Chapter 42: Discussing Matters at Wanhua Pavilion

Zhu Gaoxu certainly could not let Zhu Gaochi leave.

The big sucker—no, that's not right—the god of wealth was leaving, so who would he find to foot the bill?

Fortunately, Zhu Gaoxu quickly thought of a way to deal with this.

"Big brother, don't leave yet, I have something to tell you."

After steadying Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu leaned into Zhu Gaochi's ear and whispered: "Actually, we came here under Imperial Grandfather's instructions. We still have to receive a court official inside in a moment. This matter can't be done without you. You can leave if you want, but if you delay Imperial Grandfather's important business and Imperial Grandfather blames us..."

Zhu Gaoxu did not finish his sentence, merely giving Zhu Gaochi a look to let him figure it out for himself.

Zhu Gaochi glanced at Zhu Gaoxu; although he still had reservations and felt it was impossible for Imperial Grandfather to send him to a brothel to receive some court official, he was also afraid of truly delaying something important, so he gritted his teeth and finally agreed.

Seeing his big brother loosen up, Zhu Gaoxu grinned and first waved to someone not far away.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard who had been observing immediately stepped forward.

"Have Minister of Works Lord Yan bring his men here to find me."

After giving the order, he draped his arm over Zhu Gaochi's broad shoulders and walked inside.

Hearing that Zhu Gaoxu really had a court official coming—and a Minister at that—Zhu Gaochi's heart also relaxed, and he followed Zhu Gaoxu inside with peace of mind.

And so, a scene like this appeared.

Two children, only a few years old, one fat and one thin, walked into the brothel with their arms around each other's shoulders.

Although the madam of Wanhua Pavilion had only met Zhu Gaoxu once, she had a deep impression of him.

There was no helping it; in all her years as a madam, this was the first time she had seen such a young child visiting a brothel.

Seeing Zhu Gaoxu had come again, she immediately sneered and said, "Little ancestor, you're a bit too anxious; why not wait a few years?"

Zhu Gaoxu ignored the madam's remark entirely, rolled his eyes at her, and pointed at Zhu Gaochi: "This is the eldest son of Prince of Yan Zhu Di, and he wants to eat the food and drink at your Wanhua Pavilion. Find us a quiet Private Room and bring us a table of your best food and wine."

As Zhu Gaoxu spoke, he pulled Zhu Gaochi inside, looking exactly like an old regular.

Weaving through the plump and slender beauties while heading upstairs, the madam on the side was still confused about the situation and could only follow along subconsciously.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu thought of something else and added: "My big brother wants to book this place for three days—no, ten days—no, that's a bit excessive, five days of banquets! Charge all expenses to the Yan Wangfu; just mention the eldest son of Prince of Yan Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi."

By the time they reached the second floor, the madam saw that the two were dressed extraordinarily, and upon hearing this, she immediately understood their identities.

Not daring to offend them, the madam fawningly led the two to a Private Room on the second floor.

"Two little ancestors, if you have any needs, just tell me."

Zhu Gaoxu sat down on a stool in a carefree manner and waved his hand to show he understood.

"Remember my big brother's name: Zhu Gaochi!"

Finally, Zhu Gaoxu did not forget to emphasize Zhu Gaochi's name once more before letting the madam withdraw.

Compared to the noise outside, the Private Room was indeed much quieter.

Zhu Gaoxu turned his head to see the nervous-looking Zhu Gaochi and laughed: "Big brother, relax. Just eat and drink in a moment; after all, it's your money."

The silly-looking Zhu Gaochi nodded after hearing this and took out the five taels of silver he had saved, placing them in his own chubby hand.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu chuckled and simply stopped talking.

They didn't have to wait long for the food and wine; before long, the door to the Private Room was knocked, and various delicacies were arranged on the table.

As it happened, just as Zhu Gaoxu was looking at the table full of delicacies and saying he wanted to try something fresh, the madam walked in with a strange expression, followed by Yan Zhenzhi and a group of people.

"Lit... little ancestor, is this the guest you invited?"

After speaking, she pointed at the old men behind Yan Zhenzhi, who were either white-haired or had wrinkles deep enough to be folded.

At this moment, the madam's mind was completely blank.

This was a brothel, not a shelter.

One group was underage children, and the other was old men with one foot in the grave.

Seeing this group of old gentlemen behind Yan Zhenzhi, Zhu Gaoxu was also stunned, but he quickly understood their identities.

He first waved impatiently at the madam to signal her to leave, then turned his gaze toward Yan Zhenzhi.

Seeing this, Yan Zhenzhi understood and immediately began the introductions.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Prince. These are the craftsmen from our Ministry of Works primarily responsible for building agricultural tools and firearms. Don't let their age fool you; each one of them is highly skilled and is the best craftsman in our Ministry of Works in terms of skill and experience."

Sure enough, just as he had expected, these people were exactly the craftsmen Zhu Gaoxu had instructed Yan Zhenzhi to find.

Zhu Gaoxu did not dare to be negligent; he hurriedly stood up and respectfully welcomed the group in.

"I am honored by your presence. This matter is of great importance, and I must trouble you all. Please, sit down; let's eat and talk."

As he spoke, Zhu Gaoxu gestured for them to sit.

The group of old men had never seen such a scene; they had already been blushing and flustered downstairs, and seeing Zhu Gaoxu, who was a noble Prince, treat them with such respect, they were all at a loss and kept saying, "We dare not."