The Flower-Between Pavilion.
The wine has been heated three times already.
Master Wei sat cross-legged in the main seat, with four plates of snacks on the table. Pearl and fifty taels of silver were still pressed next to the account book. The madam stood beside him, smiling obsequiously, sweat already beading on her forehead.
"Is Miss Hongxiu not ready yet?"
Master Wei picked up a piece of braised meat, chewed it twice, and spat it into the dish.
"Does a woman need to change her clothes until dawn?"
The madam quickly refilled his wine.
" Master Wei, please don't be angry. Hongxiu isn't feeling well today, and I'm having someone comfort her."
Master Wei slammed his wine cup on the table.
"She's not feeling well? I'll treat her, sir."
He waved his hand behind him, and the four servants stood up, their boots making the floor feel heavy.
"Go, break down the door."
The madam said "You mustn't," but her feet moved very quickly.
I had only gone halfway up the stairs when someone suddenly rushed in through the door.
Pu Yunshan ran extremely fast, knocking aside the two gatekeepers as he entered, and without even stopping, he went straight through the front hall.
" Hongxiu, Hongxiu, I'm here!"
Master Wei narrowed his eyes.
"Where did this poor wretch come from, daring to act so arrogantly in front of me?"
Pu Yunshan walked up to the madam, pulled out two silver notes from his pocket, and slapped them on her face.
The banknote slid down and landed on the ground.
"One thousand taels."
The madam covered her face, initially stunned, then looked down and saw the money exchange, her breathing became erratic.
Pu Yunshan stared at her.
"Bring me Qin Hongxiu's death contract."
Someone in the lobby gasped.
Master Wei's face twitched, and he stood up, leaning on the table for support.
"Who the hell are you? I've already paid the deposit!"
Pu Yunshan turned to look at him, his hand pressing down on the hilt of his sword.
"Take the pearls and fifty taels."
"Miss Hongxiu is not seeing any guests tonight, not tomorrow, and not ever again."
Master Wei's expression changed.
"You think you can just disappear like that? Since when did it become the roof repairman's place to make decisions about the Flower-Between Pavilion?"
Pu Yunshan drew his sword halfway out, and a chill ran along the blade, causing several girls serving wine in the front hall to take two steps back.
"I said it."
The servant behind Master Wei took a step forward.
Pu Yunshan raised his sword sheath and held it across the man's chest.
"Try taking one more step."
The servant looked at the sawdust on his body and the wear marks on the sword sheath. He had wanted to be aggressive, but his foot got stuck in place.
The madam finally picked up the silver note, her expression changing drastically. Just moments ago she was insisting that "the contract is absolute and cannot be touched," but now she was swaying her hips as she rummaged through a box behind the counter.
" Hongxiu Young Master Pu, please speak calmly. Miss Hongxiu is truly blessed to have met you."
Pu Yunshan didn't look at her.
"Contract."
The madam pulled out a piece of paper with a handprint on it, along with Qin Hongxiu's name and the number of years she had been sold into servitude. She handed it over with both hands, her smile forced and stiff.
"It's here."
Pu Yunshan snatched it away.
As Master Wei watched the death contract fall into his hands, his face grew increasingly grim, and he pointed at the madam and cursed.
"You took my deposit, then sold me out?"
The madam immediately took the pearls back.
" Master Wei, Miss Hongxiu has been redeemed, hasn't she? You're so generous, I'll get you an even more beautiful girl. Tonight, the drinks are all on the house."
Master Wei slapped the pearl out of her hand.
"I want Qin Hongxiu."
Pu Yunshan gripped the contract and pointed the tip of his sword at the ground.
"Do you want Hongxiu or your life?"
Master Wei looked at him.
Pu Yunshan stood at the top of the stairs, his robes clinging to his body in the wind, the contract in his palm clenched so tightly that it left deep creases, his face showing no sign of backing down.
Master Wei's lips moved, but he didn't dare to go any further.
Seeing that things were not going well, the madam quickly winked at the pimp and stuffed the pearls and silver back into Master Wei's hand.
" Master Wei, our Flower-Between Pavilion is very particular about rules. Now that Miss Hongxiu has redeemed herself, we can't break our own rules."
Master Wei was so angry that he slammed the silver back onto the table.
"You wait."
Pu Yunshan ignored him and walked upstairs with the death contract in his hand.
He walked quickly, the newly replaced wooden planks on the stairs clattering under his feet. The girls inside peeked out from under their doors, but no one dared to make a sound.
There was no sound of a zither or the crackling of burning charcoal inside Qin Hongxiu's room.
Pu Yunshan kicked open the door.
The wooden door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.
Qin Hongxiu sat on the edge of the bed, her hair disheveled, her eyes swollen from crying, the collar of her plain dress crumpled from her grip, and scissors beside her pillow.
She looked up at Pu Yunshan who rushed in, tears still on her face, her lips moving slightly.
" Young Master Pu..."
Pu Yunshan walked up to her, his chest heaving, and held the death contract up to her eyes.
"Look carefully."
Qin Hongxiu saw the name on the paper, and her fingers slowly curled up.
What's wrong with you?
Pu Yunshan did not answer, but simply stuffed the contract into her hand.
Qin Hongxiu looked down at the piece of paper, the edges of which still carried the musty smell of the brothel's box.
She lifted her face, and the tears fell even more fiercely.
" Young Master Pu, what merit do I, Hongxiu, possess to deserve your devotion—"
Don't cry.
Pu Yunshan interrupted her.
Qin Hongxiu was stunned.
He placed the sword on the table, reached into her hand and pulled the death pact back, his fingertips brushing against the paper.
You are free.
The paper tore in two in Pu Yunshan's hands.
Qin Hongxiu sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the crack, her breathing becoming lighter.
Pu Yunshan tore it up again.
The red seal on the contract, indicating a three-year term, was torn off, and scraps of paper fell to the ground.
He tore it quickly, each tear filled with hatred.
Qin Hongxiu's hand froze in mid-air, all the words she had prepared stuck in her throat, and she was momentarily lost in thought.
She should have rushed over and hugged him, cried and said she could never repay his kindness, and charmed this young master of Mount Qingcheng, who knew nothing of the dangers of the world, until he was bankrupt, and then slipped away while he was lost in his infatuation.
But now, I'm starting to hesitate.
Three years ago, she also believed in a poor scholar.
The man held her hand and said he would marry her and take her out of the building once she passed the exam, adding that as long as they could raise enough money, things would get better.
She sent her saved jewelry piece by piece to the pawnshop and handed over the banknotes to the man, only to find that he had bought a house in another place, married a respectable woman, and never even approached the door of the Flower-Between Pavilion again.
From then on, Qin Hongxiu felt that men were all just playing along and would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Some people were attracted to her face, some to her body, and some to her pitiful appearance when she cried and bowed her head.
Pu Yunshan should be one of them.
But he stood in front of her, tore up the death pact, and didn't even glance at her.
"Alright."
Pu Yunshan scattered the last scrap of paper on the ground.
From now on, Flower-Between Pavilion has no jurisdiction over you.
Qin Hongxiu stared at the shredded paper scattered on the ground, tears streaming down her chin.
" Young Master Pu, Hongxiu owes you another thousand taels."
I didn't ask you to pay it back.
"That Hongxiu..."
She touched her collar, trying to unbutton the top button.
Pu Yunshan's face flushed instantly. He took half a step back, grabbed the teacup on the table, and turned around.
What are you doing?