Over the subsequent few days, Zu An gradually appeased the upset Bi Linglong. However, he still spent most of his time keeping Sang Qien and Zheng Dan company.

When she learned that he was going to leave, Sang Qien was very reluctant. However, she knew there was nothing they could do about it, as it was an order from the court.

Meanwhile, Sang Hong was enjoying a rather rare period of leisure in life. The only thing he was a bit dejected about was that his daughter and daughter-in-law seemed to care much more about Zu An than himself. Sometimes, it seemed like he was the outsider, not Zu An.

Fortunately, he was quite satisfied with Zu An. Zu An was his daughter’s man, as well as his daughter-in-law’s man, so he was supposed to be family, someone so close they couldn't be any closer… Huh? Why does this sound a bit weird?

In any event, the two of them had worked together for so long, and he was indebted to Zu An several times over for saving his life. Their relationship was already comparable to that of father and son. The only other thing he could hope for was for his daughter to give birth to a good grandson, and for the child to have a bit of his father’s excellence. Then, he could rest in peace.

Still, he was worried that something would go poorly on Violet Mountain, so he constantly called over Zu An to tell him about different aspects of Yi Commandery’s officialdom. At the same time, he helped Zu An plan for all kinds of situations that could appear.

With such a veteran of the political circles to guide him, Zu An felt that he had obtained quite a bit of valuable intelligence. He had much more confidence in the Violet Mountain trip now.

One day, Zu An was chatting with Sang Qien and Zheng Dan about everyday things in the courtyard under the sunlight, when a servant suddenly brought in a delicate and refined invitation card. It was an invitation sent personally by Lady Nan Xun from Scarlet Invitation.

Both of the women were alarmed when they saw what was happening. Zheng Dan said with a sigh, “You really are close to courtesans wherever you go…”

Off to one side, Sang Qien said jealously, “Sister-in-law might not know it, but this Scarlet Invitation is the capital’s most popular brothel; its reputation is even a bit higher than that of the government brothels, all because of this courtesan Nan Xun they host. Not only is she an exceptional beauty, but she also excels at all of the four arts of zither, go, calligraphy, and painting, as well as singing and all sorts of other musical instruments. Countless high officials and nobles rush there from all over the capital to see her. Normally, even an ordinary ticket costs over a thousand silver, and that can only give you a single glance of her from afar. Even so, those tickets are too hard to find for purchase; let alone one she wrote herself.”

Even though she and Zu An didn’t have any real relationship on the surface, he was still the father of her child. His being so close to a courtesan from a brothel made her feel really awful.

Zheng Dan seemed to have suddenly realized what was going on. She exclaimed, “I remember now! Just before Ah Zu went to Cloudcenter Commandery, he apparently won Lady Nan Xun’s favor in a competition with the other young masters. That night, he was invited behind the curtains, becoming the target of countless men’s envy.”

You have successfully trolled Zheng Dan for +177 +177 +177…

You have successfully trolled Sang Qien for +177 +177 +177…

Zu An felt a bit depressed, replying, “What do you mean, behind the curtains? We only had a normal chat that night.”

Zheng Dan and Sang Qien both rolled their eyes. One was a famous courtesan, and the other was a womanizer. Those two had been in a room alone, and yet they only had a normal chat? Do you think we’re stupid?

Zu An felt helpless. Why does no one ever believe me when I’m telling the truth?

…

Eventually, Zu An finally placated the two women with great difficulty. Then, he went to Scarlet Invitation.

Of course, it wasn’t because he was really consumed by lust, but rather that he had suddenly remembered his promise to the Peacock Wise King. Because he had just reunited with Chu Chuyan and the women around him were always at each other’s throats, he had almost forgotten about that. Now that he had received such an  invitation, how could he not pay a visit?

When he arrived at Scarlet Invitation, it was still afternoon, so the place wasn’t open yet. However, information traveled quickly in a brothel. When they learned that Nan Xun had invited a man over, all of the women came over to see just what kind of awesome person he was.

“Who’s that big brother over there? He’s so handsome! No wonder Lady Nan Xun took the initiative to invite him.”

“You don’t even know who he is? He’s the most popular person in the Crown Prince’s palace, as well as the youngest marquis in the empire. He’s the one with incredible achievements, Sir Zu!”

“Ah! For a man like this, if he’s willing to ransom me, I’m willing to become a concubine, or even just a maid!”

“Keep dreaming! Why would he do that for you? If he wants to, I’m even willing to pay my own ransom for him.”

“Compared to his status, I appreciate his skills in the arts more. That ‘Sword and Song’ he gifted General Qin is something that makes me tremble every time I read it.”

“I like his ‘See You In My Dreams’ more. I heard he wrote that just for Nan Xun! If anyone wrote a poem like that for me, I would be satisfied even if I died there and then. But I know myself. Only a courtesan queen could enjoy that kind of happiness.”

“That may not be. That popular ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ that has been circulating was rumored to have been written by him too. Wasn’t that something written for all the women in our trade? It perfectly describes our helplessness and sadness.”

“Sir Zu, I love you!”

…

A flock of beauties rushed over. In their eyes, the story where several women had been forced to go out and seduce passing scholars by their boss was really similar to their current situation. They were also kind and good women! However, for various reasons, they could only prostitute themselves. They felt a sense of empathy. From their perspective, Zu An’s ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ had been written completely out of pity for them, so they naturally felt closer to him.

Zu An couldn't really handle their enthusiasm. Fortunately, Nan Xun swiftly came out and ordered them to stop. Only then was she able to escort him into her own small courtyard. Nan Xun was the courtesan queen of Scarlet Invitation, so no one wanted to offend her.

Still, some other courtesans were a bit unhappy, muttering, “That wench only knows how to take everything for herself!”

As they entered the small courtyard, the beautiful Nan Xun had a smile on her face the entire time. She took out a fragrant handkerchief and helped Zu An wipe the lipstick and rouge that were all over his face and clothes.

“Sir Zu is still as popular as ever. I could hear their shouts of endearment even from far away,” Kong Nanwu said as she carried a cute and fluffy little white fox in her arms. She was so beautiful, she really looked as if she had come straight out of a painting.

When the little white fox saw Zu An, it jumped out of her arms excitedly, but was stopped by Kong Nanwu’s hand and firmly pressed into her lap. It could only continuously wiggle its tail at Zu An to show its goodwill.

Zu An couldn't help but laugh. If he recalled correctly, this little fox was named Huhu, right? Why did it now seem like a puppy? Still, the little fox was too pretty, so he couldn't help but go over and give its fluffy fur a rub. He thought, Hmm… I should tell Tushan Yu to transform so I can give her a try too.

Huhu also felt comfortable and closed its eyes. Its eyes curved upward with happiness.

However, Kong Nanwu lightly smacked Zu An’s hand away. She carried the little fox with her as she moved backward. She shot him an annoyed look and said, “Huhu is a girl; how can you just touch her however you want?”

Zu An chuckled in embarrassment. He had really forgotten that she was a girl and subconsciously treated her as a pet.

Kong Nanwu continued, “The reason why Huhu likes you so much is thanks to the ‘Strange Tales’ story you gave us. She felt really immersed in that world. This story of yours is quite incredible because it wasn’t just Huhu who felt like that; Nan Xun did as well. Even the other women from Scarlet Invitation were really moved. All of them empathized with the story from their own different perspectives, but the results were the same. Young master truly is a great genius.”

Zu An was the one who was a bit embarrassed now. He said, “That was nothing more than the wisdom of my predecessors. I’m merely benefiting from their greatness and wasn’t of much help myself.”

“Young master is too humble,” Kong Nanwu said with a sigh. People were very different from each other, as expected… Because she had spent so long hiding in Scarlet Invitation, she had seen too many people boast wildly about themselves to get the favor of beautiful women. Even if they only had a bit of skill, they would be able to multiply it tenfold. Compared to them, Zu An was simply a humble gentleman. No wonder he had been able to write such a marvelous and moving story.

Zu An chuckled. Who could understand the loneliness of being someone whose true words were never believed? He said, “Oh, by the way, the feather that the lady gave me last time was greatly helpful, so I wanted to specially thank you today.”

“I actually feel a bit of regret for giving that to you,” Kong Nanwu said, her gaze turning a bit dangerous. “Because of you, I somehow became a widow without even getting married. I wonder how you plan to compensate me for that?”

Zu An was a bit embarrassed, saying, “So the lady already knew about the Fiend King Court’s situation.”

Kong Nanwu gave him a deep look and replied, “Should I call you young master or Regent?”

Zu An chuckled and said, “Actually, you can call me uncle.”

Kong Nanwu was speechless. She had felt that the pace of the conversation was completely within her control, but in that instant, she suddenly became a bit dumbfounded.

“When we were at the Fiend King Court, the Peacock Wise King and I referred to each other as brothers, and he even said that he would have his niece pay me a visit out of respect,” Zu An said with a deadly earnest expression. “But the lady and I already knew each other beforehand, so we can continue our relationship on our own.”

“Pfft!” Off to the side, Nan Xun could no longer hold back her laughter. “My lady, who would have thought that you would end up like this one day?”

The little fox was laughing even harder, rolling on the carpet. Her four cute little paws waved toward the sky.

“All of you, shut up!” Kong Nanwu snapped, no longer able to remain as calm as before. She stared at both of the maids with a reddened face, then looked at Zu An resentfully.

Zu An chuckled and said, “I was joking just now, but Peacock Wise King really did tell me to take good care of you. The situation in the Fiend King Court is quite complicated, so it’s best if you don’t return for a while.”

“I more or less understand the reasoning,” Kong Nanwu said as she pouted and looked at Zu An. “You’ve left me in such a sorry state; are you really not going to repay me at all?”

“I wonder what the lady wants?” Zu An replied, sensing something in her words and became vigilant. He had frequently heard about how resourceful this Peacock Manor’s princess was, often toying with others until they spun round and round in her palm. He definitely couldn't grow careless here.

A proud look flickered through Kong Nanwu’s eyes as her plan succeeded. She said, “I want…”