Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy, Blood in Brocade Chapter 153: Ten Miles of Fireworks and Willow Blossoms

The beggar asked anxiously, "Doctor... can this... can this be cured?"

"This...!" Master Huang hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll write you a few prescriptions. After you get the medicine, go back and try it first. If there's no improvement within three days, find another doctor to take a look." He turned around, fetched a prescription, handed it to the beggar, and said, "Go get the medicine."

Holding the prescription, the beggar stood in a daze for a moment before pitifully asking, "Doctor, how much... how much silver will this medicine cost?"

"There are external poultices, and since the internal organs are damaged, there are also oral medicines. It will probably cost about two taels of silver," Master Huang said. "Since I'm examining you here, I won't charge a consultation fee, as it looks like you can't afford it anyway. However, I don't run the pharmacy, so once you need to fill the prescription, there's nothing I can do."

The beggar said helplessly, "Sir, can you... can you help me get the medicine first? Once I...!"

Master Huang raised a hand and said, "Say no more. I've made myself very clear. Getting the medicine is not my department; go talk to the clerk at the counter." He added, "Even if you talk to them, it's no use. Their monthly wages don't even add up to two taels of silver. If they really gave you the medicine for free, they'd have to pay for it out of their own pockets."

The beggar wore a look of utter helplessness when suddenly he heard Yang Ning say, "Go get your medicine. Saving a life is paramount." With that, he tossed over a piece of broken silver weighing roughly two taels.

The beggar caught it in a flurry, tears of gratitude welling in his eyes: "Many thanks, kind sir! This humble one... this humble one will definitely repay you."

Yang Ning smiled and said, "No need for more words. Saving lives comes first; go try it and see if it works."

Master Huang chimed in from the side, "This is the Marquis of Jinyi. Today is your lucky day to have run into such a generous benefactor."

"Many thanks, Marquis! Many thanks, Marquis!" The beggar was overflowing with gratitude. He went to fill the prescription, returned shortly after with profuse thanks, and left carrying the middle-aged beggar on his back.

"Master Huang, is this illness contagious? Should we be worried?" Yang Ning asked.

Master Huang looked around to the left and right before frowning and lowering his voice: "To be completely honest with Your Lordship, I have practiced medicine for many years and have seen quite a few ailments, but today's disease is rather peculiar—I have never encountered it before. It is undoubtedly contagious. As you can see, the younger one already has spots breaking out on his arm. I can only hope those few doses of medicine will have some effect."

Yang Ning nodded slightly. Not lingering any longer, he took his leave a moment later and departed.

Upon returning to the Marquis's estate, Qi Feng approached him and said, "My Lord, Young Master Yuan sent someone over just now. He said that your enfeeblement is a grand occasion and wishes to host a banquet to celebrate."

"Young Master Yuan?"

"Young Master Yuan Rong," Qi Feng said with a smile. "Surely Your Lordship hasn't forgotten him."

Only then did Yang Ning recall that he had previously dragged Yuan Rong to the Marquis of Wuxiang's estate, making the young man a witness, and hadn't seen him since.

He suddenly remembered that Yuan Rong still owed him a thousand taels of silver. The truth about the assassination at the Loyal and Righteous Manor had now come to light; the masterminds were the Third Grand Uncle and Qiu Yi's faction, which had nothing to do with Steward Wu of the Zhongling Villa. Steward Wu and several guards of the villa, eager to secure their future prospects, had secretly approached Yang Ning through Yuan Rong, offering a thousand taels of silver to settle the matter.

The silver hadn't been collected yet, so today was a perfect opportunity to get his hands on that thousand taels. The Marquis's estate was currently in dire need of funds, and with those thousand taels, their pressing emergency could be resolved.

Furthermore, Yang Ning was already preparing to start production of the Returning Spring Powder, which naturally required capital.

By dusk, Yuan Rong sent a carriage specifically to pick up Yang Ning. Unaware of where Yuan Rong was hosting the banquet, and feeling cautious due to Yang Ning's recent poisoning and assassination attempt, Duan Canghai personally brought along two guards to accompany him.

The carriage traveled all the way to the banks of the Qinhuai River.

Mist shrouds the cold waters and the moon shrouds the sands,
Anchoring at Qinhuai by night, near a tavern it stands.

Anchoring by the Qinhuai River at night, even without being near a tavern, the fragrance carried on the breeze for miles and the sound of warbling songstresses made one feel slightly intoxicated just by being immersed in it.

Only then did Yang Ning realize that Yuan Rong was actually hosting a banquet for him on the Qinhuai River. On second thought, this came as no surprise; after all, Yuan Rong fancied himself a romantic playboy, right at home in such a place.

A small skiff waited by the riverbank. Duan Canghai followed Yang Ning onto the boat, which drifted out across the water toward the center of the river.

Yang Ning gazed at the painted pleasure boats darting back and forth like carp—each with its own unique charm, exquisitely decorated and brilliantly illuminated. Listening to the lingering strains of bamboo flutes and songs while soaking in the enchanting scenery, a hazy, dreamlike mist of water and sand seemed to enter his eyes.

He had originally thought that with the late Emperor having passed away not long ago, the capital would remain devoid of such romantic dissipation for a long time. Yet, contrary to his expectations, within a mere span of days, the Qinhuai River had already resumed its former scenes of song and dance.

Perhaps in the eyes of many, it did not matter who sat upon the dragon throne; what mattered was that the capital's splendor and blossoming prosperity must continue on without interruption.

Before long, the small boat drew close to a large painted barge. The vessel was of considerable size, adorned with hanging gauze lanterns and wrapped in colorful silk ribbons, making it quite resplendent. However, the boat itself was not overly boisterous, save for the occasional chime of music sounding like falling spring water.

As the skiff approached, someone on the barge was already there to receive them, lowering a rope ladder. Yang Ning climbed up, and Duan Canghai, maintaining strict vigilance without a trace of negligence, followed him aboard.

A maid-servant was waiting on the barge. With delicate features, framed by the glow of lanterns and caressed by the evening breeze, her appearance was quite pleasant. She stepped forward and greeted them in a crisp voice, "My Lord, Young Master Yuan is waiting inside!"

Yang Ning nodded slightly. The maid led the way to the bow of the ship, where a flight of stairs led upward. "My Lord," she said, "Young Master Yuan is upstairs."

Yang Ning ascended the stairs. When Duan Canghai moved to follow, the maid blocked his path and said, "Esteemed sir, my lady is playing the zither. Do you intend to carry a blade upstairs?"

Duan Canghai replied indifferently, "This blade is inseparable from me. If you want to leave the blade behind, you'll have to leave my person behind as well."

The maid gave a seductive smile and said, "If the sir wishes to stay and drink, I can keep you company for a few cups." As she looked at Duan Canghai, her eyes rippled with autumn waves. Yang Ning observed this, thinking to himself that it was indeed the romantic capital of Qinhuai; though this girl was only fifteen or sixteen years old, she already possessed the capital to seduce men.

Duan Canghai sneered, devoid of any tender affection, and followed Yang Ning straight up.

Upon reaching the top deck of the barge, they saw a woman seated before a guqin, plucking and playing the strings. A small table was set nearby, laden with wine and dishes. Yuan Rong was lounging sideways against the table, gently dangling a jade pendant in his hand with his eyes closed, seemingly savoring the lingering notes of the music.

Judging by his posture, Yang Ning knew this fellow was a seasoned veteran of such affairs. He walked over and took a seat at the table. Duan Canghai did not follow him down, instead stationing himself at the top of the stairs, scanning all directions with intense vigilance.

"Is this the banquet you prepared for me?" Yang Ning plopped down at the table. Ignoring Yuan Rong for a moment, he cast his gaze toward the woman. She sat there languidly, expressionless, yet simply by sitting there, her entire being seemed to exude an ineffable depth of emotion.

Her appearance was extremely dazzling, but the first thing anyone noticed about her was not her beauty, but her eyes.

Her eyes were half-open and half-closed, as if she were immersed in her own music, or as if caught in a dream past midnight. There was no rosy, bustling prosperity of the Qinhuai River in those eyes, but rather a faint trace of desolation.

At this moment, those eyes were looking right at Yang Ning.

Yang Ning smiled slightly by way of greeting, and only then looked at Yuan Rong. He saw that Yuan Rong had already raised a single finger to his lips, signaling Yang Ning to remain silent.

When the tune came to an end, the woman finally walked over, knelt by the table, picked up a flagon of wine, and filled two cups.

Yuan Rong finally sat upright, raised his wine cup, and smiled, "My Lord, I toast you on your enfeeblement! May the Brocade Guard endure forever!"

The remark sounded somewhat peculiar, but Yang Ning still raised his cup. The two men drank it down in one go, and the woman refilled their cups.

"Don't be impatient," Yuan Rong laughed. "This is merely the appetizer; a grand banquet awaits you tonight."

"I don't care about anything else. Did you bring the silver?" Yang Ning held out his hand. "A thousand taels, hand it over quickly."

Yuan Rong was momentarily taken aback, then laughed. "Come now, My Lord, the atmosphere here is so refined and ethereal. To bring up silver at a time like this—isn't that rather spoiling the scenery?"

"In my view, nothing is better than silver," Yang Ning said. "Don't tell me you didn't bring the money."

"Rest assured, would I, Yuan Rong, ever go back on my word?" Yuan Rong said with a beaming smile. "Come, let me first introduce this beauty to you. Pearl, this is the Marquis of Jinyi. You must serve him well."

The woman gave a seductive smile and said, "Pearl pays her respects to the Marquis!"

Yang Ning nodded slightly, and Yuan Rong declared, "On the Qinhuai River, there is only this single Pearl; all the rest are mere common powder."

Seeing Pearl, Yang Ning smiled again, his thoughts suddenly drifting to Xiaodie.

His original purpose in coming to the capital was to search for Xiaodie. However, the escort agency had met with disaster, intercepted midway, and Xiaodie had vanished without a trace.

He had no idea where Xiaodie was now—whether she had been rescued and regained her freedom, fallen out of the frying pan into the fire, or perhaps even been right here in the capital all along.

He had originally intended to use the influence of the Marquis of Jinyi's estate to search for Xiaodie. Yet recently, the estate had been besieged by difficulties, beset by endless troubles of its own; how could they possibly spare the energy to help him look for her?

If Xiaodie truly was still in the capital, there was a high likelihood she had fallen into a house of pleasure. The mere thought of this weighed heavily on Yang Ning's heart like a stone.

"Has Mistress Pearl been in the capital long?" Yang Ning asked casually.

He suddenly thought that if Xiaodie had indeed fallen into the dust, the only way to find her would be to plunge deep into these places. Since Mistress Pearl was a denizen of this demi-monde, perhaps she could be relied upon to help find some clues.

Pearl smiled gently. Though she lived amidst the flowers and dust, she lacked the vulgar air of the pleasure quarters. In a soft voice, she said, "I arrived in the capital when I was eleven, and now it has been a full ten years."

"Oh!" Yang Ning smiled faintly. "Then Mistress Pearl must be very familiar with the capital?"

"Does Your Lordship wish to ask if I am very familiar with this trade?" Pearl's eyes flickered, and she gave a light laugh. "I began making a living in this trade at age eleven. After ten years, I suppose I am quite familiar with it." Her tone was entirely calm, yet Yang Ning acutely perceived a trace of underlying exhaustion in her words.

Just at that moment, the distant sound of gongs beating came drifting over, followed instantly by the rolling thunder of drums. While Yang Ning was still wondering, a piercing sound rent the sky, and fireworks soared up into the clouds. Brilliant and dazzling, resembling auspicious qilin and clustered flowers, in the span of a mere moment, the Qinhuai River felt like heaven on earth, an immortal realm.

Yang Ning was rather astonished, thinking to himself that this era had apparently already invented fireworks.