The most dissolute couple in the capital

The next day, just after dawn, Li Chengjing finished dressing up and watched with great interest as Suxin did Cui Qingyi's makeup.

"Why are you up so early?"

"Go early and come back early!" Li Chengjing had already changed into a short, coarse indigo robe, a worn-out belt around his waist, and his hair was simply tied in a bun. He really looked like a street vendor. He looked at himself in the bronze mirror from left to right, quite satisfied with his appearance. "Do I look like one? Do I look like one of those silk sellers?"

Cui Qingyi glanced at him.

White and even teeth, delicate skin, and neatly trimmed nails.

Cui Qingyi smiled and said, "I'll ask Liu Lu to prepare a better piece of satin for you. You're still far from being a proper small-time merchant."

Li Chengjing thought it made sense and nodded vigorously.

Cui Qingyi changed into a light purple cotton dress, her hair was simply styled with a small gold hairpin, and her earrings were replaced with tiny pearl grains. In the mirror, she looked like a well-off merchant's wife, gentle and pretty, but definitely not ostentatious.

Su Xin wanted to go with them, but Cui Qingyi waved her hand: "You stay in the manor. I'll go out for a stroll with the Prince and then come back. Just have Liu Lu follow us from a distance. Don't bring too many people; it'll look like we're on an incognito trip."

Su Xin said with concern, "Then Your Highness should be careful."

Cui Qingyi patted her hand: "Don't worry, your prince has guards with him."

After exiting the side gate of the Liang Prince's Mansion, the two walked towards the South Market. The morning in Chang'an was bustling and noisy. Peddlers carrying loads were already calling out their wares, and steaming white vapor rose from the bean curd stalls. Elderly men strolled along the streets and alleys carrying birdcages.

Cui Qingyi was somewhat excited, as this was her first time traveling outside as an ordinary citizen.

Li Chengjing was quite familiar with her, but he insisted on eating tofu pudding from a street vendor, so he didn't have breakfast at home before leaving the house that morning.

The street food had just come out of the oven, and the two of them ate some according to their preferences.

Cui Qingyi quite liked it.

After breakfast, the two wandered through the streets and alleys, soon arriving at the mixed alleyway where Qianqian had disappeared the day before. The houses here were low, the roads were narrow, and the air was filled with the smell of cooking smoke.

Occasionally, when passing by a delivery cart, Li Chengjing would instinctively shield Cui Qingyi to his side, afraid that she might bump into it.

"Shall we just go knock on that Qianqian's door?" Li Chengjing asked in a low voice.

"What are you looking for, Qianqian? Do you think we're looking for a courtesan?" Cui Qingyi analyzed. "Qianqian is most likely a pseudonym used to deceive He Li. If we go directly to ask, the people in this alley probably haven't even heard of her, and we'll only alert her."

"How do we investigate?"

"Learn from this." Cui Qingyi smiled with a hint of pride. She glanced around and saw three old women sitting under an old locust tree not far ahead, chatting and picking vegetables.

"Excuse me, ladies," Cui Qingyi said softly, casually pulling out a handful of walnuts she had just bought from a street vendor from her sleeve. She smiled knowingly and offered them to them. "My husband and I have just arrived in the capital and are looking to rent a small courtyard nearby. Do any of you ladies know of any vacant rooms?"

The older women immediately started chatting when they saw that the walnuts were plump and fresh, and that the young couple, though dressed simply, were good-looking and kind-faced.

"Oh my, young lady, you're really pretty. Renting a room? You've come to the right place!" An older woman with a mole on her face enthusiastically grabbed a walnut kernel. "How big are you looking for? Cheap or quiet?"

Cui Qingyi sighed, feigning distress, "To be honest, my husband was originally a scholar, but now that our family has fallen on hard times, he's thinking of starting a small business. We're short on funds. A small, run-down yard is fine, as long as the neighbors are quiet. Please, no thieves or troublemakers..."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengjing puffed out his chest in perfect unison, adopting the air of a "down-on-his-luck but noble scholar," and even elegantly flicked his sleeve, sighing, "This is a humble abode, but my virtue makes it fragrant!"

Cui Qingyi almost lost her composure. What kind of pretentious, pedantic literary language is this?!

Another older woman said, "If you're looking for a house, I know a few that are available for rent. Would you like to take a look?"

Cui Qingyi nodded.

The old woman was a kind-hearted person. She brushed off the rotten vegetable leaves in her hand, dusted herself off, and led the two people deeper into the alley.

"Although our area isn't as grand as Zhuque Street, it's better because everyone in the neighborhood knows each other well," the old lady said warmly as she walked.

The first house we looked at was a courtyard facing the street. As soon as we pushed open the door, a strong smell of chicken manure hit us. Not only were there seven or eight old hens running around in the yard, but there was also a black dog tied up in the corner, barking wildly at us.

Li Chengjing, completely absorbed in his role, immediately pinched his nose and lamented, "This...this crowing of roosters and barking of dogs, won't it disturb the minds of us scholars? It's an insult to our culture, truly an insult to our culture!"

"That makes sense," Cui Qingyi sighed softly. "Auntie, my husband prefers quiet, so this courtyard might not be suitable."

The old woman wasn't annoyed at all, and nodded in deep agreement: "Scholars, you know, they're particular! Come on, I'll take you to that narrow alley to the west. There's an empty room there, absolutely quiet, you won't even hear a mouse squeaking!"

The three of them wandered around for a while and finally stopped in front of a mottled wooden door.

The old woman pointed inside: "This room used to belong to a widow, but she went to live with relatives and has been empty ever since. The rent is very cheap, only five hundred coins a month."

Cui Qingyi pretended to peek out and saw that the courtyard was indeed not big, but it was fairly clean.

Seeing that Cui Qingyi seemed somewhat interested, the old woman leaned closer and mysteriously pointed to the gate next to the courtyard: "But young lady, I'm being blunt, so I have to tell you something. This house is nice, but the Su family next door is very strange. If you rent it, be sure to avoid them."

Cui Qingyi seized the opportunity to ask, "Auntie, what do you mean by that? Is there some hidden reason?"

The old woman looked around and, seeing that no one was in the alley, said, "This Su family moved in half a year ago. There's no man in the family who can manage things. It's just a young woman with a seriously ill old mother and a young child."

Cui Qingyi sighed: "It's not easy for an orphan and a widow."

The old woman slapped her thigh: "That's right! When the neighbors found out, they said they'd lend a hand if they could, but that young woman was quite shrewish and didn't appreciate it at all..."

"These days, there are always some shady men loitering around the neighborhood... We're an honest family, who would associate with such disreputable people!"

The old woman's expression revealed a hint of disdain.

Cui Qingyi gave Li Chengjing a wink, and Li Chengjing quickly chimed in, "Outrageous! We can't have neighbors like that. If we get involved in some messy legal trouble living here, wouldn't that be a disgrace to our culture!"

Seeing that the deal was about to fall through, the old woman was reluctant to give up her commission as a middleman. She rubbed her hands together and tried to persuade her to stay: "Oh dear, scholars are so particular. I see you have some savings. I know someone on the next street. It's a bit more expensive there, but the environment is definitely better. Why don't you take another look?"

"Thank you for your trouble, Auntie. We came out in a hurry today, and after seeing these places, we have a general idea of ​​what to expect. We still need to go back and plan it out in more detail."

Cui Qingyi responded gently and softly, then took a few copper coins and stuffed them into the old woman's hand without giving her a chance to refuse, treating it as payment for tea when she inquired about the news.

The old lady, having received a good deal, instantly lost all her disappointment and cheerfully saw the two out of the alley.

After confirming the address and the surrounding terrain, the two did not linger and strolled back to the Liang Prince's Mansion together.

As soon as they entered the mansion, the two dropped their disguises.

Cui Qingyi washed her hands, took a sip of warm tea to moisten her throat, and directly instructed Liu Lu: "Call the servant who followed He Li yesterday. Have him change into inconspicuous clothes and go to the alley we went to today to keep watch. Just have him identify whether that shrewish girl surnamed Su is indeed the Qianqian that Young Master He is so fond of."