Chapter 8

In the room on the fourth floor, Nian Nu's residence. Without much ado, the name alone reveals that this is where Cui Nian Nu lives.

In the Qun Fang Pavilion, there are two top courtesans: one is Li Shishi, the other is Cui Nian Nu. Although both are top courtesans, they are two completely different people.

Li Shishi comes from a family of scholars. She only sold herself to the Qun Fang Pavilion due to the decline of her family. She is beautiful and excels in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, so she was immediately popular among many high-ranking officials and wealthy young scholars in Shuntian Prefecture when she first appeared at the Qun Fang Pavilion. Li Shishi is not aloof; from the beginning, she was willing to entertain guests, but the price was not something an ordinary person could afford.

However, although she does entertain guests, the price is indeed high, but not everyone who can pay can be entertained by Li Shishi. Her overnight guests are roughly divided into three categories: the first is true high-ranking officials with prominent backgrounds. The second is talented and wealthy scholars with literary talent. The third is some young, handsome, and free-spirited knights from the江湖 (jianghu, a term often used to describe the world of martial arts and wandering heroes).

If any of the above three categories can pay the overnight fee, Li Shishi will allow them to stay.

But Cui Nian Nu is different. She comes from an official family and has a noble identity. However, because her father made a wrong choice in a political struggle, he was eventually exiled to the border, and all the family's property was confiscated. The women in the family were also forced to become government courtesans.

Government courtesans are specifically for the service of officials and are divided into two types: one is the geisha, and the other is the sex courtesan. Geishas are like songstresses and dancers, who can choose to sell their art but not their bodies. After a year, they can redeem themselves and marry into a farming family. Sex courtesans, on the other hand, must sell their bodies to provide pleasure for officials.

Cui Nian Nu was a geisha in the Jiaofangsi (a government-run brothel). Later, Aunt Kang, with her keen eye, managed to redeem her from the Jiaofangsi, and they agreed that Cui Nian Nu would only sell her art and not her body at the Qun Fang Pavilion.

Aunt Kang originally thought that Cui Nian Nu was just not psychologically ready to sell her body due to the recent decline of her family, but she did not expect that after three years at the Qun Fang Pavilion, Cui Nian Nu still maintained her purity and virtue.

Last year, Cui Nian Nu spent all her savings to bring her father, Cui Min, back to Shuntian Prefecture. Due to the hardships he endured at the border, Cui Min fell ill as soon as he returned to Shuntian Prefecture. Cui Nian Nu, because of her father's illness, became financially strained and had to humbly ask Aunt Kang for money.

Cui Nian Nu did not expect that Aunt Kang would take advantage of her financial need and threaten her. She sat in front of her dressing table, holding her face with both hands, quietly recalling every word she and Jiang Xia had said during their meeting.

Thinking of Jiang Xia's words, "If a person is beautiful, even their voice sounds beautiful. Once the voice is beautiful, even crying sounds pleasant," Cui Nian Nu couldn't help but smile.

"Jiang Xia..." Cui Nian Nu whispered the name, then muttered to herself, "I wonder when we can meet again."

"Bang!" The door to Nian Nu's residence was suddenly kicked open, and a man dressed in silk and satin, somewhat corpulent, walked in. Although he was a man, his face was heavily painted with rouge and powder, making him look like an actor in a grand opera.

Seeing him, Cui Nian Nu was instantly terrified, "Young Master Wang?" She stood up and leaned against the wall, wanting to run but not knowing where to go.

Cui Nian Nu took a deep breath, steadied her nerves, and suppressed her anxiety. She smiled and called out, "Young Master Wang, it's been a long time. Nian Nu greets you."

As she spoke, Cui Nian Nu bowed to Young Master Wang.

Young Master Wang looked at Cui Nian Nu with gleaming eyes. Today, Cui Nian Nu was wearing a light green short-sleeved blouse, a white long skirt, and a light pink long-sleeved robe over it.

Because of her natural beauty, Cui Nian Nu rarely wore makeup, making her look elegant and refined, exuding a noble and scholarly aura.

Young Master Wang swallowed and smiled, "I didn't expect you to still remember me, Young Master Wang. That's not in vain for my deep affection for you."

As he spoke, Young Master Wang turned and ordered, "You two, guard the door. No one is to enter."

"Yes!" The two servants responded and closed the door.

Once the door was closed, only Young Master Wang and Cui Nian Nu were left in Nian Nu's residence. With a man and a woman alone in a room, and Young Master Wang clearly having ill intentions, Cui Nian Nu became nervous. She couldn't help but ask tremblingly, "Young... Young Master Wang, what do you want? I... I can sell my art but not my body."

Young Master Wang laughed, "I've already paid five hundred taels of silver to the Qun Fang Pavilion. Now you tell me you won't sell your body? Isn't that a big joke? I'm determined to have you today. If you behave, I'll make you happy. If you don't... hmm..."

As he spoke, Young Master Wang approached Cui Nian Nu step by step, and Cui Nian Nu retreated step by step until she was backed against the wall with nowhere to go.

"High Young Master, don't come any closer, or... or I'll scream for help," Cui Nian Nu said in panic, her eyes darting around, desperately looking for a sharp object to protect herself. If this man came any closer, she would commit suicide to preserve her purity.

"Go ahead, scream. Even if you scream until your voice is hoarse, no one will come to your aid," Young Master Wang said with a lecherous smile.

He raised his hands and lunged at Cui Nian Nu. She dodged, but he grabbed her clothes. She pulled her arms back, allowing him to take off her long robe.

Young Master Wang held Cui Nian Nu's robe and took a deep breath. The scent of her virginity made him infatuated, his eyes turning red, and he panted, "Little beauty, you won't escape from me today. I advise you to submit."

"Fire! Fire! Run! Run!"

Suddenly, a cry rang out. Smoke slowly entered Nian Nu's residence, and Young Master Wang coughed after inhaling a few breaths. The door was pushed open by his two servants, who called out in a panic, "Young Master, it's a fire. There's a lot of smoke. Let's go quickly."

Young Master Wang glanced at the trembling Cui Nian Nu. One of the servants advised, "Let's come back another day, Young Master. It's too dangerous on the fourth floor. Let's go quickly."

Young Master Wang stomped his foot and left reluctantly.

As soon as Young Master Wang left the room, a figure suddenly ran into Nian Nu's residence. This person immediately grabbed Cui Nian Nu's hand and pulled her out. Cui Nian Nu screamed, and the person quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Don't make a sound. I'm Jiang Xia. I'm here to save you. The smoke is fake; there's no fire. Let's go quickly, or they'll come back."

"Jiang Xia?" Cui Nian Nu, recognizing Jiang Xia's face, felt a sudden sense of calm. She let Jiang Xia pull her away. Jiang Xia took Cui Nian Nu directly to the third floor and into his room.

Jiang Xia's smoke not only ruined Young Master Wang's plans but also ruined Zhu Houzhao's. As Zhu Houzhao was about to sit on the bed with Li Shishi, who had already started unbuttoning her clothes, a knock on the door interrupted them. Zhang Yong, standing guard at the door, shouted, "Young Master, it's a fire. Let's go quickly."

Hearing about the fire, Zhu Houzhao was startled. Without thinking, he opened the door and stepped out. The entire fourth floor was filled with smoke, and Zhu Houzhao muttered to himself, "How could there suddenly be a fire?"

However, despite his annoyance, saving his life was more important. Zhu Houzhao followed Zhang Yong down to the first floor.

From the fourth floor to the hall, Zhu Houzhao initially planned to leave with Zhang Yong, but the hall showed no signs of a fire, and everyone was still enjoying themselves. Realizing he had been tricked, Young Master Wang shouted in anger, "Who? Who dared to trick me, faking a fire on the fourth floor? Who? Stand up, and I'll break your legs today!"

As he spoke, the entire hall of the Qun Fang Pavilion fell silent. Zhu Houzhao, realizing he had been deceived, was also annoyed. He pulled Zhang Yong and said, "Don't rush back to the palace. Let's see what happens first."

"Yes!" Zhang Yong responded and stopped a pimp to get a seat. The pimp led them to a table in a corner of the hall.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Young Master Wang and asked Zhang Yong, "Who is this person, and why is he so arrogant?"

Zhang Yong glanced at Young Master Wang and whispered to Zhu Houzhao, "Your Majesty, this is the only son of Wang Shicong, the vice magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture."

"Wang Shicong's only son?" Zhu Houzhao shook his head. "Wang Shicong is too negligent. How can he allow his close relatives to be so arrogant in a place like this?"

Zhang Yong, seeing Zhu Houzhao's dissatisfaction, whispered, "Your Majesty, should I go talk to Young Master Wang?"

Zhang Yong shook his head. "No, a eunuch has no reason to be here. If you go, Young Master Wang will guess that I'm here. If this news spreads, the censors and officials will say a lot of nonsense, causing me trouble."

"Yes, I understand," Zhang Yong said.

"Search!" Young Master Wang shouted. "Search every room. I won't rest until I find the person who faked the fire and that girl Cui Nian Nu!"

"Yes!" Hearing Young Master Wang's order, his two servants started searching room by room from the first floor.

At this moment, Aunt Kang, who had been absent, finally appeared. She smiled and said, "Oh, who has angered our handsome and charming Young Master Wang? Calm down, Young Master. If you search every room, my Qun Fang Pavilion will have no business left."