Drunken Dream Pavilion

"Xiao Zi left without cause. I beg the Young Master to punish me!"

The Fang Family upheld a pure and upright family tradition, with strict clan rules. Upon learning that her master couldn't find her, Xiao Zi hurriedly dropped to her knees and begged for mercy.

Fang Yuan said nothing. He looked at Xiao Zi, who seemed on the verge of tears, but his heart remained still as an ancient well. Then he turned and prepared to return to his room.

Seeing that Fang Yuan gave no response, Xiao Zi gradually felt a trace of despair rise in her heart.

If she received a punishment, it meant she still had a chance to continue serving the Young Master.

But if he simply left her in the cold, the consequences spoke for themselves.

A maid in the side courtyard was on good terms with Xiao Zi. She couldn't bear to see her sister kneeling outside for so long, much less be driven away.

So she knocked on Fang Yuan's door, went inside, and immediately knelt down, pleading earnestly on Xiao Zi's behalf.

"If Xiao Zi leaves, you should be able to take over all the affairs here." Fang Yuan spoke without warning.

Xiao Lian lowered her head in alarm and said in a trembling voice, "Xiao Zi and I are as close as sisters. I've never harbored such an overreaching thought."

"You two certainly are loyal and devoted."

There was no one who didn't want to climb higher and gain more wealth and power.

"Let Xiao Zi come in and tell me what happened." Fang Yuan spoke calmly.

Xiao Zi had been by his side for many years, working conscientiously. He could still give her another chance.

Hearing this, Xiao Lian felt as if she'd been granted a pardon. Delighted, she hurried outside to help Xiao Zi, who had been kneeling for a long time, to her feet.

At once, the chill in Xiao Zi's heart began to thaw. Her emotions surged, and she went inside and paid Fang Yuan a deep formal bow.

From Xiao Zi, he learned the truth.

It turned out that she had a younger female cousin who'd grown up with her. A brothel in the city had abducted the girl, and a relative had sent Xiao Zi a letter about it.

Desperate to rescue her, Xiao Zi had tried to gather information through every channel she could. In her haste, she'd neglected the affairs of the side courtyard.

"Have you rescued her yet?" Fang Yuan asked.

Tear marks still streaked Xiao Zi's delicate face. She looked so pitiful that it was easy to feel the urge to protect her.

"I was about to go to the Drunken Dream Pavilion. Then I suddenly remembered that the Young Master might summon me, so I hurried back." Xiao Zi looked a little embarrassed.

Fang Yuan furrowed his brow slightly. He wasn't particularly concerned by Xiao Zi's presumptuous lapse. The main thing was that the Drunken Dream Pavilion was an enterprise of the Fang Family.

Although Xiao Zi was merely his personal maid, few people in the Fang Family dared offend her. They had to consider his standing, after all.

A mere, low-class money-grubbing entertainment house dared to court disaster?

"Come. I'll go to the Drunken Dream Pavilion with you," Fang Yuan said.

The Drunken Dream Pavilion was renowned far and wide. It was one of the three great pleasure quarters in Prefecture City. Those who visited were intoxicated by wine and pleasure, reluctant to leave.

Fang Yuan declared that he was going only to rescue someone, not to indulge in wine and women.

Xiao Zi was stunned, her little head nearly short-circuiting.

The Young Master had always looked down on places devoted to wine and women. Why had he suddenly changed his mind today?

"The Young Master must be standing up for me. I'll have to serve him with all my heart from now on!"

Xiao Zi couldn't think of any other possibility and was deeply moved.

Before long, Fang Yuan and Xiao Zi left the house, keeping a low profile.

The Drunken Dream Pavilion was in the Inner City, situated along a bustling commercial street with heavy foot traffic. Most of those who came and went were people of wealth and status.

The Drunken Dream Pavilion had three floors, built in a pagoda-like structure. Its roof was tiled with glazed tiles that shimmered brilliantly beneath the moonlight.

"Please come in, young master!"

The guards at the entrance were perceptive. Seeing that their visitor had an extraordinary bearing, they were sure he was a major client and hurried to welcome him inside.

But when they noticed the beautiful girl following behind him, their expressions turned a little unnatural. Even so, they continued to greet him with smiles.

The world of the rich was often beyond other people's understanding.

"Oh my, young master! Please come upstairs and take a seat in one of our private rooms."

The Madam greeted the newcomer with great warmth. Her heart stirred with surprise—this was the first time she'd encountered a guest with such striking looks and bearing.

His identity was surely no ordinary one, so she immediately invited him upstairs.

The Drunken Dream Pavilion had three floors. The first was a main hall with a raised platform in the center, where famous courtesans performed songs and played music.

There were rooms on that floor, but it was noisy and lacked atmosphere. Generally, only guests of modest means stayed on the first floor.

Most of the second floor consisted of private rooms with excellent views overlooking the hall. If a guest spotted a girl he fancied, he could have her brought straight up.

The third floor was the most prestigious. It had only ten private suites, each with a Red Card who regularly performed songs and music. The service there was the most attentive.

"Where's your best room?" Fang Yuan asked calmly.

Hearing this, the Madam's heart jolted, and her smile grew even wider.

"Of course, it's Dream Room No. 1 on the third floor!"

Fang Yuan nodded slightly. "Then we'll go there. And have your best Flower Queen come to the room."

"Sir, Dream Room No. 1 has already been reserved."

The Madam smiled and said, "I'll arrange Room No. 2 for you instead, and have our best Red Card attend to you."

"And what if I insist on Dream Room No. 1?" Fang Yuan's tone turned chilly.

Only the girls at the Drunken Dream Pavilion who excelled in both looks and talent qualified as Flower Queens. Red Cards were one tier below.

"This..."

The Madam looked troubled.

"Please wait a moment, young master. I'll go ask the manager."

Fang Yuan nodded. He was shown to a seat at the front, where he watched the girls onstage sing, play music, and dance with graceful movements. They were indeed captivating.

"Their looks are lacking, but their talents are decent. There's a certain charm to coming here."

Their looks couldn't compare to Fang Ke'er of the family. Even Xiao Zi, who was right beside him, was prettier than they were.

After all, most women who made their living in a brothel were ordinary people. Even if they were exceptionally beautiful, they generally lacked refinement.

Meanwhile, the Madam was discussing things with the Chief Steward of the Drunken Dream Pavilion backstage.

"Master Chang probably won't be coming today. We can give Dream Room No. 1 to that guest."

The Chief Steward of the Drunken Dream Pavilion was the son of an elder of the Fang Family. He looked middle-aged, with a sinister face.

"Remember to find out who he is."

"If he's from out of town, double the price and have the Flower Queen attend to him properly."

The Madam nodded. These were all standard procedures. Then she went out and invited Fang Yuan upstairs.

"The music is quite good."

Fang Yuan reclined in his chair, watching the Flower Queen gently pluck her pipa behind a gauzy curtain. He ate the fruit fed to him and looked thoroughly at ease.

There was no denying it: the hazier and more veiled something was, the more easily it stirred a person's desires.

He seemed to have forgotten why he'd come. He was here simply to enjoy music in a pleasure house.

Xiao Zi stood to one side, attending to him carefully without the slightest displeasure.

"This girl's cultivation isn't low!"

Fang Yuan was rather surprised. The Flower Queen behind the gauze curtain didn't seem simple.

But just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the door.

"Damn it! What kind of business are you running at the Drunken Dream Pavilion? How could you give away the private room I reserved?"

Chang Huai was furious. During the day, he'd been driving his carriage when Fang Yuan had blocked his way, and he'd already been in a foul mood.

After he returned home, his father, the Prefecture Governor, had given him a harsh dressing-down and ordered him confined for three days.

Naturally, he had no intention of obeying. He'd thought he'd come to the Drunken Dream Pavilion to vent his anger, only to be told someone had taken Dream Room No. 1?

In an instant, all the anger he'd been bottling up surged to its peak.

The Madam couldn't stop him at all.

He led four or five men and was about to kick the door down and charge inside.

Bang... creak...

Soon, the door was kicked open. The music inside abruptly stopped, and Chang Huai saw the very person he least wanted to see...