In the realm of vanity, a slap to one’s pride leaves a deeper grudge than a blow to the body. When one might erupt in violence depends on the depth of one’s cunning and the strength of one’s abilities. Cui Mama, a mature woman who had seen her share of ups and downs and ranked only below a few at Guanghan Lou, had her reasons for hastily seeking to humiliate Xi Yi. Yet now, having been sharply rebuked by this outsider, she placed a hand on her chest to calm herself, studied him more carefully, and began to sense something she had previously overlooked due to haste. The world of the pleasure houses was a chaotic mix of all walks of life. While officials in official robes could not be slighted due to their rank and titles, the unpredictable and unconventional warriors and heroes were even more difficult to deal with. Officials protected each other, and if one failed to take proper care, one could always call upon a powerful patron for support. But with these unpredictable types, it was a different matter entirely.
Take the case of Bo Po Lou, which once stood so proudly. Seven or eight years ago, it angered a fearsome figure, and four courtesans and six singing girls were found dead overnight. The case shook Longyao Prefecture, and the truth was never uncovered. Later, when the Northern Liang martial arts rankings were released, it was revealed that the seventh-ranked villain, Zhong You, was responsible. Zhong Liang alone was terrifying enough, but his uncle, Zhong Shen Tong, was one of the twelve great generals of the Northern Liang. The Zhong family was also a prominent clan among the southern officials. Despite having customers throughout the empire, Bo Po Lou could only swallow its bitterness. It was said that afterward, they even presented several young beauties to the Zhong family to settle the feud. Of course, such tragedies were rare, but Cui Mama feared the possibility. Preferring to avoid conflict with the strong and yielding to the weak, she now sought to resolve the matter peacefully. Unfortunately, she had her back turned to two martial arts instructors within the house, who had overheard every word spoken by the young man with the sword. Seeing that their usually ill-tempered “Big Sister Cui” had fallen silent, they assumed she was cornered. After exchanging glances, they decided to teach this out-of-town dragon a lesson. After all, they were hired to be ready for such moments. Guanghan Lou had strong backing and rarely needed to act, so these guards, who received generous monthly wages, could only spar with each other in their spare time, which left them feeling restless. They wanted to show their support for Cui Mama. As long as it didn’t directly conflict with Xi Yi, they wouldn’t feel too bad about it. After all, Xi Yi had always been considerate of them, giving them a smile or stopping for a chat when she passed by. To them, that was a rare honor, something they could boast about when drinking with their brothers. As for Cui Mama, she only showed a smiling face when she needed something, and even then, she would occasionally toss them a few coins for drinks. But the men knew well enough who was more important. They had their own ways of making a living, and each had earned his place in Guanghan Lou. They all had their own scales to weigh such matters.
Xu Fengnian extended his hand, brushed it lightly along the surface of the jar of San Diao Huang wine on the table, and the jar slid off the table, tracing a pleasing arc through the air. It passed just in front of the two instructors, circled around, and slid back onto the table, coming to rest exactly where it had been. This move, reminiscent of drawing a circle to contain, encompassed Cui Mama, Xi Yi, Yun Zi, himself, and Tao Man Wu within its bounds. The two instructors exchanged glances. They recognized the skill, seeing how the jar had suddenly accelerated as it passed them, making it impossible for even their strongest punches to shatter it. This was no mere parlor trick.
Cui Mama endured the humiliation with a calm face, exchanged a few teasing words, and then took her leave. Xi Yi dared not take advantage of the situation to press her advantage, showing just how precarious her position had become at Guanghan Lou. Xi Yi had once been a courtesan, known for her gratitude. When she felt she had grown old and lost her luster, she stepped aside and remained at Guanghan Lou as a matron, a role slightly more refined than that of a madam, responsible for training young girls with potential. Cui Mama, on the other hand, had started as a servant girl, never favored, and had struggled to rise to prominence only to fall back into obscurity after some misdeeds. For the past twenty years, she had harbored resentment, and after finally climbing to the position of chief matron, she naturally viewed Xi Yi, who had always enjoyed smooth sailing, as a thorn in her side, someone she longed to eliminate. Especially since Wei, the young singer, had been cultivated by Xi Yi, how could Cui Mama find peace? Xi Yi helped Yun Zi to his feet and gently asked, “Does it hurt?”
Yun Zi, having narrowly escaped disaster, knew his days ahead would be difficult, but for now, he felt more joy than worry. He smiled and said, “Auntie, it’s nothing serious. I’ve always been destined to endure scolding and beating. I won’t die.”
Xi Yi patted his clothes and sighed helplessly, “If Cui Mama keeps making things hard for you and you can’t handle it, come tell me. I’ll speak to the master and have you transferred to the Xiu Qiu Pavilion for a job, though it won’t earn you as much.”
Yun Zi hesitated for a moment, forcing a smile, “Just knowing you said that is enough. I’m sure Cui Mama, who is always so busy with important matters, won’t bother with someone like me.”
Xi Yi sighed, “Go on then, I’ll handle things here.”
After the young boy left the tea room with a heavy heart, Xi Yi turned her gaze to the young man with the sword and said softly, “Young Master, your mind is so sharp. I thank you on Yun Zi’s behalf.”
Seeing the refined young man feign ignorance, Xi Yi did not press the matter. If the guest had acted too soon, relying on his background and skills, she and Yun Zi would have had no way out. Cui Mama had punished Yun Zi and then provoked the guest with words, which was clearly in the wrong. The young man had rebuked her with words and demonstrated his skill by flicking the wine jar as a warning. While it might not have been perfect, it was a decent and considerate approach. Thus, Xi Yi’s own position could hardly get worse, but Yun Zi would be much better off. Otherwise, if the young man had taken his pleasure and left, Yun Zi would have been treated even worse, and she would have been unable to help him even if she wanted to.
Xu Fengnian picked up the jar of wine, smiled as he put away the silver notes, and said, “Drinking in the tea room is nothing. Let’s go to your place, Xi Yi.”
Xi Yi’s face showed a slight trace of anger. She bit her delicate lips and said softly, “Please forgive me, Young Master. I no longer entertain guests.”
Xu Fengnian chuckled, “I just want to drink some wine. Do you really think I’m after your body? Those words were just for show, meant for that old woman Cui. You’re flattering yourself. I’m here on a journey of study, and in the past, when I went to the pleasure houses with my rowdy friends, I was just there to keep them company and pay the bills. I’ve never actually taken part in the action myself. I thought I’d start by having a drink with you, to build up my courage. That way, when I meet Wei girl later, I won’t be overwhelmed and defeated in no time at all. My family may have some wealth, but spending two hundred taels of silver and finishing in a blink of an eye is just too much. That saying about a night of passion being worth a thousand taels of silver—well, two hundred taels for a moment like that is just too much of a waste, don’t you think, Xi Yi?”
Xi Yi’s lips curled into a smile, genuinely amused. She had never heard such a fresh take on a night of passion. Whatever else could be said about this young man with the sword, he was certainly straightforward, both to Cui Mama and to herself. If she had to repay him for his help by offering herself to him, that would be too absurd, too naive. Xi Yi had long passed the age of innocence. In the world of pleasure houses, the number of girls who could avoid being pushed around was as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Even An Yang, the top courtesan at Guanghan Lou, couldn’t manage it. There were perhaps one or two at Bo Po Lou who could. In these places of vice and debauchery, men came to buy flesh and pleasure with their silver, and the flesh here was far more expensive than that on a butcher’s block. Could a woman’s sweet words be trusted? Could a man’s vows of love be trusted more? Xi Yi looked deeply into those clear phoenix eyes and sensed no malice. She made up her mind and agreed to have a drink with him. After all, with her ability to hold her liquor—two jin of strong wine without getting drunk—she wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. At worst, he might get a few sly touches while pouring the wine, but that would be harmless.
After making up her mind, Xi Yi spoke gently, “Young Master, follow me to the fourth floor. It’s not far from Wei girl’s Xiu Qiu Pavilion.”
Walking side by side, Xi Yi’s fragrance was subtle, her simple attire more like that of a modest young lady. In contrast, Cui Mama was overly flamboyant: her lips painted with dark ointment, her face powdered yellow, a golden hairpin swaying in her hair, and her long robe trailing four or five inches on the ground. She was a sight that made Xu Fengnian feel queasy, like a big pot of mixed delicacies that even the hungriest person would shrink from. In contrast, Xi Yi, who had fallen from favor, was like a small bowl of plain porridge with a few carefully added lotus seeds—a woman who revealed her charm only upon closer inspection. The fourth-floor corridor was decorated with green Couragebottles and ink paintings, elegant and refined. Beautiful maids carrying trays of snacks and fruits passed by frequently, showing that Guanghan Lou’s business was indeed thriving. These charming girls greeted her with sweet voices as “Xi Yi Jie,” and she smiled and greeted them in return. After winding through two straight corridors, they arrived at a room by the window. She sighed softly and said, “Young Master, we’re here.”
Pushing the door open, the floor was covered with an intricately woven silk carpet. A three-panel screen, imitating the famous painting “Snow Banana and Twin Cranes,” separated the sleeping area from the parlor. In the front hall stood a delicately crafted low couch with a small table for warming wine and tea. On the corner of the table was a censer shaped like a scallion stalk, obviously fired in the Longquan kiln. The table was equipped with all the necessary utensils, especially the black-glazed tea bowls, which were particularly eye-catching. Only a connoisseur would know the rarity and value of these Partridge Feather Patterntea bowls. The emperor of the Southern Tang particularly cherished these bowls, saying that the most valuable ones had a blue-black glaze with fine silver streaks. Just these tea sets alone were worth dozens of taels of gold. Xu Fengnian marveled inwardly at how refined and particular Xi Yi was. On the sleeping couch was a jade pillow decorated with a child holding a lotus, used to ward off the summer heat. Xu Fengnian was a bit puzzled; it was only late spring, and this woman seemed overly sensitive to the heat.
Noticing the young man with the sword staring at the jade pillow, Xi Yi’s face turned red, almost as if it could drip water. She dared not look directly and simply sat at the table, skillfully warming the yellow wine.
The wine was not yet ready, and as Xi Yi saw him lovingly handling a black-glazed tea bowl, she asked softly, “From your accent, you must be from Guse Prefecture? Do you recognize this black-glazed tea bowl?”
Xu Fengnian traced his fingers over the ancient tea bowl and nodded, “By coincidence, my family deals in porcelain. I know a bit about famous items and their market value. We’re a small family, not involved in big business. As for the black-glazed tea bowls among the ten famous tea sets, I’ve only heard about them through hearsay. This drinking session is truly a profitable experience. If I had been impolite earlier and tried to say something rude to you with just two hundred taels of silver, I would have truly brought shame upon myself. But with such beauty before me, I only brought less than a thousand taels of silver on this trip, and there are still several prefectures to visit. I’ve already lost my nerve to go to Xiu Qiu Pavilion. What do you think I should do, Xi Yi?”
Xi Yi smiled and said, “Then, Young Master, you should drink more wine to build up your courage and then go to Xiu Qiu Pavilion. Let me make it clear, you’ve entered my room and drunk my wine, so you must go to Xiu Qiu Pavilion.”
Seeing the young man with the sword look wronged, Xi Yi’s smile deepened, and she teased, “Guanghan Lou isn’t a place to cheat people. If you just want to see Wei girl throw the embroidered ball, one or two hundred taels of silver will suffice.”
Xu Fengnian pretended to be indignant and said, “Xi Yi, you make it sound so easy. If I just take a few peeks at the embroidered ball and then leave Guanghan Lou, how can I ever show my face to you again and ask for wine?”
Xi Yi handed him a cup of wine and playfully scolded, “It’s not hard for Young Master to come to Guanghan Lou for wine, but entering my room is a one-time privilege.”
Xu Fengnian obediently accepted the wine without any indecent gestures. He tasted it and, seeing Tao Man Wu eyeing it longingly from her seat on the embroidered stool, brought the cup to her lips. The little girl, fearless and curious, took a sip. Her small lips smacked with delight, savoring the taste. Xu Fengnian found it amusing and gave the entire cup to her, just reminding her to drink slowly. Then he ignored Tao Man Wu, letting her entertain herself with the cup of wine, and began chatting casually with Xi Yi. Both had strong drinking abilities, and they ended up evenly matched. Perhaps it was because Xi Yi had become engrossed in their conversation about porcelain, finding that this young man with the sword had genuine knowledge, and she herself was a porcelain enthusiast. With the little girl having drunk a cup of wine and feeling drowsy from its effects, she fell asleep on the small couch behind them. Xi Yi, reluctant to wake her, warmed another pot of wine. The conversation no longer revolved solely around porcelain. They both cleverly avoided sensitive topics like their backgrounds, knowing it would be unwise to speak too deeply when their relationship was still shallow. Xu Fengnian roughly knew that the woman drinking boldly before him had once been a courtesan at Guanghan Lou, a time when she had enjoyed great fame and beauty, capable of rivaling the top courtesan at Bo Po Lou. However, no matter how beautiful a woman might be, she could not escape the ravages of time and the fickle nature of men. Disillusioned and weary of the constant need to please others, she had not been fortunate enough to find a good man who truly loved her. There had been officials who wished to take her as a concubine, but she did not want to spend the rest of her life being tormented by the main wife, so she became a matron responsible for training singing girls. The decorations in her room, worth over two hundred taels of gold, were all earned in her earlier years. With no close relatives or friends, she decided to spend her money on precious and rare items that brought her joy. Guanghan Lou treated women who had once been red cards but were now aging quite well, so Xi Yi could live relatively comfortably without worries.
Tao Man Wu, drowsy from the wine, woke up in a haze, seemingly disturbed by something hard, making her sleep uncomfortable. She picked up the object and looked at it with a puzzled expression.
It was a jade “Little As You Wish.”
This As You Wishwas the kind used to satisfy the desires of lonely women.
How could Xu Fengnian not know? He calmly said, “Peach, it’s for massaging your back. Put it back and go to sleep.”
The little girl said, “Okay,” placed the jade As You Wishback by the couch, and fell asleep again.
Xi Yi pretended to be calm, her eyes dreamy, her cheeks flushed, and she slightly turned her head, taking a sip of wine.
Xu Fengnian softly laughed and said, “Why are you shy, Xi Yi? This is just like a man’s natural overflow when he’s full. It’s only natural. It also shows that Xi Yi has always been virtuous…”
Xi Yi, her eyes filled with desire, scolded him with a pout, “You still dare to say more?!”
Xu Fengnian suppressed his laughter and considerately changed the subject, asking, “When I checked into the city, I talked with the innkeeper Sun about the four oddities of Feihu City. There’s a strange person who sells swords, paints, and sleeps in pleasure houses. Do you know about him, Xi Yi?”
She hesitated for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile, “I know. I even asked him to paint my portrait. Of course, I remember that swordsman. But he painted hundreds of portraits back then. He probably doesn’t remember me anymore.”
Xu Fengnian frowned, “How could such a remarkable and interesting person just disappear like that?”
Xi Yi cooled her flushed cheeks with the wine cup, her eyes filled with sorrow, and sighed, “As for him, I did hear some news. He lost all his charm and became a scruffy, dirty man, unable to sell his paintings anymore. But he still had to make a living, so he went to work as a swordsman at the city governor’s mansion. I think Dantai’s sword skills were taught by him. He should be living comfortably enough, but he’s no longer the The Top Scholarof the pleasure houses in the eyes of us women of the world. That romantic man who once lay high above Bo Po Lou has died.”
Xu Fengnian smiled, “Xi Yi, did you like this romantic The Top Scholar?”
Xi Yi smiled and shook her head gently, “I was just infatuated with his romantic and affectionate nature back then. I don’t like men who are destined to be lonely. After all, romance can’t put food on the table.”
Xu Fengnian resumed his sharp tongue and said, “So you want both romance and stability. In the end, you still like a romantic man who can earn silver. He might even have more As You Wish-like skills than that As You Wish.”
Xi Yi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily, “Then what about you, Young Master?”
Xu Fengnian’s face was calm as he said, “I am quite remarkable.”
Xi Yi didn’t believe him.
Xu Fengnian asked, “More As You Wishthan your As You Wish, Xi Yi. Tell me, would you be happy and As You Wish?”
She spat, “Little Rogue.”
Xu Fengnian corrected her, “No, I’m a big Rogue.”
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