The Red Charm Quarter — despite being called a “quarter,” it actually occupied only a portion of the “East Pleasure District” of the South Market. This “East Pleasure District” — which could be understood as the eastern section — amounted to only one-sixth of the South Market in total area. It was separated from the main market by an Inner Arch Gate. During the day, when the South Market was open for trade, the Inner Arch Gate stood open and the two areas flowed freely into each other. After nightfall, once the curfew was in force and the South Market closed, the Inner Arch Gate shut, and the Red Charm Quarter became a self-contained inner ward — every street blazing with lanterns as bright as daylight, the road surface gleaming brilliantly. Yet the streets were sparsely populated, because anyone who came here after dark had no intention of simply strolling — they were bound for the brothels for which the Red Charm Quarter was famous throughout the city.

All thirty-six of the Eastern Capital’s most celebrated brothels were located here. Far from the scene of wanton debauchery Lin Sui’an had eagerly imagined — “red sleeves beckoning on every street” — these establishments were all grand multi-courtyard mansions with black eaves and vermillion pillars, their outer walls built from solid, low-key rammed earth. Above the gates hung plaques bearing names like “Hao Liu’s House,” “Jia Qi’s House,” “Zhang San’s House,” and “Shui Wu’s House.”

Fan Ba’s House was the crown jewel of this district. Its head courtesan, the celebrated Fan Ba Niang, was past the age of twenty but matchless in grace and overflowing with talent — lavishly praised by scholars and aristocratic sons alike. The “Red Sleeve Fragrant Accompaniment Flowing Banquet” of Fan Ba’s House was itself the supreme marvel of the Eastern Capital: it ran from the first dusk to the following sunset — a full twelve hours — offering one hundred and eight main courses and seventy-two accompanying dishes without a single repeat, with Fan Ba’s House performers staging a parade of varied performances every hour. It was, in every sense, a feast encompassing sight, scent, flavor, form, and spirit.

They entered the East Pleasure District through the Inner Arch Gate and headed east to the end of the alley, where Fan Ba’s House stood. Wan Lin led the Jing Zhao Prefecture contingent at the front, while Lin Sui’an and the others continued to freeload seats in Ling Zhiyan’s carriage at the rear. At the pace they were traveling, they would arrive in roughly a quarter of an hour.

The swaying of the carriage had lulled Fang Ke into a drowsy stupor — his head was knocking gently against the carriage wall. Jin Ruo cradled a plate and picked at the last few pastries remaining, his expression looking rather aggrieved. He was probably hungry.

Hua Yitang lifted the window curtain. The street scenes and lantern light swept across his fair, elegant features in shifting flashes.

Ling Zhiyan: “Is Fourth Young Master thinking of getting out and taking a walk?”

Hua Yitang: “The Red Charm Quarter and Yongtai Ward are separated by just one ward road, but getting here takes longer than one would expect.”

“The Eastern Capital is not like Yangdu. No shop here would dare to knock a hole through the ward wall. Coming from Yongtai Ward means going around two ward gates and one Inner Arch Gate — of course it takes more time.”

Hua Yitang gave a long “oh,” let the curtain fall, and closed his eyes to rest.

It was nearly the third quarter of Zi. Lin Sui’an was feeling slightly drowsy and yawned, then decided to find a topic to keep herself alert: “How much does one banquet at the Red Sleeve Fragrant Accompaniment flowing feast cost?”

Ling Zhiyan: “I’ve heard it’s a hundred and fifty gold.”

Lin Sui’an immediately snapped awake. Fang Ke’s eyes cracked open with a snap.

Hua Yitang made a couple of dismissive noises with his eyes still closed.

Lin Sui’an: “Adjudicator Ling, you seem quite clear on the price — perhaps you’ve been before?”

Ling Zhiyan had not yet responded when Hua Yitang answered first. “Him? He has the desire but not the means.”

For once, Ling Zhiyan did not argue. He said, with considerable sincerity: “The Ling Family’s resources are nothing compared to the Hua Family. Squandering them so recklessly would never do.”

Lin Sui’an: “How does the Su Clan compare to the Ling Clan?”

Ling Zhiyan understood Lin Sui’an’s meaning at once and was about to answer, but Hua Yitang cut him off again: “However poorly the Ling Clan may fare, they are a hundred times better than the Su Clan!”

Ling Zhiyan paused, then lowered his eyes and smiled.

“The Su Clan of Suizhou is practically destitute at this point — yet here they are, pretending to be wealthy beyond their means.” Hua Yitang opened his eyes, his expression cool. “If there’s no trick behind this, I simply don’t believe it. Whom has Su Yiyun invited?”

The last question was addressed to Jin Ruo.

Jin Ruo finished the last pastry in the carriage, dusted the crumbs from the corners of his mouth, and said: “I’ve heard the guests are all scholars of great renown from aristocratic families, along with a few mysterious personages of high standing.”

Suddenly, outside the carriage came the shrill cry of a horse, followed by a sharp jolt as the wheels locked up. Ming Feng threw back the curtain and shouted: “Adjudicator Ling — something’s wrong! Adjutant Wan and Fan Ba’s House guards have come to blows!”

Ling Zhiyan’s expression changed. He vaulted out of the carriage, and with Ming Shu and Ming Feng in tow, strode rapidly forward.

Lin Sui’an was fully awake now, her eyes bright with keen interest as she followed. Hua Yitang swung his long legs into motion — that stride of his, once in full swing, could actually keep pace with Lin Sui’an. Jin Ruo dragged Fang Ke along at a trot. All of them wore the expression of people who absolutely could not wait to see how this played out.

Lin Sui’an: “A brothel actually dares to go up against the Jing Zhao Prefecture?”

Hua Yitang: “Fan Ba’s House wouldn’t dare, of course. Someone inside must be backing them.”

Two sentences later, they had reached the main gate of Fan Ba’s House. Lin Sui’an looked — and good heavens, the place lived up to its name. The sheer scale of the entrance alone rivaled the Hua Family’s villa out in the countryside. And the guards — each one broad-shouldered and bull-necked, dressed in brown short coats, iron clubs at their hips, black sashes tied around their heads, with faces that appeared to have been personally selected for their aggressive quality — every single one of them thick-jowled and menacing. At a quick count, there were forty or fifty of them.

By comparison, Wan Lin was merely a Jing Zhao Prefecture adjutant, with a modest contingent to begin with — most of his men had been left behind at Yongtai Ward and Shuangyuan Inn. He had brought only ten runners with him, thinking this was just a routine inquiry. In terms of sheer presence, he was thoroughly outmatched.

Wan Lin gripped his saber hilt, scowling ferociously. “The Jing Zhao Prefecture is conducting an investigation — all uninvolved parties, stand aside!”

The leader of the guards was a powerfully built man, a pair of sabers tucked into his belt, his voice thundering like a great bell. “All the guests tonight at Fan Ba’s House are personages of the highest standing. Never mind a small-time Jing Zhao Prefecture adjutant — if even your Prefecture Chief himself were to come here personally, he would not be permitted to barge in without cause!”

Wan Lin’s fury peaked and he drew his saber — Ling Zhiyan hurriedly caught his arm, stepped forward, and held out his official tablet. “The Court of Judicial Review is conducting an investigation. Please pass word inside.”

The head guard’s gaze lingered a moment on Ling Zhiyan’s official tablet, then he clasped his hands, turned, and went into the courtyard. The moment he disappeared, the black-clad guards sealed the main gate tight as a drum, uniform as iron.

Wan Lin: “Tch. The Su Clan putting on quite a show.”

Ling Zhiyan frowned and said nothing.

Hua Yitang stepped forward, waving his fan, and lowered his voice: “A minor clan like the Su Clan of Suizhou would never dare be this brazen. Whoever is inside must be of extraordinary standing.”

Wan Lin: “Who could it be?”

Hua Yitang rolled the tip of his tongue against his back teeth without answering, but his expression carried a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

Jin Ruo narrowed his eyes at the black-clad guards, muttering under his breath: “There’s something off about the clubs in their hands?”

Lin Sui’an: “How so?”

“The spot where the palm grips them seems to have some kind of marking. Too far away — I can’t make it out clearly.”

Lin Sui’an understood. With a flick of her toe, she kicked a pebble into the air. Using the fingertip technique of “the condemned ox awaiting slaughter,” she sent it flying with a deft, angle-precise snap — silent and imperceptible, it struck the nerve point at one guard’s elbow. The guard let out a cry of alarm, and the iron club flew from his grip, arcing through the air and landing, by some fortune, right at Hua Yitang’s feet.

The guards were thrown into a panic, closing ranks and scanning their surroundings with heightened wariness — but found nothing. Hua Yitang picked up the club. It had been lacquered black, and at one-sixth of the way down from the tip, a golden pattern was engraved — in the shape of what looked remarkably like a feather.

Ling Zhiyan’s expression shifted. “The Golden Feather Guards?!”

Hua Yitang: “So the ‘personages of high standing’ inside turn out to be the Jiang Family of Taiyuan.”

Wan Lin: “Yikes!”

Lin Sui’an quietly asked Jin Ruo: “What is the Jiang Family of Taiyuan?”

Jin Ruo was aghast. “You’ve been traveling with the Hua fellow all this time and you don’t know about the Five Surnames and Seven Clans?”

Lin Sui’an gave him a smack on the back of the head. “Tell me.”

Jin Ruo rubbed his skull in aggrieved fashion. “Among the Five Surnames and Seven Clans — aside from the Hua Clan of Yangdu, the Ling Clan of Xingyang, and the Su Clan of Suizhou — there are also the Bai Clan of Longxi, the Bai Clan of Qingzhou, the Jiang Clan of Taiyuan, and the Jiang Clan of Ganzhou. These two surnames and four clans are all aristocratic families that have flourished across hundreds of years of the Tang nation’s history. Compared to these four, the Hua, Ling, and Su Clans are merely newcomers. The Jiang Clan of Taiyuan in particular has produced three empresses. It’s no exaggeration to say they are a thousand-year clan that can overturn heaven with one hand and earth with the other.”

Lin Sui’an: Oh!

Jin Ruo leaned in a little closer: “The Golden Feather Guards under the Jiang Clan of Taiyuan are terrifyingly skilled in battle. I’ve heard the main branch recently produced a martial artist ranked fifth in all the jianghu — one called Jiang Dongyi, known as the Tiger of Taiyuan Province… are you having a muscle spasm in your eye?”

Lin Sui’an: “Ha.”

She could already sense it — Hua Yitang’s protagonist’s aura had planted flags all around them.

Before long, the head guard returned. He sharply berated the flustered guards and called them back to their posts, then clasped his hands and said: “The honored guests inside have sent word — if this concerns the case in Yongtai Ward, there is no need. This case has no connection whatsoever to the honored guests.”

At that, Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang couldn’t help exchanging a glance. Their eyes lit up.

Hua Yitang: This is what people call a sign of guilt.

Lin Sui’an: We’ve come all this way — it would be a shame not to go in for a look.

Ling Zhiyan caught the expressions on their faces and gave a quiet cough.

Wan Lin’s expression was visibly conflicted. He nudged Ling Zhiyan.

“In that case, Adjutant Wan need not trouble himself further.” Ling Zhiyan said.

Wan Lin’s eyes nearly fell out of his head.

Ling Zhiyan straightened his robes. “Ling Zhiyan of the Ling Clan of Xingyang requests an audience with Su Yiyun of the Su Clan of Suizhou. Please pass word inside.”

The head guard stared. “You are the Ling Clan’s Ling Zhiyan?”

“Hua Yitang, Fourth Son of the Hua Clan of Yangdu.” Hua Yitang cupped his hands in a smiling bow. “I have long admired the reputation of the Su Clan of Suizhou for their lofty conduct — I come as an admirer.”

“You are Fourth Young Master of the Hua Family?!” The guard’s composure slipped noticeably.

Hua Yitang smiled radiantly.

“A moment, please!” The head guard went back inside again.

“Elder Brother Wan, please withdraw for now — Fourth Young Master and I will go in and take a look.” Ling Zhiyan instructed Wan Lin.

Wan Lin looked deeply worried. “Maybe we should check other leads instead? If there truly are people from the Jiang Clan of Taiyuan in there, won’t this be walking into a dragon’s den?”

Ling Zhiyan smiled faintly: “It will be fine.”

“I’m with him — don’t worry.” Hua Yitang said.

Wan Lin left, full of anxiety.

The exchange between these three was highly suggestive to Lin Sui’an: Could it be that the Ling Clan has a feud with the Jiang Clan of Taiyuan?

Shortly, the head guard returned, his manner considerably improved. “Please — Sixth Young Master of the Ling Clan, and Fourth Young Master of the Hua Family — you are invited to join the banquet.”

Ling Zhiyan stepped forward. As Hua Yitang and Lin Sui’an moved to follow, the head guard blocked Lin Sui’an’s path. “And this young lady — who is she?”

“I am —” Lin Sui’an had barely begun when, without warning, Hua Yitang’s long arm reached out and drew her against him. Lin Sui’an’s every hair stood on end — she nearly flipped him over by pure reflex, and with great effort held herself back. She saw Hua Yitang gazing down at her with tender, affectionate eyes and saying: “She is my dearest companion — inseparable from me, steadfast through life and death. I simply can’t bear to leave her standing alone outside. If she were to be so much as bumped or bruised, it would break my heart.”

Lin Sui’an’s eyelid was jumping. She reached around and pinched him hard on the back. Hua Yitang — who was, beyond question, the greatest wastrel Yangdu had ever produced — had a mastery of expression management that bordered on the supernatural. Though he was clearly in such pain that tears had actually risen in his eyes, he maintained a deep, devoted smile. And say what you would — those misty, luminous eyes had something of a “to the very end” quality to them.

The head guard was momentarily speechless. He looked toward Jin Ruo and Fang Ke. “And these two gentlemen — “

Jin Ruo shot forward and flung himself onto Hua Yitang’s arm, fluttering his eyes at him coyly. “I am Fourth Young Master’s closest confidant!”

Fang Ke clutched Hua Yitang’s belt, delivering the most horrifying terms of endearment with the most expressionless face imaginable: “It’s cold outside. Fourth Young Master, don’t leave me.”

With that single line, Hua Yitang’s flawlessly maintained smiling mask developed a visible crack. Lin Sui’an bowed her head, fighting desperately not to laugh out loud.

The guard’s composure had entirely broken down. His face read, unmistakably: And to think they say Fourth Young Master Hua lives up to the legend — now I see it’s true! He stared at the four of them tangled together in a heap for a long, uncertain moment before finally saying: “Please.”

The four of them, tugging and clinging, made their rather irregular way through Fan Ba’s House’s front gate as a single, peculiar cluster. Ling Zhiyan was standing in the inner corridor of the courtyard, and when he saw the four of them in their bizarre formation, he turned aside, and suddenly burst out laughing.

Lin Sui’an, Jin Ruo, and Fang Ke immediately peeled away from Hua Yitang, taking two wide steps back. Lin Sui’an gave Hua Yitang a fierce glare. Jin Ruo swiftly shook out his robes. Fang Ke went the furthest — he produced a handkerchief from his sleeve and began wiping his hands.

Hua Yitang’s face went completely dark.

“Su Yiyun of Suizhou respectfully welcomes Sixth Young Master of the Ling Clan and Fourth Young Master of the Hua Family!”

A figure stepped through the hazy night, slowly coming into clarity — wide robes, white shoes, one frame at a time growing clearer. And then a face that was quite handsome.

Lin Sui’an’s pupils contracted sharply.

This face bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Su Chengxian’s. At first glance, it was as though Su Chengxian had climbed up from the grave.