The man was no ordinary person either. He was Yang Yuanjie, the treasured son of Prefect Yang Daoquan. Yang Daoquan was a prominent figure in Western Sichuan, having helped install Li Tianheng in power, and still commanded the garrison at Xiezhou. For Li Tianheng's birthday, he had specially brought his son along to offer congratulations. Yang Yuanjie had all the usual failings of an official's privileged son. Having heard of the Many Fragrances House's reputation, he had come to see it for himself. He had been drinking upstairs with several retainers when Hu Xiaotian and Xiangqin's noisy finger-guessing game disturbed him, and he had come over to pick a fight in a fit of resentment. He never expected Xiangqin to be even more overbearing than he was, opening her mouth to curse him outright. Such a fierce woman of the pleasure quarters was rare indeed.
Relying on his father's position, Yang Yuanjie had grown accustomed to throwing his weight around Xiezhou. Though he had restrained himself somewhat in Western Prefecture, that did not mean he would show a woman of the pleasure quarters any courtesy. Xiangqin cursed him and even strode toward him, bristling with aggression and ferocity.
Although the men in the Pavilion had little affection for Xiangqin, much less any tender desire to cherish and protect her, they could not help feeling angry when someone deliberately came over to provoke them. This was especially true of a hot-tempered man like Huo Ge. But Xue Shengjing was today's host, and Hu Xiaotian was Xiangqin's patron. If those two did not intervene, it would hardly be appropriate for anyone else to step forward. There were guards stationed nearby, but they too had to watch their masters' expressions. Without an order, they made no move to intercept him.
Xue Shengjing was