Chapter 10: West Yamen’s Hounds

Lanyang Prefecture City is located on the north bank of the Zhebei River.

Going north from here are the Four States North of the River, which produce armor, furs, and medicinal herbs, while going south are the seven densely populated, prosperous, and wealthy states South of the River.

Traveling west upstream leads to Kuizhou, which is rich in fine salt, and traveling east along the canal reaches Central Heaven City, the Imperial Capital of Great Wu.

It is often called the Key to the River and the Thoroughfare of the Eleven States.

Busy commercial activities have spurred a massive service industry market.

Various brothels, hidden prostitutes, open dens, streetwalkers, and male prostitutes—it is said that the number of practitioners exceeds ten thousand, with thirty-six officially registered brothels alone.

Most of these are concentrated in Shouzhen Lane in the North City.

At the entrance of the lane is a small Daoist temple named Shouzheng Temple, giving the lane its name.

The most famous pleasure quarter is named’Shouzhen’ (Chastity Guarding)—how ironic.

Ding Suian was delayed by Lin Dafu outside the Prince’s Estate, and it was already past the hai hour when he arrived at Shouzhen Lane.

“Young Master, buy a sachet blessed by the Immortal Elder of Shouzheng Temple. It can calm your mind, ensure safety, and even earn a Jie’er’s smile.”

“Scram! Get lost!”

At the entrance of the lane, some young children would swarm forward, holding up sachets whenever they saw a patron entering the lane.

Most of the time, they only received two shouts of abuse in return.

Most of these children were sallow and skinny, with their clothes covered in patches.

The so-called ‘blessed sachet’ merely exploited the eagerness of clients rushing to their appointments. It was similar to children selling roses to couples on Valentine’s Day.

However, the children Ding Suian had seen in his past life were doing it for pocket money, while this group was genuinely struggling for a bite of food to survive.

Calm the mind and ensure safety? Who would believe that!

Only a fool would buy it.

Pinshu Pavilion, located in the middle of Shouzhen Lane, is one of the thirty-six officially registered brothels.

Pinshu Pavilion.’Shu’ means woman; the character ‘Pin’ (Product) has three mouths, representing High Grade, Low Grade, and the middle grade.

It was obvious at a glance.

“Young Master, come up and play~”

“Master, this servant has an illness, the illness of lovesickness. Would Master come up and cure this servant’s ailment?”

Beside the carved railing overlooking the street on the second floor, the gorgeously dressed Jie’er waved scented handkerchiefs to attract patrons.

Ding Suian paused outside Pinshu Pavilion. The young Jie’er’s eyes lit up, but then their gaze dropped, clearly seeing the plain cotton robe he wore, and their eager eyes immediately dimmed.

No matter how handsome, he was just a handsome pauper.

The attendant at the door wasn’t exactly enthusiastic. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and offered a standardized greeting: “Young Master, do you have a Jie’er you know well? Would you like to drink and listen to music in the hall first, or go up to a Private Room on the second floor?”

Ding Suian chuckled and returned the salute, “This humble one lives in Liuhe Alley in Central Heaven, and wishes to speak with your esteemed establishment’s Shopkeeper Ruan.”

When the attendant heard the three words ‘Liuhe Alley,’ his pupils imperceptibly contracted. He immediately reverted to the demeanor expected of a Pimp, bowing slightly and gesturing forward, “Young Master, please come inside~”

Only after leading Ding Suian to a secluded Private Room did he say, “Young Master, please wait momentarily.”

Ding Suian was left alone in the Private Room. This was his first time visiting a brothel. Hearing the constant flirtatious chatter and unrestrained laughter from the outer hall, he took the opportunity to push open the window crack and observe and learn.

This was so that if he ever truly needed to socialize at a club in the future, the ‘Female Bodhisattvas’ wouldn’t immediately see through him as a Virgin.

In the spacious hall, which spanned three bays, about fifty to sixty percent of the seats were occupied by guests, and the sounds of drinking games were incessant.

On the three-foot-high stage in the center, several women danced gracefully, clad in Gauze Robes over inner garments made of Jiao’e Silk. The Gauze Robes were woven with warp threads twisted around weft threads, deliberately leaving small holes to achieve a revealing yet concealing effect.

The Jiao’e is an insect similar to a silkworm; its cocoon can be reeled into silk, which is crystal clear, smooth, and surprisingly elastic.

It can be used for intimate apparel.

Brothel Women often use Jiao’e Silk for long stockings, calling them Lingbo Stockings, to enhance pleasure.

Looking at this for a long time made one feel aroused.

If he didn’t have a suitable recipient, Ding Suian would definitely buy a pair.

But then again, Chest Hair really needed something like this; at least next time he played with a Jie’er, he wouldn’t make her cry from being pricked.

‘Creak~’

The door hinge squeaked softly, and Ding Suian turned his head.

Standing inside the door was a man nearing forty, dressed in a Black Silk Long Gown with Coin Patterns, with a fair complexion and a short beard beneath his jaw.

Due to his thin lips and aquiline nose, his face appeared slightly cold and severe, but this was largely mitigated by the genial smile that businessmen often wore.

Moreover, those eyes, like a cold pool, were unusually gentle when looking at Ding Suian.

Ding Suian closed the window, took a Scale Talisman Tooth Plaque from his waist, presented it with both hands, cupped his fist, and chuckled, “Greetings, Chief Officer Ruan!”

“I knew it was you, kid!”

As the man spoke, he followed protocol by taking the Scale Talisman Tooth Plaque and examining it. His expression was somewhat complex. “Does your father know you joined the West Yamen?”

Ding Suian shook his head.

The front of the Scale Talisman Tooth Plaque was engraved with an eagle, the back with a tiger, and inscribed with two lines of text: “The Tiger occupies the Eight Desolations, guarding the Ziwei Star; the Eagle cries over the Six Directions, defending the Scarlet Gate.”

Ziwei refers to the Imperial Star.

Scarlet Gate refers to the Palace Gate.

The tiger is sharp with its teeth, the eagle is strong with its claws.

Throughout Great Wu, only the West Yamen dared to call themselves the Claws and Teeth guarding the Imperial Star.

Since the founding of Great Wu, the current His Majesty established a Yamen to gather military intelligence externally, investigate Demons internally, and monitor officials.

This Yamen had no official name and was not under the jurisdiction of the Six Ministries. Because it was located on the east side of the Imperial City, officials referred to it as the ‘East Yamen’.

In the 29th Year of Zhengtong, the Former Crown Prince and the Former Second Prince were locked in a fierce rivalry, and the East Yamen became a tool in their struggle, ultimately leading to the East Yamen being riddled with holes by various forces and completely losing its intended function.

In the 31st Year of Zhengtong, Princess Xingguo established the West Yamen again on Liuhe Street in Ziwei Ward, on the west side of the Imperial City.

His Majesty had five sons and one daughter, and Xingguo was the youngest and most favored.

Furthermore, her status as a woman meant she could not inherit the Throne, so she was not feared by the other Imperial Heirs, and her detached status made it easier for her to act.

After more than a decade of operation, the West Yamen’s reach was already pervasive. Although its actions were not as high-profile and arrogant as the former East Yamen, it struck even greater fear into the hearts of the officials.

For example, the ‘Shadow Division’ of the West Yamen, which is responsible for intelligence gathering and handling dirty work, has members like bats in the dark night, spread across the Eleven States of Great Wu. Some constantly pose as Street Vendors and Laborers, while others are Incarnations of Monks, Daoists, or Minor Officials.

Even among the Imperial Guards like the Dragon Guard Army, who are responsible for the safety of the Imperial Family, there is no shortage of Shadow Division Spies. Ding Suian, who had impeccable credentials, was recruited into it from the first day he joined the army.

Ruan Guofan, the Owner of Pinshu Pavilion, was not only the Chief Officer of the Shadow Division in Lanyang Prefecture but also a comrade-in-arms of Ding Suian’s father, Ding Lie.

Back then, when Old Ding served in the Imperial Guards, the wives and children of many subordinates had nowhere to settle due to the high rents in the Capital City.

Fortunately, Old Ding had a small courtyard with two rooms in Chilao Alley in the South City, which helped his subordinates solve their urgent problems.

At its peak, the Ding Family’s small courtyard housed four families, thirteen people, so crowded that they couldn’t turn around. Ruan Guofan’s family was one of them.

It wasn’t until Ding Suian was six or seven that they were promoted, climbed to high positions, acquired spare wealth to purchase property, and gradually moved out.

The friendship between the two families goes without saying.

“Last month, I saw your name on the roster for the rotation at Prince Lanyangs Estate. You waited over a month to come see me, kid!”

Ruan Guofan personally poured tea for Ding Suian. His tone seemed dissatisfied but sounded more like the nagging of an elder.

“My Superior instructed me before I came that the assignment stationed at Prince Lanyangs Estate is sensitive. Unless it’s an urgent matter, I shouldn’t contact the Shadow Division brothers in Lanyang Prefecture.”

“Oh?” Ruan Guofan was very perceptive. “So, you’ve run into trouble?”

“Not exactly trouble.”

“Is it perhaps concerning the Princess Consort of Lanyang?”

Ruan Guofan looked like he had everything figured out, and Ding Suian complimented him, “Nothing can be hidden from the wise Uncle!”

“I’m not deaf! The news of you drawing your sword to protect her is now the talk of the town,” Ruan Guofan glanced at him meaningfully. “There are no outsiders here. Tell me the truth, do you really have something going on with her?”

“Others might not understand me, but doesn’t Uncle know me?” Ding Suian straightened his back and said seriously, “Adhering to propriety and upholding righteousness is this Nephew’s bottom line!”

Ruan Guofan scrutinized him for a long time, seemingly judging the boy’s sincerity, and finally smiled, “I’m not asking this out of concern for Ruan Ruan. Years ago, Immortal Master Bixu determined that the Princess Consort of Lanyang’s Bazi chart showed a ‘Hurting Officer’ star, which Harms the Husband. Didn’t the Prince of Lanyang die because of it? You’d better stay far away from her.”

Ruan Ruan is Ruan Guofan’s daughter. She was born when Ruan Guofan was residing at the Ding Family’s home and grew up with Ding Suian.

When they played house as children, Ruan Ruan often fought with other Girls in Chilao Alley to monopolize the role of Ding Suian’s wife.

But Ding Suian was curious about something else. “A Hurting Officer fate? Logically, Nobility like Prince Lanyangs Estate are always cautious when choosing a wife. Why would they select a Princess Consort with a Hurting Officer Bazi?”

“Madam Wu was eager for Du Jue to die early, so why would she care about such taboos?”

“Uncle, please elaborate.”

“In the 26th Year of Zhengtong, the Previous Prince of Lanyang and his wife died successively in the same year while still in their prime. Although Du Jue was raised by Madam Wu, he grew up to be a Dissolute Rake, and then mysteriously broke his waist, ending his lineage. Do you think all that was a coincidence?”

“Is Uncle suggesting that all of this was a Conspiracy Madam Wu had been planning for over twenty years?”

“I didn’t say that. But the Princess Consort’s family is weak yet wealthy. If Madam Wu truly played this grand game of chess, the brilliant finishing move would be the Princess Consort committing suicide to follow her husband in death, and Madam Wu’s two sons would Inherit the Title and the wealth, making a huge profit. Heh heh.”

Ruan Guofan gave Ding Suian a sinister smile. “But right before the final move was played, you kicked the chessboard over. How much do you think their family must hate you?”

Thanks to reader: Fanhua Xuejing 9527 for the tip.