.
Hearing that, Chi Zhou didn’t press further.
The end of June… Ji Qingzhou thought, feeling like that date had some hidden significance, though he couldn’t quite figure it out.
Li Zhan and Chi Zhou continued to discuss the details. Ji Qingzhou sat quietly beside them, listening as cold sweat formed on his back.
He still didn’t know who Li Zhan was targeting, but judging by his plans and arrangements, once he struck through Chi Zhou, the other party likely wouldn’t stand a chance.
After a while, Chi Zhou agreed to everything Li Zhan instructed and finally got up to leave.
“Wait…” Li Zhan suddenly stopped him.
“What else does Wang Ye need?” Chi Zhou asked.
“Lend me your waist token,” Li Zhan said.
Chi Zhou looked puzzled but still handed over his token.
“Go get a replacement. I’m keeping this one,” Li Zhan added.
Chi Zhou didn’t ask why. He gave a polite bow to Li Zhan, nodded slightly to Ji Qingzhou, and left.
Once Chi Zhou was gone, Li Zhan handed the token to Ji Qingzhou and said, “Take this. The Jiao Fang Department treats officials from the Court of Judicial Review with respect.”
Only then did Ji Qingzhou realize that Li Zhan had borrowed it for him—so he could use Chi Zhou’s name to visit the brothel…
By the time they left the teahouse, it was already nearing dusk.
This time, Li Zhan didn’t linger and went straight to the Jiao Fang Department with Ji Qingzhou.
Ji Qingzhou felt uneasy the entire way, still unsure why Li Zhan had taken him to meet Chi Zhou.
Noticing Ji Qingzhou’s nerves, Li Zhan leaned in and whispered by his ear, “Once the file from Chi Zhou arrives, help me investigate the Inner Attendant Department. Since we’re playing this game, we might as well strike at the root. That’s the fun part, right?”
Ji Qingzhou turned to look at him and saw that the man’s gaze was deep and focused. Though he wore a faint smile, there was a sharpness in his expression that was impossible to ignore. Ji Qingzhou was secretly relieved—thank goodness he was on this boat. Otherwise… he’d probably be dead by now.
What surprised him even more was that Li Zhan had entrusted such an important task to him.
When they arrived at Jiao Fang Department, someone immediately came to check the waist token.
Seeing Ji Qingzhou present a token from the Court of Judicial Review, the staff member was extremely courteous and invited them inside.
It was Ji Qingzhou’s first time at a place like this, and he was surprised to find that the Jiao Fang Department of the Dayu Dynasty was rather sophisticated. It felt like a high-end private club in modern times, operating on a membership basis. Regular patrons couldn’t enter. Their “membership cards” were waist tokens, and only officials with rank could “consume” services inside.
And the services offered were quite varied—there were musical and dance performances for those who just wanted visual entertainment, literary programs centered on poetry, rituals, and music for cultured scholars, and of course, the most popular offerings were the unspeakable kind. The staff catered to both men and women, with meticulous consideration.
Ji Qingzhou didn’t know the rules or how to look for someone.
Was he supposed to call over the madam and ask her directly where his sister was?
Fortunately, Li Zhan looked much calmer than he did. He called over the leading madam and quietly asked a few questions. The madam was very perceptive—just hearing Li Zhan’s tone, she immediately deduced his preferences.
She said, “We’ve only taken in a few new girls this year, and one of them really does fit your tastes, young master. It’s just…”
“Just what?” Ji Qingzhou asked nervously.
“It’s just that we at the Jiao Fang Department follow the rules. Girls under sixteen aren’t allowed to entertain clients. That new girl—today happens to be her sixteenth birthday. So, as per custom, there’ll be a ceremony first. Whether or not you win her favor after that… well, that’s up to you, young master.”
Li Zhan gave a soft laugh at her words and tossed a silver ingot to her.
The madam instantly beamed with delight and said, “I’ve reserved the best seat for you tonight, young master.”
After she left, Ji Qingzhou finally asked, “The person she mentioned is…”
“The Jiao Fang Department isn’t allowed to recruit privately. Among the girls sent in this year, she’s the only one under sixteen,” Li Zhan replied.
Ji Qingzhou let out a sigh of relief and asked, “Then what’s the rule she was referring to?”
“Highest bidder wins,” Li Zhan answered concisely.
Ji Qingzhou instantly understood—so it was an auction…
Fortunately, they had come at just the right time. If they had waited until tomorrow, it would have been too late.
Thinking of this, Ji Qingzhou couldn’t help but glance at Li Zhan. He wondered if Li Zhan had deliberately brought him here today because he had already known about it.
“There’s still a while to wait. You’re too tense,” Li Zhan said, giving Ji Qingzhou a look before standing up. “It’s your first time here, isn’t it? Come, I’ll show you around.”
Ji Qingzhou thought to himself, What’s there to see in a place like this for someone like me—a eunuch? But considering he would likely have to rely on Li Zhan later, he couldn’t refuse. So he got up and followed Li Zhan up to the second floor of theJiao Fang Department.
“What a handsome young master…” A girl spotted Ji Qingzhou and came over, reaching out to pinch his cheek.
Ji Qingzhou bashfully dodged. Seeing that the girls were all attractive and charming, he couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for their circumstances.
Most of the girls who ended up as government courtesans were daughters of wealthy households, once raised in luxury. Now, they had fallen to this. Of course, Ji Qingzhou’s sympathy wasn’t about social class—he would feel just as sorry even if it were a girl from a poor family facing such a fate.
Ji Qingzhou had a pretty face and a naturally warm demeanor, so as he passed by, the girls teased him playfully, half-serious and half-joking. Seeing how shy he looked only encouraged them more, and they all started teasing him even harder.
But Ji Qingzhou had no desire, no shame—his heart was calm and untroubled. Aside from a bit of embarrassment at first, he gradually relaxed and even began to smile and greet the girls who were showing him affection.
Li Zhan looked speechless and had no choice but to step in front of Ji Qingzhou, blocking him from the teasing crowd as he quickly led them through the corridor.
“They’re all…” Ji Qingzhou was just about to ask something from behind him when Li Zhan suddenly stopped walking, turned, and pulled Ji Qingzhou into his arms, pressing him against the railing. One hand cradled the back of Ji Qingzhou’s neck, pinning him firmly in place.
Ji Qingzhou was startled. Li Zhan had moved so close all of a sudden, and it looked like he was going to kiss him.
Ji Qingzhou’s mind went blank. His heart pounded wildly as his hands instinctively clutched at Li Zhan’s clothes, but he didn’t know whether he should push the man away.
His first thought was—Has Wang Ye been drugged again? Is he really going to… do that… to me in public?
Ji Qingzhou turned pale from fright, but with his body pinned against the railing, he didn’t dare struggle, afraid he might fall over.
“Don’t move. Someone familiar is nearby,” Li Zhan murmured against the youth’s neck.
His warm breath brushed against Ji Qingzhou’s ear, making his breathing falter.
Only then did Ji Qingzhou realize—this was the Jiao Fang Department, and the patrons here were all officials. Many of them were regulars at court. The chance of Li Zhan running into someone he knew was actually quite high. This was such an important matter, and yet Ji Qingzhou hadn’t thought of that earlier. Regret surged in him, and he silently scolded himself for being careless.
At that moment, Ji Qingzhou heard a man and woman teasing each other as they approached. The two laughed and flirted as they passed by Ji Qingzhou and Li Zhan. The woman even laughed when she saw the two men embracing.
Ji Qingzhou was terrified the man might crane his neck for a better look. If he recognized him or Li Zhan, they would be in serious trouble.
With that in mind, Ji Qingzhou reached up and wrapped his arms around Li Zhan’s neck, snuggling his head closer against the man’s neck.
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Obrigada pelos capítulos 😘💓