Chapter 87: The Book

After paying the deposit, just as they left the jewelry shop, Lu Yuner casually glanced around and caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure following them in the distant crowd. At the same time, Qiu Yi also keenly noticed this. “My lady, where shall we go next?” she asked.

Lu Yuner’s eyes curved slightly as she smiled and said, “It’s been a while since we’ve listened to some music. Qiu Yi, let’s go to the music hall and have a look.”

“Alright,” Qiu Yi replied with a meaningful smile. Once at the music hall, let’s see how she deals with those rascals!

In a guest room in the back courtyard of the music hall, Su Qingwan’s face was flushed red. After eagerly drinking a cup of tea, the rising heat gradually subsided, and he continued to turn the pages of the book in his hand.

The scenes that met his eyes were all heart-pounding. The book was full of naked men and women intertwined in various positions. The ones he had seen before at least wore undergarments, but this level of explicitness was a first for him. Su Qingwan really couldn’t bear to look anymore, his small face had turned completely red, his cheeks burning hot, and his breathing uneven.

“Oh my! How embarrassing!” Su Qingwan was so ashamed he wanted to hide. He put down the book and covered his red-hot little face with both hands, but remembering brother Nanxi’s words, he couldn’t help but continue reading the book’s contents.

His wedding with elder sister Yuner was approaching, and brother Nanxi had gifted him this “Art of the Bedchamber” book, saying it was the only copy in the entire capital. He told him to read it in advance, as it would come in handy on the wedding night. But now, with each page he read, the heat in his body grew more intense.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Lu Yuner had just alighted from the carriage and was about to enter the music hall when she suddenly heard an enthusiastic greeting from a woman behind her, “Oh! Little sister, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other!”

Lu Yuner was slightly curious. She stopped and turned to look at the speaker, finding a shifty-eyed woman of about thirty years old. Looking closely, she didn’t recognize her at all. She tentatively looked around and saw no one else nearby, confirming that the woman was indeed speaking to her.

Seeing this, Qiu Yi’s face suddenly became embarrassed, and she hurriedly urged, “My lady, let’s go inside quickly!”

“Hey! Wait!” The woman stepped forward and immediately grabbed Qiu Yi’s hand. “How come you don’t recognize me after just a few days? Since we’ve met by chance today, when are you coming to my place? I’ve prepared plenty of good stuff for you. That item you wanted last time, I’ve had it ready for you for a while now. Why don’t we go and check the goods now?”

Good stuff? Check the goods? Lu Yuner was completely bewildered by what she heard. Seeing that the newcomer knew Qiu Yi, she looked at her deeply and asked, “What’s going on? Who is this person?”

Qiu Yi awkwardly shook off the woman’s hand and found it difficult to explain, “This…”

The woman’s appraising gaze shifted back and forth between the two people in front of her. She had already noticed their relationship in the crowd earlier. These servants always acted on behalf of their masters. It turned out her patron wasn’t very good-looking, and who would have thought she was lacking in that department!

She stared at Lu Yuner with a deep smile. Women like this always wanted to save some face when encountering such matters. She moved closer and said in a low voice, “You must be her master, right? How did that thing work out? If the effect wasn’t good…”

The woman’s tone of voice, coupled with her vague words, made Lu Yuner seem to realize something, and her pupils widened slightly.

“You give me…” Qiu Yi, seeing the situation was not right, immediately tried to stop her, but before she could finish speaking, she received a cold glare from Lu Yuner. Having her shortcomings exposed in public, she opened her mouth to explain, but…

She could only lower her eyes and close her mouth, waiting for her lady’s punishment.

Seeing that no one was interrupting now, the woman, harboring her own little schemes, continued, “I have some newly released products here. If it really doesn’t work… I also have a few exotic and beautiful young men who are extremely skilled in bedroom matters. They know all sorts of tricks and will definitely satisfy you! Want to give it a try?”

Exotic men? Lu Yuner was slightly taken aback. In recent years, as the Great Yuan Dynasty’s foreign trade continued to expand, more and more foreigners were coming to the capital. So, for the sake of national security and unified management, while treating them with courtesy, the principle of sovereignty was upheld. The Ministry of Household was in charge of personnel management, and the Ministry of Justice had also promulgated a penal system for crimes committed by foreigners.

However, there were still many undocumented individuals who were not registered.

Lu Yuner’s eyes gradually darkened as she stared at her, and she replied with a half-smile, “Lead the way.”

“Alright! Follow me.” With business at hand, the woman was instantly overjoyed.

Lu Yuner gave Qiu Yi a deep, inscrutable look, her emotions unreadable. “Let’s go and have a look.”

“Yes.” Qiu Yi thought nervously: This is bad, the lady knows everything now.

But then she thought again, the lady had always kept herself pure and didn’t indulge in male companions. Why would she want to go to such a place of ill repute?

Following the woman through three streets, they finally arrived at a secluded small courtyard. They were led into a room filled with the scent of powder, and the woman said, “Wait here, I’ll go call them for you.”

Lu Yuner paused for a moment and called out to her, “Call all of them here for me to see. Don’t worry, you won’t be short-changed.”

After saying this, she looked at Qiu Yi, who immediately understood and threw a silver ingot to the woman from her money pouch.

The woman, holding the silver ingot, was surprised that this customer was playing it so big. She said with a smile, “Alright!”

After the woman left, Lu Yuner looked around, went to the window and checked left and right, then fixed her deep gaze on Qiu Yi’s face, saying thoughtfully, “We’ll talk about today’s matter when we get back. However… do you come here often?”

Qiu Yi panicked inside, fearing that her lady might misunderstand. She quickly shook her head, “No… I’ve never been here before either.”

Lu Yuner raised a cold eyebrow, “Later, investigate these exotic men thoroughly.”

“Yes!” Qiu Yi finally calmed down, realizing that her lady was here on official business!

Shortly after, the woman brought in five young and handsome exotic men. Each had their own unique charm, and seeing that this customer was beautiful, they all swayed their hips and rushed forward eagerly.

At this time, on the street outside the other side of the wall, a carriage was parked.

“What! She called for five! And they’re exotic men!” Upon hearing the situation reported by Hua Ying, Xiao Yuan was completely dumbfounded, his eyes wide with disbelief. If he hadn’t seen Doctor Lu hurriedly leaving the music hall earlier, he might not have discovered this unknown side of her.

The next second, Xiao Yuan felt a surge of uncontrollable anger. He gritted his teeth and said, “Doctor Lu… she’s actually this kind of person! How dare she do such shameless things behind the young master’s back, it’s infuriating!!!”

Although Hua Ying remained silent at the side, her fists were clenched tightly, obviously carrying a hint of coldness.

“Elder sister Yuner is not that kind of person.” Su Qingwan lowered his eyes slightly, feeling as if something had stabbed his heart sharply. He knew best what kind of person elder sister Yuner was, how she doted on him with tenderness and affection. But Hua Ying wouldn’t lie, so what she said must be true.

Seeing the young master’s low spirits, Xiao Yuan indignantly said, “Young master, this is what guard Hua Ying saw with her own eyes. How can you not believe it? Luckily, you’re not married to her yet. If you don’t believe it, let guard Hua Ying take you in now to see for yourself.”

Su Qingwan’s expression was complex. It was impossible to say he wasn’t hurt. Countless worries and insecurities gradually accumulated. There must be some misunderstanding here, right?

At this moment, inside the room, the five men obediently answered Qiu Yi’s questions one by one. After understanding, they learned that they were all undocumented. Years ago, they had come here with their wives for business, but after the business failed, they were abandoned. Stranded in a foreign land, they resorted to selling themselves to make a living.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open with a “bang,” and everyone in the room looked towards the entrance. Seeing who had arrived, Lu Yuner was stunned for a moment and asked, “A’wan? Why are you here?”

Su Qingwan saw that everyone in the room was fully dressed and sitting properly, like students in a classroom. He was surprised for a moment, and suddenly felt relieved. Xiao Yuan and Hua Ying were also slightly shocked.

Lu Yuner gave some instructions to Qiu Yi, then walked to Su Qingwan’s side and took his hand, leading him out of the courtyard. They came to a quiet corner, and she looked at him earnestly, “A’wan, what do you want to ask?”

Seeing the scene in the room, he naturally had the answer he wanted in his heart. Su Qingwan threw himself into her arms and shook his head, “I have nothing to ask.”

Faced with the young master Su’s trust, Lu Yuner couldn’t help but soften. She explained to him, “This is a private place where men sell themselves. Women come here for pleasure. If I say I came here on important business, would A’wan believe me?”

Su Qingwan nodded without hesitation and said, “I believe you.”

Lu Yuner looked at his exceptionally handsome face with its red lips and white teeth, and smiled gently, “I’m hungry. Accompany me to the music hall for a meal. Since we have some time today, how about I take you for a stroll and to see the night scenery afterwards?”

“Mm,” Su Qingwan smiled in agreement.

Afterwards, Lu Yuner rode in Su Qingwan’s carriage to the music hall.

In the carriage, Lu Yuner suddenly noticed a book standing upright in the corner. Curiosity got the better of her, and she wanted to pull it out to have a look. “A’wan, what book have you been reading recently?” she asked.

Book?! Su Qingwan suddenly remembered that he had carelessly left that embarrassing book in the carriage. Seeing that she was about to pick it up and look at it, he quickly snatched it away, “Elder sister Yuner, wait a moment!”

Anticipating his move, Lu Yuner held the book high, easily avoiding his grab. With a curl of her lips, she said, “What book has A’wan so nervous? Let me have a good look!”

Saying this, she glanced at the cover of the book in her hand. Her expression froze for a moment, and then she looked at Su Qingwan with a deep smile, her eyes gradually filling with interest. “Oh— ‘The Art of the Bedchamber,’ so this is what A’wan has been reading!”

Su Qingwan’s cheeks turned red, his expression somewhat embarrassed. He said bashfully, “This, I…”

Lu Yuner’s teasing mood grew. She slowly leaned closer, her eyes fixed tightly on him, and said with a light laugh, “After reading this, does A’wan have any insights? Why don’t you share them with me?”

Faced with those extremely beautiful peach blossom eyes so close and full of enchantment, Su Qingwan lightly bit his cherry lips. His hands fidgeted with his clothes, not knowing what to do. His voice was so low it was barely audible: “I… I haven’t finished reading it yet! How could I have any… insights!”

Seeing that fair face flushed with a drunken red, the delicate eyelashes lowered, and below them the moist cherry lips, Lu Yuner’s eyebrows raised slightly. Waves began to rise in her heart, and she breathed into his ear, “A’wan must read it thoroughly. When the wedding night comes, I’ll be checking your results!”

Then, as Lu Yuner continued speaking, she placed the book back in his hands, “Of course, if A’wan needs, I can discuss it with you together.”

“Elder sister Yuner— stop teasing!” The scorching breath on the back of his neck made Su Qingwan turn away in embarrassment, though there was a hint of excitement in his heart. His hands tightly clutched the book.

Lu Yuner lowered her gaze to look at his reddened earlobes. Thinking of the young master Su’s innocent appearance in her mind, she couldn’t help but want to tease him. In the days they had spent together, she increasingly found herself revealing her true nature in front of him, feeling much more relaxed.

Lu Yuner stood up and distanced herself from him, sitting upright to the side. “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”