Chapter 51: Acting Like a Bunch of Country Bumpkins

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang and his two companions were men of broad experience. After a brief moment of surprise, they quickly recovered their composure, otherwise they truly would have made fools of themselves.

After a brief inspection, Zhu Yuanzhang chose the one among the dozen women who possessed the most pleasing appearance, followed closely by Tang He and Fu Youde, who made their selections in turn.

Once all three had chosen, the remaining women withdrew.

The leading woman let out a giggling laugh, said, "I wish you gentlemen a wonderful time," and also stepped outside.

The three female attendants who remained immediately shifted into professional mode, walking over to Zhu Yuanzhang and his companions dragging three small boxes.

Just as they began to move, however, Fu Youde bolted upright from the bed.

"You... what are you doing? This isn't a massage, why are you taking off my shoes?"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Tang He also furrowed their brows, pulling their legs back with visible awkwardness.

The technician assigned to serve Fu Youde covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled softly for a moment before explaining, "Sir! This is the rule of our establishment. First, we soak your feet. Rest assured, the soaking water has been specially prepared by imperial physicians; after soaking, it allows your entire body to completely relax. Only then will we proceed with the massage, so as to achieve the best possible results."

Upon hearing this, the three old men instantly felt their faces burn red.

It turned out that the three of them were merely country bumpkins after all.

Fu Youde sheepishly lay back down, his face flushed as he fell silent, leaving himself entirely at the mercy of the technician.

In a short while, three contented sighs of "Ah, wonderful!" echoed through the room.

Meanwhile.

Up on the fourth floor.

"Your Highness, this... isn't this far too luxurious? How is it that I feel even the imperial palace cannot compare to this place?" Lan Yu could not help but click his tongue in astonishment as he gazed at the scene before him.

Having considered himself well-acquainted with worldly splendors—having even shared the bed of a Northern Yuan imperial consort—Lan Yu looked out at a floor lavishly decorated with glass, crystal, and even precious jewels everywhere he cast his eye, and instantly felt that all the luxuries he had witnessed in the past were utter nonsense.

"Haha! Your Grace the Duke of Liang jests. How could this humble place possibly compare to the imperial palace?" The woman replied with a seemingly modest demeanor, though her eyes sparkled brightly.

Zhu Yuanzhang's grandson, Zhu Yunsong, cast a fierce glare at her and said, "Enough! Go and manage the matters of the auction! You are not needed to worry about things here."

"Heehee! Understood, Your Highness." The woman seemed entirely unafraid of Zhu Yunsong; she teased him with a light laugh before turning on her heel and leaving.

Not until the woman had stepped into the elevator did Lan Yu swallow hard with a loud gulp and snap back to his senses.

He could not resist looking over the entire fourth floor once more before turning his gaze to Zhu Yunsong and asking, "Your Highness, could this place... could this place possibly belong to you?"

"Mm! This place is indeed my property," Zhu Yunsong made no attempt to conceal it.

He smiled and nodded toward the elevator, adding, "However, it is mostly managed by Feifei. I rarely have to trouble myself with it."

"Oh! Right, I almost forgot to mention! Feifei is the youngest daughter of Shen Wansan. Back then, seeing how pitiful she was, I asked my Imperial Grandfather for her to be my personal maid."

Hiss~

Lan Yu could not help drawing a sharp intake of breath, finally understanding how Zhu Yunsong, despite keeping a low profile within the Eastern Palace, managed to possess such massive enterprises.

With her being Shen Wansan's daughter, that alone was enough to gauge just how formidable the commercial talent of the woman who had just left must be.

"Let's go, Uncle-in-law. Today, I will let you truly experience the charm of this mortal paradise."

With these words, Zhu Yunsong stepped forward.

Lan Yu hurriedly followed close behind.

Moments later, the two of them arrived inside a private chamber spanning easily over a hundred square meters.

As soon as he stepped through the threshold, Lan Yu was struck dumb once again, standing frozen at the entrance and staring blankly at the wall.

"Uncle-in-law, what are you staring at?" Zhu Yunsong turned back, struggling to suppress a smile as he asked.

Lan Yu, however, wore the expression of someone who had just seen a ghost. He extended a trembling finger toward the wall and stammered, "Th-this... what sort of sorcery is this, why does it seem to suck me inside?"

It was not that Lan Yu lacked worldly experience; what hung on the wall was simply a plate-glass mirror. Yet even though Lan Yu had laid eyes on the finest mirrors under heaven, he had never beheld one capable of reflecting a person with such flawless and absolute clarity.

Furthermore, former bronze mirrors were at best the size of a washbasin, whereas the mirror before Lan Yu was a full person's height tall.

"Haha! Uncle-in-law, that is a mirror! It is a rare treasure I had people painstakingly scour from tens of thousands of miles across the seas to acquire," Zhu Yunsong explained with a smile, laughing uproariously inside.

If a mere ordinary glass mirror could evoke such a reaction, this truly was the most wonderful of eras!

Hearing that it was a priceless treasure, Lan Yu instinctively reached out to touch it, only to freeze halfway and pull his hand back.

After hesitating several times, he finally tore his gaze away with extreme reluctance and shifted it elsewhere.

Yet at that single glance, his eyes snapped to a halt once more.

"Th-this..."

He stammered and sputtered for a long while, utterly incapable of forming a complete sentence.

The dignified Duke of Liang stood transfixed, staring fixedly at an object displayed before him.

After a full half-moment, Lan Yu finally recovered somewhat, turning his head to look at Zhu Yunsong with profound shock: "Your Highness! Is... is this a glazed jade sculpture?"

It was not that Lan Yu had never seen glassware before; he had a glazed jade thumb-ring bestowed upon him by Zhu Yuanzhang, said to be a tribute item from a foreign realm across the seas, which Zhu Yuanzhang himself usually treasured beyond measure.

Yet the glazed piece in his possession was merely the size of a palm, utterly incomparable to the giant glazed sculpture standing a full person's height high before him.

Clap, clap, clap—

Zhu Yunsong raised a hand and patted the glazed Pixiu sculpture, explaining with a smile, "Uncle-in-law, this was also brought back from overseas by me. If you fancy it, later I can have Feifei search the other chambers to see if there is a pair of lion or Suanni sculptures, and have them sent over to be placed at your manor's gates."

"No, no, no! Such a precious object, I couldn't possibly!" Though Lan Yu said he shouldn't, his gaze remained glued to the Pixiu sculpture, unable to tear away.

"Come now, Uncle-in-law! No matter how rare an object may be, it is still just an object. You and I are genuine, close blood relatives; even a value of ten thousand pieces of gold cannot outweigh the bond between us, don't you agree?" Zhu Yunsong laughed as he pulled Lan Yu closer.

A trace of guilt surfaced on Lan Yu's face as he nodded and said, "Quite right! From now on, anyone who dares oppose you, Yunsong, is going against me. Your uncle will make sure to crush them."

"That's the way, Uncle-in-law! Without your support, Yunsong could never have attained the status I have today. I will certainly never treat you poorly in the future," Zhu Yunsong chuckled.

Beside them, Ma Sanbao was practically dying of suppressed laughter, his shoulders trembling continuously.

Oh, Your Highness, Your Highness!

You really know how to pull off a scam. This stuff fired from sand costs at most two liang of silver to make, yet you dare claim it's worth ten thousand gold.

The Duke of Liang is truly pitiful, so easily hoodwinked by His Highness over such trinkets.

Zhu Yunsong shot a fierce glare back at Ma Sanbao, then pulled Lan Yu past the screen.

Instantly, Lan Yu's eyes lit up once more.

Arranged within the private chamber was a completely transparent bed, flanked by several breathtaking beauties whose figures, facial features, and attire were entirely unprecedented.

The beauties wore delicate, subtle makeup, possessed graceful and slender waists, and every subtle expression and smile seemed imbued with endless, captivating charm.

Their outfits were all uniquely distinct.

Cheongsams, pleated skirts, professional uniforms...

In short, they were styles Lan Yu had never laid eyes on before, each garment brimming with ultimate temptation, as though designed to summon forth every ounce of masculine desire from within.