Chapter 68: Shall We Just Knock Him Out?

Entering the rear courtyard, they finally did not need to scale the wall this time. Lu Wang felt a strange sensation welling up inside him—how should he put it? It felt as though he had lived his entire life as a thief, only to finally walk through the proper front gate in broad daylight.

This peculiar feeling brought a faint smile to Lu Wang's face. Seeing this, Yan Zhang could not help asking, "This must be the courtyard where those... women live, right? Shouldn't we go find the madam first?"

Lu Wang smiled and replied, "I have no idea where the madam is. Let's go find Miaotong first."

So that young woman's name was Miaotong. Yan Zhang thought it sounded much prettier than her own name.

He knocked on the door, and a young girl soon came to open it.

"Who are you looking for?" The girl's eyes were still heavy with sleep. After all, the working hours at the Imperial Music Bureau ran rather late, and consequently, they went to sleep quite late as well.

Yet, no matter how late they slept, they could never be later than the Embroidered Uniform Guard. From ancient times to the present, such law enforcement agencies never lacked overtime work.

"I am Lu Wang, and I'm here to see Zhou Miaotong," Lu Wang stated directly.

"It's early in the morning, and our Warm Fragrance Pavilion hasn't opened yet..."

Mid-sentence, the young girl rubbed her eyes. It was obvious she had just snapped out of her dazed state. With a loud thud, she dropped to her knees and cried out, "This humble servant failed to recognize the Lord Guard! Forgive me, My Lord. I will go fetch Auntie and Lady Miaotong right away."

Lu Wang chuckled softly, leading Yan Zhang into the courtyard. "I know where Zhou Miaotong is better than you do. Go fetch your aunt; I have matters to discuss with her."

The girl kowtowed twice in a hurry. Seeing that Lu Wang was already walking familiarly toward Zhou Miaotong's room, she scrambled up from the ground. Without even dusting the dirt off her knees, she sprinted toward Auntie's room, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Auntie! Auntie! An officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is here!"

"Does she seem afraid of you?" Yan Zhang asked as she walked alongside Lu Wang.

Lu Wang smiled. "Doesn't your father fear me as well? You should rather ask if there is anyone in the entire capital who does not fear the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"That is true, but I feel you are different from the other guards."

Just as Yan Zhang finished speaking, Lu Wang curled his lip and said, "What difference could there possibly be? We are all cut from the same cloth; it's just that I put on a better act."

Yan Zhang did not refute him, though she secretly shook her head, clearly unconvinced that Lu Wang was anything like the rest of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Arriving at the door, Yan Zhang wondered why Lu Wang knew the exact location of someone's private quarters.

Yet, having come to a place like the Imperial Music Bureau, Yan Zhang understood that this woman must share a close relationship with Lu Wang; otherwise, he would not have gone to such great lengths to secure an amnesty decree from the Ministry of Punishments.

Compared to ordinary brothels, buying someone out of indenture at the Imperial Music Bureau was far more difficult and vastly more expensive.

After all, while other brothels focused primarily on making money, the Bureau's primary function was actually to punish the descendants of disgraced officials.

In other words, it reduced their progeny to slaves and prostitutes to serve as a warning to others.

Due to intense factional struggles, however, contemporary patrons had actually benefited, as the Bureau was hardly short of refined young ladies from scholarly families.

Take Zhou Miaotong, for instance. She possessed an air of cold detachment rarely seen in ordinary brothels, entirely devoid of any seductive charm.

Aside from being remarkably quick at undressing, she lacked even the delicate, bashful shyness of Beizhai.

Knocking on the door, Lu Wang said calmly, "Miaotong, I am taking you home."

Filled with triumphant pride, Lu Wang's voice was louder than usual.

Miaotong would normally have been awake by this time anyway, though she was still lingering in bed.

Ever since Lu Wang's arrival and their previous clashes, Auntie had not dared to assign any clients to her.

Intimidated by Lu Wang's threats, Yan Junbin no longer dared to show his face either, though servants reported that he had loitered outside the entrance, merely lacking the courage to step inside.

Zhou Miaotong knew very well that he was simply waiting for her to come out and meet him.

Given that Lu Wang had threatened last time to drag his entire family into the imperial prison if he ever dared to seek Zhou Miaotong again, Yan Junbin must have thought he was being clever: as long as Zhou Miaotong walked out of her own accord, it wouldn't count as him coming to find her, would it?

Yet Zhou Miaotong was not foolish enough to fall for that. Yan Junbin's performance had been utterly disappointing, and since he had never once mentioned obtaining the amnesty decree required for her redemption, she had harbored resentment toward him for a long time.

Combined with Lu Wang's sincerity and the fact that he held news concerning her older sister, Miaotong would have to be out of her mind to go out and meet Yan Junbin.

To put it bluntly, Zhou Miaotong could never mistake either Lu Wang or Yan Junbin for romantic love.

Who on earth goes to a brothel looking for true love?

Naturally, one simply attaches oneself to whoever holds the greater power and resources.

Compared to Yan Junbin, Lu Wang had wealth, power, and her sister as leverage. Zhou Miaotong certainly knew how to make her choice.

Had Lu Wang not appeared—had it been Shen Lian instead, a man who was not a eunuch yet practically was one—Yan Junbin might have still held some competitive edge.

Standing next to Lu Wang, however, Yan Junbin was reduced to a petty hoodlum by comparison.

These past few days had been the most relaxed Zhou Miaotong had known since her twelfth year. Though still trapped in a brothel, she did not have to entertain guests, nor did she have to help Lu Wang hide fugitives. Her body and mind felt utterly at ease.

Thus, while lingering in bed, she had been wondering what Lu Wang was up to at that moment, and whether he might suddenly bring another hostage for her to conceal.

Though it had been quite nerve-wracking at the time, looking back, she found it rather amusing—especially watching that initial eunuch being treated as less than human by Lu Wang. A strange sense of joy would bubble up inside her.

It was during this peaceful moment of wandering thoughts that Lu Wang's voice suddenly rang out from outside.

When the realization dawned on her, Zhou Miaotong was instantly filled with tension.

Glancing out the window, she saw that it was already broad daylight. How could Lu Wang possibly come to the rear courtyard at this hour?

Every time he had visited in the past, Lu Wang never came "empty-handed," and Miaotong feared he had brought another task for her to assist with. Without even taking the time to dress properly, she threw a garment directly over her shoulders, got out of bed, and walked barefoot to open the door.

The moment she pulled the door open, Zhou Miaotong's breath caught in her throat.

True to form, he had indeed brought someone.

Why wasn't this one tied up, though?

Gazing at Zhou Miaotong through the gap in her draped robe, Yan Zhang caught sight of a vibrant red bodice and a vast expanse of snowy skin, freezing in her tracks.

Was this what a woman of the Imperial Music Bureau looked like?

No wonder she had bewitched Lu Wang into going to such extraordinary lengths to redeem her.

A touch of jealousy flickered in Yan Zhang's heart as she sized Zhou Miaotong up, searching for any way the woman might differ from herself.

The two women stared at each other in silence.

Only Lu Wang laughed amusedly and said, "What are you rushing for? I can't very well parade you out like this. I'd be quite displeased if those wandering vagrants outside got an eyeful of you."

Following the direction of Lu Wang's gaze, Zhou Miaotong looked down and realized the front of her attire was completely exposed.

A deep blush rushed to her cheeks, yet she still managed to glance anxiously around, asking, "Who is she? Should I knock her out right now?"

Unable to help herself, Lu Wang chuckled, stepped forward to pull Zhou Miaotong into his arms, and walked inside, turning back to say, "Come inside to talk."

Moments later, Zhou Miaotong finally understood what was going on. Hastily dressing herself properly, she turned to Yan Zhang with an embarrassed expression and said, "Earlier..."

Unable to explain the situation easily, she could only offer, "It was all a misunderstanding."

Yan Zhang had been utterly bewildered just moments ago. She had accompanied Lu Wang to redeem someone, yet in the blink of an eye, the woman being redeemed had threatened to knock her unconscious.

Instinctively, Yan Zhang knew there was more to the story.

However, since Zhou Miaotong left it at that and Lu Wang offered no explanations, she could only keep her doubts bottled up inside.

Once Zhou Miaotong finished changing, even without a speck of makeup, Yan Zhang had to admit that the other woman was indeed prettier than herself. It was no wonder Lu Wang had been so utterly captivated that he rushed over in such haste to secure her release.

"Did you obtain the amnesty decree from the Ministry of Punishments?" Zhou Miaotong asked anxiously as she sat beside Lu Wang.

Lu Wang gave a dry laugh, realizing she hadn't heard a single word he'd said earlier.

"I got it. I'm taking you away today, and your sister is waiting for you at home as well."