Brothel Brawl (Part 1)

PS: Helping a young friend with some promotion.

Treasure Sword www.cmfu./showbook.asp?Bl_id=13265

The writing is quite good, full of flavor. And quite intense.

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Having just returned to Zhu Xi's residence, Li Feng had not even had time to find a stool and sit down before Dugu Sheng strode in with several guards, grinning broadly. Dugu Sheng, brimming with rugged vigor, extended a hand to Li Feng. "Brother Li, congratulations, congratulations. You truly filled a Thousand-Household Commander post. Compared to when I first pledged myself to His Highness, your rank is a full grade higher. This truly is called a hero emerging in his youth."

Li Feng jumped up, clasped Dugu Sheng's hand, and said, "Ah, it really did not take much effort. Eunuch Lü was not there, so Manager Li had a eunuch surnamed Ma add my name. Then I gave every one of the eunuchs a little silver, and just like that, I had connections. As for real ability, that still depends on Big Brother Dugu and all the brothers. I merely took every advantage and relied on opportunism."

Little Li kept nodding beside them, secretly thinking, This brat does have some talent. Not a single filthy word now—he has truly reached the point of speaking human words to people and ghost words to ghosts. Mm, promising at such a young age. If he really became a eunuch, perhaps his future would be even broader than mine. Little Li smiled oddly, picked up his teacup from the chair beside him, and took a light sip.

Without waiting for Dugu Sheng to speak, Li Feng swept out a hand and shouted, "This brother has only just arrived, so tonight I'll modestly play host and invite all you brothers to drink the night away. I just don't know—which place in Yanjing City has the best girls?" Li Feng turned his head and asked, "Manager Li, where in Yanjing City are the prettiest girls? And where are the most seductive ones?"

Little Li sprayed a mouthful of tea from his nose, so angry that his lips trembled. He cursed inwardly, You stinking brat. I'm a eunuch. If you asked where the prettiest girls were, I might know, since I've followed my master to quite a few places. But you ask where the most seductive girls are? How would I know which girls are most seductive after taking off their clothes? You... you did this on purpose to make a fool of me, didn't you? Stinking brat, I'll remember this debt. Just you wait. Sooner or later, I'll settle accounts with you. He set down his teacup heavily, his face dark, and barked in a low voice, "I'll go instruct someone to arrange quarters for you. Commander Dugu, this Deputy Commander Li can stay with you, yes? Flowing Spring Villa is quite spacious, with more than a dozen rooms. One more person will not matter, will it?"

Dugu Sheng wore a strange expression, but quickly bowed and said, "Manager, take care. I was just thinking of getting to know Brother Li properly. Having him stay with me could not be better. Fewer than four rooms in the entire villa are occupied at present, so there is more than enough space. I can also assign my servants to Brother Li's use, so there is no need to send more people. Just have a room cleaned, and that will do."

Little Li shot Li Feng a glare, nodded, and strode out of the side hall. After quite some time, a burst of wild laughter suddenly erupted within the hall. Dugu Sheng gave Li Feng a thumbs-up and said quietly, "Brother, brilliant, truly brilliant... You asked Manager Li where the most seductive girls were? I doubt he could ever answer that. Heh heh, though His Highness likes that sort of thing too. Ask his old self, and he would know very clearly."

Another guard shouted, "Hey, Chief, it's fine. No need to ask His Highness. Don't we know perfectly well where Yanjing City has the best girls and the best wine and dishes? First, let's go devour a pot of mutton and drink a few warming cups, then head to Drunken Fragrance Tower and find a few top courtesans to welcome Deputy Commander Li." Several guards shouted their approval. They looked as though ants were crawling all over their bodies; they could no longer sit still.

Li Feng hesitated for a moment, then asked, "But what if the manager... ah, His Highness returns and we are not here? That would not be good, would it? Especially the security of this residence—someone must be responsible for it, right?" Li Feng was worried. Though he wanted to go out and have some fun, skipping duty on his very first day would sound terrible.

Dugu Sheng thumped his chest in sweeping assurance and laughed. "No problem. There are more than three hundred guards in the residence, as well as five hundred soldiers personally commanded by His Highness stationed here. We are only taking twenty-some people out. How could that delay anything? Besides, Yanjing City has nearly a hundred thousand elite troops stationed within and without the city walls, as impregnable as walls of bronze and iron. What is more, every martial arts sect has long since been wiped out by Prince of Yan's orders. At night, anyone suspicious is immediately seized by the Ironclad Army. How could anything happen?"

He laughed, patted Li Feng's shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Besides, His Highness does not need us to attend him. Manager Li and his people handle everything. There are over two hundred eunuchs of all ranks in the residence, and around a hundred of them know martial arts. His Highness generally does not summon us. He only needs us when traveling far afield, to follow along and add to the display. Usually, if we want to go out and eat, we eat; if we want to drink, we drink; if we want to visit prostitutes, we do. So long as we inform the brothers on duty, and can be found within half an hour should anything happen, there will absolutely be no problem."

Li Feng laughed and clapped. "Then aren't our days extremely leisurely?"

Dugu Sheng thrust out his belly and swayed his head as he said, "Aren't they? Our days are easy indeed. Hey, so long as we do not clash with people from the Second Prince's residence when we go out for amusement, it is fine. Otherwise, it will definitely turn into a group brawl. No one will die, but why invite trouble and ruin the mood?"

Li Feng nodded heavily, pulled out a stack of banknotes, waved them, and shouted, "That's wonderful. Since His Highness does not need us attending him, brothers, let's go out and enjoy ourselves properly... Hey, Big Brother Dugu, aside from the brothers on duty, let's call all the others too. Tonight, I, Li Feng, will properly play host, and we brothers can have a grand time... Damn it, let's make those girls at Drunken Fragrance Tower unable to get out of bed tomorrow."

Dugu Sheng and the others were already dumbstruck by the banknotes in Li Feng's hand. Hearing Li Feng's speech, with heroic spirit soaring into the clouds, they could not help letting out wolfish howls, clapping and shouting wildly. A few troublemakers had already rushed out the door and began yelling, "Listen up, brothers! Today, newly arrived Deputy Commander Li is playing host. All brothers not on duty can go out and have a good time!"

At once, the guards scheduled for the night watch began loudly crying injustice. Li Feng's ears were sharp as a thief's. Hearing their complaints, he immediately shouted outside, "This brother keeps his word. Brothers who cannot go because they are on duty tonight, we will continue tomorrow night. If you are brothers, get your spirits ready. We are going to have a proper feast."

The entire residence immediately erupted in cheers, and the guards' spirits surged. A few more rough-hewn fellows—or perhaps men with fists bigger than their brains—had already begun praising Li Feng as an immensely good man: rich and wealthy, generous and hospitable, chivalrous and righteous, practically Lord Mengchang reborn.

That night, clouds in the sky were frozen solid by an icy wind from the north, hanging overhead like a massive slab of granite. Amid piercing howls, great clusters of snowflakes fell almost vertically, striking rooftops and ground with a rustling hiss. In the bone-piercing cold wind, Zhu Xi, his face dark, actually walked back to the residence alone. His guards had been cast far behind him, and no one was permitted near. Judging by his sinister gaze and the killing intent at the corners of his mouth, someone was about to have terrible luck.

Dugu Sheng, Li Feng, and the others who had been preparing to go out in revelry felt their hearts skip a beat when they saw the state Zhu Xi was in upon returning. After some thought, they decided to stay. After quite a while, they sent a young eunuch in to inquire. Only then did they learn that after venting himself on several maidservants, Zhu Xi had poured down a great deal of strong liquor and collapsed into a drunken sleep. By the look of it, he absolutely would not rise before noon the next day.

Hearing this, the group immediately relaxed. After asking Little Li for leave, Dugu Sheng led the way, and over two hundred guards marched grandly out of the Heir Apparent's residence toward Yanjing City's famed Eight Great Alleys. Dugu Sheng breathed out a cloud of hot air, melting a clump of snow stuck to his face, then laughed. "It is too late to hurry over for mutton hotpot now. We might as well go sit at Drunken Fragrance Tower, find a few pleasing girls, then have their tea runners go out and arrange braziers and mutton for us. That has quite a flavor to it as well."

Li Feng had changed into a brocade robe and, following Dugu Sheng and the others' example, hung his identity plaque conspicuously from his belt. He glanced at the Ironclad Army soldiers patrolling the streets on horseback and asked, "Ah, enjoying ourselves is only natural. But His Highness did not look right today. It seemed someone had made him lose a great deal of face. We can have fun tonight, but do not enjoy ourselves so much that we cannot get up tomorrow. If His Highness needs someone and cannot find us, that will be troublesome."

Hearing this, Dugu Tian immediately nodded. "Exactly. Brothers, listen well. Control your drinking tonight. A little enjoyment is enough. Do not all get drunk and then be blamed by His Highness—I will not be responsible for pleading for you. But Brother Li, do not make a mountain out of a molehill. Whenever His Highness meets the Second Prince, he never returns to the residence in a good mood. How should one put this? Though the Prince of Yan favors His Highness, the Second Prince is a rare fierce general, and the prince also thinks highly of him. This matter is not easy to speak of."

Li Feng nodded slowly. Then Dugu Sheng lowered his voice again. "Let me give you the truth as well. The Second Prince relies on having many experts under his command, and ordinarily likes to challenge us to bouts and fights, deliberately making our His Highness lose face so the prince feels our master is less capable than him. Moreover, the Second Prince speaks loudly and forcefully before the prince, leaving our His Highness unable to get his words out sometimes. The Second Prince gains every advantage before the prince, so naturally His Highness is bound to be in a bad mood."

Li Feng caught a falling clump of snow and gave a sinister smile. "Then leave the task of speaking up for His Highness to me in the future. Did I not give that Second Prince quite a runaround today? He could do nothing to me. Heh heh, Big Brother Dugu, why do you not recruit some capable martial artists from the jianghu? That would save you from always being suppressed by Murong Tian, unable to raise your heads. There are plenty of wandering experts in the jianghu. As long as you give them money, anyone would be happy to join."

Dugu Sheng wore a bitter smile. "Brother, this is what you do not understand. Inviting experts costs money, or else they must be given good official posts. But His Highness does not have much authority in hand right now. He can recommend one or two people, but not many. As for money, an imperial official of the Great Ming Dynasty receives an annual salary worth only a little over a hundred taels of silver. How much spending money does His Highness receive from the prince each year? Hiring one jianghu expert costs at least ten thousand taels a year. Otherwise, how would those grand masters have money to spend?"

Dugu Sheng carefully lowered his voice. "The Second Prince commands an army of sixteen guards. He only needs to skim a little silver from his annual military pay, and it is enough to recruit desperadoes. Then he fills vacancies for those people in the army, turning each of them into a general under the Prince of Yan. Would they not then loyally risk their lives for him? So when it comes to martial strength, our residence truly cannot compare with the Second Prince's."

Li Feng gave a grunt in his throat, suspicion stirring in his mind. An imperial official's annual salary is worth only a little over a hundred taels of silver? No wonder that prefectural governor in Suzhou Prefecture sent people out demanding money. True enough, their salaries are three thousand or five thousand shi, but how much silver is one shi of grain worth now? Good heavens, does this not force Great Ming officials into corruption and bribery? No wonder I heard the current emperor's son-in-law smuggled tea and salt, only to be skinned and hung from the gates of Yingtian Prefecture, Nanjing.

Several thoughts churned through Li Feng's mind, and he immediately had an idea. He secretly thought, Since I have decided to cling to Zhu Xi and rise through him, I should show some ability. Dugu said the city's gangs have all been swept clean. Then let Zhu Xi step forward while I organize a gang—would that not be perfect? Sable pelts, ginseng, and medicinal herbs from the northeast; smuggled salt, tea, and all kinds of treasures from the southeast. Once north and south are linked, will money not come rushing in with a clatter? When the time comes, what is ten thousand taels a year? We could recruit over a hundred supreme experts and would not even need to act personally.

As he was making these plans, their pace was swift as martial artists', and they had already reached a deep alley. Dugu Sheng rushed forward and delivered five or six consecutive kicks to a tightly shut gate. His legs were powerful enough that he nearly kicked the entire gate out of the wall. An anxious cry immediately sounded from within. "Ah! Coming, coming! Which lord comes at this hour? Slow down, slow down, my lord! You are about to kick the gate down!"

Li Feng pondered, Yanjing has quite a few damn rules. Do brothels all conduct business behind closed doors? There are not many people on the streets either. It seems the Prince of Yan does not much favor the affairs of wind and moon.

The gate swung open, and a madam emerged with several tea runners. Laughing, Dugu Sheng grabbed the brightly adorned madam, planted a fierce kiss on her face, and shouted, "Hahaha, Qingqing, today the newly arrived deputy commander in our residence is playing host and inviting all us brothers to have a proper good time. There are two hundred and sixty-five brothers in all. Take a look—how will you entertain us?"

The madam's face was full of bitterness. Her still fairly delicate face, retaining a trace of youth, wrinkled entirely together. Waving the silk handkerchief in her hand, she cried out in grievance, "Ah, Lord Dugu, are you not making sport of me? Two hundred and sixty-five brothers? I only have a little over three hundred girls in total. And you will want to pick the best and plumpest, with one held in your arms, another standing beside you to pour wine. There are already guests inside as well. How am I supposed to manage this?"

Li Feng strolled over slowly, slowly rummaged in his robes, then, amid Dugu Sheng and the others' astonished gazes, briskly tossed out a pigeon-egg-sized ruby along with two thousand-tael banknotes. Li Feng clasped his hands behind his back, his expression arrogant. "If your establishment does not have enough girls, transfer some from other establishments. Whatever they normally earn in a night, I will pay double. I will also give their establishments double the price. That should not be a problem, should it?"

The madam looked at the ruby glittering brilliantly in her hand, and saliva practically dripped from her mouth. She shrieked, "No problem, absolutely no problem! Damn bastards, you dead men, why are you not hurrying to serve the honored guests inside? Tell Mother's daughters that if they dare make the guests unhappy, I'll whip their mouths with the soles of my shoes when they return. Lord Dugu, and this young lord, all you brothers and honored gentlemen, please come in, please come in. It is freezing outside, do not let it spoil everyone's mood. Ah, if the cold harms your bodies, what then?"

The madam hurried out excitedly with several tea runners. The other attendants, along with several brightly dressed older women whose years had already passed, surrounded Li Feng and Dugu Sheng with utmost attentiveness and ushered their party into Drunken Fragrance Tower.

Taking an opportunity when one of the attendants and the girls were not paying attention, Dugu Sheng quietly asked Li Feng, "Brother, where did you get so much money? The banknotes are one thing, but that gem is not something an ordinary person could possess. Its market price is astounding."

Li Feng settled himself steadily into a Grand Tutor's Chair, and a thread of sound as faint as gossamer drifted into Dugu Sheng's ear. "Exactly. Before this brother followed His Highness, I was deputy hall master of a martial arts gang in the southeastern region. Making a little extra money was easy. Ah, one tea shipment to the northwest, exchanged for warhorses and then sold to Great Ming's cavalry forces—that brought in hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Money came easily."

Dugu Sheng's heart jolted. Li Feng's Secret Sound Transmission was so clear that amid the incomparable clamor around them, only he could distinctly hear every single word. Dugu Sheng began making calculations. Li Feng's inner power is far greater than mine... Moreover, he has connections and so much money. In the future, he should be the chief commander while I serve as deputy commander. Looking at this situation, Li Feng will certainly become someone immensely favored before His Highness. Perhaps even the prince will appreciate him. If I want to rise, I must cling tightly to this man now.