The servant led them to a quiet and simple room. There was bed at the far wall, and near the middle of the room was a small seating area. The servant excused himself, closing the door behind her as Su Jing Fei led Chanhua over to a table with seats. Mu Tan stood stiffly near the door, unsure of what her xiaojie was up to.
“Come, let us drink a bit.” Su Jing Fei said, pouring some wine that was already set on the table. She handed Chanhua a cup as they sat down at the table, and Chanhua shyly thanked Su Jing Fei, sipping lightly at the wine. Su Jing Fei rested an elbow on the table, leaning a bit as she watched Chanhua with a slightly amused expression. Her portrayal of a young nobleman was quite accurate in the eyes of Mu Tan who watched quietly.
“What would young master have me do first?” Chanhua said with a demure expression.
Su Jing Fei reached out a hand, tucking a loose strand of Chanhua’s hair behind her ear. The young woman’s cheeks blushed pink, and Mu Tan wondered at where her xiaojie had learned the skillful techniques to elicit such responses from young women. Either way, her xiaojie was truly frightening! If Mu Tan didn’t know any better, she’d believe that her xiaojie was actually a young nobleman! Su Jing Fei flickered a glance in Mu Tan’s direction before turning her full attention to Chanhua who finished the wine rather quickly.
“Young master…” whispered Chanhua in a soft seductive tone. She cozied up to Su Jing Fei’s side, pressing her soft and supple chest against Su Jing Fei’s arms. She laid a head down on Su Jing Fei’s shoulder as her eyes became half-lid in a provocative expression.
Mu Tan became flustered, unsure of what to do to protect her xiaojie in the event that something happened or if Chanhua managed to find out their true identity. However, Su Jing Fei remained calm as she began to slowly caress the other woman's hair in an affectionate gesture, and Chanhua sighed softly at the gentle touch. The air was quiet for a few moments until a soft and gentle snoring could be heard.
“Come help me take her to the bed.” Su Jing Fei beckoned to Mu Tan, carefully supporting the sleeping Chanhua. Mu Tan’s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly rushed forward, helping to carry the young woman to the bed where she was laid down.
“How did young master do that?” Mu Tan whispered in a low hushed tone.
Su Jing Fei gave a small smile in response. “Through a method that was used against me once.” She lifted her hand up, showing Mu Tan the small white powder hidden under her fingernails. Luckily, the sleeping powder had little to no odor and was pretty undetectable; she’d gotten it from the herbalist from her store when she had mentioned having trouble sleeping deeply. Mu Tan was impressed by her xiaojie’s ability, but her expression darkened when the true meaning of those words sunk in. She didn’t know why or how her xiaojie gained such knowledge, but it seemed like her xiaojie’s life before Fuo Lan wasn’t as easy as she had thought it to be.
“Young master…” Mu Tan said in a worried tone.
Su Jing Fei shook her head. “Don’t dwell on the past. There’s nothing you could have done that would have changed things.” Those words were true, but Su Jing Fei often found herself thinking about what would have been different if Qu shi had never been banished to Fuo Lan. If the original Su Jing Fei had fought just a little harder to keep her mother at her side… But she also came to soon realize that there was nothing that could’ve been done. The past is the past, and the present is now. She could only move forward and hopefully find her younger sister quickly.
“Help me change.” Su Jing Fei said to Mu Tan as she began undoing her own robes. Mu Tan was confused but helped her xiaojie nonetheless. To her surprise, her xiaojie began exchanging her clothes with Chanhua who was sleeping soundly on the bed!
Quickly, Su Jing Fei became redressed in the clothes of a Xia-Wu courtesan. However, her disguise was not complete; she took out a small silver hairpin dart that she’d hidden in her shoes. Then she proceeded to cut a piece of the curtain to create a makeshift veil from the flowing fabric. Mu Tan watched as her xiaojie cleverly covered her face to avoid recognition. Finishing the last bit of her disguise, Su Jing Fei had Mu Tan help her do a simple hairstyle before pinning it in place with the hairpin to conceal its true identity as a weapon.
“Stay here and make sure no one comes into the room,” Su Jing Fei commanded as she made sure the veil was tightly secured around her face. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Mu Tan wanted to argue, but she knew that they were pressed for time as the night grew on. “Please take care of yourself, young master.” She had to trust her xiaojie’s capabilities.
“En.” Su Jing Fei replied with a nod before departing quickly and quietly. The hallway she entered was quiet, but if one listened closely, the sounds of moaning and grunting could be heard. Passing through the second floor main hallway, she entered a smaller one where she had observed servants and courtesans coming and going with drinks and snacks. An older lady seemed to be in charge as she directed servants back and forth in the small kitchen. She slipped into the small crowd of courtesans, listening carefully to the chatter around her.
“…auction…”
Su Jing Fei's gaze darted to the direction of the speaker. She observed two young women conversing, looking bored and tired. Slowly, Su Jing Fei maneuvered through the crowd and ended up right behind the two women as they continued to chatter away.
“I can't believe we have to serve and wait on them the whole night!” One of the young women complained, looking disgusted.
“Hey, at least maybe we can catch the eye of some noblemen. If we could win their favor, we’d have no worries about money for the rest of our lives!” The other woman said cheerfully.
Her companion was less optimistic however, as she merely shook her head with a sigh. “If they were truly interested in us, we’d be the ones being served to, not the ones doing the serving. You’re naive as always. Let’s just go quickly and get this over with.” The young woman had a frowning expression and seemed to be quite pessimistic.
“Excuse me, this one was ordered to serve the men of the auction as well,” Su Jing Fei spoke in a gentle and quiet voice. The two women turned around to look at her. “However, I am new and I cannot recall where to go…” She feigned an embarrassed expression, tilting her head slightly.
“I don’t recognize you,” remarked the frowning woman. “And why are you wearing that veil?”
“I suffered an injury as a child, so now my face bears a horrible scar. Therefore, I was made to wear this veil when my parents sold me to this courtesan house.” Su Jing Fei lied, feigning a shamed expression while she raised her one of her hands to cover her face even more.
The more optimistic woman gave a small smile, patting Su Jing Fei’s shoulder comfortingly. “How terrible! Most of the women here have come under such circumstances, but for your face to be injured and still be accepted here, the rest of your face must truly be beautiful!” She gave a curious glance as though she wanted to see what was behind Su Jing Fei’s veil. The young woman didn’t even seem to realize her rude words, but the other woman had.
“Forget this idiot,” the frowning woman said to Su Jing Fei, swatting the smiling woman’s hands away from Su Jing Fei. “We’re all here under the same circumstances and must serve as we were ordered to. Let us depart quickly to avoid getting in trouble!” Then she and the other woman proceeded to grab trays of food and drinks. Su Jing Fei followed suit, grabbing a tray of drinks as she slyly slipped through the crowd and followed the two women. They exited to the hallway, and Su Jing Fei followed them down another hallway, up a flight of stairs, and onto a third floor where she guessed the private rooms for auction bidders were. She stayed a bit behind, letting the two women move to their destinations first. As they entered their rooms, Su Jing Fei was left alone in the hallway where laughter and cheerful voices echoed out from the rooms.
Suddenly, an old servant woman exited one of the rooms in a rush. Catching sight of Su Jing Fei, the old servant woman quickly moved towards her, saying “Aiya, you’re late! The masters are waiting! Come here, come here.” She beckoned Su Jing Fei to follow her. Together, they returned to the door in which the old woman had just come from; she pushed Su Jing Fei inside first, giving a loud laugh as they entered. “My, my, sorry for the wait, masters! This lowly one has returned with drinks and snacks.” She nudged Su Jing Fei forward.
The room they entered was a rather large one with a high ceiling and brilliantly decorated walls of gold and red. Beautifully colored screens separated the different areas of the room. However, upon closer inspection, their images depicted numerous women and men intertwined and locked in intimate embraces. Su Jing Fei stepped lightly into the center of the room where two men were seated at a table. Their guards stood protectively behind them. The two men watched as a young girl danced while an older courtesan played an erhu as the accompanying instrument.
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“About time!” said one of the men in an irritated tone. However, upon seeing Su Jing Fei, his expression quickly changed from anger to interest. “Oh, you’re a new one. I haven’t seen you before.”
The old servant woman bowed low, glancing at Su Jing Fei also curiously but she continued speaking, afraid to keep the demanding master waiting. “She’s a new one,” The old servant lied swiftly, a smile on her face. “If master Feng likes her, then this lowly one will make sure to have her serve your room exclusively for the night.”
Did she just say ‘Feng’? As in the Feng family? Su Jing Fei’s eyes darkened for just a split moment. However, her expression was kept carefully neutral as she stepped in front of the two men, kneeling respectfully while her hands swiftly set the trays onto the table. From a brief glance, she’d discerned that the master ‘Feng’ was an older man, presumably in his late thirties to early forties. The other man however… it couldn’t be! Those sharp eyes were hidden under unfamiliar bangs and his usual slender handsome face had changed to become square-jawed; however, underneath it all, there was no doubt that those sharp black eyes belonged to Li Wei Sheng! Despite the fearful beating of her heart, Su Jing Fei kept a calm exterior, proceeding to pour wine for the two men without missing a beat. She hoped that the man wouldn’t be able to recognize her with the veil; they had only met once after all. But to avoid further detection, she tried as politely as she could to keep her face turned away from Li Wei Sheng’s direction while continuing to serve them.
“Let the girl stay here for the night,” the older master Feng spoke, eyeing Su Jing Fei with unconcealed interest. “This one is curious to see the beautiful face behind the veil. Don’t worry, this one is a kind master.” He spoke the words most likely meant to be comfort, but they sounded sleazy and provocative in Su Jing Fei’s ears. Su Jing Fei avoided speaking, merely tilting her head to the side in a submissive gesture of acknowledgement.
It was Li Wei Sheng who spoke next, his low voice unmistakable. “It seems master Feng has many plans for the night.” His voice was neutral in tone, so one could not tell if it was meant to be a positive or negative comment. However, the implications for the night’s events caused master Feng to throw his head back in laughter.
“This lowly one merely wants to show young master Shao the most beautiful and entertaining sights that Fuo Lan has to offer!” Master Feng said, patting the other man on the shoulder.
Master ‘Shao,’ was it? Su Jing Fei had been surprised by Li Wei Sheng’s appearance, but now with the addition of an unfamiliar name, there was no doubt that Li Wei Sheng was disguising himself for some unknown purpose. Despite his sudden appearance making things more difficult for Su Jing Fei however, she knew they were both in a similar precarious position, and so she refocused her attention to her task at hand, finding a way to search for her sister among all the courtesans in Xia-Wu.
As the song ended ended, Su Jing Fei was ushered away by the older servant woman to a back room separated by a folded screen. The young girl followed Su Jing Fei and the old servant woman while the other courtesan stayed behind to entertain the two masters with conversation. “Come, help me get this girl changed!” The older servant woman commanded in a hushed tone, moving them to an open area with a bed. However, her directions were abruptly cut off by a loud voice.
“Old servant! Go get us some more wine!” laughed master Feng from the other side of the folded screen.
The older servant woman clicked her tongue, pushing them towards the bed. “She better be changed and ready by the time I get back!” And then she returned back to the other area in quick hurried steps.
As Su Jing Fei and the young girl moved towards the bed, they could see the beautiful light robes displayed on the bed. There was a thin milky white robe with a pink translucent top robe; the combination of the two created the illusion of an innocent ethereal beauty. Carefully, Su Jing Fei moved to the younger girl’s side as they both took a seat on the edge of the bed.
“Jie jie must be new at Xia-Wu,” the young girl said quietly. “This one has not seen you before.”
“Yes, this jie jie has just recently come to Xia-Wu.” replied Su Jing Fei as she began to work on the young girl's hair. Her hands deftly undid all the pins and clasps, setting them aside as the young girl’s long black hair tumbled down. Taking a brush from the bed, Su Jing Fei began to run it through the hair gently.
“So jie jie has not yet experienced her first time?” asked the young girl, her voice sounding curious.
Su Jing Fei furrowed her brows at the girl’s frank question. Young girls her age should be thinking about their favorite snacks and playing outside, not sitting in this terribly decorated cage while worrying about the acts between a man and woman in bed. Su Jing Fei didn’t know what else to say, merely replying honestly. “No, this one has not yet.”
“Oh…” the young girl mumbled. “It is going to be my first time today.” Her voice trembled just a little bit from obvious nervousness. “But the madam said that it’s better for us to start young because it makes it easier for us if we get a master to support us.”
Su Jing Fei felt herself wanting to argue the latter, but she couldn’t find the words to change the mindset of such ancient outdated thinking without confusing the young girl. Sadly, the young girl's words were true to a certain extent. Men of this era enjoyed untouched and innocent women, and to devote themselves entirely to a master at a younger age would help them achieve more stability than catering to the many men who frequented courtesan houses. That was a cruel truth of this world. Honestly, Su Jing Fei felt herself at a loss for words, so she opted to not say anything at all.
Seeing that Su Jing Fei hadn’t spoken, the young girl fell quiet as well. Laughter and low voices conversed from the other side of the screen as they sat in a strange silence. Su Jing Fei worked the young girl’s hair into a simple style, keeping the hair decorations light. She only knew a little bit about the hairstyles of this era, but at least it looked presentable for now. “Turn around.” Su Jing Fei commanded gently. The young girl quickly turned in her seat, now facing in Su Jing Fei’s direction. There was an obvious nervous expression on the young girl’s face, and one could see the slightly dented part of the girl's lower lip where she’d been biting away at in a nervous habit. Her round chestnut eyes were light golden brown, and her face was small and pear-shaped; it was still the face of a child. However, Su Jing Fei had to admit that the young girl would definitely turn into a beauty someday.
The young girl looked at Su Jing Fei, staring at her closely and curiously. “Jie jie is pretty.”
“You are prettier.” said Su Jing Fei with a small smile, though it was hidden behind the veil still. “Close your eyes.”
The young girl did as she was told, lowering her long dark lashes. “Jie jie is a thousand times more pretty than Da Chun.”
Su Jing Fei froze. She’d avoided most intimate conversations with the young girls in brothels that she had inspected while searching for her sister. Their fates were something that Su Jing Fei could not change, so she had tried very hard to avoid learning any of their names. However, this was the first time she'd been caught off guard. It left a bad taste in Su Jing Fei’s mouth to know this young girl's name while also knowing that she could do nothing to change the young girl's fate to become a courtesan at Xia-Wu. Su Jing Fei fell quiet once more, and Da Chun didn't try to continue the conversation any further.
Just as Su Jing Fei finished powdering the young girl’s face, a loud slamming sound could be heard. “Master Feng, there’s trouble!” A man’s voice shouted as the sound of many footsteps filled the room. “The city justice official’s men has just forced their way through the front entrance of Xia-Wu!”
“What?” shouted the voice that clearly belonged to the older master Feng. “On what grounds?”
“Suspicion of crime involving slave trade! They had infiltrators at the auction!” The servant replied quickly.
“Let us go, quickly!” Master Feng said in a hurried tone. Then a few figures appeared from behind the screen, making their way towards Su Jing Fei and Da Chun who were still seated on the bed. Master Feng looked angry and thoroughly displeased at his fun being ruined for the night. However, Li Wei Sheng, or master ‘Shao,’ didn’t seem to have a care in the world as he kept a calm expression throughout. Their guards trailed behind. “You’re coming with me, Da Chun!” commanded master Feng as he grabbed the young girl’s arm.
The young girl let out a cry in fright at being handled so violently, and she struggled away from master Feng’s grasp. Her movements caused the side of her loosened robes to fall down her shoulders, revealing a slender collarbone and pale skin. Su Jing Fei’s eyes widened as she caught sight of something else… A jade pendant with intertwined twin dragons hung from Da Chun’s neck where it had been hidden underneath her robes. There was no doubt that it was identical to the one from her mother’s jewelry box! Su Jing Fei quickly shot out a hand and grabbed ahold of Da Chun’s other arm. The young girl was thoroughly caught between the grips of master Feng and Su Jing Fei, crying out in pain.
Another hand reached out, grabbing ahold of Su Jing Fei’s wrist. She glared at Li Wei Sheng as he kept a firm hold on her. “A mere servant wishes to disobey a nobleman?” The words were a clear warning to her, but she could care less about some spoiled master of the Feng family. She’d deal with them later. Right now, figuring out Da Chun's true identity was more important!
“Impudent woman!” Master Feng shouted angrily, moving towards Su Jing Fei as his hand raised high in the air with clear intent to strike her. However, it never struck her as a person flew forward, kicking the hand away. Master Feng stumbled backwards in a daze, letting go of Da Chun in the process. In the next moment, Li Wei Sheng dodged a kick, retracting his hand from Su Jing Fei to avoid having his arm broken with a stomp. He side-stepped a frontal punch, ducking slightly as his open palm threw a force of strength against the attacker’s chest, making them fly back and hit the opposite wall with a loud thud.
Su Jing Fei quickly rushed to Mu Tan’s fallen figure, pulling Da Chun along. The young girl went willingly, still very frightened at the sudden violence. Luckily, the yatou had come to their rescue just in time! However, Mu Tan coughed up a bit of blood, pushing herself back onto her feet to continue the fight in order to protect her xiaojie. But Su Jing Fei pulled on Mu Tan’s sleeve, preventing her from rushing forward into what would be certain death. In the movie Blossoms in the Wind, Mu Tan had died for Su Jing Fei, and in this life, Su Jing Fei wouldn't allow Mu Tan's loyalty to be repaid in death!
In the meantime, the older man had been helped off the ground by his guard and now was red-faced with anger. He pointed a finger accusingly at them. “You dare to defy me, the city lord’s eldest son!?”
Su Jing Fei felt her blood run cold at the implication from those words; the realization that the man before her was none other than Feng Ruo Qian, the murderer who had destroyed her family!