EWRN - Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Encounters in the Brothel (I)
Several days had passed since the court assembly where the construction of the Star-Plucking Tower was grandly announced. During that time, a large amount of silver had flowed out of the national treasury, and Huo Jinyu was secretly delighted to see the accounts. The feeling of spending money so lavishly, without a care in the world, was truly exhilarating. The kingdom was doomed to fall anyway, so spending more silver would only hasten its demise! Another day, another diligent effort to ruin the country!
Only now did Huo Jinyu truly understand what it felt like for the prodigal sons of the imperial city to spend their parents' money so recklessly. No matter what trouble they caused, someone would always be there to clean up their mess. Even if she, Huo Jinyu, squandered the national treasury, the worst that could happen was the fall of the kingdom. And what was the fall of a kingdom, really?
With her own private army, Huo Jinyu was naturally fearless. As long as she lived well and comfortably, what did the life or death of this vast kingdom have to do with her?
Without so much as informing the Minister of Revenue, Huo Jinyu went to the national treasury herself, stuffed a large stack of silver notes into her robes, and left. When Li Wenjie, the Minister of Revenue, saw the amount of silver notes Huo Jinyu had taken, the corner of his eye couldn't help but twitch. His Majesty was becoming more and more of a spendthrift. But since he had already chosen to stand with His Majesty, he would just let it be. Whatever His Majesty did, he, as a foolishly loyal minister, would support it unconditionally. Li Wenjie didn't know where this confidence in His Majesty came from. Perhaps it was a man's sixth sense?
Huo Jinyu spurred her horse out of the city and headed for Baili Mountain.
The Baili Mountain stronghold was a scene of thriving prosperity. After another month of development, the Brocade Guard Army had grown to nearly seventy thousand strong. The shouts from the training grounds on the mountain shook the heavens. Dozens of fighting arenas continued to serve their purpose; each day, the soldiers who lasted the longest and fought the most matches had the chance to be promoted.
The foundry at the base of the rear mountain was also running smoothly. With sufficient iron ore, a large enough foundry, and plenty of manpower, Zhai Yao had quickly consumed a vast amount of ore and perfected the secret formula for reinforced iron. Ordinary swords and blades caused minimal damage to it. Its only drawback was that a piece of reinforced iron was heavier than a piece of regular iron of the same size, so Huo Jinyu had also increased the physical training for the Brocade Guard Army. To mass-produce sets of reinforced iron armor and swords, Zhai Yao used his ingenuity to divide the production process. Instead of one person making a complete set, each step was performed simultaneously by many people, which greatly increased overall production efficiency. After the first batch of over a thousand sets was produced, they were given to the generals, vice generals, and various captains and lieutenants to wear and test in combat against each other. The results were excellent, significantly increasing the soldiers' survival rate. The lives of the Brocade Guard Army were now well protected.
After inspecting Baili Mountain, Huo Jinyu even spent some time in the fighting arenas. Interacting with the soldiers could appropriately close the distance between them without allowing them to overstep their bounds. It also served to remind them that their leader was Huo Jinyu, a presence higher than any general, the one who commanded the entire Brocade Guard Army!
After successfully knocking a few young hotheads off the stage, Huo Jinyu leaped down, leaving the arena to the soldiers.
She selected a ten-man squad to act as her guards. Dressed in the newly forged iron armor, they spurred their horses south of Baili Mountain. She had heard that Jiang City, south of the mountain, was a city of brothels. In a city not even half the size of the imperial capital, there were dozens of brothels, large and small, and countless other pleasure houses. Huo Jinyu was going to Jiang City to see it for herself. If one wanted to bankrupt the treasury, places of pleasure like brothels were the top choice. Moreover, she had heard that the largest brothel in Jiang City was not the Great Yuan Kingdom's national chain, the Emerald Fragrance House, but a place called the Jade Spring Pavilion. The reason, it was said, was that the madam of the Jade Spring Pavilion held a trump card: the head courtesan, Di An. Miss Di An was rumored to be skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her figure was graceful, her dancing exquisite. She always wore a veil, and the tantalizing glimpses of her stunning face drew countless men who vied to see her true appearance. Huo Jinyu's trip was also for the purpose of seeing this true face.
After riding hard for over an hour, they reached Jiang City. Upon entering, she asked a local for the location of the Jade Spring Pavilion. Under the man's suggestive gaze, she leisurely rode with her guards toward the establishment.
The young master in black robes trimmed with gold had a face as handsome as jade, with sharp, well-defined features. He was dashing and elegant, followed by ten mounted guards in iron armor—an incredibly imposing sight. As the group moved down the street, they attracted the gazes of many young ladies from their boudoirs. Some were even bold enough to toss their handkerchiefs at Huo Jinyu.
After passing through several streets, Huo Jinyu stopped at the entrance of the Jade Spring Pavilion. Seeing a lavishly dressed young master arrive, the madam quickly ordered a servant to lead their horses to the stables in the back courtyard, tie them up properly, and provide them with the best fodder and well water.
The madam led them into the Jade Spring Pavilion. It was even more luxurious than the Emerald Fragrance House, clearly having amassed a great deal of wealth using the head courtesan's fame.
The first floor of the Jade Spring Pavilion was very spacious. A large stage was built in the center, surrounded by numerous tables and chairs. The first and second floors had a duplex structure. The second floor consisted of open private rooms, about a dozen of them, which looked spacious and comfortable. However, there were few people in the private rooms, and most were empty.
"Arrange a quiet private room for this young master." Huo Jinyu pressed two large-denomination silver notes into the madam's hand. The madam's face immediately broke into a wide smile. She led Huo Jinyu and her squad of guards up to the second floor and into the largest private room.
Huo Jinyu walked over to a large couch near the inner railing and sat down. The guards stood on either side behind her. The madam felt an inexplicable chill in the room.
Seeing Huo Jinyu settle in with a composed air, the madam hurried to solicit business for her girls. "What kind of companion would the young master like? We have plenty of girls at the Jade Spring Pavilion. We have the beautiful and charming, the delicate and dependent, the cold as ice, the cute and seductive..." If one of her girls was chosen by this wealthy young master, it would surely bring in a large sum of money.
Before the madam could finish listing her treasures, Huo Jinyu cut off her chatter. "Companions won't be necessary. This young master came today for the head courtesan. Just prepare your finest tea and wine for me. And don't neglect my brothers here. They've had a long journey with me and are tired. Prepare some wine for them as well. This young master will not treat your Jade Spring Pavilion poorly." Another silver note. The madam happily accepted it, tucked it away, and went out to personally arrange for the tea and wine for Huo Jinyu and her men. It was the first time she had ever seen a patron buy drinks for his servants while visiting a brothel.
The tea arrived—it was top-grade Biluochun. Hearing that Huo Jinyu's party was weary from their journey, the madam had also thoughtfully ordered the kitchen to prepare braised beef and fine Nuerhong wine. So, before the performance began, Huo Jinyu and her guards started eating.
Two hours passed, and evening approached. The first floor gradually filled with customers, all of them dandified young masters. They took their seats at the tables, and soon, girls came to sit beside them. The young masters began to talk loudly. Before long, the entire first floor was filled with these young masters, with many more standing around the periphery.
The entire Jade Spring Pavilion grew lively.
Just as the madam came in to change the water, Huo Jinyu asked, "Madam, is your Jade Spring Pavilion always this bustling on a normal day?"
The madam carefully changed the water, then replied, "It's usually lively, but not as clamorous as today. The young master probably doesn't know, but today is the day our head courtesan's virginity is to be sold. Everyone wants to have her first night, so they've all come early."
After hearing this, Huo Jinyu said, "So your head courtesan is still a virgin. How does one win this first night?"
Hearing Huo Jinyu's words, the madam's face lit up with a smile. "If the young master desires this first night, all you need is silver. Whichever patron offers the most silver, well, the first night belongs to him!" From the madam's many years of experience, she judged that the head courtesan's first night would, nine times out of ten, belong to this mysterious young master. Having changed the water and answered the question, the madam quietly withdrew. She still had to go backstage to brief the head courtesan on tonight's arrangements.
Huo Jinyu sipped her tea, her eyes on the central stage, her thoughts unreadable.
Jade Spring Pavilion, third floor, the head courtesan's room.
"An'er! I'm begging you, come with me! If you stay any longer, you'll lose your virginity tonight!" a clear, urgent female voice rang out.
A woman with delicate features, dressed in practical, tight-fitting clothes, tugged at the long sleeve of another woman in ornate attire, speaking insistently.
The woman in ornate dress sighed and pulled her sleeve back. "Little sister, stop making a scene. You know I can't possibly go with you. Where could we go? I'm afraid we'd be caught before we even left Jiang City. Don't you know there isn't a soul in this city who doesn't recognize me? Besides, you can barely protect yourself. Where could two weak women like us possibly escape to? Miss Hua Ying, I resigned myself to my fate long ago." The woman in ornate dress held the erotic art album the madam had given her, studying it intently, not even sparing a glance for the woman in tight-fitting clothes whom she considered to be making a fuss.
The woman in tight-fitting clothes' left arm seemed to be injured, hanging limply at her side. Her right hand was clenched into a tight fist.
"You know I have skills in disguise! The world is vast. Once we're out of Jiang City, where can't we go? Why must you insist on staying in this den of vice? Are you just going to wait for those disgusting men to defile you?!" The woman in tight-fitting clothes seemed exasperated, her words becoming reckless.
"Miss Hua Ying! If you cannot bear the sight of a woman of the red-light district, then feel free to leave! There is no need to stand here and humiliate me!" Di An seemed stung to the heart. Her tone grew cold as she began to drive her away.
The woman in tight-fitting clothes knew she had misspoken. But if she didn't do something, the head courtesan Di An would lose her virginity tonight and truly become a fallen woman. How could that not break her heart? She could only murmur, "I'm sorry, An'er. You know I didn't mean it like that. I truly want to help you. As long as you're willing to come with me, we have places to go! I'm begging you."
The head courtesan Di An seemed not to hear her words, her desperate pleas. She just kept staring at the album. Tonight, she was fated to fall from her branch, to become a pleasure woman available to any man with enough money. She sighed to herself. No matter how she had begged the madam, she had only been able to delay until this very day. She was already eighteen. To have not yet lost her virginity at this age already made her the envy of every pleasure woman in Jiang City.
The woman in tight-fitting clothes continued to chatter incessantly. The head courtesan Di An was beginning to regret saving her a few months ago. It was as if she had brought this immense trouble upon herself. Knock, knock, knock. A knock came from the door. "An'er, are you in there?" The madam's coarse voice drifted in. The woman in tight-fitting clothes had no choice but to fall silent and hide resentfully behind a screen.
The madam then pushed the door open and entered.
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