"Your Majesty, our Emperor has presented a riddle. This humble servant will distribute them to the young ladies. Whoever provides the correct answer will proceed to the next round of selection, and the ultimate winner shall become our Yunqi's honored Empress."
Qu Yang ordered the prepared riddles to be brought forth, one for each person. "Each of you will receive a riddle, and each riddle will be different. Additionally, Your Majesty the Emperor, how many noble ladies are currently betrothed but not yet married?"
The Emperor looked towards Du Shaoguang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Diplomatic Reception. Du Shaoguang immediately stood and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, there are exactly ten noble ladies who are betrothed but not yet married."
"That is perfect. My lord has prepared ten answers, and we might as well invite these ten ladies to participate. It can be considered a form of amusement," Qu Yang said gently. The person His Majesty is looking for is surely hiding from him. Since she intentionally avoids him, this method is unlikely to find her. We must try a different approach.
"Someone, deliver the answers to the ten betrothed young ladies. Ask them to write down their solutions and then bring them back."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The ladies present stared at the riddles on the paper, racking their brains, unsure of how to proceed. Some even counted their fingers, only to lose track of how many they had.
"Father, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I truly don't know," one young lady said, handing the riddle to her aging father. He took it, looked at it, then at it again, his brow furrowed. He and his daughter then proceeded to count fingers together, eventually giving up.
"Well, it seems this is not our fate. Let's give up."
The noble ladies present, after much deliberation, submitted their answers. Qu Yang reviewed each one, his gentle smile unchanging, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
A moment later, Qu Yang held up the selected answers. "Congratulations to those who answered correctly. In three days, we will present the second riddle. Ladies, please await further news."
As the envoy group departed, those who had not guessed correctly breathed a sigh of relief. Those who had, felt a mix of joy and apprehension.
Upon returning to the envoy's temporary residence, Murong Shengrui had once again vanished, heading straight for the Flying Flower Pavilion. To find her, it seemed he had to go to the pleasure houses. However, having encountered her that night, she might not frequent the Flying Flower Pavilion anymore. But Nangong Yi certainly would!
As expected, Nangong Yi arrived not long after Murong Shengrui.
"Your Highness Prince Qi." Murong Shengrui sat in the main hall. Seeing Nangong Yi arrive, he immediately raised his cup in a distant toast.
Nangong Yi rallied himself. "You, young man, frequent places of ill repute every day. Could it be that the girl you love is here at the Flying Flower Pavilion?"
"The girl I love isn't here, but there's a drinking companion!" Murong Shengrui said with a smile. "I got drunk and went to throw up that night, and when I returned, you were gone. You're unkind."
Nangong Yi heard this. "It was my fault. I'll treat today."
"That's excellent. I'm a bit short on funds myself, thinking of having a few drinks and then trying my luck at a few small gambles to earn some spending money."
"Oh, Brother Sheng also enjoys this?"
"Occasionally, just occasionally," Murong Shengrui waved his hand. "Nothing I can be proud of. I've heard Your Highness is extremely skilled at gambling. Could you help your little brother?"
"You've come to the right person. Come, brother will take you for a few rounds!" Nangong Yi pulled Murong Shengrui along towards Beauty Manor.
Beauty Manor had now become the largest and most luxurious casino in the capital. Some became instantly rich at Beauty Manor, while others lost everything. It all depended on one's luck.
Nangong Yi had once lost so much at Beauty Manor that he had no spirit left, and had to drag Xiao Man to accompany him before he could win back some of his losses. However, Nangong Yi still enjoyed gambling at Beauty Manor, not just because of the many games, but more so because the women there were always irresistible, igniting a fiery passion, making one willing to spend a fortune for them.
Within an hour at Beauty Manor, Nangong Yi and Murong Shengrui had won a significant amount of money.
"How is it, brother? Is this a good place?"
"It truly is a good place. I've been in the capital for so long, I didn't even know such a fine establishment existed. Thanks to Your Highness." Murong Shengrui smiled. "If not for you, I wouldn't have won so much money."
Nangong Yi looked at the chips in the box, suddenly losing interest. He listlessly toyed with the chips in the box. "Let's go, exchange the chips for cash, and we'll continue drinking."
"Alright." Murong Shengrui immediately exchanged the chips for money and followed Nangong Yi out of Beauty Manor. As soon as they exited, Murong Shengrui noticed they were being followed.
"Your Highness, someone is following us."
Nangong Yi glanced back. "Pay them no mind. They're likely from Beauty Manor, seeing as you're unfamiliar and want to probe your background."
"Does Your Highness know the owner of Beauty Manor?"
"I do. It's owned by the Shangguan family, the wealthiest in Jiangnan," Nangong Yi said, mentioning Shangguan Jin, and added, "This person is quite something."
"To receive your praise, he must have considerable skill."
As Nangong Yi passed a wonton stall, he sat down. "Boss, two bowls of wontons."
"Coming right up. Please wait a moment."
The boss nimbly put the wontons into the pot and prepared the broth. Once the water had boiled three times, he scooped out the wontons floating on the surface, sprinkled them with chopped scallions, and served them.
"Enjoy your meal, two esteemed guests."
Murong Shengrui did not stand on ceremony, picking up his chopsticks and eating. Seeing him eat with such delight, Nangong Yi couldn't help but smile. "I thought a young master from a wealthy family like you wouldn't enjoy such food."
"When I was young, my mother would secretly take me out to the night markets. We would eat from one end of the street to the other, and I'd be so full I could barely walk. My mother would then carry me home." Murong Shengrui looked at the wontons in his bowl, a smile on his face. "Later, when I could go out and visit the night markets on my own, she wouldn't accompany me anymore."
"You loved your mother very much, didn't you?" Nangong Yi asked as he ate.
Murong Shengrui mused, "Did I love her?"
"Of course, what child in the world doesn't love their mother?" Nangong Yi finished speaking, and the smile on his face vanished. "No, there are also children who don't love their mothers. The royal family knows nothing of parental affection."
Murong Shengrui simply smiled and continued eating his wontons. "Does Your Highness like wontons very much?"
"Mm, the woman I like, the first food she ever made for me was wontons. They were terrible, and more importantly, they weren't even made for me, yet she forced me to eat all the failed wontons she made."
"And you still liked them?" Murong Shengrui couldn't understand.
"As long as they were made by her, I liked them," Nangong Yi said, continuing to eat. "This shop is an old one, and their wontons are excellent. She even came here specifically to learn their technique when she wanted to master making wontons."