At the sound of the knock, Yan Rong showed little reaction. Yan Yihuan, however, forgot the stabbing pain in his chest and almost rose to his feet.
“Come in.”
Assuming it was a waiter, Yan Rong did not understand why Yan Yihuan had suddenly grown agitated. He hurriedly steadied him while telling the person outside to enter.
The door opened. The one who stepped inside was indeed not a waiter but a young gentleman of striking bearing.
Yan Rong was just about to ask when Yan Yihuan unexpectedly called out, “Ming Zhang ge, why have you come?”
“Why does there seem to be a trace of disappointment in your eyes when you saw it was me?” Mingzhang smiled, “Who were you expecting instead?”
“No… no one!” Yan Yihuan’s chest still ached, and he drew several deep breaths. With Mingzhang’s concern, his earlier suspicion that the Emperor might come gradually faded, and strangely, the pain lessened as well.
Yan Yihuan introduced Yan Rong to him. Seeing that Yan Yihuan truly seemed fine, the two men exchanged a few polite greetings.
“How did Ming Zhang ge suddenly find the time to come?”
Yan Yihuan was not at all surprised that Ming Zhang had been able to track him down. Besides the attendants assigned by the Emperor, there would certainly also be hidden guards from Youluo Jian nearby. Yan Rong, however, frowned slightly, deeply worried about his younger brother’s situation.
“I figured you probably wouldn’t be going into the palace these few days, so I came out to look for you,” Ming Zhang took a somewhat timeworn brocade pouch out from his sleeve. “My men found this. It should be quite important, so I hurried to bring it to you.”
Upon seeing the pouch, Yan Rong’s eyes widened abruptly. He looked at his brother in disbelief. “You lost it?”
“I—!” With the evidence right before him, Yan Yihuan could not argue otherwise. Unwilling to mention what had happened that day, he first thanked Ming Zhang, then carefully fastened the pouch back onto himself.
Yan Rong’s reaction just now had been instinctive. Once he calmed down, he knew he should not show too much concern for the pouch in front of an outsider. But that split-second response had already fallen into Ming Zhang’s eyes, leaving his gaze thoughtful.
Ming Zhang had already shown the pouch to Li Xuanjing. Li Xuanjing admitted that he did recognize it and had even seen the stone inside. It had been Yan Yihuan himself who had shown it to him when they were children.
As for why Yan Yihuan valued it so much, Li Xuanjing could not say anything particularly special. He only remarked that the object was indeed somewhat mystical. After Yan Yihuan began wearing it, he rarely fell ill again. It was only natural that he treasured it.
Since nothing more could be learned from Li Xuanjing, Ming Zhang recalled what Zhengyangzi had said that day. After some thought, he decided to return it to Yan Yihuan.
“I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first.” Ming Zhang’s gaze fell upon Song Qingyan, who was sleeping soundly at the side. “Shall I have someone send him back?”
Yan Yihuan had not expected Song Qingyan to be so thoroughly drunk. He nodded, and after a brief bustle, the room returned to silence. Now it truly was only the two brothers left.
Night had completely fallen. Yan Yihuan glanced out the window and could not help sighing softly. Unwilling to let his brother notice anything amiss, he forced a casual tone and said,
“Since I don’t need to report for duty tomorrow, how about we take a stroll around the capital tonight? There’s no need to head back so early.”
“A stroll?” Yan Rong’s eyes flickered, and a teasing expression appeared on his face. “You’re already an official yet still can’t behave yourself?”
Yan Yihuan froze for a moment, instantly understanding what his brother meant. Their father had never allowed the two of them to be involved in court affairs. And because King Yan was generally open-minded, he had simply allowed Yan Rong to go into business instead.
Yan Rong was sharp-minded and free-spirited, unconcerned with trifles. When it came to the pleasures of the pleasure quarters, he knew far more than Yan Yihuan, who was all show and no substance.
“This…”
Yan Yihuan’s gaze flickered evasively. Setting aside his fear that the Emperor might suddenly appear as he had on previous occasions, there was also the memory of his first banquet after entering the capital. The moment he harbored even the slightest improper thought, he had been caught. The guilt still lingered.
It was the first time Yan Rong had seen his younger brother hesitate over beauties and fine wine. He found it immensely curious. Leaning forward with his hands on his hips, he stared at Yan Yihuan with a teasing grin, “So becoming an official really does change a man. Even Third Young Master Yan, Linjing’s most renowned figure of charm and gallantry, now knows to avoid suspicion?”
Yan Yihuan did not want to be looked down upon by his brother, yet his heart was undeniably uneasy. After weighing it for a while, he decided it was best to play it safe.
“What are you talking about? The capital has more to offer than just those kinds of places.”
And so Yan Yihuan truly did spend the next two days wandering the capital with Yan Rong. They visited renowned teahouses and restaurants, and toured famous landmarks and historic sites. It was a rare moment of ease and leisure for him after such a long time. He should have been happy, yet the more carefree their days seemed, the more uneasy he felt inside.
Why was this time unlike all the others? The Emperor had truly not appeared. Not only that, even Li Jiang was nowhere to be seen, no longer shadowing his every step. He and his brother were simply allowed to stroll about the capital idly.
Was the Emperor still angry?
Or had he truly grown tired of him?
Yan Yihuan’s heart skipped uneasily. Then a flicker of irritation rose within him. The matter with Han Zhen was still unclear. If anyone had the right to be angry, it should be him. He had even stayed far away from those pleasure quarters out of fear, yet it turned out His Majesty simply did not care at all.
Yan Yihuan himself thought that he didn’t dare go because he was afraid of being caught, but how could he understand that what truly lay in his heart was a faint, unspoken expectation.
The sun was already setting when Yan Yihuan, who had been walking forward with his head lowered, suddenly stopped. He turned back to look at Yan Rong and asked through clenched teeth, “Brother, are we going or not?”
“Where to?” The sudden question made Yan Zheng stop in confusion.
Yan Yihuan smiled meaningfully, “Naturally, somewhere good.”
Standing once more at the entrance of Jinliu Alley[mfn]Reminder: First mention of this alley was in Chapter 2. ‘Debut’ paragraph: He quickly stepped closer and whispered into Yan Yihuan’s ear, “This humble one has never been there, but I’ve heard that the Fengyue Tower at Jinliu Alley is the largest male brothel in the capital.”[/mfn], Yan Yihuan felt a surge of complicated emotions. However, Yan Rong lightly knocked him on the head before he could dwell on them,
“You’ve worked hard keeping up the act.”
Yan Yihuan gave a dismissive snort, unwilling to argue with his elder brother. In truth, he did not know when it had happened, but his interest in these pleasure quarters had gradually faded. Looking again at the young male courtesans standing at the entrances, calling out eagerly to attract customers, he finally understood the meaning behind the phrase “common rouge and vulgar powder[mfn]庸脂俗粉 – A Chinese idiom. Its basic meaning refers to ordinary, common women. It is also used in a derogatory sense to describe someone who only knows how to apply makeup and dress up yet is vulgar, lacking refinement and culture.[/mfn].”
Jinliu Alley was not a short stretch. If they walked slowly, they could stroll for more than half an hour. Yan Rong thought to himself that even if his younger brother did not know every place like the back of his hand, he(YYH) would at least be familiar with a few, and he(YR) only needed to follow along.
But who would have thought that Yan Yihuan would stroll from one end of the street to the other, wandering from left to right, yet not step into a single place.
Either this one had too many people, or that one looked too old. Otherwise he disliked the young courtesan at the door for having an unpleasant voice, or for wearing makeup too thick.
As they approached the end, the glittering extravagance from earlier gradually faded around them. Yan Yihuan kept glancing left and right, a faint sense of disappointment stirring in his heart, and his whole spirit seemed drained.
“It’s only been a few months since you came to the capital, yet Third Young Master Yan’s standards are already higher than the mountain peaks,” Yan Rong’s legs ached from walking. “We’re just going to have some wine and listen to music. Isn’t any place good enough?”
As he spoke, Yan Rong pulled Yan Yihuan and quickly headed back. “I think this one is not bad. It looks quite grand.”
Yan Yihuan looked up, and the two words “Fengyue Tower” struck straight into his eyes. Wasn’t this the very place where he had lost face!
“No, no. Only this particular one will not do.”
“Why not?” Yan Rong was puzzled. This establishment looked to be among the finest on the street. “Could it be you’re worried about the price? Relax. It’s on your brother today.”
“Brother, brother, this place won’t do!”
The author has something to say:
Brother, this place really won’t do!
