Chapter 58: A Model of Male Virtue; Come Watch Little Xie Visit the Brothel! Look at me…
Pei Jiuniang was stunned for a moment before a belated joy washed over her delicate features.
To secure a high-quality client like Xie Qianli, how could Pei Jiuniang have any interest in playing tea games with others?
Feigning a twisted ankle on the spot, she sent servants to turn away her other patrons. Hugging her Pekinese dog, Pei Jiuniang curtsied and led Xie Qianli back to YulouchunāJade Tower Spring.
Yulouchun was the largest flower house in Chang’an.
The pavilion was majestic, with carved beams and painted rafters. Apricot-yellow and soft pink lights spilled from the window lattices, giving the entire building a charming, seductive allure.
A turtle servantĀ¹ had already lifted the crystal curtain.
A fragrant breeze rushed over him, the scent of rouge heavily sweet, causing Xie Qianliās breath to hitch.
The beauties he passed all couldn’t help but cast a few extra glances at the tall, handsome man in fine clothes standing at the entrance. Some bold girls wanted to brush him with their handkerchiefs, but upon seeing his cold, casting gaze, they warily stopped.
Pei Jiuniang found it increasingly strange.
If he was here to play, his expression showed no relaxation; if he was here on official business, he asked no questions.
How could Pei Jiuniang know that Xie Qianli had absolutely no experience visiting a flower house? He was already dispirited, and now he just appeared numb.
Pei Jiuniang tried to break the ice. “Gongzi, are you here to join a tea session, or to listen to songs and watch dances? Yulouchun‘s Peach Blossom Brew is intoxicating, and our Zhezhi Dance is famous throughout the realm.”
Xie Qianli replied, “Arrange whatever you like, Miss. Just take me to a quiet private room first.” After speaking, he handed over a heavy tip.
Pei Jiuniangās eyes lit up. Such generosity!
In truth, between his noble stipend and annual salary, Xie Qianli earned at least ten thousand taels a year. Not knowing the cost of consumption in a brothel, he had inadvertently become a VIP in Pei Jiuniang’s eyes.
Even more inadvertently, when a man planning to stay the night didn’t mention spending a romantic evening but asked for a “quiet place,” everyone in this line of work understood the implication.
A fresh flush of crimson appeared on Pei Jiuniang’s face.
“Guest, please follow me upstairs.”
Yulouchun had three floors in total. The first was the main hall, the second held ordinary private rooms. Passing through the main hall, one could hear lewd language and frivolous behavior everywhere. Xie Qianli looked straight ahead, ignoring it all.
The second floor was only slightly more refined than the first. Guests discussed popular storybooks; one beauty mentioned a trending story in the city where the protagonist was an Emperor from some unknown dynasty.
Xie Qianliās back stiffened. He hurriedly quickened his pace.
Passing other rooms, he heard girls being called to accompany drinkers, men discussing state affairs, and drunkenly debating the situation between the North and South.
As for those in the heat of passion, soft, delicate moans drifted through the doors, accompanied by the creaking of furniture.
Xie Qianli wasn’t uneducated in these matters; he naturally knew what they were doing.
He had drunk the Palace’s Imperial wine, which was now fueling a heat throughout his body.
His brows knit tightly together.
He was at an age full of vigor. When aroused, a figure he shouldn’t be seeing would appear in his mind. He dared not let that shadow become clear, so he could only suppress it with all his might.
Fortunately, they entered the private room.
Pei Jiuniang’s exclusive room was quite elegant, and the soundproofing was decent. Xie Qianli let out a small sigh of relief and sat down on the main seat with a grim, imposing posture. Only the little Pekinese dared to approach him; Pei Jiuniang, on the other hand, felt as if she were about to preside over a military conference.
However, the head courtesan was still the head courtesan; she was knowledgeable and could handle any type of guest.
Pei Jiuniang picked up a pot of Rose Dew, approached him, and filled his cup. The floral scent was strong, mingling with the floating aroma of cosmetic powder. “May I ask how to address Gongzi? Since it is just you and me here, I hope Gongzi can relax a little, otherwise, you might scare Nujia.”
“My surname is…” The word ‘Xie’ didn’t come out; the ending sound twisted into ‘Xi’. A pseudonym with absolutely no standard.
Pei Jiuniang called out, “Greetings, Gongzi Xi.”
Xie Qianli sighed softly.
Since the goal was to correct his bad habits, Xie Qianli accepted the Rose Dew. It was a low-alcohol wine; patrons could drink plenty without getting drunk, allowing the girls in the house to drink freely as well.
He raised the cup, tilted his head, and swallowed it. Pei Jiuniang poured again. The more she poured, the more he drank. Xie Qianli finished the entire pot of Rose Dew right then and there. Instead of becoming talkative or frivolous like ordinary men after drinking, his expression became even more solemn.
Such a strange guest naturally piqued Pei Jiuniang’s curiosity, and she felt a sense of respect for his character. Why did this Langjun come to a flower house?
Pei Jiuniang laughed secretly to herself, wanting even more to taste this Langjun. He had drunk the entire pot of Rose Dew, which had been ‘spiked’. Even a celestial being wouldn’t be able to escape the web of love now.
Therefore, Pei Jiuniang wasn’t anxious. Bit by bit, she watched the guest fall into the trap.
“Langjun.”
“Langjun, ah.”
Before long, Pei Jiuniang’s voice sounded as if it were coming through a fog, and her figure became hazy.
Xie Qianli thought that he shouldn’t be drunk, yet he was indeed having a reaction similar to intoxication. His lacquer-black eyes darkened. Although he could still maintain his upright sitting posture, Xie Qianli felt a trance washing over him, followed by a burning heat in his lower abdomen.
His knee felt heavy.
Pei Jiuniang had seized the opportunity to sit on his lap. Xie Qianli suddenly shuddered, his shoulders trembling slightly. “Get down.”
How could the head courtesan give up on this business?
The more the man resisted, the more she knew he couldn’t handle it. Observing the sweat on Xie Qianli’s forehead and the bobbing of his Adam’s apple, she knew the potency of the Rose Dew was running rampant in his body.
Pei Jiuniang added fuel to the fire. “Xi-lang, Nujia‘s place is a gentle land, a cave for melting gold. Since you’ve spent the silver, Nujia must serve you until you are satisfied.”
Her hand pinched Xie Qianli’s shoulder, and she was suddenly shocked by the powerful physique beneath the man’s official robes, recoiling as if electrocuted.
Pei Jiuniang felt a momentary chill, but then the thrill of taming a wild beast rose within her.
She probingly kneaded his shoulder gently; his jaw clenched tighter and tighter.
Pei Jiuniang giggled. “Xi-lang, this is a place for men to release their wild nature. Why did you come here? Surely not to specifically test yourself?”
Yes, why come here…
Xie Qianli thought with immense difficulty: This afternoon, I realized I harbored covetous thoughts toward Ying Xi that I shouldn’t have.
The moment the thought emerged, becoming gradually clear, it burned him so much he had to stop it immediately, leaving his heart in ruins.
He was terrified that this malicious intent would be exposed to Ying Xi, causing Ying Xi to be guarded and distant, or to secretly view him as a deviant.
This thought was wrong.
He tried to enter the flower house, wanting to return to the righteous path.
Xie Qianli lowered his head and forced a bitter smile, reaching out his hand toward Pei Jiuniang.
That hand was vigorous and powerful, with long fingers and distinct knuckles, full of strength.
Pei Jiuniang felt joy in her heart, hooking the corner of her lips to continue her coaxing.
But that hand approached tremblingly, then stopped painfully. Even though the man’s fingertips were shaking, and his face had long changed color from the drug’s effect, he still kept his body at a distance from her. He forcibly resisted the power of the entire pot of aphrodisiac, his palm stopping abruptly in front of her.
Pei Jiuniang was stunned.
Sitting on his lap, she couldn’t help but stand up.
Xie Qianli said hoarsely, “I want to be alone for a moment. Give me a pot of clear water. You go rest.”
Pei Jiuniang: “…”
A long silence ensued.
If not for her rich experience, judging that this man was enduring it, she would have definitely thought he was impotent!
As the top courtesan of Yulouchun, to be chased out of the embroidery room by a man… although he was polite enough, Pei Jiuniang felt quite bitter. She rolled her eyes in secret, but just as her gaze wandered, she saw a strand of brown hair tied around the man’s wrist. It was fine and soft.
Pei Jiuniang was touched.
A courtesan accustomed to the wind and moon could naturally guess that this hair belonged to the man’s beloved.
He must have someone he adores but cannot be with, she thought. He came to the flower house to forget that person, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to let go.
How could Pei Jiuniang still be angry?
Having seen so much acting on impulse, finding a man in this world with such deep affection, who could sit still without being chaotic, was worthy of respect.
Iced clear water, sobering soup, and a large platter of melon and fruit.
Pei Jiuniang was honest in her hospitality and truly didn’t come to disturb him afterward.
Xie Qianli lifted the pot and filled his cup, drinking one after another. He slumped, unable to dispel the heat. He felt his bodily functions working normallyātoo normally. He had to control himself tightly to stop fantasizing, suppressing the image of a certain figure with ice water the moment it popped up.
His stomach was very cold, but luckily his constitution was good.
He held the cup with a smile that wasn’t a smile. Helplessness turned into a giant stone pressing on his heart. In the end, he hadn’t been able to take that step in the flower house.
Looking at that strand of hair, where was Pei Jiuniang in his eyes?
Wandering everywhere was Little Xi’s thin, spiritual figure, and the Emperor’s lonely, outstanding demeanor, overlapping before his eyes.
The water hit the bottom, revealing the ice. Xie Qianli poured a cup of ice cubes, tossed them into his mouth, and chewed, making crunching sounds. The cold felt like needles pricking his mouth.
Crunch, crunch…
He forced himself to listen only to the sound of chewing ice, driving away distractions.
He walked forward two steps with the wine cup, finally leaning weakly against the wall. Just then, he vaguely heard a low male voice coming from next door, accompanied by soft panting.
Although the voice was quiet, it was exceptionally clear against the wall, especially with the superior hearing of a martial artist.
Xie Qianli recognized the male voiceāPrince Yong.
Prince Yong’s voice was extremely distinctive.
“You need to lift your leg higher.”
“Right, closer. Head up, arch upwards. Looking unbearable yet as if you have no choice but to be conquered by GuĀ². Your expression isn’t right.”
“Your… Your Highness, please spare me…”
“Wrong! Wrong!”
“He wouldn’t beg for mercy. When has he ever had such a posture!?”
Then came the sound of the bedboard hitting the wall; the person in the room’s voice had changed tune.
But the pleas for mercy were swallowed raw by Prince Yong.
Prince Yong immediately became irritable. “You have to say ‘Presumptuous!’, you have to tell BenwangĀ³ to get out! You have to release mad dogs to tear at Benwang, then cut Benwang with a sharp blade, and finallyāfinally, look at Benwang with pity and send some insignificant shrimp to treat Benwang.”
There was a hysterical madness in Prince Yong’s voice.
Xie Qianli’s sword-like brows locked tight. He felt it was strange. His mind was chaotic, but Prince Yong had always been unstable.
At this moment, the noise next door grew louder and louder, almost breaking through the wall!
“Say it! Say it quickly!”
“How dare this small slave…”
But under Ying Dang’s crazy urging, the person in the next room was almost broken.
Finally, he had to comply with Ying Dang’s request: “You… Presumptuous.”
Xie Qianli heard that voice clearly. His heartstrings suddenly tightened, and the heat of the wine sobered up by half in an instant.
Ying Dang shouted loudly and delightfully, “Royal Brother! I am presumptuous! Dang’er has wanted to be this presumptuous with you since childhood! Royal Brother, look at me! Do you remember how close we used to be, and the promises we made to each other before coming to Chang’an!!!”
“Royal Brother, I want you, Royal Brother.”
“Royal Brotherā”
Those cries of obsessed delusion echoed in the private room.
It made Xie Qianliās chest feel as if it had exploded. In that split second, he realized that Prince Yong had long harbored incestuous, treacherous designs on Ying Xi!
A raging fire burned in his heart. It was as if someone were defiling his moon. Jealousy and possessiveness made his reason uncontrollable.
The wooden wall was solid, but he smashed through it with a single palm strike. The entire Yulouchun shook with a loud boom. He grabbed Ying Dang by the back collar of his undergarments, dragged him over, and punched him hard on the left cheek.
Ying Dang wasn’t dressed properly and was caught off guard. Hit in his daze, he spat out blood and foam.
Someone screamed from the bed curtains: “Ahhh! Help! A fight!”
It wasn’t a woman.
Xie Qianli hadn’t intended to look at her, but hearing that tone, he was shocked to discover that the person frolicking with Prince Yong was actually a young boy.
The boy wrapped himself in the quilt. He was slender, his expression full of panic. His brown bangs were stuck to his cheeks with sweat, and his face bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to the Holy Majesty!
In that instant, Xie Qianli’s mind roared.
He was not only astonished that there could truly be sexual affairs between men, but he also gained a deeper understanding of Prince Yong’s malicious intentions. His anger reached its peak.
Xie Qianli threw another punch!
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