"Doctor Zhao, Doctor Zhao! What are you thinking about?" Wan Licai shouted in my ear a few times, instantly yanking me back from my thoughts about chicken matters.

Without realizing it, Zhang Guan and his father had already stood before me, both beaming with smiles. Wan Licai continued, "Doctor Zhao, let me introduce you - this is Commander Zhang Shuren of Zhongdu Wei, the Right General who's also Commander Zhang's son, Left Deputy Commander Qi Hao, Right Deputy Commander Sheng Tian, and General Du Cheng."

Qi Hao, Sheng Tian and Du Cheng weren't particularly remarkable figures. Except for the elder Sheng Tian, the others were in their thirties - clearly part of the younger generation. Yet since all five Zhongdu Wei divisions operated under Chancellor Pang's control, they wouldn't be any better than common scoundrels either. But no matter if they were good or bad birds now, I had to deal with them first things first.

After brief greetings, Zhang Shuren laughed heartily and said, "Doctor Zhao's medical skills have already become famous across both cities. If my junior ever needs treatment in the future, I hope Master Zhao would give me some assistance."

Wan Licai smiled slyly, "Commander Zhang, you're talking like we're strangers now? We should address each other as brothers from now on - Doctor Zhao certainly won't leave anyone to die without help." This Wan Licai was clearly assuming I'd align with Chancellor Pang. His tone seemed unusually arrogant.

Before I could object, Zhang Guan suddenly protested. To him, weren't we becoming uncles and nephews? He said, "I've known Master Zhao for years - we've always kept brotherly ties. If my father ever needs medical help in the future, just based on our previous friendship alone, Doctor Zhao certainly won't turn his back."

I explained quickly, "Of course! When I was treating Princess Xu Chen, I often met General Zhang. The talking bird your general presented - all three princesses loved it dearly!"

Zhang Guan's face brightened at that. That bird wasn't originally his capture; one of his men had forcibly bought it from the market instead. Using a single cage to charm three princesses was a clever move even Chancellor Pang wouldn't have thought of.

Wan Licai figured Zhang Guan didn't want to lose status in front of everyone. He smiled and said, "Everyone, as they say - on the battlefield there are no fathers or sons. Since we're all working for His Majesty and Chancellor Pang now, let's forget about titles altogether. Zhongdu Wei's military drills have finished - shouldn't we go eat?"

It was way too early for lunch, but I didn't want to get entangled with these people. Unfortunately, Wan Licai and Zhang Shuren treated me with such warm insistence that refusing would surely cause problems in the future. Reluctantly, I followed them down from the city wall where twenty or so bodyguards led us to an extremely luxurious restaurant.

The building had two floors. Its grandeur matched a five-star hotel on Earth - though all I could read was one character of the name "Flowers". The space was vast; there were no tables for casual diners in the first floor dining hall, suggesting they didn't serve ordinary customers at all.

"Oh! If it isn't Minister Wan and Commander Zhang! Hey, you two actually came together? Quick, please come in!" When we entered, a middle-aged attractive woman with decent looks waddled out to greet us immediately. From the exaggerated tone of her voice and gestures, she reminded me too much of an old madam from ancient brothels - it made my skin crawl just watching her.

Wan Licai's face darkened as he said coldly, "Madam Hua, the usual place, the usual rules - less talk, more action."

It seemed Minister Wan was a regular here. The madam giggled, "You got it! You got it! On the second floor in the Double Stars Accompanying the Moon Hall. We'll serve you with finest wine and delicacies as always, those girls will be the usual ones. Boys, lead our honored guests upstairs to have some tea first!"

At this moment, a chill ran down my spine. This place was definitely a brothel! I had never visited one in my life - neither on Earth nor before coming here. All the women I'd spent time with eventually became my wives. There was only one exception that involved testing poisons by a strange priestess - but this situation today felt even worse. Zhang Shuren and his son were both coming together! How could I handle this? If Yun Yao or Linglong found out about me being here, would they let me live? At least Linglong wasn't with me today, though Li Dapian had an ironclad mouth. It should be okay if I just give her some instructions later... But stepping one foot inside and turning back now would look ridiculous - better to go in.

"Doctor Zhao, please follow," Wan Licai and Zhang Shuren politely gestured toward me.

The madam quickly realized the main guest was this handsome young master. Her face lit up as if two opposing magnets suddenly aligned perfectly. She stuck close to me with her soft, pendulous bosom pinching my arm in between, deliberately rubbing it twice to make sure I felt every touch. "What a handsome young master you are! What should we call you?" she cooed in an unnaturally tender voice.

I shivered involuntarily - being tense at first visit was natural enough, but as someone with many wives already, how could such little tricks intimidate me? If I showed fear now, wouldn't Zhang Guan and the others mock me? Steeling my nerves, I coolly pushed her aside and said, "I'm Zhao Qian from the Imperial Medical Institute. Madam Hua has a very full figure - but... time has passed and you're not interesting to me anymore."

Wan Licai and Zhang Shuren exchanged glances. They originally expected me to feign innocence or protest my moral superiority, yet I immediately adapted to local customs instead. The initial tension between them eased slightly as Wan Licai waved toward the madam and said, "Go on, go on! Bring a younger girl over - don't soil Doctor Zhao's hands!"

"Oh! So this is Master Zhao who can revive the dead? What an honor you've done to our Flowers of Heaven and Wine Hall! Girls, girls come quickly! The miracle doctor who saves lives has arrived at our Flowers of Heaven..."

Sweating slightly. This shop had a very direct name - it was called "Flowers of Heaven". After some noise from the madam, a group of beautiful women emerged behind a screen. They were truly gorgeous beauties - no wonder Double Kingdom produced famous beauties. Yet their class paled in comparison to my wives.

As expected, Minister Wan didn't pay attention to her overzealous flattery and led the way upstairs. But suddenly a turtleboy rushed down from above and whispered something into the madam's ear. Her pretty face darkened instantly. "What? This girl was so bold! The Double Stars Accompanying Moon Hall is reserved for Minister Wan every day - how could she book it out to someone else?"

Minister Wan wasn't energetic but had sharp ears. He took two steps back on the stairs and said, "Madam Hua, today's guests are all important customers. Are you saying your Treasury Department doesn't have more face than this Dan?"

Of course, this place belonged to Dan. It made sense - who could open such an entertainment venue without someone protecting them? An internal prince and the second son among Eight Princes opening a five-star brothel wasn't difficult at all.

The turtleboy seemed delighted by misfortune nearby. He probably offended that girl upstairs earlier and was now waiting to watch what happened next. Zhang Shuren, standing closest to him, didn't seem to care about showing off his authority - he remained silent but suddenly kicked a powerful leg out. The happy turtleboy rolled over twice from the kick, causing several girls to scream in terror.

Zhang Guan originally wanted to change into civilian clothes before going upstairs. Now that he stood forward, he roared authoritatively, "Beat him! You ignorant dog slaves think we Zhongdu Wei can't enforce our authority even in the central city? Even those guys from former capital defense would give us face!"

When I met Zhang Guan several times before at the inner palace, he always behaved politely. I had already asked people to investigate their father-son's conduct patterns to avoid being deceived by that little eunuch who led me there earlier. But now seeing this with my own eyes, their official authority was indeed formidable.

The madam was terrified by Zhang Guan's armored appearance. She knew exactly who these people were - Zhongdu Wei were the emperor's personal guards within his personal guards! Zhang Shuren and Wan Lic

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