Chapter 130: Eldest Son

Chapter 130: The Eldest Son

"Auntie,"

Xu Feixin called out cautiously.

"Mm,"

Chen Yuhu picked up her teacup, moistened her lips, and set it down again.

"Speak your mind. I own half the shares in Minglou. Everyone who enters here is my person."

Xu Feixin was surprised once more.

"And the other half?"

"It’s with the Eldest Princess, though outsiders are unaware."

Xu Feixin had been shocked so many times that she had grown numb.

Chen Yuhu grew drowsy, and A Man drew near, letting her lean entirely against him.

Xu Feixin didn’t know where to look.

A pair of hands reached out, offering her a cup of osmanthus wine.

"Madam, please try this. It’s Boss Yu’s favorite."

Xu Feixin carefully picked up the cup.

A Man, holding Chen Yuhu, asked, "What time does the play start?"

Someone immediately replied, "In another fifteen minutes."

Hearing this, A Man scooped Chen Yuhu up and carried her into the inner room.

Xu Feixin instinctively reached out to stop him but was held back by another pair of hands. "It’s fine. A Man is just taking the boss to rest for a while."

Xu Feixin was no naive young woman unfamiliar with the ways of the world.

Though a foolish young woman, she understood what was happening.

Hearing no unusual noises from the inner room, Xu Feixin finally relaxed.

Sitting there, she pondered for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.

She couldn’t stop herself.

How absurd! What did people say outside? That she was deeply in love with Marquis Lin...

An exemplary matriarch, widely praised... Marquis Zhongyong, who was henpecked, and his harmonious marriage...

The more Xu Feixin thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. The world had gone mad.

But... her aunt must be living quite happily.

Xu Feixin sat quietly. Since Chen Yuhu was sleeping in the inner room, everyone remained silent.

Though surrounded by people, Xu Feixin felt uneasy yet also a peculiar sense of peace.

Especially when, through a sheer curtain, she caught a glimpse of Chen Yuhu sleeping inside.

The male slave named A Man sat carefully by the couch, gazing at Chen Yuhu intently like a loyal dog.

Xu Feixin chatted softly with a round-faced young man.

Soon, the young man’s address for her changed from "Madam" to "Sister."

From the young man, Xu Feixin learned that many ladies of status came here for entertainment.

However, most of the performers here sold their art, not their bodies.

Those who did sell themselves had their regular patrons, and it required mutual consent.

Since the other owner of the establishment was the Eldest Princess, nobody dared cause trouble.

Xu Feixin laughed again, suddenly realizing how foolish she had been.

She also regretted not befriending her aunt earlier.

Just as the main performance was about to begin, A Man gently tugged Chen Yuhu’s hand. "Sister, the play is starting. It’s time to wake up."

At that moment, Xu Feixin saw many women wearing veiled hats (mílí) taking their seats in the theater below.

Xu Feixin asked curiously, "Why?"

The round-faced young man, named Qiu Shi, smiled and said, "Are you asking why they don’t choose private boxes?"

Sitting in the main hall, even with veiled hats, there was a chance of being recognized.

But Qiu Shi explained, "There’s no need. Most of these ladies know each other. They wear veiled hats not to hide their identities but to remind each other that here, they are patrons, and outside, they return to being respectable ladies of their households."

"They sit in the main hall to be closer to the stage—because they enjoy it."

"If you’re interested, you can ask Sister later if she’ll allow you to go down."

Xu Feixin nodded obediently.

Soon, she saw Chen Yuhu being brought out by A Man.

It wasn’t an ordinary carry—Chen Yuhu was sitting on A Man’s shoulders.

Her aunt’s gilded hair ornaments were gone, her dark hair flowing loose, her face tired as she yawned.

But Xu Feixin felt that her aunt was different now, utterly transformed.

This wasn’t the aunt who wept for her children at the Chen residence, nor the one who scolded concubines at the Han residence. This was simply herself.

She was Chen Yuhu, and she was also her aunt.

At that moment, Xu Feixin didn’t yet realize that what she was seeing was simply Chen Yuhu, freed from all the constraints of her identities.

Chen Yuhu had long since taken off her luxurious outer robe in the inner room, leaving only her pale blue inner garments, which made her look very young.

If Chen Yuhu knew what Xu Feixin was thinking, she would tell her, "I’ve always been young."

A Man watched as Chen Yuhu sat down, then obediently took a seat beside her. Chen Yuhu leaned comfortably against him.

Xu Feixin watched silently. She had already had enough surprises for one day and decided it was best to just observe.

A Man picked up a piece of fruit and handed it to Chen Yuhu, who took it and bit into it.

Qiu Shi, seeing this, clapped.

The server who came in swapped out some of the dried fruit plates on the table with snacks that Chen Yuhu liked, including beef jerky.

However, this beef jerky was provided by the Eldest Princess.

Only members could enjoy it.

Although outsiders were unaware, Chen Yuhu and the Eldest Princess were now on good terms.

They also brought up two more jugs of wine.

A bell chimed, and Xu Feixin instinctively turned to look.

A burly man, covered in chains, approached them, followed by several young men dressed in various styles.

Xu Feixin once again lost her composure.

The leading man knelt down before Chen Yuhu, poured her a cup of wine, and respectfully handed it to her.

The man was wearing even less fabric than A Man, with only a piece of pinkish-red cloth used to... well... cover his privates.

Chen Yuhu tugged on the chain hanging from the man’s chest and suddenly smiled. "Is this the latest creation of the Eldest Son?"

Everyone knew she was a princess, but at Minglou, people still preferred to call her the Eldest Son.

"Not bad, I like it. It's so like our Eldest Son."

The man smiled, glanced at A Man, whom Chen Yuhu was leaning against, but said nothing.

Instead, he brought up something else. "These are the newcomers at Minglou. Would you like to take a look, Madam?"

Chen Yuhu lazily rested her chin in her hand, leaning on the tea table, and examined them one by one. "Not bad. Luoshu always has good taste. You, Qingzhu, and Qiushi have all done well."

"Only A Man is a bit too playful."

The man covered in chains, called Luoshu, lowered his head and chuckled. "It’s fine. With you here, A Man is lucky to remain like this."

Chen Yuhu raised her eyebrows slightly but said nothing. Instead, she stood up, walked to the side, and casually picked up an outer robe.

She walked behind Luoshu and draped it over his shoulders.

"I see it. Luoshu, you look beautiful today. There’s no need to go about your duties like this. I know you don’t like it."

"I’ve said it before—Luoshu can wear clothes."

In fact, most of the managers here were appointed and managed by Chen Yuhu, with the exception of Qingzhu. After catching the Eldest Princess’s eye, he served her exclusively.

The Eldest Princess held half the shares of Minglou without spending a single coin and had so many handsome men attending to her—why wouldn’t she be content?

And with the Eldest Princess around, Chen Yuhu never had to worry about anything else.

Not even Lin Ji could change that.