Chapter 1: The Miserable Transmigration

  The fourth floor is where Nian Nu resides. No need to say more, just by hearing the name, you can tell that this is where Cui Nian Nu lives.

  There are two top courtesans in the Qunfang Pavilion, one is Li Shi Shi and the other is Cui Nian Nu. Although both of them are top courtesans, they are two completely different people.

  Lí Shīshī was born into a family of scholars, but due to the decline of her family's fortunes, she sold herself to the brothel Huāfāng Gé. She was beautiful and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, so as soon as she appeared at Huāfāng Gé, she received attention from many high-ranking officials and young nobles of Shùntiān Fǔ. Lí Shīshī was not proud, and from the beginning, she intended to receive guests, but her price was not something ordinary people could afford.

  However, although this guest house is expensive, it's not that anyone with money can stay here. The guests who stay here can be roughly divided into three categories: the first are truly high-ranking officials and people with impressive backgrounds; the second are talented scholars with refined tastes and some wealth; and the third are young, handsome, and unruly wandering knights from the jianghu.

  If any of the above three categories can afford to pay for overnight stay, Lishi will let them stay.

  However, Chui Nianshu was different. She came from a noble family and had a prestigious status. But because her father took the wrong side in a political struggle, he was eventually exiled to the border and all his property was confiscated. Even the women of the household were forced to become official prostitutes.

  Government courtesans were courtesans who served government officials. These courtesans were divided into two types: one was art courtesan, and the other was color courtesan. Art courtesans were like song girls and dance girls, who could choose to sell their art but not their bodies. After a year's limit, they could also redeem themselves and enter the agricultural census to get married. Color courtesans, on the other hand, had to sell their bodies for officials to enjoy.

  Cui Nian Nu was a geisha at the Teaching Department, and later, Kang Mama bought her out with a keen eye for talent. The two agreed that in the Group Fragrance Pavilion, they would only sell their art, not their bodies.

  Originally, Mrs. Kang thought that Cui Nian Nu was just having a hard time adjusting to the decline of her family's fortunes and therefore disagreed with selling herself, but she didn't expect that after three years in the Group Fragrance Pavilion, she still maintained her chastity and guarded her body like jade.

  Last year, Cui Nianshu spent all her savings to bring her father, Cui Wei, back from the border town of Shuntianfu. Due to his suffering in the border region, Cui Wei fell ill as soon as he returned to Shuntianfu. Cui Nianshu was also struggling financially because of her father's illness and had no choice but to humbly ask Kang Mama for a loan.

  Cui Nian Nu did not expect that Kang's mother would take advantage of the situation and blackmail her over borrowing money, she sat in front of her dresser, using both hands to push against her face, quietly recalling every word she and Jiang Xia had said when they met earlier.

  It occurred to Jiang Xia that "if a person is beautiful, even their voice sounds beautiful, and if the voice is beautiful enough, it would sound good even when they cry." Cui Nian Nu couldn't help but curve up the corners of her mouth into a smile.

  "Jiang Xia..." Cui Nian Nu muttered this name softly, then said to herself: "I wonder when I'll be able to see him again."

  "Bang!" The door of Nianslave's residence was suddenly kicked open, and a man wearing silk brocade with a slightly stout figure walked in. He was said to be a man, but his face was heavily painted with rouge and powder, looking like an opera actor.

  At the sight of this man, Cui Nian Nu was suddenly frightened and lost her composure. "Wang Gongzi?" Cui Nian Nu stood up at once and leaned against the wall, she wanted to run out but didn't know where to go.

  Choi Yeon-soo took a deep breath, steadied her nerves and forcibly suppressed the tension in her heart. Choi Yeon-soo smiled and called out: "Prince Wang, it's been a long time, I pay my respects."

  As she spoke, Cui Nianslave bowed to Wang Gongzi.

  Wang Gongzi looked at Cui Nianslave, whose eyes were shining brightly. Today, Cui Nianslave was wearing a light green short-sleeved jacket on top and a white long skirt on the bottom, with a pale pink double-breasted long shirt over the jacket.

  Due to her natural beauty, Cui Nian Nu rarely applied rouge or powder on her face. As a whole, she looked elegant and refined without makeup, exuding an air of nobility and a hint of poetic charm.

  The prince swallowed a mouthful of saliva and smiled, saying: "I didn't expect you to still have me in mind, Nian Nu. It seems that my infatuation with you wasn't in vain after all."

  The prince turned around and ordered: "You two guard the entrance for me, no one can be allowed to come in."

  "Yes!" The two houseboys responded in unison and then closed the door.

  As soon as the door closed, only Wang Gongzi and Cui Nianshu were left in the room. The lonely man and woman were together in one room, and Wang Gongzi obviously had no good intentions, so Cui Nianshu suddenly became tense. She couldn't help but ask tremulously: "Wang... Wang Gongzi, what do you want to do? I... I can sell my art, not my body."

  The young master Wang smiled and said: "This young master has already given you 500 taels of silver to the Qunfang Pavilion, now you come to tell this young master that you don't sell your body? Isn't that a big joke? This young master wants to settle with you today, if you listen obediently to this young master, this young master will naturally let you have a good time. If you don't know how to appreciate... Hmph..."

  As they spoke, Wang Gongzi took step by step towards Cui Nianslave, and Cui Nianslave also retreated step by step until she was backed against the wall with nowhere to retreat.

  "Gao Gongzi, don't come any closer, or else... or else I'll call for help." Cui Nianshu said in a flustered tone, her eyes darting around frantically as she searched for something to defend herself with. Feeling helpless, all she could think of was finding a sharp object to keep by her side, and if this Gao person took another step closer, she would immediately take her own life to preserve her chastity.

  "Shout all you want, shout until your throat is hoarse, no one will pay attention to you." Wang Gongzi said with a lewd smile.

  He raised his hands and pounced on Cui Nian Nu, who dodged in a panic but was caught by her clothes. She simply withdrew her arms and let him take off her long shirt.

  Wang Gongzi grasped Cui Nianshu's long shirt and took a deep breath, the subtle fragrance on her body made him infatuated, his eyes turned red, and he panted rapidly, shouting: "Little beauty, you can't escape from my hands today, I advise you to just surrender obediently."

  "Oh no, it's on fire...... Run quickly......"

  Suddenly, a loud cry rang out. Then the thick smoke slowly entered into Nian Nu's residence, and Wang Gongzi coughed twice after inhaling two mouthfuls of smoke. The door of Nian Nu's residence was immediately pushed open by his two servants, who hastily cried: "Young master is not well, there's a fire! Such big smoke, let's hurry up and leave!"

  Wang Gongzi took a look at Cui Nianslave, who was trembling with fear, and one of the servants advised: "Come back tomorrow, young master, it's not worth it. This is the fourth floor, it's too dangerous. Let's leave quickly."

  The prince stomped his foot heavily and left with great reluctance.

  Just as Wang Gongzi had left the room, a figure suddenly rushed into Nian Nu's residence. As soon as this person saw Cui Nian Nu, he grabbed her hand and started pulling her out. Cui Nian Nu let out a loud cry, and the man quickly covered her mouth, whispering: "Don't make a sound, I'm Jiang Xia, I've come to rescue you. The smoke is fake, there's no fire at all. Let's hurry, or else they'll discover us and return soon."

  "Jiang Xia?" Cui Nian Nu felt a sense of calm wash over her after getting a clear look at Jiang Xia's face, and she let him pull her along as they ran out. Jiang Xia pulled Cui Nian Nu directly to the third floor, then into his room.

  Jiang Xia's cigarette not only ruined Wang Gongzi's good deed, but also ruined Zhu Houzhuo's good deed. Just as Zhu Houzhuo had pulled Li Shi Shi to the bedside and sat down, Li Shi Shi had already started unbuttoning her own buttons, when suddenly a knock at the door rang out, and Zhang Yong, who was guarding the door, shouted loudly: "Young master, it's not good, the water has been drained, let's hurry up and leave!"

  When he heard the sound of running water, it meant that the fire had gone out. Zhu Houzhao was also startled and opened the door without thinking. As soon as he opened the door, the entire fourth floor was filled with smoke. Zhu Houzhao muttered to himself in a somewhat depressed tone: "How could the water suddenly start flowing?"

  But anyway, escaping with one's life is of utmost importance. Zhu Houzhao followed Zhang Yong and immediately descended from the fourth floor.

  From the fourth floor all the way to the hall, Zhu Houzhao had originally planned to leave directly with Zhang Yong, but there was no sign of a fire in the hall at all, and everyone was still playing very happily. It turned out that he had been deceived, so Wang Gongzi angrily shouted: "Who? Who dares to tease this young master, pretending that the fourth floor is on fire? Who is it? Come forward and let this young master see you today, or I'll break your dog legs!"

  As they spoke, the entire hall of the Qinfang Pavilion fell silent. Zhu Houzhao, upon realizing he had been deceived, was also somewhat enraged. He pulled Zhang Yong and said, "Don't rush back to the palace, let's see what happens first."

  "Yes!" Zhang Yong responded and then stopped a waiter to take an order, the waiter led them to a table in the corner of the hall.

  Zhu Houzhao looked at Wang Gongzi and asked Zhang Yong: "Who is this person? How did he come to be so powerful?"

  Zhang Yong glanced at Wang Gongzi and said in a low voice to Zhao Ji: "To respond to the emperor, this person is the only son of Wang Shifu, the Tongpan of Shuntian Prefecture."

  "Is that the only son of Wang Shifu?" Zhu Houzhao shook his head and said, "Wang Shifu is also too neglectful in his upbringing. How can he let someone close to him be so arrogant in this place of debauchery."

  Zhang Yong saw Zhu Houzhao slightly dissatisfied and immediately said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, do you want me to go and have a word with that Wang Gongzi?"

  Zhu Houzhao shook his head and said, "Forget it. You're just a eunuch, how could you possibly appear here without any reason? If you go ahead and tell that Prince Wang, he'll surely guess that I'm also here. If this matter gets out, those officials in the court will definitely have plenty to say, and I won't be able to rest easy."

  "Yes, I understand." Zhang Yong said.

  "Search!" The young master Wang shouted: "I want you to search every room, every room! If we don't find that fake arsonist and Cui Xiaoniang today, I, the young master, will not rest until they are found!"

  "Yes!" After hearing Gao's words, his two housemen immediately started searching from the first floor's wing room, one room at a time.

  At this moment, Mrs. Kang, who had not appeared until now, finally showed up and said with a smile: "Oh my, who has offended our handsome and elegant young master Wang again? Master Wang, please calm down, if you really search every room one by one, I'm afraid the business of Huafang Pavilion will be finished."