On their first day out of the palace, Ankang and Princess Yuan An had a very enjoyable time.
Accompanied by the sound of the gong signaling the market's closing, the group reluctantly departed from the East Market.
It wasn't that the East Market completely closed down at night.
On the contrary, a more prosperous and lively nightlife was about to begin.
Many people who had just finished work hurriedly ran into the East Market, guided by the sound of the gong.
After the gong sounded three hundred times, it would be curfew.
At that time, no one was allowed to walk freely on the main roads; violators would be arrested by the patrolling Wuhou, imprisoned for three days, and then given twenty planks before being released.
For repeat offenders, the punishments became increasingly severe, eventually even leading to beheading.
After curfew, although people were not allowed to wander on the main roads, they could still move freely within the wards.
For example, in the East Market, as long as one entered before curfew, one could safely stay and enjoy themselves until the market opened the next day.
Therefore, many people used the excuse that they couldn't leave before the market closed, and thus were "forced" to stay in the East Market for a night.
Of course, twelve out of ten people who said this were talking nonsense.
Why get trapped anywhere else when you can be trapped in the East Market, where nightlife is most vibrant, right?
At night in the East Market, there wasn't a single shop still open that wasn't tinged with a hint of spring romance.
Some places specialized in dine-in services, while others allowed for calling upon escorts.
The East Market was extremely busy at night, with palanquins seen scurrying everywhere, their bearers' legs nearly smoking from all the running.
Some top-tier brothels even held regular monthly events, with the Flower Queen's parade being the most important.
Several movable large stages would parade back and forth along the Flower Street in the East Market on the full moon day.
On these stages were the most popular Flower Queens from each establishment, showcasing their talents and charm.
It was considered a large-scale advertisement jointly organized by the various brothels, using their Flower Queens to attract popularity.
The location of the East Market was the best in the entire capital, making the competition there exceptionally fierce.
To adapt to such competition, several of the most successful brothels devised this method.
As a result, most of those who could participate in the Flower Queen's parade each month were their own top courtesans, making it difficult for smaller brothels to secure a spot for their own Flower Queens.
There were also a few small brothels that tried to jointly organize similar events, but due to insufficient funds, they were instead made to look like makeshift troupes.
The Flower Queens who participated were also ridiculed and suffered considerable grievances, refusing to do it again.
Consequently, the Flower Queen's parade grew day by day, and more and more brothels wanted to participate, causing the few top brothels that initially organized the event to start profiting from it.
Adhering to the principle of keeping the profits rolling, the Flower Queen's parade became increasingly spectacular and has now almost become a major wonder of the capital.
One must see it at least once when visiting the capital, otherwise, the trip to the capital would be in vain.
As Ankang and Princess Yuan An were leaving the East Market, they couldn't help but overhear discussions about the Flower Queen's parade among the bustling crowds.
According to the passersby, the Flower Queen's parade was scheduled for tomorrow, and many people were looking forward to it.
On the way back to Xingqing Palace, Ankang and Princess Yuan An exchanged glances, both seeing the interest in each other's eyes.
However, as two young girls, it was a bit embarrassing to voice such a desire.
"Sister, how about tomorrow we disguise ourselves as men and then stay overnight in the East Market?" Princess Yuan An suggested.
"That might not be such a good idea," Ankang said, though her heart was already set on it.
Li Xuan immediately meowed loudly upon hearing this.
Such a grand spectacle, if he didn't see it tomorrow, he wouldn't get another chance.
Who knew when they would next leave the palace, and the Flower Queen's parade was once a month, so whether they would encounter it again was uncertain.
It was a rare opportunity, one not to be missed.
Seeing Li Xuan restless in her arms, Ankang quickly gripped his four paws, preventing him from moving.
Even so, Li Xuan continued to anxiously twist his body, his tail slapping against Ankang's face, trying to make her agree quickly.
"Li Xuan, you're just a little cat, why are you joining in the fun!" Ankang turned her head to dodge Li Xuan's fluffy tail, but she couldn't escape it.
Li Xuan's tail wildly slapped Ankang's face, almost stuffing itself into her mouth.
"Alright, alright, we'll go!"
"Can't we just go tomorrow?"
"I'm really fed up with you, Li Xuan."
Ankang seemingly couldn't resist Li Xuan and reluctantly agreed.
Meanwhile, Princess Yuan An watched the person and the cat having so much fun, feeling a pang of envy.
"I also really want to hold Li Xuan's paws and hug him tightly to tease him a bit."
"Heh... heh heh..." Princess Yuan An's face gradually showed a foolish grin, making her look frightening.
Yu'er silently turned the wheelchair, moving Ankang and Li Xuan further away from Princess Yuan An.
After all, at this moment, she looked like nothing short of a pervert, completely devoid of any princess-like demeanor.
The two Princesses returned to Xingqing Palace and went to bed early; they had been busy shopping and eating all day, which was quite tiring, so they slept exceptionally soundly that night.
Li Xuan also lay on Ankang's bedside, sleeping soundly.
Although he was very curious about what the capital's night scene would be like, he was not in a hurry.
Today was only the first day; there were still six full days ahead, plenty of opportunities for him to explore.
Moreover, the capital was so vast that Li Xuan couldn't possibly explore every corner this time; at most, he would look around the vicinity.
...
The next day.
Both Princesses were dressed in male attire and left early again.
Today, they did not go to the East Market again.
They had played enough for one day and it was time to attend to some serious matters.
The eunuch responsible for records had followed them all day yesterday, noting down everything they ate and played.
Other than that, perhaps only their encounter with Zhao Four and Third Young Master Hou was worth recording.
Ankang and Princess Yuan An planned to visit the Wannian County Government Office first today.
Since they were leaving the palace to investigate a case, they couldn't possibly not visit the Wannian County Government Office.
At the very least, they had to go and see what kind of case they were supposed to investigate.
The Wannian County Government Office was located in Xuan Yang Ward, just west of the East Market, and very close to Xingqing Palace.
Upon arriving at the Wannian County Government Office, the two princesses saw County Magistrate Tang Zhi, the Wannian County Magistrate, waiting to greet them from afar.
County Magistrate Tang Zhi appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties, with a lean build, a pale face, a long beard, and was dressed in a patterned green official robe. He had a gentle smile on his face, which didn't seem fawning.
The two counties under the capital, Chang'an and Wannian County, were special; their magistrates were sixth-rank officials, one rank higher than those in other places.
"Your Royal Highnesses, I apologize for not coming out to meet you sooner."
"This humble official, County Magistrate Tang Zhi, is the Magistrate of Wannian County."
Ankang and Princess Yuan An immediately returned the greeting:
"Thank you, Magistrate Tang."
After exchanging pleasantries, Magistrate Tang led the two princesses into the county office.
Magistrate Tang gave a brief introduction while guiding them to the archives.
Before leaving the palace, Imperial Princes and Princesses had each drawn their respective cases, and the numbers they held corresponded to their case files.
Yesterday, many people had already come to look at their case files.
Ankang and Princess Yuan An, who arrived on the second day, were the first of their kind.
Magistrate Tang had already received countless Imperial Princes and Princesses, so he expertly led them to retrieve their respective case files.
The Three Little Ones gathered together, flipping through Ankang's case file.
Her case file number was "Wannian, Ding Yi."
After examining the records in the case file, the Three Little Ones were all quite surprised.
They had expected a major case, but it turned out to be a series of burglaries.
Moreover, the stolen property included not only gold, silver, and jewels, but also antiques, medicinal herbs, stationery, ores, and ironware.
Basically, anything that could be stolen and converted into money was on the list.
The victims were concentrated in the East Market and several nearby wards, all within the jurisdiction of Wannian County.
However, these burglaries had no direct connection, except that the victims lived quite close to each other.
But for some reason, all these burglaries were compiled into the same case file.
And from the first case until now, almost three months have passed.
Although the Wannian County Government Office had arrested many habitual thieves during this period, the burglaries continued.
Furthermore, the case file recorded that the methods used in these burglaries were extremely sophisticated, leaving no traces at the scene. It was suspected that they were committed by master thieves from other regions, which is why they were compiled into one case file, with the intention of separating the cases later if more clues emerged.
However, apart from clues about the victims and stolen items, there wasn't much other useful information in the case file.
After leading the two princesses to the archives, Magistrate Tang excused himself and left.
As the Magistrate of Wannian County, he was still very busy every day, and taking the time to receive Ankang and Princess Yuan An was already quite considerate.
It should be noted that since yesterday, he had received no less than a dozen Imperial Princes and Princesses.
Ankang and Princess Yuan An were accompanied by a secretary and a group of clerks from the archives who answered their various questions.
After Ankang inquired about more information regarding the case, she learned that the county office had not found much either.
If they wanted more clues, they would have to investigate on their own.
The secretary arranged for two constables to follow them and assist with the investigation.
They were said to be following, but in reality, they were guiding.
After all, Ankang and her group were leaving the palace for the first time; they couldn't even distinguish north, south, east, and west in the capital, let alone conduct interviews and investigations.
The two constables were both young, appearing to be around twenty years old, and were the strong young men of the yamen.
They had probably been instructed and knew that the people in front of them were not ordinary individuals.
Even when leading them to investigate some irrelevant matters, they adhered to the rules and dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction.
This was also as it should be, after all, they were to lead the two princesses in investigating a case. If their superiors didn't give them a heads-up and trouble arose, their direct superiors would be the ones to suffer.
Princess Yuan An also received her case file and was similarly assigned two constables to assist with the investigation.
Princess Yuan An, however, had no interest in investigating cases.
"Sister, are we just investigating cases today?"
Princess Yuan An clearly hadn't had enough fun yesterday and seemed a bit unwilling.
Ankang smiled and advised:
"We have to at least put on a show."
"How about this: we investigate cases during the day and play at night."
"When the gong for the market closing sounds, we'll meet at the county office, and then tonight, we'll see the night view of the East Market."
Only after Ankang said this did Princess Yuan An find it somewhat acceptable.
Princess Yuan An was different from most Imperial Princes and Princesses; she cared nothing for the Imperial Garden competition, and the winning points were useless to her.
Rather than wasting time on these matters, Princess Yuan An preferred to stay by Ankang's side and steal a few more glances at Li Xuan.
"Ah-choo—"
Li Xuan suddenly sneezed, his snot hanging long.
Ankang, with a look of disdain, took out a handkerchief to wipe him dry.
Li Xuan accepted Ankang's service with peace of mind.
Princess Yuan An looked on, even more captivated:
"Ah, I'm going to die!"
"How can he be so cute even when he sneezes!!!"
Li Xuan vaguely sensed Princess Yuan An's scorching gaze but pretended not to see it, turning his head away.
However, the back of his head facing Princess Yuan An gradually grew hot, making him feel a bit restless.
"That Princess Yuan An..."