Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

In the end, Tao Yao followed Chu Huanjun to Chunfeng Tower.

Besides being unable to bear the hunger, if he really wanted to avoid a tragic ending in the future, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to start finding out about Chu Huanjun's true situation now.

To be on the safe side, Tao Yao also brought Huai Ling along, even though Huai Ling strongly refused.

This Chunfeng Tower is indeed just a building.

The eye-catching red-painted walls, the windows and terraces with ventilation on all sides, and the roof that is made up of thousands of gold-plated tiles, which is so exaggerated that it cannot be more exaggerated, shine brightly in the sun.

Even in the light snow, one could vaguely see the dancers on the terraces, each dressed in spring clothes, their slender waists swaying. Expensive gauze curtains fluttered in the breeze among the ornately carved pavilions and terraces, and countless elegant guests came and went, creating a scene of extravagance.

Tao Yao used her hands to erect a small tent in front of her eyes, gazing at the Chunfeng Tower not far away. She said in surprise, "Xiao Chu, is this the Chunfeng Tower you mentioned? Why doesn't it look like a proper place to eat?"

Chu Huanjun smiled and fanned himself, "Whether it's serious or not, we'll know when Xiaotao goes there."

He asked Tao Yao to call him Xiao Chu just out of courtesy, but he never thought that Tao Yao would find this disrespectful name so easy to pronounce. So he also had to call her Xiao Tao, a name that he thought was inappropriate and a little disrespectful, so that it would be fair.

But Tao Yao didn't seem to feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, she smiled at him cheerfully: "Okay, then you have to order me the most delicious signature dish of Chunfenglou."

Chu Huanjun couldn't help but carefully look at the unkempt woman in front of him again: she was wearing an old robe that didn't fit her well and was a bit too big for her. The loose neckline revealed her snow-white, slender neck and collarbone. Due to the cold weather, the exposed skin was frozen red, which made her look peculiarly cute.

It was the first time for him to enter and exit Chunfeng Tower with someone dressed like this, and it was probably the first time in the history of Chunfeng Tower that they had received a guest dressed like this.

As soon as Xia Yanhong, the proprietress of Chunfenglou, saw Chu Huanjun, she came forward warmly and chose a private seat by the window for them to sit down.

"Your Highness, it's been a while since you've been here. I'm afraid you've found somewhere else to have fun and have left my Chunfeng Tower alone." Xia Yanhong greeted a few girls and attentively offered Chu Huanjun wine and tea. "The girls have missed you so much."

Several beautiful girls surrounded him instantly, taking cherries and scrambling to feed them to Chu Huanjun.

Tao Yao looked at Chu Huanjun who was calm and composed among the flowers, and thought: This Chunfeng Tower is really not a serious place.

Rumor has it that the most favored prince of the Chu Dynasty was an undoubted playboy. As the current emperor's only son, the emperor naturally hoped this son, born in his old age, would rise to great responsibilities and share his burdens. Unfortunately, this playboy only loved to linger in brothels, wine alleys, and the pleasures of the court, paying no attention to the civil and military affairs of the court.

Tao Yao pretended to be relaxed as she picked up the teacup and turned her head to look at the beauties dancing on the stage. She felt a little embarrassed to look at the beauties next to her.

Xia Yanhong offered tea to Chu Huanjun and then came over to pour tea for Tao Yao. When the two looked at each other, a hint of surprise appeared on Xia Yanhong's face. Then she covered her mouth and laughed, "No wonder the prince disappeared for a long time. It turns out he has a new love."

Xia Yanhong always had a smile on her face, but it looked so fake. Tao Yao looked at her fake smile and was clearly saying: Your Majesty, your taste is too poor. How could you find such an ordinary-looking woman?

Tao Yao was about to open her mouth to explain, but Chu Huanjun on the other side refuted Xia Yanhong's words before she could, "This is General Shi's unmarried daughter. She just came here to have dinner with me today. Aunt Hong, please be careful with your words."

Xia Yanhong then bowed to Tao Yao in a sullen manner, still with a fake look of apology on her face: "Miss Shi, I was foolish and rude. I hope Miss Shi will not blame me."

Tao Yao didn't want to bother with this hypocritical girl anymore, so she waved her hand and said, "It's okay, go play with Xiao Chu."

Hearing Tao Yao address Chu Huanjun like this, Xia Yanhong's face was filled with surprise again, as if to say: Not only is he average looking, he also has no manners. The prince's vision is really bad.

Huai Ling secretly tugged at Tao Yao's clothes and whispered in her ear, "Second Miss, why don't we find an excuse to leave? If the eldest lady and the master knew we were here, we wouldn't know what to do."

Tao Yao glanced at Huai Ling, then turned to look at Chu Huanjun. He was surrounded by a group of beautiful girls, but his face was nonchalant, as if he was playing the role of Liu Xiahui.

In a flash, Tao Yao had an idea, and suddenly turned around and smiled at Chu Huanjun: "Xiao Chu, thank you for speaking up for me. But you don't know that although I'm not married yet, my wedding date is approaching."

This time, not only did Xia Yanhong's expression turn ugly, but Chu Huanjun's eyes, which had always been calm, also suddenly widened in shock.

Huai Ling tugged at the corner of Tao Yao's clothes and said anxiously, "Second Miss! What are you talking about?!"

Tao Yao quietly raised her head and stole a peek at Chu Huanjun's expression. He was still smiling, but there was an unconcealable sullenness between his eyebrows.

Chu Huanjun raised his eyebrows, folded the folding fan in his hand, and gently used the handle of the fan to knock away the arm of the beautiful woman who was caressing his right shoulder. He then used the fan to drive away the group of girls surrounding him. The smile on his face did not change, but there was a bit more coldness in his eyes.

"Oh? I haven't heard General Shi mention this before. I didn't expect Xiao Tao to be married already."

Tao Yao's mind raced, and she forced a very deliberate smile: "My father never took me seriously, so he naturally wouldn't mention me to the prince."

Chu Huanjun chuckled softly, picked out the reddest and largest cherry from the fruit bowl in front of him, and placed it in Tao Yao's hand. He then looked up at Xia Yanhong, who was stunned and said, "Auntie Hong, what are you standing there for? Bring us your best signature dish."

Xia Yanhong bowed slightly and said, "I will order someone to go down and prepare right away."

After a while, Xia Yanhong asked the servants to serve a table full of dishes, and she squeezed next to Chu Huanjun with a flattering look on her face and handed him the account book.

"The total is five hundred and eighty taels, Your Majesty. Is it the same as before?"

Chu Huanjun nodded, took the account book, scribbled a few words on it, and said, "Have you completed what I asked you to do?"

Xia Yanhong frowned and smiled: "The prince has ordered, Chunfeng Tower dare not neglect it."

Tao Yao looked at the dishes on the table in surprise: stir-fried vegetable stems, braised eggplant with sauce, steamed buns with white flour, and even the soup that took up the largest space was made with winter melon and minced meat.

These dishes would be considered shabby if placed on the dinner table of an ordinary person, but when placed in Chunfeng Tower, they are transformed into something worth five hundred and eighty taels?!

— Dark, too dark indeed. This Chunfenglou looks decent from the outside, but it turns out to be a shady place with a shady heart.

Tao Yao, unconvinced, took a spoon and dug and scooped hard in the winter melon and minced meat soup, but couldn't find a piece of formed meat. So she picked up the bowl and took a few big gulps. The soup was so bland, like the water used to wash the pot. It was not even as good as the dog food Tao Yao had snatched from Shi Mansion.

Tao Yao looked at Chu Huanjun disappointedly: "Xiao Chu, have you been ripped off? This is what you called the best signature dish of Chunfenglou?"

Chu Huanjun filled her bowl with food and said with a smile, "The most valuable thing about Chunfeng Tower has never been the food."

As soon as he finished speaking, the red gauze curtain that was originally tied in front of the round table was suddenly pulled down by someone, and a fragrant breeze blew the petals all over the table.

Tao Yao suddenly felt her head was foggy, as if she was drunk. It was strange, as she had only drunk tea.

There seemed to be a figure standing in the red veil. Suddenly, five or six musicians appeared in the room, playing zithers, flutes, and orchestral music. The ethereal music lingered in the air, enchanting the guests.

The figure in the red veil danced gracefully to the music. Her sleeves fluttered, her hair billowed like clouds. Although her features were hidden by the heavy red veil, just by looking at her dancing figure, one could tell that she was an extraordinary person.

"Remembering the plum blossoms, I went to Xizhou and picked some to send to Jiangbei. My shirt was apricot red, and my temples were the color of crow chicks. Where is Xizhou? I paddled across the bridge with two oars."

A melodious singing voice came from the red gauze. It was the dancing woman singing.

"Thinking of my lover who has not come, I look up at the flying geese. The geese fly all over the western continent, and I hope my lover goes up to the brothel. The building is too high to see, and I spend the whole day at the railing."

The red veil slowly peeled back layer by layer, revealing the figure of the woman veiled within. Her figure, as supple as a willow branch, swayed gracefully as the wind blew through the red veil. Her figure, alone, was enough to captivate any man in the world, without even needing to look at her face.

"The railings are twelve bends, and the hanging hands are as bright as jade. When the curtains are rolled up, the sky is high, and the sea water waves in the sky green."

The woman gradually stopped dancing, with her sleeves raised high, still holding the pipa and half covering her face.

At that time, many spectators gathered around Chu Huanjun's private room, all of whom came to see the dancing woman.

"The sea water is full of dreams, you are sad and so am I. The south wind knows my wishes and blows my dreams to the western island."

After the dance, the woman lifted the veil from her face and bowed slightly to everyone at the table.

"It turns out to be Miss Jingshuang!" Someone in the audience immediately recognized her and shouted.

Anjing Shuang is a legendary figure in Chunfeng Tower.

Legend has it that she has a transcendent appearance, like a fairy; legend has it that one of her dances is worth a fortune, and only the most powerful and wealthy people in the capital can afford her to dance on stage; legend has it that she rejected all the wealthy men in the capital and stayed in Chunfeng Tower wholeheartedly, just to wait for her destined partner.

In an instant, a crowd of spectators flocked to the stage, vying to say even a word to the beautiful girl.

Tao Yao was almost flattened into a meat patty by this group of men who went crazy when they saw a beautiful woman. She and Huai Ling pulled each other with all her might and squeezed to the edge.

Only then did Tao Yao see that Chu Huanjun had already sneaked out of the crowd without anyone noticing. He was now leisurely leaning on the jade railing, fanning himself with a cup of steaming fragrant tea in his hand.

He waved his hand over here and clearly said: Xiaotao, come here.

Regardless of Huai Ling's desperate attempts to dissuade her by grabbing her sleeve, Tao Yao actually walked towards Chu Huanjun.

Chu Huanjun handed the cup of fragrant tea to Tao Yao and pointed at An Jingshuang on the table. "This is Chunfenglou's best signature dish. What do you think, Xiaotao?"

Tao Yao looked in the direction of his finger. Although the beautiful girl named An Jingshuang was busy responding to the chattering guests, she seemed to always glance in their direction.

Tao Yao nodded: "She is very beautiful."

Chu Huanjun reminded her: "Is it just beautiful? Nothing else?"