CH 35

Jia Xiedan noticed that Ye Zi had stopped. He turned his head and asked him: “What’s wrong, Mr. Ye?”

Ye Zi shook his head. He didn’t tell him what he had just seen and only lightly responded with “nothing” as he quickly caught back up with him. 

The woman took them to a private room further down. After closing the door, she retreated. 

Most of the private rooms have the same structure. It was spacious inside and there were small couches and tables outside for guests to chat and listen to music. The inner room was separated by a carved cloud screen and the red beds with gauze curtains could be seen vaguely.

The room was burning with a rich and ambiguous sandalwood, which made Ye Zi dizzy.

Jia Xiedan looked around the room and walked to a small couch with ease. He lazily leaned on the small couch and glanced at Ye Zi, who was fidgeting beside him: “Sit down, why are you being polite?”

Ye Zi bit his lip and reluctantly sat down at the table.

Not long after, someone knocked on the door and two female musicians entered the room holding a pipa[1].

The two girls were wrapped in a light veil and although they were half covered, it was almost impossible to block what needed to be blocked. The two girls saluted them before sitting down in front.

When the pipa sounded, Ye Zi finally couldn’t sit still and he stood up in a hurry.

Ye Zi said: “Your M-……Mr. Dan, it’s a bit too boring here, I’m going to go out for a stroll.” 

Jia Xiedan glanced at him: “You can go out, but you are not allowed to leave the Smoky Cloud Pavilion, otherwise………you know the consequences.”

Ye Zi couldn’t stay in this room for a moment longer so he answered haphazardly. He quickly opened the door and walked out. Jia Xiedan stared at the closed door and finally couldn’t help but raise the corners of his mouth.

It took him a while to collect his smile as he muttered to himself: “This Princess Consort Rui……is simply too cute.”

In the courtyard, Ye Zi patted his burning cheeks and sat down at the stone table under the flower corridor.

The moonlight outside was just right and the lanterns under the corridor lit the yard bright red. Ye Zi looked back at the row of private rooms and couldn’t help but sigh.

What was all this sh*t?

Being blown by the cold wind, Ye Zi finally calmed down a bit. Whether Jia Xiedan was loyal to the Princess, whether he liked men or women, and whether he liked to visit brothels or not, were not very important to him. It was actually the person he saw in the private room earlier that made him a little concerned.

That glance had been too hasty and he wasn’t sure if it was Gu Yan or not.

It was true that Gu Yan used to be a pleasure seeker and it was common for him to come back at night with a smell of alcohol. But ever since their marriage, he was a lot more restrained. He no longer hung out with those types of friends and nor had he ever come home late. 

Moreover, Si Wei also told him that Gu Yan never set foot in brothels.

In these matters, Ye Zi had never suspected Gu Yan.

But what if Si Wei was lying to him? What if that person didn’t dare to go out to have fun simply because Ye Zi was always at the manor?

And since this was the first time Ye Zi wasn’t at the manor, that person finally was able to come out to have fun?

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The more Ye Zi thought about it, the more he felt that it was a possibility. His lips moved and after a while, he murmured softly: “How could he do this…..” 

Ye Zi stopped thinking about it, took a deep breath, and quietly walked to the door of the previous room. The vermilion door had been tightly closed as little light reflected through the paper window. Ye Zi leaned against the door and eavesdropped for a while, but couldn’t hear any sound.

Ye Zi didn’t dare to rush in rashly. If it wasn’t Gu Yan inside, it would be a big embarrassment.

He put his head against the door and was in a dilemma.

At this time, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Ye Zi looked back and saw that the woman who brought them in earlier was walking quickly through the courtyard followed by a boy.

The woman cursed: “What’s going on? How come you can’t even serve a drink properly, I’ll beat you to death if you annoy the guests.”

The boy wasn’t very old as he whispered with reddened eyes: “He……he touched me.”

“So what if he touched you? How valuable do you think you are that he can’t even touch you? Since you sold your body to me, you should be grateful that I didn’t make you become a male prostitute, how dare you give me a temper.” The woman glanced at him: “Go change your clothes and make amends to the customer, go!”

After the woman finished, she left in a rage. The boy wiped his face and walked towards the small courtyard where the underlings lived with a bowed head.

Ye Zi followed silently.

The boy entered a room and was about to close the door when Ye Zi came out and held the door.

The boy was startled, but Ye Zi smiled at him kindly: “I paid back the money you owed to that woman so can you do me a favor?” 

A few moments later, Ye Zi changed his makeup to that of a server and stepped back into the backyard with tea. He stood in front of the door, looked around, took a deep breath, and gently knocked on the door.

There was no response.

Ye Zi waited patiently for a while, then knocked twice again and lowered his voice: “Guest, I’ve come to bring tea.”

Still no response.

Ye Zi was confused and he became even more curious. He reached out and gently pushed open the door.

In the outer room, only a small oil lamp was left on the table. The light was obscure and the person originally sitting at the table had disappeared. Ye Zi carried the tea and walked in silently, closing the door behind him.

Ye Zi put the tea on the table and called out tentatively: “Guest, are you there?”

He looked around and saw no sign of anyone.

There was no one in the outer room so they must be in the inner room.

The inner room was the place for the guests to make love with the beautiful girls and male prostitutes. Ye Zi’s heart thumped wildly and countless thoughts suddenly passed through his mind. He was a little afraid to confirm it, but his legs moved forward uncontrollably, leading Ye Zi around the screen.

There was no one in bed.

Just as Ye Zi breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly felt someone grab his wrist in the darkness.

Ye Zi instinctively fought back, but the other party seemed to know his moves like the back of his hand. They easily blocked him and even clutched his wrist. The man clasped his hands behind his back lightly and pulled them hard, and Ye Zi suddenly felt the sky spinning.

He fell into a piece of softness.

Ye Zi was pressed onto the bed and his nostrils were filled with the fragrance of powder and rich sandalwood from the blanket, making him a little dizzy. His wrists were tightly clenched, and a warm and firm body leaned against him quietly. 

Ye Zi’s mind suddenly exploded and without thinking about it, he immediately struggled violently: “Who are you, let go of me!” 

But the man holding him was so powerful that Ye Zi couldn’t break free at all. The man lowered his head and Ye Zi could even feel the man’s warm breath brushing behind his ears.

Then, the other party gave him a gentle kiss on the neck.

Ye Zi’s struggling movements stopped immediately.

The person behind him laughed softly and finally spoke softly: “Why aren’t you resisting anymore?”

This voice was low and clear, with a familiar soft warmth.

Ye Zi’s brain was a mess: “How are you……”

As if worried that he would hurt him, Gu Yan loosened his grip a little, but he still didn’t let go and repeated: “Weren’t you all high and mighty a while ago? Why aren’t you resisting anymore?”  

Ye Zi pursed his lips. With his face leaning on the soft quilt, he stifled out: “What’s the point of resisting? It’s not like I can win against you.” 

“If you can’t win, you’ll stop trying? Are you still not clear about the rules here?” Gu Yan laughed lightly and patiently explained, “I paid when I came in and when you walked into this room, you’ve agreed to service me.”

Gu Yan leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Now that you are in this bed, I can do what I want.”

The distance between Gu Yan and him was too close. As he spoke, his warm breath fell on Ye Zi’s ears and Ye Zi couldn’t help but flinch.

Ye Zi moved his numb arm and begged for mercy: “It hurts……”

The force on his wrists was immediately removed as soon as the words left his mouth. But before Ye Zi could regain his senses, he was turned over by the man and pressed into the soft bed with his wrists clasped again.

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In an instant, he was once again subjected to the man’s control, but Ye Zi was no longer panicked. He looked up at the face that was close at hand with a look of confusion and bewilderment.

—He was simply forcing others to do whatever he pleased.

Gu Yan’s breathing got heavier and his grasp couldn’t help but tighten as he continued to scare him: “If you don’t resist, then I will start now.”

“Do you know how the guests who come here treat people in bed?” Gu Yan’s fingers slowly rubbed Ye Zi’s wrists: “First, they’ll get a rope and tie the other party’s wrists to the bed. Then they’ll tear the clothing away, tasting everything inch by inch……”

Ye Zi trembled, as if a little afraid.

The small oil lamp left in the outer room wasn’t enough to illuminate the inner room. Ye Zi couldn’t see the face of the person on top of him, he could only vaguely see a hazy silhouette through the moonlight coming from the window.

Suddenly, Gu Yan let go of his hand.

Gu Yan lit the oil lamp above the bed, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said in a warm voice: “Scared? Don’t worry, I won’t bully you. If I really do that to you, I don’t think you’ll be able to handle it.” 

I haven’t even tried it yet, how do you know I won’t be able to handle it? Ye Zi slandered inwardly but didn’t dare to say it aloud. 

He took a look at Gu Yan’s face and sat up: “Why are you here?”

Gu Yan deliberately teased him and asked rhetorically: “Don’t you know what this place is for?”  

Ye Zi froze for a moment: “You’re here for……”

He pursed his lips and couldn’t bring himself to say that word.

Gu Yan seemed to understand what he meant and nodded: “So what if I am?”

A burst of fire inexplicably emerged in Ye Zi’s heart. This was his first time seeing someone who got caught visiting the brothel but was still able to maintain such a straightforward expression.

Gu Yan asked: “What about you, what are you doing here?”

Ye Zi was so angry that he didn’t want to pay attention to him and answered bluntly: “Same as you.”

Gu Yan looked at him with interest and said slowly: “Oh, the same as me, then why are you dressed like this?”

Ye Zi said: “Because I can.”

When Ye Zi faced Gu Yan, he was always polite and cautious. Gu Yan had never seen Ye Zi speak in such a blunt tone in front of him and felt that it was a little refreshing.

Gu Yan came closer and looked down at him: “A Zi, are you angry?”

Ye Zi turned his head to ignore him. Gu Yan took a step forward, forced him to the bedside, and asked persistently: “Are you angry that I bullied you just now or are you angry that I came to this place without telling you?”

Ye Zi’s eyes flickered for a moment, but he didn’t answer.

Gu Yan lifted his face and said forcefully: “Speak, if you don’t speak, I’ll go and call someone to come. I took a look just now and there are all kinds of beauties in this Smoky Cloud Pavilion. If I carefully pick a few, I can definitely pick out a few good-looking ones.”

As he said this, he pretended to get up to call someone.

Ye Zi reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

Gu Yan’s footsteps lurched, he then heard Ye Zi whisper: “You are not allowed to go.”

Gu Yan’s lips curled up slightly. But before he could speak, Ye Zi suddenly pulled him. Unable to keep his balance, Gu Yan fell down on the bed. Ye Zi rolled over and pressed down against him. 

Ye Zi’s eyes were a little red. He grabbed Gu Yan’s collar and repeated with a pout, “You are not allowed to go.”

After he finished speaking, Ye Zi lowered his head and bit Gu Yan’s lips, as if he was venting his anger.

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[1] Pipa: traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the “Chinese lute.”