Chapter 296 Are you serious?
"Mother Zhou, your Hu Yulou is really busy tonight."
Princess Ankang smiled and joked.
Princess Yuan'an on the side was also a little surprised to see that her royal sister could deal with such a person so easily.
She always thought that Princess Ankang had a relatively introverted personality, but she never expected that she could have such easy conversations with strangers.
But things like personality actually have a lot to do with the body.
The former Princess Ankang was weak and weak all day long, so naturally she didn't have the energy to talk to people.
But now Princess Ankang is in good health and full of energy, so she is also much more lively and cheerful unconsciously.
When Zhou's mother heard what Princess Ankang said, she immediately smiled bitterly and lowered her body, making the scene in front of Li Xuan even more beautiful.
"For disturbing the two young ladies, the slave family will definitely die."
Mother Zhou's tone was extremely humble.
But from the perspective of serving customers, she does an impeccable job.
But Li Xuan was happy to see it, but the two princesses were particularly dissatisfied.
Princess Yuan'an snorted coldly and turned her head away, no longer looking at Zhou's mother.
Princess Ankang couldn't help but twitch her lips.
"This is too big..."
She cursed in her heart, but she couldn't help but look down at her chest, her mouth tightened, and she felt unhappy.
But this mood only lasted for a moment.
Princess Ankang knows that she is still young and has a bright future, so she doesn't need to be so depressed now.
She then raised her head and said, "Mother Zhou, don't be too polite. Get up, sit down and talk. It just so happens that we also have something to ask you."
Although it was an ordinary sentence, Zhou's mother was still keenly aware that the other party's identity might not be simple.
His appearance, tone of voice, demeanor, clothes, and the majestic guards beside him clearly made him no ordinary person.
It's not without reason that Zhou's mother came to see them specially.
She inquired with her staff and found out that the fire on the fourth floor was put out by the two guards in front of her.
Moreover, the method of extinguishing the fire was appalling. I heard that with just one palm strike, a water dragon appeared and dispersed the fire.
The fire, which a group of them did not do anything about, was solved instantly.
Mother Zhou runs Hu Yulou in Huajie and has a lot of experience.
People who can achieve this level are considered rare masters in the capital.
And people who can use such masters as guards are naturally even more extraordinary.
Mother Zhou is now desperate.
Not to mention that the stage in their house exploded earlier, Ayimu disappeared, and Hou San was seriously injured by the explosion.
In this matter, Ayimu's escape would bring an unimaginable debt burden to her, and if Hou San was affected, she would have to give the Hou family an explanation.
It's fine now. Hou San was directly burned into black charcoal. If the Hou family couldn't find out the reason, they would definitely vent their anger on her.
By then, she wouldn't even have a chance to rebuild her old career.
She couldn't even imagine what the Hou family would do to her.
So Zhou's mother discovered that these two young ladies were extraordinary, and immediately got close to them to see if she could find a chance for herself to break the situation.
"Thank you two ladies for your generosity. I am deeply grateful!"
Zhou's mother squeezed out two tears at the right time, seeming to be overjoyed at their forgiveness.
Princess Ankang was stunned, but she didn't say anything more. She just pointed to the chair in front of them and asked Mother Zhou to sit down.
After Zhou's mother sat down, Chu Chu wiped her tears pitifully, looking haggard.
"Mother Zhou, it's just a fire, why are you so worried?"
Princess Ankang knew that Hou San was dead, but she still asked deliberately.
"Alas, the two young ladies don't know something."
The expression on Zhou's mother's face was even more miserable.
"The fire before was so deadly that it burned to death the third young master of the Hou family, Hou Chisi."
"Oh, that's the person who was affected by the explosion on stage last night."
"There was an accident on the stage at my house, and I had to be responsible for treating it. But the result was unexpected. I invited a doctor, and he looked at it well, but he was burned to death in a fire in the middle of the night. "
"This Young Master Hou's life is too miserable!"
Hearing what Zhou's mother said, Li Xuan was amused.
If he hadn't endured the humiliation last night, hid under someone else's skirt, and listened to all the conversations of those beautiful street mothers, he would have thought that Mother Zhou was so kind and responsible.
Even Hou San was forced to take care of Hu Yulou by other mothers.
Otherwise, Hou San would probably still be lying on the Flower Street moaning and groaning.
Although Hou San was burned to death after being moved to Hu Yulou to take care of him, it was still better than lying on the street all the time.
Of course, Hou San may not think so.
Princess Ankang had heard Li Xuan's detailed story before, so it was naturally impossible for her to believe Zhou's mother's lies. However, she did not have such low emotional intelligence that she would expose her face to face. She just smiled and continued to ask her curious questions:
"Mother Zhou, I heard that the fire tonight is not simple. It is not only a strange green fire, but it is also inextinguishable."
"Some people say it's a will-o'-the-wisp, a female ghost from Flower Street who came to demand her life."
"Mother Zhou, do you think this is true or false?"
Zhou's mother's expression immediately became unnatural.
"Miss, please don't scare me. How come my Hu Yulou is haunted?"
"Those stories about ghosts are just jokes made by guests after drinking. They cannot be taken seriously."
Seeing Zhou's mother's reaction, Li Xuan narrowed his eyes.
From the tone and expression, there was nothing wrong with Zhou’s mother’s reaction.
But Li Xuan clearly saw that before Zhou's mother answered, her pupils suddenly shrank.
Although she quickly returned to normal, Li Xuan knew that Zhou's mother was lying.
"Is this flower street really haunted?"
Li Xuan thought to himself, but he had never thought about the possibility of ghosts existing in this world.
"No, it's too early to say whether it's a human or a ghost."
Before seeing it with his own eyes or seeing relevant records in official records, Li Xuan decided to remain skeptical.
Princess Ankang saw that Zhou's mother was avoiding talking about ghosts, so she didn't force her. Instead, she turned around and asked about Hou San.
Mother Zhou knew everything about this, and even took the initiative to mention details that Princess Ankang had not asked about.
In general, Hou San is a typical playboy who brings his friends to Hu Yulou to have fun every day.
Hou San spent more time living in Hu Yulou than at home.
Moreover, he played wildly and hurt many girls in their Hu Yulou.
If it weren't for Hou San's generous money, Zhou's mother would not be willing to receive such guests.
Mother Zhou complained, and Princess Ankang listened quietly.
"Oh, the slaves are going on and on. We can't delay the rest of the two ladies."
"I have sent people to clean up the room on the third floor and invited the two ladies to come and rest."
"If something happens on the fourth floor, it's better not to continue sleeping there."
"There are a lot of things happening in the shop tonight, and there are a lot of disturbances. The expenses of the two ladies will all be counted on the servant's head. This is regarded as an apology to the two of them. Please be sure to give the servant a chance to make amends."
As Zhou's mother said, she stood up and bowed. This time she didn't show off her skills.
Through a previous test, she already knew that the two young ladies in front of her were no longer interested in her.
Princess Ankang turned to Princess Yuanan and asked her, "Sister, are you still sleepy?"
"I'm not sleepy anymore. I've already lost my sleep."
Princess Yuanan muttered dissatisfiedly.
Mother Zhou apologized to Princess Yuanan again and again, but Princess Yuanan just turned her head and didn't pay much attention.
Princess Yuanan would not look kindly on people who caused trouble for her.
And she also couldn't bear to see Zhou's mother, who would show off her career line no matter what, and she didn't know who she was showing it to.
This made Princess Yuanan very dissatisfied, so her attitude towards Zhou's mother was not very good.
"I don't feel sleepy anymore. If Mother Zhou is fine, she might as well chat with us."
"Both of us, sisters, are coming back to Flower Street for the first time, so we are very curious about things here."
Zhou's mother immediately beamed when she heard that Princess Ankang was still willing to talk to her.
Although the other young lady was not angry with her, it was fine as long as there was still one young lady who wanted to see her.
And Zhou's mother also knew very well that Princess Yuan'an was acting out of a girl's petty emotions, and it was not a big problem.
Sure enough, after Zhou's mother silently praised her for moisturizing her hair several times, Princess Yuan'an's little face gradually gained a lot of smiles.
In the past, Princess Yuan'an was surrounded by cautious eunuchs and maids, which was completely different from Zhou's mother's approach.
Mother Zhou can make a name for herself on Flower Street. These are all basic businesses, and they are not easy to deal with the relatively simple Princess Yuan'an.
After a while, the three women were chatting enthusiastically.
It was probably Zhou's mother who told some interesting stories about Flower Street and shared them with the two young ladies.
She also quickly figured out the preferences of the two princesses, and immediately began to fall in love with them one after another.
At first, Princess Ankang wanted to get some words out of Zhou's mother's mouth to answer her curious questions.
But when she came back to her senses, the topic had already been guided by Zhou's mother.
Looking out the window again, the fish belly has turned white, and it will be dawn soon.
"Ouch, it's already this hour before I know it."
Mother Zhou heard the noise gradually coming from the street.
These are hard-working people preparing to make a living for a new day.
In the past, this was the time for these brothels to catch up on their sleep, but because of the fire last night, many girls were still awake and had no choice but to work overtime.
"You two ladies are hungry, I'll let you buy some breakfast from Dongshi Street and come back early. Our breakfast here is also excellent. You must try it when you come."
As Zhou's mother said, she recruited a clerk from Hu Yulou and asked him to go to the street and buy several portions of various breakfasts.
Mother Zhou is very enthusiastic about the two princesses, but she doesn't make people feel uncomfortable. She just thinks that the two parties are in love.
This is also her brilliance.
The three of them were talking happily, but after Zhou's mother sent the waiter to buy breakfast, she suddenly sighed for no reason.
Princess Yuan'an immediately joked: "Isn't Mother Zhou worried about the breakfast money?"
Mother Zhou immediately put on a pretty face and flashed her flirtatious eyes, showing off a charming woman.
Then she smiled and continued:
"Miss, I don't mean to look down on the slave family. Although my Hu Yulou business is not big, I can still afford two breakfasts."
Then Zhou's mother's smile gradually faded away, revealing a slightly lonely look.
"It's just that in a few days, Hu Yulou will cease to exist. The slave family can't help but feel sad, but it has disturbed the interest of the two ladies."
After Princess Yuan'an heard this, she immediately asked strangely: "I saw that your business here was very good last night. Why is it about to close down?"
Li Xuan sneered in his heart, Zhou's mother had been laying the groundwork for a long time, and finally got to the point.
"What you two ladies don't know is that the young master Hou who was burned to death here last night is the current young master of the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
"Now that he dies here, he will have to settle the account with the slave family no matter what."
"At that time, I'm afraid the slave family will never have the opportunity to talk to the two ladies as freely as now."
Mother Zhou was so sad that she wanted to cry.
But both princesses were very calm.
Mother Zhou wiped her tears, but she was confused in her heart.
"Um?"
"Why are they not surprised at all? I have invited them to breakfast. Don't they feel sad for me at all?"
Princess Yuan'an held it in for a long time, and finally said in a neutral tone:
"Oh, so that's it."
Mother Zhou was so angry that she cursed in her heart: "Oh, you big-headed idiot, is it all a lie that the happy conversation we had just now was fake? Can you have some sympathy?"
"The girl doll is quite beautiful, but she is so cruel and ruthless like those men."
Seeing that Princess Yuanan was unreliable, Zhou's mother couldn't help but turn her hopes to Princess Ankang.
After all, Princess Ankang was much easier to talk to than Princess Yuanan from the beginning.
As a result, when Zhou's mother saw Princess Ankang, she just looked at her with a smile and didn't even say oh, which was even worse than Princess Yuanan.
"I'm crying so hard, how can she still laugh?"
Mother Zhou's tears suddenly became much hotter, and she cried even harder.
Princess Ankang laughed heartlessly for a while, and then she said a few words of comfort, but it was just a little perfunctory.
"Don't be too sad, Mother Zhou. People can't be resurrected after death, so please forgive me and be patient."
Zhou’s mother cried even louder on the spot, thinking: “I’m not dead yet, this stinky girl will curse me to death!”
But the next moment, she wanted to understand that Princess Ankang was talking about Hou San. She was so angry that she stood up immediately and left a sentence in a hurry:
"The slave family is out of control."
Zhou's mother knew that these two young ladies were unreliable, so she chose to give up directly.
I thought they were two kind-hearted official ladies who might be able to get some protection after gaining favor, but I didn't expect that they were two chicks who only wanted to have fun.
Zhou's mother realized that she had lost her eyes, walked to a place where no one was around, wiped away her tears, and secretly cursed a few times for bad luck.
Looking at the back of Zhou’s mother leaving in tears, Princess Yuanan asked in confusion:
"She is just a mere Hou San, and the Minister of Civil Affairs is not a high official. Why is she crying?"
Princess Ankang smiled and said casually:
"I guess I didn't sleep well last night."
When Princess Ankang noticed that Zhou's mother was leading the conversation, she became vigilant, and when she asked Hou San's question, she knew clearly what she wanted to do.
Therefore, last week’s mother was not fooled at all.
As for Princess Yuanan.
Princess Ankang felt that she must have noticed it and was pretending to be dumbfounded.
People like them who live in the palace are naturally very sensitive to topics related to interests.
It is estimated that Princess Yuanan also figured out what Zhou's mother wanted to do at the last moment.
She was just a brothel madam, how could Princess Yuanan get involved in their affairs just by virtue of a casual relationship.
Although Princess Yuan'an said it lightly, the Minister of Staff is not a small official.
The Ministry of Personnel, also known as the Heavenly Officials, is in charge of the appointment and dismissal, examinations, promotions, transfers, and honors of civil officials across the country.
Each of the six ministries has the minister and the minister as its chief and deputy chiefs.
Therefore, the Minister of Civil Affairs is a powerful official and has a pivotal position in the court.
In the past, Princess Ankang did not know much about the common sense in the court due to lack of information.
But as she has read a lot of books in Qianxing Pavilion in the past few months, she has long been aware of this common sense.
Of course, both of them are princesses.
Even if Princess Ankang is not favored now, she will not be afraid of a minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
But I am not afraid of returning, and there is absolutely no need to get involved in the affairs of a brothel madam or to confront the Minister of Civil Affairs.
Seeing that Princess Ankang was carrying it clearly, Li Xuan also lay obediently in Princess Ankang's arms.
When they were talking before, Li Xuan stared at Zhou's mother closely, just to see what she was hiding.
Sure enough, under his scorching gaze, he could easily see through Zhou's mother's thoughts, even though she was heavily concealed.
"Hmph, nothing can confuse me under my fiery eyes."
Li Xuan stared at the direction where Zhou's mother left in embarrassment, and did not look back for a long time.
Seeing his appearance, Princess Ankang grabbed his little ears angrily.
"Axuan, I see that you looked at Zhou's mother very seriously just now."
"Then let me ask you, what color is Zhou's mother wearing?"
Li Xuan's pupils immediately trembled, and he found that he couldn't remember these details.
"clothing?"
"Did Mommy Zhou wear clothes just now?"
"Why can't I remember anything?"
"It's like my memory is gone."
"Charm!"
"This must be a very clever charm technique!"
Li Xuan wanted to argue like this, but looking at Princess Ankang's kind smile, he knew that all explanations were pale.
"You little perverted cat, let me teach you a lesson!"
Li Xuan closed his eyes resignedly and accepted Princess Ankang's torture without resisting.
Princess Yuanan looked on with envy, wishing she could also bully him.
…
There is a murder case on Flower Street, and it is impossible for the government to remain indifferent.
Not to mention, the person who died was the son of the Minister of Civil Affairs.
Early in the morning, officials from Wannian County came to Hu Yulou to inspect the scene and collect the body.
Hou San's charred body was carried to the county government office for autopsy, and more people from the Hou family came. In front of the officials, they took down Zhou's mother, put her under house arrest in a room on the fifth floor, and took full control of her. All affairs of Hu Yulou.
If the government wants to investigate the case, the Hou family will not sit still.
Butler Fan has regained consciousness, and A Biao, who left last night, also brought with him a thin man with sinister features and evil eyes.
I think this is the charlatan who sold Ayimu to Hu Yulou.
Princess Ankang and others were sitting in the private room, eating a sumptuous breakfast and watching the lively scene below.
When Zhou's mother was so angry in the morning, she forgot to tell the waiter. As a result, the waiter who went to buy breakfast stupidly bought all kinds of breakfast and delivered it directly to them.
If Zhou's mother finds out, I'm afraid she will be angry again.
Doctor Fang stood downstairs, accepting the interrogation of the officials.
The officials seemed to be familiar with the doctor, but they were not rude to him.
After checking and seeing that there was nothing suspicious about him, they went on to check other customers in the store.
A middle-aged man who looked like a headhunter, after arriving at Hu Yulou, kept mumbling with Butler Fan, not knowing what they were discussing.
"Sister, do you think they can find out the reason?"
"I heard from those officials that someone actually witnessed a female ghost on the street last night."
"Someone also saw a green will-o'-the-wisp, floating in the street, and then shot into Hou San's room with a whooshing sound, which caused the fire."
Princess Yuanan said it in a convincing way, as if she had seen it with her own eyes.
She went downstairs before, and Princess Ankang asked her what she was doing there. It turned out that she was inquiring about news.
Compared with the cases assigned to them in this month's competition, the case in front of them is obviously more interesting to these two princesses.
"Ghost?"
Princess Ankang muttered to herself:
"If it is true, that would be great."
Her eyes looked a little sad.
Li Xuan raised his head, meowed at Princess Ankang, stood up from her arms, and hugged her lovingly.
"Hehe, it's just a talk. Don't worry, Xuan."
Princess Yuan'an, who was originally talking happily, felt sour when she saw this scene.
This person and cat always spread dog food in front of her and didn't care about her feelings at all. She almost couldn't stand it.
"No, you have to take Bai Xiao with you from tomorrow on, wherever you go!"
Princess Yuanan bit her red lips and made up her mind.
At this time, Butler Fan walked outside their private room alone.
He knocked gently on the open door twice, then bowed respectfully from outside the door to the people inside.
"My little man Fan Changming, I'm here to thank you all for your life-saving grace."
Butler Fan should be talking about the eunuch in colorful clothes who helped them put out the fire.
Princess Ankang and Princess Yuanan had overheard Li Xuan talking about what happened, and they understood what he was talking about.
"Steward Fan, why don't you come in and talk."
Princess Ankang invites Butler Fan in.
Butler Fan thanked him again, took a step forward, and stood in the private room.
He did not move forward, but stood against the door, half-bent, looking very respectful.
If he hadn't seen his arrogance against Doctor Fang last night, Li Xuan would have really thought that he was an honest man.
"Butler Fan, you don't have to be polite. We are also trying to save ourselves."
"I just heard this morning that the young master of your mansion has..."
"Please express your condolences and be patient."
Princess Ankang said.
Butler Fan also looked gloomy, but still thanked him: "Thank you two ladies."
However, Princess Yuanan on the side couldn't bear it and asked immediately:
"Butler Fan, I heard that the fire last night was caused by ghosts. Is this true?"
Butler Fan slowly raised his head with a complicated expression.
Li Xuan was also very curious about his answer.
Last night, he and several other girls from Hu Yulou were taking care of Hou San who was injured in the bombing.
Logically speaking, if there was just a fire, there would be no reason for Butler Fan to throw Hou San into the fire.
But the result was that Hou San was burned to charcoal alone in the fire.
This is what Li Xuan has never understood.
He was also curious about why Butler Fan threw his young master on the bed alone and ran away by himself.
"The two ladies are very kind to Fan. If this gentleman hadn't warned that the green fire was poisonous and helped extinguish the flames, I and the other servants of the Hou family would have been in trouble."
"Therefore, there is no need to hide what happened last night from the two young ladies."
"To be honest, I did see a female ghost outside the window last night. There were several will-o'-the-wisps lingering around her. The female ghost pointed at me from a distance, and a ball of will-o'-the-wisps slowly flew toward me."
"The will-o'-the-wisp went out halfway. I thought it was someone playing tricks, but when I turned around, I saw that my young master was on fire."
Li Xuan couldn't help being stunned when he heard this.
No wonder Butler Fan didn't take Hou San out of the fire scene. His feelings were the source of the fire.
And from what Butler Fan said, there is really a female ghost on this flower street.
At this time, not only the three little ones, but also the most curious Princess Yuan An couldn't help but swallowed in unison.
"There really is a ghost."
Thanks to Little Cumberbatch and Angel Aijia for their reward support.
Thank you to all book friends for your monthly support.
Today is also a two-in-one, it’s more fun to write in one go.
I got up early in the morning, so I wrote pretty quickly today.
I hope I can get up early tomorrow too.
Good night everyone, see you tomorrow