novelones Chapter 563 Decided to return to the court as regent
Chapter 563 Decided to return to the court as regent
When Shen Ruzhou heard this, his heart felt as sweet as if he had been dipped into a honeypot. She smiled shyly and snuggled gently into Bei Xiuyan's arms. Whispering in a low voice: "Your Majesty, you treat me so well..."
Just as the friendship between the two was lingering, there were footsteps outside the door. Shen Ruzhou immediately stopped smiling and sat upright.
Mother Fang lightly knocked on the door twice and walked in after receiving permission.
She glanced at Bei Xiuyan and Shen Ruzhou's simple clothes, and the smile on her face suddenly became perfunctory, and she asked nonchalantly: "You two young masters, what kind of girl are you looking for?"
Bei Xiuyan glanced sideways at her, a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes, and said unhurriedly: "Of course I'm looking for the most expensive one from you."
Mother Fang sneered and didn't say much. She just stretched out a finger to gesture.
Shen Ruzhou immediately understood and asked tentatively, "You want one hundred taels? This is too expensive."
Mother Fang's lips curled up with a hint of sarcasm, and she said with a smile, "No, it's a thousand taels."
Shen Ruzhou was so shocked that he jumped up and exclaimed: "Isn't the one you have here a fairy?"
Although she knew that the red-brand girls in brothels were expensive, she didn't expect them to be so expensive.
Bei Xiuyan, however, remained calm and composed. He reached for Shen Ruzhou and asked her to sit down. Then he calmly took out a stack of banknotes from his arms.
The moment Fang's mother saw the banknote, her cold eyes immediately melted away, and the smile in her eyes warmed the spring breeze in March.
"Young masters, please wait a moment. I'm going to call Miss Huayi." He nodded and bowed as he spoke, his attitude completely different from before.
Shen Ruzhou looked at this scene, a little dumbfounded, and sighed in his heart that this was really a drama about money-seeing.
After Fang's mother left, Shen Ruzhou said angrily, "I want to see how beautiful the girl I can see for this thousand taels of silver is."
Bei Xiuyan smiled slightly and said nonchalantly: "In a brothel, it is normal to show your support. If someone praises you, your worth will naturally increase."
Shen Ruzhou nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly changed the topic and asked about the origin of the money, "Your Majesty, where did you get that stack of banknotes just now?"
She remembered that Bei Xiuyan had not contacted her former subordinates for many days, and had not even been out of the hospital very often.
Bei Xiuyan's hand holding the tea paused, and a trace of embarrassment flashed across his face. He coughed lightly and said, "I got it from the counter."
"That's my money." Shen Ruzhou had already thought of it. Hearing his admission at this moment, a smirk appeared on the corner of his mouth, "The prince is eating my money, living in my house, and spending my money. Does this count as a soft meal?"
Faced with Shen Ruzhou's teasing, Bei Xiuyan did not show the slightest hint of embarrassment. Instead, he asked, "Miss Shen, are you hinting at me to get married?"
"No, no." Shen Ruzhou quickly denied. How dare she let the dignified regent marry her? She was afraid that the saliva of the soldiers of the three armies would drown her.
At this moment, the girl Huayi stepped on lotus steps and walked into the elegant room. When Shen Ruyi saw it, he couldn't help but sincerely admired that the thousand taels of silver were not wasted.
The painting is extremely beautiful, the figure is graceful, and every smile is charming.
Shen Ruzhou secretly observed Beixiu Yan with his peripheral vision, and saw that his expression was indifferent, and his eyes paused on Huayi for a moment and then moved away.
This gentlemanly and polite attitude made Shen Ruzhou very satisfied.
Huayi bent his knees and half-crouched, and said in a delicate and melodious voice, "You two gentlemen, Huayi is polite."
"Girl, you're welcome, take a seat." Beixiu Yan raised his arm to signal Huayi to take the seat.
Huayi sat down in front of the Eight Immortals table and looked at the two people in front of him, feeling a little uneasy in his heart.
Although she was in the dusty world, she had rich experience and could sense that these two people were not ordinary guests.
"The two gentlemen, they look like unusual guests." Huayi tentatively spoke, her voice soft and a little sad, as if she was telling the vicissitudes of the past.
Shen Ruzhou smiled slightly and responded: "The girl talks and behaves like a lady, and she doesn't look like a prostitute." Her tone revealed sympathy and curiosity about the painting.
These words were like a thorn piercing Huayi's heart, and those long-lasting memories came to mind.
She smiled self-deprecatingly, "The past is like smoke, why bring it up? Now that I am in a brothel, what else can I do except let others trample on me?"
After hearing this, Shen Ruzhou felt sympathetic and said softly: "If you have any difficulties, girl, you might as well tell her. Maybe we can help."
A hint of gratitude flashed in Huayi's eyes, but she shook her head and didn't want to say any more. She changed the subject and asked: "You two gentlemen, do you want to listen to music or watch dancing?"
Beixiu Yan waved his hand and said bluntly: "We came here today because we want to ask the girl about something."
As soon as he said this, Huayi's heart skipped a beat, but he asked calmly, "Oh? I wonder what the young master wants to know?"
Bei Xiuyan looked directly into Huayi's eyes and said in a deep voice: "How much does the girl know about leaking questions in the scientific examination?"
Huayi's heart trembled, knowing that it was difficult to hide this matter, but she still wanted to stay calm as much as possible. She took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound calm: "Master, I am just a weak woman, how can I know such a big thing?"
A coldness flashed in Bei Xiuyan's eyes, and he said calmly: "Girl, don't panic, we don't mean to make things difficult. It's just that this matter is of great importance and we must find out. If girl knows something, please tell the truth."
Huayi looked at Bei Xiuyan's cold and firm eyes, and knew in her heart that she could no longer hide it.
She bit her lip and finally said: "I tried to persuade him, but he didn't listen. He insisted on making money quickly this way. He raised enough money for my ransom early and took me home."
"Who is he?" Bei Xiuyan's voice was full of pressure.
There was a trace of hesitation and struggle in Huayi's eyes. She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then raised her head to look at the two of them. A trace of determination flashed in her eyes, "Head of the Rites Department, Hu Ping."
Shen Ruzhou and Bei Xiuyan looked at each other and saw the firmness and determination in each other's eyes.
Huayi continued: "I only know that he took the test questions and passed me to sell them in this building. He knew that the people who came to me were all rich people."
Shen Ruzhou asked: "How many copies were sold in total and how much did you get?"
I made some calculations about the meaning of the painting in my mind, "There are twenty-five copies, and I get 50,000 taels of silver."
Fifty thousand taels is enough for the court's military expenses for a year. Bei Xiuyan sneered: "It's really a good way to make a fortune."
Hua Yi was so excited by the sneer that he trembled and defended, "We have no choice. The price Mother Fang wants is too high, so we have no choice but to resort to this."
"Huayi, don't be stubborn." After listening to her for so long, Shen Ruzhou finally couldn't help but expose it, "It's been three months since the scientific examination. Has Hu Ping ever come to redeem you? He just wanted to use you."
Most of Huayi's energy suddenly drained away, and he collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.
In fact, she already knew that she had been deceived, but she just didn't want to believe it. Now that she was exposed, she could no longer deceive herself and others, and she only felt cold in her bones.
Beixiu Yan did not want to embarrass a prostitute, so he turned around and walked away. Shen Ruzhou followed closely behind, accompanying him silently.
In the dark alley, a waning moon was in the sky, and the cold light fell on Bei Xiuyan's back, making him look particularly lonely.
She knew that Bei Xiuyan must be disappointed at this moment.
He has always been committed to the Qingming Dynasty and the peace and tranquility of the country, but the reality is always full of challenges and obstacles. Those corrupt officials, for the sake of their own selfish desires, do not hesitate to ignore the rules and regulations, commit crimes and commit crimes, eating away at the foundation of the country like moths.
Shen Ruzhou wanted to comfort him, but felt that any words were useless in the face of such facts.
She had no way to speak, but Bei Xiuyan in front of her stopped. He turned around, his features as clear as the stars and the bright moon.
"Ruzhou," he said with a calm and powerful voice, "I must return to the court as the regent, and there are too many things waiting for me to do."
Hearing this, Shen Ruzhou smiled knowingly, stepped forward to hold his hand, stood side by side with him, and said firmly, "I will accompany you, and together we will cleanse the turbidity and decontamination, and restore a bright world to the world."