The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 52 The bait has been laid
Xue Pan laughed and asked, "How do I perform the ritual?"

Everyone started laughing and joking!
Hua Zixu wasn't angry, but how could he possibly know what the fake woman's feet looked like? Yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he chuckled dryly, picked up his wine cup to cover his face, and vaguely brushed the matter aside.

Ximen Da Guanren did think of his own Jinlian, but he had beaten her so badly that day that he hadn't had a chance to examine her closely.

Seeing that the time was right, he raised his cup to toast everyone. He said, "Brothers, do you know the background of this Master Xue? He is a direct descendant of the Xue family, a first-class imperial merchant family, and is currently in charge of procurement! When his father, the Ziwei Sheren, was alive, who on the Jiangnan Silk Road did not show him respect?" After saying this, his eyes narrowed and swept across the entire room.

These rascals certainly understood what the master meant.

Ying Ermazi immediately jumped up, deliberately dropping his wine cup in surprise, and knelt down with a thud, bowing deeply: "Heavens! Is this the Xue family, whose wealth is as plentiful as pearls and as precious as gold? No wonder the magpies are chirping at our door today; it seems a true immortal has descended to earth!"

Zhu Shinian hurriedly tugged at Xue Pan's sleeve to examine it closely: "Is this Lu silk from the palace? There are some silver flakes leaking between the fingers, enough for us to live a life of luxury for half a year!"

Xue Pan felt itchy all over from being flattered, and grinned as he said, "It's just that we own dozens of pawnshops and estates, and we also have some shares in the cloth shops and mines in various places."

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Xi grabbed the wine pot and poured wine himself: "For someone as great as Master Xue, we frogs in a well in Qinghe County have only just met a true Buddha today!"

Upon hearing this, and having received a glance from Ximen Qing, the girls flocked to him like nightingales. One offered her pomegranate-red handkerchief as a gift to her "ideal husband," while another pulled out her gold hairpin, saying it was a "greeting gift" for her beloved.

Surrounded by beauties on both sides, Xue Pan suddenly felt like a dashing young man in a play, surrounded by countless beauties, his bones melting and his muscles going weak. He wanted to take out a piece of silver to throw to the officials, but found it all gone.

At this moment, Ximen Qing secretly passed over a bag of silver from under the table.

Xue Pan was overjoyed, feeling that this Master Ximen was closer to him than his own mother, and a greater benefactor than his deceased father. He tossed the bag of silver aside: "Everyone gets a reward! Take it all!"

Hua Zixu immediately slapped the table in admiration: "This is truly the demeanor of a master! I usually have to go to that cough sycophant, Master Xue, to scatter money like dirt when I only have three coins!"

The henchmen cheered in unison, and the female lead busied herself feeding Xue Pan snacks and drinks, making the simple-minded tyrant mistakenly believe that he was the reincarnation of the Hegemon-King of Western Chu.

Xue Pan was flattered and swayed by the crowd, patting his chest and saying, "When I return to the capital, I will definitely bring all my nephews and brothers back to Qinghe for a good three-day trip! Whatever new tricks you have up your sleeve, just bring them on, I have plenty of money!"

A group of men were having a great time, and the conversation naturally turned to the world of romance.

Earl Ying quickly stepped forward, fawning, "Master Xue is so generous, truly a first-rate figure in Jinling! To be honest, when it comes to the many tricks of the trade in the world of romance, you have to look to our Master Ximen."

Half-drunk, Xue Pan squinted and asked, "Brother Ximen, what other wonders do you have? Tell me quickly!"

Then, Lord Ying, with his pockmarked face, shouted, "If we're talking about the art of love and meditation, my elder brother is the reincarnation of Vajra under Guanyin! Not to mention Qinghe County, even those brothel instructors and courtesans in the capital, when they see my elder brother, they all have to bow and call him Master!"

Zhu Shinian immediately chimed in: "Exactly! Even the Yuanyang Master of Longhu Mountain personally presented him with the couplet: 'His spear crowns all the beauties of the four seas, his horse tramples the banners of the nine provinces!'"

Xie Xida banged his wine cup loudly and shouted, "Not to mention the top courtesan in the brothel, even the nuns in the temple would be weak in the knees!"

Xue Pan stared wide-eyed, then tugged at Ximen Qing's sleeve and whispered, "Good brother, are you really that amazing?"

Ximen Qing laughed and said, "If you want to learn, my good brother, you must practice diligently as a virgin for three to five years before you can see immediate results."

Xue Pan let out a sigh of relief: "How could I be a virgin? To tell you the truth, my pitiful yang essence was swallowed by the maid in the manor as soon as I became aware of things. Is there any unorthodox way to quickly regain it? My mother is very strict and has no patience for slow practice!"

“Yes, I do have some, but these things are extremely precious. A wandering immortal once gave me some, but the quantity is limited. Even with a fortune, I couldn't buy them,” said Master Ximen, his face showing difficulty. Xue Pan, frantic, scratched his head and cried out repeatedly, “My dear brother! My good sir! Father! My dear father!!” Grabbing Master Ximen's sleeve, his face flushed with drunkenness, he pleaded without regard for decorum, “From now on, you will be my closest person, Xue Pan. Please let me try! I dare not ask for more, just to try it and see the world will be enough. Knowing what it's like, I'll die content!!”

Ximen Da Guanren sighed, "Fine, since you recognize me so much, we're kindred spirits!" As he spoke, he took out the Tibetan monk's pills from his pocket. In the candlelight, the pills were purplish-red and glistening with oil, and their exotic fragrance made one's head throb.

"This is it. Take it with warm water." Ximen Qing whispered a few words in Xue Pan's ear. Xue Pan's cheeks trembled as he heard this. He hurriedly snatched it and swallowed it whole, choking and stretching his neck.

Ximen Qing called out loudly to the madam, "Put all of Master Xue's expenses on my tab today!" He then turned to Xue Pan and said with a smile, "Brother, please open your heart. I'll go and speak to your mother!"

Xue Pan, already impatient, took advantage of his drunkenness to pull the mistress into the room: "Brother Ximen is truly my confidant. Today is so enjoyable, ten times more comfortable than at home!" Before he could finish speaking, the mistress silenced him with her fragrant lips.

Ximen Qing called out loudly to the madam: "Put all of Master Xue's expenses on my tab today."

In the pleasure quarters, gold and silver are never exhausted; in tenderness, the days and months never seem to pass.

Now that Ximen Qing has put the bait in the water, he might as well go home and wait.

After leaving the brothel, ignoring Xue Pan and his cronies' wild and unrestrained behavior with the courtesans, he rode his horse back to his residence.

It was already past midnight, and the streets were quiet except for the clatter of horses' hooves, which shattered the moonlight that filled the streets.

They stopped beneath the grand gate of their own mansion. The warbling of birds and the incense of the warm chambers in the Lichun Courtyard seemed to still linger on their clothes and sleeves, impossible to shake off.

He dismounted, casually tossed the reins to the servant on night duty, and without disturbing anyone, walked alone through the corridors and courtyards to the martial arts training ground in the back garden. He practiced with the sticks for a while, and then, feeling dizzy from the alcohol, he went back to his room to wash up and go to sleep, completely unaware that a figure was watching him from a distance.

Perhaps because he drank quite a bit yesterday, he didn't get up until noon.

The main hall had already been neatly arranged. Wu Yueniang, wearing a plain silk dress, had been waiting in the hall for some time with her two personal maids, Yuxiao and Xiaoyu.

Lunch was already laid out on the table: a plate of fragrant braised shad, a plate of glistening roast goose, a plate of finely chopped braised meat, several kinds of seasonal vegetables, a bowl of steaming hot rice, and a warm bowl of sour bamboo shoot soup to help you sober up.

When the Moon Lady saw her husband come out, she smiled and said, "My lord, you're finally awake. The sun is shining on the rooftops now. You must have been exhausted yesterday. The food is all set out, just waiting for you to have some to warm your stomach."

The official came up, hugged Yue Niang, and kissed her.

Moon Maiden shyly pushed him away, saying, "There are maids here too."

After Master Ximen sat down and picked up his bowl and chopsticks, she continued serving the dishes without stopping, and said softly, "My lord, I have observed the household accounts these past few days. Although there is income, the expenses are indeed quite high."

She paused, noticing that Ximen Qing was chewing more slowly but his expression remained unchanged, before continuing her detailed account:

“The other day, the abbot of Yongfu Temple rebuilt the Mahavira Hall. The official made a vow and donated two hundred taels; the old monk also helped Guanyin Temple get another two hundred taels. These two things totaled four hundred taels of silver.”

She carefully glanced at her husband's expression again.

(End of this chapter)