Chapter 2

If looks could kill, this fat man would have died several times over. Despite living two lives, Zhao Yougong’s temperament hadn’t changed much; his emotions were all written on his face.

Bulky and corpulent, with a large head and big ears, he was clearly a bumbling fool, yet he insisted on holding a folding fan and squinting his beady eyes to pretend to be a talented scholar. Zhao Yougong despised such people. A pig is still a pig; just because it’s wrapped in good skin, does it become a leopard?

"Fat Gao, you need to lose some weight. With all that belly fat, aren’t you afraid someone will light a sky lantern on you?"

As expected, Gao Yannei couldn’t take Zhao Yougong’s words lightly. He glared with his beady eyes and stretched his head out like a turtle. "Zhao Yougong, speak with some respect. Others might fear you, but I don’t!"

Gao Yannei indeed didn’t need to fear Zhao Yougong. Although Zhao Yougong was a prince, he could only be a prince, with no real power. Even the money he spent was from selling his family’s assets. For Zhao Yougong, it was about enjoying life while he could. Who knew when the current emperor might get angry and send him to the underworld? Gao Yannei wasn’t smart, but he understood the delicate relationship between Emperor Huizong and Zhao Yougong. The emperor wanted to kill Zhao Yougong but didn’t want to be criticized for it.

In short, the emperor wanted to have his cake and eat it too. Coincidentally, Zhao Yougong was very cooperative, acting like a good-for-nothing who indulged in drinking, gambling, and womanizing, which saved the emperor a lot of trouble. Over the years, Emperor Huizong had continuously given Zhao Yougong money, subtly encouraging his nephew to become more of a rogue. Without the emperor’s support, the assets of the Prince of Chu’s mansion would have been depleted long ago by Zhao Yougong.

Gao Yannei’s laughter made his fat jowls shake, while Zhao Yougong’s face was cold, his eyes glaring as he panted heavily.

Seeing this, Mama Li’s mind buzzed, and she almost cried. These two young masters wouldn’t fight in the De Yue Tower, would they?

Among the patrons were some officials, but none of them spoke, all watching the scene with crossed arms.

Shishi was very angry. As the top courtesan in the capital, protected by the emperor, it had been years since anyone dared to disrupt her performances. In the past, whenever she performed, every man was captivated, not even daring to shout loudly. But today, Zhao Yougong was clearly causing trouble.

Furrowing her brows, Shishi had a somewhat masculine temperament, which was why she was known as the "Flying General." She nodded slightly, and the red hairpin on her head swayed gently. Shishi, wearing a seemingly cumbersome pleated skirt, walked gracefully onto the stage. Her anger was alluring, and an angry Shishi was even more beautiful. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. Would you like to hear me play 'Washing the Silk Stream'?"

Shishi’s voice was light and melodious, like a continuous string of music, but even so, the audience could sense her anger. Shishi was upset?

Hearing Shishi speak, Mama Li breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Shishi intervened, everyone would give her some face. She straightened her sleeves and walked to Zhao Yougong with a smile. "Young Master Zhao, Shishi is about to play..."

"Get lost!" Zhao Yougong pushed Mama Li aside. Perhaps he used too much force, and she stumbled, crashing into a nearby table. "Ouch!" Mama Li looked pitifully at Shishi on the stage. Now, only Shishi could handle the situation. With the emperor’s protection, which man would dare not listen to her?

"Fat Gao, this is my business, and you’d better stay out of it!"

"Who wants to meddle in your affairs? Are you my son? Or my dog?"

Zhao Yougong’s hair stood on end. With a loud "clank," he found a wooden stick and slammed it on the table, causing cups and other items to scatter.

"Fat Gao, if you dare to fart again, I’ll be your father. Do you believe me?"

Gao Yannei, startled by the loud noise, blinked his beady eyes, looking scared. "Oh... I’m so scared. Be my father? Sure, let’s talk to my father about it tomorrow..."

Clearly, he was fearless because of his father’s backing. Zhao Yougong, though a rogue, knew what kind of person Gao Qiu was. He was a favorite of Emperor Huizong, and even Cai Jing and Tong Guan had to give him some face. As a prince with an uncertain future, did Zhao Yougong deserve any respect from Gao Qiu?

It seemed a fight was inevitable. If he couldn’t beat Gao Qiu, he could at least take on Gao Yannei.

Shishi was truly angry. Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she scanned the audience. "Young Prince, Master Gao, can you give Shishi a little face? The moonlight is so enchanting tonight; why ruin the mood?"

With Shishi speaking, Gao Yannei naturally had to listen. Even if he didn’t listen to Shishi, he had to respect the emperor. Standing up, he smiled and bowed. "Shishi is right. It’s a beautiful night. Let’s just enjoy the music. Ha ha..."

His words were polite and measured, which was quite rare for a rogue like Gao Yannei. Now that Gao Yannei had spoken, it was up to Zhao Yougong.

Everyone in the tower held their breath, and some of the girls kept signaling to each other. They thought the storm had passed. Although they were jealous of Shishi, they had to admit her status. In most cases, her words were more powerful than those of the officials. Zhao Yougong’s face grew darker, and when he finally spoke, everyone was stunned.

"Shishi, you are beautiful, but why should I give you any face?" Zhao Yougong sneered, glancing at Shishi on the stage with a look of disdain.

For a moment, the tower was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping. Only Shishi’s heavy breathing was audible. She was furious. Even when she wasn’t favored by the emperor, no one had ever spoken to her like that. The look of disdain and arrogance in his eyes made her feel like an ordinary courtesan.

Shishi’s anger was mixed with a touch of sadness. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her face was cold. Just as everyone expected her to say something, she turned away quietly. Dragging her long skirt, she slowly walked up the wooden stairs, which creaked softly. Her lotus-colored embroidered shoes stepped down, each step echoing in her heart. How ridiculous, why was she angry? Zhao Yougong wasn’t wrong. Entertaining with beauty, there would always be a time when one’s beauty faded. Everyone understood this, but only the reckless Zhao Yougong dared to speak the truth, because he was stupid and ignorant...

She had once despised Zhao Yougong, but now she realized that in this capital, only Zhao Yougong lived truly.

Shishi left quietly, and the people in the tower were still in shock. Mama Li, with her almond eyes wide open, was puzzled. What was wrong with Shishi?

Gao Yannei was overjoyed. Zhao Yougong was not only brainless but also incredibly stupid, daring to glare at Shishi. Didn’t he know the power of pillow talk? Oh, no, Zhao Yougong was too stupid to understand pillow talk.

With Shishi gone, Gao Yannei felt he had a chance to prove himself. He closed his fan and waved his fat hand, and his lackeys gathered around. "Bold Zhao Yougong, how dare you treat Shishi like that!"

"What? Want to fight? I’ll see it through. Boys, block them. Whoever dares to come up, beat them. If they die, it’s on me..."

"Hisss..." Mama Li drew in a sharp breath, almost crying. Gao Yannei and Zhao Yougong were regulars at the De Yue Tower, and she knew many of the girls. She signaled them to go and mediate, but after a while, only one girl came out. She was beautiful and tall, but there was a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

Holding Zhao Yougong’s arm, the girl pleaded softly, "Sir, please don’t cause trouble. I’m scared..."

To everyone’s surprise, Zhao Yougong sat back down. He hugged the girl and patted her hand. "Yurou, don’t be afraid. I was just scaring that fat man. We won’t fight, we won’t fight..."

Yurou was a pitiful woman. She had a beautiful face and a pleasant voice, and she could have rivaled Shishi. But because she was older, the De Yue Tower had abandoned her. A courtesan’s fate was always like this. When she was favored, everything was fine, but when she wasn’t, her past glory was meaningless. Over the years, if not for Zhao Yougong’s frequent visits, she might have been reduced to doing laundry and cooking.

Shishi’s words were ineffective, but Yurou’s words made Zhao Yougong sit down. Wasn’t this a slap in the face for Shishi? Zhao Yougong whispered something in Yurou’s ear, making her cover her mouth and laugh, though her eyes were red and teary.

Gao Yannei rubbed his fat face, making sure he wasn’t dreaming. He slapped the table and glared. "Zhao Rogue, you’re stopping just like that?"

Zhao Yougong wanted to settle things, but Gao Yannei wouldn’t let it go. However, this suited Zhao Yougong’s plan. He had Yurou stand aside, put one foot on the chair, and laughed loudly. "Don’t want to stop? Fat Gao, how about we put on a show for everyone?"

"Zhao Madman, what are you up to?"

"Simple. We’ll play rock-paper-scissors on stage. Whoever loses has to take off a piece of clothing. In the end, either we’ll run naked, or if we don’t, we’ll crawl on the stage and bark like dogs!"

Rock-paper-scissors? Running naked? Taking off clothes? Barking like dogs?

The audience immediately cheered. This was more exciting than Shishi’s dance. Zhao Yougong stood up straight, his right arm around Yurou, and looked at the ceiling.

Zhao Yougong wasn’t afraid. What did Gao Yannei have to fear? Besides, who knew who would win?

After a short while, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Zhao Yougong and Gao Yannei stood on the stage, shouting loudly with their arms swinging. Their eyes were blazing, as if they wanted to burn each other alive.

"Rock-paper-scissors..."

Gao Yannei laughed, and Zhao Yougong, with a thick face, took off a piece of clothing...

"Rock-paper-scissors..."

Gao Yannei lost, took off his clothes, and continued...

...

After several rounds, Zhao Yougong laughed triumphantly, while Gao Yannei’s face turned pale. Should he take off his last undergarment or crawl on the stage and bark like a dog?

In the end, under Zhao Yougong’s pressure, Gao Yannei gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and lay on the ground. His white, fat body looked quite amusing in the light.

"Woof woof... woof woof..."

The tower erupted in laughter. Gao Yannei hastily put on his clothes and glared at Zhao Yougong before leaving.

"Zhao Rogue, we’ll continue our bet at the Moon Arch Bridge tomorrow. Whoever doesn’t show up is a bastard’s son!"

"Afraid of me? Fat Gao, take care, I won’t see you off..."

Zhao Yougong knew the matter wouldn’t end there. What kind of bet would Gao Yannei make? Looking at the moonlight, Zhao Yougong waved to Yurou. Whatever, live for today. With a beautiful woman by his side and the moonlight so enchanting, why worry too much?

The spring rain was late, but the spring breeze caressed the clear Bian River. The moonlight was beautiful, and this place, though not in the south, was as enchanting as the south...