Chapter 173: Surviving at Piaoxiang Courtyard

Hearing Madam Yu say this, Yue Mingxuan knew that for the time being he was considered safe.

He quietly let out a breath of relief in his heart and put on an expression of deep gratitude. “Thank you, Sir Liu, thank you, Madam Yu. I will definitely not forget the benefits the two of you have shown me.”

Thus, Yue Mingxuan stayed in Piaoxiang Courtyard.

Thanks to that small piece of gold, Madam Yu did not go back on her word and let him spend his days tending the fire and washing dishes in the back kitchen.

Although the work was exhausting, it was at least safe.

Meanwhile, after Yue Mingxuan disappeared, the entire imperial city of Beirong was thrown into chaos.

A prince of a foreign kingdom had actually been abducted within the imperial city, this was no different from slapping the Emperor of Beirong Kingdom hard across the face.

The leader of the Imperial Guards was stripped of his post that very day.

Upon hearing that Yue Mingxuan had gone missing, Rong Qinglei was so anxious that his internal fire surged and he spat blood, frightening the group of imperial physicians who is treating him out of their wits.

Day after day, they knelt before the emperor, begging him to quickly find Yue Mingxuan.

When Shang Qinghua heard the news, he immediately ordered Yin Zi to search for him, he even mobilizing more than half of the shadow guards at his side.

Even Silver Needle Sect and the Midnight Blades had been continuously inquiring about Yue Mingxuan’s whereabouts throughout the martial world during these days.

At this moment, Yue Mingxuan was resignedly washing dishes while finding some bitter amusement in thinking about all the delicious foods he had once eaten.

He was probably the most unlucky transmigrator of all, no money, no martial arts, and now he was reduced to washing dishes in a brothel.

What angered him the most was that they did not even pay wages.

Glancing at the pile of bowls beside him that was stacked as high as a small mountain, he sighed.

At this rate, he would have no dinner again tonight.

Even if it was cold rice and cold vegetables, it was still better than nothing, so for the sake of his stomach, his hands still had to suffer.

Thinking of this, the speed of his movements increased a bit.

He could only hope that Wu Bingjian would understand the letter he had written and successfully pass the message to Shang Qinghua.

Otherwise, he would truly be doing unpaid labor here until death.

At this moment, Auntie Zhao, who was in charge of the vegetables in the kitchen, walked over and said to Yue Mingxuan, “Xiaoxuan, I left half a steamed bun for you by the steamer. Go get it after you finish your work.”

When Yue Mingxuan heard that, he nodded and said. “Ah, thank you, Auntie.”

Auntie Zhao was the steward in charge of pastries in the back kitchen.

Feeling sorry for his young age and unattractive appearance, she privately took care of him in many ways.

Several times he had wanted to take some gold out of the hidden jade bracelet to thank her, but out of fear of attracting trouble, he had no choice but to give up the idea.

Taking advantage of a short break, Yue Mingxuan quietly slipped into the kitchen.

Sure enough, he found half a steamed bun by the steamer, along with a small dish of pickled vegetables.

After quickly finishing them, he was immediately pressed into service by the kitchen manager, Steward Zhao. “You, yes, you, take this dish to Qiuyue Hall.”

With a bitter expression, Yue Mingxuan raised his head so the steward could see clearly. “Steward Zhao, I have a birthmark on my face. Madam Yu won’t let me go out, afraid I’ll scare the guests.”

Steward Zhao glanced at the birthmark on Yue Mingxuan’s face with disgust and said, “Just keep your head down and deliver it to the door. Who told you to go inside? Go quickly!”

As he spoke, he shoved a plate of golden and silver steamed buns into Yue Mingxuan’s hands.

With no other choice, Yue Mingxuan carried the buns and headed toward Qiuyue Hall.

This was the first time Yue Mingxuan had come to the front courtyard.

When he looked at the courtyard decorations, its was first-rate in elegance.

Small bridges arched over flowing water, pavilions and towers stood amid winding corridors and every detail was exquisitely refined.

It did not look like a brothel at all; instead, it resembled the private garden of some wealthy household.

Yue Mingxuan passed through one corridor after another.

When he found himself back at the same spot for the third time, he gloomily realized that he was lost again.

Standing where he was, Yue Mingxuan looked left and right.

Drawing on the lessons learned earlier, he decided to first figure out the direction before moving on.

This was, after all, a brothel, if someone mistook him for a courtesan, that would be a tremendous loss.

However, no matter how much he looked around, the nearby scenery all seemed nearly identical.

Just then, a scantily dressed dancer happened to pass by.

Yue Mingxuan reached out and stopped her. “Do you know how to get to Qiuyue Hall?”

The dancer glanced at Yue Mingxuan and, seeing that he was carrying a tray with food on it, immediately knew he was from the back kitchen.

So, she replied, “This slave is also heading to Qiuyue Hall. You can follow me.”

And so, Yue Mingxuan followed the dancer all the way to Qiuyue Hall.

Piaoxiang Courtyard had four most famous courtyards, named Chunhua Hall, Xiayu Hall, Qiuyue Hall, and Dongxue Hall.

Living within them were the top courtesans of Piaoxiang Courtyard, women and Ger who were proficient in qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song.

To enter any one of these four courtyards, even a casual tip to the madam could not be less than ten taels of gold, not to mention requesting the courtesan inside to sing a tune or accompany guests.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep