Knife splashing

Chapter 697 Entering Su Garden at Night
The brothels and theaters in the capital were mainly distributed in three alleys.

Yanle Hutong, Goulan Hutong, and Yanzhi Alley.

"Yanle Hutong" near Dongsi Street was under the jurisdiction of the Jiaofangsi, where official prostitutes were trained in singing, dancing and instrumental music.

The official music troupe emphasizes the word "elegance".

The girls have been practicing pipa and sanxian since they were young, and they need to have a bright voice and flexible body.

The old eunuch from the Jiaofangsi narrowed his eyes and tapped the sandalwood board with his orchid fingers: "The third fold of "Nichang" - go!"

As the strings sounded, the prostitute in green bodice shook her head to the tune, and her golden hairpins and pendants hit her cheeks.

Turning around Goulan Hutong, the scene is completely different.

A Xiangfei bamboo curtain was hung on the blue brick door, and the sound of a pipa guitar could be heard from inside, mixed with the shouts of men playing finger-guessing games.

"Call the police!" The eunuch shouted into the yard in a long tone. After a while, a girl with peony-shaped hair came out holding Ruan Xian. Her jacket and skirt rustled past the doorpost, leaving a scent of jasmine soap...

Deep in Yanzhi Lane, most of the houses have three courtyards and a stage with a rolled roof.

It's a secret place, and only dignitaries go there.

As for Piaoxianglou, which was previously controlled by Huweitang, its level is not comparable at all.

"What are official prostitutes and private prostitutes? They are just for the men to entertain themselves!"

The man leading the way sneered in a low voice, "From what I can tell from you, you are a wealthy man. The rules in the capital are strict, but they are no different from other places. You rely on official seals and money bags."

"Look at that sedan chair, with its blue velvet backsplash and red silk roof, it's heading for Yanle Hutong. If it stops at the gate of the Su family in Yanzhi Hutong..."

As he said this, he blinked his eyes and said, "That must be an official from the Six Departments. He needs to be paid more!"

Behind him, Li Yan was wearing a brocade robe and a small hat. After a simple makeup, he became a young man who had just arrived in the capital.

He must go to the "Jiumen Yinxu".

Not to mention the clues about the Jianmu monster, the evil spirit hidden in it must also be eliminated.

Unfortunately, the secret was leaked in advance, Pei Zongti did not dare to cross the line, and Luo Mingzi did not want him to take risks, so the official support was useless.

But he had just arrived in the capital and did not have enough connections.

The only solution that could be thought of was to seek help from the Jinyan Gate.

But this also carries risks.

Jin Yanmen is in the intelligence business. No matter how glamorous their disguise is, they are still underworld figures and have no problem cheating and deceiving people.

Moreover, they were too deeply involved in the court struggles.

Just like before at Linqing Customs, Zhao Wanfang went to collect intelligence.

The purpose was not to quell the disaster, but to make a judgment in advance and sell knives to Kaihai School. Therefore, even if Zhao Wanfang gave him the token and showed goodwill on behalf of Jinyanmen, Li Yan did not want to deal with her.

When visiting someone for the first time, you should naturally be cautious.

It would be most appropriate to pretend to be a rich young man who has just arrived in Beijing.

"Master, we are just ahead!"

The man leading the way in front touched the silver in his arms and smiled even more flatteringly.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan raised his head and looked around.

Just now they were in the brightly lit Goulan Hutong. The street was crowded with people, and there were constant sounds of music and finger-guessing games on both sides. There were also girls leaning on the railings, covering their mouths with round fans and laughing, with affectionate eyes under the lanterns, attracting passers-by to enter the shop.

But now this alley is obviously much quieter.

The singing and dancing courtyard and the candlelight are all hidden behind the eight-foot-high blue brick wall.

“This is the place to go for fine food.”

The man leading the way raised his eyebrows and said, "Sir, Rouge Lane is worthy of your status. There are no outsiders to disturb you, and the girls are all very beautiful and talented. I'll meet a few of them and I guarantee you will be satisfied."

Li Yan frowned, "I want to go to the Su family compound."

The man shook his head quickly, "The Su Family Courtyard is a place where officials go. You spend a lot of money and just listen to some songs and touch hands. It's more cost-effective here. The girls really treat you like a master."

Li Yan was already getting impatient. "Either go or get lost. Why are you talking so much?"

He saw through the man's thoughts at a glance.

It was obvious that he thought of himself as a fat sheep and wanted to find a place to slaughter him, so he changed his mind at the last minute.

"Hey!"

The man's expression immediately changed. He stiffened his neck and glared, "I say, how can you be so ungrateful?"

As he was speaking, a loud whistle was blew, and three people immediately ran out from the dark alley, all wearing masks and holding sticks.

"What are you doing?!"

Before Li Yan could speak, an arrogant voice sounded from behind.

The speaker was a burly young man.

He was wearing a brocade robe, a jade pendant on his waist, his muscles were strong and full of power, and he was obviously a martial artist.

Behind him followed two men in black, with swords on their waists and gloomy faces.

The man who led the way was also a discerning person. Seeing this, he quickly smiled and said, "Sir, it's none of your business."

"Fuck off!"

The young man glanced coldly and said, "Ben... I hate unruly people the most!"

The guide and several of his companions wanted to argue, but two servants jumped out from behind the young man, brandishing their scabbards, and beat them so hard that they screamed and stumbled away.

Li Yan clasped his fists slightly, "Thank you, Your Excellency..."

But before he could finish his words, the young man left with his men without looking back.

Li Yan slowly put down his hand, his eyes somewhat amused.

Although this young man is very cocky, his pride and nobility are real.

The two guards wore official boots under their casual clothes.

He should be the son of a noble family in the capital.

Without a guide, Li Yan had to walk in by himself.

At the end of this rouge-blue stone alley is a mottled screen wall, with a few branches of white fragrant vines poking out from the cracks in the gray bricks.

If an ordinary person saw this, they would definitely think it was a dead end.

But the two sedan chairs parked in the alley and the direction the young man was walking made Li Yan guess that there was something else going on.

Sure enough, after walking around the mottled screen wall, the view in front of me suddenly opened up.

A huge courtyard unfolds before your eyes like a scroll painting, which clearly borrows the superb gardening technique of "the world in a pot".

The outer walls of this garden are all made of polished bricks with joints. The surface of the bluestone bricks is as delicate as a mirror, and the dripping water of the tiles are all decorated with Song Dynasty lotus patterns.

Next to the moon-shaped gate stands a pair of Taihu stones, their thin, wrinkled and transparent appearance like immortals pointing the way. At the root of the stone leans a half-broken stele, which turns out to be a broken stele of the Yuanyou Party Monument upon closer inspection. The rugged handwriting of Su Shi and Huang Tzu-ying has long been blurred by rubbing, and is set off by flowers and plants.

It looks casual, but it is actually carefully designed and has an ancient charm.

On the black gate, there was a plaque with the words "Su Yuan" hanging prominently.

"Meet Master Xiao."

A man in blue with a goatee was standing at the door. When he saw the young man coming, he stepped forward and bowed, whispering, "He's inside. We've almost settled the matter. Please follow me."

After saying this, he led the young man into the garden.

Li Yan was about to follow in but was stopped by two servants guarding the gate.

"Please stay, guest."

The two spoke very politely, "This is a private residence, we don't receive outsiders."

Li Yan was a little unhappy. "The Su Family Courtyard is so famous, so why not open the door for business?"

"It's a private residence, please forgive me."

The two of them had smiles on their faces, but they still looked aloof.

This was beyond Li Yan's expectations.

I thought Jinyanmen was a brothel, but I didn't expect that I couldn't even get in the door.

Look at the two young servants in green clothes, they are wearing cloud-head shoes with thousand-layer soles, their arms hanging down as if embracing yin and yang, secretly practicing the Four Symbols and Eight Extremes standing postures, and they have calluses on their knuckles. Although they are bowing their heads, you can tell at a glance that they are practitioners with solid kung fu skills.

"In that case, what a pity." Li Yan smiled slightly, turned around and left.

This place is more complicated than I thought. I better find another way out.

But before he could turn around, he stopped.

"Sir, is there anything else?"

One of the servants was already showing signs of impatience.

Li Yan was silent for a moment, then took out the token from his arms, "I want to see Miss Zhao Wanfang."

"Uh."

The servant was a little surprised, but after taking the token, his face suddenly changed, and he immediately bowed respectfully and said, "I hope you will forgive me if I have offended you, sir. Please follow me."

After saying this, he bent sideways and raised his hand, being very polite.

Li Yan didn't waste any words and strode in with a cold face.

The outside of this courtyard is already exquisitely decorated, and the inside is even better.

Passing through the blue brick arch gate, you will see the "Four Waters Returning to the Hall" courtyard, which is unique to Hui style architecture.

The corners of the black tile eaves fly slantingly like swallow wings, and rain chains with copper bells hanging on them sway gently in the wind.

The carved windows of the second-floor side rooms on all four sides were covered with light gauze, through which the flickering shadows of candles could be vaguely seen.

Li Yan had also been to the royal palace. To be honest, the luxury here was far inferior, but the style was very high.

But at this moment, he had no time to appreciate it.

Just now, Gou Die felt slightly hot, as if he had some sense, but it was not clear.

There is a criminal hiding in this garden!

Li Yan looked around and became alert.

Since we set out from Luoyang, we haven't seen many criminals along the way.

But when they arrived in the capital, they discovered Uleji and Kong Hui one after another.

Could that old monster be hiding here?
Following the guide, Li Yan walked quickly along the zigzag corridor beside the pool, holding the certificate all the time.

Unfortunately, the sensation just now has disappeared and has never appeared again.

He noticed that the bronze mirror hanging between the pillars had the twenty-eight constellations engraved on its surface.

Wang Daoxuan once said that this is the way of "mirror formation".

When suppressing some evil spirits, arrangements are often made in underground palaces, and the invisible evil spirits will be trapped inside and unable to leave.

But it is used here to prevent the invasion of evil spirits and to reflect the figures of intruders to the eyes of secret sentries everywhere.

Combined with the Feng Shui formation in the yard, it also has the function of blocking magical detection.

The person who built this garden must be a Feng Shui master.

While Li Yan was lost in thought, the two of them had already passed through two moon-shaped doors.

The view in front of me suddenly opened up. The rockery made of Taihu stones was two meters high and was surrounded by towering bamboo forests.

In the winding paths, you can see small courtyards, scattered in an orderly manner, separated from each other and not interfering with each other.

The two guards of "Master Xiao" were guarding outside one of the small courtyards.

Seeing Li Yan coming, the two of them immediately grasped the hilts of their knives, their faces full of vigilance.

Fortunately, Li Yan soon disappeared from their sight again.

Led by the servant, Li Yan came to one of the courtyards.

The courtyard was elegantly decorated. Although it was not large, it had a pond of water. A two-story building was built by the water. In the open hall overlooking the water, palace lanterns and agarwood were lit. A maid was kneeling and brewing tea, and the gauze curtains around her fluttered in the night breeze.

It looks like a painting.

"Dear guest, please wait a moment."

The servant bowed respectfully and said, "Miss Zhao is not here. I will go find the owner of the garden right away."

Zhao Wanfang is not here?
Li Yan frowned slightly, but didn't say much. He went to the hall and sat down on the cushion.

As he sat down, the maid brought him the prepared tea and then left quietly.

Li Yan seemed to be thinking about something, still holding the certificate in his arms.

Gou Die still did not respond, as if the sensation just now was just an illusion.

This is the first time this situation has occurred.

What means did the other party use...

At this moment, Li Yan sniffed and suddenly smelled a faint fragrance.

It's like the scent of plum mixed with the scent of agarwood, with a hint of the bitterness of herbs.

When I looked up, I saw a woman and two maids walking out of the yard.

The woman was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with skin as white as cream, eyebrows like distant mountains, and a pair of phoenix eyes that were a little sharp, but her eyes seemed to contain autumn water.

After seeing Li Yan, she smiled sweetly, waved her hand and ordered the maid to leave, then slowly sat down, leaning against the Xiangfei bamboo curtain, twirling a mud-gold peony fan with her fingertips, "Young Master Li, I've been waiting for a long time. You have been busy these days, and I thought you would not come back."

Li Yan had a blank expression on his face. "Who are you, sir? Where is Zhao Wanfang?"

"I am Su Yu, the master of this Su Garden."

The woman didn't care and said with a frank smile: "Wanfang is my disciple. There was something going on in Jiaozhou, so she has left. The young man needs more experience, otherwise I won't dare hand over Su Garden to her in the future."

Li Yan thought to himself, he is worthy of being the elder of Jinyanmen.

This neither humble nor arrogant attitude not only brought the relationship closer, but also pointed out the identities.

Seeing Li Yan remained silent, Su Yu smiled again, "The capital has been stormy lately, and the roofs of Su Garden are low. Young Master Li is busy with his work, and he suddenly came to visit me. I'm afraid he's not just here to visit an old friend, right?"

Li Yan took a sip of tea and said, "Wanfang said something, I wonder if it counts?"

"of course."

Su Yu smiled, "The Twelve Yuanchen are now well-known throughout China. Many nobles want to invite you, but they have no way to do so. If Young Master Li can trust us, our Jinyan Sect will run errands for you and ensure that there are no hidden dangers."

Zhao Wanfang had mentioned this before.

Jin Yanmen wanted to be the contact person of the Twelve Yuanchen, to help them make connections and introduce big jobs.

Not only is it free of charge, it also provides intelligence support.

It may seem a bit disadvantageous, but the reputation of the Twelve Yuanchen is enough for Jinyanmen to build more connections.

This is the basis for their survival.

"It's not urgent."

Li Yan drank a sip of tea slowly, "Senior, this place seems a little unclean..."

Su Yu was a little surprised, "What does Li Shaoxia mean by unclean?"

Li Yan raised his head, his eyes turned cold, "Cursive criminal!"

He was so busy that he was too lazy to play tricks and just went straight to the point.

If the other party is hiding something, then there is no need for cooperation.

Who knows, we might have to ask the Duwei Division to surround and search this place later.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Su Yu smiled slightly and said frankly: "Young Master Li is indeed outstanding."

"Yes, there is indeed a 'Yin Criminal' hiding here. He is a senior earth immortal from Mount Laoshan. We have introduced him to him and he was invited here today to enter the Prince of Yan's Mansion to receive protection and be worshipped."

"If Young Master Li is determined to enforce justice, we cannot stop him."

Laoshan Earth Immortal?

No wonder……

Li Yan suddenly realized that the Laoshan's escape technique was famously powerful.

There must be some magic trick to be able to run to the capital city in such a grand manner.

And there is the young man named Xiao just now.

I thought he was a nobleman, but I didn't expect him to be the Prince of Yan...

(End of this chapter)