NOVPUB34: Thirty-second Chapter: Zuixian Pavilion
34: Thirty-second Chapter: Zuixian Pavilion
Night,
A full moon hung in the sky, solitary and bright.
Zuixian Pavilion.
The bustling wine hall was filled with the sound of laughter and cheerful voices as girls with long sleeves danced gracefully on stage, and a group of scantily clad beauties roamed the hall.
Suddenly,
“Bang!!”
A violent crash from a wooden table silenced the boisterous wine hall in an eerie hush.
Then everyone heard,
“Absurd…
Absurd!
Xu Changge goes to Ancient Abyss, kills a mere snake demon and Crown Prince welcomes him into the Capital with a state ceremony!”
A scholar dressed in a Confucian robe fiercely slapped the table and stood up, his face slightly flushed, he muttered in a low voice.
As soon as the words were spoken, the great hall fell silent once more.
Almost everyone turned to look at him.
His companion’s eyelids twitched.
He quickly pulled at the scholar’s robe and said loudly,
“Ah, Brother Li, you’re drunk, talking nonsense.”
While saying that, the companion awkwardly bowed to the people below,
“Sorry, sorry, just drunken words, drunken words.
Sorry to disturb everyone’s enjoyment.
Please, keep drinking, keep drinking.”
Seeing this, the patrons in the hall also laughed it off in agreement, continuing with their drinking and song listening.
But at that moment,
The scholar, thinking he was no longer the center of attention and spurred by the alcohol, waved his robes fiercely, shaking off his companion’s hand, his face showing a pained and urgent expression as he shouted,
“I am not drunk!
His Majesty has been in the Imperial Palace with no news for long, and now that the Crown Prince has left the city, it must be the Prime Minister’s party making a show of power for his eldest son!”
As soon as he finished, the lively Zuixian Pavilion fell silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Seeing no one questioning, the feeling of being the center of attention made the scholar slightly heady.
He took a deep breath and continued to speak up loudly,
“Our Great Yan has reigned for over one thousand three hundred years.
Xu Yinhè, who holds the office of the Prime Minister should have been a role model for scholars like us.
But now his wild ambitions are evident!
Not to mention him forming cliques for personal gain, there are rumors that he has already amassed a private army.
Yet, the high officials of the Imperial Court are nothing but sycophants only concerned with their own survival!
“…And Xu Changtian, the Third Young Master, is worse than an animal, abducting women from the common folks, wantonly exploiting the people….”
The scholar spoke loudly against the current Prime Minister, completely unaware that the complexion of his tablemates seated beside him had gradually darkened, with a few even having quietly distanced themselves from the fervently speaking scholar.
Is there a problem with criticizing the Prime Minister and high officials?
Of course not.
Isn’t that what scholars do?
Who else to criticize if not them?
At every private gathering, they had to rant at least once.
No ranting, no joy.
But, dammit,
can’t you just rant at our private gatherings, for god’s sake!?
Who says no one has criticized that Prime Minister?
No one has criticized,
What about those heads piled up at the Capital City’s vegetable market?
What about those warriors who were sent to the borders in the north and the south to defend against monsters and Barbarian Tribes?
“…”
After his outburst, the scholar let out a long breath, seemingly addicted to ranting, he was about to start the second half when a voice suddenly came from a corner of the hall,
“An unknown scholar slandering an important official of the Imperial Court, do you really think Jingjiang City lacks a Secret Investigation Department?”
The young scholar, faced with opposition, replied self-righteously,
“So what if the Secret Investigation Department comes!?
What I have said is the true speech that others dare not utter!!”
“So what?
Heh, should we inform them to see this bold speaker who dares to speak what others do not?”
“…..”
The young scholar was stunned, his mouth opened to retort, but then he cautiously glanced around, only to meet mocking and derisive eyes.
Half sober now, his face twitched slightly, turning purple then red, and in the end, he sat down, disregarding his image.
Seeing this scene,
everyone burst into laughter once again.
Zuixian Pavilion returned to its lively state, the whole place filled with a joyful atmosphere….
…
Perched at the top floor, Xu Yuan silently observed everything unfolding below.
In any era, in any world, those with money or power have experiences unlike those of common people.
The interior structure of Zuixian Pavilion was a hollow, towering well-like building, with the extravagance of consumption increasing from the lower to the higher floors.
The ground floor was one grade, where nearly two hundred people crowded together in the Hook Bar to listen to music, seeking visual delight.
The second to fourth floors were of a different grade, offering a more spacious and relatively tranquil environment, ideal for inviting a couple of friends over, and notifying the madam to call a few girls to join in drinking and merry-making.
The fifth to eighth floors were private niches, where more refined activities like listening to music and playing flutes were carried out.
The ninth to twelfth floors were designated for private rooms, specially prepared for guests staying overnight.
Each private room featured courtesans with their own distinguished pseudonyms.
And the thirteenth floor, the very top, was reserved for suites.
Just this one.
Once booked, the entire floor became your personal space.
You could summon any of the girls from Zuixian Pavilion, and the maids on the top floor were all selectively chosen by the madam for their delicate beauty, each one exceptional in looks and figure.
As a professional libertine, Xu Yuan naturally came to the familiar Zuixian Pavilion upon his return to Jingjiang City and took the very top floor for himself.
However, he hadn’t expected to stumble upon such an entertaining scene here.
As for being cursed himself, he didn’t care one bit.
You’re cursing Xu Changtian, what has that got to do with me, Xu Yuan?
What did merit attention was the speed at which news traveled in the Dayan Empire.
Zhou Chen had just informed him that his older brother arrived in the Imperial Capital that morning, and by evening the news had already spread among the scholars and dandies in Jingjiang City.
But when he thought about it, it made sense; one province in the Dayan Empire could span tens of thousands of miles.
If the empire couldn’t ensure fast communication, it would have likely fallen apart long ago.
While pondering these matters, Xu Yuan was caught off guard when someone suddenly patted his shoulder.
A drunken voice came from behind him:
“Third Young Master, still standing here?”
It was Zhou Chen.
As his bodyguard and teacher, Zhou Chen naturally followed Xu Yuan to the Zuixian Pavilion, indulging in food and drink.
Even more familiar with such a refined place than the original host, he had entered a room wrapped around two maids as soon as they reached the top floor.
Xu Yuan, with deliberate slowness, glanced sideways at the rugged expert and let out a light chuckle:
“Hmm, all done already, so fast?”
“…” Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen’s slightly tipsy face showed a touch of embarrassment as he coughed softly:
“No, don’t jump to conclusions—I’m not prone to lust.
It’s just a requirement of my cultivation technique.
Being quick is expected.”
After a pause, he took a swig from the gourd in his hand, casually shooting Xu Yuan a glance:
“Third Young Master, aren’t you going to indulge a bit here?”
“Heh~”
Xu Yuan met his gaze calmly and chuckled softly:
“Mr.
Zhou, can’t you tell the condition of my body?
“It’s only after practicing cultivation that I realized how severely depleted my body is from the previous indulgence.
If I keep going like this…
Heh, anyway, I’ll refrain for now.
If I have any issues with cultivation, I’ll seek you out.
Mr.
Zhou, please feel free to enjoy yourself.”
Having said that, Xu Yuan gave a glance to the curvaceous young ladies standing aside, silently reciting to himself ‘wine and lust shall not harm my health,’ then turned and walked away.
Zhou Chen watched as Third Young Master’s figure departed, leaning against the rail with a wine pot in hand, shaking his head, then went back to pick two more girls from among the maids, took one in each arm, and while heading back to his room, he sighed and muttered:
“Tsk, I thought Third Young Master was a kindred spirit…”
Before he could finish,
Xu Yuan’s voice, laced with amusement, drifted from afar:
“Mr.
Zhou, I have no desire to be a ‘kindred spirit’ with you.”
Zhou Chen was startled, then turned and grinned at Xu Yuan’s retreating back:
“Heh, in the end, you’re still a kindred spirit.”
