CHAPTER 222: CHAPTER 222: MEN’S CLOTHING

Xie Xun raised an eyebrow, resting his chin lightly, utterly perplexed, "Why?"

Fengyu, being a businesswoman, had not yet extended her operations to brothel dealings. Moreover, Wen Shisan was in charge of Mudan Building; Fengyu only reviewed the accounts and rarely concerned herself with the specifics.

As a merchant, one must never reveal weakness. Fengyu gazed at the young Marquis with a faint, enigmatic smile, "Young Marquis visits pleasure houses often, wouldn’t you know?"

Xie Xun thought of his persona, then remembered that Fengyu was the owner of Mudan Building—he himself a frequent visitor—and suddenly felt a sense of cosmic irony.

"Although I often visit pleasure houses, I have never caused embarrassment or grievance to others. Naturally, I wouldn’t know."

"...How tender and sentimental."

Xie Xun, "..."

The young Marquis secretly thought to himself, perhaps he was indeed somewhat foolish.

Fengyu held a cup of clear tea, her gaze lowered as she suppressed a smile. She resembled a jade doll, captivating Xie Xun subtly, though his mind was still on the pressing matter at hand. Unable to stifle a chuckle, he explained, "This Marquis has only visited Mudan Building briefly since returning to the Capital City–purely to drink wine and remain blameless. If something were to occur, Lady Thirteen would have informed you already, wouldn’t she?"

"Why would Lady Thirteen inform me?" Fengyu sipped her tea indifferently.

"Isn’t Mudan Building one of your businesses?"

"How do you know?"

"My dear lady, frequenting establishments for fine wine without first investigating the ownership could be unwise–what if someone planned an ambush?"

Fengyu pressed her lips together. "When did you find out?"

"Before I visited Mudan Building, I already knew." When Xie Xun first returned to the Capital City, he had gone through a period of despondency, during which Lin Cheng led him to Mudan Building for entertainment. Even before that outing, Xie Xun had dispatched agents to uncover the identity of Mudan’s owner. Within the Capital City, several renowned pleasure establishments existed, some focusing on artistry rather than fleshly transactions.

Pleasure halls, however, were less popular than full-fledged brothels. The idle sons of noble families often preferred novelty, and though they maintained an air of elegance on the surface, their inner desires betrayed them. Business at pleasure halls was bleak. For song and floral viewing, noble ladies frequently organized archery tournaments, music gatherings, or banquet-like flower festivals; their prowess in the arts often outshone that of the hall’s performers—why bother frequenting pleasure halls?

Mudan Building emerged as a sensation, making waves with its initial performance. The women there were breathtakingly beautiful, masters of multiple disciplines—chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry—each excelling profoundly in a particular craft. In no time, noble sons were drawn in droves. Though a pleasure hall, its ladies did not engage in lustful transactions but instead embodied unmatched refinement and elegance, captivating the entire Capital City and bringing gallant youths to their knees.

After his return to the Capital, Xie Xun often passed by Mudan Building, noting the presence of esteemed nobles and high-ranking officials indulging in its cultural offerings. He suspected someone might be using Mudan Building to covertly gather intelligence.

Initially, he suspected the Eastern Palace... or Emperor Jianming.

For over half a month, he had his men surveil Lady Thirteen, yet found no leads. Lady Thirteen’s identity remained shrouded in mystery, resistant to investigation. It wasn’t until Feiying caught sight of Lady Thirteen sharing intimate moments with Manager Wen that Xie Xun traced the trail to Fengyu.

At the time, Xie Xun still harbored resentment toward Fengyu.

Fengyu never directly managed Mudan Building’s operations. Even if the court were to investigate, the official owner was Lady Thirteen, with no ties to Fengyu. Coincidentally, during the same period, the Eastern Palace repeatedly dispatched envoys to approach Fengyu, leading Xie Xun to mistakenly believe Fengyu was aiding the Eastern Palace. Every action back then coincided too perfectly, inevitably arousing suspicion.

In his fury, Xie Xun had resolved to take Fengyu down, his thoughts consumed by anger at the prospect of Feng Shu marrying his older brother while Fengyu allegedly worked for the Eastern Palace. He even grew bitterly convinced that Fengyu wished to stand on two boats—securely anchored regardless of which one sank.

While sitting on the Marquis Mansion’s proverbial vessel, she appeared eager to simultaneously curry favor with the Eastern Palace. Yet, back then, Fengyu was still young; Xie Xun doubted she had the cunning for such schemes. Later, however, he realized Fengyu was sharper and more calculating than he imagined. She could feign intimacy with the Eastern Palace while deceiving everyone else, rapidly expanding the Feng Family’s enterprise in the Capital City.

The Crown Prince attempted to meddle in Su Family’s Capital investments but was rebuffed by Fengyu. He even sent agents to approach Mudan Building’s Lady Thirteen. Fengyu understood civilians could not defy the nobility, especially the Heavenly Family. Yet, she grasped a delicate balance of power and intimidation. Lady Thirteen quickly aligned with King Qi, forcing the Eastern Palace’s influence on Mudan Building to retreat.

During Xie Xun’s two years of debauched pursuits in the Capital, he observed Fengyu and the Crown Prince engaging in their battle of wits from the sidelines, finding amusement in the spectacle. After all, both Fengyu and the Crown Prince were individuals he despised—a match made in heaven: the man treacherous, the woman cunning.

It wasn’t until the city endured its snow disaster that Xie Xun realized his assessments had been wrong. Fengyu and the Crown Prince were fundamentally different. While both were deceitful and astute, Fengyu had never abandoned her principles. She possessed compassion for the weak and discernment between right and wrong.

Fengyu hadn’t expected Xie Xun to have known Mudan Building’s ownership from the very beginning. "The owner of Mudan Building is Lady Thirteen. Over the years, I haven’t touched a single penny from Mudan Building. It’s nearly impossible for others to uncover its ties to me. How did you find out?"

"You might not use money from Mudan Building, but you’ve taken Linlang Pavilion’s." Xie Xun remarked. "Mudan Building and Linlang Pavilion deal through Baofeng Bank. Eventually, I figured it out: Lady Thirteen deposits the earnings into Baofeng, and you withdraw from Baofeng without going through Mudan Building."

Fengyu had executed her plans with utmost caution; unraveling them should have been exceedingly difficult. Back then, her strategies lacked the finesse they had now. With industry just taking root, managers from various establishments frequently sought her input, leaving traces visible upon deeper inspection. Today, however, such threads had been masterfully concealed.

Fengyu’s heart tightened with unease. If Xie Xun knew...

Did the Crown Prince know as well?

Over the years, she hadn’t heard the Crown Prince ever mention it. In the initial years when Fengyu began managing Feng Family’s business, the Crown Prince frequently sent agents to approach her, partly because her elder sister often traveled to Jiangnan, spending little time in the Capital City. Moreover, the Crown Prince assumed Fengyu’s youthful naivety made her easy to manipulate—a miscalculation met with a firm rejection. Fengyu turned out to be nothing like he had imagined.

The Crown Prince coveted Mudan Building as it served as an ideal location for noble heirs and influential officials to cultivate refinement—making it a strategic hub for intelligence gathering on aristocratic movements.

Lady Thirteen later became an honored guest of King Qi. During discussions between the Crown Prince and King Qi regarding Mudan Building’s role in espionage, Lady Thirteen made her stance clear: she was solely interested in making money, unwilling to embroil herself in political strife. Were the noble families to uncover the Crown Prince’s scheme, Mudan Building would find itself crushed within the center of conflict.

Ultimately, Mudan Building had never been exploited as an intelligence hub, and the topic dissipated into obscurity. Should the Crown Prince discover Mudan Building belonged to Fengyu, he’d certainly be infuriated.

Suppressing her internal doubts, Fengyu sent her people to find Lady Thirteen, coordinating with Xie Xun for operations at Mudan Building. Shortly after sunset, Lady Thirteen responded: several girls from Hongxiu Pavilion were willing to assist, though they requested additional pay for serving the Beiman.

Adding pay was of little concern to Fengyu.

As nighttime fell, Xie Xun arrived at Mudan Building, only to find Fengyu already there—in male attire. Xie Xun stared blankly at the jade-faced young man before him, momentarily stunned.

She wore a white silk robe fringed with gold, understated yet luxurious brocade with subtle patterns. Her jade waistband boasted an emerald pendant. Her hair was tied into an immortal bun with an azure ribbon, exuding grace and elegance. Her lips were red, her teeth pristine—like an aristocratic youth before his coming of age ceremony.

Charming and tender, captivating the eras themselves.