Chapter 15: A Man of Six and a Half Feet!

On the fifteenth of every third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth month, the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion held a Flower Appreciation Banquet.

At the Flower Appreciation Banquet, lights shimmered and music played, the air thick with perfume. The courtesans of the establishment showcased their talents, with the Flower Queen’s performance as the grand finale! In the pavilion’s heyday, even members of the imperial family and nobility came to watch.

The reason this banquet was so grand was not just because of the tri-monthly performances, but also because the selection of the Flower Queen was decided by the guests!

A voting ticket cost ten silver taels. The contestant with the most votes won the crown. To promote their chosen courtesan, nobles and aristocrats were known to come to blows!

But these disputes only ever made the courtesans of the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion the center of attention. Later, the late emperor, a man of frugality who detested such extravagance, had the place shut down several times, forcing the pavilion to restrain itself.

Shen Yuezhuang hadn’t planned on going to the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion at all. Today was only the eighth, which was the most heated time for the Flower Queen selection. If she went, she would inevitably have to spend money.

Money was just a number to Shen Yuezhuang; she had no real concept of it. But mainly, she was worried that Shen Qingjue would go bankrupt.

So she had planned to just watch the spectacle for free on the fifteenth. She hadn’t expected to run into Duan Liang at the Thousand Gold Workshop.

The Thousand Gold Workshop was the largest gambling den in the capital.

And Duan Liang, according to Shen Yuezhuang herself, was the person in all of this vast capital—no, in the entire vast Liang Kingdom—who hated Shen Yuezhuang the most.

Looking at the young master across the way, who looked like he wanted to eat Shen Yuezhuang alive, and at Shen Yuezhuang’s expression, which didn’t seem fake, A Sang thought for a moment.

Then she asked with sincere curiosity, “Miss Shen, what kind of morally corrupt and widely hated things have you been doing in the capital all these years?”

The capital was very big. The population was vast. They had only been out for a casual stroll, yet everyone they met was either gossiping about Shen Yuezhuang or had a grudge against her.

A Sang was starting to get the feeling that Shen Yuezhuang’s enemies were everywhere.

Maybe… it wasn’t a feeling.

Shen Yuezhuang rubbed her forehead. “Well, that’s a long story.”

She sighed. For once, she didn’t act indifferent or tough. In fact, she looked almost pityingly at the man opposite. “To put it simply, a few years ago, I beat Duan Liang at the gambling den once.”

“And he held a grudge just because he lost once?” A Sang didn’t understand. “This Young Master Duan must have a really small heart!”

Seeing that the two were talking about him as if he weren’t even there, and calling him petty to his face, Duan Liang’s neck turned red with rage.

He shoved aside the servants holding him up, took a few steps forward, and pointed at Shen Yuezhuang’s nose. “Me, petty? You have the nerve to call me petty!”

Duan Liang burst into a fit of coughing. The servants of the Duan mansion quickly pulled him back.

“Forget it, Young Master. It’s in the past. Let it go!”

“Yeah, money lost is disaster averted. Money lost is disaster averted!”

“Young Master, silver that goes away will come back again!”

On this side, Shen Yuezhuang was also holding back A Sang, who was about to strike. “No, no, no! He’s in poor health. If you hurt him, we’ll have to pay compensation!”

A Sang clutched the stool in her hand, refusing to let go. Her gaze was sharp as she stared at Duan Liang. “Miss Shen, silver and gold are ultimately external possessions. If we have to pay, we pay! But he, a man of seven… six and a half feet tall, to be so narrow-minded! Why must you be so submissive, Miss Shen?!”

The gambling den was buzzing with noise. No one else paid much attention to this argument. But the ambient noise only made Duan Liang’s momentary silence more pronounced.

He found some unknown reserve of strength, shoved his servants aside again, and glared at Shen Yuezhuang, his face full of disbelief. “You’re calling me short?!”

Duan Liang’s voice cracked. Shen Yuezhuang felt a headache coming on.

She lowered her voice. “A Sang, his father is the Director of the Imperial Observatory.”

The Imperial Observatory?

A Sang asked back in a low voice, “Miss Shen, do you think extorting him is a bad idea?”

Shen Yuezhuang shook her head in grief. “It’s no good! The Imperial Observatory is in charge of not only observing celestial phenomena, but also divining good and bad fortune, and casting lots. Back then, he used his father’s name to come to the casino, using all sorts of divination and calculations. But he lost to me, and his father almost got implicated!”

The stool in A Sang’s hand loosened. A look of chagrin crossed her face. “Then forget it. I wouldn’t want to drag my mistress into it.”

Shen Yuezhuang nodded in agreement. Then, with a hint of self-satisfaction, she added, “But ever since I beat Duan Liang, his father has been the one who likes me the most at court! He almost got dragged into it by his son, and Duan Liang lost most of a street of shops over it. But Lord Duan said I helped cure Duan Liang of his gambling addiction!”

“However,” Shen Yuezhuang glanced back at Duan Liang, “I wonder why he’s relapsed?”

She pursed her lips, looking at Duan Liang with a gaze that gradually grew firm—out of consideration for Lord Duan’s kindness to her, she felt she had a responsibility toward Duan Liang as a kind mentor and friend!

And this good mentor and friend was now going to help a misguided youth return to the right path!

And then, Shen Yuezhuang and Duan Liang ended up at the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion—the two had made another bet. This time, the wager was on who would win this Flower Queen title.

Each of them picked a promising candidate from the Hundred Flowers Ranking. If Shen Yuezhuang lost, she would return the shops from that street that she had won before. If Duan Liang lost, he would lose the remaining shops to Shen Yuezhuang!

With the bet settled, Duan Liang left. He wasn’t interested in beautiful women, nor was he fond of crowds. So Shen Yuezhuang, who was interested in beautiful women and fond of crowds, took A Sang and wandered around the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion until late at night.

When you visit a brothel, you have to drink. When you drink, you get drunk. When you’re drunk, you do impulsive things!

In a fit of impulse, Shen Yuezhuang spent a small fortune on the dancing courtesan on stage.

The sum was jaw-dropping, enough to drive her younger brother to bankruptcy. But it earned Shen Yuezhuang the chance to spend the night with the beauty.

When the opportunity presented itself, Shen Yuezhuang was already drunk, her thoughts floating and hazy.

She staggered unsteadily, only vaguely aware that once the beauty stepped off the stage, she seemed completely different from the soft, docile dancer she had been moments before.

Bang!

A four-paneled screen painted with a scene of beauties toppled to the ground. The tea set and cups on the small table behind the screen shattered with a dull, discontinuous sound.

A Sang stood up and walked toward the door, but she stumbled sideways toward the window and hung over it, vomiting her guts out.

Shen Yuezhuang laughed, a beat slow. Then, a cold glance from that “courtesan” scared a shiver out of her.

The memory stopped abruptly. But that one look was enough to startle Shen Yuezhuang even in her dreams.

Thump!

Her left foot, which had jerked suddenly, hit the wall. Shen Yuezhuang opened her eyes in pain.

Her mind wasn’t fully awake yet. First, she noticed the scent of sandalwood lingering by her nose. She sat up, holding her heavy, throbbing head, and looked around.

The room was small. The furnishings were simple and elegant. The tables and chairs looked old, worn but clean.

A Buddhist shrine held a statue of Guanyin. The scent of sandalwood came from an incense burner in front of the statue.

Shen Yuezhuang’s mind felt like porridge. She didn’t want to move or think. Only when she heard a clattering sound from the adjoining room did she force herself up, ignoring her discomfort, to go out and see the commotion.

As soon as she opened the door, she came face to face with A Sang, who was also emerging from the next room.

“Morning~”

Shen Yuezhuang’s voice was terribly hoarse. A flash of relief passed over A Sang’s face. Then, looking at the ancient, warm courtyard, she wore an expression of sorrow.

“Miss Shen, are we in the Western Paradise?”

Shen Yuezhuang: “???”

“I’ve always heard that people can drink themselves to death. I never believed it. Now…”

“Now you’re letting your imagination run wild!” Shen Yuezhuang let out a huge yawn. “Tang Seng had to go through eighty-one tribulations to get to the Western Paradise. You think a little drink will get you there?”

A Sang: “???”

Shen Yuezhuang gave A Sang a heavy pat on the shoulder. “At least do a somersault first!”