Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After the Buddhist ceremony, I returned to Yujing Tower, but I did not open for business right away.

Instead, I sat silently at the highest point of Yujing Tower, gazing down at the layout of the entire pleasure house.

Aside from the six-story building where the courtesans lived and received guests, the front and rear courtyards of Yujing Tower were both built in the style of Jiangnan gardens.

Bamboo blinds and emerald curtains, clear ponds and miniature hills, flowers and trees half-hidden among vermilion railings and winding pillars.

Dusk faded, and the night wind rose.

Though there were no guests, the brothel’s rule of lighting lanterns at night would not change.

Looking down from above, the lanterns of every floral shape shone in the distance like an inverted river of stars condensed from flame.

“Xiao Chun, what are you thinking about?”

At some point, Ah Rong had come to stand behind me.

“I’m thinking about the size of Yujing Tower.” I sighed softly. “Ever since I can remember, I lived here in Yujing Tower with my mother. Back then, I was still young, and I always felt Yujing Tower was enormous-so enormous that even after my mother and I fled the imperial capital, we were still caught and brought back. Later, when the Grand Princess gave me the deed to Yujing Tower, I realized Yujing Tower was actually very small. It only covers about seven mu, pitifully small. Ah Rong, do you think Yujing Tower is big or small?”

Ah Rong shook out the thin cloak in her hands and draped it over my shoulders.

“I don’t know either.”

I pulled the cloak tighter around myself, my voice soft and cold. “Go find Wang Zaiwei for me.”

In the private room, smoke as fine as silk curled from the boshan censer, and the cool fragrance of lotus drifted through the air.

Wang Zaiwei’s delicate face held a trace of displeasure. “What is it?”

I opened the latch of the boshan censer and added another incense pellet.

“I asked Lord Wang here today because I wanted to continue the matter of romance we failed to finish discussing last time at Yujing Tower.”

Smiling, I reached out, wanting to lay my hand against Wang Zaiwei’s cheek, but she avoided me.

“Ever since Director Zhao was brought down, do you know how many people have their eyes on me?”

Like a snow-white cat with its fur standing on end yet forcing itself to stay restrained, Wang Zaiwei lowered her voice and warned me, “Lei Jingchun, you’d better have serious business for me.”

I said nothing. Instead, I pushed a sheet of bright yellow paper on the ebony side table toward Wang Zaiwei.

An oral decree from His Majesty-an open transfer to Jiangnan that was, in truth, a covert demotion.

Wang Zaiwei abruptly calmed. She was no fool, and immediately asked, “Was this the Grand Princess’s idea?”

“I suggested it to the Grand Princess.” I shook my head. “Aside from avoiding the whirlpool in the imperial capital, there is one other matter I need you to assist with from the side.”

Wang Zaiwei raised a brow, clearly about to ask.

But I immediately shook my head at her, signaling for her not to speak.

In the silent private room, there was only the faint scratching sound of fingers dipped in tea writing on the table.

Only after the tea had evaporated completely did Wang Zaiwei come back to herself and nod at me.

I gave her a charming smile, reached out to straighten her collar, and breathed softly, fragrant as an orchid.

“Then it’s settled. Lord Wang, be careful in all things. I will wait here in Yujing Tower for you to come back and redeem me.”

It was still a teasing remark.

But this time, Wang Zaiwei did not choose to avoid me.

She stared at the hand I used to straighten her collar, her expression earnest.

“All right. If I make it back alive from Jiangnan, I will redeem you.”

No.

I was joking.

Why did you take it seriously?

Perhaps human nature is simply perverse, but I still preferred the way our proud, aloof Lord Wang rejected me with that arrogant air of hers.

So the moment I sensed that Wang Zaiwei seemed willing to take the bait, I immediately retreated two steps and put some distance between us.

Words spoken in the pleasure quarters are all lies.

Just listen and let them pass.

Don’t take them seriously, Lord Wang.

“I will not leave Yujing Tower.”

I shook my head, my smile flawless.

“The Grand Princess mentioned the Lei Family’s affairs,” Wang Zaiwei said, nodding in understanding. “I know you won’t leave Yujing Tower easily.”

“Then why did you say you would redeem me?” I raised a brow.

Wang Zaiwei tilted her head and thought for a moment. “I was lying to you, Xiao Chun. You tease me all the time. Wasn’t I allowed to win one round back?”

And here I had actually been somewhat worried for this bastard’s safety just now!

Looking at her now, Wang Zaiwei, you might as well die in Jiangnan and never come back!

Under my gloomy, murderous stare, Wang Zaiwei opened the window and gave me a slight nod.

Then she leaped out, landing as silently as a cat. With a few bounds, she disappeared into the night.

“She certainly ran fast.”

I stared in the direction Wang Zaiwei had left and forced the words out through gritted teeth.

Yet a smile still couldn’t help blooming on my face.

All my plans and calculations were moving in a favorable direction.

How could I not win this round?

I laid out paper and brushes, poured the pigments one by one into a small inkstone, tied up my hair, bent over, and began to paint.

Yujing Tower had no shortage of cultured and literate honored guests.

To keep guests here, I had followed the aging courtesans who had lost their looks and retired to the rear courtyard since I was young, learning to paint from them.

My technique could not be called particularly stunning, but it was at least passably detailed.

With only a few strokes, the scenery already sprang vividly onto the raw xuan paper.

I slowly painted and tinted, and after I finished, I shook the bell in the private room to summon Ah Rong.

“Have this painting mounted in Song brocade. I want to send it to someone.”

Ah Rong was about to roll up the painting, but when she saw its contents, she froze.

“Xiao Chun, isn’t something missing from this painting?”

Aside from snow and red plum blossoms, there was only a pavilion in the painting. Within the pavilion, two women sat facing each other.

One wore palace dress with a high coiffure and a pale yellow gown, clearly a noblewoman.

The other had two locks of hair hanging down, a green jacket over a peach-red bodice, her attire gaudy and vulgar. She was plainly someone from the pleasure quarters.

Between the two women stood a wooden table. On the table was a stove, and on the stove sat a small teapot.

Boiling snow and admiring plum blossoms in winter was supposed to be an elegant pastime.

Yet there was no tea in the small teapot, nor any firewood or flame beneath the stove.

“Nothing is missing. Mount it just as it is.” I curved my lips in a smile.

A world of ice and snow, a splendid vista of red plum blossoms.

The firewood has been drawn from beneath the cauldron, and there is no water in the kettle either.

In this game, I wager nothing else-only my life.

Let us see, then, between you and me, who loses and who wins.