The bustling atmosphere in White Clothes Lane was distinctly different from that of Red Clothes Lane. In Red Clothes Lane, establishments were known as brothels, tea houses, lodging houses, or pleasure dens. Here, in White Clothes Lane, they were called “refined musical houses.”

White Clothes Lane was paved with pristine bluestone bricks, even adorned with carved patterns of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums. There were no shouts from hawkers soliciting customers, nor any alluring women leaning from second-story balconies. Only the gentle sounds of zithers and lutes floated from within the buildings and courtyards, their melodies accompanied by the women’s graceful and captivating voices. One could hear their singing but not see their faces, as if they were women holding a pipa, their forms veiled from view.

Chen Ji opened his eyes; glistening golden melon seeds lay heavy in his palm. He hadn’t deliberately waited for the seeds to land before opening his eyes; he had just been knocked down by a halberdier again and nearly hadn’t recovered.

At that moment, the area in front of the embroidered building grew lively once more, drawing everyone’s attention. It was the carriage of Lord Chen, the Associate Prefect of Luocheng. A spacious carriage stopped at the entrance. Chen Wenzong, Chen Wenxiao, and Lin Chaojing stepped out together and, chatting and laughing, approached the table.

Chen Wenzong smiled and asked, “Brother Chaojing, will you go first, or shall I? One poem is enough for four people to enter; either of us can do it.” His words were confident, as if victory was effortless.

Lin Chaojing smiled and modestly replied, “Of course, Brother Wenzong, you should. It’s been over half a month since I left Donglin Academy, and I’ve missed your poetry dearly. Do you have any new poems recently?”

“I do,” Chen Wenzong replied with a smile.

The three scholars were graceful and refined. As the weather grew cooler, they had already draped themselves in simple, elegant fur cloaks. Fur cloaks also varied in quality, with the white fox underarm fur worn by the three of them being the most precious.

Liu Quxing, standing nearby, pouted and muttered, “It’s not even winter yet, and they’re already wearing fur cloaks. Don’t they feel stifled? Why aren’t they carrying hand warmers too?”

The next moment, a stable hand behind Chen Wenzong helped him remove his fur cloak. Chen Wenzong then picked up a brush from the table and swiftly wrote four poems. After writing, he smiled at the two welcoming courtesans outside the embroidered building. “We are three companions, and we won’t take advantage of Head Courtesan Liu. So, one poem per person will earn us a private room on the second floor.”

The welcoming courtesan smiled and asked, “Why did you write an extra one?”

“That one is specifically for Head Courtesan Liu.”

The onlookers cheered, praising Chen Wenzong as a truly romantic and talented scholar.

Chen Wenxiao said with a smile, “Brother, you are truly gifted! You are sure to rank first in the provincial examination this time!”

Chen Wenzong’s expression seemed displeased. “You should also work hard. But never mind, I won’t spoil your mood today.”

Soon after, the welcoming courtesan took the four poems upstairs. A moment later, she returned to the entrance, smiling. “My lady says that Young Master Wenzong’s thoughts are ingenious, and his four poems perfectly encapsulate spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Gentlemen, please come upstairs!”

Princess Baili looked at Chen Wenzong, then at Chen Ji. “Your father is too biased.”

Chen Ji smiled. “It’s fine. I’m doing quite well now.”

The Young Prince lamented, “Your second legitimate brother, Chen Wenxiao, wasn’t much better than me when he was at Donglin Academy. I even saw him at a tavern down the mountain, but now he puts on such airs.”

“Everyone only shows him some respect because of Chen Wenzong,” he added.

Baili frowned. “Brother, you mustn’t speak ill of people behind their backs!”

“I’m talking about Chen Wenxiao…”

“It doesn’t matter who it is; that’s not what a gentleman does! If you have a grievance against him, you should scold him to his face later!”

The Young Prince raised his hands. “Alright, alright, I won’t say another word.”

Just as they were speaking, the welcoming courtesan announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, there are only a few private rooms left on the second floor. If you have any poems or lyrics, please present them quickly.” This made the Young Prince anxious.

Taking advantage of others’ distraction, the Young Prince lowered his body and leaned close to Chen Ji. “Quick, quick, what other poems do you have?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “Besides that first line, I’ll need two more, and one golden melon seed won’t be enough.”

Baili pulled out another golden melon seed and pressed it into his palm, complaining softly, “It’s like making a wish to a Bodhisattva; you have to donate incense money.”

The Young Prince chuckled. “My dear sister, if you donate incense money to a Bodhisattva, they might not acknowledge you, but if you donate incense money to Chen Ji, he’ll immediately acknowledge you. Just think of him as a Bodhisattva.”

Chen Ji thought for a moment, then, while gathering the golden melon seeds into his sleeve, he chose two more lines of poetry and quietly taught them to the Young Prince.

Baili, her eyes shining, remarked, “Why are they all just half-lines? How wonderful it would be if you could write a whole poem! What a pity… Hey, how are you asleep again!”

Chen Ji didn’t reply to her, having already returned to his internal battle.

The Young Prince and Baili arrived in front of the embroidered building. Someone recognized them: “It’s the Young Prince and Princess Baili from Prince Jing’s Estate!”

Someone else whispered, “Is that the good-for-nothing Young Prince the scholars from Donglin Academy mentioned…?”

“Hush! Do you have a death wish!”

“It’s fine, the Young Prince is kind; he won’t mind.”

The ways of the world are strange: the more wicked a person is, the less others dare to bully them. But if you happen to be a good person, then anyone will dare to step all over you.

The Young Prince approached the table and, with a flourish, spiritedly wrote down two lines of poetry. When it came to the third line, he lowered his voice and asked, “Baili, what was the third line again?”

“Over a thousand mountains, birds have ceased their flight…”

Only after Baili prompted him did the Young Prince write the third line. He put down his brush and looked up at the two welcoming courtesans. “It’s done. But I’m different from the others.”

The welcoming courtesan, having heard of his identity from others, smiled and asked, “May I ask, Young Prince, how are you different?”

The Young Prince said triumphantly, “Others have to write a whole poem to get in, but I write better than them. Half a line is enough! Take it; let Head Courtesan Liu see it!”

The welcoming courtesan was momentarily stunned, then took the paper and hurried upstairs.

“I heard from a scholar who returned from Donglin Academy that this Young Prince is scolded by his teachers every day. He either goes up the mountain to catch pheasants and rabbits or sneaks down to the city to drink. Look at that group of people over there; they don’t look like scholars at all, wielding swords and sabers like country bumpkins.”

“Head Courtesan Liu will probably let him up out of respect for his status as a Young Prince.”

“You don’t know the full story. Before, on the Qinhuai River in Jinling, the legitimate grandson of the Hu family couldn’t produce a poem but still wanted to board a boat. He caused a huge scene, and guess what happened?”

“What happened?”

“A young master from the Xu family beat up that Hu family grandson and threw him into the Qinhuai River! So, if the Young Prince wants to throw his weight around, he’s definitely picked the wrong place. Head Courtesan Liu is protected by the Xu family, whose patriarch is the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. The Xu family doesn’t need to show respect to a mere feudal prince…”

Meanwhile, the crowd continued to murmur. The Young Prince, ignoring their comments, simply waited for the welcoming courtesan to descend, then asked curiously, “Miss, what did Head Courtesan Liu say?”

The welcoming courtesan giggled. “My lady says that the Young Prince wasn’t boasting; your half-line is worth ten of others’! Please, come upstairs!”

The onlookers were astonished: “That good-for-nothing Young Prince can write poetry?”

The Young Prince’s eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to scan the crowd, trying to find who had spoken. He was handsome, wearing a black gauze cap befitting a young prince and an imperial python robe with silver patterns. With his smile gone, an innate dignity emanated from him, making him seem for a moment not like the dissolute youth he once was.

The speaker wasn’t foolish; he was merely emboldened by the chaotic crowd. Seeing the Young Prince’s faint anger, he didn’t dare genuinely challenge that authority and immediately shrank back into the crowd.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “Bring out the poem the Young Prince just wrote! Let’s see if Head Courtesan Liu went easy on him!”

The Young Prince was silent for a moment, then burst into a carefree, hearty laugh, no longer taking their disparaging remarks to heart. “Say what you will; I can go to the second floor, and you can’t. Let it infuriate you! I’m off to drink!” The Young Prince waved his hand grandly, displaying a touch of chivalrous spirit.

Ignoring the crowd, he turned and excitedly waved to Liang Gou’er. “Quick, quick! Carry Chen Ji upstairs with us to drink!”

Everyone’s gaze turned towards Chen Ji and his companions. “Why are they carrying someone who’s sleeping?”

“Why are so many people carrying him?”
“Maybe he’s disabled, can’t walk.”
“How pitiful.”

Liang Gou’er and Liang Mao’er carried the bamboo chair forward. Liu Quxing laughed, “Now, Chen Ji is going to become famous in Luocheng.”

Yu Dengke, feeling uneasy, said, “It would be better to leave him at a clinic, so people don’t call him disabled.”

Liang Gou’er said boisterously, “We are children of the jianghu; how can we drink without one person? He’d be so bored alone at the clinic! Of course, we must drink together! We’ll drink until morning, then carry him up the drum tower to watch the sunrise. Now that would be exhilarating!”

By this time, Chen Ji had died and woken up again. But hearing the discussions around him, he truly didn’t have the courage to open his eyes. With his eyes still closed, he gritted his teeth and muttered, “Stop talking and let’s go!”

Liang Gou’er and Liu Quxing burst out laughing. “So you were awake after all!”

Upon reaching the second floor of the embroidered building, they found a strange arrangement: all the private seating areas were separated by layers of sheer silk curtains hanging from the ceiling, as if completely isolated from the world.

The Young Prince exclaimed in surprise, “What is the meaning of this? If everyone sits behind these curtains, how can we see Head Courtesan Liu?”

A maid explained from the side, “This is tonight’s game. As autumn is crisp and clear, my lady said everyone must compose three poems related to autumn. There are three layers of curtains blocking the private rooms. For each poem you complete, one layer will be removed. Only after all three poems are finished will you be able to see my lady.”

The Young Prince looked around and saw a maid removing all three layers of curtains from Chen Wenzong’s area, revealing that he had already completed all three poems. Looking at another private room, someone passed out a sheet of Xuan paper from behind the curtain. Soon, a maid came and removed the curtain from that room, revealing Liu Mingxian sitting upright inside.

The Young Prince subconsciously looked at Chen Ji, but Chen Ji had, surprisingly, fallen asleep again. He urged, “Baili, quick, donate incense money!”

Princess Baili pulled three golden melon seeds from her small purse and pressed them into Chen Ji’s palm. But this time, Chen Ji, lying on the bamboo chair, did not wake up.

The Young Prince gasped. “Oh no, even money isn’t working! He’s a true Bodhisattva!”

Dozens of yards away on the street, Jin Zhu, disguised as a wealthy merchant with a secret agent, was discreetly observing the embroidered building.

Jin Zhu was speaking in a low voice: “This embroidered building needs close attention. Luocheng is currently in a turbulent autumn, and today isn’t an auspicious day. His choice to open today is suspicious. And that Head Courtesan Liu, she was doing perfectly fine in Jinling. Why suddenly come to Luocheng?”

“My lord,” the agent replied, “it’s customary for refined musical houses throughout our dynasty to invite head courtesans from the Qinhuai River in Jinling for their opening ceremonies. After all, their reputation precedes them; everyone knows the best come from Qinhuai.”

Jin Zhu shook his head. “No, it’s different. We need to keep a close eye on all new faces appearing in Luocheng during this period. Also, this Young Prince and Princess. Donglin Academy closed a month ago. Even if it takes half a month to travel back by carriage, where did they go and what did they do during the other half-month? Investigate that.”

“Within Luocheng territory,” the agent began hesitantly, “wouldn’t provoking Prince Jing’s Estate…”

Jin Zhu narrowed his eyes slightly and sneered, “If Prince Jing’s Estate weren’t backing them, would the Liu family dare to collude with the enemy? Even if they commit treason and rebellion, they’d still need to find a new master. Without Prince Jing, would the Liu family dare to sit on the dragon throne themselves? Are they worthy? The Xu, Chen, Qi, Hu, and Yang families would devour them whole!”

Jin Zhu understood one thing clearly: even if the Liu family succeeded in their rebellion, they couldn’t sit on that throne themselves. Therefore, they must choose someone else to put there. So, whom would they choose? Prince Fu, Prince Qi, and Prince An are all still young and lack the ability to command widespread support. Only Prince Jing has the qualifications to be the Liu family’s backing.

As they were talking, Jin Zhu watched wide-eyed as Chen Ji was carried into the embroidered building by Liang Gou’er and Liang Mao’er, with Princess Baili even helping to support the armrest. He instinctively rubbed his eyes. “Did I eat something bad, am I seeing things? Quick, look, is that Chen Ji being carried by Liang Mao’er and Liang Gou’er?”

His trusted secret agent replied dryly, “It’s him.”

Jin Zhu was even more astonished. “This kid’s status in Prince Jing’s Estate is so high! I must visit him tomorrow and instruct him to keep a close eye on the Young Prince and Princess, and find a way to unearth evidence of the Prince’s Estate’s collusion with the Jing Dynasty!”