NOVPUB"The theater troupe can’t be invited to our home?!" Fa Yan erupted in anger instantly.
"It’s lively with more people," Fa Zheng said cautiously, hinting that he had been led astray by Guo Jia; even with the best at home, he still yearned to go out "hunting."
"Can’t you build a stage at home and invite people over?" Fa Yan slammed his cane onto the ground, stabbing it fiercely into the floor, cracking the paved bluestone slabs. Fa Zheng’s hair stood on end; he had almost forgotten how his father, despite his words, was still capable of fighting. 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝙢
"It’s not good to prioritize personal pleasure over official duties, cough cough cough, I’m an upright official!" Fa Zheng coughed twice, somewhat embarrassedly.
"Fine, fine, fine, so you’ve grown wings, eh? So many excuses to go to a brothel!" Fa Yan’s mustache quivered as he spoke, while Chen Xi and the others concentrated on staring at their feet, as if counting ants.
"Dad, give me some dignity!" Fa Zheng said with a wry smile, struggling under his father’s rebukes, "I was just joking, just joking."
"Still planning to visit the brothel?" Fa Yan pulled his cane out of the crack in the bluestone and asked, after coughing twice.
"Not going anymore." Fa Zheng said, bowing his head but silently adding, "I’ll just turn the singer girls from the brothel into our own maids. With so many maids around, not every one is recognizable. If a few more show up occasionally, you won’t notice. I don’t believe you actually count them every day."
"Still planning to watch plays?" Fa Yan glanced at those who were still busy with their ant-counting and appeared quite satisfied.
"In the future, I will move the theater troupe over to our place to perform and invite you to watch. I’ll tear down the back wall so everyone can enjoy together, sharing the joy with the people." Fa Zheng spoke with a lowered gaze, clearly feeling somewhat aggrieved.
Ever since Fa Zheng invited a branch of the Fragrance Pavilion to perform a play during the time they broke ground for the city construction, his father had fallen in love with this form of entertainment. After all, in this era, there weren’t many forms of entertainment, and operas catered to everyone from the aristocratic clan homes to the households of commoners—although the truly first-class performers and their skills were unique to the Fragrance Pavilion and without any subsidiaries, which made it difficult for others to experience.
However, the annoying part was that the Fragrance Pavilion was, after all, a brothel, and some people have an unshakable aversion to such places—for example, Fa Yan firmly would not set foot in a brothel!
Though whenever there was a play at the Fragrance Pavilion, Fa Yan tended to become quite distracted from his reading—an old habit of decades that was hard to break. Of course, his son Fa Zheng was also forbidden from visiting the brothel, but clearly, Fa Zheng had already grown accustomed to going without Fa Yan knowing.
"Didn’t you say we shouldn’t let personal affairs interfere with official duties?" Fa Yan glanced at Fa Zheng as he asked.
"That place isn’t owned by the government; it’s actually private property. We just usually treat it as if it were public," Fa Zheng explained, all while giving Chen Xi meaningful glances. The Fragrance Pavilion’s actual backer happened to be Chen Xi.
"Elder Fa, I am Chen Zichuan, the new Great Master of the Fragrance Pavilion. If you want the troupe moved here, it shall be done. Moreover, the Fragrance Pavilion being branded as a brothel is nothing more than other people’s prejudice. If you don’t believe me, ask Xiao Zhi. They don’t deal in flesh trades there; it’s just a place to listen to music." Chen Xi stepped forward and bowed in greeting, somewhat helplessly.
"Listening to music is good, a song can be worth a fortune," Fa Yan shook his head continuously. He remembered the madness of that first time they had set up an open-air stage for a performance. In the end, a local rich man had offered a hundred gold pieces on the spot just to have the performer sing one more piece. Admittedly, the singing was indeed exceptional.
"Initially, it was just to give those wandering women something to do, and incidentally, to provide some entertainment for the common people. Who would’ve thought it would become so addictive? A hundred gold for a single performance is a bit excessive, don’t you think?" Chen Xi tugged at the corner of his mouth and said. It hadn’t even been a year, and the price had skyrocketed to this level?
"Psh, a hundred gold for a performance is one thing, but among your three Maids, Chen Yun is the most outstanding. Back when she and Chen Ying played the roles of White Snake and Green Snake, the Head of the Wu Family was willing to shell out tens of thousands of gold; he went straight to Liuu Luo to try and secure both women. After he found out they were your close companions, he settled for offering two White Jade Bi Discs in exchange for another performance," Fa Zheng said with a sneer. "Now, out of the five famous actresses, two are married and no longer perform. The remaining three are all in your backyard."
"Hey, hey, hey, watch what you’re saying. What do you mean, my ’close companions’?" Chen Xi raised an eyebrow and said, "I haven’t touched any of the three of them."
"Everybody knows that, but Maids are eventually their master’s to take, especially such excellent ones. Would you really let them go?" Fa Zheng looked at Chen Xi with contempt.
"I really would. As long as they’re willing to marry, I’d give them their freedom," Chen Xi glanced at Fa Zheng and said.
"Father, all right, all right, you can rest easy now. There will be no neglect of public interests due to private affairs. When we get back to Mount Tai, I’ll have Zichuan set up a performance that features all the famous actresses—even the Miscellaneous Soldiers will be celebrities," Fa Zheng said wistfully. "Even the less gifted of your Maids have gained some small fame now. I don’t know how you’ve managed to train them."
Fa Zheng placed a hand on his father’s shoulder, then patted his back, helping Fa Yan smooth out his Qi. Fa Yan squinted his eyes in enjoyment of Fa Zheng’s actions—a picture of paternal affection and filial piety, completely belying the fact that just minutes ago, Fa Yan was berating Fa Zheng as a disrespectful son.
"You just remember this, kid. I’m sparing you some dignity this time for the sake of your friend. If you dare mention going to the Brothel again, I’ll break your legs!" Fa Yan warned menacingly after being helped aside by Fa Zheng.
"Alright, I won’t forget," Fa Zheng replied nonchalantly, then noticed his father’s expression still looked a bit gloomy. "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely do as I told you. I’ll move that performance troupe here soon."
"Hmph, get lost, and stop embarrassing me!" Fa Yan flung his arm, pushing Fa Zheng away, then walked toward the inner room.
"Looks like you’ve got it tough too," Zhuge Liang said with a mix of sympathy and envy after Fa Zheng came over.
"My father just dislikes my style a bit, I was led astray by Military Advisor Guo. Going to brothels without paying, eating Overlord meals—he was the one who showed me the ropes," Fa Zheng said seriously, then remembered Guo Jia’s bullying and shuddered slightly, "But I must admit, this kind of life is truly carefree."
"Don’t you learn from him!" Chen Xi smacked Fa Zheng on the shoulder, "Learn the good things, don’t pick up his bad habits."
"Hahaha, Fengxiao once told me that he and you had once dined and dashed, and also went to a Brothel without paying," Fa Zheng recalled Guo Jia’s expression and couldn’t help but look a bit mischievous, while Luu Xun’s image of his mentor Chen Xi—usually surrounded by a halo of grandeur and righteousness—shattered to pieces, and the tall figure seemed to shrink...
"Speaking of which, aren’t you planning to get married?" Chen Xi looked somewhat sheepishly at Luu Xun; he had indeed done those things, so he changed the topic to a more lively one, "Given your age and family background, a young and wealthy nobleman like you should be getting married too, right?"
"Let’s not talk about that. I’m actually bothered by it," Fa Zheng said with a bitter smile as if a wound had just been touched, "Come on, let’s go have something to eat. It’s better not to talk about marriage."
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote and support it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
