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"Hey, kid. I still don't know your name, and how many springs have you seen?"

Busy looking left and right, he forgot that a noble young master was still standing in front of him. With Rites observed in a well-mannered bow, he answered, "This humble scholar's surname is Zhu, called Bafu, and I have just turned eighteen springs. May I ask the young master's great name?"

"Me?" He smiled as he walked, turning his head back with a delicate smile. "As for my name, you'd better not know it. Anyway, it's been a long time since anyone dared to call it, so let's not mention it."

"Eh? Is the young master's name that hard to speak of?"

"Heh, that's not it. It's just that I'm afraid after you speak it, your head will move to a new home."

His head would move to a new home if he called his name? Could it be his surname was Kill, and his given name Emperor? His full name was Kill Emperor? Pah! Even the Revenue registration clerk wouldn't let him register that name. Such a rebellious name would have already gotten him dragged off to have his head chopped off.

Without an answer to his confusion, Zhu Bafu quietly followed behind the Unnamed Young Master, crossed the bustling hall, and watched him familiarly walk toward the depths of the courtyard. Passing a long corridor leading to the backyard, they saw at the very end a few faint Lotus Lanterns flickering on the water terrace, with a zither and an incense burner idly left on a stone table. The people had gone, the fragrance had drifted away, and the zither music had scattered; perhaps the beauty had left in a hurry, leaving her thin gossamer shawl discarded under a stone chair, still radiating a lingering scent.

Hooking the scented gossamer shawl with a long finger and giving it a gentle sniff, the young master raised his eyebrows to cast a sidelong glance at the flickering candlelight of the elegant pavilion on the loft, turning back to flash an evil smile at him. "Pig Kid, the woman you want to see is right up there."

Following his gaze, Zhu Bafu saw two dark silhouettes reflected on the paper window Revenue of the secluded little private room—a man and a woman. The man was tall and thin, standing rigidly in front of the window sill with his back to the woman behind him, while the woman had an alluring posture, leaning slightly forward as she stepped up to embrace the man from behind.

An... an illicit affair scene?!

Was that the legendary number one courtesan of the capital, Liu Rongrong? Judging from her silhouette against the thin window, her figure was indeed slender and exquisite.

"It seems we came at an inconvenient time. She seems to have other guests."

"I... it seems so... then, how about... we go back?" He pointed the way back and suggested, but the young master remained unmoved, his lips curled in a half-smile as he let the courtyard full of candlelight flicker, his gaze constantly glued to the dark silhouettes of the man and woman engaging in secret passion on the small floor.

"Go back? You mean you want me to pretend I didn't see them hugging each other, turn around and leave?" His dark pupils shifted slightly to look at the person who had offered such a terrible idea.

The unangered yet intimidating gaze made Zhu Bafu awkwardly swallow a mouthful of saliva. Only then did he recall the scene of bumping into this young master at the entrance earlier; he had said... Liu Rongrong was his woman, his lover... So right now, in Liu Rongrong's room, the man she was embracing was...

Good heavens! Why was his very first visit to a brothel letting him run into such a complicated love triangle, and the most intense and terrifying scene of catching an adulterous couple in bed!

"Hey... you tell me, should I be angry?" The young master glanced sideways casually to ask his opinion. "At a time like this, shouldn't I be jealous?"

It would have been fine if he hadn't asked, but once he asked, his head hurt even more.

What kind of ghost question was this?! His own woman flirting and embracing another man right in front of him—it would be strange if he weren't jealous! But the other party was a courtesan who opened her doors to welcome guests, doing business with the entire world and running a trade of affections. She served whoever spent money; that was her professional ethics. To stubbornly accuse her of betrayal, lack of virtue, and no chastity seemed very strange too! Besides, even if he was jealous, envious, and angry, what could he do? Did he want to rush up and beat that man? Um... advance declaration: he, Young Master Ba, was just passing by to buy soy sauce, and getting entangled in some weird event would be too unjust!

"Pig Kid, do you know what a man should do when he wants to snatch a woman?" He narrowed his eyes, asking his subordinate behind him in an ominous, low voice, his fists inside his sleeves gripping so tightly that his bones made a crisp crack sound.

"Don't... don't fight! A gentleman cannot lose his poise over a mere woman! Confucius will be sad, have you considered his feelings? We still have a more peaceful way to resolve this one-woman-and-two-men affair! Trust me!" Fearing that he would act impulsively and make a mistake, Zhu Bafu stepped forward and grabbed his robe. "Fighting for jealousy is something women do! Wo, woman—this strange creature—will not like a brute who resorts to violence when his courtship fails; she will look down on you! You must not fall for the scheme of that scumbag upstairs! Wanting to snatch a woman is simple! You don't have to use your fists, there are many ways!"

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"Say? Say what for you to hear?"

"Ways to snatch a woman, of course. Ways other than beating people up. I'm waiting."

"Ah?!" He... how would he know? He had never competed with another man for a woman. But with disaster imminent, he had no choice but to treat a dead horse like a living veterinarian. "You, Young Master, are you wealthy and powerful? Like having relatives or a dear father working in the imperial court?"

"Hm? I suppose you could say that."

What did that mean, "suppose you could say that"? What kind of ambiguity was he playing with him? However, just visiting a brothel and having that lineup at the entrance was indeed something ordinary commoners couldn't put on. Even if he didn't have a real father in the court, he surely had a godfather type or something!

"Then crush him with bank notes, smash him with gold ingots, and utterly ruin him with your financial might! There's completely no need for you to do it yourself! Just compete with him in financial power! A woman who follows you will wear gold and silver for a lifetime. Which woman doesn't love silver, and which woman wouldn't rather laugh sitting in a sedan chair than cry on a handcart?"

His crooked logic made the young master laugh derisively, but as he raised an eyebrow, he didn't deny that this nonsense of his made a lot of sense. "You say it well, and I like it. Good! We'll compete with him in financial power. Let's go!"

"W-We?" Hey, hey, hey! You're snatching your woman; what on earth did it have to do with him by even a single coin? What are you walking for, and where are you going?!

"We're going upstairs right now to compete with him in financial power!"

"Pfft!! Y-Young Master! Calm down!" He was wealthy, powerful, and imposing; it would be enough for him alone to step up and risk his life. Asking him, a penniless person scraping by for a living, to compete with what?!

Ranking List

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Historical Romance

Cross-Dressing Woman