Chapter 21: Imperial Music Bureau

"Then what do you think is the proper way to handle this matter?"

Yan Shuzhu smiled as she looked at Ye Liuyun, clearly curious to see what Ye Liuyun would decide.

His gaze swept briefly over Yan Shuzhu and Lv Lan.

Finally, his eyes landed on the token in Lv Lan’s hand.

"Leave the token here. When you’ve brought the money, come back and take it."

"Do you even know what this token is?"

Lv Lan frowned.

If Ye Liuyun does something with this token, who will take responsibility for it?

"Alright!"

But before Lv Lan could say anything more, Yan Shuzhu agreed without hesitation.

Lv Lan paused for a moment, but still tossed the token to Ye Liuyun.

This pure gilt token looked way more prestigious than the Hundred-household Token. Ye Liuyun merely glanced at it before tucking it away on his person.

"Once you’ve gathered the money, just come get your token from me whenever."

With that, Ye Liuyun waved his hand and left straight away with Si Nan and Shi Sheng.

They stared after Ye Liuyun’s departing figure for quite a while.

Only then did Yan Shuzhu turn to head back.

"Yes! Your Majes—, Young Master!"

Shi Sheng had thought that after all the trouble he caused, Ye Liuyun would surely hold him accountable in some way.

But nothing happened—once they returned to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they simply got ready to leave, Ye Liuyun didn’t even seem to care about the incident.

"This..."

Shi Sheng wanted to say something, but for a moment, didn’t even know where to start.

"What, amazed at how different Lord Ye is lately?"

Shi Sheng didn’t respond, only gave Si Nan a strange look.

"Just do your job!"

Si Nan raised his hand, giving Shi Sheng a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"The lord would never shortchange us."

Back when Ye Liuyun first tried to recruit Shi Sheng, Si Nan had his doubts, but now that things had come to this—

As Ye Liuyun’s subordinate, of course he had to help win people over for him.

,,,

Night.

In the quiet palace, Yan Shuzhu had already changed into imperial robes, her hair unbound and flowing freely.

Lv Lan, as her bodyguard, stood by her side looking deadly serious.

There were Grandmaster-level Martial Artists in the palace.

But the main reason Yan Shuzhu kept Lv Lan, who had Innate Power, close was because Lv Lan had served by her side since she was very young—someone she could trust above all others.

"Though I’ve always heard that a prodigal’s return is worth more than gold, seeing it for real is a first."

At this moment, Yan Shuzhu was holding a dossier containing everything about Ye Liufeng from his childhood to now.

As emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, Yan Shuzhu might face many restrictions on her power, but investigating one person’s background was still a simple matter.

Thinking back to their daytime meeting,

Yan Shuzhu had expected this Embroidered Uniform Guard Hundred-householder to have shown a distinctive character all along.

But judging from the intel, all she saw was a streetwise, sneaky guy with a belly full of petty schemes—there was no way to reconcile that with the person she’d met during the day.

Was it really a case of a prodigal turning over a new leaf, suddenly enlightened?

Yan Shuzhu was convinced it wasn’t so simple.

The report also mentioned that Ye Liufeng had a twin brother named Ye Liuyun, a notorious little rascal.

But Yan Shuzhu merely skimmed over that part, not giving it much weight.

"How interesting!"

She’d planned to leave the palace and search the Imperial City for a way to break the deadlock, but never expected to come across such an intriguing person.

Closing the dossier, Yan Shuzhu looked up.

"Have someone keep an eye on this Ye Liufeng. I want to see whether he’s really turned his life around."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Lv Lan responded earnestly.

Inside the palace, there was no need for any false titles.

,,,

As for Yan Shuzhu, Ye Liuyun didn’t give her much thought.

He took the token, but didn’t plan on using it for anything—the palace tokens really weren’t something you could use capriciously.

The next morning.

When Ye Liuyun came to check in at the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he heard the voices of Shi Sheng and Si Nan.

"No way, you’re really inviting us to the Imperial Music Bureau?"

Si Nan looked at Shi Sheng in surprise.

He honestly hadn’t expected Shi Sheng to act as host, and especially not to invite them to somewhere like the Imperial Music Bureau.

But that exclamation only made Shi Sheng frown as he corrected him,

"Not you, because I didn’t plan to invite you."

Shi Sheng really meant to invite only Ye Liuyun, not including Si Nan at all.

"Uh."

That reply left Si Nan momentarily speechless.

He immediately sidled up, slinging an arm over Shi Sheng’s shoulders.

"Now that’s just harsh. Aren’t we colleagues? And wasn’t I there for the whole incident yesterday?"

"You were there too yesterday?"

Shi Sheng looked at Si Nan in surprise, truly not realizing Si Nan had been there too.

"...Do I have that little presence?"

"Otherwise, who do you think reported to the lord?"

"Alright then!"

Shi Sheng was a straightforward guy. Hearing Si Nan say that, he stopped doubting.

"Fine, we’ll all go together!"

"That’s more like a true brother."

Si Nan grinned with satisfaction, but still asked a little curiously,

"Didn’t think you were so well-off, inviting us to the Imperial Music Bureau and all."

Shi Sheng was about to respond when he saw Ye Liuyun walk in.

"Lord! Thank you for what you did yesterday."

Shi Sheng clasped his fists and spoke with sincerity.

He’d spent all night thinking it over and figured, since Ye Liuyun truly treated him sincerely, it’d be ungrateful to keep giving him the cold shoulder.

And besides, Shi Sheng genuinely appreciated Ye Liuyun’s support in what had happened yesterday.

"It’s nothing, I heard all about it—the Imperial Music Bureau, eh?"

Ye Liuyun gave a wave and a smile.

He’d heard a thing or two about the Imperial Music Bureau. Unlike a regular brothel, most of the women there were the daughters of disgraced court officials whose families had been purged.

Before their families fell, these women were all high-born ladies with striking beauty.

That’s why so many people were curious enough to want to sneak a peek inside the Imperial Music Bureau.

Ever since crossing over, Ye Liuyun had focused most of his energy on training, and had nearly forgotten that brothels were a staple of ancient culture. And the girls of this era were truly skilled at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Might as well take the opportunity to see for himself.

Shi Sheng didn’t know all that much.

He’d only heard from others that the Imperial Music Bureau was a good spot, so he figured it was perfect for treating guests.

"In that case, please be sure to honor me with your presence tonight, my lord!"

,,,,,,