Chapter 11 Three Prostitutes Total

The rooms on the third floor were for the wealthy and all were private. Yun Canglan was angelic looking dressed in his luxury clothes, but his behavior told an entirely different story at that moment. Yun was listening through the door of each room on the floor, to eavesdrop.

"Here it is! How dare that old lady deceive me!" Yun Canglan scolded and kicked the door open. The beautifully carved door opened before swinging back and forth slowly from the force.

"Who's there?" came a man's voice from within. Yun Canglan was met in the doorway by a tall man. They glared at each other.

"Me." murmured Yun Canglan as he sidestepped the man to see who else was in the room.

Aside from the tall man, there were two more people in the room. Sitting at a musical instrument, was the top courtesan here at Wanhong Brothel, her beauty was said to put the flowers to shame. Next to her sat a boy, more beautiful even than the courtesan.

The boy was approximately 13 or 14 years old in an outfit of green and a jade hairpin. His skin was white as snow, and his eyes were half closed and glazed over. He was laying on a bench which gave the impression of him being a delectable temptation.

Yun Canglan wiped his drool on his sleeve before he greeted the boy warmly: "Hello, beauty! I'm Yun Canglan, from Can City of Can Kingdom. My father is Yun Yajun, the Dingguo Duke. My mother is Lin Wan'er, the most beautiful girl in Can City ten years ago. My grandfather is Yun He, who is a retired general. My grandmother... I've never seen her. My maternal grandmother is Shu Yun, the most beautiful girl fifty years ago. My maternal grandfather... My mother said a rival killed him because of love. I am 5 years old, and as of yet, I am unmarried. What else would you like to know about me?" Yun continued, "Beauty, what's your name? How old are you? Are you married? "What's your stand on homosexuality? Are you interested in younger boys like me? Are your parents easy-going? Are you..." Yun stopped finally.

Yan Cangyue looked at the child standing over him in interest.

Yun Canglan placed his hand in front of his nose and looked as if he would faint. He murmured: "Please don't smile beauty. Otherwise, I have a nosebleed."

The tall man that Yun Canglan ignored, hoisted Yun up by the collar and yelled: "How dare you speak to my master in such a manner! Do you realize who he is?"

"Yan Xin, release him!" The heavenly voice commanded.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, Yun Canglan ran to Yan Cangyue declaring, "Beauty, I'm coming!"

Yan Xin again blocked Yun, thinking, 'This boy looks like a playboy. It would not be good to allow him near my master.'

"Little boy, where are your parents and why are you here?" asked the top courtesan, Lan Yue. She stood and approached Yun Canglan smiling. Her swaying hips were rocking in endless enchantment. Yun Canglan took a few steps back shouting in disgust, "Go away! You are ugly, and I hate ugly people. You stink so horribly that I can't breathe. What's that on your face? It makes you look boorish. My maid is prettier than you! Your lips are too red as if you drank blood. You look disgusting!"

The color left Lan Yue's face. She trembled and didn't know what to say. Yun Canglan kept insulting her by talking to Yan Cangyue: "Beauty since you're in the whorehouse, you should find a good-looking girl. You have bad taste, why look at her, she is disgusting! You are pretty. People will think she is your client!"

Yan Cangyue sat frowning while he silently stared at Yun Canglan: "Em?" he finally uttered. "You are very young to be so knowledgeable about sex. However, I do agree with you." Yan Cangyue stated and commanded, "Yan Xin, send her away!"

"Master Yan, I..." Lan Yue stammered but didn't know what to say; she didn't want to leave. She was lucky to be serving such an affluent, handsome boy such as Yan Cangyue. Unless mistaken, Lan Yue had assessed that Yan Cangyue was sure to be from an influential family. She saw her hopes of him becoming her patron disappear.

"Master, I haven't finished my playing for you yet. Master, I..." She knew she had no choice but to leave the room no matter how much she longed to stay. Yan Xin's towering figure stood in front of her, ready to forcibly remove her from the private room.

"Yan Xin, you are dismissed too.I would like an in depth, private conversation with this boy." Yan Cangyue demanded.

"Yes, Sire." Yan Xin left the room closing the door behind him.

Yun Canglan looked at Yan Cangyue contented and praised him: "You're smart!

You wanted to speak with me privately. You can say what you wanted to now."

Yun Canglan slowly climbed on the chair next to

the table, grabbed a cup and poured himself a cup of tea. He breathed the tea's aroma before he drank it down: "Nice tea Beauty, would you like some as well?" he asked.

He took another cup. This time he poured a cup of tea for Yan. Yun Canglan jumped down from the chair and handed Yan Cangyue the cup while smiling at him in a flattering manner.

Yan Cangyue took the cup and drank it down without suspicion.

"Can you talk now? Your purpose?" he asked.

Yun Canglan touched Yan's face with his fat hand and spoke with a greedy smile: "You're a beauty at a distance and more beautiful up close. If I were older, I might have raped you. What a pity!"

Yan Cangyue seemed to know something and asked, "What do you mean?"

Yun Canglan looked at him and spoke in an innocent voice, "Exactly what I said is what I mean."

"You..." Yan Cangyue was about to push his hand away, but he suddenly didn't have the strength to lift his hand. He was struck at that moment with a heat in his lower abdomen.

"What...what did you give me?" he demanded weakly.

'There was something in the tea. Damn it! How careless of me!' He thought. He hadn't considered a child aged of 5 could commit such an elaborate plan undetected. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he wondered how Yun Canglan had managed it, since he drank the tea too!

He turned crimson with embarrassment.

Yun Canglan counted on his fingers and said: "Let me see. I seem to have added several drugs to the tea, including Chunqing, Ruanjinsan and Badou*. I can only remember these now. I'll tell you if I remember more next time I see you." Yun promised.

(*TN: Chunqing is a form of Viagra. Ruanjinsuan is a muscle relaxant. Badou will make one purge.)

"You... you... I had no quarrel with you. Why did you do this to me?" he asked.

Yan Cangyue's mood darkened, as the color deepened and spread from face down his neck.

He knew about the drugs Yun had named. They were all common drugs. But it left him curious to know, how did a child manage to get all three of them.

Who had put this child up to poisoning him, if he found out, he swore he would seek revenge.

Yun Canglan suddenly looked remorseful: "After all the trouble I went through to get here tonight, I find out that you had the top courtesan, which made me mad at you. I put Badou in the tea." he explained hurriedly, "It wasn't till after that I saw you are more beautiful than that showgirl, so I added Chunqing." by now Yun was pouting, "Besides, I was frightened by your guard, because I'm as timid as a hare. When he scared me, my hand shivered, and the Ruanjinsan slipped into the tea from my sleeve."

Yan Cangyue lay limply on the bench as his face became flushed and his breathing more labored. He frowned and furrowed his brow tightly, making him even more attractive.

Yun Canglan rested his finger under his chin and flirting asked, "Beauty, smile at me?"

Yan Cangyue looked angrily at him before looking away, lacking the strength to argue.

Yun Canglan grinned saying: "No matter, if you won't smile at me, " he paused before beaming, "then I will just have to smile at you. Hahaha."

"Beauty, since you are eager to learn about sex, " Yun Canglan said slowly as his fingers slid under his waistband loosening his shirt. Once he had finished, Yan Cangyue's chest was exposed to the air.

"Stop it! Stop! Get out!" Yan Cangyue tried in vain to protest, his strength was gone, and his objections sounded like moaning.

"What is it?" asked Yun Canglan with his feigned innocent curiosity.

Yun paused when she aw Yan's sexy alabaster collarbone. There on the skin, was a vivid red mark or tattoo.

It was a tatoo! A tattoo of a feather of a phoenix.

The red feather reminded Yun Canglan of something; he couldn't quite remember what though. Yun spoke: "Nice tattoo. Where did you get the tattoo? I think I would like to have a tattoo of a butterfly or bird. You must have a twisted mind to have a tattoo of a feather of a phoenix!"

"Give me the antidote!" Yan Cangyue yelled through his extreme pain.

"Antidote? Okay. Which one do you want first?" Yun agreed readily. "The antidote for Badou, Chunqing, or Ruanjinsuan?" Yun Canglan's evil grin grew larger as he rattled off the poisons he had used.

"All of them! Hurry!" Yan Cangyue while gnashing his teeth.

"Okay, " sighed Yun Canglan. He stood up and walked to the door. He opened it as though there was no hurry and shouted: "Yan Xin, Master Yan needs you to take him to the washing room. Lady Yue*, Master Yan would like a prostitute now!"

(*TN: Lady Yue is the boss of Wanhong Brothel.)

'Three prostitutes total, how I adore you!' thought Yun Canglan.