Chapter Seventy-Four: The Monk of Blossoms

“Hmph! It’s just a bar of soap—why would I care?” Yun Hao ignored Xing’er, who was slapping her own face with loud smacks. After wiping his hands with a cloth, he walked out.

Yun Hao really had no fondness for this girl Xing’er. From the very first time she saw him, she’d never once looked at him properly. Just a servant, yet she had the heart of a young lady. It was clear the Zhang family had spoiled her rotten; girls of her age were always unreasonable. But Yun Hao had no intention of indulging her. If she really did become part of his dowry to the Yun family, he wouldn’t mind teaching her a lesson or two.

Ever since being kidnapped by Old Tiger Lei, Yun Hao had gained a new understanding of the violent gangs that operated like secret societies in the Sui Empire. These men were highly organized, fiercely capable, and extremely professional. You couldn’t always count on the luck of running into a gang that included someone like Hou Junji. Now, with his entanglement with Zhang Miaoke making waves everywhere, who could say if Wu Yuanshuang might really send someone to finish him off in the streets? Yun Hao had absolutely no confidence in the public safety of Jinyang.

Lai Shun and Qi Biao, those two blockheads, had flushed cheeks from drinking. Yun Hao gave each of them a kick and prepared to head into town. Nowadays, going out without two bodyguards felt truly unsafe.

In later times, Taiyuan would be known as the place with the highest concentration of coal barons in the country—billionaires everywhere and local tycoons as common as dogs. But Jinyang in the Sui and Tang eras was a world apart. For Yun Hao, this was his first time truly wandering the city. The main road was paved with stone, and wooden-wheeled ox carts and carriages rumbled along, the wood frames groaning in protest. Yun Hao couldn’t help but wonder what it felt like to ride inside—was it like being shaken in a lantern, or maybe more like riding a tractor?

“Young sir, are you Physician Yun?” A servant in a blue tunic and cap approached, bowing respectfully.

“And you are...?” Yun Hao didn’t recognize him, but his attire suggested he belonged to a prominent household.

“I am the chief attendant of Master Chai. My lord is upstairs drinking. He saw Physician Yun passing by and sent me to wait for you.” The boy’s speech was courteous and proper, as one would expect from a servant of a great house. Yun Hao looked up and saw Chai Shao on a balcony, waving to him.

Yun Hao glanced at the building and paused. The sign above bore three characters: Lanwan Pavilion. He had no idea what kind of place it was, but guessed it was some sort of restaurant or teahouse. In his foul mood, he figured since Chai Shao was treating, he might as well enjoy it.

He led Qi Biao and Lai Shun up the stairs. Only upon entering did Yun Hao realize how vast the Lanwan Pavilion was. He looked up to see three stories of wooden balconies, lined with rooms. In the center was a massive courtyard, illuminated as bright as day by countless giant tallow candles.

Yun Hao walked across a Persian carpet so luxurious and thick that it covered his feet. The softness was delightful. Without hesitation, he sat right down, kicked off his boots, and flung them aside, oblivious to the astonished stares of those around him. Boots from the Sui and Tang dynasties had serious drawbacks, the worst being their lack of ventilation. Surely, foot odor and fungal infections were rampant in these times.

The attendants stared in shock, but seeing the young servant who led him, none dared intervene. The Prefect of Jinyang was the law here—who in their right mind would dare scold a guest from the Duke of Tang’s mansion?

Qi Biao and Lai Shun quickly followed suit, taking off their boots but feeling it a pity to toss them away, so they tucked them under their arms. Their comical appearance drew laughter from nearby serving girls, and the two fools grinned back, looking utterly ridiculous.

The young servant suppressed a laugh and led Yun Hao to a private room by the window. Even before reaching the door, Yun Hao heard the strains of string and wind instruments. A set of chimes was being played—normally, such instruments were reserved for the elite, and using them improperly was punishable by death.

“Haha! Yun, my friend! I’m hosting two distinguished masters tonight. As luck would have it, I saw you passing by—come, join us for a drink!” Chai Shao’s laughter was boisterous, a far cry from his cautious demeanor at the Duke of Tang’s residence; it was as if he were a different person. The flush in his cheeks made clear he’d had plenty to drink.

The scene in the private room stunned Yun Hao. Chai Shao sat at the head, with two monks as guests—Shenxiu and Huineng. Shenxiu was unremarkable, but beside Chai Shao and Huineng sat two serving girls each. Huineng had his arm around a songstress’s slender waist, hand venturing under her skirt, his bald head bent to drink wine from her lips. Good heavens, this was unsanitary beyond words.

“Master Huineng, that skin-cup of yours is quite impressive. I wonder what the wine tastes like?” Chai Shao roared with laughter, and the serving girls joined in, their laughter ringing through the room. Shenxiu, however, kept his head bowed, focused on his meal.

Yun Hao finally realized that the Lanwan Pavilion was, in fact, a brothel. Here he was, an eight-year-old, carousing in such a place—surely news that would set Jinyang abuzz. By morning, he’d probably be trending in the city’s rumor mill.

But since he was here, he decided to make the best of it. The Sui dynasty was very different from later times.

In the Sui, visiting brothels was fashionable. Sleeping with another man’s wife would get you drowned in a pig cage, but in later eras, that became trendy, while brothel-visiting became a crime. In the Sui, a trip to a pleasure house meant the hostess would start by brewing you tea: “No need to hurry, young master, let me play you a tune first.” In a modern massage parlor, the hostess would bark, “Hurry up! The crackdown’s on—let’s not waste time!” The loss of traditional culture was truly heartbreaking...

The songstress beside Huineng was a seductive beauty, casting a flirtatious glance toward the door. She wore a sheer robe that had slipped to her chest, revealing snowy skin and a deep, inviting hollow.

“So it’s Benefactor Yun. I was just...” Huineng greeted Yun Hao with a smile.

“If you say you’re blessing this lady, I’ll lose all respect for you,” Yun Hao replied, seating himself at a table where a maid immediately came to wash his hands and face.

Huineng paused, then tried again: “I was just...”

“If you say you’re channeling energy into her, I’ll still look down on you,” Yun Hao interrupted.

Huineng’s expression grew odd. He glanced nervously at the woman beside him, then at Shenxiu, placed his palms together, and chanted, “Amitabha... the senses...”

Yun Hao cut him off at once: “Amitabha, my foot! If you dare say ‘form is emptiness, emptiness is form,’ Buddha will send the Eight Legions of Heavenly Dragons to bite you.”

Huineng’s eyelid twitched. He looked at Yun Hao helplessly and said, “Benefactor, haven’t you heard...”

But before he could finish, Yun Hao interrupted yet again: “Nonsense! If you dare say ‘wine and women pass through the bowels, but Buddha is seated in the heart,’ I’ll—”

Behind him, Qi Biao and Lai Shun, who had already caught on, chimed in, “We’ll look down on you!”

“Hmph!” Shenxiu snorted, stood up, pressed his palms together and bowed to Chai Shao, then turned and left, ignoring Chai Shao’s repeated calls. Chai Shao could only smile wryly at Huineng; this monk was truly outrageous.

But Huineng waved it off indifferently, his face serene as he declared, “I am enlightening the worldly. What is there to be ashamed of?”

“Master Huineng, could you please put your trousers on before you start sermonizing?”

P.S. Watched the national football team’s great battle against Korea today—owed you all a chapter, will make it up later. To celebrate our glorious victory, there’ll be an extra update tomorrow!