Chapter 94 Flower House
Unlike the Ye family, Jiang Li lived a much easier life. At least in the eyes of the Ye family's servants, the second young lady Jiang had no problem getting used to it, as if it was not her first time living in the Ye family. The maids of the Ye family who were originally assigned to serve Jiang Li had long known about the second young lady's past. Many years ago, they despised her because her maternal grandfather came from a merchant family, and later she killed her mother and brother and was forced to practice in the temple.

I thought I would meet a malicious and unruly spoiled young lady who was very difficult to serve, but who knew that the visitor was so easy to deal with. She didn't make any excessive demands. As long as Tong'er and Baixue could do it, Jiang Li would not bother the servants of the Ye family. If Jiang Li was a guest visiting the Ye family, then this guest must be the easiest one to serve.

The maids of the Ye family all breathed a sigh of relief. After a few days, they gradually became familiar with Tong'er and Baixue. Tong'er was a smart girl who often shared snacks with the maids. Baixue was born in the fields and was very approachable. The maids gradually became bolder and started to talk about interesting things with Tong'er and Baixue.

However, even so, after five or six days, the Ye family still did not take the initiative to arrange a meeting between Jiang Li and Old Madam Ye.

When Tong'er talked about this with Jiang Li, she was quite indignant and said, "What exactly does the Ye family mean? They said they would let the girl see the old lady, but they haven't said a word these days. It's really worrying."

The Ye family didn't bring it up, so Jiang Li didn't feel comfortable asking.

"You were so close to the maids, but didn't you find out anything?" Jiang Li asked with a smile. Compared to Tong'er, she was not in a hurry. She was not the real Second Miss Jiang. Old Madam Ye was her grandmother in name only, but when it came to feelings, they were not that deep. It would be too deliberate to pretend to be obsessed with her. Now that she had come to Xiangyang and moved into the Ye family, she had succeeded in the first step, and it was going very smoothly.

Tong'er shook her head: "I heard from the maids in the courtyard that the old lady is not in good health. She had difficulty getting out of bed a few years ago. The doctor said she needs to rest." When she said this, she sighed and said, "Maybe the Ye family is not to blame. If the old lady really can't stand the stimulation, it is indeed not the time for the young lady to meet the old lady." She remembered something and said, "I heard that the old lady is not in good health. The third master Ye who is traveling outside is also rushing to Xiangyang these days. He will probably arrive in the next few days."

Madam Ye has three sons and one daughter. Ye Minghui is the first and Ye Mingxuan is the second. The third master of the Ye family, Ye Mingyu, was born at the same time as Ye Zhenzhen. Ye Zhenzhen is simple and honest, but Ye Mingyu has never been a law-abiding person since he was a child. In his early years, he liked to travel around the country as a knight, but after being frustrated in the world, he decided to go home and do business. But even in business, Ye Mingyu insisted on being unique. Every year, he followed the sea caravan to go out on the ship, went to remote foreign towns along the way, spent money to buy some strange little things, and then resold them back.

Sometimes he could find some good stuff, but more often, Ye Mingyu's caravan could not make much money from the things they found. Fortunately, the Ye family was large and powerful, and the first and second masters supported the family business, so he could do whatever he wanted.

This time, probably because Madam Ye was indeed in poor health, Ye Mingyu returned to Xiangyang from the merchant team to visit his mother before the end of the year.

Because Ye Zhenzhen and Ye Mingyu were born at the same time, they had a very close relationship since childhood. Jiang Li's bad words hurt Old Madam Ye, and the Ye family lost interest in Jiang Li. Only the third master Ye could not forget Jiang Li. But later, Ye Minghui forbade the Ye family to mention Jiang Li again, and Ye Mingyu gave up.

When it comes to reconciling with the Ye family, the others seem polite but are actually distant and not easy to get close to. This Third Master Ye is a good opportunity.

"The Third Master's return to Xiangyang is not just because of the old lady." Bai Xue said while wiping the table: "I heard that the Ye family's business has run into some trouble recently, and the maids outside said that the Third Master Ye came back to help."

"Is there some trouble with the business?" Jiang Li asked, "What trouble?"

Bai Xue shook her head: "I didn't find out anything, and I think the maids don't know much about it either. They just said it was a small problem."

Jiang Li thought to herself that if it was a minor problem, there was no need to bring Ye Mingyu back to Xiangyang. As the rumors outside said, Ye Mingyu was not in charge of the Ye family at all, and he would not have any major impact on the Ye family's business. If even the insignificant Ye Mingyu came back, the troubles of the Ye family would definitely not be as easy as they said.

But now the Ye family doesn’t trust her, and she has no way of knowing what is going on.

She actually wanted to go back to Tongxiang, but Xiangyang was not close to Tongxiang. To the people in Xiangyang city, Tongxiang was just a poor and remote place. Even if she asked about Xue Huaiyuan, probably no one would know him.

But... Jiang Li's eyes flashed. There was another way. She could also inquire about the news of Tongxiang in Xiangyang. Here, besides the Ye family, she did know someone.

After all, she has been Xue Fangfei for so many years.

Jiang Li stood up and said, "It's boring in the house, let's go out for a walk."

Tong'er looked at her in surprise: "Where are you going?"

"Just stroll around." Jiang Li smiled. "This place is much smaller than Yanjing City. It's my first time in Xiangyang. It's not a good idea to stay in the Ye Mansion all day. Since there's nothing to do and the Ye family won't let me see Old Madam Ye, why not just walk around and follow the local customs. Let's take a look at what customs Xiangyang has and how they differ from Yanjing City?"

Tong'er and Bai Xue were stunned at first, then both nodded in agreement. Tong'er smiled and said, "That's good. We have money on us. Miss, take a look and see if there's anything you like, or if there's anything that's not available in Yanjing City, buy it and we'll take it back to Yanjing."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "Of course."

……

When I packed up and prepared to go out, I happened to meet Ye Jiaer and Zhuo on the road.

The two were also stunned when they saw them. Zhuo was a little embarrassed and at a loss for a while before looking at Jiang Li and asked with a smile: "Where are you going, A Li?"

She sounded particularly awkward calling her "Ali", and Tong'er also found it very awkward, but the name sounded particularly familiar to Jiang Li, as if Xue Huaiyuan called her "Ali" in Tongxiang.

"I felt bored in the house, so I planned to go out for a walk." Jiang Li replied with a smile.

Zhuo was stunned. These days, Jiang Li almost never left the yard. The few times they met, they were always during meals. The Ye family was very polite to Jiang Li, but apart from being polite, there seemed to be nothing more. Jiang Li also behaved unusually quiet. At this time, she took the initiative to ask to go out for a walk, and Zhuo was stunned.

"Are you... planning to go out alone?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Jiang Li smiled and said, "This is my first time in Xiangyang too. I want to see what the difference is between Xiangyang and Yanjing."

Zhuo couldn't help but blush. It was unreasonable to let Jiang Li, a young lady from Yanjing, wander around in the unfamiliar Xiangyang by herself. However, she had to accompany her sister-in-law Guan to look at the account books later, and she was indeed too busy to do so. Besides, if she really wanted to wander around Xiangyang with Jiang Li, Zhuo herself didn't know how to get along with Jiang Li. To be honest, the polite and distant interaction with Jiang Li made not only Jiang Li feel uncomfortable, but Zhuo herself was also uncomfortable.

No one in the Ye family likes to do things in secret.

Ye Jiaer, who had been quietly listening to Zhuo and Jiang Li's conversation, spoke softly at this moment. She said, "Nothing, I have to go to Lizheng Hall and go out, so I'll go with my cousin."

Jiang Li was stunned and said with a smile: "No need to trouble cousin..."

Ye Jiaer smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. I'm just passing by. Lizhengtang is the Ye family's shop. I'll go take a look. If you don't mind, you can also go and see if there are any clothes you like. If you like them, I'll give them to you."

Having said that, it would be a bit ungrateful for Jiang Li to refuse. Besides, Ye Jiaer was the friendliest person Jiang Li had met in the Ye family so far. Jiang Li said, "In that case, it is better to obey than to be respectful."

Ye Jiaer laughed.

Zhuo heaved a sigh of relief. If they let Jiang Li go out alone, it would seem that the Ye family was not hospitable. Right now, they really didn't know how to treat Jiang Li, so they just treated her as a guest. Even if she was a guest, the host had to fulfill their responsibilities. Now that Ye Jiaer took the initiative to offer to accompany Jiang Li, it was not considered as neglect.

But soon, Zhuo thought of something else. Although Miss Jiang Er looked well-behaved and gentle now, who knew what kind of personality she had in her heart. If she deliberately made things difficult for her daughter, with Ye Jiaer's honest character, she would definitely suffer at the hands of Jiang Li.

She was worried, but couldn't think of a better solution. In addition, Ye Jiaer gave her a look that reassured her, so even though she was reluctant, she had to let the two of them leave the house together.

Jiang Li and her cousin walked out of the Ye family's gate together.

Ye Jiaer is a typical lady from a wealthy family. Although she comes from a merchant family, she is graceful, gentle and elegant in her dealings with people and her manners. In comparison, the noble ladies in Yanjing City, although they have a good family background, are inevitably spoiled because of their good background. However, Ye Jiaer does not have any bad temper at all.

Ye Jiaer was also very friendly to Jiang Li. Unlike the other members of the Ye family, who were wary and distant, Ye Jiaer treated Jiang Li like a stranger who was a cousin she had never met before. She was friendly and a little curious. When she asked Jiang Li about things in Yanjing City, Jiang Li did not hide anything and told her everything one by one.

Smart people always hit it off when dealing with smart people. Jiang Li and Ye Jiaer became much closer on the way to Lizheng Hall. Compared with the previous unfamiliarity, it seemed that they had established some kind of tacit understanding that did not need to be expressed explicitly.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Ye Jiaer stopped and gestured to Jiang Li to see, saying, "Look, that's the Ye family's shop, Lizhengtang."

Not far away, there stands an exquisite red-tiled building. It is right in the middle of the bustling downtown. This building covers an area of ​​more than ten acres and is quite magnificent.

"All the fabrics produced by the Ye family are here. Tailor shops in Xiangyang City get fabrics from Lizhengtang when they want to make ready-made clothes. The most famous one is the ancient fragrant satin. If you like it, you can go in and pick out a few pieces," said Ye Jiaer.

Jiang Li nodded.

The Ye family was a wealthy merchant family, involved in all kinds of businesses, but later they withdrew from Yanjing City and gradually treated other businesses as entertainment, and mainly relied on the fabric business that started it all. The fabrics of the Ye family were famous all over the world, and the ancient fragrant satin that Ye Jiaer mentioned was also very popular among the noble ladies in Yanjing City. With such a situation, it would be strange if the Ye family was not prosperous.

Although Ye Jiaer was modest, she couldn't help but reveal a hint of pride in her tone when she talked about her family's ancestral property. She turned to look at Jiang Li, but saw that Jiang Li looked calm and not surprised.

This was not the first time Jiang Li had seen Li Zheng Tang. In the past, when she and Xue Zhao came to Xiangyang, they would inevitably see Li Zheng Tang while having fun in the downtown area. However, the two of them were not the kind of people who could afford to wear ancient satin, so they just looked at it from the outside and never went in.

This time, he was invited as a guest of honor. Life is unpredictable.

Ye Jiaer didn't know the reason, she just thought Jiang Li was really a lady from Yanjing, and she was used to all this, so she smiled and said, "Let's go in."

I walked into Lizheng Hall with Ye Jiaer. When the receptionist saw Ye Jiaer, he immediately stepped forward with a smile and greeted her, "Miss Jiaer."

Ye Jiaer turned to look at Jiang Li and said, "Cousin, can you take a look and see if there is anyone you like?"

When the clerk and the shopkeeper heard what Ye Jiaer said, they all looked at Jiang Li. Everyone in the shop knew that the second Miss Jiang had come to Xiangyang. Outsiders did not know that the rift between Jiang Li and the Ye family was caused by Jiang Li's hurtful words. They thought that it was just because Jiang Yuanbo remarried and the two families no longer had any contact. Even so, the people in Xiangyang had heard of Jiang Li's notoriety of killing her mother and brother. There were many speculations about the mean and vicious second Miss Jiang in the legend. The person who was called "cousin" by Ye Jiaer should be the second Miss Jiang who had been to the Ye family in Xiangyang recently.

But seeing this girl standing next to Ye Jiaer, she was no less beautiful. Her eyebrows and eyes were beautiful and her smile was gentle and gentle, not as vicious as imagined. Apart from anything else, just looking at these eyes, it was really impossible for a person with a filthy heart to have such a pair of clear eyes.

While the shopkeeper and the clerk were thinking, Jiang Li had already walked around the counter and came over. The shopkeeper was startled and immediately asked the clerk to take a few pieces of new cloth and pile them in front of Jiang Li, saying with a flattering smile: "Miss, these are new materials, and the styles are also very fashionable."

Jiang Li looked at the silks and satins. She had to admit that the Ye family was indeed a family that made its fortune by making fabrics. The fabrics here were even more delicate and colorful than those in Yanjing City. Touching them with her hands, they were also smooth and cold, and seemed to emit a faint fragrance. "There doesn't seem to be any ancient fragrant satin here?" Jiang Li asked with her head tilted. She was a little curious. The Ye family shop was famous for its ancient fragrant satin. Since the materials on display were all fashionable, why didn't they have the ancient fragrant satin that was famous throughout the entire Northern Yan? It couldn't be that they didn't want to show it to her, an outsider, right?
Ye Jiaer was stunned, looked at the shopkeeper, and said, "Shopkeeper Qian, why don't you show the ancient fragrant satin to my cousin?"

Shopkeeper Qian suddenly showed an embarrassment on his face, and said, "Miss Jiaer, it's not that I don't want to show it to my cousin, but..."

Before he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly froze. Jiang Li looked back in the direction of his gaze and saw two unfamiliar middle-aged men.

"Uncle Zhuang, Uncle Zhao, why are you here?" Ye Jiaer asked.

The two looked at Ye Jiaer and asked, "Jiaer, are your father and uncle not here?"

"Not here. Is there anything wrong?" Ye Jiaer asked cautiously.

Miss Ye started learning business since she was young. Ye Shijie chose to enter the government. Such a large family business cannot always be managed by the previous generation. Ye Rufeng and Ye Jiaer are the only grandchildren left in the Ye family. However, the maids of the Ye family said that Ye Rufeng was probably too young and a little arrogant, and was not as decent as Ye Jiaer. At present, the Ye family also let Ye Jiaer participate in some of the business of Lizhengtang.

The two looked at each other, then looked at Ye Jiaer and said, "It is true. Since your father and the others are not here, let's talk to you first."

When they were talking to Ye Jiaer, they didn't notice Jiang Li. They probably thought Jiang Li was a friend of Ye Jiaer and an unimportant person. But Jiang Li was paying attention to the two people, and her tone of voice was not relaxed, as if she had encountered something difficult.

Ye Jiaer nodded and said, "Okay." She smiled apologetically at Jiang Li and said, "Cousin, I have something to discuss with Uncle Zhuang and Uncle Zhao. You have to wait a moment..."

"Nothing." Jiang Li interrupted her gently, "Just talk about business. I just wanted to go out for a walk today, and I was very surprised to see Lizheng Hall. Tong'er Baixue and I will just walk around here later. We won't go far, it's okay."

"you alone……"

"It doesn't matter," Jiang Li said, "There are city guards everywhere, so don't be afraid."

Seeing Jiang Li's insistence, Ye Jiaer didn't know what to say. Besides, they didn't know when the conversation would end, and it would be boring to let Jiang Li wait outside alone, so she nodded to Jiang Li and followed the two people inside to discuss. Jiang Li said goodbye to Manager Qian and left with Tong'er Baixue.

On the way, Tong'er asked, "Why didn't you wait for your cousin to come out? You haven't seen the ancient fragrant satin yet?"

Jiang Li teased her, "It's not like you haven't seen ancient fragrant satin in Yanjing City before, why do you act like you're seeing it for the first time? Isn't it embarrassing? Have you forgotten what ancient fragrant satin looks like?"

"But the ancient fragrant satin from Yanjing was sent here. Who knows, the ancient fragrant satin from the Ye family might be even more unique." Tong'er felt wronged, and pulled Bai Xue over and said, "Although I have seen ancient fragrant satin, Bai Xue has never seen it, right, Bai Xue?"

Bai Xue answered her seriously, "I have seen it. The day after the young lady entered the palace and was given a gift by His Majesty, the old lady gave her a lot of fabrics, including the ancient fragrant satin. You even let me touch it."

Tong'er: "..."

Jiang Li laughed: "Okay, I have my own things to do, which are more important than the ancient fragrant satin." In fact, she really wanted to stay in Lizheng Hall. The two men named "Uncle Zhuang" and "Uncle Zhao" seemed to have something very important to discuss with Ye Jiaer, and the reason why Manager Qian hesitated and did not take out the ancient fragrant satin seemed to have other reasons. Jiang Li guessed that it was related to the "little trouble of the Ye family" that Tong'er mentioned, and wanted to find out what was going on, but then she changed her mind and realized that even if she asked, Ye Jiaer might not be willing to tell her.

This young lady of the Ye family is still young, but she already acts in an orderly manner. She is indeed an honest and sincere person, but she is not stupid. She is probably more cautious when it comes to the Ye family's business.

Since staying in Lizheng Hall would not yield any benefit, it would be better to leave. Besides, she would eventually know what she needed to know, so there was no need to rush. At this moment, she had more important things to do.

"Girl, where are we going now? Don't go too far. This is your first time in Xiangyang. If you get lost, you won't know how to get back. We didn't take a carriage before we left."

Xiangyang is not like Yanjing. The noble ladies in Yanjing must go out in a carriage. But in Xiangyang, it is up to their own preference whether to take a carriage or not. It is also very common for ladies to go out on the street. It can be said that the folk customs are simple. Although she would be laughed at in Yanjing City, Jiang Li still likes this feeling here.

Very freeing.

"Nothing." Jiang Li smiled and said, "Let's just stroll along this street."

Tong'er didn't suspect anything, but Bai Xue felt something was wrong. Although she said she was just taking a walk, Jiang Li's steps were very firm, as if she had made up her mind to go somewhere. Bai Xue also had a feeling that Jiang Li was very familiar with Xiangyang. Just like the farmers they served, they knew where the grains and fruits were grown and would not confuse them.

But Tong'er said that this was Jiang Li's first time back to Xiangyang, and others said so too, so it was probably just my illusion. Bai Xue shook her head, getting rid of the weird feeling in her mind.

But this intuition in my heart was confirmed soon after.

After walking for a while, Jiang Li stopped.

"Miss?" Tong'er stopped and thought Jiang Li was tired, so she asked hurriedly, "Are you tired? I will help you to rest your feet."

"No need," Jiang Li said, "Let's go in."

"Go in?" Tong'er looked ahead in surprise. It seemed that there was just an ordinary family's courtyard gate in front of her. There was nothing special about it. Tong'er said: "...Miss, this is someone else's house, right? Where should we go in? Does the girl know anyone inside?" She thought, how could Jiang Li know someone in Xiangyang? Apart from the Ye family, Jiang Li and Xiangyang had no intersection at all.

"It's not someone else's house," Jiang Li answered unexpectedly. She said, "This is the back door of Xihua Tower."

"Xi, Xihualou?" Tong'er asked stutteringly, "What place is this? A restaurant?" She vaguely felt that the name did not sound very serious.

Jiang Li smiled and said, "It is the most famous brothel in Xiangyang."

Tong'er and Bai Xue were completely stunned.

……

"Sir, Miss Jiang went to Xihua Tower."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Ji in the pavilion spat out a mouthful of tea without swallowing it.

Opposite him, the beautiful woman in red was quick-witted and quick-handed. She opened her folding fan with a "snap" and fanned back all the tea that Lu Ji had sprayed out, with a hint of disgust in her eyes.

Poor Lu Ji, he was choked to death by his own saliva, and then the tea that Ji Heng fanned back poured all over his face, half of his body was wet, so pitiful. I wonder when the elegant and graceful scholar in blue clothes fell to such a state. If Kong Liu, the rough man, was here, he would definitely laugh at him.

But Lu Ji didn't care about his own embarrassment at the moment, and asked Wen Ji: "Are you telling the truth? Did she go to Xihua Tower?"

"That's true." Wen Ji said seriously, "And Miss Jiang walked in from the back door of Xihua Tower."

"Is there any difference between the back door and the front door?" Lu Ji was puzzled.

"Xihualou is the most famous brothel in Xiangyang. The guests inside are all the nobles in Xiangyang. The nobles enter through the front gate. If the nobles have families at home, they go to Xihualou to look for someone and enter through the back door."

Lu Ji suddenly realized, so that's it, I understand. Simply put, men enter through the front door, and women who come to look for their husbands go home through the back door, in order to save face for the men. Speaking of which, Xihualou is really considerate, no wonder it has become the favorite brothel for men in Xiangyang.

"But how did she know to go through the back door?" Lu Ji asked, "Did the Ye family tell her? Aren't the Ye family members chaste and don't go to brothels? And how could she, a young lady from a wealthy family, talk to the Ye family about brothels? Isn't her relationship with the Ye family still very unfamiliar?"

Lu Ji was really confused and couldn't figure it out. No wonder, who could understand that the daughter of the prime minister of Yanjing City would go to a brothel as the first thing she did when she came to Xiangyang, and she even knew the rules and entered through the back door. It was unbelievable no matter how you looked at it.

Ji Heng didn't pay attention to Lu Ji, and just asked calmly: "Who is she going with?"

"Miss Jiang and her two maids had no one to lead the way."

Ji Heng: "Then observe, is she looking for him on purpose, or is she just passing by unintentionally?"

"Your Excellency, I think she found it on her own." Wen Ji hesitated for a moment, but still said what he thought in his heart: "Miss Jiang Er seemed to be familiar with the road to Xiangyang. Lizheng Hall was not close to Xihua Tower, but she still found it. She didn't go anywhere else along the way until she found Xihua Tower."

"This..." Lu Ji tried to find a suitable explanation for Jiang Li's behavior. He said, "Miss Jiang's memory has always been outstanding. When she was taking the six arts exam, she was the first in 'Book Etiquette'. It is said that she has only been back in Beijing for a few days to study. It is possible that she has a photographic memory."

"No." It was Wen Ji who denied him. Wen Ji said, "Even if she has a photographic memory, she would be alert and careful when she first arrived in a strange place from Yanjing to Xiangyang. She would also feel unfamiliar. But Miss Jiang II is not like that at all. She is very relaxed and bold, and seems to be able to do it easily in Xiangyang."

When Wen Ji said this, he couldn't help but recall the scene when he was lurking in the dark and following Jiang Li. Jiang Li was not traveling alone, she also had two maids. It was precisely because of the two maids around her that Jiang Li was particularly different. She almost blended into the streets of Xiangyang. She was like a Xiangyang person who grew up in Xiangyang. This sense of familiarity and intimacy was even more obvious than when she was in Yanjing City.

"She even knows the rules of the back door of Xihua Tower, so she can't be underestimated." Ji Heng smiled: "Jiang Li has been trying to return to Xiangyang, maybe for this. Wen Ji," he said calmly: "Your people will bite Jiang Li to death, and see what she did in Xihua Tower and who she met."

"I also want to see what kind of surprises this Second Miss Jiang can bring us." He said with a smile.

　Let’s go to the brothel!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)