Chapter 29: Each Had Their Own Strengths
Chapter 29: Each Had Their Own Strengths
When the topic of Miss Zhao’s unique “scent” came up, Young Master Ye’s fighting spirit was reignited. He said firmly, “You’re right. It’s not that I can’t win her over, just that the right moment hasn’t come yet. I believe we’ll eventually be together. I won’t give up!”
After saying that, Young Master Ye turned and walked away. Just as he was about to open the door, he suddenly turned back and asked, “By the way, are you telling the story of Lanlan again tonight? If you are, I’ll definitely come to support. Mainly, Miss Zhao is still angry, so I can’t recklessly visit her again. Last time, she asked me what I liked about her, and I said ‘your scent’—she ended up hitting me so hard my face swelled. This time, I went to show her my ‘special talent,’ and she scratched up my face. Next time, I must be better prepared before going.”
Liu Liwa was speechless. It seemed Miss Zhao truly was a refined lady; anyone else would have beaten him to death by now!
Young Master Ye yawned, looking quite tired, and said, “Never mind, I’ll just stay at Intoxication Pavilion directly. I don’t want to miss a single episode of Lanlan’s story.”
With that, Young Master Ye opened the door and left. Liu Liwa smiled bitterly; this guy might not know how to woo girls, but he was a loyal fan.
After chatting with this exceptional young master for so long, the bathwater had turned cold. However, after drinking a bowl of ginger soup, Liu Liwa felt much better. Then, Shen Zuijin’s sweet voice could be heard outside the door. She sounded as enthusiastic as if Young Master Ye were her long-lost husband. This was something Liu Liwa couldn’t quite grasp: why were they so attentive to guests from the Capital City? Even more so than an office receiving a higher-up inspection group…
Just then, the door was pushed open again. Qin Wan’er and the little loli, Xinying, walked in with gloomy expressions. Even when they saw Liu Liwa in a state of undress, their faces showed no reaction.
Qin Wan’er carried a knife and couldn’t be provoked easily. The little loli, though taking after her lead, was quite naive. Liu Liwa chuckled and asked, “Xinying, was the bean curd jelly tasty earlier? Do you want more tomorrow?”
Sure enough, little Xinying immediately replied, “What’s so great about bean curd jelly? I want honey-glazed pork knuckle and crab meat salad.”
Liu Liwa broke out in a sweat. “Girl, you’re about to be served up like a pork knuckle yourself, and you’re still thinking about food,” he said with a bitter smile. “Whatever you want to eat, it’s no problem. I’ll buy it for you.”
As he spoke, Liu Liwa took out a shiny gold ingot—about five taels—that Young Master Ye had rewarded him with the previous night. It gleamed with a mesmerizing allure. Before Meng Xinying could react, Qin Wan’er had already moved like a perfumed breeze. Liu Liwa felt his hand go light, and the gold ingot had vanished without a trace.
Liu Liwa stamped his feet. “Were you a robber in your past life? Why do you snatch everything you see? Do you snatch men too?”
Qin Wan’er, no longer looking gloomy, gave him a coquettish glare and hugged the gold ingot as if it were her only child, asking, “Hey, how much more of this stuff do you have?”
Liu Liwa was very straightforward and pulled open his robe, revealing himself. Qin Wan’er, having thrown caution to the wind, stared with wide eyes before cursing, “Shameless!”
Liu Liwa was speechless. He had originally intended to coax the little loli to get some information but ended up provoking a female bandit instead. Qin Wan’er, appreciative of the gold ingot, told him, “Earlier, the Madam personally informed us: the new Emperor has ascended the throne and issued a general pardon. We’re included in it. However, since we’ve been entered into the Lowly Status Register, if we want to regain our freedom, we must first buy our freedom, then go to the Music Bureau to remove our Lowly Status Register, and finally re-register as commoners.”
“This is great news!” Liu Liwa exclaimed in surprise. Though he had never considered himself a slave or someone bearing a crime, being free to enjoy life in ancient times would be nice, especially since this news meant the girls wouldn’t be crying themselves to sleep anymore. He waved his hand cheerfully, “In that case, I’ll give you this gold ingot to buy your freedom!”
He thought he was being incredibly generous, but all he got in return were disdainful glares. Little Xinying wrinkled her delicate nose, looking utterly disheartened, and said, “The Madam also said just now that if we want to buy our freedom, we need at least five hundred taels of gold. And it’s a new rule this year. Also, if we can’t manage it in the first year, the price will double to one thousand taels of gold in the second year, increasing exponentially every year.”
What? This was clearly meant to make things difficult, especially for these two girls—forcing them to comply, to venture into the world and entertain guests. With their looks, they could definitely earn a lot. But five hundred taels of gold in one year! Five taels of gold alone could support an ordinary family for a lifetime, enough to buy a villa in later times. Five hundred taels of gold meant five hundred villas—with that kind of money, you could start a real estate company!
The most infuriating part was the so-called “new rule.” It felt tailor-made just for their group. Clearly, it was meant to humiliate them, to give them hope but make it impossible to achieve.
Their fathers were top officials in the court, with countless political enemies. Now that the opposing side had gained power, simply eliminating them wasn’t enough to satisfy their twisted desire for revenge. Making them live in misery was more entertaining.
The more Liu Liwa thought about it, the angrier he became. He was innocent, taking the fall for others. Resentful, he couldn’t help but snort coldly, “Damn it, you want to play me to death, but I won’t let you have your way. Don’t worry—on my very first day here, I earned five taels of gold. Is five hundred taels really that far off?”
Liu Liwa was filled with fervor and confidence. He looked at the two girls, but they only shook their little heads weakly and uttered one word: “Far!”
Indeed, the distance to five hundred taels of gold was immense. You could earn money, but Intoxication Pavilion took a cut; not every reward ended up in your hands. Still, it was better than nothing, and it didn’t dampen his spirits. He chuckled, “What, are you planning to rely solely on me? Shouldn’t you also fight for your own freedom?”
“Then we’ll have no choice but to entertain guests. The Madam is waiting for us in her room right now,” Qin Wan’er said weakly. “Ah, if it weren’t for this undeserved misfortune, I, Qin Wan’er—pure and virtuous—would have been married by now, living in harmony with my husband…”
“You can talk about being engaged forever!” Liu Liwa grinded his teeth. He truly wanted to earn money, but he couldn’t always rely on storytelling. Even after finishing Lanlan’s story, there were still Xiao Ze, Song Dao, and if all else failed, the domestic tale of Jin Lian and the influential official. But these were all one-trick ponies; eventually, even the seasoned veterans who preferred real action would grow bored. If he wanted to make money here in Intoxication Pavilion, it was impossible without the girls. With beautiful girls, combined with his creativity and packaging, success was guaranteed.
But as things stood, Qin Wan’er would definitely not cooperate. It seemed he couldn’t wait for the Madam’s training; he had to train the two girls himself first so that they could work with him.
Suddenly, Liu Liwa let out a sigh for no apparent reason, mimicking Qin Wan’er’s tone exactly: “Ah, if it weren’t for this undeserved misfortune, I, Liu Liwa—pure and upright—would have been engaged and started a family by now, living in mutual respect with my wife. Now that there’s finally a chance to rise up, one day I might lead a peaceful and happy life. But by then, my former fiancée would be the top courtesan of the pleasure house, the flower queen. Even if we reunited, could we ever love each other as before?”
What did he mean? Qin Wan’er’s expression instantly changed. He was clearly saying that by the time they successfully bought their freedom, they would already be “defiled,” perhaps even aged and worn. By then, who would still acknowledge any engagement?
In the Celestial Empire, truly sincere men willing to marry a “courtesan lady” as their wife were few and far between, whether in past lives or present. In this regard, we were not as good as the island nation, where men took pride in marrying “female idols.”
Both Qin Wan’er and little Xinying were stunned. These two carefree girls, who had been humiliated and trained stark naked just yesterday, had only been downcast and depressed for a while before one talked in her sleep and the other ground her teeth, sleeping more soundly than anyone. It was only now, with Liu Liwa’s words, that they realized the severity of the situation.
In this era, when a woman lost her most precious chastity, even if she regained her freedom someday, she would carry a huge stain. Because of this, many spirited women chose suicide after being freed. Similarly, those who had spent their whole lives in prison, when finally given a chance for release, often chose to decline because they felt life held nothing for them, were severely out of touch with society, and would face scorn and discrimination from the world. Besides, suicide might offer a chance to travel a millennium into the future—only in that era would no one care whether you were pure as ice.
The two girls’ faces turned ashen, pushed to the brink of despair. Even the bandit-like Qin Wan’er finally grew scared. She rushed over, grabbed Liu Liwa’s hand, and said, “You—you said last night that no matter if it’s a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, you would help me bear it.”
“Of course, I’m willing to help you bear it. But if I can’t carry it alone, I’ll need you to support me from below.”
“I’ll support you, I definitely will!”
The matter concerned their entire lives, so she couldn’t help but be emotional. Qin Wan’er linked arms with Liu Liwa’s left arm, looking as if they were about to face a heroic death together. Little Xinying, following her lead, copied her and linked arms with Liu Liwa’s right arm, resembling young revolutionary couples posing for revolutionary wedding photos.
Liu Liwa was somewhat satisfied with their reaction. He said seriously, “Good. From now on, we’re grasshoppers tied to the same string. However, as women, it’s hard enough to protect yourselves in this den of wolves. So, no willfulness—you must listen to me.”
The two girls nodded vigorously. Liu Liwa continued, “You’ve been here for over two days now, so you’ve grasped the basics. Your current goal is to preserve your purity without having to entertain with smiles, drinks, or intimacy. It’s challenging, but not impossible. For example, you need to have your own special traits. What can you do?”
The two girls were stunned once more. After thinking for a long time, the little loli spoke first: “I can eat. I can finish three crystal pork knuckles all by myself!”
Liu Liwa nodded calmly and encouraged, “That could almost count as a superpower!”
He turned to look at Qin Wan’er on the other side. This girl thought for a long time—she definitely couldn’t be like the little loli who only knew how to eat. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she said proudly, “I can paint. I can paint people and landscapes quite well. Once, the top painter in the imperial palace even said I had potential and wanted to take me on as a student.”
“Wow, impressive! Was the imperial painter someone who painted portraits specifically for the Emperor, Empress, and imperial concubines?” Liu Liwa was shocked. Truly, you can’t judge a book by its cover; being able to paint was a talent too.
But with his question, Qin Wan’er immediately fell silent. After he pressed her repeatedly, she finally stammered, “That painter specialized in creating picture books for the Emperor and imperial concubines to enjoy.”
After saying this, Qin Wan’er’s face turned red. Liu Liwa suddenly understood: “You mean the imperial erotic painter. So you have a talent for that?”