Cheng Si-lang didn’t immediately recognize who it was, but his servant did.
“Chun Ling?” the servant exclaimed. “What’s happened?”
Chun Ling… Cheng Si-lang took a step forward and saw, in the dim night, a small figure kneeling on the ground, lifting a tear-streaked face – it really was her.
“Chun Ling, what’s wrong? Come, get up, tell me what’s going on,” he said quickly, reaching out in a gesture to help her up.
But Chun Ling didn’t rise. Tears streamed down her face like rain as she crawled forward a few paces on her knees, looking up at him.
“Fourth Young Master, I don’t know who else I can turn to… Fourth Young Master, please, can you help my lady?”
…
As the evening lights were lit, the spring night in the capital slowly unfolded its lively curtain.
Inside Desheng Pavilion, the lamps blazed brilliantly; red blossoms and green willows framed the fluttering ribbons and bright skirts, while the sound of song, laughter, dance, and string music intertwined in the air.
Lady Zhu’s boudoir was the finest room in Desheng Pavilion. With the windows and doors shut, all the bustle outside was completely shut out.
A faint wisp of incense smoke rose before the bronze mirror, lending an added touch of serenity to the chamber – yet the slight furrow between Lady Zhu’s brows as she dressed before the mirror showed that her heart was far from calm.
The door was suddenly flung open, and the noise and thick fragrance from outside surged into the room.
“Ah-Heng!”
A woman’s voice sounded by her ear. Someone sat down beside her, leaned in for a look, and let out a startled cry.
“Why haven’t you started your makeup yet?”
Lady Zhu turned her head toward the beautiful woman in her thirties, lowered her gaze, and greeted her softly, “Mother.”
“Hurry up – do you know what time it is already? Why haven’t you even drawn your brows?” the woman said anxiously, picking up the brow brush herself. “Come, let me do it for you.”
Lady Zhu turned her head aside to avoid her.
“Mother, I don’t want to see guests today,” she said.
The smile on the woman’s face vanished at once.
“Ah-Heng,” she said, “I’ve told you before – we mustn’t act like those useless girls. Some reputations must be worn with pride. A courtesan is a courtesan – if you grow too haughty, it only turns into pretension.”
Lady Zhu glanced sideways but said nothing.
The woman’s smile returned, soft and coaxing.
“Ah-Heng, if it were any other day, I wouldn’t insist. You know I never force you -whether you take guests or attend a banquet has always been your choice. But the one who’s coming tonight is no ordinary man. You know he only ever asks for you. You’ve already turned him down twice; this time, you really can’t refuse again,” she said gently.
“He’s already come several times. Perhaps he won’t come tonight,” Lady Zhu replied.
“Well, if he doesn’t come, of course you don’t have to go,” the woman said with a smile. “But you should still get dressed up – what if he does come?”
Lady Zhu forced a faint smile and picked up the brow brush.
Only then did the woman’s expression brighten. She reached out to smooth her daughter’s hair.
“My Ah-Heng always knows what’s proper,” she said fondly, and then rose and went out.
Once the door closed, the room fell quiet again – but the heavy perfume lingering in the air from that woman made Lady Zhu feel restless. She threw down the brow brush and, in frustration, grabbed a handful of incense and tossed it into the burner.
How had she ended up encountering such a man?
It wasn’t as if there hadn’t been infatuated admirers over the years she’d spent in the pleasure quarters – but never one who filled her with such fear.
Or perhaps, she thought, this day was simply bound to come.
As a courtesan of the Music Bureau, how could she have hoped to remain untouched forever?
She just hadn’t expected the day to come so soon. She had thought she’d gained at least some ability to steer her own fate – yet in the face of reality, she found herself utterly powerless.
But she truly didn’t want this. She couldn’t accept it…
How had she gone into the wrong room that day? How had she blundered into his chambers? One mistake – and she could no longer get away.
That, perhaps, was proof of her allure – but at this moment she took no pride in it at all. In her heart she wished she didn’t have this face.
Lady Zhu looked toward the bronze mirror. Her slender brows – just traced with a stroke of ink – already revealed a curve that was heartbreakingly beautiful.
Footsteps sounded hurriedly outside the door, and it was pulled open once more.
“Sister!”
“What are you fussing about now?” Lady Zhu snapped irritably, turning her head.
Chun Ling knelt by the doorway, her face alight with excitement.
“Sister,” she said, “there’s an invitation.”
“I’m not seeing any guests today,” Lady Zhu said crossly.
“It’s from Young Master Cheng – the fourth son of the Cheng family,” Chun Ling said quickly.
Lady Zhu froze for a moment.
The fourth son of the Cheng family? Who was that again?
“No, no, I’m not going,” she said impatiently, waving her hand.
“Sister,” Chun Ling crawled forward a few steps on her knees, her tone anxious, “please, you’d better accept. Otherwise, when that other man arrives later…”
Lady Zhu fell still, her hand brushing the hair that had slipped over her shoulder, silent and lost in thought.
“Ah-Heng, Ah-Heng!”
The woman’s sweet, syrupy voice drifted in.
Lady Zhu started in alarm.
“Sister, Sister–” Chun Ling was even more frightened now, crawling a few steps further inside on her knees.
“Ah-Heng, Young Master Gao is here,” the woman called, stopping in the doorway. When she saw that Lady Zhu still hadn’t done her makeup, she grew anxious at once. “Hurry up!”
Startled, Lady Zhu quickly picked up her brow brush.
“Mother, what a coincidence – just now I accepted another invitation,” she said.
The woman froze.
“Another invitation? From whom?” she demanded.
What was his name again? Lady Zhu quickly turned to look at Chun Ling.
Chun Ling understood at once.
“Young Master Cheng – the fourth son of the Cheng family,” she said hurriedly.
The fourth son of the Cheng family? What sort of nonsense was that?
The woman frowned. In her mind she kept a flawless memory of every notable household in the capital – she could recite them in her sleep – and there had never been any “fourth son of the Cheng family.”
When I was the top courtesan of the city, you were still sucking milk – and now you want to play games with me?
The woman let out a cold laugh.
“Cancel it,” she said. “You’re going to see Young Master Gao.”
“How could that do?” Lady Zhu flared up, her own temper rising. “I’ve already accepted – how can I go back on my word?”
“You don’t need to sully yourself with broken promises. I’ll play the villain for you,” the woman said with a half-smile. “I’ll go tell this ‘Young Master Cheng’ myself – he won’t blame you.”
With that, she turned to leave.
“I’d like to see,” she sneered, “just how much weight this Young Master Cheng really carries.”
In a private room at Desheng Pavilion, several young men had just taken their seats. They looked around with curiosity and delight.
“Not bad, Wenyu – you actually managed to get us in here,” one of them said, clapping Cheng Si-lang on the shoulder.
Cheng Si-lang gave an awkward little laugh.
“It’s just a place to sit and talk,” he said. After a pause, he added, “Maybe listen to some music.”
The young men exchanged glances, smiles spreading across their faces.
“So you’ve even invited someone to play for us?” one of them asked eagerly.
Though it was their first time here, they’d certainly heard of the courtesans of Desheng Pavilion – renowned throughout the capital for their talent and charm. Anyone chosen to perform here was bound to be exceptional.
Of course, that also meant the price was high.
Cheng Si-lang made a vague sound of agreement, “Mm,” trying to appear at ease, but his eyes kept darting uneasily toward the door.
The door was suddenly flung open, and Cheng Si-lang sat bolt upright in surprise.
“Which one of you is Young Master Cheng?”
A seductive, beautiful woman stepped in with a smile.
So this is the courtesan they invited? Though she was a bit older than he’d expected, she was still strikingly lovely.
The young men in the room exchanged excited glances, their eyes lighting up.
Cheng Si-lang nodded quickly. “That would be me.”
So young – and with that provincial accent, the woman thought with a cold sneer in her heart. Just as I thought.
“My apologies,” she said smoothly, still smiling. “The lady you requested, Lady Zhu, already has another engagement and won’t be able to come.”
Lady Zhu?
The few young men present all started in shock.
Could it be that Lady Zhu – the courtesan Lady Zhu?
The very same Lady Zhu who performed to celebrate the parade of the new palace graduates, when they rode through the streets crowned with flowers?
“You idiot,” one of them muttered under his breath to Cheng Si-lang. “You could’ve invited anyone – why’d you go and ask for the top courtesan? Of course you can’t get her.”
But Cheng Si-lang didn’t look at him, nor did he seem to hear. His eyes stayed fixed on the beautiful woman before him.
“When I made the request,” he said calmly, “Lady Zhu had no other engagements – and she accepted my invitation.”
At those words, everyone in the room turned to stare at him, their faces filled with astonishment.
“Then I’ll be frank,” the woman said, her smile fading into a cool, even tone. “Lady Zhu has another engagement and won’t be able to see you, Young Master Cheng.”
“How can that be?” Cheng Si-lang straightened his back. “I invited her first, and she already agreed.”
Oh my – so he’s arguing now.
The mood in the room shifted, and the others present began to sense that something was off.
“Young Master Cheng,” the woman said with a faint, knowing smile, looking down at him from above, “let’s not pretend – Lady Zhu put you up to saying this, didn’t she?”
“What?”
The other young men turned to him in astonishment.
So this fellow already knew Lady Zhu?
“She doesn’t want to see that guest, so she’s using you as a shield – do you understand that?” the woman pressed.
“What are you talking about?” Cheng Si-lang said stiffly. “I only came here to drink. What nonsense are you saying? Just ask Lady Zhu to come out.”
The woman gave a sharp, mocking laugh.
“Young Master, I’ve seen your kind plenty of times,” she said, lifting a hand with nails lacquered a bright red. “The gallant hero rushing in to save a beauty, hoping for a smile in return – acting on impulse and daring to do anything. But I’d advise you to think twice. Sometimes that heat in your head will pass – but sometimes, the consequences of it are far too heavy for you to bear.”
Even those who had never been to Desheng Pavilion could tell what was really going on by now.
Who would’ve thought this young Cheng fellow would have the nerve to vie with another man for the top courtesan?
And judging from her reaction… it even seemed that the courtesan herself might have a soft spot for him.
“Madam jests,” Cheng Si-lang said stiffly. “I don’t understand what you mean. Please just ask Lady Zhu to come out.”
This outsider was insufferable!
The woman – once a famed courtesan herself, long accustomed to adoration – had become an instructor at the Music Bureau after her beauty began to fade. Everyone treated her with deference… and now this boy had the nerve to play dumb and waste her breath?
“If you truly don’t understand, then I’ll be blunt,” she snapped, her willow brows arching sharply. “From this day on, you are not to come looking for my Lady Zhu again!”
At those words, Cheng Si-lang’s servant, who had been kneeling by the door, could no longer hold back. He leapt to his feet.
“How dare you speak to my young master, the official, like that, woman!” he shouted.
Official?
The woman turned her gaze toward Cheng Si-lang.
The servant, looking rather pleased with himself, straightened his back – indeed, his master was an official now! How dare this lowly old bawd from the Music Bureau speak to an official like that!
The woman arched a brow and smiled.
“An official, is it? I’m really not impressed by officials here,” she said coolly. “Don’t try to frighten me with titles. If you want to scare someone, you’d better make sure you’ve got the power to back it up.”
“Hey – you know who my master is?” the servant blurted out, flustered and indignant.
Meanwhile, in a lavish private room elsewhere, a plump man lounging against the shoulder of a courtesan lazily lifted his eyes.
At his faint movement, the music and drumming inside the room ceased at once, and the laughter and chatter of the men and women seated on either side of the hall fell silent.
Every gaze turned toward the timid little maid standing by the doorway.
“What did you say?” the man at the head of the table asked slowly.
Chun Ling lifted her head. “My lady was already invited by Young Master Cheng.”
“Young Master Cheng?” The man let out a low chuckle.
Laughter rippled around the room as the others followed his lead.
“And which Young Master Cheng would that be,” the man drawled, “who’s so favored as to win Lady Zhu’s attention? Even I have tried several times and couldn’t get her to come.”
As he spoke, he picked up a wine-soaked candied fruit from the dish before him. With the slightest pressure of his fingers, the fruit burst – juice spraying in all directions.
