Chen Guang instantly straightened his spine.

Good heavens! After being bored for so long, someone was following them!

The young coachman cracked his whip and sang his little tune even louder.

“What’s wrong with Chen Guang? Not a single note is on key, and he’s singing louder and louder. Miss, he must be dissatisfied about going out in such hot weather and is taking revenge on us!”

“He’s not. He’s genuinely happy.” Qiao Zhao closed her eyes to rest, completely undisturbed by the terrible singing coming from outside the carriage.

“He’s happy all right, completely inconsiderate of others’ feelings!” Binglu lifted the curtain and stuck her head out to scold: “Chen Guang, what are you howling about? You’re making so much noise that Miss can’t rest.”

Chen Guang covered his mouth: “Sorry, I was just in such good spirits I couldn’t control myself. I won’t sing anymore.”

“That’s more like it.” Binglu was about to lower the curtain when her hand suddenly paused, and she muttered: “Wait, this direction doesn’t seem to be going to Chunfeng Tavern—”

Hearing her say this, Qiao Zhao suddenly opened her eyes and looked outside. Seeing the roadside scenery, her expression changed slightly, and she said in a low voice: “Binglu, sit back down.”

Though Binglu was somewhat rash in her actions, she always obeyed Qiao Zhao’s words. Hearing this instruction, she immediately sat back down obediently.

“Chen Guang, what’s going on?”

Chen Guang didn’t turn his head back, laughing cheerfully: “Nothing much. Some blind fool is following us. Don’t worry, Third Miss.. I’ll lead that short-sighted person into a ditch!”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhao lowered the carriage door curtain.

Binglu was quite excited: “Miss, someone is following us?”

“Enough, sit properly and don’t alert them.”

Since Chen Guang said so, there was no problem. Shao Mingyuan’s guards wouldn’t lack even this basic skill.

Qiao Zhao sat steadily in the carriage, feeling it turn left at times, right at other times, weaving and winding and stopping, taking much longer than usual before finally stopping at the back courtyard of Chunfeng Tavern.

The idle man, dizzy from being led around by Chen Guang, stopped in front of a tall building hung with red lanterns. He stared up at the door plaque surrounded by red silk for a long time, but couldn’t read a single character. He muttered to himself: “That carriage turned in here and then disappeared. It must have gone inside. Why does this place look so familiar…”

“Go, go, go! Is this a place where you can stand around?” The doorkeeper fiercely scolded the idle man.

Only then did the idle man have a sudden realization.

Holy crap, wasn’t this the famous Bichun Brothel? Usually, he would stand at night, staring at this bustling entrance and quietly swallow his saliva. In broad daylight, he hadn’t recognized it for a moment.

“Why aren’t you leaving yet?” The doorkeeper was already scowling and raising his stick.

“Going, going.” The idle man smiled obsequiously and walked away from the front of Bichun Brothel. Once out of the doorkeeper’s sight, he spat on the ground: “Bah! What’s so great about it? Once I collect the rest of that silver, I can afford a visit too!”

The idle man hurried back to the place he had arranged to meet Li Jiǎo and her servant.

Seeing the idle man finally return, Li Jiǎo gave a meaningful look to Chun Fang, her maid disguised as a servant.

Chun Fang went forward to ask: “How was it? You didn’t lose them, did you?”

“What are you saying? Such a big carriage—how could I lose it?”

Chun Fang turned and nodded to Li Jiǎo.

Li Jiǎo was delighted and gave another meaningful look.

Chun Fang said with a stern face: “Fine then, you lead the way. Take us to where that carriage went, and this silver is yours.”

“No problem. You two… follow me.” The idle man’s shifty gaze swept across their faces, finding it somewhat amusing inwardly.

These two young ladies were quite interesting, thinking that wearing men’s clothing would prevent others from seeing through their disguise. They must have watched too many opera performances.

Speaking of which, that place wasn’t somewhere two young ladies should approach, but he wasn’t deceiving them. The carriage they asked him to follow had indeed gone there, so he was earning this silver with a clear conscience.

The idle man led Li Jiǎo and her servant to the front of Bichun Brothel: “Look, that carriage went inside here. Heh heh, about the rest of that silver—”

Chun Fang tossed the silver piece into the idle man’s chest with a disgusted expression: “Here, take it. Don’t mention today’s events to a third person, or you’ll regret it!”

“Guaranteed not to mention it, guaranteed not to mention it.” The idle man pocketed the silver and ran off immediately.

“Miss, what place is this?”

Li Jiǎo looked up at the three golden characters “Bichun Brothel” on the door plaque and shook her head: “I only know there’s a Chunfeng Tavern not far from our residence. I’ve never heard of this Bichun Brothel.”

“Chunfeng Tavern, Bichun Brothel—Miss, I know! This must be a restaurant.”

Li Jiǎo was somewhat uncertain.

Based on the name, it should be a restaurant, but this place seemed strange. What restaurant would keep its doors tightly shut during the day and not do business?

Why would Li Third come to this place?

Wait, could it be that Li Third was planning some shameful deed, which is why she came to this rather odd restaurant?

“Miss, should I go to the front door and ask?”

“No, the doors are closed here. If we go ask, we might alert Li Third and let her know. Let’s go to the back door.”

Thinking of the scene she had witnessed in the residence’s pavilion, Li Jiǎo became somewhat impatient. She led Chun Fang around to the back door. Seeing that the gatekeeper was an old woman, she directly handed over a piece of silver: “I have a friend who came here. We have some urgent business to discuss with her. Please do us a favor.”

The gatekeeper was no ordinary person—she had worked in pleasure quarters when young. Seeing two fair and clean young gentlemen standing before her, she glanced at their ears and immediately understood.

This must be a case where a man had come to the brothel last night and hadn’t returned home, so his wife had come looking.

This was coming to cause trouble! How could this be allowed?

“Go away quickly, go away quickly! The person you’re looking for isn’t here!”

“Please do us a favor, Auntie.” Not wanting to attract attention by pulling and tugging, Li Jiǎo immediately handed over a considerably heavy piece of silver.

The gatekeeper immediately hesitated: “It really won’t work. If you cause trouble, I’ll be held responsible—”

“Don’t worry, Auntie. We absolutely won’t cause any trouble.” Li Jiǎo steeled herself and handed over another piece of silver.

With this piece of silver handed over, the gatekeeper’s wavering scales immediately tilted: “Fine then. After you go in and find the person, if you want to hit or make a scene, do it after you leave this door. Whatever you do, don’t cause a commotion inside.”

“Don’t worry, Auntie. We definitely won’t. We understand everything.”

It seemed they were experienced at tracking down men. Sigh, being the primary wife wasn’t easy either. Even though they were beautiful as flowers and jade, over time, how could they compete with the girls in the brothel for a man’s affection?

The old woman opened the side door, and Li Jiǎo immediately slipped inside with her maid.

Inside were pavilions and towers, flowers and trees, with a few more touches of extravagance than ordinary residential courtyards. The air was filled with wisps of rouge and powder fragrance.

As the daughter of a Hanlin Academy compiler and niece of a Deputy Minister of Justice, Li Jiǎo’s sixteen years of life had never intersected with brothels and pleasure houses. But she wasn’t stupid either. As the strange feeling in her heart grew stronger, in a flash of understanding, she suddenly realized where this was.

“Miss, why did you stop walking?”