Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 778: The Courtesan with a Special Identity

Wanyan Liang slowly began sharing his insights on women while recalling several women who fit his preferences yet still eluded his grasp:

Huang Rong definitely counted as one. Unfortunately, due to a series of mishaps during the trip to Kaifeng, that exquisite mature woman had slipped through his fingers. 

‘Hmph, once this King conquers the Southern Song, there’s no way she’ll escape me again.’

Then there was Tang Kuo Bian’s wife, Wanyan Gebi—renowned as the most beautiful woman in Jin. Her beauty alone was tempting enough, but she was also a princess and his cousin… Just thinking about it made him feel like he would explode with desire! 

‘Hmph, I will continue playing nice with Tang Kuo Bian for now, but once my grand plans came to fruition, I’ll show him exactly how I intend to “enjoy” his wife.’

There was also Wanyan Zhongjie, granddaughter of the former Grand Preceptor Zong Pan. 

‘Hmph, back in the day, that old b*stard Zong Pan had vied for power with my father and trampled all over us. Now, it’s time for revenge. What a pity his son, Wanyan Ahhudie, died early—otherwise, this King would’ve made him taste the agony of living death!’

‘Hehe, I’ve already sampled the flavor of Zong Pan’s daughter-in-law, the previous number one beauty in Jin. She had lived up to her reputation. Next would be his granddaughter, Zhongjie. This King has missed out on enjoying her mother at her prime, which had always been a slight regret. Fortunately, Zhongjie had inherited her mother’s beauty and even showed signs of surpassing her. It seems that Heaven truly favors me.’

*****

While Wanyan Liang was lost in these depraved thoughts, Song Qingshu couldn’t guess exactly what was going through his head. But judging by the lust in his eyes and his quickened breathing, it clearly wasn’t anything wholesome. Song Qingshu deliberately cleared his throat a few times. “Judging by Your Highness’s words, this courtesan must have a rather unusual background?”
Wanyan Liang finally snapped out of his daze, chuckling as he thought of both the woman and her husband. “If she were just any courtesan, how could she possibly draw the attention of so many high-ranking officials in the capital?”

“You must know about how Great Jin took the Song capital of Dongjing back in the day?” Wanyan Liang smiled mysteriously.

Song Qingshu’s heart skipped a beat, and he feigned a look of sudden realization. “Could it be one of the captured princesses of the Song Dynasty?” He had been worrying about how to find a chance to rescue those poor women in the Laundry Courtyard. This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time.

“You really are sharp, Brother Tang Kuo,” Wanyan Liang said. “The concubines and imperial women of the Song Dynasty were divvied up by the former emperor and his people long ago—there was nothing left for us. However, that group of princesses was kept in the palace by the previous emperor, apparently housed in a place called the Laundry Courtyard.”

‘This is it!’ Song Qingshu’s heart leapt, and he held his breath to listen carefully.

“When those princesses were captured, the oldest was just in her early twenties. Many were still swaddled infants, and the youngest hadn’t even been born yet. All these years have passed, and now the oldest of them is only around forty, while the youngest is just the right age to be plucked.”

Song Qingshu asked calmly, “Could it be that tonight’s courtesan is one of those young princesses?”

“Wishful thinking!” Wanyan Liang cursed with a laugh. “Those blooming young princesses are, of course, reserved for the emperor. Do you think they’d be released for just anyone to enjoy?”

Song Qingshu chuckled awkwardly. “Women with such noble backgrounds… why would the emperor allow them to end up in brothels?”

“Noble my ass—they’re just glorified… glorified prisoners,” Wanyan Liang sneered. “As for why the emperor allowed this, it’s said that diplomatic relations with the Song have been sour lately, so he wants to humiliate them. Think about it—a princess of royal blood, now a lowly pr0stitute in Jin. What dignity do the Song people have left?”

“If it’s just to shame them, a princess’s identity is enough. Sounds like this courtesan might not be all that attractive after all.” Song Qingshu feigned disappointment, hoping to coax out more information.

“Don’t worry, this King wouldn’t try to pass off some old, washed-up woman on you.” Wanyan Liang took the bait and hurriedly explained, “Look at all the men in this building—they’re not fools. Would they be this excited if she weren’t a peerless beauty?”

“A peerless beauty?” Song Qingshu smiled faintly but didn’t take it to heart. No matter how beautiful she once was, after years of suffering and torment, how stunning could she possibly still be?

Wanyan Liang continued, “Even among the princesses, this one stands out. Do you know Cai Jing?”

“Cai Jing? That infamous traitor of the Song Dynasty?” Song Qingshu asked uncertainly.

“Exactly,” Wanyan Liang nodded. “Back then, Cai Jing held immense power in court. The emperor of Song even married his most beautiful daughter, the Fifth Princess, to Cai Jing’s youngest son. Who could’ve guessed that not long after the wedding, my second uncle Wanyan Zongwang would lead a massive army to surround Dongjing?

The Song emperor, desperate for peace, offered massive sums to get us to retreat. My uncle made an outrageous demand: one million taels of gold and five million taels of silver. The Song emperor couldn’t pay and proposed to offer women as collateral—one princess or imperial consort in exchange for a thousand taels of gold, an imperial clanswoman for five hundred, a noblewoman for two hundred, and so on. Within Dongjing, my uncle could take his pick. Guess which woman he chose first?”

Wanyan Liang spoke with great pride, as though he wished he could relive such glory himself. Song Qingshu, on the other hand, listened with righteous fury—enraged at the cruelty of the Jins, disgusted by the Song emperor’s cowardice and shamelessness, and heartbroken for the women who were sold like goods. These highborn ladies, once graced by luxury, had fallen into hell overnight. Fate had played a cruel joke on them.

“Could it be… the Fifth Princess?” Song Qingshu asked, already knowing the answer.

“Indeed. Her beauty was famed far and wide, and my uncle had long heard of her. Without hesitation, he picked her first.” Compared to Song Qingshu, Wanyan Liang now looked utterly relaxed and pleased.

“The most beautiful princess of the Song Dynasty, Cai Jing’s daughter-in-law, and later a side consort to a Jin prince… After my uncle died, she was sent to the Laundry Courtyard. I even heard the emperor favored her for a time. Isn’t that identity enticing enough?” Wanyan Liang leaned in lewdly and whispered, “Just imagine her lying beneath you, m0aning with pleasure… and then think of who she used to be. Doesn’t the thought make you feel like you’ve conquered the world?”

There were things Wanyan Liang dared not say aloud. But he knew many others present likely shared the same twisted thoughts—not just about playing with a fallen princess or a once-powerful minister’s daughter-in-law, but, in a way, as if they were defiling a w0man who once belonged to the emperor or even a prince. Of course, such blasphemous notions could only remain unspoken, buried deep within their minds.