Chapter 362

Su Qiao had just lifted the curtain when he saw a crowd gathered around Yi Hong Lou, watching the spectacle.

To say Yi Hong Lou has been open for so long, it must have considerable backing.

Under normal circumstances, no one comes to cause trouble.

But today, Black knew they ran into it!

The opposing party were envoys from Gao Li coming to pay tribute.

Originally a trivial matter, it had been blown up to a huge scale, nearly alarming every guest in Yi Hong Lou.

The madam, Mother Hong, looked extremely grim.

The other party, relying on their status, were causing unreasonable trouble here; one could neither strike nor scold them.

If it were anyone else, Mother Hong would have long sent out her band of enforcers to beat them senseless with clubs.

Now, however, she was stuck here.

When Su Qiao arrived, he saw a group of people gathered, eating melons.

The Gao Li envoys wore their own casual clothes, clearly distinct from those of the Great Ming Dynasty; loose and baggy, with hats that were bizarre and round.

They were loudly chattering away in Gao Li speech.

"Heh, have the people of the Wucheng Military Office arrived yet?"

Su Qiao did not enter immediately; instead, he turned his head and asked Ma Kui standing nearby.

Upon hearing this, Ma Kui quickly pointed for Su Qiao to see.

"Mr. Su has arrived, right over there. They originally intended to notify the Ministry of Rites, but I told them the Embroidered Uniform Guard is taking over temporarily, so they stepped back and are following our arrangements."

As he spoke these words, pride showed on Ma Kui's face.

Indeed, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has the clout!

Su Qiao nodded. "Alright, let's go in and ask."

He actually hadn't understood what this Gao Li man was saying...

But Su Qiao knew he was doing it on purpose; he must be able to speak the Great Ming official dialect.

Otherwise, how could he communicate with the people of Yi Hong Lou?

"What are you doing here?"

Su Qiao asked.

Pu Qi'en was startled by the voice suddenly coming from behind.

He turned back and saw Su Qiao squeezing into the circle with several people.

He looked at Su Qiao's face, recalled slightly, and seemed to remember the day he first arrived in the capital.

"It's you?"

"It is me. I want to know what you are babbling and shouting about here. Are all Gao Li people from Gao Li so rude?"

A smile hung on the corner of Su Qiao's mouth, yet he spoke words of mockery.

Provoked by Su Qiao's words, Pu Qi'en immediately grew agitated. "We are not rude at all! Our nation is the most excellent nation in the world..."

As expected!

No different from the pickled radish of later generations.

Watching his face turn red as he babbled on.

Su Qiao truly did not want to bother with him; he turned his head to look at the madam of Yi Hong Lou, Mother Hong.

Mother Hong had a very deep impression of Su Qiao.

Back then, it was Mother Hong who personally received Su Qiao.

She even regarded Su Qiao as a noble young master from a great family.

Immediately after, she witnessed a direct confrontation between Su Qiao and Qian Qianyi that night, where Su Qiao's literary talent crushed the other, causing Qian Qianyi to flee in panic.

After that, Mother Hong felt even more that Su Qiao's brain was not ordinary.

First, Liu Rushi was sent off like a meat bun thrown at a dog, never to return.

Then, nobles from the palace and the Embroidered Uniform Guard personally demanded the person.

Afterwards, Qian Qianyi suffered a defeat in the south.

Each of these incidents made Mother Hong understand that Su Qiao's identity was truly extraordinary.

So when she saw Su Qiao, she immediately acted with great caution.

"Isn't this Young Master Su? You are..."

"Hmm, I came to ask about the situation, what happened just now."

Before Mother Hong could even open her mouth, Pu Qi'en interjected from the side.

"You should be asking me..."

Su Qiao glanced at him coldly and said, "Plug his mouth first!"

"Yes!"

Ma Kui and the others fetched a dirty rag from somewhere, seemingly used for wiping carriage boards.

They wadded it up and stuffed it directly into Pu Qi'en's mouth.

"You dare... mmmph mmmph..."

Pu Qi'en felt a strange stench fill his mouth; he felt like he was going to vomit.

But he was restrained and could not move at all.

216, Pu Qi'en is taken away!

Pu Qi'en's mouth was plugged.

Whether the onlooking common people or the Captain of the Wucheng Military Office standing aside who had remained motionless, all had their mouths wide open, faces filled with shock.

The other party is an envoy!

An envoy who is here to pay tribute to Your Majesty!

Their status is very high, you know; how could they be treated so roughly?

But seeing the Embroidered Uniform Guard following Su Qiao, no one dared to say anything.

Even Mother Hong, who had seen many grand occasions, was startled.

"Young Master Su, this... is not quite right, is it?"

Knowing Mother Hong's concerns, Su Qiao smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's fine; they are my responsibility in the first place. Mother Hong, you tell me the specifics first."

"Ah, it's like this. This... he suddenly came to our Yi Hong Lou today, with a rather unusual appearance, plus we already knew beforehand that there was..."

Mother Hong's emotions might not have subsided yet, so her speech was somewhat rambling.

Su Qiao did not interrupt, but listened quietly until she finished.

After Mother Hong finished speaking, Su Qiao had a clear understanding of the sequence of events.

This Pu Qi'en truly seemed to be looking for trouble on purpose.

Upon arriving at Yi Hong Lou, he insisted on finding the most beautiful Miss.

Although they were a pleasure house, the rules of such houses were basically that the courtesans were 'pure'.

They specialized in that kind of subtle business.

Things like becoming a guest in one's chamber or staying overnight depended on the Misses' willingness, or whether they were specifically for sale.

This Pu Qi'en came to Yi Hong Lou specifically to find beautiful Misses.

Recognizing him as an envoy belonging to the Korean delegation, Mother Hong specially arranged a Miss with excellent looks to accompany him.

What we do is a refined game where both parties enjoy it.

And the result?

This Pu Qi'en did not follow the usual script; upon seeing the Miss, he first said she was not as beautiful as the beauties of their Korean kingdom.

He spoke of how beautiful the women in his country were.

The smile on the Miss's face became increasingly strained as he spoke.

Had it not been for Gu Ji regarding the other party's status, they might have simply called people to beat him out.

But since the guest had paid, the Miss could only silently endure the harassment at her ears, forcing a stiff smile to respond.

If it had ended simply like that, it would have been fine.

Pu Qi'en was licentious; perhaps the customs of his country were different from those of Great Ming.

After drinking two cups of wine, he started getting handsy!

Miss Qingyue was a 'pure' courtesan; she sold her art, not her body.