spoiled brat

Chapter 62, Section 61: Xiu Ning (Part 1)

Upon hearing this, Xu Feng straightened up instantly, so straight that he dared not move. He glanced with his cloudy eyes at the two blurry figures behind the curtain, his thoughts returning to Jizhou City three years ago.

At that time, he had just climbed up to Minister Wu and finally got a lucrative job, responsible for escorting military grain to the north. Although it was a dangerous place, how could he be afraid of death if he wanted to make money? He stubbornly carried his old bones, calculating with his left hand how much grain he could leak and with his right hand how much money he had to give to his superiors, and cautiously made his way to the outskirts of Jizhou City.

Unexpectedly, the soldiers guarding the city wouldn't even open the gates, saying that the grain inspectors would arrive shortly. A moment later, two people emerged from the city wall—not Prince Ning and the officers, but two unruly young men, one of whom was Xiu Yi.

Xiu Yi glanced at it and said that there wasn't enough grain, and that you had embezzled at least fifty cartloads.

That's true; the less grain was all resold to merchants on the way. But that's also wrong; it was Xu Feng's first time doing something shady, so he was on edge and only managed to sell about twenty cartloads at most.

Xu Feng felt wronged and cried out loudly. Xiu Yi stood on the city wall, raised his hand and fired an arrow. The arrow was deeply embedded at Xu Feng's feet, scaring the old man so much that his bones seemed to fall apart instantly.

Xiu Yi said this at the time: "Fifty more cartloads, not a single one less. You think you can use my family as a raft to make your fortune? You'd better think you're worthy of it."

Back then, the Ning Prince's mansion was at its zenith, wielding immense power and influence. No one dared to utter a single word against its arrogance. Now, in just three short years, almost all of the Ning Prince's elite troops have been wiped out, and even the emperor, who once trusted him implicitly, has changed his attitude. The tiger has lost its claws and teeth, trapped in this small Yunzhou. What is there left to fear?

Xu Feng raised his gray head, his greasy old face smiling, "I was just being foolish. So the people in the sedan chair are the young master and the princess." He then shouted sharply to those behind him, "Why aren't you paying your respects?!"

His voice was so powerful that everyone behind him knelt down to pay their respects.

Xiu Yi closed his eyes, his hand, adorned with a jade thumb ring, tapping the edge of the table with a resounding thud. He knew that these calls contained no respect whatsoever. The officials before him and the emperor a thousand miles away were of one mind, convinced that his family's power was gone. Even if they still had some troops, they were nothing more than centipedes on the verge of death.

He held Xiu Ning's hand and whispered, "I shouldn't have let you come."

Xiu Ning shook his head, a rare glint of light appearing in his indifferent eyes. He gestured and said, "Lively."

Xu Feng continued his act, leading a group of officials to kneel and welcome the two as they alighted from their sedan chairs.

Everyone had heard that the brother and sister were good-looking, but they had never seen them before, and they all glanced at them out of the corner of their eyes.

When they saw Xiu Yi, some people secretly laughed at his beauty, which made him look like a woman; some people lamented that his character did not match his appearance; and some people thought to themselves, "Look at this scholar, how can he lead troops into battle?"
But when everyone saw Xiu Ning, the same thought popped into their minds: Why be born into an imperial family? Kings and generals will fall sooner or later, and even the highest position in the world is not worthy of holding the moon in the sky. Besides, the Ning family is about to... Alas.

Even the usually slick Xu Feng slightly restrained his expression and bowed, inviting, "Your Highness, Princess, please follow me."

The Xu residence was not newly built, but rather occupied the former residence of a wealthy local family. This wealthy family member was well-versed in literature and poetry but repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, so he devoted himself to gardens and landscape design, spending his entire life's work on creating beautiful scenery.

Beyond the screen wall lies a forest landscape that even the night cannot conceal, lush and verdant, with white walls, black tiles, and upturned eaves. A night breeze, damp and carrying the fragrance of grass, trees, and flowers, comes from the lake in the north of the garden, refreshing one's mind and spirit.

There were also rugged Taihu stones along the roadside, swaying peonies, and soft, intoxicating smoke on the rose trellis. The winding paths led to secluded spots, like a fairyland painting. But the deeper you went into the garden, the more vulgar the scenery became. Gold and red birthday couplets were pasted everywhere, and the roadside decorations were all replaced with Buddhist and Taoist statues. The bright lights and candles made the surroundings as bright as day.

As Xu Feng led the way, he turned his head and said smugly, "Young Master, is this residence of mine acceptable to you?"

Xiu Yi sneered inwardly. Under the moonlight, he lit a fire; it was hard for this old bastard to do all the things that spoiled the mood.

The birthday banquet was held by the lake in the north of the garden, with dozens of tables set up along the lake. The minor officials and clerks sat in groups. They hadn't been worthy to go to the door to greet him earlier, but now that Xiu Yi and Xiu Ning had arrived, there was another deafening chorus of greetings.

The important figures did not sit with them, but went to the island in the middle of the lake, where a small flower hall was set up. Outside the flower hall were four pavilions on the water, where musicians and actors performed. It was still quiet and had not started.

Although Xu Feng was the birthday celebrant, he was still considered inferior to the imperial relatives. He invited Xiu Yi and Xiu Ning to the seats of honor, while he himself took the next seat, and with a smile handed over the playbill, asking the brother and sister to choose first.

Xiu Yi let Xiu Ning watch first. She didn't like love stories like "The Peony Pavilion" and "The West Chamber," so she chose "Saving the Courtesan." Xiu Yi wasn't interested at first, but when she saw You Ming looking uneasy next to Xu Feng, she said without even looking at the playbill, "Then let's have 'The Rain on the Wutong Tree.'"

As soon as he finished speaking, whispers arose in the small flower hall. Those who were able to enter were all Xu Feng's confidants. They muttered that the brother and sister had no regard for their reputation, ordering these two plays at someone's sixtieth birthday celebration. The former was about a prostitute saving another prostitute, and the latter was about the rise and fall of Emperor Xuanzong's reign. How could these be considered auspicious and respectable?

After the people below had finished whispering, Xu Feng coughed twice and instructed his attendant, "Send it down for the performance."

As the gongs and drums sounded, the jinghu (a two-stringed bowed instrument) played, and the yueqin (a type of lute) urged them on, the leading actress, dressed as Zhao Pan'er, stepped onto the stage in qixie (a type of traditional Chinese shoe). Upon her entrance, she sang a high-pitched song: "...He was originally a fickle troupe leader, yet he claimed to have love and affection, and to have made plans."

This was a women's play, and the men in the flower hall didn't like to listen to it. What was the point of two prostitutes' play? Unfortunately, it was Xiu Ning who ordered it, so they could only drink, chat, and flirt with the concubines in their arms, muddling through the time.

Xu Feng couldn't stay still. He secretly glanced at Xiu Ning's fair profile, smacked his lips, and his gaze grew increasingly lewd. He was burning with desire. He looked down at You Ming sitting next to him, his eyes clear: Where's the girl you've been supporting?

You Ming bent down and refilled Xu Feng's wine cup, saying ingratiatingly, "Godfather, please wait patiently a moment, the good stuff your son found will show up soon..."

The more he talked, the more panicked he became. He had originally planned to keep Wang Liuer by his side, but she was called away by the people from the brothel and never came back. He couldn't find her even after turning over the floor tiles.

Xu Feng glanced at him sideways and said coldly, "Useless." You Ming returned to his seat and said to the butler beside him, "Quickly call someone good!"

After "Saving the Fallen Woman" was finished, "The Rain on the Wutong Tree" began, its cool melody unable to suppress the smoky atmosphere in the hall. After several rounds of drinks, Xiu Yi began to make trouble: "Lord Xu, Lord You."

His face was slightly flushed from drunkenness, but he had no air of vulgarity; his eyes were icy cold: "What about the people who were trampled to death a few days ago?"

You Ming's soldiers led the charge into the bustling city, trampling and causing countless deaths. The bereaved and lost people received no comfort, while the officials who disregarded human life fell into a state of revelry.

(End of this chapter)