Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

The girl's cloth bag was embroidered with an upright rabbit, with long ears, slightly upturned eyes, and a hint of bewitching expression, which was exactly the same as the rabbit tattoo on his left arm.

Xue Wei was a little flustered, and he ate his noodles listlessly. He wanted to ask a few questions, but he didn't know how to ask.

The young woman ate only a few bites of noodles before putting down her chopsticks and leaving. As she walked to the shop entrance, she turned back and gave Xue Wei a meaningful look.

There's no such thing as a coincidence in this world. At this moment, Xue Wei realized that the woman opposite him had come to find him. He finally made up his mind, drank the noodle soup in one gulp, took out fifteen coins, slapped them on the table, and quickly chased after her.

The young woman boarded a carriage, seemingly waiting for her. The carriage was red, yellow, and blue, making it very distinctive.

The carriage slowly started moving and headed towards the gate of the neighborhood. Xue Wei turned around and saw an oxcart coming up behind him.

"Young master, would you like a ride?"

Xue Wei climbed into the oxcart and pointed to the three-colored carriage in the distance, "Follow that carriage ahead!"

The oxcart slowly started moving, and once it left the town gate, the three-colored carriage was already far away.

Xue Wei was getting a little anxious and urged, "Uncle, can you hurry up? I can't keep up."

The coachman chuckled and said, "No need to rush, I know that carriage."

"You know?"

"Everyone in Luoyang knows that, right? Those are the carriages of the Twelve Palaces. You can tell just by looking at them."

"What are the twelve zodiac signs?"

The driver's smile held a hint of ambiguity. "It's a den of iniquity for rich men. To put it simply, it's a place for eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring. It costs at least ten strings of cash a night to drink the cheapest wine and find the cheapest women. You can't gamble, because if you do, it'll cost at least fifty strings of cash. It's not a place for ordinary people like us."

"You mean, that's a brothel?" Xue Wei was starting to understand.

"It's not a brothel, it's a music academy, actually it's pretty much the same. It's the top-tier government-run music academy in Luoyang, with the twelve most beautiful courtesans in charge."

Xue Wei pondered for a moment and then asked, "What is the connection between the rabbit and the zodiac?"

"The rabbit is the Moon Palace, and the Moon Palace Master was the top courtesan two years ago, a title bestowed upon her by Young Master Xue."

Xue Weiyan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He finally understood the meaning of the rabbit on his left arm—the symbol of a courtesan.

A nauseating feeling churned in my stomach, like taking a bite and finding half a cockroach in the biscuit.

Although he had experienced even worse things in the water dungeon, this feeling of nausea was real.

The coachman, still not finished, continued, "The twelve courtesans are all famous courtesans. What is a courtesan? She sells her art, not her body. That's called a prostitute. But, as long as the money is right and she finds you pleasing to the eye, even a famous courtesan will undress and spend a night with you!"

"Turn back!" Xue Wei had lost all interest.

The coachman glanced back at him and chuckled, "If you don't want to touch women, young master, you can try your luck. Someone there won five hundred taels of silver in one go. It's real gambling, based on skill."

"What are we betting on?" Xue Wei asked, almost as if possessed.

"There are many more. You can bet on backgammon. For simple games, you can bet on 'big or small,' and if you're skilled, you can even bet on 'arrows.'"

"A gambling arrow?" A string in Xue Wei's heart was plucked.

"It's called 'pot arrow,' a game of gambling based on skill. Last New Year, Young Master Xue gambled with Wu Chonglie on pot arrows there and won five hundred taels of silver in one go."

Xue Wei suddenly had a gut feeling and asked, "Wu Chonglie is Wu Sansi's son, isn't he?"

"Yes! Absolutely right."

Xue Wei recalled what Zhang Changzong had said: after he was imprisoned, Wu Sansi's son took his woman. Could it be the Palace Master of Maoyue?

"Let's go back first!"

Xue Wei was a little confused; he needed to think things through.

..........

The Twelve Palaces was the name of Luoyang's premier music academy. It was also a large complex consisting of three four-story buildings and dozens of courtyards, which was very intricate. Without a guide, one could easily get lost inside.

The Maoyue Palace is located in the northeast corner of the backyard. It consists of five small courtyards and is home to more than twenty courtesans. It is also the most popular place of pleasure among the twelve palaces. Every night, a steady stream of noblemen and young men come here to seek pleasure.

This is because Zhou Yinfeng, the Palace Master of Maoyue Palace, was the Flower Queen of the 13th Peony Flower Festival. The Flower Queen is selected every two years. In the autumn of the year before last, Zhou Yinfeng won the Flower Queen title with the generous support of Xue Wei, the Three Wonders Gentleman.

At this moment, in an exquisite and elegant room, the maid Xiaoping was carefully combing her mistress Zhou Yinfeng's waterfall-like hair with an expensive sandalwood comb.

Zhou Yinfeng truly lived up to her reputation as a famous courtesan. Her pretty face was like a freshly peeled boiled egg, white, smooth, and supple. She had a pair of amorous peach blossom eyes, slender eyebrows like the lines of distant mountains, a small and high nose, and bright red lips.

Her beautiful, fair body was covered only by a thin white veil, leaving much to the imagination.

"I gave him a hint as instructed by Miss, but I don't know why he didn't come."

Zhou Yinfeng's lips curved slightly, revealing a complex smile. After a long while, she said softly, "He will come. I have been waiting for him for a year."

"Miss, what if he knew the truth...?"

Before the maid Xiao Ping could finish speaking, Zhou Yin Feng turned around and stared at her, her once amorous peach blossom eyes now turning unusually cold and sharp. She said coldly, "If you dare to utter a single word out of turn, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Xiao Ping was so frightened that she immediately knelt down, "This servant would never dare to speak nonsense!"

"Alright, put the comb away and bring me the bird's nest porridge."

"Yes, sir!"

Xiao Ping carefully placed the sandalwood comb into a special box before quickly walking out.

Watching the maid's retreating figure, a cold glint flashed in Zhou Yinfeng's beautiful eyes; she knew far too much.

...........

Xue Wei sat on the steps of the courtyard for a whole day, from morning to evening. Finally, he stood up and casually tossed a small stone into the air. "Clang!" The stone landed precisely in the earthenware jar two zhang away.

Xue Wei smiled faintly. Muscle memory is the most enduring, just like riding a bicycle; once you learn it, you'll never forget it. The same goes for quiver.

He decided to go to the Twelve Palaces, not to find women, but because he needed money and wanted to buy himself a good sword.

...........

As night falls, the Twelve Palaces in Sigongfang are brightly lit, illuminating the three main buildings as if it were daytime.

Xue Wei got off an oxcart and handed a handful of copper coins to the driver. He looked up for a moment. Perhaps the other Xue Wei knew this place very well, but this was his first time here and he had no memory of it at all.

Xue Wei walked straight towards the gate. The gatekeeper, seeing his ordinary attire, was about to stop him, but when he saw Xue Wei's face clearly, he was startled. "So it's Young Master Xue! My apologies! My apologies!"

A samurai quietly reported to the steward beside him. The steward's zombie-like face twitched. Xue Wei used to enter the gate in a magnificent carriage, but today he actually walked in.

The steward knew that this young master Xue was now a fallen phoenix, worse than a chicken. He was too lazy to go up and greet him, so he gave a wink to a servant next to him. The servant understood and quickly went to greet him.

"Welcome, Young Master Xue! It's been a long time. Where would you like to go for some fun today?"

"Gambling!" Xue Wei uttered two words calmly.

The servant raised an eyebrow, his face revealing a clear understanding.

"Understood! Understood! Young Master Xue, please come with me, I will take you to the casino."