Xi Heng recently heard that her portrait was on some wanted warrant, and the reward was quite high, so she was afraid that the guards at the city gate would recognize her.
There were so many powerful officers and soldiers around her. If she were identified, she might not be able to escape.
Fortunately, the portrait used for arrest has not yet been sent here.
Xi Heng slowly walked through the open space behind the city wall and arrived at the inner city, where he heard the bustling noise again.
People come and go on the street, and there are many street stalls and shops. After walking on the street for just a few minutes, you can hear people shouting at the door of the inn asking if you want to stay overnight.
None of the other cities Xi Heng passed by during this month could compare to the prosperity of the capital.
Pedestrians dressed in brightly colored clothes were bustling about on both sides of the street, and large carriages and horses were passing through the road in droves.
The lanterns in front of the teahouses and taverns swayed in the breeze.
Xi Heng randomly found an inn and walked in, ordered some simple meals and sat down aside.
She took out a small jade token from the purse at her waist, stroked it a few times with her soft thumb, and carefully observed the simple word "Yan" on the token.
When the waiter served the food, she took out a few coins from her purse and flicked them into the other person's hand as a tip, then asked:
"Do you know the Yan family in Beijing?"
After the waiter collected the money, his attitude changed from indifference when he served the food to a very sincere one. He stopped where he was, half bowed and said:
"The Yan family is well-known in the capital, and I know it."
"Well, where is this family in the capital, and what does it do?" Xi Heng remembered that Yan Hongji said her family was a businessman, but she never asked what kind of business they were in.
"The Yan family runs a restaurant business at the southern entrance of Qinxie Chang Lane. As for where they live, I don't know."
"You run a hotel?" Xi Heng nodded slightly.
"It is said that the Yan family in the inner city has sold off five or six restaurants in recent months, and their power has weakened a lot. I don't know whether it is true or not... I just heard it when the customers were chatting in the store." The waiter looked at the copper coins in his hand and said after hesitating.
"Oh." Xi Heng waved his hand and asked the other party to go away.
After finishing her meal and resting to regain some strength, she left the tavern and walked towards the so-called inner city.
On the way, Xi Heng patted the purse on his waist, but only the trembling sound of copper coins and silver coins colliding came from it.
"The money is almost gone again..."
Most of the hotels and inns on the way to the capital were no different from robbers, demanding taels of silver at every turn. The silver notes she had earned from selling Ganoderma lucidum in Jinshi City could not be spent at the moment, and she inevitably fell into poverty again.
Although she gained some additional information while searching the corpses after killing people, most of the people she killed were roadside bandits who also did not have much money on them.
She spent as much as she earned, which made her always hover around the poverty line.
Xi Heng even thought of simply massacring some inns, but the innkeepers and employees in those remote towns and villages were all ordinary people, so he thought about it and decided not to do it.
"There's no Ganoderma lucidum worth a few hundred taels to pick up on the road this time... How can I make money?"
"Become a thug killer or something like that by using force?" But Xi Heng had no other options.
"Let's go to the Yan family first and see if we can use the jade token to get a place to stay. Money should not be difficult to obtain for a martial artist who has achieved great success in Ming Jin." She muttered to herself and at the same time grabbed someone on the road to ask for directions.
After finding out the location of Qin Xie Changxiang, Xi Heng let the people go.
She walked around in the vast capital city for nearly two hours and finally found the so-called Qin Xie Chang Xiang.
It is located on one side of the inner city, far away from the imperial palace and close to the courtyards of many large families in the capital.
Standing in the streets and looking up, all you can see are carved beams and painted buildings painted with green lacquer, and luxurious and exquisite pavilions and towers around you.
On both sides of the street, there is a small tree with pink flowers planted every ten or so steps. The road is crowded with cars and horses, and there are many archways or flags with store names. At first glance, even the signs look like layers upon layers.
There are many wine shops and tea houses just outside the area, and almost all of them are full, making it look like a bustling place.
Standing on the road, you can hear the sound of orchestral music on the street, the fragrance of silk wafting in the air, BMWs and carved carriages parked on both sides, and from time to time you can hear the soft and charming sounds of new loves' sweet smiles.
Xi Heng slowly searched for the Yan family's property. Although she was wearing a woman's uniform, when she passed by a swallow house and singing hall, a lady in front of the pavilion waved to her and invited her into the store.
At first she thought the other party mistook her for a man because of her figure. When she turned around to explain, she saw the receptionist in a yellow gauze dress smiling and answering:
"Why can't girls go to such places of entertainment? There are many young ladies from wealthy families in the city who secretly like this, so we have also arranged some special services for them."
The other party only refuted with a faint smile, and then approached Xi Heng to pull her in. His eyes were soft and gentle, and there was a sense of temptation in his words:
"Lady, why don't you try it too?"
“……”Xi Heng was speechless for a moment.
Nowadays, she wouldn't panic at all even if she suddenly saw a dozen fully clothed and knife-wielding police officers chasing after her. But now, when she heard such words, she was stunned.
Although where there is demand there is a market, it was a bit too open to do this kind of thing in ancient times.
Xi Heng stopped and looked up at the building.
Pink and white satin were wrapped around the sides of the archway, with the three characters "Zuihualou" printed in the center.
"Lady, are you interested? Then just come with us." The woman next to him hooked her finger and smiled faintly.
Xi Heng was speechless.
Although she had read some yuri anime, comics, light novels and the like before traveling through time, she had absolutely no experience and had no idea what was going on in this area.
But for some reason, she did feel a little moved...
"Lady, come on?" The woman saw Xi Heng staying where she was, and came back to hold her hand and go in.
The girl reacted quickly, her face flushed slightly, and she made up an excuse to escape:
"I don't have any money, so forget it."
"It's okay." The woman in yellow said gently:
"Today, I can bring you into the building to experience it for yourself. When you have more money in the future, don't forget me. Just come here often."
For some reason, Xi Heng always felt that there was a teasing tone in the other person's voice.
It seemed as if he became more interested in her because of her shy look.
Xi Heng was unable to resist and quickly waved his hand and retreated away from this strange place.
When the woman in yellow saw Xi Heng's back walking away and disappearing into the crowd, she first smiled a few times and then sighed softly.
Xi Heng jogged for nearly a hundred meters, and when he turned around and couldn't see the man anymore, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Whenever she had to deal with three Ming Jin masters alone before, she had never been so helpless.
But when encountering such things, it is difficult to remain calm...
The girl held her forehead and whispered to herself, "This is so weird. How could such a thing happen in ancient times?"
She shook her head and slowly calmed herself down.
Then he looked up and around, his eyes bypassing the crowds of people around him, and saw a tall building that looked majestic and spacious.
The pavilion has red walls and green tiles, flying eaves and brackets, and red lanterns hanging from the eaves like candied haws. The walls are carved with cloud and crane patterns. The specifications of one pavilion are comparable to the other four surrounding pavilions. It is quite eye-catching even in the prosperous Qinxie Changxiang in the capital.
Xi Heng happened to stop in front of this tall pavilion. In front of him was the plaque of the building, with three large characters as green as jade printed on it.
"The flower house is full..."
She looked around and saw strange-looking rocks, strong bamboo and springs decorating the restaurant, but only a handful of flowers.
"There aren't many flowers." She complained casually, but then she saw a big word "Yan" above the flowers.
Xiheng blinked.
At this time, the guards in front of the pavilion saw that she had stopped for a long time, and approached her to ask if she wanted to enter the building. He also said that there was a party between some mansion and the Qian and Sun families today, and asked if she had an invitation or something...
Xi Heng pressed his temple and raised his hand to stop the other party from speaking.
"Is this the Yan family's restaurant?" she just asked.
The sturdy guard frowned slightly: "Exactly! What instructions do you have for me, Excellency?"
The other party seemed to be quite sensitive about this, and Xi Heng felt a sense of hostility as soon as he said it.
"Nothing to teach you." She waved her hand casually, and her left hand reached towards her waist and pinched a jade token between her fingertips: "This is a token given to me by the Yan family. It is said that I can be treated as a distinguished guest."
The guard took a closer look, but due to his low status, he could not make a decision on his own, so he clasped his fists towards Xiheng and said, "Please wait a moment, sir. I will go and ask the housekeeper to come over."
"Yeah." Xi Heng nodded casually. She had been gone for so long that it wouldn't matter if she waited a little longer.
The guard turned around and went back into the pavilion. Not long after, he brought out an old man with gray hair, but he still stood upright and maintained a certain temperament.
Before the old man came close, he rubbed his eyes and ran over quickly when he saw the jade token.
"Yes...that's right."
After looking at him carefully, the old man Chao Xiheng bowed and said, "The jade token in your hand is a precious token of our clan. With this jade token, you are the honored guest of our Hua Man Lou. Please follow me."
"It's really useful." Xi Heng said to himself, and followed the other party into the tall attic.
After entering, you will first see two sections of corridors on the left and right, with a small stone bridge in the middle standing over the indoor lotus lake. The lotus flowers and lotus leaves seem to be sewn out of pieces of cloth, and the surface is coated with a layer of wax to prevent water from getting it wet.
After crossing the stone bridge, there is a rosewood screen decorated with flowers and birds in front of the hall. Behind the screen is a spacious hall filled with large and small round tables, and at the far end there is a stage.
When Xiheng looked around at the scenery, the old man in front of him who looked like an official asked:
"Are you here to look for Miss Yan?"
"Miss Yan?" Xi Heng repeated these four words casually.
She wasn't actually paying attention to the conversation, but was attracted by the surroundings and wanted to take a closer look.
"Ms. Yan Hongji is the eldest daughter of our Yan family. Most of the family businesses are now managed by her." The old man explained, "The token in your hand is the eldest lady's share."
"Oh." Xi Heng thought for a moment and answered, "I guess I am going to look for her, but I just arrived in the capital, so I want to find a place to live first."
"That's easy." The other party nodded: "Whether you want to live in this Hua Man Lou or find another quiet courtyard in the city, we can help you."
"Can I live here?"
Xi Heng was quite satisfied with the entire pavilion environment. The room layout must be quite exquisite... It was a good choice.
"You can do it as long as you are willing, but the flowers in the building usually bloom until late at night. If you are used to going to bed early, you may be disturbed by the noise downstairs." The old man reminded.
As a martial artist who has reached the peak of Ming Jin, Xi Heng has a very good control over his body. As long as he is not emotionally excited, he can fall asleep whenever he wants.
What she cares more about is this: "How much is the monthly rent?"
"..." For some reason, the old official suddenly stopped talking.
He stared at Xi Heng silently for a while, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then said:
"You are a distinguished guest of our Yan family. How can we ask for gold and silver from a distinguished guest?"
"It would be even better if it's free." Xi Heng was not polite: "Take me to find a room."
"Yes……"
The building manager led Xi Heng to the third floor, passed several halls, and arrived in front of a mahogany door.
The door of the lobby was opened, and the first things that came into view were an exquisitely embroidered red carpet, an eight-immortal table, and a counter with vases, tea sets, porcelain powder boxes, and various neatly arranged dressing utensils.
There was a light fragrance lingering in the room, like the scent of flowers and milk, making it difficult to tell the difference.
The girl walked in and saw a four-poster bed with a red curtain on one side. The bed cover was embroidered with flower patterns.
"Not bad." Xi Heng was quite satisfied with the room's meticulous layout and exquisite furnishings.
The only problem is that if I live here, I will have to find another place to practice martial arts.
But it doesn't matter much, just ask again.
"I may need to practice sword often in the future. It is said that women in the capital are not allowed to practice martial arts. Do I need to find a remote place?" Xi Heng turned around and asked.
"This rule was only strictly enforced in the past few years. Recently, the government has been more relaxed in its control over the daughters of wealthy families, descendants of martial arts schools, and other women with a little status. They just turned a blind eye." The old man waved his hand: "If you need, you can practice martial arts in the backyard."
"Oh, I see." Xi Heng nodded.
It’s good that the government doesn’t enforce it so strictly.
She also had one last question: "As a Ming Jin master, how can I get money?"
"Ming Jin is fully developed?" The old man seemed to be very concerned about this.
"Ah."
"Martial artists who have achieved the great success of Ming Jin are already at the pinnacle of ordinary martial artists, and their strength is extraordinary. As long as you have this idea, you can get money in the capital by just reaching out your hand." The other party said: "Whether you go to the major families as a guest, or join various gangs, both are possible..."
He added:
"If you want to do some work, why not become a guest of our Yan family? You already have our token, so you are one of us. Why not take this opportunity to take a step forward?"
