A plan takes shape

"I must thank you, young master. If I am ever remembered in history, it will surely be thanks to you." Fuxiang's eyes were filled with tender affection, making her even more charming and beautiful.

Xu Qi'an knew what she was referring to. Throughout history, there have been many famous courtesans whose names have been passed down through the ages because of their poetry.

Any woman of the night would be overjoyed by such an opportunity.

There are two kinds of people in the world who love to compete for fame: scholars and prostitutes.

"That's exactly what I want—your gratitude." Xu Qi'an smiled, displaying a touch of frivolity. "How are you going to thank me?"

The room was warm and cozy. He had drunk quite a bit of wine, and after sitting for a while, he felt unbearably hot, so he took off his outer robe and placed it on the round stool.

Fuxiang bit her full, luscious lips shyly and said, "Young master, the night is long. Why not let me play a tune for you to liven things up?"

Xu Qi'an was taken aback, realizing the other party had misunderstood, he smiled but didn't explain.

Women in ancient times were so elegant. If you came to sleep with her, she would say, "Don't rush, let me play a tune for you."

Unlike later girls, who would say "Hurry up!" when you tried to sleep with them!

After patiently listening to the entire piece, Xu Qi'an had to admit that this courtesan was quite skilled; she was proficient in both the zither and poetry. He didn't know about her poetry, but her zither playing was truly excellent.

Even though he has no knowledge of music, he can still calm down and immerse himself in it.

Xu Qi'an took a sip of tea to relieve the dryness in his throat caused by drinking, and casually started a conversation. "Miss Fuxiang is a beauty of unparalleled grace, hasn't anyone redeemed you from your servitude?"

This was clearly not a pleasant topic, and the courtesan sighed sadly.

"The girls of the Imperial Academy of Music -run entertainment institution) are not so easily redeemed. Even if they meet a loving man, the Ministry of Rites will not agree."

Actually, it was too expensive. It was very difficult for the most popular courtesan in the Imperial Academy of Music to redeem herself because she was an official courtesan. She had to go through a lot of procedures and bribes, which cost far more money than other courtesans in other brothels.

I remember Head Constable Wang saying that the top courtesan in an ordinary brothel would cost around 500 to 1000 taels of silver. The top courtesan in the Imperial Academy of Music might cost double that, or even more.

What does two thousand taels mean?

I'd have to save for ten years without eating or drinking, and that's already above-average income. With that much money, wouldn't it be better to buy a few attractive concubines?

Xu Qi'an subconsciously calculated in his mind and came to the conclusion: this deal is a huge loss!

"Indeed, with Miss Fuxiang's beauty, even in the capital of Great Feng, you couldn't find a second one," Xu Qi'an flattered.

The courtesan chuckled, inwardly pleased, but aloud said, "Young master, please don't make fun of me. The most beautiful woman in the capital of the Great Feng Dynasty is the Princess Consort of Zhenbei. I am but a plain-looking girl."

She referred to herself as "this humble servant" now as "this family," indicating a closer relationship, and her tone carried a hint of coquetry.

The Princess Consort of Zhenbei? It's that woman again. Xu Qi'an heard about this legendary beauty of the capital once more.

In his past life, he considered himself to have seen countless beauties, but now, having seen Xu Lingyue Chu Caiwei, and other beauties who were almost flawless, he really couldn't imagine how beautiful this princess must be to hold the title of the most beautiful woman in the capital.

He thought to himself, "It's probably just the halo of my status."

"That princess came from a scholarly family in Jiangnan. When she was nine years old, she went to the Jade Buddha Temple with her parents to burn incense. The abbot gave her a poem: Her birth startled all others, her grace shone brightly in the sun. She was admired by all and became a national beauty, her soul was tied to the world and attracted emperors."

"From then on, she became famous and was sent to the palace at the age of thirteen."

Xu Qi'an asked curiously, "Then how did you become a princess?"

The Fuxiang courtesan extended her slender, jade-like hand from her long sleeves, her orchid-like fingers picking up a porcelain bottle and pouring out zither oil. While tending to her phoenix-tail zither, she said:

Nineteen years ago, after the great victory at Shanhai Pass, the Prince of Zhenbei was the second most meritorious official, and the Emperor bestowed upon him the most beautiful woman in the capital.

The Prince of Zhenbei is the current emperor's younger brother, so it's not surprising that he would bestow a beautiful woman upon him. After all, while the woman is indeed exceptionally beautiful, the current emperor is devoted to cultivating Daoism and has long since ceased to be interested in women. Xu Qi'an was curious about something else:

Who is the greatest contributor?

"Duke Wei, Duke Wei were once the commander-in-chief of the three armies. If you hadn't been a eunuch, the princess wouldn't be the princess." Fuxiang smiled and said, "What I said to you, sir, is nothing that can't be said openly and frankly. But once we leave this door, let's not talk about it anymore."

As for the matter of that Duke Wei, it's fine for ordinary people to talk about it, since she was, after all, a receptionist working for a state-owned enterprise.

It turned out to be him. Xu Qi'an suddenly realized that Xu Dalang had heard of Wei Yuan before.

Too famous.

Although this man was a eunuch, he was exceptionally talented, capable of governing the country with his literary skills and quelling rebellions with his military prowess. If he hadn't been a eunuch, he could have easily become the top scholar in the imperial examination and the chief minister.

The two chatted casually, and Xu Qi'an was well-versed in the art of persuasive conversation, a skill he had honed during his rigorous training in interrogation techniques.

After going around in circles for a while, they finally managed to steer the conversation toward Zhou Li.

"This man is lecherous and dissolute, utterly ignorant. I dislike him. Whenever he participates in tea parties, I pretend he doesn't exist," Fuxiang said.

"The Imperial Academy of Music is under the Ministry of Rites of the Ministry of Rites. He's just the son of a Ministry of Revenue, and I'm not afraid of him."

Xu Qi'an appropriately feigned curiosity, smiling as he asked, "What makes you say I'm lecherous and absurd? Isn't seeking pleasure with women the norm?"

"This matter involves some secrets of officialdom," the courtesan hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "I only know a little bit from what other officials have told me. If Young Master Yang wants to know, I will tell you, but please don't spread it around."

A tone that sounds like both coquettishness and pleading.

Xu Qi'an feigned surprise and said that it was just a passing interest and he would never tell anyone.

"This story begins with last year's Lantern Festival. Zhou Li was a ridiculous man. During the Lantern Festival, he took a fancy to a girl and, taking advantage of the crowd, went up to her and molested her. He even had someone beat up the girl's bodyguard."

"Who would have thought that the girl also had a background, being the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu. Originally, if she were just an illegitimate daughter, things wouldn't be so troublesome, but the problem was that the illegitimate daughter's birth mother and the Marquis of Weiwu's first wife were sisters."

"Because of this blood relation, the concubine's daughter is quite favored by the mistress, and her treatment is not much different from that of the legitimate daughter. She just lacks a formal title."

Xu Qi'an quietly clenched his fist. "So how was it handled?"

"The Marquis of Weiwu filed a complaint with the Emperor, Ministry of Revenue submitted a memorial to explain. After several days of wrangling, the Emperor finally ruled: Vice Minister Zhou failed to properly educate his son, and was ordered to receive a year's salary and pay the Marquis of Weiwu five thousand taels in compensation. Zhou Li was also confined to his quarters for three months, and if he were to reoffend, he would be severely punished."

"Any repeat offender will be severely punished." These words seemed to strike Xu Qi'an's mind like lightning, igniting a surge of inspiration within him.

Zhou Li had long coveted the beauty of the concubine's daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu. Having recently suffered a loss and been beaten, he was in a foul mood and, in a moment of impulsiveness, decided to set his sights on the concubine's daughter again.

The information he had gathered about Zhou Li was instantly compiled, forming the foundation for his plan.

So he sent men to kidnap the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu, hiding her in his private residence outside, intending to have his way with her and then kill her to cover it up. Hmm, that makes perfect sense.

"Of course, the purpose is to frame someone. I have no reason to kill an innocent girl. This is the initial draft of the plan. We still need to discuss the details with Erlang. We must make sure it's natural and reasonable."

Seeing Xu Qi'an lost in thought, the courtesan called out to him, her pink lips slightly pouting, as if she were both being coquettish and complaining:

"Does the young master intend to sit with them all night?"

Um... I can't lose my virginity yet. If I don't sit all night, am I supposed to do it all night?

PS: There will probably be two or three more chapters before Zhou Shilang's storyline is over.

Also, there have been some issues with updates lately; I haven't been able to update around noon. Updates will resume tomorrow.