BSI Chapter 66 The Guest
Chapter 66 The Guest
On Qianmen Street, next to the west side of Juxianju, there is a two-story building.
The building isn't tall, but its location is excellent. The second-floor windows facing the street directly overlook the main and side entrances of Juxianju, offering a commanding view.
The small building used to be a silk shop, and the owner was from the south. The business was quite prosperous a few years ago.
Later, the gambling dens in Juxianju grew bigger and bigger, and the rents of the entire street increased. The silk shop had thin profits and could not withstand the pressure, so it closed down.
The shop had been vacant for three or four months. There were "For Rent" signs on the door, but the paper had turned yellow and no one was interested in taking it over.
Yin'e had Yin De rent the small building in advance.
It was registered under the name of a silk merchant in the capital. Three months' rent was paid, the key was obtained, and the interior was tidied up simply.
The first floor was piled with miscellaneous items, while a large room on the second floor was set up with a table, a few chairs, and a bamboo recliner.
The windows were covered by thin gauze curtains, so you couldn't see inside from the outside, but you could see outside clearly from the inside.
At this moment, Yin'e was lying on a bamboo recliner, fanning himself with a folding fan, with a cup of freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea on his lap.
The tea soup was emerald green, and wisps of steam rose slowly in the sweltering afternoon air.
More than an hour has passed since the farce at the Lao Lai Teahouse ended.
The "accident" of arguing in the street was a success. Gao Mengyuan didn't suspect anything, and Batu's acting was just right.
Now, Gao Mengyuan has agreed to wait for Batu on the third floor of Juxianju tonight.
The first step of the plan has been successfully implemented.
Next, it's up to Yin De and Batu.
Yin De went out in the afternoon, taking several trusted men from the mansion with him to scout out and set up sentries in the alleys near Juxianju.
We need to figure out which alley leads to which place, which location is a good hiding spot, and which route is the fastest for evacuation.
Batu's side is also ready, just waiting for nightfall.
Yin'e shook his fan, turned over on the recliner, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
The tea was no longer hot; it was lukewarm, just right for drinking.
He leaned back in the bamboo chair, closed his eyes, and hummed a little tune softly.
"Chrysanthemums wither, wounds cover the ground, and your smile has faded..."
Fuquan squatted to the side, his hands supporting his chin, listening intently.
His eyes were wide open, his mouth was slightly agape, and he seemed frozen in place, completely motionless.
He had never heard this kind of music before. It wasn't the kind of singing he heard in opera houses or teahouses; it was something completely new and unfamiliar that made his heart tremble.
After humming a section, Yin'e stopped, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of water.
Fuquan then came to his senses and cautiously asked, "Tenth Master, what song are you singing? It sounds really nice."
"This servant has been in the capital for so many years, and has never heard such a tune before."
Yin'e glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "You want to learn?"
Fu Quan paused for a moment, then nodded frantically.
He had served by the Tenth Master's side for several years, but he had never heard the Tenth Master sing, let alone learned to sing.
But the tune was so beautiful that it made his throat itch, and he wanted to hum along.
Yin'e looked at him and suddenly remembered something.
Fuquan is only eighteen years old this year, and his voice is thin and high-pitched when he speaks.
He was castrated at a young age. After the castration, his testosterone was gone, and his voice remained forever in his teenage years, high-pitched and clear.
Yin'e had read a saying in his previous life.
Castrato singers in medieval Europe were castrated before puberty, thus preserving their high-pitched and clear childlike voices.
After training, they can sing in a range that ordinary people cannot reach.
The voices of those castrato singers were as pure as angels and as high-pitched as swords; they were the most precious "instruments" of that era.
He looked Fuquan up and down, his gaze moving from Fuquan's fair face to his throat before returning to his own.
Fuquan felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. He touched his face, then looked down at himself to make sure everything was alright before timidly asking, "Tenth Master, what are you looking at?"
Yin'e smiled but did not answer.
He wondered if Fuquan could really become the "King of Pop" of this era?
"Okay, I'll teach you when we get back," he said, waving his fan.
Fuquan's eyes lit up immediately. He nodded vigorously, his mouth stretching to his ears, revealing two rows of white teeth.
"Hehe, thank you, Tenth Master!"
He stood up from the ground, dusted off his knees, and began to sing along with the tune that Yin'e had just hummed.
"Chrysanthemums wither, leaving only scars on the ground..."
Although he hadn't received any training and sang a bit off-key, his clean and pure voice was impossible to hide.
As Yin'e listened, he unconsciously started clapping along.
The sun had moved from the east to the west, and the light squeezing through the cracks in the window changed from bright white to golden yellow.
The temperature inside the room rose higher and higher, like a giant steamer.
Fu Quan wiped the sweat from his face; his back was soaked through, and his gray-blue short jacket clung to his skin, feeling stuffy and sticky.
He glanced at the sun outside the window, then at Yin'e who was humming a song with his eyes closed, and finally couldn't help but ask cautiously:
"Tenth Master, why are we here so early? Didn't you say the main event is tonight? It's still early before dark, and sitting here like this is unbearably hot."
Yin'e opened his eyes and glanced at him.
"You don't know this, do you? The earlier you come here, the safer you are."
Come back at night, when there are many people and suspicious eyes on the street. Where did you come from? People can easily find out that you came for Juxianju.
Now, just walk in, swagger in, and nobody will think twice. Who would care if someone walked into an empty shop in broad daylight?
Fu Quan paused for a moment, thought about it, and realized that this was indeed the case.
"And..." Yin'e paused, his gaze falling towards the window, "I'm waiting for someone."
"Waiting for someone?" Fuquan blinked. "Who are you waiting for?"
Yin'e revealed a mysterious smile.
Just as he was about to speak, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the top of the stairs, thumping heavily on the wooden stairs.
Along with the footsteps came a heavy breathing sound.
"Speak of the devil and he appears." Yin'e chuckled, stood up, straightened his clothes, and headed towards the stairwell.
"Oh dear, tenth brother, what are you doing? The Imperial Household Department just sent over some ice, and I was just about to take a nap with it!"
"In this sweltering heat, why did you drag me out of the icebox?" The Ninth Prince Yin Tang's voice came from the stairwell, carrying a strong sense of dissatisfaction and complaint.
His round body emerged from the stairwell, his face covered in sweat and shiny with oil.
"Ninth Brother, you should complain less." Another voice came from the stairwell.
The footsteps of the Eighth Prince, Yinzhi, then began, their rhythm much more steady than that of his younger brother.
Although he was also hot, he seemed much more composed than his brother.
His face was also covered in sweat, but only a thin layer, unlike Lao Jiu who was drenched in sweat.
He also held a folding fan in his hand, but he didn't wave it. He just held it in his hand and occasionally fanned himself in front of his chest with elegant movements.
"And I'd like to say, Ninth Brother, shouldn't you lose some of that extra weight?"