The turn of events came so suddenly that everyone in the hall was still gleefully mocking the Darchai tribesman who clearly had no idea how high the heavens were or how deep the earth went.
Xu Yuan, seated in the private seating area below, visibly froze when he saw the rockery flying toward him. He did not understand. As far as he remembered, all he had done was raise the bid once. Afterward, he had simply sat back down, sipped his wine, and enjoyed the show.
Joining the commotion was only natural. Plenty of people had raised the price earlier, yet this honored guest from the Great Desert had chosen to bestow such a grand courtesy upon him alone.
Had the man recognized him? But if he had and possessed anything resembling a functioning brain, he should not have dared do this. Would a man who dared insult the Second Prince’s mother care about some prince from the Great Desert?
Unfortunately, the ornamental rockery hurtling through the air did not pause to accommodate Xu Yuan’s confusion. In the blink of an eye, it was almost upon him.
Xu Yuan did not move. Beside him, his three disreputable friends nearly spat out the wine in their mouths. It had not even been two years, and someone already dared provoke this menace of their own accord? Was there no law left in the Imperial Capital? No justice…?
BANG! A slender, graceful figure appeared before Xu Yuan. She swung an armored forearm into one corner of the rockery.
It was Ying’er, whom he had not seen in quite some time.
After Xu Yuan returned to the Imperial Capital, she and Si Ziyu had once again become his personal guards. As for Zhou Chen… the poor man had been transferred to the northern frontier to risk his life.
With a deft application of force, Ying’er sent the entire ornamental rockery flying straight back into the private room on the third floor.
A thunderous crash shook the building.
And with that crash, Xu Yuan finally understood what the Darchai tribesman had been thinking. There was probably no complicated reason behind the attack.
Xu Yuan had simply been the only person seated in the main hall who still dared call out a bid.
Everyone occupying a private room on the third floor was either rich or powerful. Meanwhile, most of those in the hall were wealthy merchants pretending to appreciate refined culture, or talented young scholars hoping to ingratiate themselves with some important patron.
When squeezing persimmons, one naturally chose the softest. Starting trouble and establishing dominance worked the same way. You bullied the fellow who looked the most harmless.
Xu Yuan sighed and slowly leaned back against the cushioned couch. By now, the commotion had naturally drawn almost every eye in the hall. Under the dim light, the crowd finally made out the victim’s face.
Two years might have passed, but his reputation remained as fearsome as ever.
“Xu… Xu Changtian?”
“When did he return to the Imperial Capital?”
“Wasn’t he banished to the frontier by His Majesty?”
“You still haven’t heard? People have been saying he returned recently. I didn’t think it was actually true.”
“I think I saw that Darchai tribesman earlier today. He must have a very high status.”
“I saw him too. Damn it, some savages actually dared harass the Zhou Family’s young lady’s carriage in the street.”
“Tsk, tsk. Now this should be entertaining. That Darchai tribesman actually picked a fight with Xu Changtian, that mad do… Cough, cough. Picking a fight with Third Young Master Xu means he’s landed himself in real trouble.”
“Entertaining, my ass. Get out of here! Once they start fighting, we’ll be finished if we get caught in it.”
Amid the clamoring discussion, everyone in the hall with any sense immediately rose and ran for the exit.
Xu Yuan raised his eyes toward the gaping hole on the third floor and slowly spoke. “Which bastard had his dog throw that thing at me?”
A deathly hush fell over the hall.
After a long moment, no one emerged. Instead, a rough voice came from beyond the hole. “Heh. And who might you be? Do you know that even the Emperor of your Great Flame Empire wouldn’t dare speak of my master that way?”
“Oh? Quite the imposing background you’ve got there. Unfortunately, someone like you isn’t worthy of knowing who I am,” Xu Yuan replied. Then he glanced toward the private room occupied by the Third Prince. “I’ve just suffered a great grievance. If the person in charge of this place doesn’t get his ass out here right now, I’ll have my men tear the whole building down.”
No reply came from the third-floor private room.
The Third Prince raised a hand and vigorously rubbed his brow. Originally, he had only wanted to use the others to drive up the price a little. Business was best conducted peacefully, after all.
He had planned to use the status of the dignitaries seated on the third floor to pressure the Darchai prince into backing down. Then Xu Changtian, that walking plague, had shown up.
Worse still, the damned plague apparently enjoyed sitting in the main hall. They were screwed. This pleasure house was probably about to be demolished.
Just then, someone knocked on the door and pushed it open. Eunuch Hou walked inside and softly asked, “Your Highness, how should we handle this? Shall this servant step forward?”
The Third Prince rolled his eyes. “Step forward? And do what?”
Eunuch Hou hesitated. “If we reveal your identity, perhaps we can turn hostility into friendship.”
The Third Prince leaned back against the cushioned couch and propped both feet on the tea table. “Forget it. Back when he clashed with Second Brother, Xu Changtian dared insult the Empress right there in the street. He’s calling for the person in charge because he clearly intends to drag that person out and beat him too. Are you volunteering to go out there and take a beating?”
Eunuch Hou hesitated again. “With this servant’s cultivation…”
“Xu Changtian normally travels with two or three Grandmasters at his side. And those three sitting beside him? One is the daughter of the Marquis Zhenxi, one is the son of the Imperial Guard Commander, and the last is the son of the Vice Minister.”
Eunuch Hou fell silent.
The Third Prince waved a hand, looking as though he had simply given up on life. “To hell with it. Nalar Veyr came here looking for trouble in the first place. Since Xu Changtian happens to be here too, let the two dogs tear each other apart. Worst case, I abandon this whole pleasure house. Hurry up and evacuate everyone. And remember to take those valuable antiques with you!”
After saying that, the Third Prince felt as though his heart were bleeding. As one of the finest pleasure houses in the Imperial Capital, the Clear Jade Pavilion had an extremely elaborate process for presenting its leading courtesan’s debut.
The dancers with their flowing sleeves had only been warming up the crowd. Once night fully fell and the many nobles and dignitaries had taken their seats, there would still be poetry gatherings and all manner of other events designed to build anticipation.
Each remaining stage would have brought in several thousand taels of silver. Altogether, tonight’s earnings would have exceeded 10,000 taels. Once the Pavilion’s reputation spread after tonight, it would be raking in money hand over fist every single day.
Now, not only would all of that revenue vanish, but he would also have to pay for the renovations afterward.
Eunuch Hou was quite perceptive. Seeing Li Yunqing’s expression, he cautiously suggested, “Your Highness, we could always demand compensation from the Chancellor’s Manor.”
The more the Third Prince spoke, the more his heart ached. “Compensate me, my ass! Even when Xu Changtian is in the wrong, he can drag things out for a year or two. This time, he’s actually in the right. I’d sooner squeeze blood from a stone than pry a single copper coin out of that old bastard Hua Hong’s hands!”
Eunuch Hou wisely stopped talking.
The Third Prince adjusted his mood remarkably quickly and asked, “Right. Did you find anything on that Zhou Chen I told you to investigate?”
Eunuch Hou nodded. “We did.”
The Third Prince grinned. “My newly acknowledged brother somehow managed to provoke a second rank Origin Awakener. His background can’t be simple, can it?”
Eunuch Hou smacked his lips and cautiously replied, “Your Highness, that man was probably using a false name.”
“A false name?” The Third Prince frowned.
Eunuch Hou lowered his voice. “That Zhou Chen is a guest retainer of the Chancellor’s Manor. He’s a Grandmaster, and he should currently be stationed at the northern frontier.”
The Third Prince’s brow slowly knitted tighter.
While that conversation was taking place inside the private room, the main hall below had fallen silent.
“So you’re not coming out.” Xu Yuan muttered under his breath, then glanced at Ying’er standing ahead of him. He rifled through his memories of the proper procedure for demolishing a building.
Normally, he would lose his temper and make the first move. The other side would retaliate, and only then would his guards be forced to intervene. If he simply ordered Ying’er to start smashing things, she would probably ignore him.
With that thought, Xu Yuan slowly rose to his feet. Just as he was about to walk toward Ying’er, someone caught him by the wrist.