Chapter Ninety: Revenge

After leaving the Zhang residence, the first thing Chen Jianchen did was return to the inn to fetch the silver, then take it to Doctor Yang. A man without trust cannot stand in the world; this was a duty he had to fulfill.

Thus the first day in Suzhou passed.

On the second day, winter rain fell from the sky in a thin, steady drizzle. Heaven was unkind, so Chen Jianchen did not go out; instead, he remained in the inn and read.

That winter rain did not last long. By the third day it had ceased, and clear weather returned. A winter sun broke through, and when it shone upon the body it carried a faint warmth.

Wang Fu had lain in bed for two days, and after drinking a bellyful of medicine his health finally recovered. Seeing the fine weather, he immediately dragged Chen Jianchen into a carriage and set out of the city to ride a pleasure boat on the Suzhou River, one of Suzhou's famed scenic wonders.

The Suzhou River lay to the left of the city and was a broad, beautiful waterway. In this stretch the current was calm and gentle; willows lined both banks in neat rows, while wild flowers and green grass lent the scene a delicate charm.

This river was one of Suzhou's celebrated sights, renowned far and wide. Especially at night, pleasure boats would drift upon its surface, with music to delight the ear and beauties to feast the eye.

These boats were painted in brilliant colors of every kind, red and green, orange and purple, each with its own distinct character. They were also given lovely names, such as Fairy Isle, Immortal Mountain, or Blissful Retreat, all steeped in a languorous, decadent air.

In truth, each pleasure boat was nothing more than a floating brothel on the Suzhou River.

For a man of Wang Fu's temperament, arriving in Suzhou and not visiting the river, not taking a turn on those famed pleasure boats, would have been simply unimaginable.

A man should not waste his youth without a little roving indulgence; and he was no longer young, but in the prime of his vigor, at an age like a wolf and tiger.

The shadows of old romances had gradually faded with time. Scholar Wang was preparing to change scenery and taste, to restore his masculine glory.

Pleasure boats usually drifted out only at night, but in fact they began receiving guests at midday. At such times, a number of cultivated dandies and graceful idlers would arrive by carriage, each choosing a boat moored beneath the willows. They would set out their wine and food, drink first, eat first, and let their poetic inspiration simmer. Then, when the sun sank and the stars first appeared, the women aboard would emerge gorgeously adorned to greet their guests.

That was the busiest time on the Suzhou River.

For ten miles it was all splendor; night after night, songs and laughter filled the air. There were beautiful women enough to hold in one's arms, wine enough never to be exhausted. Such a life was exactly what scholars and gentlemen sought with all their hearts.

Wang Fu was undoubtedly one of their number. He spent nearly half an hour dressing, and by the end he was resplendent from head to toe, even lightly scented with floral perfume, before he finally sauntered out.

Compared with him, Chen Jianchen was much plainer, his clothing simple and his bearing modest, the very picture of a poor scholar.

Seated in the carriage, Wang Fu chattered nonstop, telling Chen Jianchen all about the Suzhou pleasure boats, painting the picture in lavish colors. It seemed that even during the two days of illness he had not been idle, but had done ample preparation; who knew from what channel he had gathered so many trivial tales and amorous anecdotes.

Chen Jianchen appeared to listen, but in truth his mind had already wandered far beyond the mortal world, devoting itself to the study of the Threefold Foundation True Scripture.

By now he had condensed twenty strands of righteous qi, and the Righteous Aura Sword formed from them was already as thick as a matchstick, its power further enhanced. In addition, he was exploring the chaotic realm of the Cinnabar Field Palace, trying to locate the Evil-Repressing Brush and that mysterious silhouette. Yet within that world all was a dim gray haze, boundless and directionless; apart from the sheet of writing suspended at the center, nothing else could be seen.

The secret remained hidden within layer upon layer of mist...

Chen Jianchen did not feel discouraged by this. A secret was like a locked chest, and he happened to enjoy picking locks.

"Brother Liuxian, we've arrived!"

Wang Fu's delighted voice rang in his ear. Chen Jianchen looked up and saw that the carriage had already stopped, drawn up beside a broad river.

The Suzhou River was indeed vast, almost comparable to the Jian River. Yet while the Jian River was broad and surging with rapids, this section of the Suzhou River was tranquil and smooth, like a lady of no temper at all.

On both banks, as expected, stood rows of willow trees, and beneath them lay moored one brilliantly colored pleasure boat after another, lined up in a row—there must have been at least a hundred of them.

These boats were not large, each like a little house, but they were built with great charm. On each one, two to five girls would be responsible for serving the guests, and to charter an entire boat for one night cost a string of silver ingots.

That was only the boat rental. Food and drink were charged separately, and the entertainment was billed according to the set program. As for the nature of that so-called program, any man who came seeking pleasure understood perfectly well.

Chen Jianchen had never been here before, but after hearing once, he naturally understood as well.

There were levels everywhere. The pleasure boats on the Suzhou River were no exception, and it was said that among them were three enormous vessels, each capable of seating hundreds of guests. The girls aboard were all as lovely as flowers and jade, every one chosen from the very finest. Of course, anyone who could enter those three leviathans for amusement had to be either rich or noble; ordinary folk simply could not afford it.

Even Wang Fu did not dare go aboard those great boats. They were absolute money pits; not even if one threw gold into the river would a ripple appear.

After getting down from the carriage, Wang Fu began strolling along the riverbank in search of a pleasure boat to his liking. At once, a man with a lewd face came running up, grinning as he asked, "Are the two young gentlemen looking for a boat?"

Wang Fu glanced at him. "And if we are?"

The man said, "I have portraits of the girls from thirty-eight pleasure boats right here. Why don't we find a place where the young master can choose at his leisure?"

Hearing this, Chen Jianchen suddenly understood. So this fellow was a broker.

There were not one or two pleasure boats on the Suzhou River, but dozens, even hundreds. The owners behind them came from all sorts of factions, and naturally there was fierce competition.

With competition came soliciting.

Beyond price, the most important factor in attracting customers was the appearance of the girls aboard.

After all, the men who came here, whether scholars and dandies or merchants and officials, were basically all after the same thing: drink first, and only after the wine comes the indiscretion of desire. Yet the girls could not possibly stand outside the boats all day and let the customers "choose the beauties," so specialist brokers had emerged to recruit patrons.

These brokers carried many portraits of the girls, neatly sorted by boat. The moment they saw new customers looking for a vessel, they would rush forward and solicit business. As for how true those portraits were, that was debatable. Some beautifying and advertising was inevitable; that could be understood.

Wang Fu was here for the first time. Though he had done a little preparation beforehand, his channels were still limited. Now that there were ready-made portraits to look through, it suited him perfectly. Smiling, he said, "Good. Give him a reward!"

The servant Lu Cai, who followed behind him, promptly produced a string of copper coins.

The man accepted the tip, beaming with delight, and hurriedly invited Wang Fu to sit beneath a nearby awning to choose at his leisure.

Chen Jianchen did not go over. Instead, he idly stood by the riverbank, watching the scenery.

By then it was no longer early. The winter sun hung dull and low, slowly sinking toward the western hills; in the approaching dusk, the cold began to deepen.

As he looked around, Chen Jianchen saw a huge pleasure boat drifting downriver. It stood six feet high and had two levels, looking like a fortress gliding across the water. Compared with it, ordinary boats were as insignificant as ants beside a giant.

As the vessel drifted closer, waves of enchanting string music came from within, mixed with bursts of laughter and the clink of wine cups. It seemed a lively banquet was being held aboard.

Suddenly, a maid came running along the bank. She was no more than twelve or thirteen, dressed in a short blue jacket, her round face filled with alarm.

She was running so quickly that she failed to notice where she was going and bumped straight into Chen Jianchen.

Ah!

Chen Jianchen reacted at once. With a quick reach of his hand, he caught her before she could fall.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

The maid was dizzy with panic, apologizing in a flurry. When she finally got a clear look at Chen Jianchen's face, she cried out in delight, "Young master, how can it be you?"

Chen Jianchen frowned. "You know me?"

In his memory, he did not seem to have met such a little maid before.

But the maid spoke rapidly. "My name is Xiang'er. My lady is Miss Lu. Do you remember, young master, that once you were drunk and fell asleep by the roadside? My lady happened to pass by and, unable to bear seeing you reduced to such misery, ordered me to bring you an old kudzu root to sober you up. But at the time you refused it..."

With that reminder, Chen Jianchen immediately remembered. That day he had met Yan Chixia, and in high spirits had drunk a great deal with him. It was the first time in his life he had ever been drunk. On the walk home he had grown sleepy, so he sat down wherever he could by the roadside to rest. Unexpectedly, sitting there and sitting there, he fell asleep. Then this little maid had come with a portion of aged kudzu root.

At the time, Chen Jianchen had even felt rather pleased with himself, wondering whether he had by accident caught the eye of some young lady from a distinguished household.

So this maid's mistress was called Miss Lu.

Miss Lu?

Chen Jianchen suddenly found the name strangely familiar, as though he had heard it mentioned before. After a moment's thought, he finally remembered that Wang Fu had spoken of her. She was only fourteen, yet incomparably beautiful, the chief courtesan of the Bird-Gazing Tower in Jiangzhou, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and even knowledgeable in acupuncture and medicine. Truly extraordinary.

But why had she come to Suzhou?

Chen Jianchen felt quite puzzled. Yet Xiang'er seized his hand and anxiously pleaded, "Young master, please save my lady!"

This made Chen Jianchen even more bewildered. In a low voice he asked, "Don't panic. Tell me slowly what happened."

Xiang'er could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down at once as she explained, "My lady was originally born to a wealthy family in Suzhou. But after the family fortune declined, all their property was seized by local bullies from the same place. My master and mistress were so enraged by this that they fell ill and never recovered, and both passed away. My lady was left alone and helpless, forced to drift to Jiangzhou and become a courtesan, enduring humiliation and surviving all these years only to wait for a chance to return and avenge her parents. Ten days ago, my lady brought me back to our hometown to pay respects on the anniversary of my master and mistress' deaths. After the memorial rites, we did not return to Jiangzhou, because my lady said she had found a fine opportunity for revenge. Today that thug was coming to Suzhou and would charter a pleasure boat on the river for a banquet, so my lady seized the chance and hurried here, intending to get aboard and find an opening to strike the enemy down with her own hands. But the danger of this scheme is obvious. I begged and pleaded, but my lady would not listen. She even gave me some money and told me to leave. Yet how could I, a maid who has followed her since childhood, flee alone? So I came after her to see whether there was still any room to maneuver.

"Heaven took pity on me and let me run into you, young master. Please, you must save my lady!"