The midday sun shimmered like molten gold, the painted boats moored gently beneath the willow trees, their silk and gauze curtains fluttering warmly in the breeze.
The strings of red zither and jade flute rose and fell with the wind, half the melody the work of wandering poets, half the ink stains of scribes.
At noon, the sunlight glistened on the river’s surface along the southern bank, creating the perfect scene.
The water rippled and shifted unpredictably, while here and there, anglers cast their lines beneath the willows.
The cobblestone streets had been swept clean with pure water so many times that even the swift passage of carriages did not stir a speck of dust.
One after another, the painted pleasure boats—some with three decks, some two, and even the modest single-deckers—were anchored along the shore.
The strains of Silk and Bamboo Music floated intermittently through the air, sometimes mingled with the clear and delicate voices of Qingguan’er, echoing along the streets.
On either side of the road, rows of large red lanterns hung beside signboards high above the entrances of brothels and wine houses.
Most passersby on this street were clad in silk robes, folding fans in hand, casually exchanging classical phrases as if born into the cultured elite.
Literati and poets often indulged in romantic escapades, and anyone who could walk these streets of Zhaoge’s South City, especially in the wealthy and ostentatious Taohua Alley, had to have some measure of status.
If not a scholar, the least was a child prodigy; otherwise, one came from great wealth or held a high official position.
On this very street, a distinguished carriage suddenly rolled in from the corner.
No one daring to traverse this road unrecognized went unnoticed.
When the crowd spotted the Five-clawed Golden Dragon carved on the carriage’s pillar, many froze in place!
“This… the Five-clawed Golden Dragon? Am I seeing things?”
“You’re not wrong, it’s definitely a five-clawed dragon, but that can’t be right. Isn’t the Crown Prince still away on his tour?”
“Exactly, and besides the Crown Prince and His Majesty, who else could ride in a carriage like this?”
“Could it be… His Majesty has taken a fancy to some famed courtesan?”
“Judging by the direction, it should be Ruanhong Pavilion. Could it be Chen Dajia?”
For a moment, passersby stopped in small groups, watching in awe.
Yet Xu Ping’an inside the carriage remained oblivious to the stir his presence had caused outside.
His mind was full of nothing but the desire to broaden his horizons.
As the carriage slowly pulled up by the roadside and the curtain was lifted, the first thing Xu Ping’an saw was not the grand mansions and jade towers lining the alley but a comparatively simple gatehouse.
Above the porch hung a plaque inscribed with three seal script characters: Ruanhong Pavilion.
“This isn’t right. Where have you brought me? Is this really a brothel?”
Staring at the two vermillion doors before him, Xu Ping’an was momentarily stunned and instinctively glanced back at Xiao Hengzi.
Xiao Hengzi hurried forward with a cheerful smile:
“Sir, rest assured, this is absolutely the finest brothel in all of Zhaoge — Qingyin Cottage itself. Only the highest officials or the wealthiest families can enter here. I guarantee it’s the most prestigious establishment in the entire city!”
Xu Ping’an looked Xiao Hengzi up and down with mild surprise.
“Wait… Xiao Hengzi, how do you know so much about this place?”
Xiao Hengzi smiled awkwardly.
“Well, some of the ladies inside the palace like to talk about it. But yes, Ruanhong Pavilion truly is the best in Zhaoge. At least from what I know, Chen Dajia here is the city’s premier talent. They say wealthy families from Jiangnan once spent thousands of gold coins just to see her once.”
“Thousands of gold coins? Like ten thousand copper coins?”
Xu Ping’an’s eyes darted as he instinctively asked, but before Xiao Hengzi could answer, a gate attendant from Ruanhong Pavilion approached with a friendly smile:
“Sir, you jest. If it were truly ten thousand copper coins, you wouldn’t even be allowed past our front gates.”
Ten thousand copper coins is one hundred guan.
To put it in perspective, one guan of coins roughly equates to one tael of silver.
And the purchasing power of one tael of silver was close to a thousand yuan.
One hundred taels of silver? That’s nearly a hundred thousand yuan in today’s terms—and still not enough to get inside?
Is Ruanhong Pavilion’s gate made of solid gold? Is the admission fee that steep?
“One hundred taels?!”
Xu Ping’an was stunned, instinctively rubbing his coin purse.
He’d already spent tens of taels on gold ornaments that morning. He wasn’t a superman; there was no way he could carry several jin of gold on his body every day.
The gold he had left on him now was probably only about a dozen taels at best.
One tael of gold roughly equaled ten taels of silver. Good heavens… even if he got inside, he might not be able to afford a single cup of tea.
Seeing Xu Ping’an’s embarrassment, the gate attendant quickly smiled and said:
“Sir, you need not worry about material things today. We’ve agreed: you may enter without paying a single copper.”
“Huh? For free?”
“F-f-free…”
The gate attendant was momentarily dumbfounded, nearly choking.
Xu Ping’an clearly saw the attendant’s face blanch, flush red, darken, then return to normal—an intense internal struggle.
Swallowing his anger, the attendant forced a smile and cupped his fist:
“Sir, you jest. This is Ruanhong Pavilion; Silk and Bamboo Music is our true calling here. As for other matters… I’m afraid we cannot guarantee your satisfaction.”
“Oh? So, this is a Qingguan’er establishment?”
“Q-Qing… Ahem! Sir, well… yes, that’s right.”
The attendant again struggled for breath.
In his five years here, he had never met anyone bold enough to call out “Qingguan’er” right in front of Ruanhong Pavilion.
Just as the carriage stopped, a maid had immediately come out to say that this master must be well attended to.
Otherwise, the gate attendant might have lost it right then.
“What? So it’s Qingguan’er? What’s the big deal?”
The gate attendant staggered back, nearly blacking out.
Xiao Hengzi could only smile wryly and quickly stepped forward to whisper:
“Your Grace, don’t forget, East Warm Pavilion and Princess Yuanle are still expecting you… We absolutely cannot go to that stale place! Taohua Alley is the best-connected spot for news in all of Zhaoge. If you step in here, it won’t be long before Her Highness the Princess hears about it.”
“Ah?!”
Xu Ping’an was momentarily stunned, suddenly feeling a chill rise within.
It wasn’t that he feared Li Zhi’er, that little girl.
Her temperament was such that even if he met her face-to-face as a rival, she’d probably just shrink into a corner silently wiping her tears.
Maybe, if he said a few words, that girl might even push things along for him.
What he feared was that his real lady at home would find out and cause a huge uproar.
No matter how much Pei Qingxuan depended on him, no matter how fond she was, the moment he stepped into that unsavory place, even her temperament would surely flip on the spot.
Well, looks like broadening horizons was off the table.
But since he was already here, he might as well make the most of it.
After all, Xiao Hengzi had boasted so much about this place and that some wealthy merchant spent thousands to see Chen Dajia once.
He really wanted to see for himself what kind of extraordinary talent Chen Dajia was, worth that much.
“All right, then… Gate attendant, please take care of the carriage. Xiao Hengzi, you’re coming in with me.”
“Ah? Your Grace, me too?”
Xiao Hengzi froze in place, instinctively glancing down, and Xu Ping’an followed his gaze.
Hmm, there was nothing down there.
Literally.
“Mm, you’re coming too.”
Xu Ping’an nodded.
Whether Xiao Hengzi came or not wasn’t his concern; what mattered was that if he went in alone, and if the wife found out, at least Xiao Hengzi could serve as a witness.
Otherwise, there’d be no way to explain away all the gossip.
Xiao Hengzi wore a baffled expression as the carriage was handed over to the gate attendants.
Such a distinguished carriage would surely not be neglected by the gatekeepers.
And so Xu Ping’an stepped through the vermillion gates.
At that moment, the murmurs outside drifted in his ears.
“See that? Ruanhong Pavilion actually opened both doors! My goodness… who is this? I remember when the Minister of Revenue came here, it wasn’t nearly this grand.”
“Don’t mention the Minister of Revenue. Even the County Prince wouldn’t get such treatment here. Could it really be the Crown Prince?”
“Bullshit! The Crown Prince is still touring outside. How could he be at a place like this?”
“You’re asking for trouble! Shut up!”
Listening to the whispers, Xu Ping’an understood roughly where Ruanhong Pavilion stood—it was very likely the top brothel in all of Great Qi.
Even when the Minister of Revenue came, the middle gate would remain closed.
Who was the Minister of Revenue?
A vice-minister level official, second only to the Ministry of Personnel.
Above him, officials numbered less than twenty.
Moreover, the Ministry of Revenue wielded much greater power than other ministries, second only to Personnel. Most importantly, it controlled Great Qi’s purse strings.
To run a place like this, one must have connections that reached the heavens.
Even someone like the Minister of Revenue wouldn’t be granted entrance through the main gate.
The owner of this courtyard must have a very impressive pedigree.
Xu Ping’an sized himself up.
At most, he was a Marquis.
Among the five ranks of nobility—Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron—dukes were reserved for founding heroes.
As for marquises, those who earned great merits to the country often received the title.
He was, in fact, the first marquis of this reign in over ten years.
But even so, his rank could never surpass that of a County Prince.
If the owner of this estate didn’t care for a County Prince, how could they care for him?
In an instant, Xu Ping’an understood.
Chen Dajia likely had many sources of information and probably already knew he was the rising star favored by His Majesty.
Combined with his recent heroic deed saving the emperor’s life, his face now certainly outweighed that of most County Princes.
Great merits count most when saving the emperor, and the cunning strategy of cutting off supplies leaves no room for rivals.
His contribution ranked just behind territorial expansion.
It made sense that he was shown such respect.
What unsettled Xu Ping’an was that Chen Dajia seemed to know exactly who was in the royal carriage.
Unless Chen Dajia and her backers had been watching him all along, there was no way they’d have learned the news so quickly.
Not to mention, he was riding in a royal carriage.
Anyone who could identify the passenger inside must be connected to Chen Dajia by invisible strings.
A faint smile curled at the corners of Xu Ping’an’s lips.
“Unexpectedly, taking a walk outside still brings some pleasant surprises.”
He murmured quietly, raising his head to look around.
The ponds, corridors, pavilions, and greenery all evoked the scenery of Jiangnan.
Just as he was taking in the courtyard, a woman’s voice came from a moon gate nearby:
“Mr. Xu, are you pleased with this humble cottage?”