After getting off the boat from Hongqiao Wharf, Xu Ziling and the other two separated from Su Wan and others.

Under the Hongqiao is the Bian River. Most of the grain ships coming from Jianghuai and other places are moored here, transporting grain and grass, and merchant ships coming and going gather here to transport goods.

Entering Bianliang from Dongshuimen, Xu Ziling had to marvel at the prosperity of the city again. There were all kinds of shops along the street, and the long bluestone steps were filled with chariots, horses, pedestrians, literati, peddlers, and military men on the streets shuttled through them.

After walking for a long time, I passed through Xiangguo Temple and arrived at the Imperial Street where the Alum Tower was located. The purpose of Xu Ziling's trip was to get the contract for Mingxia.

Walking on the Imperial Street, looking into the distance, there are brothels, restaurants, gourds and tea rooms, and other places where singing and dancing are peaceful. Large pavilions two or three stories high can be seen everywhere, most of which are courtyard-style pavilions.

After walking for a long time, I finally saw the Alum Tower. The Alum Tower is both a brothel and a restaurant, integrating catering and entertainment. The Alum Tower covers a very wide area, with pavilions rising and falling, and the sills are staggered. The flying bridge railings are connected by the light and darkness between the buildings. The height of the west tower can even look down at the palace.

There was a rule in the Song Dynasty: in-service officials were not allowed to visit prostitutes. Of course, they were just not allowed to enjoy the joy of fish and water, and it was still allowed to let them sing and dance to cheer them up. Therefore, there were a large number of "selling skills but not selling themselves" in brothels, and Mingxia was one of them before.

The three of them slowly walked into the lobby of the Alum Tower. Although it was daytime, they could vaguely hear the sound of silk and bamboo songs coming from the surrounding rooms.

After walking a few steps, a middle-aged woman wearing heavy makeup and wearing a big red jacket saw Mingxia, walked over quickly, and said in a silence: "My aunt, why did you come back? Mr. Zhou has come to look for you several times."

Mingxia was slightly stunned and asked, "Aunt Han, don't care about Mr. Zhou's affairs for now. Aunt Qing is in the building. I have something to talk about when I have something to do."

Han Gu didn't think much and replied, "Sister Qing just received distinguished guests from the south in the conference hall. Now there is probably nothing to do. Go and find her."

Mingxia nodded and said to Xu Ziling: "The Court Office will not allow outsiders to enter. You can wait for me here, and I will call Aunt Qing down."

Seeing Xu Ziling nodding, she ordered Yue'er to look at Xu Ziling, then turned around and walked towards the second floor of the pavilion behind the main hall.

Han Gu also noticed Xu Ziling and thought he was Mingxia's friend. Seeing that he was not old, but he was tall and handsome, he wanted to tease him.

Xu Ziling was casually looking at the colorful outfits in the hall, but found that Han Gu, who had just talked to Mingxia, leaned over.

Han Gu's face was ordinary, but her figure was graceful and convex. At this time, she was fluffy with her hair, her big red jacket was half open and half-covered, with a green strapless breast, and a trace of snow. She looked at Xu Ziling with a smile: "This young master is a friend of Shishi's hometown, right?"

Xu Ziling was half a head taller than her. As soon as she asked, Xu Ziling subconsciously looked down at her, but saw the valley among the mountains and hurriedly raised her head.

Han Gu closed her clothes and laughed sweetly, "Young Master, isn't you a young man?"

Although Xu Ziling was not involved in matters between men and women, he also knew that Han Gu asked him knowingly and wanted to make fun of him, so he answered the question irrelevantly: "I grew up with Shishi and I grew up together. I came here today to redeem her for her."

Han Gu's face suddenly changed and she said coldly: "I wonder what family background of the young master is?"

Seeing her face changing like a book, Xu Ziling chuckled and said, "I am a martial artist, no father or mother, and no fame, only a master, what should I do?"

Han Gu was stunned and sneered: "How can a gangster in the world be worthy of Shishi? Do you know how many noble men lined up in Bianliang City want to see Shishi? Do you know what their identities are? Just Zhou Bangyan and Zhou, who is only in his twenties, has become the Dasheng Mansion's Xielu Lang."

Xu Ziling said disdainfully: "No matter who he is, I must take him away."

Gu Han looked at him angrily: "I messed with them for your own good. Don't you think you can gain a foothold in Bianliang."

In the eyes of the people of the Song Dynasty, the supreme pursuit is "learning civil and military skills and selling them to the imperial family". Those who come to Bianliang must have wanted to gain official positions. Lu Gu believes that Xu Ziling also wants to join the officialdom.

Xu Ziling thought she was a little self-indulgent, so she was too lazy to pay attention to her. She looked back at the maid Yue'er and asked, "Do you have nothing to say?"

The maid turned her black eyes and asked back, "What should I say?"

Xu Ziling was a little helpless and stopped talking.

After a while, Mingxia walked down from the pavilion behind the main hall with a woman in her forties, walked to Xu Ziling, and looked at him and said, "Aunt Qing, he is the Xu Ziling I mentioned to you just now."

A woman named Qing walked around Xu Ziling for a few times, patted him on the shoulder, pushed him on the chest, and nodded with satisfaction, "Xiao Ling, right? She is pretty good. She is like a daughter like me. I have wanted her to go out for a long time, but she has always said she has no place to go, so she stayed in this alum building. Now she is willing to go with you, and the stone in my heart has fallen.

But if you dare to treat her badly, I have my own way to make you feel better. My aunt Qing was also a powerful figure back then. Now, in the court, no matter whether it is civil or military officials, there are people who can speak."

Xu Ziling said seriously: "Aunt Qing, don't worry, Mingxia and I grew up together and have suffered the pain of extermination together. It is hard to tell the truth about this, but I hope to work with her for the rest of my life. Although I am not familiar with literary affairs, I have martial arts skills and can ensure her peace for the rest of my life."

Aunt Qing nodded again and said with relief: "It depends on your demeanor and words, unlike ordinary martial artists. As long as you can allow her to live a stable life, that's enough."

But when he heard the silent Gu Han suddenly said, "Sister Qing, that Young Master Zhou..."

Aunt Qing glanced at her and said lightly: "A Cui, Shishi is a miserable child. She will decide her own affairs. I know that you have taken over Zhou Bangyan's benefits, and I don't want to care about you. You should do it yourself and don't affect Shishi's future life."

Han Gu's face turned blue and white, and she stopped saying a word.

Aunt Qing looked at the maid who was not talking on the side and whispered: "Yue'er, come here, I have something to say to you."

The maid said "Oh!" and walked to Aunt Qing.

Aunt Qing pulled her aside and whispered a few words in her ear. The maid shook her head first, then nodded, and her round face slowly turned red like a big apple.

After saying that, the maid stood behind Mingxia pretty. Aunt Qing sighed softly and said to the three of them: "I ruined the contract between Shishi and Yue'er in the morning. You just need to leave, but life is stable. Don't forget to come back to see me, the old woman."

Mingxia suddenly wet her eyes: "Shi Shi will never forget the kindness of Aunt Qing to Shi Shi. She will often come back to visit Aunt Qing."

Xu Ziling echoed: "Mingxia's parents and I have passed away. We will marry her in the future. I hope to invite Aunt Qing to replace our high hall."

In this era, the ritual system is strict, and women in brothels will be ridiculed by the world. Aunt Qing was a little happy to see that he could say this and said, "You guys leave quickly. After being here for a long time, the young masters who came here recognize Shishi, and they will inevitably have some trouble."

He looked at Mingxia and saw her nodding. Xu Ziling bowed to Aunt Qing and said, "Okay, Aunt Qing, I have a senior brother who is the coach in Bianliang. I will take Mingxia to his house for a few days first, and then I will tell Aunt Qing whether to stay in Bianliang or go to other places."

Aunt Qing nodded slightly, waved her hand and signaled them to leave.

Mingxia hugged Aunt Qing with tears in her eyes, and then walked out of the door with Xu Ziling reluctantly.

Shortly after the three left, a luxuriously dressed and elegant man hurriedly walked into the alum building.

After entering the hall, the man saw Aunt Qing standing next to Aunt Han and asked anxiously: "Aunt Qing, I heard that Shishi is back. I wonder if she is in the building?" As he said that, he quietly looked at Aunt Han.

Aunt Qing looked at him and said coldly: "Who said that, why don't I know?"

The man said angrily: "I asked the servant who was doing chores at the door, and he also said that Shishi was back, why did Aunt Qing fool me?"

Aunt Qing is still not unfair: "Young Master Zhou, it is true that you have kindness to Shishi, but you also know that Shishi treats you like a brother. Now that she has found a man she likes, don't bother her anymore. You have an official position, why worry about not finding a good match? Why bother a woman in a brothel?"

The man immediately changed his face and said anxiously: "It's only been a month since Shishi went to Jiangning. How could he easily find the man he likes? He must have been bewitched. Aunt Qing, please tell me who that person is. I want to confront him."

After thinking about it, the man added: "Shi Shi is a good woman. I also asked someone to search for many files for the reason she entered the Jiaofang. Her father should have been framed by others, so Shi Shi Shi was implicated. In my heart, she has always been an innocent woman, and is definitely not a person in the world. When I saw her, I secretly vowed that she would not marry her in this life."

Seeing that he was kind-hearted and sincere, Aunt Qing sighed and said lightly: "I only tell you that she and the man are still in Bianliang and may leave in a while. The rest depends on your ability."

The man snorted lightly, bowed to Aunt Qing, and turned around and left.

The man's name is Zhou Bangyan. He is handsome and has a brilliant literary talent. He is well-versed in poetry, songs and music, and is also good at music. He now works in Dasheng Mansion.

Three years ago, he met Mingxia, who was only thirteen years old in the sect. At that time, Mingxia was in the trough of her life. He felt pity and sent someone to entrust her with a relationship and transferred her to the alum building. Although she was still a prostitute, she was not as lowly as an official prostitute and had a lot of freedom.

At first, he only thought she was her sister, and occasionally he would go to the Alum Tower to visit her when he was free. However, after three years, as Mingxia grew up, he found that he had actually fallen in love with her deeply, so he wanted to redeem her and marry her. However, Mingxia only thought he was his brother, and had been avoiding this problem and never responded to him positively. But he never gave up, and believed that in the past, she would understand her sincerity.

Just now, I heard from Aunt Qing that she had a man she liked after a month of going south. He didn't believe it. It must be that man who bewitched her.

Although he did not have much power and refused to be recruited by Grand Tutor Cai Jing, he had been an official in the court for many years. He also had several friends in Dali Temple who could ask for help and knock on the man who bewitched Mingxia.
Chapter completed!