A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu glanced at Zhang Yuelu with surprise. “Wow, you truly are knowledgeable!”

“Are you being sarcastic? You sound like those snobbish people from the Li family!” Zhang Yuelu glared at him and wanted to hit him again, but Qi Xuansu dodged her in advance.

Qi Xuansu changed the topic and said, “Fine, let’s go to the villa and check out what Miss Li is like. We can split our expenses equally between us.”

Zhang Yuelu teased, “I thought you weren’t interested. Why did you suddenly change your mind when you heard about Miss Li? You’re even willing to pay half of the expenses.”

Qi Xuansu retorted. “I’m not interested in Miss Li, but I think it’s necessary to see what the upper-class people like.”

Zhang Yuelu clicked her tongue and agreed that they should go.

Qi Xuansu added, “But you can’t go like this. If word gets out that the famous Daoist prodigy, Zhang Yuelu, is spotted at an upscale brothel, you’ll be the talk of town!”

She responded, “I know, I’ll get changed.”

Qi Xuansu cast a sidelong glance at her. “Shouldn’t we find an inn to settle down first?”

For the first time, Zhang Yuelu was speechless.

They went to the Taiping Inn and asked for a private courtyard. Qi Xuansu took off his gun, satchel, and the outer belt filled with throwing knives, temporarily giving them to Zhang Yuelu for safekeeping in her magical receptacle. He only kept his elegant-looking short sword, Qing Yuan, on him. After all, carrying swords everywhere was common in their society.

Zhang Yuelu went to her room and closed the door. Then Qi Xuansu asked the waiter to serve some wine and food, including roasted lamb, roasted chicken, fried meat, and fish. He enjoyed the feast by himself while Zhang Yuelu got dressed.

As Qi Xuansu finished eating, Zhang Yuelu opened the door and stepped out. She had transformed into a completely different person.

She wore a moonlight-white robe with gold trimmings, square-tipped black boots with white soles, a jade-inlaid belt, and a white jade crown. She even carried a folding fan made of ivory ribs with a famous landscape painting printed on the front. She stood there, gently swaying the folding fan, looking like an elegant gentleman.

Qi Xuansu sized her up. She had worn a full face mask to change her appearance, so she did not look feminine at all. Instead, she looked like a handsome, well-dressed gentleman. Her clothes were well-tailored to her physique, so it was clear that she did not buy them at the last minute or borrow them from another person. She must have put this outfit in her magical receptacle. It was evident that Zhang Yuelu often disguised herself as a man.

Zhang Yuelu stretched out her arms and asked with a smile. “So, how do I look?”

Qi Xuansu did not answer her question. Instead, he asked, “Should I call you Young Master Tantai?”

She nodded. “Yes. From now on, I am Tantai Chu, not Zhang Yuelu.”

“What about me? Should I have a fake name too?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Zhang Yuelu waved her hand. “Not many people know you, so I don’t think it’s necessary.”

Qi Xuansu did not object to it. They were only going to the villa and not doing anything shady for the Qingping Society, so it did not matter if he used his real name.

Zhang Yuelu closed the folding fan and tapped her palm. She first looked down at her chest and pressed on it. After confirming everything was intact, she reached out and touched her Adam’s apple.

Qi Xuansu continued to eat and spoke without raising his head. “Both men and women have Adam’s apples. Men’s are just more obvious.”

Zhang Yuelu took out a small object from her magical receptacle and placed it on her Adam’s apple to make it look more obvious. Then she took out a small object shaped like a whistle, put it in her mouth, and cleared her throat, instantly changing her voice into a man’s. She had obviously come prepared.

Qi Xuansu finished eating, wiped his mouth with the hand towel provided by the inn, and motioned for Zhang Yuelu to wait for him outside. After all, it would raise questions if a young woman suddenly turned into a handsome young man.

After Zhang Yuelu left, Qi Xuansu waited for the waiter to clear the table. Then he asked, “Which villa is the largest in this city?”

The waiter first looked around. When he saw that the young woman who came in earlier was not around, he showed a knowing smile that only men shared.

He replied, “You’ve asked the right person, sir. Jiaqing Villa is the biggest in the city. They have many pretty and talented girls, proficient in singing, dancing, playing music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But it’s quite pricey. The ordinary girls there cost at least ten Taiping coins per night. A banquet there will be more expensive than an inn’s, probably more than 30 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu often saw the expression “attending tea parties” in novels, so he asked, “How much does it cost to attend a tea party?”

As soon as the waiter heard Qi Xuansu’s question, he chuckled. “Sir, is this your first time going to a villa?”

Qi Xuansu looked surprised. “How do you know?”

The waiter explained, “That’s because I just told you that it’ll cost more than 30 Taiping coins to host a banquet in a villa. Only high-grade villas have tea parties, where guests can drink tea, play chess, eat snacks, and chat with the courtesans for free. As such, villas will naturally suffer financial losses. Tea parties are only free because the villas expect customers to host a banquet after attending them.”

Only then did Qi Xuansu understand why the waiter had specifically mentioned hosting a banquet. It turned out that villas had this policy.

Waiters who worked at the Taiping Inn would also receive bonuses from the villa every month so that they could introduce the villa to more guests. Therefore, the waiter was enthusiastically explaining everything he knew.

“Generally, villas will not chase guests for money. But a guest who often attends tea parties without hosting banquets will be ridiculed and looked down upon by the courtesans. Even if a guest hosts a banquet, the madame will scold him for being stingy if he attends tea parties frequently.”

Qi Xuansu thought about it. “It sounds like tea parties are for regular guests. What about first-time guests like us?”

The waiter smiled and replied, “Then you’ll need a ‘stepping stone,’ which normally costs around five Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu nodded, placing the two small coins on the table. “Can you lead the way for me?”

The waiter stretched out his hand and put the two small coins into his pouch. He said with an ingratiating smile, “Thank you for the tip, sir.”

The two men left the Taiping Inn through the side door, which led to an alley. From a distance, they saw Zhang Yuelu standing at the entrance of the alley, fanning herself with a folding fan in the dead of winter.

The waiter was a little surprised. He did not expect Qi Xuansu to make an appointment with his friend to visit the villa. He would never suspect that the young man before him was actually the young lady who checked in earlier.

Jiaqing Villa was located in the southeast corner of the city, not too far from Taiping Inn. After exiting the alley, they walked for two blocks to get to the side entrance of Jiaqing Villa.

Unlike third-rate brothels, this first-class villa was quiet and situated in an upscale neighborhood. Each of these residences usually housed a beautiful woman who served the rich and the noble.

Jiaqing Villa occupied a significant area in this neighborhood, showcasing its strong financial and political background. It was unlikely that it was the Zhang family’s business. Even the Li family, who were most lenient about sex, had to get an adopted daughter to manage such businesses. The Zhang family, which had a better reputation than the Li family, was even less likely to own such a business.

In that case, could this villa’s backer be a local official from the Imperial Court?

The waiter led the two gentlemen to the impressive side entrance, where several women were standing to welcome guests.

The waiter stopped at the entrance while Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu walked into the villa. A woman quickly came forward to greet them. Since Qi Xuansu had already inquired about the market price, he took out five Taiping coins and tossed them into the woman’s hands. He then said, “I heard that there is a poetry gathering here today.”

A smile immediately appeared on the woman’s face. “You’re right on time, sir. The poetry gathering is about to start.”