Chapter 15: An Encounter with an Old Acquaintance in a Brothel
Mo Shuihan stood before the entrance of the Spring River Pavilion, taking in the bustling brothel with its countless red lanterns and constant stream of patrons. This was the most popular establishment among the capital’s young nobles. He never would have guessed that Lord Jin was also a frequent visitor.
Women and young men alike passed by him, welcoming guests or seeing them off. Mo Shuihan’s striking appearance caused many of them to stop and stare. After turning away what felt like the tenth wave of courtesans, his patience began to wear thin. Just then, a few tactless men had the audacity to approach him, asking if he was one of the pavilion’s catamites.
Mo Shuihan’s face turned cold. He knew there were men in the capital who preferred their own sex, and while he held no prejudice, he still felt offended. He called out through gritted teeth, “Ling Shi!”
Ling Shi appeared without a sound, clamped his hands over the mouths of the men harassing Mo Shuihan, and dragged them away without a fuss. It was at that moment that Lord Jin finally arrived, calling out apologies from a distance with a broad smile. “Ninth Prince Consort, my apologies for the long wait! Something came up and delayed me. So sorry, so sorry!”
Mo Shuihan sized him up. He was in his twenties, with a dashing, unrestrained air, looking every bit the part of a wealthy young master who frequented such establishments. Mo Shuihan curved his lips into a slight smile. “Lord Jin is too kind.”
Lord Jin took Mo Shuihan’s arm and led him inside with the ease of a regular. The madam saw them and hurried over with a beaming smile. “Lord Jin, it’s been a while! You haven’t been visiting us much lately!”
Lord Jin expertly exchanged a few flirtatious remarks with her before leading Mo Shuihan to a private room. The moment the door closed, Lord Jin’s frivolous demeanor vanished. He bowed respectfully. “This subordinate, Jin Zeshan, greets the Young Master!”
Mo Shuihan waved it off. “From now on, we will interact according to our official positions at court. Do not create unnecessary complications.”
“Yes!” Jin Zeshan straightened up. “There are two others from our side at court, but their positions are currently too low to be of much help. The rest are officials we have won over through mutual benefit.”
Mo Shuihan grunted in acknowledgment and motioned for him to sit. “Do not reveal my identity to them for the time being. I will contact them when the need arises.”
Jin Zeshan asked, “Now that the Young Master has summoned us, does this mean you are preparing to make a move?”
Mo Shuihan nodded. “These are just preparations. We cannot act immediately. We can only start from the periphery, chipping away at the circle around Xiao Yushou bit by bit until we can finally reach him.”
“I’ve heard that the Young Master is currently being pestered by Xiao Heng,” Jin Zeshan said with concern. “Should this subordinate ask His Majesty to reassign you to a different post?”
Mo Shuihan frowned and stopped him. “Absolutely not. Remember this: when you are before His Majesty, you must never speak directly on my behalf unless it is absolutely necessary. You must maintain a clear separation between us on the surface. Fu Yi is also one of His Majesty’s confidants. You and he are often in the Emperor’s presence together. That man is very perceptive; do not let him notice anything.”
Jin Zeshan quickly agreed. Mo Shuihan continued, “The reason I sought you out today is because I heard there is a problem with the Minister of Personnel?”
Jin Zeshan looked at him and asked tentatively, “Is the Young Master thinking of… targeting the Ministry of Personnel?”
Mo Shuihan poured himself a cup of tea, his tone unchanging. “The Ministry of Personnel controls the appointment, dismissal, and promotion of officials. You could say the fate of the entire court is in their hands. The current Minister is one of Xiao Yushou’s dogs. He is in the way.”
Jin Zeshan lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before looking up. “Does the Young Master have any leverage?”
Just as Mo Shuihan was about to speak, a series of footsteps sounded from outside the door. Guessing it was the courtesans Jin Zeshan had called for, he fell silent. A moment later, the door slid open and a wave of perfume drifted in. Mo Shuihan wrinkled his nose, unaccustomed to the strong scent, but said nothing.
As several courtesans of varying shapes and sizes entered, the room became much livelier. Jin Zeshan reverted to his playboy persona, laughing and joking with two women in his arms. A few others, seeing Mo Shuihan’s handsome and refined features, kept trying to get close to him. Even after being rebuffed several times, they persisted. Mo Shuihan rubbed the bridge of his nose and took a jade pendant from his robes. “Is there a lady here by the name of Mokui?” he asked the woman beside him.
She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Is the young master looking for Mokui? Are you dissatisfied with our service?”
Mo Shuihan placed a silver ingot on the table. “I have long heard of Lady Mokui’s fame. I would trouble you to help me.”
The woman took the silver but did little to help, instead clinging to him even more tightly. “Lady Mokui is our top courtesan! Countless gentlemen wish to see her. Haven’t you seen that Prince Gong is still waiting in line outside? I’m afraid it is not your lucky night, young master!”
Mo Shuihan pushed the jade pendant toward her. “This is a Cold Spring Ice Jade. Please give it to Lady Mokui and ask if she is willing to meet. If you pass on the message, whether I see her or not, you will be handsomely rewarded.”
He was not worried she would pocket the pendant. He knew the rules of the house: silver could be accepted freely, but if a guest designated an item for someone, the punishment for keeping it was severe.
The woman picked up the pendant and examined it, seeing nothing particularly special about it. She pouted and sashayed out to deliver the message. Since Mo Shuihan’s silver ingot was generous, she didn’t feel too put out.
In the rear courtyard of the brothel stood an elegant, two-story waterside pavilion. It was as serene and refined as a young noble lady’s private chamber, with more luxurious furnishings and decor than anywhere else in the establishment. This was the residence of the Spring River Pavilion’s top courtesan—Mokui.
Ever since receiving the message from Master Huilai, Mokui had been waiting in a state of anxious restlessness. Now, looking at the familiar jade pendant in her hand, she could almost feel the familiar scent clinging to it. Mokui’s eyes instantly reddened. She knew: her Young Master had come. After more than ten years of waiting, her Young Master had finally come!
The courtesan who delivered the pendant looked at her, confused. “Sister Mokui, is there something special about this pendant? Why are you so emotional?”
Mokui suppressed the surge of emotion in her heart and wiped her eyes. “It’s-it’s nothing. I was just reminded of a story about this jade, and it moved me.” She then picked up a nearby box and handed it to the other woman. “Sister Zilian, thank you for making the trip. This is a jadeite bracelet a guest gave me today. It suits you perfectly. Please take it.”
Zilian accepted it with delight. This was why Mokui, despite being the top courtesan, was so well-liked in the pavilion. She never acted proud or arrogant, and she often gave gifts to her sisters, making it impossible for them to feel jealous.
As she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, Zilian asked nonchalantly, “Are you going to see him, Sister? I think you should. We have no shortage of handsome gentlemen in our pavilion, but I’ve never seen one as dashing as him. He looks like he stepped right out of a romance novel. Even my heart skipped a beat.”
Mokui smiled. “Since you put it that way, I suppose I should go and see for myself.”
She calmly retrieved the wine and dishes she had meticulously prepared. Suppressing her wildly beating heart, Mokui steadied her nerves and, along with Zilian, pushed open the door to the private room. Instantly, Mo Shuihan’s coolly handsome face came into view. Even after more than ten years, Mokui knew at a single glance: this was her Young Master!
Hearing the door open, Mo Shuihan glanced over casually and froze on the spot. His mind was flooded with scenes from the past.
“Miss, I caught the butterfly! Look… oh, it flew away…”
“Miss, I’ll lead them away. Take my clothes and run…”
“Young Master, you can’t die! I’ll go find medicine for you. You have to wait for me…”
“Young Master, I have to go. They said if I go with them, you’ll have money for treatment…”
Mo Shuihan looked up in a daze, watching Mokui walk toward him step by step. The others assumed he was simply captivated by her beauty, but inside, Mo Shuihan’s world was turning upside down. He had never imagined that his secret contact in the Spring River Pavilion would be his former personal maid!
Beside him, Jin Zeshan guessed that Mo Shuihan had serious business to attend to, so he made an excuse and dismissed the other women. Fortunately, they had paid generously, and the courtesans were used to being sent away whenever Mokui appeared, so they left without complaint.
Once the room was quiet, Mokui finally allowed her joyous and sorrowful emotions to show. She walked to Mo Shuihan and slowly knelt before him, tears streaming down her face. “Young Master, I’ve finally waited for you!”
Mo Shuihan stared at the face that was both familiar and strange, slowly recovering from his shock. “Why… why are you here?”
Mokui took his hand, which was resting on the arm of his chair. “I have always been here. I know what the Young Master wishes to do most, so I have been waiting here for you.”
His mind was still in a whirl. He stood up and took several deep breaths, slowly calming himself down enough to sort through his thoughts. “After you were taken away back then, you never lost contact with Master Huilai?”
Mokui lowered her head. “I know the Young Master searched for me for a long time. Please do not blame Master Huilai. I did this willingly. I asked him to keep it a secret from you.”
Mo Shuihan turned to face her, his gaze cool and distant. “I do not need you to go to such lengths. Go to the madam now. I will buy your freedom.”
Mokui shook her head. “Once you enter this life, you are never clean again. Young Master, the Mokui of today is no longer the Xiao Fengzheng of the past. I am doing this of my own free will.”
“So you debase yourself willingly?” Mo Shuihan chided in a low voice. “Mokui or Xiao Fengzheng, it doesn’t matter. I do not need you to help me in this way!”
Mokui’s face turned pale. Mo Shuihan stopped, then softened his tone. “I already owe you so much. If it weren’t for you, I would have died back then. I cannot ruin your life as well.”
She grasped his hand. “I am willing. As long as it is for the Young Master, I am willing to do anything.”
“Why must you do this?” Mo Shuihan’s heart ached. “There are others besides you. Why does it have to be this way?”
Mokui smiled and shook her head. “I only hope that the Young Master will always remember me. I don’t want the Young Master to walk out of my life.” She knew that once Mo Shuihan repaid his debt to her, she would be completely out of his life. This was the only way she could keep him with her.
Mo Shuihan’s pleas were useless. Mokui was determined to stay at the Spring River Pavilion. He could only give up for now. After sitting with Jin Zeshan for a while longer, he took his leave. Before he left, he said, “Xiao… Mokui, if you change your mind, come find me at any time. Yuguan and Yuqi are still with me.”
Mokui’s eyes filled with hope. “Is the Young Master angry with me? Will you… come back?”
Mo Shuihan sighed. Seeing her cautious expression and remembering the debt he owed her, he finally nodded. “I will.”
Mokui broke into a smile so beautiful that Jin Zeshan nearly stared in a daze. To Mo Shuihan, however, it only felt absurd and heartbreaking.
Upon returning to his residence, Mo Shuihan instructed Yuguan and Yuqi to keep an eye on the Spring River Pavilion and told them about Mokui. The two men’s eyes widened in astonishment. “What? Xiao Fengzheng is at the Spring River Pavilion?”
Mo Shuihan nodded wearily. Yuguan exclaimed, “No wonder the Young Master couldn’t find her after searching for so long! So that girl was hiding there!”
Mo Shuihan shot him a glare. “Quieter! Are you afraid people can’t hear you?”
Yuguan quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. Just then, Qiuju, one of the Ninth Princess’s maids, came to summon him. “Prince Consort, the Princess requests your company for dinner.”
Mo Shuihan rubbed his temples. Here we go again. Why did he feel like his life had been nothing but chaotic and frantic since he arrived in the capital?
The Ninth Princess was tapping her chopsticks against her bowl, urging, “Why isn’t he here yet? I’m about to starve to death!”
Nanny Shen was trying to correct her. “Put down your chopsticks, sit up straight…”
The Ninth Princess grew impatient. Just then, she saw Mo Shuihan arrive and ran over to grab his sleeve. “Hurry up, hurry up, I’m starving!”
Mo Shuihan had a headache. “If you’re so hungry, why didn’t you eat first?”
“You are my Prince Consort,” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course you have to eat with…” Her voice trailed off. Her face turned pale, and she leaned in cautiously, sniffing the air around him.
Mo Shuihan didn’t notice. He sat down and was about to pick up his chopsticks when the Ninth Princess asked in a trembling voice, “Prince Consort, where did you go today?”
His heart tightened, thinking his movements had been tracked. But when he turned and saw her pale face and fragile expression, he understood. He lowered his head and sniffed his own clothes. They were indeed saturated with a complex and heavy perfume.
He didn’t hide it. “I met Lord Jin in the imperial study today,” he confessed honestly. “We went to the Spring River Pavilion for a few drinks.”
“And what else did you do?” the Ninth Princess demanded, her eyes turning red.
Mo Shuihan shook his head. “I came back right after we finished drinking.”
The Ninth Princess sneered. “No wonder you look down on me. So the Prince Consort prefers that kind of woman!”
Mo Shuihan frowned. “What nonsense are you thinking? What could I possibly do?”
“What else would you do?” she shouted, her eyes blazing. “You’re incapable with me, but I suppose you’re perfectly capable in a brothel?”
Mo Shuihan sighed and explained with forced patience, “I truly did nothing. I just had a few drinks. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Lord Jin.”
“Anyone who goes to that kind of place is cut from the same cloth!” she yelled. She kicked the stool at her feet, then turned and ran back to her room in tears.
Mo Shuihan felt a wave of frustration and another headache coming on. I’m a woman. What could I possibly do in a brothel? This is utterly absurd!
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