Joy of Life

Fan Xian watched the cold eyes of that woman blink. He knew that the Baoyue management and staff had arrived outside purposely late, and he suspected that perhaps the assailant’s presence in the yard was already known to them. Fan Xian had blocked the peephole inside, and eager to learn of Fan Xian’s true identity, this could have been their next play in a bid to bring the enigmatic “Mister Chen” and owner to a meet.

They continued to believe that Fan Xian was from the Ministry of Justice, and still did not know who he truly was. If they had known of his true identity, they would have sent someone with greater prowess to “greet” Fan Xian at that late hour.

The unconscious fighter had been pulled out and he lay before everyone, getting the grass wet. The old woman gently said, “I heard earlier that were was a humorous individual called Mister Chen present. I would never have thought that he could fight as well as this.”

This was to be the naked test. Fan Xian looked at her, but did not bother to reply. He simply walked back to the door that led to the courtyard. Of course, the door was little more than broken planks of wood and splinters at this point, but it had also made for a draught, and now the warmth of the chamber he had spent the night in had depleted. The room, however, could now be seen clearly.

The eyes of that woman were suspicious. They believed that the three people who had come to visit the brothel were from the Ministry of Justice and that they had come to investigate a homicide. This is why they had sent out Yan’er. They sought to obtain as much information about the trio as they could, but they never expected “Mr. Chen” would be made aware of their peephole. Sang Wen had been in there for far longer than she was supposed to, also, which is why they had these proceedings arranged.

They thought that if Mister Chen were to use a single palm to counter-attack the assailant as he did, his identity would be revealed and then they could host a discussion and perhaps strike some sort of a deal. The old woman never anticipated Fan Xian would see her as nothing and instead coldly walk back inside.

The woman gritted her teeth to feign a smile and hollered, “The deficiency of the Baoyue’s security is entirely our own fault. We did not mean to scare you off. Consider your evening’s expense on the house. Please forgive us.”

Fan Xian’s eyebrows were warped, as he replied, “Okay then. You guys can get out.”

Seeing him respond as indifferently as he did, the old woman rushed a little and asked, “Sir? Why must you be so heartless? For when you are outside, you should always have a few friends.” By now, the old woman completely believed that Fan Xian was from the Ministry of Justice; therefore she did not beat around the bush so much.

Fan Xian was not heartless; it was just that the old woman was unqualified to host a negotiation. He looked in her general direction, but his eyes did not grant her the courtesy of meeting hers. “I am here to enjoy the ladies, not make friends.”

The woman felt a chill run down her spine, unable to figure out what sort of person this Mister Chen truly was. As gently as she could, she said, “But this door has already been ruined. I plead that you seek your refuge in another room.”

Fan Xian smiled and looked at her. He sat on the sofa and did not say a word in response. Then, Deng Ziyue, who was at his side, said, “My lord does not want to move. Why don’t you go bring a couple of partitions over to cover the door frame? Those will do.”

Leaving the door open; what kind of sick joke was that? Deng Ziyue’s face was one of stone, but in his heart, he was quite embarrassed. He was afraid that the ladies of the Baoyue Brothel would come to believe that Fan Xian was a nude exhibitionist.

And now, after all this time had elapsed, Shi Chanli was finally roused from his slumber. He was patting down his clothes as he came out. In the house, a number of messy, half-naked girls had gathered to overhear the conversation that was held between the old woman and Fan Xian.

The old woman’s eyes rolled. She caught sight of Yan’er sleeping on the bed. She secretly felt happy, but she decided to feign anger. “That damn girl! How can she sleep through all this, ignoring the customer like this? This is a terrible thing for her to do.” The old woman began shouting, “Someone, beat up that incessant girl for me!”

Fan Xian frowned upon hearing the woman’s words. Her face did not change when she repeated and elaborated upon her barked order: “Beat her to death!”

She was of the mind that this turn of events would harden Fan Xian’s resolve to reply and engage her in a proper conversation.

With a continued frown, he said, “You keep calling for death and a beating in my presence. You are so annoying. She is one of your people, so she is also a concern of yours. If you want to beat her to death, find me another beautiful woman in her stead. But remember, I like them curvy.”

Fan Xian’s speech was soft in its tone and deliverance, but the meaning was heartless all the same.

The young man had the appearance of someone quite nice and sweet, but he harbored no care for the woman he had just slept with. The woman felt frustrated. She had traveled a lot in her day, and her ability to read people was nothing short of the finest. She knew that if she truly were to have Yan’er beaten to death before him, his eyebrows would lax and the frown would dissipate.

“Why does the 13th Yamen of the Ministry of Justice have someone such as this in their employ?” The old woman was in shock.

Fan Xian was starting to feel annoyed. Deng Ziyue looked at his master and acknowledged how he was feeling through a quick, good study of his eyebrows. He coldly said, “Get out of here!”

The woman gritted her teeth. Even though they had both not formally begun an argument, and Fan Xian was remaining as enigmatic as ever, the Baoyue Brothel could not afford to lose any customers or potential business. For this, she decided to retreat.

Beyond the expectations of all who were present, just as the old woman and Baoyue’s security was about to exit the yard, Fan Xian coldly spoke once more. “Keep that man.”

These words may have appeared random, but they were loaded with the pride of authority. Tonight, the old woman who had been at a disadvantage the entire time, replied, “Sir, this man must be delivered to the authorities to be dealt with.”

Fan Xian had at last decided to do as she said. He smiled and told her, “The officers can deal with it but the Ministry of Justice cannot?”

The old woman laughed on the inside, thinking he was to finally reveal his identity and forego his veil of concealment. Before she could say anything in response, Fan Xian was ordering a servant, saying, “That Sang Wen; I want her.”

The Baoyue Brothel had only been established a few months prior, but it had a powerful background. The old woman knew that the true owner of the business had some affiliation with the Overwatch Council, and so she wasn’t afraid of the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice in the least. Hearing Fan Xian make demands so rudely, she was filled with fury and yelled, “Sang Wen’s price is lavish and out of your expense. The 13th Yamen is far from the top, and if it is the Ministry of Justice that is to field this sort of sum, such a figure could only be provided by the minister himself or either of the ministry’s executive assistants. Might I ask which one you are?”

Fan Xian’s eyebrows were raised, and he responded, “I am none of those. I merely enjoy Sang Wen’s singing voice. So, I am willing to offer 200 tael for her.” The reason he desired to free Sang Wen from the employ of the Baoyue Brothel was because they already knew they had held discussions together in the room for some time. If she was to remain in the house another day without him there, he was afraid that she would soon become another corpse in the pond.

The woman was enraged enough to begin laughing maniacally. In the midst of her hysteria, she said, “Well, well, well. This lord is going to use his authority to crush this establishment. It seems to me as if you aren’t aware of how deep our pond truly is.”

“Less chit-chat.” Shi Chanli finally spoke. In an attempt to match Fan Xian’s tone, he said, “Sang Wen is a performer of the capital; she is not a prostitute for the army. According to the Qing Kingdom’s law, if anyone is willing to buy her out, the Baoyue Brothel has no choice but to comply. What? You think we can’t present you with a few hundred tael?”

A few hundred tael. The woman was made fuming at the petty sum, for if someone truly desired to buy Sang Wen’s freedom, the cost would be at least 2000 tael. The three people who had come to cause so much trouble now presented a ridiculous offer to purchase the establishment’s finest talent? Thinking it over, she had now completely lost her wig. She began yelling, “If you can present me with 10,000 tael, I’ll hand her over to you immediately. I’ll even throw in that useless man for free!”

For 10,000 tael, one could purchase a dozen houses. One could even use it to buy enough food for several lifetimes. Even in an affluent location such as Jiangnan, 10,000 was no small sum.

The old woman began laughing coldly, believing no one would fork over such an amount for a woman who could only sing and wasn’t even all that pretty.

This was the opportunity Fan Xian had been waiting for. Without squandering it, he immediately waved his hand and said, “Okay then, present me with the contract.”

As soon as he said this, everyone within earshot was audibly surprised. Even Sang Wen herself, who was still stood next to the wet man, was in such shock as to possess a distorted expression. And as for the old woman, she said nothing; she stood there like a petrified chicken.

“Pah!” The sound reverberated loudly. Another woman had entered the yard and slapped the old woman across the cheek. This woman was quite beautiful, and she bowed before the trio and with a smile said, “Mister Chen truly is a humorous man who likes to jest.

Fan Xian did not know who this pretty woman was. She possessed red lips, and her soft eyes were crowned by thin eyebrows. Her lips bore a lovely smile, but she gave Fan Xian a feeling of discomfort. From the outside, she looked to be weak, but her inside propagated a feeling of unease, that made it seem as if she despised the trio, despite her fonder mannerisms. Fan Xian believed her to be the subordinate of Yuan Meng.

“This is no joke.” Fan Xian pocketed his smile and continued, “10,000 to buy a person was the deal. Unless you mean to imply that the Baoyue Brothel is intent on not honoring this proposition?”

The beautiful woman looked at Fan Xian coldly and said, “Baoyue Brothel is willing to give you 1,000 tael to put tonight’s transpirations behind us and swept under the carpet, to be forgotten about.”

The Baoyue Brothel was willing to pay Fan Xian 1,000 tael, but he noticed the disdain in this pretty woman’s eyes. Mockingly, he told her, “Tonight was fun. There was no trouble. I only want to purchase Sang Wen and that man. Are you daring to not honor the proposed trade?”

The beautiful woman did not expect Fan Xian to harbor such disrespect towards her and asked, “Can you truly bring forth 10,000 tael?” By now, it was no longer about freeing Sang Wen or even an investigation of the Baoyue Brothel; it was about which side possessed the most power. But the Baoyue Brothel was not willing to relinquish their hold on Sang Wen easily, and the beautiful woman did not possibly believe Fan Xian could possess such a sum on his person.

Fan Xian stroked his smooth hair and did not speak. Shi Chanli stood beside him and told her, “You don’t have to worry about that.”

The beautiful woman, with ice in her eyes, gazed at the trio and harshly spoke, “Ah, I see. You three are here to bring ill repute and tarnish the reputation of the Baoyue Brothel, aren’t you?! Well, you should know that even if you were to free her today, I am afraid you may have to send her back tomorrow.”

The meaning behind her words was intimidating, but Fan Xian did not care, for his position and authority had reach considerable heights, as of late. He continued smiling and looked her way.

“I will give you 10,000 tael tonight, but I am also afraid you may have to return it on the morrow.”