Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 897

Chapter 897: Side Story : Li Sihui vs. Li Ji : The Brothel

Yuzhou was located northwest of the capital. When Li Sihui arrived, although it was springtime in the capital, the mountains here were covered in snow.

These past few days, the sun had been shining brightly, and the snow outside had melted to a thin layer. Li Sihui watched the snow dripping from the eaves and called Caiyue to change into men’s clothes, intending to go for a walk outside.

Caiyue, seeing her young madam had already changed her clothes, frowned slightly and hesitated, “Your Highness, is this really alright?”

“Why not?” Li Sihui raised an eyebrow. “Li Ji can go out every day; why can’t I? Besides, we will go out quietly and come back quietly; who will know?”

Caiyue was still a little worried, but Li Sihui pulled her to the window, and seeing her young madam climb down, she could only follow her onto the bed.

The old woman at the small gate, whom Li Sihui had already bribed, was there specifically to watch over the gate.

After marrying into Yuzhou, Li Sihui initially found the weather very difficult to adjust to and felt unwell for quite some time. Today the weather was nice, so she decided to come out.

Anyway, she and Li Ji were husband and wife in name only; even if people found out, it would not matter.

After leaving the Prince’s Mansion, Li Sihui took a long breath. “It’s so much better outside, Caiyue. I heard from the gatekeeper that Yunxian Tower’s drunken chicken is the best. Today, it’s my treat; I will take you there for a good meal.”

Yuzhou City was not as bustling as the capital, but it had everything one would expect.

When Li Sihui asked around for directions to Yunxian Tower, most people were reluctant to tell her. Eventually, several older men pointed her in the right direction.

When they arrived at Yunxian Tower and saw the brothel filled with beautiful women, they realized it was a brothel. No wonder the older women at first had given them such unfriendly looks.

“Oh, this young master is quite handsome. You’re not from Yuzhou, are you? Would you like to come in for a drink?” Someone approached and put their arm around Li Sihui’s shoulder, startling her so much that she jumped back.

“Haha, is the young master shy?”

“Do not be shy; I’m the best at serving people.”

“No, no.” Although Li Sihui was bold, she was not daring enough to frequent a brothel. But the girls at Yunxian Tower were no ordinary girls. Two beautiful women grabbed Li Sihui and helped her inside.

Li Ji, who happened to be passing by, saw Li Sihui entering Yunxian Tower with the two girls.

“Your Highness, that young man looks familiar,” Lu Tai asked curiously.

Li Ji frowned and followed them into Yunxian Tower.

By the time Lu Tai realized what was happening, Li Ji had already gone inside. He hurriedly followed, whispering, “Your Highness, Yunxian Pavilion is a brothel. Why did you come in? If the Princess Consort finds out, she will be angry, will she not?”

Li Ji glared at Lu Tai, who quickly covered his mouth. After a moment, he whispered, “Do not worry; I definitely will not tell the Princess Consort.”

Meanwhile, Li Sihui, after being pulled to a seat, discovered that the brothel was not what she had imagined. There were storytellers, musicians, and dancers; it was not as sordid as she had pictured.

Tao Hong, who had brought Li Sihui in, proactively suggested, “Although our Yunxian Tower is a brothel, our wine and dishes are among the best in Yuzhou City. Young master, would you like to order some of our signature dishes to try?”

“Try… well, I will try.” Since she was already there, Li Sihui figured it would not hurt to try something; after all, no one knew her.

Caiyue was restless, her palms sweating with anxiety.

Fortunately, Yunxian Tower served the dishes extremely quickly, and they arrived in no time.

Li Sihui tasted the drunken chicken; it was indeed very good. The chicken was tender and juicy, with a subtle sweet aroma of rice wine. Each bite filled her mouth with the refreshing sweetness of the rice wine.

Tao Hong, ever observant, offered to pour more wine. “Young master, come and have a drink. This is Yunxian Tower’s famous peach blossom wine; please try some.”

Li Sihui drank it without much thought. She prided herself on her alcohol tolerance, thinking that one cup would not cause any harm.

But the peach blossom wine was smooth and refreshing, with a subtle fruity and floral aroma, making it irresistible to drink one cup after another.

“Come on, Caiyue, you should have a cup too,” Li Sihui said, feeding Caiyue.

When Li Ji pushed open the door, he saw Li Sihui pouring wine for Caiyue.

Li Sihui, already drunk, saw a handsome young man enter and waved, mimicking Tao Hong’s earlier tone, “Oh, this young master is quite handsome! Want to come over for a couple of drinks? It’s on me!”

Li Ji’s face turned ashen. Lu Tai recognized Li Sihui this time, and before he could finish the word “Prince,” he quickly covered his mouth.

Oh no! The Princess Consort was too audacious! She dared to go out drinking and carousing behind the Prince’s back! Lu Tai felt the Prince’s Mansion was in chaos; the next two days would definitely be difficult.

Li Ji walked straight to Li Sihui. Before he could speak, Li Sihui swayed to her feet, grabbed his hand, and exclaimed, “Young master, you’re so handsome! I like you so much!”

Li Ji turned to look at Caiyue, who was startled and quickly raised her hands. “Your…Your Highness, it was not me who brought my young madam out. We did not intend to visit a brothel; we just wanted to eat drunken chicken! I swear to God!”

Upon hearing it was the prince, Tao Hong’s chopsticks clattered to the ground, but before she could beg for mercy, the prince picked up the young man.

After the prince left, Lu Tai took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table. “No one is allowed to tell anyone about what happened today!”

Tao Hong hurriedly nodded in agreement. “I will definitely keep my mouth shut and absolutely will not tell anyone!”

After Lu Tai left, Tao Hong subconsciously looked outside. She had always heard that the prince and princess’s relationship was lukewarm, but today she knew the truth. Judging from the prince’s dark expression just now, it must be because his kept male concubine had sneaked out to drink and was caught by the prince.

So the prince was a homosexual!

My goodness! Knowing such a big secret, Tao Hong quickly drank another pot of wine to avoid telling anyone.

Li Sihui was unaware of the misunderstandings surrounding her and Li Ji. After Li Ji carried her out, she drifted off to sleep.

When Li Sihui woke up, it was already getting dark.

Her head throbbed with pain. She sat up, clutching her head. “Caiyue, my head hurts so much. I want some water.”

Sheyue poured her a cup of warm tea. After drinking it, Li Sihui asked, “Where’s Caiyue? Why is she not serving me in the room?”

Sheyue frowned and sighed. “Your Highness, do you not remember what you and Caiyue went to do?”

“What did we do?” Li Sihui slapped her forehead, unable to recall everything. “I just remember that Caiyue and I went out to play, and then we went into a restaurant. Oh, and there were many beautiful girls in the restaurant!”

“How do you remember so many beautiful girls? Girls? That’s a brothel!” Sheyue exclaimed anxiously. “After you got drunk at the brothel, it was the Prince who carried you back. You were completely unconscious, and the Prince punished Caiyue, forbidding her from serving you.”

Li Sihui was startled, not expecting to run into Li Ji so coincidentally. Then, she said angrily, “Why does he punish my people? We are not really…” Realizing she might let something slip, she stopped abruptly, got up, and put on her shoes, saying, “He goes out every day; I do not care about his affairs, but he cares about mine.”

“No, I have to go find him!” Li Sihui finished putting on her shoes and ran angrily out of the house.