Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"The son of the Minister of Rites certainly wouldn't take a mere Jinyiwei centurion's badge seriously."

Guo Shoulu nodded.

It is indeed possible that Yan Song gave the "red lead" elixir he was bestowed upon Yan Shifan.

The son had never met this Yan Shaoqing before. He was clearly using an alias in the brothel, so it was hard to say for sure whether it was really him.

I've heard that His Highness Prince Ying is only twenty-one years old. If he dresses more maturely, it wouldn't be difficult for him to look a few years older.

The father wondered if his son had encountered His Highness the Prince of Ying.

"Absolutely impossible!"

Guo Xun waved his hands repeatedly.

"Shoulu, what I am about to tell you is a secret of the palace, and you must not tell anyone else."

Do you know why His Majesty bestowed the "Red Lead" elixir upon Prince Ying?

That's because His Highness Prince Ying seems to have little interest in women. In the year or so since he was granted the title of Prince, it is said that apart from his two concubines, he has never slept with any of the palace maids, and there is no record of it.

He rarely even stayed overnight in the rooms of the princess or concubines.

His Majesty also ordered the Shanggong Bureau to select twenty beautiful palace maids from the palace, who were sent to Chonghua Palace in the Southern Palace yesterday.

How could His Highness the Prince of Ying possibly visit a brothel incognito?

"Father is right."

After a moment of silence, Guo Shoulu slowly spoke.

"The person my son met at the brothel yesterday must be Yan Shifan."

This "red lead" elixir is too potent; last night, my son couldn't control himself, and now his back and legs are sore and weak. He won't accompany his father to the drill ground and will return home to rest first.

. . .

Half an hour later.

Guo Shoulu stood in the pavilion in the back garden of the Marquis of Wuding’s mansion, staring at the residence of his stepmother, Lady Zhao, and his younger brother for a long time.

Why should I?!

Guo Shoulu had always believed that after his father's death, his eldest brother would inherit the title of Marquis of Wuding.

The stepmother had no children, and the three brothers in the family were all born to concubines.

They were all sons born out of wedlock, so there was no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and the brothers got along fairly well.

The father named his eldest brother Guo Shouye, clearly intending for him to inherit the family business.

He named his second brother Guo Shoufu and himself Guo Shoulu, which clearly meant that he hoped his two younger sons could enjoy a lifetime of good fortune and live a life of wealth and leisure.

However, after his stepmother passed away more than ten years ago, his father remarried.

Soon after his stepmother entered the family, she gave birth to a son named Guo Shouqian, who was the only legitimate son of the Marquis of Wuding.

Father's attitude towards my eldest brother has changed!

When the fourth brother had just turned one year old, the father petitioned the court to grant the eldest brother the hereditary title of Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

It should be noted that before the fourth brother was born, the eldest brother had always been a hereditary official.

The winds of change in the Marquis's mansion also shifted. As the fourth brother grew up, the stepmother became increasingly hostile towards the eldest brother, often making things difficult for him. The servants were also adept at changing their tune depending on the wind.

The eldest brother's position became increasingly awkward. He himself was uncomfortable staying in the Marquis's mansion, so he bought a house outside and kept a mistress. He rarely returned to the Marquis's mansion anymore.

The father tacitly approved of the matter, and the stepmother was even more pleased with it.

The stepmother not only drove away the eldest brother, but was also very wary of the second brother and herself.

My second brother is clearly not cut out for studying, yet he holds the honorary title of a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. However, he enjoys cultivating an air of refinement and associating with scholars.

He gained some fame among scholars by frequently paying the bills.

After the eldest brother chose to live in the outer residence and rarely returned to the Marquis's mansion, he became the target of his stepmother's harassment, which often made the second brother very unhappy.

Fortunately, he realized early on that his stepmother was intolerant and simply spent her days going to brothels, gambling dens, cockfighting, and horse racing—doing whatever seemed most worthless.

He deliberately signed the invoice outside, so that people would come to the Marquis's residence.

As expected, her stepmother not only paid the bill for her, but also secretly kept it a secret from her father.

This is deliberate indulgence, trying to turn oneself into a useless person.

That makes sense. His fourth brother, his stepmother's biological son, doesn't seem very bright. If his three half-brothers were too outstanding, it's hard to guarantee that his father wouldn't have some other ideas.

If there are few opportunities, being a playboy for life might be the best choice for him.

But now, an opportunity is right in front of us. Should we reach out and seize it?

We must catch them!

It was not only for his own future, but also for the Wuding Marquis's Mansion, which had been passed down for 150 years and spanned six generations.

Because of that period of time, my father was already in a very dangerous situation. If something really happened to him one day, the consequences would be unimaginable!

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact!

"Go to Yihonglou and find Mother Liu now."

Guo Shoulu called the servant over and handed him a large silver ingot weighing fifty taels.

"Tell her that I have booked the entire Yihong Pavilion tonight, and apart from Mr. Lin who came yesterday, I will not receive any other guests."

I'll take a quick rest first. Call me at 3:45 PM, and I must be at Yihonglou before 3:00 PM.

. . .

"Your Highness, Liu Mama from Yihong Pavilion said that Young Master Chai, who displayed his extraordinary prowess yesterday, booked the entire Yihong Pavilion."

As soon as they entered Fenzi Hutong, Miao Feng ran over to report to Lu Chen.

"I have confirmed with several people at Yihonglou that Young Master Chai called eleven girls last night, and when he left this morning, he could barely stand and had to be helped into his carriage."

However, before noon, he sent a servant with fifty taels of silver, saying he wanted to book the entire Yihong Pavilion specifically for a banquet for Young Master Lin.

"Young people just can't control themselves!"

Lu Chen couldn't help but shake his head.

"Is he at the brothel right now?"

The medicinal properties of this "red lead" elixir are incredibly potent!

Every medicine has some degree of toxicity; this kind of potent medicine is probably a dangerous drug!

"I haven't been here long, but my complexion has improved a lot. However, you can still see that my legs are trembling a bit when I walk."

Miao Feng quickly replied,

"His men found out that on his way back to the Marquis of Wuding's residence this morning, he bought a packet of sun-dried ginseng slices at a pharmacy, probably to force himself to stay awake."

"I truly cannot fathom how he managed eleven in one night!"

"It seems that this third young master of the Marquis of Wuding is also a man of his word."

Lu Chen looked at the Yihong Building not far away.

"After a long night of hard work, I can barely walk steadily and need ginseng to stay awake."

Even in this situation, he still remembered the promise he made to me yesterday.

. . .

Inside a luxurious private room at Yihonglou.

"Young Master Lin, after I took that elixir yesterday, I felt extremely energetic. I seemed to feel no fatigue at all, and even pain became easy to ignore. This state lasted for about six hours."

But after the effects of the medicine wore off, I felt extremely tired and had a deep sense of loss.

Besides that, I also felt very empty inside and had no interest in anything.

besides..."

Guo Shoulu recounted to Lu Chen how he felt after taking the "red lead" elixir the previous day.

"I had managed to get two hours of sleep before coming to the appointment, but I was still very tired."

"Don't laugh at me, Young Master Lin, but I look quite energetic now, all thanks to chewing ginseng."

As he listened to the other person's description, Lu Chen's expression grew increasingly grim.

After taking the medication, I felt energetic and tireless, and pain became easily ignored. After the medication wore off, I experienced extreme fatigue, low mood, a sense of meaninglessness, anxiety, restlessness, and irritability.

I'm sure I've heard these descriptions somewhere before!