Yangzhou Tales
Miss Xia seems reluctant to part with her prized employee, but finally agrees. By the end of the negotiations for Yu’s freedom, you are left with not a cent to your name and a very grateful scholar. You had forfeited all payments from the deal involving Yao’s Protective Sheath for two years in order to afford his ransom. You hope it is worth it.
You return the next day and find Xiahou Yu waiting for you at the gates of Yuhua Hall. It was just a day, but his transformation is dramatic, the alcohol-fueled haze in his eyes replaced by a bright determination. He bows sharply when he sees you. “Thank you very much for freeing me from Yuhua Hall. I am not sure how I can ever make it up to you, but please let me try!”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Money is where you find it,” you say, recalling Qi Liuwu’s quip. “We are going to have to find some, though, unless you want to be eating wild rabbit for the rest of your days.”
“Ah, about that…” Xiahou reaches into his clothes and pulls out a small pouch. “It is not much, but the girls in Yuhua gathered some taels together for me. It should be enough for food, though not lodging.”
“You are surprisingly popular, aren’t you?” you grin. “Not bad. Your drinking must have impressed the courtesans.”
“No, I will never drink again,” he replies quickly, a wild look in his eyes as he gulps audibly. “Ever.”
You are not sure how long his resolution will hold out. Nodding, you say, “For now, we will be travelling together. You want to meet your Liu Chanfeng again, don’t you? I may have business with her too, so we will stick together until then.”
“Forgive me for intruding,” he asks suspiciously, “but I have been wondering; just what business do you have with her?”
“Don’t worry,” you laugh. “I’m not interested in her that way. To be more specific, it is probably her friends that I have business with. Well, the sun is high and I have not yet eaten. As a mark of your gratitude, I’ll have you treat me to a good lunch, Brother Yu.”
***
“She never told me this, but here I found out that she used to be a rather popular courtesan at Yuhua Hall,” begins Xiahou Yu as he retells the story that he has pieced together over the past two years. “When she was eighteen, she fell in love with one of her regular customers, an influential man’s scion by the name of Zhang Manlou. He was scum of the worst sort.” Xiahou grits his teeth angrily. “His godfather is one of the Grand Eunuchs of the Imperial Court, Grand Eunuch Wang.”
You remember Grand Eunuch Wang well; of the four old prickless bastards that stood at the top of the court, he was probably the worst nag and the pettiest fellow of the lot – not a day went by without him complaining about one thing or another.
“As such, that scum thought himself untouchable,” continues Xiahou. “He toyed with Chanfeng’s feelings and made her think that he genuinely felt for her. Then, he got her pregnant.”
“I thought the girls at Yuhua Hall were supposed to use protection,” you interject.
“They do, but it is not perfect. On the off chance that they do conceive, the child is taken care of by the Hall,” replies Xiahou.
“So, the child…”
“Poor Chanfeng thought that Zhang Manlou would take responsibility, and so instead of having it in Yuhua Hall she went seeking him in his mansion in Chang’an.” The scholar’s hands ball into fists as he stares at the table angrily. “He was married, yes, but what rich man cannot afford a wife or mistress? Still, the bastard disavowed any knowledge of her, in front of his entire household. Then, he attacked her. It was the one thing she did not believe he would do. Zhang Manlou practices a neigong called the Huangu Skill (還骨功,Returning Bone Skill). The unborn child was killed. She was left with that mark on her face. She returned to Yuhua Hall for only a month, before disappearing. That was six years ago, when she was eighteen.”
With a deep sigh, Xiahou downs the cup of tea, though by the expression on his face he clearly finds that it is a poor substitute for wine.
“I’ve found out that she was recently spotted together with members of the Black Dragon Society, which has its headquarters in the vicinity of Xiangyang. They are a vicious bunch of mercenaries and assassins for hire… I am not sure why Chanfeng would be with them. I have also heard that there is a small, obscure school called the Wunan Sect hidden somewhere in Shennong Forest, a few days' travel from Xiangyang. Apparently they are an all-female sect, taking in those who have been betrayed by men. I feel that that is probably where she is.”
It looks like no matter what, your investigation would take you to Xiangyang next. Still, you are in no real hurry to leave Yangzhou at the moment. You wonder if you should see if there is anything else to do here. Keeping an ear out for news on the grapevine, you find that…
***
A. The most influential martial arts establishment in Yangzhou, the Zhou Clan Manor, is gathering pugilists to conduct a campaign against a band of pirates that has been terrorizing the southern coast. Payment is what you can claim from the pirates’ plunder; most pugilists are participating to make a name for themselves, however.
B. The two largest merchant clans of Yangzhou, the Dao family and the Jian family, have been feuding for generations. It looks like they may be about to go to war; this could be a lucrative opportunity if you stick your nose in whether as a negotiator or to help one side over another.
C. Nothing more in Yangzhou interests you; you think you should hurry over to Xiangyang instead and continue pursuing your lead as fast as possible.
.
? Do we then tsundere him out of his mind?
. He has after all been couple of years among masters of trade
.
YOLOtiger will mingle with young ladis of class and distinguished birth. To each, as they say, their own.
