Laughing, the host always wants to escape

Hearing his question, Hong Tao sighed, "Okay, I'll tell you the truth. Hong Xiu was redeemed by a young man from an aristocratic family a few days ago. Many of my guests at Yanyu Pavilion came for her. Now that she's gone, my business has become more difficult."

"So that's why you're holding this new courtesan selection ceremony?" My goodness, are you using me to attract traffic?

"Yes, I knew it the first time I saw you by the river. Your appearance alone is enough to shake the entire capital, but..." Hongtao seemed to have something to hide.

"But what?"

"If you want to attract the attention of Prince Rong'an, appearance alone is far from enough. His Highness likes people who are well-read and elegant. I wonder how you sing the tune?" Hong Tao looked at him expectantly.

Ugh... this doesn't make any sense...

"Um...is it enough to just be able to sing?" Tang Cuo pursed his lips.

"Singing? What tune is that?" Hong Tao asked puzzledly.

Oh, I forgot you didn’t understand.

"It's a popular tune in our place." Tang Cuo raised his hand and scratched his head.

"How about you sing it first, and I'll make a decision for you after I listen to it?" Hong Tao looked into his eyes.

"Uh... okay." Tangcuo stretched out his legs, then made a gesture of holding a microphone with one hand, then took a deep breath and sang loudly:

"Don't look at me as just a sheep. Sheep are so smart that it's hard to imagine. The sky becomes bluer for me, and xxxxx smells better..." Oops, I forgot the words...

"Pleasant Goat, Beautiful Goat, Lazy Goat, a group of sheep, ahhhh." Okay, after a few rounds of singing, Tang Cuo put down his hands and looked at the woman in front of him with hope.

"How is it? Does it sound good?" This was a must-order song in my childhood.

"Uh..." Hong Tao's eyes twitched, and then he put his palm in front of his mouth and coughed twice, "I don't know where this tune comes from, but it sounds quite... cheerful."

“This is from Yang Village.”

"Yangcun? What village is that?"

Forget it, you won’t understand even if I tell you, “It’s just an ordinary village, so what? Can we capture King Rong’an?”

"Well...actually, other children from noble families are also very good. Why don't you take a look at them?" Hong Tao tried to speak as tactfully as possible.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I actually still have a lot of room for improvement." Tang Cuo pursed his lips: After all, there are still three days left.

"Sister Hongtao, will Prince Rong'an come on the day of the courtesan selection?" Tang Cuo asked.

"I think so. We in Yanyu Pavilion have widely invited the children of all the noble families in the capital, and of course we have also sent the invitations to Prince Rong'an's mansion." Hong Tao paused.

Okay, as long as I have this news...

"But don't hold out too much hope..."

"What do you mean?" Tang Cuo looked at her and asked.

"I heard that several assassins have sneaked into Puyang Dynasty recently and wanted to assassinate His Royal Highness Prince Rong'an, but they were caught. His Royal Highness is dealing with the matter now." Hong Tao narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Ahem." Hearing this, Tang Cuo coughed violently. He raised his hand and patted his chest. "Um... Sister Hongtao, do you know what happens to an assassin from a foreign country if he is caught?"

"It depends on who he assassinated. If he killed the emperor, it should be a very severe punishment, such as being torn apart by a chariot, being cut in half, or beheaded. It's not so bad."

“Alright, alright, alright…alright?” Tang Cuo’s mind kept flashing back to the scene she described: several big men holding him down, and then…

"Yeah, that's considered a relatively quick way to die. If it was His Royal Highness Prince Rong'an who was killed, he probably wouldn't be able to die even if he wanted to." Hong Tao shrugged, then turned his head to look outside the door and whispered in his ear.

"Although this is not a secret, there are many people in my Yanyu Pavilion who are talkative, so it is better to be cautious. His Royal Highness Prince Rong'an has a prison that is comparable to the Dali Temple. I heard that the tortures there are even worse than those in the Dali Temple..."

"Oh my god..." Tang Cuo exclaimed in surprise.

"You want to go? You can't go. If you go, you won't come back alive."

...I am speechless

"I understand. I won't go." Tang Cuo swallowed and retorted.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. You should prepare for the Oiran competition in three days. These are not things you should be thinking about. In the next few days, I will let Lan Ju teach you etiquette, so you should learn it well." With that, Hong Tao took a few steps back, then turned and left.

Tang Cuo was the only one left in the huge room. He sighed, "Xiao Ye, if I am discovered by him, can the system save me?"

[This... the system cannot interfere with matters between planes, so the host still needs to be more careful.]

"I knew it. It's useless to ask you." Tang Cuo stood up and turned around. "But, to be honest, was the singing I just did really that bad?"

[…It’s OK, I can accept it.]

"Let me tell you, this is the sound of nature, but you don't know how to appreciate it. I'm speechless."

"Xiao Ye, do you think Prince Rong'an really doesn't want to inherit the throne? Then why does he still want to hold the military power in his hands? And with so many ministers in the court, isn't there any one who objects?" Tang Cuo kept muttering.

At the same time, in the Rong'an Palace...

Mu Hanqing stood in front of the sycamore tree in the yard, teasing the goldfish swimming in the pond nearby.

He was dressed in blue with a gold belt around his waist, and the wide hem of his robe hung down at his feet.

Suddenly, a breeze blew a few leaves off the tree and they fell into the pond. He turned slightly and looked at the man in black who had appeared in front of him at some point.

The man in black half-knelt on the ground, one hand on his chest, and nodded slightly, "Your Majesty."

"Have those people given in?" Mu Hanqing leaned on the edge of the pond, his pair of affectionate eyes slightly raised.

"Not yet. I am still interrogating you."

"Let's put it aside for now if we can't get the answer. I recently caught a more interesting fish. How is the emperor doing? I heard that there was heavy rain in Jinzhou and many houses were flooded? But no one in the court asked for disaster relief?" Mu Hanqing couldn't help but frowned when he mentioned this.

"Yes, the Secretary of the Secretariat, the Minister of Rites... and some civil officials in the court all found excuses to shirk their responsibilities." The man in black replied truthfully.

"Heh." Mu Hanqing sneered, "Put pressure on them. If I don't hear anyone volunteering to go to the disaster relief in the hall tomorrow, these people don't have to show up in the hall anymore."

"Yes, I will do it right away. By the way... Your Majesty, there is one more thing..."

"what's up?"

"Yanyu Pavilion will hold a beauty pageant in three days, and has sent an invitation to our Rong Palace. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to go?"

"Go, I just happen to have nothing to do. Mingshuo, in recent days, you must strengthen the management of the imperial guards in the capital. Some villains are still ambitious. You must protect the safety of the emperor." Mu Hanqing turned around and continued to tease the fish in the pond.

"Yes, my subordinates will definitely handle it."