Free Web NovelI swallowed hard as I waited for Tang Juyeop to finish what he was about to say.
It was hard to guess what kind of demand he’d make, especially when he was dragging it out like this.
“You have to come up to the pavilion with me and listen to my performance for two hours.”
“Go up to the pavilion and listen to a performance for... huh?”
I’d been reciting Tang Juyeop’s condition with a grave face, and then I snapped my head up.
What kind of condition is that? Did I hear him wrong?
I stared at Deokju, doubting my own ears. Deokju’s brows were slightly raised too, so it looked like she’d heard it correctly.
The moment he saw how dumbfounded we were, Tang Juyeop read the room and mumbled.
“Is two hours too long? Then even one hour would be—”
“......”
At the same time, Tang Un’s voice brushed past my ear.
He goes to a courtesan house because he needs someone to listen to his performance.
I thought he was just talking.
But he was serious?
Standing there with a blank expression, I nodded.
“Uh... sure. One hour.”
“An excellent choice, little sister.”
Tang Juyeop’s face brightened.
*****
Moon-Fragrance Pavilion sat high enough that you could see all of Chengdu spread out below.
It wasn’t so high that you could see past the Sichuan Tang Clan’s towering walls, but it was more than enough to enjoy the scenery of the Jin River cutting through the city center.
The moment we stepped into the lavish entrance of the pleasure house, the courtesans greeted us like they’d been waiting, voices sticky-sweet as they fluttered around.
“You’ve come, Young Master Tang.”
“Young Master Tang, we’ve prepared top-grade Dujiang Liquor for you today. It’s from Luoyang, so it should suit your taste beautifully.”
“Young Master, are you going to play the old zither? I was so excited thinking about dancing to your music that I couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh my, and who is this lovely young lady? Is this your first time at Moon-Fragrance Pavilion? I can’t tell you how delighted we are that you’ve come.”
“Ah. Yes.”
With the way they swayed and cooed at him like he was some ultra-premium VIP, I could roughly guess how much money Tang Juyeop had been spending here.
It honestly wouldn’t be a stretch to say he’d paid for a whole pavilion to be built.
Tang Juyeop answered them with the calm ease of someone used to being treated like royalty.
“Yes. Jageon. I’ve come with my youngest sister today, so take special care with the food. Gok-a, where is the proprietress?”
“Shall I announce that you’ve arrived, Young Master?”
“No. I’ll go myself. I have business.”
After replying, Tang Juyeop looked at me and smiled as if he found it cute. Like he assumed I’d obviously want to meet the proprietress.
I didn’t exactly feel like I needed to meet her... but I didn’t have a reason not {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to, either.
And if things went well, I might get a chance to ask what Tang Juyeop usually did here.
When it looked like we were heading to see the proprietress, one courtesan glided closer.
“I’ll guide you to her.”
“Would you?”
“It would be my joy to be of help to you, Young Master.”
Spouting lines she clearly didn’t mean, the courtesan turned and led the way.
After passing several pavilions and halls, we reached the main building—an ornate three-story structure.
As we stepped through red-painted pillars and into the wide-open doorway, the heavy scent of face powder tickled my nose.
The courtesan threaded through countless women and guests, guided us to the second floor, and knocked on a tightly shut door.
“Proprietress, Proprietress! Young Master Tang has arrived.” free𝑤ebnovel.com
“Oh my? Young Master? Come in.”
When the courtesan opened the door, I saw a woman seated at a table, wearing a soft smile.
Moon-Fragrance Pavilion’s proprietress was a dazzling beauty. Even after time had stolen her youth, her looks hadn’t faded—so I could only imagine how stunning she must’ve been when she was young.
“Welcome, Young Master Tang. What brings you to see me, Hwahong?”
Hwahong rose slowly and walked toward us with unhurried grace. Tang Juyeop answered with shameless smoothness.
“If I’m looking for you, Proprietress, it’s obvious why.”
“Oh my. Could it be that one of my girls has offended you? If that’s the case, I, Hwahong, will apologize in her stead. Please—if only for my sake—be generous and let it pass.”
Hwahong’s voice was syrupy as she laughed behind her hand.
“As if. Where would you find children as gentle and kind as Jageon and Gok-a? I only came to introduce my sister to you.”
“I’m relieved to hear that. I wondered why you’d brought company, but... this is your sister—”
As she spoke warmly and turned her gaze to me, Hwahong’s eyes went wide.
Her expression looked like she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.
Hwahong’s lips trembled, and she took a deep breath as if forcing herself to stay composed.
Tang Juyeop grinned, clearly enjoying himself.
“Well, well. Looks like my little sister resembles her birth mother so closely that even the proprietress is mistaken.”
“Is this funny to you?”
“Of course. It’s incredibly funny. Where else would I ever get to see something like this?”
Even though the casual tone slipped out of me without meaning to, Tang Juyeop didn’t care at all as he replied. Seriously—what a rotten personality.
In the meantime, Hwahong gathered herself and greeted me.
“I’m glad you’ve come, young lady. I am Hwahong, the proprietress of Moon-Fragrance Pavilion. I was an old friend of your birth mother.”
“Yes... hello.”
At my awkward greeting, Hwahong’s eyes curved gently. Her gaze was full of affection.
“You resemble her so much.”
“Do I?”
“If Choryeon could see how beautifully you’ve grown, she would’ve been happy.”
Her voice was overflowing with goodwill, and it made me feel strangely embarrassed.
I barely knew anything about Choryeon.
That she’d been the greatest beauty in Chengdu. That she’d been a courtesan at Moon-Fragrance Pavilion. That she had ties to Madam Jin.
That was it.
I hadn’t even seen a portrait of her—just heard her name a few times. I didn’t have any real sense of her being my mother.
How was I supposed to feel longing, or tenderness, for someone I’d never even seen once?
But Hwahong didn’t seem to feel that way at all. She treated me with the utmost care, like a dead friend had come back to life.
She gave us the entire fifth-floor pavilion at the edge—a place she said she would never open unless an exceptionally precious guest had arrived.
Tang Juyeop’s eyes sparkled, like even he hadn’t expected her to go this far.
“Wow. Thanks to my youngest sister, I get to come up to this expensive pavilion. The view is incredible.”
It really was.
From the fifth floor, no matter which direction you looked—east, west, south, or north—the scenery unfolded like a landscape painting.
After staring at nothing but the Tang estate’s tall walls every day, seeing something so wide open made my chest feel like it finally had room to breathe.
I could kind of understand why Tang Juyeop kept wandering outside instead of staying home.
Good scenery, good fun, nobody nagging him even if he didn’t train.
It felt less like “martial world young master” and more like a kid who ditched responsibility to roam around internet cafés and karaoke after school.
Tang Juyeop, still grinning, perched himself on the pavilion railing and pulled out a flute.
“All right, then... shall we begin?”
*****
The sight of his glossy hair and red silk fluttering in the wind was stylish.
But the moment Tang Juyeop’s flute performance got added to that scene, the stylish view transformed into something horrific.
If it were possible to end the world with a single instrument, it would be Tang Juyeop’s flute.
An hour, my ass. I can’t even last fifteen minutes. Is he using a Sound Art right now or what?
“Where’s the bathroom?”
When I couldn’t take it anymore and stood up using the bathroom as an excuse, Tang Juyeop startled, lowered the flute, and rushed over.
“I’ll escort you, little sister.”
“No. That’s... no. I’ll find it myself.”
“I’m worried you’ll say you’re going to the bathroom and then just go home. This way.”
...You’ve been burned a lot, huh.
When Tang Juyeop opened the pavilion door, the courtesans who’d been wearing soulless smiles pulled something out of their ears with a pop.
Tightly packed cotton.
No wonder they didn’t look like they were suffering. I should ask if I can get one too.
While I went down the stairs, secretly plotting ways to wear earplugs without Tang Juyeop noticing, I heard Tang Juyeop’s bright voice from below—his head shoved through a half-open door.
“Oh? Isn’t that my eldest brother?”
Tang Yeongho? Tang Yeongho was here?
Tang Juyeop greeted him and flung the door open.
Beyond the lattice, Tang Yeongho was lounging against a pillow, half-reclined, drinking.
“Close the door.”
“On a day this sunny, why are you sitting in here with your feet up? You should get some sunlight. It’ll lift your mood, Brother.”
“I said close it.”
With a scowl, Tang Yeongho set down his bottle and turned his gaze on me.
“You’re walking around with a decent-looking woman. First time I’ve seen her face. A new girl who climbed into the courtesan house?”
That’s your little sister, you garbage. Look at the way your brain works.
As interest flickered in his lifeless, dead-fish eyes, Tang Juyeop burst out laughing.
“Hahaha—Eldest Brother is always so consistent.”
Tang Yeongho’s guard, flustered by his master’s crude mouth, hurriedly whispered in his ear.
“Who did you say she was?”
“The youngest young lady. The one who was... formally entered into the family this time...”
“Oh. Is that so.”
The interest in Tang Yeongho’s eyes vanished in an instant.
Like it had nothing to do with him, he went right back to chugging from the bottle.
The guard broke into a sweat and bowed to me as if apologizing. I waved lightly to show it was fine.
“Enjoy yourself, Brother. I’ll be going.”
“Close the door when you leave.”
Tang Yeongho replied with an annoyed face.
The fact that he wouldn’t even look at me made it obvious he had zero interest. For me, that was a good thing.
There was a decent age gap too. As long as he didn’t mess with me, we could live like we barely existed in each other’s world.
As I turned away thinking that, Tang Yeongho suddenly roared.
“Why is that bitch here?”
At the same time, a large banquet table flipped over.
CLANG!
Shattered platters and broken bottles flew everywhere. The courtesan attending him went pale. ƒrēewebnovel.com
“Y-Young Clan Head, please calm yourself—!”
“Calm down? Calm down? Do I look like I’m in a state to calm down? The bitch who punched me is standing there with her eyes wide open, glaring at me! This time I’m gouging out those cursed eyes!”
Furious, Tang Yeongho kicked the overturned table.
One broken leg rolled across the floor and stopped right at my feet. His rotten temper was so awful it was almost impressive.
Wow. That crazy bastard is having a bumper harvest of tantrums.
Why flip the table? No wonder the maids are sick of him.
The courtesan trying to restrain Tang Yeongho must’ve realized it was hopeless, because she bolted.
Whether she ran or not, Tang Yeongho didn’t care. He only cared about one thing.
“Bring that bitch to me. Right now.”
Tang Yeongho’s face twisted as he barked the order in a hoarse, filthy voice.
I ground my teeth.
Tang Yeongho’s pointing finger was aimed at Deokju.
Deokju was standing there.
