The grandson of the Duke of Qian, Yue Lin, the grandson of the Marquis of Yongchang, Xu Shuo, and the grandson of the old Duke of Qin, Lu Yuqing, all visited that evening, inviting Xie Jiang to "Chun Se Man Yuan" (Spring Scenery Abounds).
It was because of the grandfathers that Xie Jiang had met the three of them; they were at most acquaintances, so the invitation felt a bit abrupt.
Although the best way to foster camaraderie between men was through beautiful women and fine wine.
But…
"When did you guys start liking to visit Chun Se Man Yuan?" No, what man didn't like visiting Chun Se Man Yuan? That wasn't the right question. It should be, "Aren't you afraid of being found out by your families when you visit Chun Se Man Yuan?" Kuaishu Ge.
It was Xu Hengyi who spoke before Xie Jiang.
He had arrived at the Marquis of Nanhai's residence a quarter of an hour earlier than Yue Lin and the other two. He was a regular at the Marquis of Nanhai's for meals.
Lu Yuqing was the cousin of Lu Zhiheng, and Xu Hengyan had a deep friendship with Lu Zhiheng, so Xu Hengyi and Lu Yuqing were quite familiar with each other.
Among the scions of the noble families in the capital, there were those like Ruan Zijin and Yin Boxuan who were unrestrained and beyond their families' control, and there were also those like Xu Hengyi and Lu Yuqing who had strict upbringing and dared not step out of line.
It wasn't that they truly dared not.
What was there to dare or not dare in such matters? Visiting a garden wasn't a grave offense. Self-restraint was always necessary, wasn't it?
It wasn't that their families wanted them to abstain from women, but rather they feared that at their young age, their self-control might be insufficient, and a single misstep could lead to irreversible consequences. There were too many bloody examples before their eyes.
Those of similar age, like Ruan Zijin, Han Zhao, and Yin Boxuan, weren't strictly controlled by their families at first, but look at them now.
With these few typical negative examples constantly serving as a deterrent, which family would dare not to strictly discipline their own offspring?
Lu Yuqing's situation was not much different from Xu Hengyi's. When they heard others talk about the beautiful and charming women in certain gardens, they could only look on with envy and jealousy.
The rules at the Duke of Qian's residence were even stricter. Yue Lin was the grandson most valued by the Duke of Qian, and the old madam feared he would pick up bad habits. None of the servants attending him were female. How could she agree to him visiting brothels for entertainment?
The rules at the Marquis of Yongchang's residence were not as strict; no one stopped him from visiting brothels, but Xu Shuo did not have a penchant for promiscuity. From Xu Shuo's friendship with Yue Lin, one could tell what kind of person Xu Shuo was.
Three people who didn't even know which way a brothel's door opened suddenly came together to invite Xie Jiang to Chun Se Man Yuan?
Xu Hengyi couldn't understand.
Xu Hengyi even suspected that Chun Se Man Yuan had changed its business.
If even the naive and innocent Xu Hengyi found it strange, Xie Jiang naturally also suspected their intentions. "Why did you three suddenly decide to invite me to visit a garden?"
Did they want to associate with her and thus cater to her preferences?
She had many preferences, and not just for pleasure.
Xie Jiang didn't immediately agree or refuse. She played with the tassel on the jade pendant at her waist, her gaze, casual yet probing, falling on the three of them.
All three were young noblemen from the capital's military families. What kind of scenes had they not witnessed?
But as Xie Jiang's gaze fell upon them, they felt immense pressure.
Although Xie Jiang was younger than them, she gave them a peculiar impression.
It was as if the person sitting before them, looking at them, was not their peer, but a seasoned general who had long held a high position and wielded great power.
At this moment, facing Xie Jiang, they felt like they were facing their own grandfathers after making a mistake.
Xu Shuo felt it was better to be direct. Concealing things would only lead to Xie Jiang's misunderstanding.
"To be frank, we actually came to invite the Marquis of Nanhai to Chun Se Man Yuan at someone's request."
"Ah?"
Xu Hengyi was dumbfounded.
Someone actually asked them to take Xie Jiang to a brothel?
Why didn't he get such treatment?
Xie Jiang stared at the three, stroking the tassel, and after a moment of thought, her eyebrows slightly raised. "The Duke of Qian and the Marquis of Yongxin, perhaps?"
Seeing that Xie Jiang had already figured it out, Yue Lin raised his hand and scratched his temple, saying with a hint of awkwardness and helplessness, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from the Marquis of Nanhai."
After the Duke of Qian and the Marquis of Yongxin returned, they pondered and became increasingly worried that she might be idle and still harbor feelings for the Third Prince. Therefore, they asked their grandsons to persuade her to visit Chun Se Man Yuan for entertainment.
Didn't they say there were many old acquaintances in Chun Se Man Yuan? Then she should reconnect with them.
Perhaps in a while, she would forget about the Third Prince.
Yue Lin was stunned when he first heard this request. He explained to his grandfather that the Marquis of Nanhai was not that kind of person.
Not that kind of person?
He hadn't seen the scoundrel Xie Jiang hugging the Third Prince's dog and shamelessly saying that their fate was destined from the start!
Yue Lin found it both amusing and exasperating.
Was this the day his grandfather, a man of his standing, would actually believe gossip?
Old Madam Duke of Qian was strongly against it. It was one thing to attend an auction at Chun Se Man Yuan to buy good items, but how could they frequently go there for food and entertainment?
The women in the pleasure houses were like seductive vixen who sucked the marrow from bones. Any good young man who entered such a place would have his vital essence drained, becoming neither human nor ghost!
How could one push their own sons into such a place! Were they asking Yue Lin and the others to take Xie Jiang to play? Not asking Yue Lin and the others to go themselves?
Oh.
That's fine.
Young Xie is young and naturally likes to play. Then take young Xie to play well, and you must take good care of young Xie, and keep those vixen away from young Xie.
Is the money in your hand sufficient?
Before Yue Lin could speak, the old madam took out a purse and stuffed it into Yue Lin's hand.
Yue Lin: "..."
Ever since getting to know Xie Jiang, his grandfather and grandmother had become increasingly absurd.
The Marquis of Yongxin should have sent his grandsons, just like the Duke of Qian.
However, both of his adult grandsons, like Xu Hengyan, were sent to local government as civil officials instead of being proper military scions.
There were only two little radishes left in the residence.
Since the little radishes couldn't be used, he had to ask the old Duke of Qin and the Marquis of Yongchang to borrow a grandson.
Xu Shuo believed that if Xie Jiang was kept busy, they could take her hunting or play ball. There were plenty of places in the capital that could consume energy. Why must they go to places of romance?
The Marquis of Yongxin pondered for a while and felt that hunting wouldn't work. Xie Jiang was so lustful; could hunting make her abstain from sex?
Perhaps while hunting, she might shoot a deer, and in the eyes of that lustful Xie, the deer would have a face identical to the Third Prince.
It was better to find a few beautiful women to distract that scoundrel, lest he try to scale the walls of the Third Prince's mansion on a dark and windy night.
Xu Shuo: "..."
Was the Marquis of Nanhai being overly demonized in the hearts of these old gentlemen?
Lu Yuqing, upon hearing that there was such a good thing, agreed without hesitation after getting permission from his parents and came along.
"I've heard that Chun Se Man Yuan excels in both cuisine and song and dance, and the last auction was widely talked about. Unfortunately, the three of us happened to miss it. This time, we plan to take this opportunity, with the assignments from the two grandfathers, to see if it lives up to its reputation. Would the Marquis of Nanhai be willing to accompany us?" Xu Shuo asked with a smile.
"My grandmother and several sisters in the household have been unable to forget the pastries from Chun Se Man Yuan since tasting them, but Chun Se Man Yuan's tea snacks and pastries are not sold outside. Today, upon hearing that we planned to invite the Marquis of Nanhai to Chun Se Man Yuan together, my grandmother also instructed me to bring back two boxes."
Xie Jiang's personality was rather unruly. Xu Shuo and Yue Lin had not intended to associate with Xie Jiang previously, but they also did not reject the idea of befriending her.
The grandfathers, after their trip to Ninghe, had all come to regard Xie Jiang as their own junior. Xie Jiang must possess exceptional qualities.