Master Wang was quite drunk. He pushed aside the pimp who was blocking his way and yelled angrily at the madam, "Don't try to fool me! I just heard that you're planning to have Furong entertain customers. If you're going to entertain customers, why pretend to be a virtuous and chaste woman? She won't even let me touch her. Does she think she's a respectable girl? Tell me, how many silver notes do you want? I'll buy her!"
The madam looked troubled and quickly walked to Furong's side, whispering, "Furong, it's not that I don't want to help you, but there really aren't any girls in the brothel who always sell their art. You've been selling your art but not your body for half a year now, and the other girls are getting unhappy. Look, why don't you agree to marry this Master Wang? You can enjoy some wealth at his house, which is better than constantly taking customers in the brothel." After saying that, she looked apologetically at the emperor, "Young master, thank you for helping Furong. It was my negligence that caused this trouble and disturbed our distinguished guest's peace. Today, please accept the payment for your drinks; please calm down."
The emperor frowned, understanding what was going on. Seeing Furong standing there blankly, silently shedding tears, he felt pity and, suppressing his anger, questioned, "Isn't this brothel a place to relieve boredom? Why are you not allowed to sell your art but not your body?"
"Oh dear, what are you saying, young master? It's not that I'm not allowed to, it's that this can't go on for long. Otherwise, the girls will feel resentful and won't be willing to sell themselves anymore. Then wouldn't I be no different from an opera troupe? This is a brothel after all. The distinguished guests don't come here to listen to music, but to find girls. Our Furong is so eye-catching. If I keep suppressing it, something bad will definitely happen."
As she spoke, the madam helped Furong off the soft couch and headed outside. "Young master, we won't disturb you any longer. I'll have someone bring you a pot of fine wine as an apology, and then I'll invite the four most beautiful courtesans to the stage to entertain everyone."
The emperor raised his hand to stop him, "How much silver is needed to redeem Furong?"
"Hey! Who are you?! How dare you steal my woman?!" Master Wang, delighted that he was about to win the beautiful woman's heart, rushed forward and shoved the emperor upon seeing someone trying to steal her away.
The young eunuch shoved him aside forcefully, asking anxiously, "Young master, did I hurt you?"
The emperor frowned and shook his head. The little eunuch grabbed the teapot from the table and smashed it hard against Master Wang's face. "You scoundrel! You dare to offend our young master? You're asking for death!"
"Ah—it's so hot!" Master Wang screamed loudly, covering his face and rolling on the ground.
The young eunuch seemed to only then realize that the teapot had been taken off the small stove. His face paled, and he looked helplessly at the emperor, "Young Master..."
The emperor was somewhat surprised, but since this Master Wang actually wanted to beat him, executing his entire family wouldn't be an exaggeration; a little burn was nothing. He glanced at him and then looked away, nonchalantly continuing to ask, "How much silver will it take to redeem Furong?"
Furong wiped away her tears, curtsied, and said softly, "Thank you for your kindness in helping me out, young master. I am of humble status and I am afraid of tarnishing your reputation. Please don't interfere in my affairs. If you care about me, please listen to my advice and don't come to places like this again. This place... is not a good place."
As she spoke, another tear fell from her eye, yet her expression held a hint of strength, as if she had accepted her predetermined fate and decided to become a prostitute. However, because the emperor had just saved her, she was unwilling to let him tarnish her reputation.
If the emperor had just been preoccupied with how to deal with Furong after redeeming her, he was now filled with pity. She was a kind and good girl, always thinking of him after he had helped her; she shouldn't be tainted by this filthy place. The emperor reached out and pulled her to his side, unfolding his folding fan with an air of authority. "Don't worry," he said, "since I've taken charge, I'll see it through to the end." He glared impatiently at the madam. "How many silver notes do you want? Or is it only that fat pig that can be redeemed, and I can't redeem him?"
The madam, regaining her senses, hurriedly waved her hand, "No, no, no, young master, you are a man of extraordinary beauty. If you are willing to redeem Furong, it would be her good fortune. How could I stop you? It's just that the amount of the silver notes... Young master, this is your first time here, so you don't know Furong's status. She is the most popular girl in our Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, our cash cow. To redeem her, it would have to be at least... two thousand taels."
The madam estimated that the emperor had given her two hundred taels of silver earlier, so she should be able to come up with two thousand taels. Any more than that and her elders at home would probably object, and she couldn't let the matter fall through. She and Furong exchanged a glance, and Furong immediately stood between them, shaking her head and saying, "Young master, two thousand taels is no small amount. I can't let you spend so much. Please leave quickly. I... I'm fine here."
The emperor didn't have much of a concept of silver. In the past, disaster relief funds were always large sums, so he didn't think two thousand taels was a lot. He simply raised his chin and ordered the eunuch to get the money. The eunuch said awkwardly in a low voice, "Young master, I didn't expect to encounter this today. I only brought three hundred taels, and after spending it, I only have fifty taels left."
The emperor was displeased and felt humiliated in front of the madam, Master Wang, and the dozen or so people watching the commotion at the door. "Go back and get it immediately, and send it here by fast horse."
"This won't do, young master. This servant can't leave you alone outside. If the old lady finds out, she'll beat this servant to death. Besides, this servant won't get any silver notes..." The little eunuch's voice grew softer and softer under the emperor's glare, and finally he lowered his head and remained silent, but he refused to leave. The emperor's safety was more important than anything else.
The emperor, of course, knew his thoughts and was not angry. On the contrary, he was quite satisfied with his performance, thinking that he could distinguish between what was important and what was not, and that he could be used. He fanned himself with his folding fan and ordered, "I have decided to redeem Furong. You take her back to her room to rest. I will go home and send my servant to deliver the silver notes. If she does not show up by then, don't blame me for smashing up your Drunken Fragrance Pavilion."
The madam's expression changed; she feared he might not return, and that such a young master would cause a scene at home and be controlled by his elders again. She subtly made a gesture, and a young man dressed like a playboy at the door immediately called out loudly, "Since this young master..."
"If the prince has no money, then any of us can buy Furong's freedom. Furong should be auctioned off publicly, and the highest bidder wins!"
Few of the guests who came disliked Furong. Even if they were reluctant to spend money to redeem her, they still wanted to sleep with her. If someone else redeemed her, wouldn't they never see her again? As soon as someone started to speak, they immediately echoed.
"Yes, the highest bidder wins!"
"If the auction price doesn't reach two thousand taels, Furong should stay at Zuixianglou. We all love listening to her sing!"
"Mom, you can't agree to him! Who knows if he can even come up with the money? What if he doesn't come back? Can he keep Furong hidden away forever?"
The madam said to the emperor with difficulty, "Young master, how about... I'll wait for you for one day. If you don't bring two thousand taels by this time tomorrow, then I can't ignore everyone's opinions, and then I'll have to let someone else make the offer."
"Insolence!" The emperor had never been so defied before. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a tug on his sleeve. It was the young eunuch giving him a meaningful look, reminding him not to reveal his identity. Suppressing his anger, he flicked his sleeve away. "One day at a time. Tomorrow I want to see the lotus in perfect condition. Let's go!"
The emperor's first attempt to save someone had ended in failure, which weighed heavily on his mind, and consequently, on Furong as well. He solemnly promised Furong, "Wait for me, I will definitely come to redeem you." With that, he strode away, the little eunuch hurriedly following.
The two left one after the other under the watchful eyes of the crowd. Several young masters who hadn't come out of the private room changed their expressions when they saw the emperor's face. The emperor, however, didn't realize he had been recognized from beginning to end, and the little eunuch naturally wouldn't remind him to disguise himself.
After they left, the madam apologized to Master Wang, but her words were a mix of soft and hard tactics, unlike her previous lack of confidence. She slipped Master Wang five taels of silver for medical expenses and immediately had him sent home. This Master Wang was utterly detestable; every time he came, he was drunk and tried to take advantage of the girls, then find a cheaper girl to sleep with. He was incredibly stingy and also the one who most frequently harassed Furong. Today, Furong had devised a plan to get a little revenge on him, but she hadn't expected to end up burning Master Wang. Furong felt a great sense of satisfaction.
Her screams from the burns attracted a crowd of over a dozen onlookers, who all learned of her worth and the young master who offered to redeem her. Perfect; even if the young master didn't return, she could still find out his identity and find another opportunity to get close to him. Having been so close to the emperor just now, she was certain he was of extraordinary status, far more noble than any other young master she had ever met. She couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.
Furong had a plan in mind. Back in her room, she had her maid apply ointment to her sprained ankle, showing no concern and telling the madam to relax. The madam had a strange feeling, as if Furong had come to their Drunken Fragrance Pavilion only to use it as a stepping stone—selling her art, not her body, hoping to gain widespread fame and then redeem herself at a high price to become a nobleman's concubine. With her cunning and methods, she was sure to be a favored concubine, enjoying endless wealth and luxury in the future. If it weren't for a place like Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, what good would it do for an orphan girl, even with exceptional talent and beauty? A low starting point meant she was destined never to climb high.
The madam glanced at Furong's smiling face and dismissed the thought. What did it matter to her whether Furong was a stepping stone or not? In the past six months, Furong had attracted many customers and earned a considerable amount of tips. Her redemption brought in another two thousand taels of silver, so Zuixianglou had actually made a profit. She was being kind to Furong now, and if Furong really caught the eye of a powerful figure, she might even become another patron for Zuixianglou. There was no need to keep her.
The two women each had their own agendas, but they both saw the emperor as a sucker, putting aside the other suckers they had previously chosen.
Shao Hua relayed their conversation to Xu Zifan, who stood up with satisfaction, finished his last cup of wine, paid, and left Zui Xiang Lou. Just as when he arrived, he was unremarkable, and no one noticed him.
He never intended to place one of his own people as an informant for the emperor; there was no need for his women to be so subservient. Therefore, his plan to trap the emperor was simply to lure him to places prone to moral decay. It just so happened that he knew Furong of Zuixianglou was renowned for her beauty and had visited once. Shaohua had discovered Furong's scheming and plans, and he created this opportunity for them. With a eunuch by the emperor's side, Furong was confident she would discover that the emperor was a fool.
As he expected, the emperor's clothing and accessories, along with the two hundred taels of silver he had given, immediately caught the madam's eye. Furong's self-directed and self-acted "hero saves the beauty" act perfectly broke down the emperor's defenses. Furong understood the psychology of these nobles; a rescue and a show of pity were different from one who fawned over them. He didn't even need to do anything; Furong had already captured the emperor's attention—it was incredibly smooth. He was somewhat looking forward to seeing how Furong would compete with the future empress, and what kind of conflict the emperor would have with the empress dowager.