Chapter 850: The Founders of Juan Niao Lou (1/2, Requesting Subscriptions)

Fang Yue froze.

Isn't that the place Ming wanted to take her to?

What exactly is that place, and who is targeting me?

And Ming… she must have known about this all along! No wonder she gave me the Shuang Sheng Ling.

While Fang Yue was pondering these things, the Seventh Prince had already risen and left.

After clearly being defeated, the Seventh Prince seemed unwilling to remain in the same place as You Sisi for long.

After the Seventh Prince departed, Hai Guanjia relayed the information he had gathered to Fang Yue.

After Jing Yan and Chen Qing vanished, Tian Ruichi led a team to the Seven Great Medical Halls.

The first three medical halls were fine—after Tian Ruichi arrived, each provided assistance and intelligence: during Jing Yan and Chen Qing's visits to the first three halls, nothing happened; instead, all three showed interest in Jing Yan's condition, but after laughing awkwardly at the exorbitant fees, they left.

Although the directors of those three halls claimed they were willing to reduce fees to treat such a rare curse, Jing Yan and Chen Qing still seemed reluctant, since these physicians had never encountered such a curse before and had no confidence in treating it.

With survival as their priority, the two decided to consult all the physicians of the Seven Great Medical Halls before making a decision.

This was fine in principle, but the incident occurred at the fourth hall.

According to the information Tian Ruichi gathered, Jing Yan and Chen Qing entered the fourth hall—the Miao Shou Medical Hall—and never emerged again.

Naturally, Tian Ruichi led a team to investigate, while Hai Guanjia's men split: some followed Tian Ruichi into the Miao Shou Medical Hall, others remained hidden outside to keep watch and observe.

Then… they saw the staff of the Miao Shou Medical Hall sneakily stuffing the unconscious Tian Ruichi into a carriage and taking him away.

And the destination, of course, was the Juan Niao Lou mentioned just now.

"Juan Niao Lou is Jingcheng's largest brothel, catering exclusively to the capital's nobility. To enter Juan Niao Lou, one must meet extremely stringent conditions to obtain a pass token. I am merely a steward—I naturally have no qualifications to enter such a place."

"As for the Seventh Prince, he could enter by virtue of his status. But his position is too sensitive—he cannot openly enter such a place, as it would only alert the enemy and hinder any rescue operation."

"The same applies to You Sisi. For the You Family's daughter to visit Juan Niao Lou would be a highly conspicuous act."

"Of course, if Lord Night were to take You Sisi along, it wouldn't be impossible—it's entirely up to you."

Hai Guanjia fell silent, looking at Fang Yue, as if awaiting his decision.

Though Hai Guanjia spoke vaguely, Fang Yue understood.

Taking You Sisi or the Seventh Prince to Juan Niao Lou would mean leveraging their influence.

This would bring trouble to You Sisi and the Seventh Prince.

You Sisi's trouble lies in this: even if she does not wish to represent the You Family, every action she takes will be interpreted by outsiders as the You Family's will.

Within the You Family, aside from a few individuals, most likely disapprove of her actions at this morning's court session; if she does this too, she may never be able to return home again.

Fang Yue wanted to take You Sisi away, but not in a way that would force her to sever ties with her family.

As for why the Seventh Prince feared the place, Fang Yue did not know—until he asked Hai Guanjia, and was stunned.

"You're saying Juan Niao Lou is the First Prince's property?"

"More precisely, it was jointly established by the First Prince, Second Prince, Third Prince, and Fourth Prince. The First Prince led it, the other three assisted. Initially, the official explanation was that the princes wanted amusement and built a new entertainment venue. But everyone knows it's far more complicated than that."

Since they were inside the Qi Huang Fu, Hai Guanjia spoke without restraint, explaining bluntly.

Juan Niao Lou was jointly established by the First Prince and the other three princes…

Fang Yue frowned.

He had dined with the First Prince this morning—if the First Prince really took them, what was his motive?

If not the First Prince, then who?

The Second Prince? The Third Prince? Or… the Fourth Prince?

As for the Seventh Prince's hesitation, Fang Yue now understood.

In the Nine Dragons' succession struggle, the Seventh Prince is in competition with the other princes. Going alone to the territory of four other princes to retrieve Tian Ruichi makes sense, but it would inevitably disrupt the current fragile balance and possibly jeopardize the Seventh Prince's own plans—hence his caution.

As for You Sisi, her presence would represent the You Family's stance; if she clashed with Juan Niao Lou, the You Family would have difficulty explaining it.

Looking at it this way, Fang Yue could only go to Juan Niao Lou alone.

"Night…" Seeing Fang Yue's resolve, You Sisi gripped his hand anxiously.

"Don't worry—I'm only going to scout Juan Niao Lou first. I won't act rashly."

You Sisi fell silent. She knew Fang Yue's intentions went far beyond mere scouting—but she did not press him, only nodded: "... Alright. Be careful. I'll return to the You Family and ask Grandfather about Juan Niao Lou. I'll be safe there, so don't worry about me."

Fang Yue was surprised, but after thinking it over, he did not stop her.

He needed to infiltrate Juan Niao Lou—You Sisi couldn't accompany him; returning to the You Family was a good choice.

But she had just experienced that incident at court—now she was going back alone…

"Don't worry. The Imperial Edict is still in effect. Even if the You Family resents me, none of them dare act out."

You Sisi added this, and Fang Yue finally relaxed.

Indeed—he'd forgotten that.

Publicly, You Sisi is still betrothed to the Seventh Prince; only a few of them are secretly plotting how to break the engagement.

"Night Captain, one more thing. The Juan Niao Lou pass token—I'll arrange it for you. But even I need one or two days to prepare it. Please wait patiently in the mansion." Hai Guanjia said respectfully.

"No need. I already have one."

Saying this, Fang Yue handed over the Shuang Sheng Ling · Auxiliary Token, watching Hai Guanjia's reaction closely.

Hai Guanjia's expression changed slightly, a flash of shock in his eyes.

"Shuang Sheng Ling?! Lord Night, where did you get this… no, I spoke out of turn. If Lord Night already has arrangements, I won't interfere further."

"Mm."

Fang Yue nodded slightly, understanding roughly the value of this item.

It seemed the Shuang Sheng Ling Ming gave him was more than just a ticket to Juan Niao Lou—it carried higher significance, likely a symbol of elite status.

(End of Chapter)