Chapter 26 of Part III: The Thought is Seen

  That white fragrant went to Feng Le Lou to hang a sign, Gao Qiang is taking the form of buying the entire Rong Le Fang with one hand. This old madam still stays and continues to operate this place on the one hand, and serves as a personal assistant to Bai Chenxiang on the other hand, which is also suitable. Therefore, this old madam is not surprising here at all.

  Gao Qiang just casually asked, but unexpectedly the old madam smiled and said: "As it happens, Bai Niangzi has just returned today and wants to meet someone...". Suddenly covering her mouth and losing her smile, she glanced at Gao Qiang and said: "I'm confused, I shouldn't be talking about Bai Niangzi's affairs, Officer, you can go in now, I haven't seen anything."

  Gao Jian was taken aback, and laughed: "Auntie, you've misunderstood. This official happened to come here today, but he's not the person who met with Xiangxiang. This point can't be mistaken."

  But this was getting more and more out of hand, the old woman laughed so hard that her teeth were chattering: "What are you talking about, sir? With Miss Xiangxiang's current status, why would she need to make a secret appointment with you? It's just a coincidence, an accidental encounter, something that wasn't planned beforehand. I understand, I understand."

  These words are subtle and nuanced, implying that Xiang Xiang is now a favored concubine of the imperial family and can no longer be treated as an ordinary singing girl. If others, like Gao Qiang, want to meet her, they must come up with some plausible excuse, making it seem like a deliberate attempt rather than a chance encounter. Does this mean that the Rong Le Fang should or shouldn't proceed?

  It's quite intriguing to see the rumors about Emperor Zhao Ji and Bai Xiang's secret meeting. Although they tried to keep it under wraps, there's no such thing as a completely confidential matter in this world. Moreover, the romantic affairs of emperors and celebrities have always been the talk of the town among common people throughout history. Just look at today's TV ratings, the episode about the emperor's secret meeting with his lover has been topping the charts for a long time. It's clear that all efforts to keep it a secret are in vain. And as for Bai Xiang, she's a rising star who was promoted by the emperor himself, and now she's the center of attention in Bianjing. If there weren't any rumors or gossip about this, that would be strange indeed.

  But then I thought about it and became curious, as for the rumors and public topics that may appear after becoming famous, I had already communicated with Yan Qing, and Bai Chenxiang's every move must be discussed with him before taking action. Under such a strong momentum, Bai Chenxiang ran back to Rong Le Fang to secretly meet someone else, who was this mysterious person?

  As soon as this question arose in his mind, Gao Qiang could no longer hold back his curiosity and smiled at the old procuress. He casually threw a silver coin over to her and said: "A clever person like you, Madam, naturally understands what's going on. There's no need to say more. It's just that later, there might be someone else coming to look for Xiangxiang, so please just let them in." This preventive measure was necessary; otherwise, if the old procuress were to cleverly try to curry favor and turn away everyone who came afterwards, the person Bai Suzhen truly wanted to see would end up being left high and dry.

  The old procuress's face turned bright red with a smile as she patted her chest, making a loud slapping sound. She repeatedly assured the official that he could rest easy, that she would take care of everything, and that this matter would be handled properly. She promised to let in those who should be allowed in and keep out those who shouldn't, and that she wouldn't disappoint the official's kindness and generosity. After High Protagonist went inside, the old procuress immediately changed her expression and tone. As she weighed the silver piece in her hand, wiping it repeatedly with a silk handkerchief, she snorted in the direction of High Protagonist's disappearing back: "I've been in this brothel business for years, what kind of scene haven't I seen? How could I not know the hearts of you young masters? What are you pretending to be innocent about...?"

  This brothel was deserted during the day, and everyone had worked hard all night. At this time, they were all busy making up for their sleep. Gao Qiang walked around but didn't see many people coming to greet him. Fortunately, he was familiar with the place and knew where Bai Xiang's private courtyard was located, so he didn't need anyone to show him the way and went straight to the backyard.

  As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he heard a beautiful melody coming from the boat, playing his own plagiarized version of "Qing Yu An", but Gao Feng had plagiarized so much that his face had become thicker, and he had long since considered this wonderful piece to be his own. Hearing Bai Chenxiang play this tune alone when no one was around, he felt a little proud, so he didn't say a word and lifted the hem of his robe to board the boat.

  As soon as he stepped aboard, the boat swayed slightly, and the music stopped abruptly. Bai Chenxiang smiled and lifted the curtain to come out, saying: "Yi An, why are you in such a hurry? You said it was at noon, but you're here already?"

  The two of them were shocked when they met, and Bai Chenxiang let out a cry of surprise, exclaiming: "How did you end up here?"

  Deeply shocked and surprised, only because he clearly heard the two words "Yi An", could it be that Bai Chenxiang had secretly come here to meet Li Qingzhao?

  He hastily stepped forward and grabbed Bai Chenxiang's wrist, saying urgently: "Xiang Xiang, what are you talking about? Who is Yi An?"

  Bai Chenxiang was indeed the leader of the brothel, although she had been caught off guard earlier. She had spent a lot of time with Gao Qiang and others in recent days, and knew that this little eunuch's thoughts were meticulous and not easy to deceive. What she had just said included names and times, making it difficult to gloss over. It was better to first find a way to calm down Gao Qiang, while secretly thinking of a way to inform the other person not to come.

  "Please don't worry, what could Xiangxiang dare to hide from you? Come in and let's talk about it slowly." As she spoke, she gently twisted her wrist, but Gao Qiang didn't let go. With a slight exertion of force, Bai Xiangxiang's soft and delicate body leaned into him.

  Normally, being pressed by such a stunning beauty would make Gao Fang's mind short-circuit for a moment, and he might forget to assess the situation. But at this moment, his mind was filled with the three words "Li Yi An". He recalled that when he first met Bai Chenxiang, she had taken out Yi An's "Drunken Flower Shadow", and on that day when Li Qingzhao surrendered to Zhou Bangyan, it seemed that Li Qingzhao was in Bai Chenxiang's boudoir. It was clear that the relationship between these two women was not shallow, and it was not surprising that they had agreed to meet here.

  He has been fascinated by Su Shi's poetry since childhood and admires this talented woman extremely. He is familiar with almost all of Su Shi's poems and has longed to meet her for a long time. Last time in Yihong Building, he met her by chance, but only saw her back, and returned home with regret, sighing "such a thin fate, not even seeing each other once". Thinking that "the Prime Minister's mansion is as deep as the sea", this beauty is the Prime Minister's daughter-in-law, and he himself is in a position of political opposition to his father-in-law and husband, fearing that there will be no chance to meet her again in this life. Unexpectedly, today he strolled along and suddenly found himself standing in front of Li Qingzhao!

  At this time, his mind was extremely clear. He let out a low shout and said: "Bai Niangzi, today's matter is something that this official has a grasp on. Put away those small articles of yours. The two ladies in the cabin, please sit calmly. If you do anything unpleasant, this official will not be able to tolerate it." As he spoke, he took Bai Xiangxiu's hand and led her straight into the painted barge. The two maidservants heard Gao Jianzhu's orders and their pretty faces turned white with fear. They sat on the soft stools, not daring to move a single inch.

  Bai Chenxiang, however, was quite bold and didn't back down at all as she stared straight at Gao Qiang: "What do you want to do, sir?" Her starry eyes were fixed on Gao Qiang, not blinking for a moment.

  With a strong movement, he unexpectedly released her hand and stepped back two steps to bow deeply: "For the offense just now, Miss Xiang, please don't take it to heart. The person you want to see today, this official has already understood, only asking Miss to grant one meeting, a lifelong wish will be fulfilled!"

  This sudden change from arrogance to humility shocked Bai Chenxiang, and after hearing his words, she was even more shocked. After weighing the pros and cons in her mind, she asked tentatively: "If the lord really knows that person's identity, do you know what the consequences would be if the lord and that person were to meet today with their current identities?"

  Gao raised his head, his expression resolute: "This official naturally understands, but seeing this person once is a lifelong wish. Originally thought that this life had no hope, who would have known that today this official happened to pass by this place and encountered this heavenly opportunity? If you want to let it go easily, wouldn't that be against heaven's will? No matter what, I still hope Miss will fulfill this wish!"

  Bai Chenxiang had seen many people, but as soon as he saw this expression, he knew that it was impossible to persuade him. He couldn't help but sigh: "Is it the karma of a past life? How is it that two people who have never met before can have such deep feelings in their hearts?" But little did he know that this karma was actually from the "future", not the past.

  "When the underling said 'alright', Zhuang Rong said: 'If the yamen wants to see this person, it's not difficult. Just agree to Xiang Xiang's three conditions and that will be fine. If you don't agree to even one of them, then please leave.'"

  Gao Jiang and Bai Chenxiang looked at each other for a moment, then Gao Jiang said: "Miss, you have taken care of your friend's loyalty and also pitied my longing for that person. With such a beautiful heart and clever nature, I admire you extremely! Even if it were three things, or thirty, or three hundred, as long as you instruct me, I will not disobey." In his heart, he knew that if Li Qingzhao saw the strange man and turned away, that would be the lightest consequence. If something happened to affect her reputation, he would be doomed. This matter required Bai Chenxiang's help to resolve.

  Seeing Gao's willingness to cooperate, Bai Chenxiang smiled slightly and stretched out three slender fingers, bending one for each point: "Firstly, you must hide behind this screen, hold your breath, and conceal your presence. Unless Xiangxue personally calls you, you are not allowed to speak or reveal yourself. If Xiangxue still feels it's not suitable to meet, then it's fate that you two are not meant to be together. Can you comply?"

  "Alright!" With a strong personality, it's easy to pick up and put down. Since I've decided to rely on Bai Chenxiang, I might as well let her make all the decisions.

  "This second matter, let's not ask about it for now, but after the event, I can tell you in detail how to find out about this person's origins and let Xiang Xiang know, is that alright?"

  "This...". Gao Qiang hesitated for a moment, not because of whether to say it or not, but this part is really hard to explain. Li Qingzhao's feminine poetry is said to be unknown to few people, how did she know it like the back of her hand? However, seeing Bai Chenxiang's unsightly face, he hastily replied: "Yes, yes!" And promised, no matter what, he could make up a story later, first take care of the present.

  Bai Chenxiang smiled and said, "Indeed, the official is straightforward! As for this third matter, let's settle it today and forget about it afterwards. It's as if nothing had happened. Can you agree to that?"

  "Got it!"

  Three things are certain, Gao Qiang and Bai Chenxiang clasped their hands together as a vow. Suddenly, they heard a woman's voice outside calling out: "Xiang Xiang Mei Zi, sister has come to see you!"