Chapter 899: The Land of Fireworks, Descendants of Emperors

The night curfew in the capital was strict; it was only one hour left until the third watch. Although there were few pedestrians on the streets, Huanghua Fang east of Dongsi Pailou remained bustling, far from the quietness before the curfew. This was the famous entertainment district of the Ming Dynasty. Though red lanterns hung high, there was a distinction between those for official use and those for private use.

The official ones referred to the Jiaofang. The Jiaofang itself was located in Jiansi Hutong, but the singers and dancers practiced in the performance area of Yanle Hutong, while performances took place in Goulan Hutong. Naturally, the prostitutes in the Jiaofang who served ordinary people were different from those who performed for the emperor. Goulan was the place where these prostitutes performed, and the commoners would judge them by their appearance, songs, and dances. After each performance, they would spend money lavishly—making it a truly enchanting place. Since the Fuleyuan, where the official prostitutes lived, was destroyed in a fire, they now resided in the newly built sixteen-story buildings in Huanghua Fang, dedicated to serving passing merchants, which made Huanghua Fang even more lively.

The sixteen-story buildings followed the old system from the Hongwu era: military and civil officials and their attendants were prohibited from entering, while only merchants were allowed. Yet, decades after the founding of the dynasty, those strict rules had become mere formality. Moreover, high-ranking officials often ordered excellent singers and dancers to accompany their banquets, and lower-ranking officials frequenting such places usually didn’t draw much attention from censors. So, as Zhang Yue and Liu Zhong walked down the streets of Goulan Hutong, they didn’t have to worry too much about stares.

Seeing Zhang Yue looking around as if it were his first time here, Liu Zhong laughed and said, “What, are you, the local boss, here for the first time?”

Zhang Yue had just come all the way here and saw crowds everywhere. He thought to himself that no matter what era it was, this place could never be banned—especially since the officials in the capital were poor and their families were often not by their side. He didn’t know about other government offices, but at least in the Ministry of War, there was an official who, it was said, had received support from a private prostitute in Dengcaohutong. He stayed in the capital for six years and finally passed the imperial examinations. After that, he married her, creating a famous love story. But what became of that story amid the daily struggles of life could be seen from the state of that official in the Chajia Si, who looked like an old man even before reaching forty.

Thus, faced with Liu Zhong’s teasing, he laughed and said, “If you want to see singing and dancing, the Duke of England has plenty available. If you want to watch a theater troupe perform, the Princess’s residence in Shiwangfu Hutong gets new plays sent over every month by Prince Zhou of Kaifeng. As for other pleasures like food, drinks, and entertainment, my home may not have everything, but it’s by no means inferior to those outside. Besides, how many people like Old Liu would drag me to such a place? Those officials wouldn’t dare!”
Liu Zhong immediately laughed, “You’re right. Your superior is easygoing—inviting them to a few good meals isn’t a problem. But if you saw their ugly faces, that would be awkward. After all, even the Censorate has its stubborn members. Don’t worry, I won’t force you. Tonight, the Skylark Troupe from the Teaching and Music Bureau is performing at Tianxianlou in Goulan Hutong. It’s just for watching performances and drinking. I heard even a few senior ministers from the Cabinet have been there—so we’re nothing special.”
Zhang Yue originally thought Liu Zhong was just talking, but once he stepped into Tianxianlou, he realized it was bustling with people. Everyone there was well-dressed, and many faces were familiar from court meetings. When those people saw him, their first reaction was one of shock, as if they’d seen a ghost, before they gradually calmed down.
It was just for watching performances, not for prostitution—why worry about running into acquaintances?
Although Liu Zhong had only recently returned to the capital, he seemed far more familiar with the place than Zhang Yue. He gave a command to the waiter who came forward and immediately led Zhang Yue upstairs. The second floor had private booths on three sides surrounding the stage, with only four booths directly facing it. Liu Zhong boldly led Zhang Yue into the middle one. As soon as they sat down, he instructed the waiter, “Bring a jar of your own-brewed Tianxian Zui. Choose four cold dishes and four hot dishes as your best offerings, along with a soup and two desserts. That’s it. The dishes and desserts can come later; bring the wine first so we can warm it up and enjoy it.”
The simple request almost made Zhang Yue choke from coughing. After the waiter repeated it loudly and rushed downstairs, Zhang Yue looked at Liu Zhong and said, “Old Liu, it’s just the two of us—do we really need so much food and drink?”
“I’m doing this to save you money. I’ve already sent all my attendants to the tavern at the entrance of the hutong.”

Seeing Liu Zhong’s angry gaze, Zhang Yue had no choice but to stay silent. After a while, he saw a servant coming up the stairs carrying a jar of wine, followed by another carrying a brazier. The two came up one after the other, passed through the corridor in front of the private room, entered the house, first made a solemn oath, then arranged the brazier, wine sets, and so on, and untied the mud seal of the wine jar. The first servant tried to help by straining the wine, but Liu Zhong sent him away without a word.

Liu Zhong personally rolled up his sleeves to strain the wine, but Zhang Yue wouldn’t let this elder and senior do it, so he quickly took over. Seeing the amber-colored wine in the jar and smelling its familiar scent, he knew it was the yellow wine commonly drunk in the south. He quickly poured it into a small copper pot, added ginger slices, rock sugar, and green plums, and then prepared a copper strainer. Once the wine warmed up, he strained it and filled the wine bowls in front of the two of them.

“This is called ‘Heavenly Fairy Drunkenness,’ but with this method of preparation, it’s pretty much just honey water. Besides, if you get drunk, you won’t have the mood for the songs and dances at night, so it serves as a pre-dinner pastime.” Liu Zhong raised his bowl and clinked it with Zhang Yue’s, then drank it all in one gulp. He sighed and said, “Gansu is even colder in winter than the capital—it’s a truly harsh place. But I’ve heard the wine there is good, so I don’t mind so much.”

“All these years, Old Liu still has that appetite for drinking large bowls of wine and eating big pieces of meat. No wonder he can adapt to anywhere.”

“What adapting or not adapting? As an official, if you can’t adapt to changing circumstances, everyone above and below you will drive you to death! I was lucky—many died when I followed the Duke of Britain to fight in Jiaozhi, but I was lucky enough to earn rewards for my efforts. When such a big incident happened in Shandong, I survived that term as commander unharmed. Later, I also made some achievements together with you. But in my life, I may not have killed as many enemies on the battlefield as I did that time…”

What matters most to warriors is the bond among comrades. Having fought side by side on the battlefield and drunk together outside it, most of their friendships are built through blood and wine. Although Zhang Yue hadn’t fought desperately alongside Liu Zhong, they had gone through dangers together, and drinking together made it especially meaningful. As they exchanged cups and reminisced about the glorious past, the old man and the young man chatted cheerfully. Finally, Liu Zhong shook the wine pot and found it empty, so he called out loudly, “Waiter! More wine!”

As soon as that call was made, loud cheers came from outside. Zhang Yue was initially stunned, then quickly stood up and raised the translucent bamboo curtains high. At that moment, the noise outside vanished entirely, replaced by a faint melody that suddenly drifted in—clear and pure, as if birds were singing alone in the early morning, exuding a sense of solitude. Yet, the tune gradually penetrated people’s hearts, allowing them to relax unconsciously even without listening to the lyrics. Zhang Yue leaned back thoughtfully in the comfortable armchair and then understood why this place used such more comfortable and leisurely armchairs instead of ordinary ones.

Indeed, this was the perfect place to close one’s eyes and enjoy the music.

Soon, colorful skirts and ribbons fluttered below as the dancers took the stage. After glancing at the carefully choreographed dance a few times, Zhang Yue closed his eyes again and continued to listen to the melodious singing. Remarkably, even with the dancers on stage, the singing retained its self-contained quality, as if it were meant for the singer alone rather than an audience. Yet it still felt natural and simple. Most astonishingly, from start to finish, aside from the dancers who served only as accompaniment, there was not a single sound of musical instruments.

When the song ended, applause and cheers filled the air once more. It was then that Zhang Yue opened his eyes and saw Liu Zhong’s eyes glistening with tears. Shocked, he wanted to ask something, but ultimately held back his words. Indeed, after just a moment, Liu Zhong rubbed his eyes and then chuckled.

“I’m sorry to embarrass you. I just remembered some old things; it’s nothing serious.” Seeing a servant approaching with a tray at the door, Liu Zhong stood up without hesitation, placed a gold bracelet on it, and then returned as if nothing had happened. The servant was momentarily stunned but thanked him loudly before heading to another private room. Zhang Yue, however, was puzzled.

“Weren’t I supposed to treat?”
“I wanted to hear this song myself. If you want to treat, buy me more wine!” Liu Zhong finally snapped out of his emotional state and shook his head vigorously. “For someone like you in the court, this music just makes you feel refreshed. But for us who’ve been fighting on the battlefield all our lives, it’s like a miracle cure. The happiest thing about returning to the capital is finding such a wonderful place, and the second happiest thing is your promotion. With you in charge of the Ministry of War, there should be fewer people to criticize me.”

Zhang Yue had little interest in music and the like—he had always been uninterested in such things since his past life. So although the singing earlier was beautiful and moving, he quickly forgot about it. What concerned him more at the moment was the word “find faults” mentioned by Liu Zhong. Just as he was about to ask further, wine was brought in, so he naturally paused. After the wine was refilled, he asked, “By ‘find faults,’ does Lord Liu mean the Ministry of War, the censors, or some other office?”
“I after all come from Shandong. You should know that since the Han feudal lords’ rebellion, many military officers from Shandong died or were demoted. Those who remained were mostly assigned to guard the borders. Yet I managed to rise steadily through the ranks, which naturally made some people jealous,” Liu Zhong said in a calm tone. Seeing Zhang Yue frown, he smiled. “Ah, you’re not a novice. What’s there to get upset about in the official world? After all, Qingzhou is close to Le’an. If it weren’t for my achievements, I would have been removed from my position long ago. I’m quite satisfied now. With you as the vice minister of the Ministry of War, I have even less to worry about.”
Seeing Liu Zhong tilt his head back and down another bowl of wine, and then earnestly urging him to drink, Zhang Yue had no choice but to drink most of it as well. This time it wasn’t the soft and mellow yellow wine; as soon as it entered his mouth, he felt as if his throat and stomach were on fire. It took a while before he could recover.
“Hehe, this is genuine Mongolian liquor. It’s rare in other parts of the capital, but to find it here is quite a surprise.”
Seeing that Liu Zhong was already somewhat drunk, Zhang Yue wanted to advise him to drink less, but Liu Zhong wouldn’t listen and poured him two more cups. Earlier, to watch the performances, the bamboo curtains in the private room had been pulled up high, allowing the noise from outside to flood in. New guests also passed by in groups. Just as he helplessly watched Liu Zhong pour another full bowl into his wine cup, soft applause suddenly came from outside.
“What a coincidence today. I never expected to meet an acquaintance in such a place.”
Zhang Yue looked up and saw six or seven people standing outside. The young man at the front was about his age, dressed in a bright red brocade robe embroidered with butterflies, wearing a golden crown and exuding elegance. Though he had only met him a few times before, he recognized him immediately—it was none other than the King of Yue! Next to the King of Yue stood Zhang Jue, whose expression was grim. Seeing that Liu Zhong had collapsed on the table, unsure whether he was truly drunk or not, Zhang Yue calmly stood up and bowed deeply.

The King of Yue entered the room as if he were already familiar with it. After glancing around, he smiled and said, “They say that during the Yuan Festival one should keep oneself pure. I never expected you to actually come here, and moreover, you chose the best private room in Tianxian Tower. Well, do you mind if I bring some people to make use of it? I arrived late and missed that beautiful melody just now. I was quite annoyed about it.”

Although he didn’t understand what the King of Yue was up to, Zhang Yue didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to criticize him, so he simply nodded lightly and said, “Liu Laojiu and I have had enough to drink. We were just about to leave. Let the third young master and Uncle Zhang take this room.”

Zhang Yue had encountered setbacks earlier that day with Duke Cheng’s son, Zhu Yong. Hearing Zhang Yue speak in a reasonable tone, his expression slightly improved. However, the King of Yue shook his head with a smile and said, “It must be fate that we met. Why not stay a little longer, Yuanjie? My skills in drinking may not compare to my elder brother’s, but I’m better at it. Can’t we at least be drinking companions?”

Seeing that Zhang Yue still wanted to decline, Zhang Yue immediately grew stern and sneered, “Since we’re already here, why be so reserved? Do you, Brother Yue, look down on the third young master?”

If Zhang Yue had spoken politely, it might have been fine, but since he acted like an elder, Zhang Yue couldn’t stand it. Without another word, he stepped forward and helped Liu Zhong up, then said calmly, “Uncle Zhang is right. I shouldn’t be here. Now that night curfew is approaching, I must take Liu Laojiu back. There’s a court meeting tomorrow, and since Uncle Zhang is part of the Jinyiwei, he can’t miss it either. Please go back early. I’ll take my leave then.”

“You…”

Zhang Yue was furious and about to retort, but the King of Yue stepped in to stop him. Seeing that Zhang Yue was already near the door, he spoke seriously, “If Lord Zhang regards me as some kind of monster, then it would really be pointless. Under the current system, a vassal king is just an idle person. I’m not asking you to do anything for me…”

Seeing that Zhang Yue still didn’t stop, the increasingly impatient Zhang Yue finally couldn’t hold back and said, “Brother Yue, let me remind you—though the capital is large, there are some people who can’t be hidden.”