Chapter 49

Yingtian Prefecture served as the capital of the Mingyin Dynasty. The city walls stretched extensively, with the inner city encompassing 96 li and the outer city encompassing 181 li. Its prosperity surpassed that of the other thirteen provinces.

The imperial palace, located in the east, was surrounded by moats. The longest main street, Yong’an Street, traversed six major districts of Yingtian Prefecture.

Among them, the most bustling area was not the Jiqing District closest to the imperial palace but the Shangyuan District in the south of the city.

The entire capital’s residents knew that Shangyuan was a place of tea competitions, wine feasts, and streets adorned with flowers and willows, where silver coins were scattered everywhere.

And the most famous of them all was the grand brothel with red decorations near the southern moat, Qingnanchun.

To the south of the capital, it was a place where one could engage in amorous activities. Even the name carried more significance than other establishments, ensuring good business.

When Qin Yan’s sedan chair touched the ground, Su Mi, separated by the curtain, could already hear the laughter of the frivolous women from Qingnanchun on the pavilion. Surrounded by such seductive sounds, it was fake to say that she wasn’t a bit nervous. Fortunately, Qin Yan was by her side, which somewhat calmed her heart.

During this moment of hesitation, Qin Yan alighted from the sedan chair before her.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Gp Fw Yk zsolale bla blye yde yefwpvle bla yvvkal yde byka ytykd, ralryakdt vs tlv swv, pbl pyo y byde alynbkdt swv qasx wdela vbl pleyd nwavykd.

Mbyv byde oyp pzldela, qyka, yde olzz-elqkdle, xwnb zkjl vbl oyu bl alynble swv vs bla qasx vbl oleekdt pleyd vbyv eyu.

Vlabyrp ewl vs vbkp pweeld pwatl sq lxsvksdp, Fw Yk ldvlavykdle y pxyzz vbswtbv. Xd vbyv eyu, Ckd Zyd oykvle wdvkz pbl jdsnjle clqsal lmvldekdt bkp byde, ps vseyu pbl yzps oydvle vs xyjl bkx oykv qsa y xsxldv. Gqvla yzz, kv oyp y nzydelpvkdl hkpkv, yde bl oyp ds zsdtla vbl nbklq. Tl oswzed’v tlv ydtau shla pwnb y vakhkyz xyvvla, aktbv?

Jwv vs bla pwarakpl, Fw Yk xlalzu bye vbl vbswtbv, yde vbl byde vbyv lmvldele sdzu pvyule vblal caklqzu clqsal kxryvkldvzu alvaynvkdt. Fbl eked’v lhld byhl y nbydnl vs vswnb kv.

Vydknjkdt, Fw Yk oyp yqayke bl oswze zlyhl yde iwknjzu zlydle swv sq vbl pleyd. Gp vbl nwavykd oyp rwzzle cynj, pbl nyxl qynl-vs-qynl okvb Ckd Zyd kd y rwarzl-czwl pkzj casnyel ascl. Ebld bkp rlynb-czsppsx lulp, vkdtle okvb y bkeeld pxkzl, zssjle yv bla, kv pllxle yp kq vblu alqzlnvle vbl pbkxxlakdt oyvla sq vbl xsyv, nyryczl sq easodkdt rlsrzl okvbkd.

Fbl osdelale kq bl bye plld vbaswtb bla vbswtbvp yde qlzv psxlobyv lxcyaaypple. Tla nblpv aspl yde qlzz dsvknlyczu, yde vbl rasvawekdt ale fyel sadyxldv sd bla nblpv clnyxl lhld xsal rasxkdldv, nywpkdt Ckd Zyd vs pzktbvzu qwaaso bkp casop.

Fbl pwahlule bla pwaaswdekdtp, alyzkgkdt kv oyp pvkzz eyuvkxl yde dsv xydu rlsrzl bye yaakhle. Frlyjkdt psqvzu, pbl pyke, “Nsae, pbswze R yeealpp usw—”

Jlqsal pbl nswze qkdkpb pyukdt ‘obyv,’ Ckd Zyd bssjle bkp byde kdvs Fw Yk’p nszzya yde rwzzle bla vsoyaep bkx, vbl pweeld xsvksd nywpkdt bla vs qyzz kdvs bkp lxcaynl.

“Call me Young Master.”

“…. Mm.”

The sudden scent of sandalwood made Su Mi blush. She rubbed her bumped nose and softly responded. Immediately, she felt a force on her right shoulder, and she was tightly pressed against Qin Yan.

Originally, she had worried that her clothes were too form-fitting and might expose her intentions. However, Qin Yan’s wide sleeves directly covered her waist and hips, and

Their clothing colors were almost similar. With the faint light from the river lanterns on the moat, they truly couldn’t be clearly distinguished.

In this position, Su Mi felt a bit uncomfortable, almost levitating off the ground. However, when she thought that the Lord was doing this to prevent her from being recognized, she didn’t want to make a fuss and could only let him carry her and walk towards the entrance of Qingnanchun.

Qingnanchun was the largest brothel in the capital and was incomparable to the ordinary pleasure quarters in the flower streets.

The vermilion plaque above the door displayed three shiny golden characters: Qingnanchun. Upon entering, there were three concentric corridors, brilliantly lit with candles, creating a bustling and colorful scene.

In the immediate view, there was a large marble platform, and at this moment, two Qing opera singers were performing on it. Below the platform were fifteen or sixteen square Huangli wood tables, about half of which were occupied, and the noise emanated from that area.

Su Mi knew nothing about brothels and thought that as soon as she entered, many courtesans would come out to greet her. However, it turned out to be more subtle. The main hall even resembled a teahouse to some extent.

The madam sat on a long table near the entrance with her legs crossed and a feather fan in her hand. It may have appeared lively to outsiders, but she knew well that the peak hours had yet to come. She wanted to relax for a while during this time. Unexpectedly, as her eyes wandered, she suddenly saw a man in a luxurious purple-blue outfit, causing her eyes to widen.

His side profile was unparalleled in its beauty, and the silk fabric he wore flowed like water, dazzling and splendid. At first glance, he was obviously a rich young man.

Not only his face, but his tall and slender figure, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long and powerful legs all made the madam itch with desire.

She had seen countless men in the pleasure quarters, but she had never seen someone so outstanding. If her girls were to see him, they would probably throw themselves at him, even offering themselves willingly.

The madam tossed her hair and fanned herself, swaying her hips as she walked over to Qin Yan’s side, her voice slightly seductive. She called out, “Young Master.”

As soon as she finished calling out, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Previously, she was so captivated by the man’s appearance and happened to be standing by his side, but now that she approached, the light blue figure in his arms became even more apparent.

Her face was partially buried in his chest, making it difficult to see clearly, but the delicate body and the soft and boneless hand wrapped around the man’s waist could only belong to a woman.

Could it be that she had come to cause trouble?

The madam, no longer caring about coveting any beauty, walked straight towards Qin Yan with a smile on her face and a thorny tone. She said, “What does it mean for this young master to bring a woman to our Qingnanchun? Do you find our girls here inadequate?”

The madam’s words carried a double meaning, and she also wanted to see if this man had a sense of presence.

Su Mi’s mind flashed, realizing that she was too preoccupied with her own appearance and forgot that being carried all the way by Qin Yan already made her not look like a man. Why did he have to do this extra thing and hold her so tightly… Su Mi had been uncomfortable for a while, and finally she couldn’t help but move slightly.

Qin Yan felt the slight trembling of her chest pressing against him, so he tightened his grip even more, but his face wore a wicked smile as he looked at the madam.

“The madam must think that I, as an outsider, wouldn’t be treated with kindness at Qingnanchun.”

The madam had a guess in her mind upon hearing this and quickly replied, “Where did this young master hear that from?”

Qin Yan lightly pinched the hand placed around Su Mi’s waist a few times, his expression showing some impatience. “Of course, I came here on my own. Can Qingnanchun still disclose the name of their honored guests?”

The madam, upon hearing this, immediately smiled and said, “Oh, the young master is right. I can’t say, I can’t say.”

For Qingnanchun to become the top brothel in the capital, it wasn’t purely by luck. Besides having the patronage of the imperial court official, there was also a standalone building behind their main establishment—the Anxiang Building.

The madam whispered a few words to someone and then led Qin Yan and Su Mi through the main hall and a long corridor, directly to a standalone building overlooking the protective moat.

The building was only three stories tall, with five or six compartments on each floor. It quietly hid beneath the high buildings in front and was even less noticeable at night.

The madam led them to the middle room on the third floor, took out a key from her waist, and opened the door. The alluring fragrance immediately filled the air.

The beams of the room were made of yellow rosewood, and the moonlight shining through the window cast a faint halo on the crystal and jade ornaments. The curtains were made of smooth pearl fabric, and on the table were various objects of different colors and styles. Su Mi couldn’t understand most of them, but she vaguely recognized that one of them was a bell.

Seeing Su Mi’s confused expression, the madam couldn’t help but feel proud. “This Burmese bell was brought in from a foreign land. It’s very precious. If the young master wants to use it, there will be an additional fee for the one being wrapped.”

Qin Yan’s gaze swept over the bell, and he laughed. “Alright.”

Just as Qin Yan finished speaking, a burst of passionate moans suddenly came from all around, causing embarrassment. It seemed both near and far, as if it were right.

 beside them. Upon closer listening, it was not just two people.

Su Mi didn’t know where the sounds were coming from. Along with the inexplicable heat on her body, she felt something was strange, so she tightly grasped Qin Yan’s clothes.

Of course, she didn’t know that the name of this Anxiang building also carried the meaning of lingering fragrance. The outer walls of each floor were made of solid wooden and mud walls, preventing sound transmission. However, the internal walls separating the rooms were double-layered, with hollow space in between, connected by dense wires through drilled holes.

With only a single wall, there were a thousand strands of cotton thread. Therefore, when there was love and passion next door, the enchanting sounds would penetrate the ears. What you hear from others, others naturally hear from you as well. In such circumstances, desire becomes unending. If there are many esteemed guests, there will be no sound outside, but inside, the merriment continues one after another.

The construction of this Anxiang Building took a long time, and other establishments don’t know its ingenious design, so they can’t imitate it. Now that its reputation has spread, many wealthy young gentlemen come with their concubines to experience it.

However, the madam is also afraid that someone will dig into the wall and discover this secret, so she was extra cautious when Qin Yan entered.

The madam looked at Su Mi, who seemed to understand nothing, and driven by the motive of making money, she couldn’t help but suggest, “In my opinion, young master, your delicate concubine here seems inexperienced. Since you’re already here, why not spend some time with the girls in the brothel and ensure your enjoyment before you return?”

The madam’s words were explicit, and Qin Yan felt a slight movement in his embrace. He slightly curved his lips and said, “Sure.”

T/N: Li is a Chinese unit of distance, equal to about 0.5 km (0.3 mile).