Chapter 37 The Graceful Gauze Robe
A magnificent carriage emerged from the bustling streets of the city, turning left and right, deliberately taking detours and swaying its tail, before finally stopping in front of a quiet, secluded villa in the east of Ye City.
The hairdresser that Fang Lun had sent to the Drunken Flower Pavilion to invite arrived shortly after, carrying a thick bundle on her back, containing all sorts of things like hairpins, pearls, and light gauze clothing.
As she entered, the hairdresser whispered to the servant who had brought her there, "Is the beauty we're about to meet someone Young Master Fang met while he was traveling at sea? Young Master Fang has been away on a long trip and hasn't been to our Drunken Flower Pavilion for quite some time. If you ask me, the beauties from our local Ye City are much more charming and alluring. The southern climate and water really do nurture people better."
The servant and the maid were already somewhat familiar with each other. Upon hearing this, he shook his head and whispered a reminder to her, "Don't ask anymore. You'll find out when you see her."
The woman combing her hair had no choice but to shut her mouth and follow closely behind, being led to Baoxiang Garden.
Baoxiang Garden is the largest room in the villa, with the most luxurious decoration and the best location, but not everyone has the opportunity to live here. The last girl who lived here was the former courtesan of Zuihua Pavilion. After being redeemed by Young Master Fang, she happily moved in, thinking that she could settle down for the rest of her life and stay with her lover.
Now... the novelty has worn off, she's fallen out of favor, and has been callously relegated to a side room by Young Master Fang.
The woman combing her hair was an old acquaintance of the courtesan. Thinking back to when she was redeemed, she thought she had met her true love and was genuinely happy. But now, she was nothing more than an insignificant sparrow among the many cages of Young Master Fang. She couldn't help but sigh: "Beauty may not have faded, but the heartless man in fine clothes is still unfaithful."
Reaching the door, the hairdresser snapped out of her reverie. She couldn't concern herself with other people's affairs; making money was the most important thing right now.
As soon as the door was opened, a wonderful fragrance wafted out.
The servant skillfully handed the maid a pill as an antidote, saying, "Take this first, and the fragrance will have no effect on you."
Upon hearing this, the woman combing her hair was startled.
A glance at the bed revealed, behind the red silk curtains, the faint silhouette of a beautiful woman lying motionless, as if fast asleep.
Looking at the wisps of incense burning by the bedside, he suddenly realized something. Fang Lun, that scoundrel, wasn't satisfied with just using his smooth talk to deceive courtesans; now he had the audacity to start abducting respectable women. He was relying on his wealthy father and had become so lawless!
But her resentment was useless. First, she couldn't save anyone, and second, if she refused, Fang Lun could easily find someone else.
In the end, it was all in vain.
There was no other way, so the woman combing her hair nodded in agreement.
The servant added, "Please trouble you, Mama, after you've washed the girl inside, change her into a light, sheer dress, like the style your Drunken Flower Pavilion girls usually wear these days, what's it called... Hibiscus Pink Cicada Feather Gauze Skirt? Young master, your clothes must be new after your wash. As for your hair, a simple comb is fine, no need for elaborate hair ornaments, just something pleasing to the eye. Young master doesn't want to go through the trouble of removing them. Mama, please hurry, young master is impatient and is waiting anxiously in the front hall."
The woman combing her hair obediently agreed, but couldn't help but secretly spit in her heart.
He went to great lengths to abduct a respectable girl, yet he insisted on dressing her up in a frivolous manner. He wanted both ways, coveting her purity while also expecting her to be intimate with him and to serve him comfortably. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, which was utterly despicable.
The woman combing her hair sighed, closed the door, and approached the bed curtains, preparing to see what kind of stunning beauty lay inside.
Lifting a corner of the thin curtain, a pretty face came into view. Her gaze deepened; she was indeed a remarkable person.
They changed the girl out of her men's robes and dressed her in a beautiful gauze dress. They then wiped her body clean with a cotton towel, and when they wiped her face, the white towel turned slightly yellow from the wiping.
She had been wearing yellow powder to conceal her features, but even with only seven-tenths of her beauty on display, she was still ethereal and otherworldly. Once the yellow powder was removed, her fair and delicate skin was revealed, making her truly stunning. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
She's a real beauty...
The hairdresser, now in her fifties, had spent over twenty years in the red-light district, witnessing countless beautiful girls come and go. As a result, her standards were extremely high; she wouldn't even bother to look at ordinary beauties. But this girl was undressing and lying there with her body exposed. Not to mention a young, vigorous man, even she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat.
That slender waist was so delicate it could be encircled with one hand, yet her body wasn't thin; her full breasts were almost as large as a married woman's, too large to be grasped in one hand. Her entire body was porcelain white, so white it was dazzling. Just now, when she was helping her dress, she had unintentionally squeezed her wrist—without using any force—and a red mark immediately appeared, showing just how delicate her body was.
My lord would absolutely adore this kind of woman.
After she was dressed, her hair was styled. The hairdresser thought for a moment and then styled Bai Hua's hair into a simple double bun. Any extra embellishments would be superfluous, as her beauty did not need vulgar adornments. So she simply inserted a plain jade hairpin into her hair.
That's enough.
She didn't need to show off much skill; the girl's naturally beautiful face and figure were her greatest weapons. As for her, she wasn't even the icing on the cake; she was merely a green leaf to set off the flower.
After finishing her chores, the hairdresser got up, but secretly thought to herself... no matter how you look at it, this girl in front of her doesn't seem like the kind of daughter an ordinary family could raise.
Based on her discerning eye, this was either a young lady from a wealthy merchant family or a daughter of an official family. If so, how could Fang Lun dare to abduct someone to commit immoral acts?
These matters are not her responsibility.
Putting aside her inappropriate pity, the hairdresser sighed, glanced at Bai Hua one last time, and then pulled down the overlapping bed curtains.
It's worth spending half an hour here.
Looking across the entire city of Ye, you probably couldn't find another beauty like her. No wonder even an impatient person like Fang Lun was willing to be patient and wait, and even specially sent her over to do a thorough grooming and dressing for the beauty.
Just like when most people find a gemstone, they don't choose to wear the raw stone directly. Instead, they first wipe away the dirt and grime, then find a skilled craftsman to polish the raw stone to its ultimate beauty, transforming it into a treasure, before wearing it on their body, so as not to waste its shape and beauty.
The same applies to how we treat others.
Fang Lun knew that he had picked a beautiful flower. If he treated it roughly, it would be like a cow chewing a peony, which would be a waste.
Therefore, he wanted to slow down the process and savor it.
After tidying up the room, the hairdresser prepared to close the door and leave to report.
Before the door was completely closed, she glanced inside again. The fragrant curtains were exquisite, and the red silk swayed in the breeze. Tonight was destined to be anything but ordinary.
...
The news that a new bride had arrived at Baoxiang Garden quickly spread throughout the various rooms of the villa.
In the side room, several young and beautiful girls sat together, drinking tea around the stove and chatting animatedly.
One of them, who seemed indifferent, ate some melon seeds and said, "There's some noise at the front gate. I heard that the young master has brought back a new sister. She's quite pretty. With another sister to keep him company, our courtyard will be even more lively."
Some sighed, saying dejectedly, "Did the young master encounter it while he was at sea? He's been gone for over a month, and since returning to Ye City, he hasn't even thought to come and see everyone. Could it be that he's truly forgotten the old friends once he's made a new one?"
Some idle people even took the opportunity to stir up trouble: "How handsome is he? Can he possibly be more handsome than Sister Qiu?"
The girl named Jiuqiu was the former top courtesan of Zuihualou.
Three months ago, she was Fang Lun's favorite.
Back when he was working at the Drunken Flower Pavilion, he was quite famous, with so many admirers and followers that a whole boat couldn't hold them all. Now, he's fallen from grace, his glory days are over, and he's become what others call a 'former'.
How lamentable.
Jiuqiu remained silent with a blank expression, while the remaining four or five people continued to chatter.
Unfortunately, whoever doesn't speak up and join in, the conversation will keep revolving around that person, endlessly.
"What are you saying? How could that person compare to Sister Jiuqiu? Back then, the young master spent a full eight hundred taels of silver to redeem Sister Jiuqiu from her servitude. You'll never see that much money in your entire lives!"
“I didn’t say anything, why blame me! It’s because I heard that the young master wants to leave Baoxiang Garden for that person to live in. I feel indignant for Sister Jiuqiu. That used to be the love nest of the young master and Sister Jiuqiu... Also, the newlyweds have such a grand procession. They refused to get out of the sedan chair at the door and had the young master order the servants to carry the sedan chair directly into Baoxiang Garden. What an ostentatious style.”
Jiuqiu couldn't bear to listen anymore and lost all interest in tea, so she slammed the teacup down.
Everyone waited for her to have an attack.
At this moment, she did not feel any obvious sadness or anger, but only a sense of bewilderment.
But to please everyone, she pretended to be annoyed, showing her displeasure on her face, so that they could see her embarrassing predicament and not spoil everyone's fun.
Having spent many years in the brothel, she naturally understood people's hearts and knew how to make herself feel better in adversity.
To go all the way with the act, she simply got up and went to Baoxiang Garden to pretend to make a scene.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Fang Lun.
Jiuqiu abandoned her usual decorum, shouting and yelling, and vented her anger on Fang Lun. Fang Lun, on the other hand, first coaxed and then cursed, full of hypocrisy. Yesterday he could love you to death, but today he can discard you like trash.
His patience soon ran out, and he felt exhausted from being pestered. With Baoxiang Garden right in front of him, he was only thinking about love and couldn't care about anything else. So he raised his arm, ready to hit someone and get away.
Seeing this, the other girls in the backyard rushed over to stop him, pleading with Fang Lun to stop.
"Get out, get out, all of you get back to the side room!" Fang Lun said, his face flushed with anger, as he lowered his arm.
The others were stunned and dared not disobey, so they helped Jiuqiu up and left quickly.
Jiuqiu stared thoughtfully at the closed door in front of him. There was such a commotion outside, but why didn't the people inside react at all?
Is it because they don't want to get involved, or... are they simply too weak to speak up?
Thinking of this, Jiuqiu was shocked and felt even more disgusted by Fang Lun's despicable behavior.
But now, she is barely able to save herself, and even if she wanted to help others, she probably wouldn't have the strength...
But... what if the girl inside has relatives or friends who are looking for her?
If there is someone else who can save her, or is already on their way, then the people in the villa should do their best to buy some time, and perhaps they can really prevent a tragedy.
As Jiuqiu thought about this, she had an idea in mind.
Back in the side room, she didn't give up. She pretended to be jealous and heartbroken, crying and making a scene, threatening to hang herself. She even wrapped a white silk ribbon around her neck and stood on a stool. No one could persuade her otherwise.
Even the steward of the villa was at a loss, fearing that someone might actually die, so he had no choice but to bring Fang Lun over again.
This time, Fang Lun's patience completely vanished. After entering the house, he slapped Jiu Qiu three times, shattering all their previous promises, vows, and affection.
Jiuqiu was no longer sad. Taking those three slaps brought her peace of mind.
After Fang Lun left, she struggled to her feet, her face burning, only to be tightly bound to a chair by the steward with hemp rope.
Meeting the sympathetic yet complicated gazes of others, Jiuqiu smiled indifferently.
My heart is already dead; a slap doesn't matter to me at all.
Now that she didn't stand idly by and fought for the lives of others, her heart was filled with joy.
...
The trouble that was happening in the backyard really dampened Fang Lun's spirits.
One problem after another, and it even escalated to the point of someone wanting to hang himself. It's simply incomprehensible!
Now that he had finally resolved all the troubles behind him, he hurried back to Baoxiang Garden, ready to meet the beauty he had been longing for in bed and seize the moment to kiss her. Little did he know that his villa had been completely surrounded from the outside.
Pushing open the door, one enters to find a warm red silk tent with wisps of incense smoke rising from it.
Fang Lun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and enjoyed the fragrance. He squinted his eyes and closed the door tightly before walking step by step toward the canopy bed.
As he peeled back the layers of curtains, he thought that no one would disturb his moment of pleasure with his beauty. How could his heart not flutter?
After lifting the last curtain, Fang Lun looked down deeply and saw that the beauty was completely covered by a quilt, with only her head and neck showing.
Fang Lun frowned in dissatisfaction, thinking to himself that the old woman at the Drunken Flower Pavilion was really incompetent.
Why cover yourself with a blanket...?
Now that you're already in his bed, why would you be thinking about keeping warm first?
Fang Lun just wanted to see a beautiful woman with barely any clothes on, not completely naked, but half-hidden, half-revealed, which would be the most eye-catching.
As he had requested beforehand, the beauty should have been wearing a thin veil of feathers, allowing him to see everything about her.
Just thinking about that blood-pumping scene made Fang Lun feel his heart surge and he couldn't calm down. His eyes suddenly burned with desire, and his lower abdomen became even more restless.
He couldn't wait any longer, so he immediately reached out and grabbed a corner of the quilt, pretending to pull it open so that the spring scenery and the woman's body inside could be fully revealed.
However, just as he began to exert force, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from behind him, growing closer and closer.
Fang Lun frowned, wondering who was bothering him again, but no matter who it was, he wouldn't stop what he was doing.
The beauty's fair neck was revealed, followed by her rounded, fragrant shoulders... So fair!
Fang Lun's eyes widened, staring intently at the beauty's snowy breasts, his heart itching with desire.
Before he could even pull the blanket off, the door was violently broken down from the outside. A sword flashed before his eyes, and before he could react, he heard a 'whoosh' as his flesh was torn open.
Fang Lun's outstretched left arm, which was pulling at the blanket, was pierced by the longsword.
As blood gushed out, he almost fainted from the pain, so how could he not let go?
The sword's owner stood outside the door, dressed in white with only the scabbard at his waist. With a gloomy face, he stepped over the threshold and approached step by step.
Fang Lun collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain, when he recognized who it was, and a chill ran through him.
It was that swordsman; he had come looking for them…
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