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As a well-known den of iniquity in Fengyun County, Lanxiu Pavilion naturally saw a daily throng of visitors, especially since the official announcement that the evil scourge of the Wang family had been eradicated. Tonight, Lanxiu Pavilion welcomed a surge of what could only be described as retaliatory spending.

After all, people\'s tightly wound nerves needed easing.

And certain activities were the perfect remedy.

Li Fugui, a middle-aged jovial man, was certainly among those who thought so. He didn\'t enjoy a day without the company of women.

After all, studying was too exhausting, martial arts too bitter, and he never quite found his way with Taoist cultivation—the fleshly pleasures seemed to be the only thing that reminded him that he was still alive.

With numerous fields, farms, and stores under its name, Li\'s family had their course set by his great-grandfather, who had completed all his life\'s work (KPIs) upon his return from the government service. Why shouldn\'t he enjoy himself?

He had even tasted tea that cost two hundred taels per jin.

And just the day before yesterday, there had been grand news that brought joy to his heart: his archrival, Wang family\'s eldest son and his whole family had ascended to the heavens, leaving nobody to compete with him for the top courtesan.

From now on, he would be the brightest young master in Fengyun County\'s Lanxiu Tower.

Given such delightful news, how could he not go out and revel a bit?

The moonlight, watery and clear, shone on the greeters outside Lanxiu Tower, bringing out the fair and delicate skin of the ladies, an almost pitiable sight.

The ladies, faced with a bustling crowd of guests, didn\'t resort to the seductive posturing often depicted in films and TV shows; instead, their decorum was exceptionally reserved, merely curtsying to the incoming guests to signal their welcome.

Crude language like "Big fella, come play!" or "Young Master Li, it\'s been so long since you\'ve visited, have you forgotten little Taohong?" was absolutely unthinkable coming from the girls of Lanxiu Tower.

Too low class, beneath their status.

That\'s exactly what Li Fugui liked about Lanxiu Tower.

Class.

Places reeking of vulgarity like Hook Lane, Semi-Hidden Doors, and Spring Beauty Courtyard—that\'s where they have whole floors of beckoning red sleeves. What was his standing, what was his class? Going to those places, mingling with butchers and peasants—wouldn\'t that make people laugh their heads off, as if his great-grandfather had slogged for nothing?

His family\'s three generations of effort couldn\'t be tarnished by frequenting places that would embarrass his ancestors.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Li Fugui with a group of his fair-weather friends sauntered into Lanxiu Pavilion, laughing and chattering.

With their pompous air, they certainly didn\'t join the crowd in the ground floor hall to drink and make merry. Instead, Li Fugui, as the center of his group, led them into a private room on the second floor.

Once everyone was seated, a flock of enchanting ladies filed in to wait on them. The group initiated drinking games and intermittently enjoyed shots from small cups, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

After three rounds of drinks, Li Fugui, now in high spirits with a beauty in his arms, posed a question to the group:

"Gentlemen, tell me, how could we achieve wealth and status if not for the shadow of our ancestors?"

His question was met with silence.

Clearly, the musings of Li the Youthful Master had stumped his band of sycophants.

"Wu Changshou, what about you? How did your family rise to prominence?" Li Fugui\'s gaze hardened as he targeted his newest underling—the eldest son of the Wu family from Qingyuan Town.

Now technically the Family Head of the Wu family, as more than a month earlier, Wu Changshou\'s father had succumbed to a violent illness. Overwhelmed with grief yet opportunistic, Wu Qing quickly stepped into his father\'s shoes and dismissed his younger brother.

With the Wu family\'s trade in mountain goods and furs heavily reliant on the Li family\'s channels, after assuming the role of Family Head, Wu Qing became particularly ingratiating to Young Master Li, often accompanying him in his indulgences, hoping to maintain and even expand his family\'s business.

Confronted with Li the Youthful Master\'s question, Wu Qing showed a troubled expression, unsure of how to respond. As he caught sight of other boot-lickers around him smirking, an idea suddenly struck him, and he shared it:

"My grandfather once told my father and me, in the world today, if you want to be wealthy and noble, there are only three ways to go about it."

"Which three ways?" Interest piqued, Li the Youthful Master and his entourage perked up and turned their heads in curiosity.

"These three ways are…"

"Forget honor at the sight of profit, play both ends against the middle, take good care of your brother\'s wife."

"Ha! Wu Changshou, you\'re a witty one, and your old man was even wittier, quite the candid insight," laughed Li the Youthful Master, as the room burst into an uproar of amusement.

Forgetting honor for profit and double-dealing were all too common in their circle; Li the Youthful Master wasn\'t going to look down on Wu Changshou for it.

Surrounded by flatterers and yes-men, Wu Changshou\'s words were intriguing to him, like discovering a new toy.

Li the Youthful Master favored clever people, those who were obedient even more so. Today Wu Changshou had self-deprecatingly besmirched his own family name in front of everyone, humbling himself, much to Li\'s satisfaction. He might consider taking him on as a pet dog.

The answer about "taking good care of your brother\'s wife" was simply brilliant, reminding him of his dearly departed older brother.

Tsk tsk.

He was getting excited.

"Tonight\'s expenses are on me, gentlemen. Go find a lady of your liking and get some rest," declared Young Master Li, calling an end to the evening\'s festivities.

As the moon reached its zenith, the crowd grew tired of revelry and, assisted by the ladies, made their way toward their chambers.

Young Master Li declined the help of the beauties beside him and staggered towards the peony pavilion on the coveted twelfth floor of Lanxiu Tower.

After all, what was his class? How could he possibly share a common class of women with his underlings?

Too low.

Browsing the twelve floors of Showy View, they were named after twelve flowers: peony, Yue Ji, peony... daisy, and the like. To start, one had to pay a full year\'s silver, and during this year the madam would not entertain any other patrons, thus avoiding the embarrassment of her jade arms pillowing a thousand men, her rouge lips tasted by ten thousand.

After a year, you could redeem the courtesan\'s contract, extend her term, or add money!

Passing through the flower garden, crossing the rockery, the moonlight was like water, shining on the pavilions and waterside pavilions within Showy View. Suddenly, a cool breeze blew, and Young Master Li sobered up halfway.

Not far ahead, next to a well, a girl dressed in plain white was sobbing softly.

A crimson ribbon tied up her ink-black hair, and a jade-green belt accentuated her slender waist, making it slim enough to hold.

The girl\'s feet were bare... she wore no shoes, and her lotus feet were such that adding a fraction would make them too long, removing a fraction would make them too short, her toes radiant like jade, particularly tempting under the moonlight.

Who could withstand this?

Young Master Li hurried forward, wishing to get a better look.

With that look, he might as well have lost his soul.

Face like a lotus flower and lips painted black, brows arched like willows, eyes sparkling like fireflies.

And small branches bearing heavy fruit.

She was just his type.

In that moment, Young Master Li forgot his destiny, the madam of the Peony Floor.

Who was the madam of the Peony Floor? Completely unfamiliar.

"Miss, why do you weep so late at night?" Young Master Li hurriedly approached to inquire.

Seeing someone approaching, the girl in white stopped crying, turned her head away, and did not speak. Under the moonlight, her delicate nose stood out prominently.

Young Master Li asked again.

Finally, the girl spoke faintly, "Young Master, why are there so many heartless and fickle men in this world? My elder sister was deceived by such a man, found life unbearable, and hanged herself."

"That\'s because your sister encountered a scoundrel," Young Master Li replied. "Miss, are you a new maid in Showy View? I haven\'t seen you before. You should keep your eyes peeled in the future." Finished speaking, Young Master Li puffed out his chest, confidently regarding the girl in white, as if he were about to tattoo the word \'good man\' across his face.

A shy expression flickered across the girl\'s face.

"And are you a \'good man,\' sir?"

"Absolutely, without a doubt. The people of Fengyun County all call me the most passionate man in Fengyun."

"The moment I saw you tonight, I fell in love, and I shall marry no one but you."

"I don\'t believe you."

"How can you believe me?" Young Master Li suddenly grew anxious.

"Unless you cut out your heart and show it to me."

"Very well, as you wish. My heart, I give it all to you."

"Truly?"

"Truly." Young Master Li\'s face brightened, and he stepped forward, ready to wrap his arms around the girl in white.

Just then, a cloud suddenly passed over, obscuring the moonlight, and the lights in the corridor went out.

Young Master Li felt as if he were hugging a block of thousand-year-old ice.

It was only then that his mind, befuddled with lust, snapped back to reality as he looked at the beauty in his embrace.

"Young Master, do you find me beautiful?"

The girl in white raised her head, and her face slowly melted like wax, her eyes and mouth merging into three black holes.

"Ah!" Young Master Li cried out in terror, only to realize that at some point a faint mist had risen around him, and no matter how loudly he shouted, no one paid him any heed.

He wanted to run, but his legs felt as if they were filled with lead, and he could not lift them.

"Young Master, you promised to show me your heart."

"Here I come."

"The little scissors are coming."

Out of nowhere, a pair of red scissors appeared in the hands of the girl in white.

"Young Master Li, oh so white, first the kidneys, then the heart—lying still makes you so cute."

"Young Master Li, your heart is black! Where, oh where, is my true love?"

"I must search for my true love once again."

The girl in white placed the still-beating heart into a grey cloth bag, waved her hand, and the large red lantern hanging outside the gate of Showy View suddenly turned white, with two large characters for \'condolence\' written on it.

Both lanterns continued to emit white smoke.

The white lantern, as if contagious, spread its color to many of the lanterns inside Showy View, and more and more lanterns turned white, eventually adorning the entire building.

In an instant, the largest social establishment of Fengyun County was shrouded in a mysterious fog.