*If those who serve the people cannot hold their heads high with pride, then who in this world is deserving of pride?*

And so Gui Yuanshu would always find himself thinking: someone like him would surely be remembered in time. If not — it would probably mean that he and those who shared his conviction had ultimately failed.

He could no longer return to the inn. He had left himself exposed.

The Emperor likely didn’t yet know that Li Shang and Huang Wei’an had left Daxing — but it was only a matter of time. Gui Yuanshu estimated no more than a day at most.

Huang Wei’an had come to the inn. Huang Wei’an had been to Li Shang’s manor. The inn was no longer safe.

At this point, there was nothing left to hold him back. Gui Yuanshu decided it was time to make contact with the names on the list Cao Lie had given him.

In a city where commerce had fallen into such deep decline, if one had to name an industry that had suffered comparatively little, a pleasure house would surely be among them.

Gui Yuanshu sometimes found himself wondering — all these people of influence who set up pleasure houses, was it really about the business and the revenue? Or was it more about the convenience for themselves?

He even felt a twinge of regret. A regret that Yu Jiuling hadn’t come.

If one were to evaluate pleasure houses by every measurable standard, Daxing’s would rank first in all the realm — and that was simply the honest truth.

For Yu Jiuling, this city would be nothing short of paradise.

The place where Gui Yuanshu and Old Sun now found themselves was one of Daxing’s finest establishments: the Yunsu Tower.

The first name on the list Cao Lie had given Gui Yuanshu was a man called Pei Bancheng. In Daxing, some people also called him Pei Bancheng — *Half the City Pei* — suggesting that his holdings and wealth were so vast they amounted to owning half a city. That, of course, was an exaggeration.

Whether from the brief description in Cao Lie’s notes or from the rumors that circulated among the citizens of Daxing, one thing was clear: the man was a rough-edged sort. And so Gui Yuanshu had genuinely not expected that such a rough-edged man could have created a place as refined and elegant as the Yunsu Tower.

Every last detail here — even a small decorative planting set in an unobtrusive corner — was so artfully done as to seem almost beyond words. The longer you looked, the more you felt the sense of atmosphere in it.

At this moment, Gui Yuanshu was staring intently at one such atmospheric object — a small ceramic figure on the table. It was a round, chubby little ceramic man, and when the young tea-master — whose appearance was so clear and pure as to seem the portrait of innocence — poured the rinsing water over him, the little figure began to urinate.

Watching the stream appear, Gui Yuanshu let out a breath of relief. The expression in his eyes seemed to say: *exactly what I was expecting.*

The tea-master looked to be around twenty years of age — the kind of girl who, with one glance, you simply knew must be as innocent and unmarked as a blank page. That face of hers could not have borne the slightest hint of worldly dust.

And yet this was a pleasure house. One of the most renowned in Daxing. Which made Gui Yuanshu feel there was something rather peculiar about the whole thing.

“Sir, your tea is ready.”

The young tea-master, a girl by the name of Little Zhao, said softly, then gestured in invitation.

Gui Yuanshu made a sound of thanks and drank his tea.

Old Sun looked at him and couldn’t suppress a quiet sigh. He leaned close to Gui Yuanshu’s ear and murmured, “Not much experience with places like this, I take it?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Do I look like someone with not much experience?”

Old Sun replied, “You don’t look like someone with not much experience. You look like someone who’s never set foot in a place like this at all.”

Gui Yuanshu didn’t seem embarrassed. He smiled. “Do you really think I could have afforded to come to a place like this before?”

Hearing this, Old Sun felt a deep and immediate concern for the balance still owed to him.

One look at Gui Yuanshu made it clear he hadn’t spent much time in pleasure houses. He was far too stiff and awkward. An old hand wouldn’t still be sitting here drinking tea right now…

Gui Yuanshu looked over at Little Zhao. The girls here all took the surname Yun — the Yun of Yunsu Tower.

“Miss, may I ask when your proprietor will return?”

Little Zhao was quiet for a moment, then seemed to gather herself with great resolve and reached up to begin unfastening the collar of her robes.

Gui Yuanshu lurched back in alarm. “What are you doing?!”

Little Zhao froze. Her eyes grew faintly red — she looked as though she had been wronged beyond all bearing, yet was fighting with everything she had not to let the tears fall.

She lowered her head. “The proprietor told me that you are an honored guest, and that he cannot get away at the moment. But he instructed me that I must make sure you are well attended to, by whatever means necessary, and that I must ensure your satisfaction. You seemed dissatisfied with Little Zhao’s tea-pouring… so therefore…”

And with that, she reached up once more to unfasten her buttons.

Gui Yuanshu said, “If you keep that up, I’ll call for help.”

Little Zhao: “????????”

Gui Yuanshu said with great sincerity, “You pour your tea properly, I drink my tea properly, and that will be very satisfactory. If you take off one more piece of clothing, I’m leaving immediately.”

Old Sun leaned close again and murmured, “Let me ask you plainly — is this genuine indifference, or are you genuinely out of money?”

Gui Yuanshu replied in an even lower voice, “Tell me honestly, would you feel anything if you were in my position?”

Old Sun let out a long sigh. “Then you really are out of money.”

“Sir.”

Little Zhao, her face flushed red, spoke up. “The proprietor had someone pass along a message — that you are an honored guest, and any expenses during your stay in the Tower will not be charged to your account. Whatever you wish to have, it is yours.”

At those last few words, her face turned even redder.

Gui Yuanshu’s eyes gradually widened, gradually lit up. He ventured, “You mean… whatever I want is available, and I won’t have to pay for any of it?”

Little Zhao made a sound of agreement. “Yes, sir. The proprietor says you may do as you please.”

Gui Yuanshu finally revealed his true nature — and lunged across the table toward Little Zhao in one swift motion.

He grabbed hold of Little Zhao’s tea canister.

“What’s wrong with you — being so stingy with the leaves? Not the least bit generous.”

He scooped out a generous handful of tea leaves and dropped them directly into his cup, then tucked the canister into the travel pack he’d brought with him. This maneuver, executed in one smooth sequence, left not only Little Zhao staring blankly — it left Old Sun staring just as blankly.

Old Sun looked very carefully at Little Zhao, then looked very carefully at Gui Yuanshu, then still couldn’t help but ask, “Tell me honestly — are you… not able to?”

Gui Yuanshu paid him no mind whatsoever, and said to Little Zhao with perfect seriousness, “How much is this tea worth?”

Little Zhao replied, “It’s… it’s decent enough, I suppose. Around twenty taels of silver.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Go find me a bag. Fill it with another ten or twenty canisters. And bring some pastries — a double serving. Also dishes — yes, food. I am genuinely hungry.”

Little Zhao rose. “I’ll arrange it for you, sir.”

Gui Yuanshu added, “Wine. There should be wine as well.”

When Little Zhao had left the room, Old Sun looked at Gui Yuanshu and said in complete seriousness, “I am now very deeply concerned for your two brothers.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Pfft.”

Old Sun sighed. “If life on Prince Ning’s side were even a little more comfortable, you wouldn’t be in this state.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Nonsense. You just haven’t seen what state Prince Ning himself gets into.”

He paused after saying it, then scratched the back of his neck and smiled awkwardly.

Old Sun was taken aback. What kind of lord must it be, and what kind of followers must they be, for a subordinate to speak so brazenly about his lord’s behavior in public?

—

Just then, Little Zhao returned to the room. Behind her, a man walked in.

As soon as he was through the door, Little Zhao stepped aside and bowed. “Sir, my proprietor has returned.”

Gui Yuanshu rose to take a look. He had heard of Pei Bancheng during his time in Daxing and had seen him before — but at this close a distance, he was still somewhat surprised.

Lean and tall, with a full set of heavy stubble all around his jaw. If anything about the man was most immediately striking, it was undoubtedly that face full of thick beard.

How to describe it, in more elegant terms — he resembled a flowering reed stalk: a long, thin stem topped with a wild mass of growth. In less elegant terms… well, imagine something with a single stalk and a great deal of growth toward the top — the coarser version of that description would contain not a single word permissible by law.

“You must be Young Master Gui.”

Pei Bancheng cupped his fists in greeting.

He did have the look of a rough man from the rivers and lakes. Though his clothes were of the finest quality, he was so lean they hung off him and swayed with every movement.

Pei Bancheng sat down across from Gui Yuanshu and glanced at the table, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Is this how you receive an honored guest?”

Pei Bancheng frowned and said, “No tea. And the pastries have come out double.”

Little Zhao hadn’t even had the chance to explain before Pei Bancheng barked an order: “Get someone else in here to serve. Take her out and give her twenty slaps.”

Both Gui Yuanshu and Old Sun were taken aback by that.

Two men came in and started pulling Little Zhao toward the door. The sight of her trying desperately not to cry, and clearly struggling not to, was genuinely hard to watch.

“Proprietor Pei.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “There’s no need to make it hard on her.”

Pei Bancheng immediately said, “You are Young Master’s friend, sir. Whatever you need, you need only give the order — there is no need to stand on ceremony with me.”

He turned and glared. “Thank this gentleman, then get out of here and reflect on yourself.”

Little Zhao looked at Gui Yuanshu with an expression of gratitude, then bowed in thanks.

Gui Yuanshu said, “No need to send anyone else to serve us either — let’s get straight to the point.”

“There’s no need to rush, Young Master.”

Pei Bancheng smiled. “Whatever the matter may be, as long as it’s business in Daxing, I can handle it to some degree. You’ve only just arrived, sir — you should rest first, and let me offer you a proper welcome.”

Gui Yuanshu felt a slight unease stir within him.

Old Sun glanced at him, then made a gesture under the table, roughly meaning: if this doesn’t feel right, we leave.

It seemed Pei Bancheng wasn’t being straightforward, and might not be reliable.

Old Sun was nominally one of the Mountain River Seal’s people — strictly speaking, he belonged to the Cloud Mist Map — so he wasn’t especially familiar with the Mountain River Seal’s contacts in Daxing. He had the sense that this man was stalling for time.

“How about this!” Pei Bancheng rose. “You must be tired from your journey, Young Master. Get some rest first. I have one urgent matter I need to attend to, and once I’ve seen to it I’ll come back and make my apologies to you in person. Young Master seems to have taken a liking to that girl — didn’t you come to her defense just now? I’ll have her look after you.”

He turned and issued a brief order: “Get the First Courtyard suite ready for our guests, and have Little Zhao attend to the young master.”

Gui Yuanshu immediately said, “That won’t be necessary. If Proprietor Pei has something urgent to attend to, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

He glanced at Old Sun, and the two of them rose to leave.

A cold flash passed through Pei Bancheng’s eyes, though he continued smiling as he stepped to block the path in front of Gui Yuanshu. “Young Master, it would be better not to rush off. In my view, you should stay here. It’s safer.”

The meaning behind those words could not have been clearer: *If you walk out that door, today ends badly for everyone.*

Old Sun was genuinely provoked. He pulled Gui Yuanshu back slightly, his expression saying: *So what if we just stay? He can’t be too much trouble.*

A man of Old Sun’s confidence wasn’t going to be afraid of anyone.

Gui Yuanshu nodded. “Fair enough. We’ll stay then.”

Pei Bancheng broke into a grin. “That’s the spirit, Young Master.”

He turned and strode out, calling out in a booming voice as he went: “If any of you fail to make these two gentlemen comfortable today, I’ll make sure not a single one of you is comfortable going forward. Understood?!”

From outside came a chorus of large men and serving girls answering in unison: “Understood!”

Old Sun, pressed close to Gui Yuanshu’s side, murmured: “The way he’s going about this — it doesn’t feel like he’s arranging one girl to attend to you. It feels like either a group of men attending to you, or you attending to a group of men.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “You’re just watching?”

Old Sun said, “What else do you want from me? Applause?”

At this point, leaving wasn’t going to be easy. There was nothing for it but to stay and see what Pei Bancheng was actually after.

—