Chapter 496: An Unfathomable Identity

Zhang Xiuer was still as shy as ever; Chen Wuji only asked why she chose to be the manager of a brothel, and her cheeks flushed red, even the tips of her ears taking on a crystal‑clear pink.

"I—I'm just the manager, I don't actually sell anything," Zhang Xiuer said, her voice like a mosquito, weakly.

Chen Wuji chuckled, "It's obvious I don't mean that. I'm just asking why you chose a place like a brothel."

People from the Imperial City Department also like to hide in places like brothels.

Could it be that the Emperor himself has this hobby?

"Actually I don't know either; I was just assigned, that's all I can say," Zhang Xiuer said weakly. "At first I resisted too—I've never… never experienced that kind of thing; how could I be the manager of a place of dust and wind? It's like forcing a duck onto a shelf."

"But you're doing great," Chen Wuji praised.

"A brothel that doesn't follow clichés seems to attract those people more strongly; it seems everyone of standing in Hezhou City likes to come."

"Those people, they're probably familiar with any brothel," Zhang Xiuer said, giving a slight pout, she placed a clean cloth on the teapot lid, lifted it, and tossed in tea leaves.

As he was about to add longan and red dates, Chen Wuji stopped him, saying, "Plain tea is fine—just a sip to refresh; tonight we need to stay up late."

Zhang Xiuer glanced sideways at Chen Wuji, "Brother Wuji, you really intend to stay the night here?"

"You think I'm joking? I really will stay!"

Zhang Xiuer seemed like a monkey with nowhere to go, fidgeting and scratching her ears and cheeks, "It's… actually, Brother Wuji, if you really want, I could fetch Ruo Su to keep you company? I… I can't for now."

Chen Wuji blinked, "Look at you, what are you thinking? I don't mean that. I just don't want to alert the government office folks; I'm borrowing your place to rest, there are still some things outside unresolved, I need to wait."

"Ah… is that so," Zhang Xiuer whispered, letting out a quiet breath, then moments later blushed and softly explained, "Brother Wuji, I have a secret I can't speak of; it's not what you think."

"I didn't think anything," Chen Wuji said.

Zhang Xiuer's expression tightened, "Brother Wuji, are you angry?"

Chen Wuji looked a bit dazed, "What would I be angry about?"

Wait a moment, what does she mean?

Chen Wuji suddenly realized, does Zhang Xiuer still have feelings for him?

If his comprehension isn't faulty, the meaning behind her words, both explicit and implicit, seems quite obvious.

"As long as Brother Wuji isn't angry, that's fine; wait a while longer—I can't be specific, but it might still take a few days." Zhang Xiuer muttered to herself softly, the flush on her face not fading at all, instead spreading down her neck.

If we keep going on this topic, her whole body might end up covered in crimson.

Chen Wuji's feelings at this moment are actually somewhat complicated.

With his full cooperation, the Zhang family was wiped out; Zhang Mingyuan and the core members of the Zhang clan were all taken to the capital, and many more died.

Given that, Zhang Xiuer not only bore no grudge, but still harbored the same naive affection she once had for him, leaving him truly unsure how to respond for a moment.

Earlier, when he offered help, Chen Wuji didn't still have any improper designs on Zhang Xiuer; he simply felt grateful for her past assistance and wanted to lend her a hand, to help her secure a stable later life.

"Brother Wuji, if you have free time later, you can come sit here more often. I've been looking for some good tea lately and could give you a little tea‑art demonstration; I once specially studied the tea ceremony, but never had a chance to use it." Zhang Xiuer was obviously somewhat nervous, saying this almost all in one breath.

After speaking, she quietly exhaled, then continued, "Brother Wuji likes plain tea; brewing it this way would lose much of the flavor—one should use the tea ceremony. Oh dear, I'm being dense; I can brew it for Brother Wuji right now."

She lifted her skirt and rose hurriedly, "Brother Wuji, please wait a moment; I'll go prepare now, it'll be ready soon."

Chen Wuji's lips held a smile as he watched her push the door open and hurry out, he firmly pinched his forehead.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

After Zhang Xiuer left for a moment, she returned carrying a tea tray, hurrying in.

After setting down the tea tray, she replaced the already‑boiling water on the small earthen stove with fresh water and lit it again.

"Brother Wuji, soon, it'll be ready in a moment." Worried that Chen Wuji might be impatient, she added a flustered explanation; just as she finished speaking, she let out an annoyed sigh, "Oh dear, I'm such an idiot—the water had already boiled; why didn't I first pour Brother Wuji a cup to wet his throat? I really…"

Chen Wuji laughed and waved his hand, "No problem, no problem, don't rush."

"Sigh… I've actually been feeling pretty clever lately," Zhang Xiuer said, puffing her cheeks.

Chen Wuji laughed, "You were always smart; just a momentary slip, a little flaw anyone could have. By the way, is there any danger in what you're doing?"

"No way, what danger could there be in what I'm doing!" Zhang Xiuer said, her expression cute and clueless, blurting it out.

"I mean, what you're doing under the identity of Gu Nianqing."

Zhang Xiuer nodded, "I know, there really is no danger—in fact, it's pretty leisurely most days. It's just that some things are hard to say; Brother Wuji, you can understand what I mean, right? You've dealt with the Imperial City Department before—it's pretty much the same; they also have many things they can't talk about."

"As long as there's no danger, that's good," Chen Wuji gave a slight nod.

"This silly girl, in just a few sentences she's practically spilled her secret."

But after she said that, Chen Wuji found he could no longer guess what exactly she was doing.

No danger, rather idle, and quite mysterious…

What could this be?

At that moment, Chen Li's voice sounded at the door, "Family Head, Yuan Qi and his son request an audience."

"Let Yuan Qi first take his son to get his arm treated; the other matters I already know about, we'll discuss them later." Chen Wuji said, "If there's no one in Hezhou City who can treat it, take my command and rush overnight to Yunan to find Zhang Lao of the Ciji Zhai."

"Yes!"

After the outside fell silent, Zhang Xiuer softly said, "Brother Wuji, are the Yuan father and son people you arranged?"

"No, they're the ones who arranged even me." Chen Wuji shook his head, "But they handled this matter well; after tonight, Hezhou City should be able to calm down a bit."

Zhang Xiuer said with a hint of feeling, "Brother Wuji is the most capable person in this world; in just a few months he went from Xishan Village to Lord of Hezhou. I still clearly remember the scene of our first meeting—you said I… ah, shoot, why did I bring that up?"