When the pale blue gauze skirt came off, and the bodice fell away and drifted to the floor of the bed, Yudie trembled faintly all over, tense with nerves.

Her eyes were shut tight, and the trembling of her lashes showed how anxious and unsettled she was.

Ning Chen’s breath came quick, and his throat had gone dry.

Found a treasure. This figure. Nothing else compares.

“Don’t be nervous. It hurts a little at first. Bear it and it passes…”

Ning Chen said it low, to comfort her.

The flower-path has never been swept for a guest; my thatched gate today, for the first time, opens for you.

At a small cry of pain from Yudie, a brief quiet fell over the room.

A little while later, the big bed began to rock, in a rhythm.

What follows is paid content.

The next morning, at first light.

Ning Chen woke and turned to look at the beauty sleeping beside him, letting a hand wander, not entirely behaved, over skin as smooth as set cream.

Yudie let out a small sound, her long lashes trembled a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She found Ning Chen looking at her, and his hand still up to its mischief, and her small face went pink. “The young master is awake?”

Ning Chen said “Mm.”

“Then this girl will help you dress.”

Yudie tried to sit up, and let out a sharp cry of pain at once, her fine brows drawing together.

Ning Chen laughed. “Rest. I can manage myself.”

He thought for a moment of taking an early shift himself, but remembering it had been Yudie’s first night, he let the idea go.

Ning Chen stretched himself out. “I want to lie flat. I don’t want to go to work.”

Yudie blinked her big eyes and said, a little shy, “It is because this girl did not serve the young master well. Next time the young master wants to lie flat, this girl will see to it properly.”

She thought Ning Chen had been unhappy with how she had done the night before.

Ning Chen could not help laughing. He gave her small nose a gentle pinch. “You really are sweet.”

He let her go on resting and got up himself to dress.

“Rest well. I’ll come and see you again in a few days.”

Yudie said “Mm” obediently.

Ning Chen left.

Outside he found Yudie’s personal maid standing by the door.

The little maid looked at him with a knowing look on her face.

Ning Chen tossed her a few taels of silver. “Look after Miss Yudie.”

“Thank you, young master.”

Ning Chen waved a hand and went downstairs.

At the bottom of the stairs he stopped a moment to think it over. Should he pay?

Yudie had not asked for anything, and neither had her maid, so it seemed there was nothing owed.

Pah. Paying would only dirty the pure feeling between himself and Yudie.

Another day, another freeload. Freeloading made him happy.

He waved the big teapot over and told him to bring his horse to the door.

“Young Master Ning, your comrades already took your horse. They’re waiting for you out front.”

Ning Chen made a sound and went out to the front.

Feng Qizheng and the rest were all there.

“Morning, everyone.”

Ning Chen said it, all smiles.

Feng Qizheng and Chen Chong rushed him, one grabbing his neck and the other shaking him by the shoulders.

“Tell us. What did you do to Miss Yudie?”

“You only drank and talked, right? Say anything else and I’ll strangle you.”

Ning Chen, half strangled, rolled his eyes and knocked their hands off him without much grace.

“A man and a woman alone in a room. Only drank and talked… Do I look sick in the head to you?”

“You animal. You did that to Miss Yudie?”

He looked thoroughly pleased with himself. “That’s right. I slept with her.”

“You animal—”

“You animal. My poor Miss Yudie, taken by a pig.”

Both of them let out a long wail of grief.

Ning Chen looked at them sideways. “Watch your language. What’s this my Miss Yudie… From now on she belongs to me and only me. You can go on thinking about her — no, don’t even think about her.”

He shoved the two idiots off with distaste, walked over, and swung up onto his horse, then looked at Pan Yucheng. “Old Pan. How was last night?”

Pan Yucheng’s weathered face went red. He cleared his throat and said, mumbling, “Fine… it was fine.”

“Mm?” Ning Chen looked at him strangely. “What does fine mean? Miss Nanzhi didn’t take care of you properly?”

“It’s getting late. Let’s get back to the Inspectorate.”

Pan Yucheng talked all around the subject and never to it.

The more he dodged, the more curious Ning Chen got. He was about to press further when Feng Qizheng came running over with a shameless grin.

“The Chief sat alone all night. Hahaha—”

Ning Chen was taken aback. “Sat alone all night? Or did all night?”

Feng Qizheng grinned wickedly. “The Chief sat there by himself all night long, poor and lonely, and bored Miss Nanzhi to sleep.”

He looked at Pan Yucheng, astonished.

“Old Pan. Is there something wrong with you?”

Pan Yucheng’s weathered face went red and he glared at him. “Until I’m certain Miss Nanzhi likes me, I won’t touch her.”

“Holy shit… She took you back to her room and you play the gentleman of virtue? Given the chance and no good for anything.”

“Old Pan, let me tell you a story. A man and a woman are lying in one bed. The girl tells the boy, touch me and you’re an animal… So the boy doesn’t dare move all night. And the next morning the girl wakes up and slaps him. Do you know why?”

Pan Yucheng shook his head, and the rest were curious too.

Ning Chen laughed. “Because touching her makes him an animal, and not touching her makes him lower than one. So tell me — did he deserve that slap or not?”

The whole party burst out laughing.

Pan Yucheng’s weathered face flushed dark. “That is crooked reasoning if I ever heard it.”

Ning Chen laughed. “It isn’t crooked at all… Miss Nanzhi took you back to her room, and you sat alone all night. Now Miss Nanzhi is going to fall into some very deep doubts.”

Pan Yucheng did not understand. “Doubts about what?”

“Doubting her own charms. Doubting whether you like her at all. Doubting whether there’s something wrong with you.”

Pan Yucheng went blank. “Would she really think that?”

Ning Chen nodded and said it with feeling. “Old Pan, this is the courtesans’ quarter. What does a man come here for? Do you think the girls of the quarter don’t understand that? Nobody plays at purity here, for God’s sake… it only makes a man look like a hypocrite.”

Pan Yucheng fell into thought.

After a while he looked at Ning Chen. “Should I go and explain myself to Miss Nanzhi?”

“Of course. It’s badly needed.”

“Then I’ll go and explain now.”

Pan Yucheng got down off his horse and hurried back into the courtesans’ quarter.

Ning Chen laughed to himself. “All right, brothers. Let’s ride.”

“Not waiting for the Chief?”

“Wait for what. Being late to duty costs you silver… At Old Pan’s rank, one late arrival costs ten taels. That’s tonight’s wine money taken care of, isn’t it?”

They all looked at each other.

Feng Qizheng said, full of righteous outrage, “Ning Chen, you’d even scheme against the Chief? You are a wicked man.”

“That’s right, absolutely shameless… We’re ashamed to be seen with you.”

“Hmph… Let’s go! And take the Chief’s horse too, while we’re at it. Then he won’t have any way of not being late.”

Ning Chen rolled his eyes in fury.

“You pack of animals… nothing human left in you. Wait for me!”

Ning Chen and the rest rode off, taking Pan Yucheng’s horse with them.

On the way, Ning Chen asked, curious, “How did you know the Chief sat up all night?”

Feng Qizheng pointed at Chen Chong. “He spent half the night outside Miss Nanzhi’s door listening in.”

Chen Chong spat. “Didn’t you listen too?”

Ning Chen’s forehead was full of black lines. “You people are perverts. Climbing walls and listening at doors?”

“Holy shit… you didn’t listen in on me too, did you?”

The whole party grinned wickedly.

The corner of Ning Chen’s mouth twitched. “You… you people really are God-damned inhuman.”

(End of Chapter 80)