Chapter 83 Yongqi Goes to a Brothel

Soon it was the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. At dawn, everyone in the palace got up one after another and moved their things onto the carriages. At dusk, after everything was packed, some mounted their horses and others boarded the carriages. After leaving Beijing, Qianlong lifted the curtain and looked at the scenery outside the carriage. "The air outside is indeed fresh. No wonder Xiao Yanzi has been away for so long and has not wanted to come back."

Qing'er smiled and said, "Master, Xiao Yanzi comes from the martial arts world, so she loves living in the martial arts world by nature, but..." She paused and then said, "So these past few years have been her days of freedom. In the future, I'm afraid she will never have such a free time again."

If Qing'er didn't explain clearly, it was naturally because Xiao Yanzi gave up her life in the martial arts world for Yongqi, but it wasn't entirely for Yongqi; she also did it for the many people who had suffered the same fate as her. "Master, where should we go first?"

Emperor Qianlong laughed and said, "Let's just go wherever we end up. The only destination we have is Xiao Yanzi and Xiao Jian's hometown in Hangzhou!"

The Empress Dowager, sitting next to Emperor Qianlong, chuckled and said, "I think you've become so happy away from home that you don't want to go back. Don't let it get to the point where you don't want to come home at all."

Qianlong was a little embarrassed and explained, "Mother is joking. We are traveling around sightseeing and also investigating the people's conditions. If we encounter corrupt officials and bullies, we will have to punish them. We can't be worse than a little girl like Xiaoyanzi, can we?"

The group chatted and laughed, and before they knew it, it was the fifth day of the second lunar month. On this day, they arrived at Tianfei Gate in Huaiyin, Jiangsu. Emperor Qianlong was preoccupied with state affairs, so he let the other concubines pass the time on their own.

Yongqi and the other princes naturally followed Emperor Qianlong to study the relevant content. After finally enduring until dinner, Yongqi could finally rest for a while. "Little Swallow, where are you now?"

It had been a while since they'd been in touch, and he really missed her. "The moon is so round, but it's a pity you're not here with me..."

Yongqi grew increasingly melancholy, so he changed his clothes and left their residence. "Forget it, I'll go for a walk." Who knows, he might get lucky and run into Xiaoyanzi.

He had been wandering around outside for a short while when he heard the voices of many girls ahead. He looked up and saw that it was a brothel. He instinctively turned to leave, but in that instant, he saw a familiar figure upstairs. "Little Swallow?"

Yongqi was very puzzled. "Am I seeing things? How come I see Xiaoyanzi up there? But that's impossible!" Even if Xiaoyanzi was wandering around the martial arts world, how could she possibly end up in a brothel?

His mind desperately wanted him to leave. He couldn't go to this place. Not only was he not even sure if Xiao Yanzi was inside, but even if she was, if he went to the brothel without her permission, even if he was in the right, Xiao Yanzi would be unhappy!

But he really missed Xiao Yanzi. If she was really inside, he didn't know when he would see her again after he left.

"Why don't we go in and take a look? If Xiao Yanzi isn't inside, we can come out later. If she is, we can just glance at her without letting her see us. We can always tell her later."

After a fierce internal struggle, Yongqi still headed towards the brothel. "Oh, where did this young master come from..."

"Young master, come quickly..." Yongqi was so frightened by the hungry looks in the eyes of the girls that he ran away immediately!

"No, that's too scary!" Although his martial arts skills were decent, there were a bunch of adults inside. If something went wrong, Emperor Qianlong wouldn't let him off the hook!

If word got out that the prince had visited a brothel, even if Emperor Qianlong and the Empress Dowager were willing to forgive him, the court officials would not accept it!

So he had no choice but to change his clothes and sneak in. However, the brothel had three floors and many rooms, so it was really difficult to find the right place!

Yongqi was secretly searching for the person he wanted to see, unaware that the person he longed for day and night was watching him from the side. "Girl, are you just going to let him keep searching like this?"

"If he can't find me, he'll naturally leave!"

"But don't you want to go out and see him?"

"I can't see him right now, I can only ask him to wait a little longer." Xiao Yanzi was also very helpless. She wanted to see him very much, but she couldn't go. "Yongqi, I'm sorry, please wait for me a little longer!"

After wandering around for a while, Yongqi realized he still hadn't found the person he wanted to see, so he quietly left. "Strange, I didn't see Xiaoyanzi, but why do I feel like someone is watching me? And that gaze seems very familiar. Could it be Xiaoyanzi?"

The more Yongqi thought about it, the more he felt that the gaze belonged to Xiaoyanzi. "But if it was Xiaoyanzi, why didn't she come out to see me? And why would she be in a brothel?"

Although he was absolutely certain that there must be a reason why Xiao Yanzi appeared in the brothel, the thought of the people who would come to the brothel made him feel uncomfortable all over!

Yongqi secretly watched the brothel for a long time, but he didn't see anyone he recognized come out. Helpless, he had no choice but to leave.

From a window on the third floor, a pair of eyes were fixed on the direction he had left. "Yongqi, I really miss you, but..."

She dared not appear before him now. She knew that if Yongqi saw her like this, he would surely feel sorry for her, but she couldn't bear it. She had already suffered once and didn't want Yongqi to suffer for her again. "I'll come back to you after I've healed!"

"Girl, why are you doing this to yourself?"

Xiao Yanzi smiled helplessly, "Luo Yue, you don't understand. If he saw me like this, he would feel extremely guilty and think that he hadn't protected me well. I don't want to see him feel guilty and remorseful..."

In the past, whenever she had a minor injury or illness, he would blame himself, feeling that he had hurt her again. But some things are beyond human control. Luo Yue took a deep breath and sighed, "I hope he will know everything you have done for him in the future..."

"Luo Yue, I never asked him for anything in return for what I did, because that was what I wanted to do. His existence just gave me more motivation to keep going!"

"You've given so much selflessly, if it weren't for him, what would you be after?" She truly couldn't understand how there could be such a foolish person in the world. She had done so much for him, yet in the end, she said it was something she wanted to do herself, and that she didn't expect anything in return? Was that even possible?

"I know you don't understand, but it's okay. You'll understand when we meet again!" She believed that everything she had done was worthwhile, and she also believed that he was worthwhile!

Even if one day he betrays their love, she will still believe that he will be a good king. So even if they may not be together in the future, she is willing to do those things. She doesn't want to be a useless person who is nothing without love!

She wanted to be the heroine of the Xiao family, a true heroine. Her purpose in living was not merely to make up for his regrets from his past life. "Just wait, I will go back. When that time comes, no one will be allowed to say a single word against me!"