Isn’t a Delicate, Supple Beauty a Dream Come True? - Chapter 5

Since His Highness Prince An had already entered the soft town of pleasure, Xiao Qi changed into an ordinary robe, concealed his features, and slipped out noiselessly through the back door.

The Northern Market of Heaven Street was the most prosperous area in the Upper Capital. All kinds of trading houses and restaurants stood in rows, and even though it was already late into the night, the flow of people coming and going remained a bustling, endless stream.

Xiao Qi went up to the second floor of Yuelai Tea House and sat by the window. He stacked the tea bowls on the table into a pile and tossed a gold pearl inside. Before long, a waiter came over, took the pearl, and turned a tea bowl back over, saying: “Guest, please wait a moment. Our shop’s Da Hong Pao is quite rare. I have gone to invite it; it will be here immediately.”

He nodded, poured some cool water for himself, barely touched it to his lips, and involuntarily cast his gaze out the window, staring at the main entrance of Longxing Rice Shop across the street.

While he was slightly lost in thought, conversation drifted from the neighboring table—two guests were chatting about Jianghu gossip.

“Brother Zhang, I don’t like the sound of that. The sect leader of the Zhengyi Sect, Daoist Master Qianqiu, is number one in martial arts under heaven. That is public knowledge. Who is this ‘Wild Ghost’ or whatever? Some small-fry who doesn’t even dare show his face—by what virtue or ability can he be compared to the Master?”

“They’ve never actually faced off, so where does this ‘publicly recognized number one’ come from? Wild Ghost debuted in the Willow Camp eleven years ago. Wasn’t even the Old Demon of Autumn Gloom, who plagued the world for so long, folded at his hands? In my view, it’s just that no one has invited him to duel Qianqiu. If such a match ever happened, I’d bet on Wild Ghost winning.”

“I keep hearing you say Willow Camp, Willow Camp, and Wild Ghost—what kind of sect is this exactly?”

The man surnamed Zhang seemed to suck in a breath, saying in surprise: “Good grief, you and I have been arguing for half the day, and you don’t even know the most basic common sense of the Jianghu? Three Gangs, Six Sects, One Camp, and One Pavilion! These are the only powers under heaven that count.”

“The ‘One Camp’ is the Willow Camp? What do they do?”

Hearing this, Xiao Qi couldn’t help but turn back and cast a natural glance over.

The man said: “It’s essentially an alliance of independent wanderers in the Jianghu, centered around the reputation of the Camp Leader, ‘Thousand-Faced’ Liu Fu. Before he washed his hands in a golden basin, he dominated the position of the world’s number one for over ten years. Whether you want to buy a life or save a life, or if you want some other item—as long as you set the path, no matter how great the difficulty, someone from Willow Camp can take the job and get it done for you.”

The other man froze for a moment before replying curiously: “Then how do they do business?”

“They surely have their own branch halls, just like the Pavilion of Mysteries. One trades in human lives, the other trades in information. As for more specific details, that’s not for the likes of us to know.”

As the two continued talking, the sound of footsteps rose from the stairs. Looking over, a middle-aged man wearing a square headcloth came up. He seemed to be the master of the tea house, wearing a genial “wealth-generating” smile. He spoke to the person by the window:

“It turns out a distinguished guest has arrived. We have plenty of Da Hong Pao, but as for the price… please, let us discuss it in a private room.”

Xiao Qi gave an “Mhm,” rose, and followed him to the third floor.

Once in the private room, he had just sat down when Ruan Jihang performed a long bow to the ground, saying respectfully: “Greetings, Master.”

Once the formal ceremony was finished, his expression changed instantly, and he began to scold: “Why are you wandering about in commoner’s clothing? If you want to know something, wouldn’t it be better to summon me to the mansion?”

Xiao Qi: “It’s no matter. My light-footwork was, after all, pointed out by Liu Fu himself. If I really encounter danger, even if I can’t win the fight, I can at least run away. Don’t you all stare at me so tightly every day; I’m almost unable to breathe.”

These words of explanation carried a hint of intimacy, yet also a sense of helpless frustration. Ruan Jihang’s heart softened immediately, and he muttered with a bit of a complaint: “…I see you’ve come for ‘that person’ again.”

Xiao Qi didn’t answer; he simply turned his gaze back to the rice shop across the street.

Ruan Jihang sighed: “Watching is useless. He is called ‘Wild Ghost’ precisely because no one has seen his true face. Although Longxing Rice Shop is the largest branch of the Willow Camp, we don’t even know if he has ever appeared here. The business assigned to him is all contacted personally by Liu Fu. You don’t think there is anyone left in the world who can keep up with the steps of the Willow Camp Leader to track that person down, do you?”

After he finished speaking, his master still gave no reaction. Ruan Jihang’s temper flared slightly: “They say he saved your life, but there’s no need to search with such obsession. It’s been over ten years; you don’t even have ten-tenths certainty if Wild Ghost is actually that child from back then. Why bother? Those who don’t know better would think you’re suffering from lovesickness!”

Xiao Qi finally snapped out of it. On his handsome face, usually decorated with an air of casualness, a trace of bitterness appeared: “Great Pavilion Master Ruan, calm your anger. It’s rare that I have some time I can control; I just came here to sit for a bit. And here you are with this lecture… forget it. Is there anything worth noting these past few days? Speak briefly.”

“The Jianghu is the same old story—you kill me, I kill you, nothing rare. The biggest change in the court is the Minister of the Imperial Stud. The newly appointed Changle Order before was a man of the Jiang Clan. Now that the Weiyang Order has died suddenly, the one about to succeed him is also surnamed Jiang—a distant cousin of Jiang Huai-ren. Now, the Minister of the Imperial Stud is branded with the character ‘Jiang’ from top to bottom, without the slightest gap left.”

Xiao Qi: “Is the news certain?”

Ruan Jihang: “Yes, the news from the Chancellor’s manor is that it’s basically a settled matter. The formal appointment will likely come in a few days. With this, all the carriages and horses in the country are gripped in the hands of the Jiang Clan.”

While Xiao Qi was still deep in thought, Ruan Jihang continued: “The fact that you are not the Empress Dowager’s biological son is not known by many. On the surface, the Jiang family is still your maternal family. Why not take this opportunity to intercept the position of Weiyang Order? Carriages aside, we cannot ignore the horses. Without horses… it’s hard to move an inch.”

After a short silence, Xiao Qi suddenly laughed: “Heh, no need. How can I, as a nephew, snatch food from my uncle? Let him be strong if he wishes. Success always leads to decline. Once the court is entirely filled with people from the Jiang Clan, I’d like to see what kind of face my dear Imperial Brother will have when he looks down from the Dragon Throne.”

Ruan Jihang: “Additionally, there is the matter of choosing your consort. It is said the Empress Dowager wants you to marry Jiang Guan, the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family’s third branch. The Emperor disagrees and favors the Southern Yong County Princess, Xie Feiyu. Neither side has backed down, and they are still entangled. I’m afraid before long, the argument will be brought before you.”

Xiao Qi was not surprised by this at all; his response was sharp and to the point: “Choosing a consort? Imperial Brother has no heir yet, so how could I possibly get married? Don’t pay attention to such minor details.”

How is this a minor detail? The great matters of human relations and carrying on the family line—how can they be treated so lightly? Ruan Jihang thought with disapproval.

The men of this dynasty mostly married at sixteen or seventeen. By the age of crowning, most already had a swarm of wives and concubines and children everywhere. His own master had been delayed until he was twenty-five, yet the mansion didn’t even have a single inner family member with a formal title.

Oh, those hundred-odd beautiful flowers were just a front for the outside world, so naturally, they didn’t count.

Ruan Jihang made up his mind—he needed to send some hands privately to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds and temperaments of those two candidates. He had to prepare so that when the mistress of the house eventually entered the doors, they as subordinates would know how to align their attitudes correctly.

He was just about to continue his persuasion when Xiao Qi nimbly rose, tossed out a casual “I’m off,” and clattered down the stairs, leaving Ruan Jihang’s mouthful of old fatherly concern stuck in his throat.

When Chu Gui returned to the small room in the West Courtyard, he was somewhat disheveled.

The failed seduction attempt in the afternoon had left him feeling quite resentful. As soon as the sky turned pitch black, he immediately sneaked into the Imperial City again. It seemed he was holding his breath, wanting to prove that he could achieve his goal without relying on that bastard Prince An.

Fact proved that he was still too naive.

Even if his light-footwork had been taught personally by Liu Fu and was at a level rarely matched in the Jianghu, when facing the state machine—the Dingding City, fortified like an iron bucket with the strength of an entire nation—it was very difficult for a lone soldier like him to manage both the head and the tail within such a heavy siege.

Just as he passed the sixth gate, he immediately ran into the patrolling Imperial Guards. Although he retreated in time and threw his pursuers off completely, he had ultimately suffered some minor injuries. In the sky-covering rain of arrows, his clothes had been torn by arrows grazing his body, and his arms and legs had been cut in several places.

Afraid that Second Sister would worry again if she saw him, he treated his wounds in the dark and changed into a clean set of clothes before finally lighting the lamp.

Sure enough, Chu Wan did not notice anything abnormal, but she was a bit surprised by his appearance: “Why didn’t you follow him back? When will Prince An pick you up to enter the mansion?”

In her view, since her brother had gone out with his true face, even a stone should have melted instantly, let alone a notoriously romantic and lecherous Prince.

Chu Gui simply didn’t know where to start.

The successive failures made him feel very dejected at this moment. Seeing his only relative, he couldn’t hold back the grievance in his belly. Suddenly becoming like a child, he tugged at his sister’s sleeve and began to complain to his heart’s content.

After finishing his venting, he had to ask for help from this professional in the world of romance: “What is the deal with a person like him? Is a ‘delicacy’ delivered to his door not ‘fragrant’ enough?”

After Chu Wan heard the whole story, she was actually quite puzzled herself. Her brother’s appearance was such that even back when she won the title of Top Courtesan at her absolute peak, she would have sighed in inferiority. How could he not even get attention when recommending himself?

Reflecting for a moment, she asked back: “Perhaps it is because the nature of men is inherently ‘cheap’—they are not interested in those who throw themselves at their door?”

Suddenly remembering that the person in front of her was also a man, Chu Wan stopped her disparagement and explained:

“Speaking of which, although Prince An has a reputation far and wide, I have never heard of him provoking decent families or bullying men and women. The beauties in his mansion are all tributes, gifts from others, or bestowed by the Emperor. If we’re talking about him taking the initiative… it’s only been in these past few years during the ‘Famous Flower Banquet.’ He is determined to win the top courtesan selected each time. In the first year, he even got into a massive fistfight with someone over it, earning himself a grand romantic reputation.”

“Famous Flower Banquet, Top Courtesan?” Chu Gui’s ears suddenly perked up.

“Mhm. Every year during the Xiayuan Festival in October, it is the biggest excitement in the ‘Kingdom of Flowers.’ Famous courtesans from every province and prefecture participate. It is said that even the two nations of Southern Yong and Northern Yuan will have people coming this year. I imagine they are all peerless beauties of their nations.”

After Chu Wan finished speaking, she noticed her brother’s phoenix eyes light up. It seemed he had transformed from the dejected kitten just now back into the high-spirited little fox. He curled the corners of his mouth and said in a certain tone:

“Very well. This year’s top courtesan will definitely be mine.”