Chapter 135 Search: “I’ve no taste for forcing people.”

Chapter 135: The Search: "I have no habit of forcing anyone."

In their search for Tian Qin, Nanny Chen’s family had sold nearly everything they owned, including Bo Ge’s cooking utensils and small cart used for selling pastries, as well as Zhaolu’s two old garments. In exchange, they scraped together a meager amount of travel expenses and scoured everywhere for anyone who looked like Tian Qin.

Now, they lingered at the foot of the imperial city, crowded in with vagrants and beggars in a dark alley, exposed to the elements. At night, they squeezed into a shack that leaked snow in winter and rain in summer.

Nanny Chen and Zhaolu went back to their old jobs, working as maids doing laundry and cleaning, enduring extreme hardship.

Bo Ge could no longer sell his pastries, so he scraped and bowed as a waiter in a tavern. Though the money was meager, the tavern was a melting pot of all kinds of people, bustling with people, making it a good place to pick up news about Tian Qin. Alternatively, he asked about Wan Cui, who had vanished along with Tian Qin.

The rich people's capital and the poor people's capital were two entirely different worlds, each unable to imagine the other.

Most of the wealthy were living it up in luxury, indulging in decadence, throwing money around, and hanging out at fancy brothels and teahouses. They were always waited on by servants and with beautiful wives and concubines on their arms.

The poor, on the other hand, huddled in damp, dark alleys, putting up with the growing mosquito problem in early spring, slaving away day after day, with even sunlight and a full meal being luxuries.

Inside the tavern, Bo Ge bowed and scraped to keep customers happy, even kneeling down to shine their shoes. A portly customer, full from his meal, would take a quick look at the portrait of Tian Qin that Bo Ge produced. "This is my lost wife," Bo Ge would say. "My old mom's waiting for her to come home." The customer would usually give a casual look, and Bo Ge would be stuck in a hopeless cycle of asking the same thing hundreds of times.

Bo Ge also had to be wary of the tavern’s landlady, a cheap woman who wouldn't let him conduct personal business during work hours. She had once ripped up his picture in a rage, threatening to kick him out if he did it again.

"Nope."

"Not me."

"Looks kinda familiar, like my ex-wife Bao’er. She’s been dead three years now. Poor thing."

"Your wife? No way, with a face like that, heh, she belongs in a brothel."

"I can help you find her, post some flyers. But you’ll have to pay for it yourself, and I’ll take a commission."

"Haven’t seen her. Let me think... a matchmaker I know has a maid with a similar hairdo."

...

Every time, Bo Ge would pull out the picture full of hope, only to roll it back up feeling hopeless, his hope almost gone.

Zhaolu and Nanny Chen worked in a merchant's home, doing the dirtiest, hardest chores, even emptying chamber pots.

Maybe their persistence finally paid off. After Zhaolu slept with the merchant's sleazy son, the guy accidentally let it slip: "That mysterious goddess at Drunken Flow Years looks kinda like the woman in your picture."

Zhaolu immediately pulled out all the stops to butter him up and get the scoop.

The young master said that at Drunken Flow Years, there was a courtesan who could rival Xi Shi in beauty, but she was mysteriously locked away in an upstairs room. No amount of money could get you a look at her. Word was she'd been claimed by some even scarier big shot in the imperial court.

He'd only caught a quick glimpse of her extraordinary beauty when she lifted a curtain while having a drink.

"What’s her name?"

"Yingge, with a voice as sweet as honey, like an oriole."

"Is that top courtesan kidnapped? Does she scream for help all day?"

"Scream for help? Don't be stupid. Thousands would kill for a look at her. She's aloof and classy, having too good a time for that."

Zhaolu felt like she'd struck gold with this info and passed it on to Nanny Chen.

Nanny Chen was thrilled and heartbroken at the same time. Thrilled that Tian Qin, missing for so long, had finally been found; heartbroken that Tian Qin had fallen into the world of prostitution. That den of snakes and scorpions—how could they, as commoners, rescue her?

They could not tell Bo Ge, absolutely not. He would surely charge into Drunken Flow Years recklessly, risking his life.

Bo Ge’s sacrifice would be in vain. Brothels had many thugs, and a crippled man like him would be taken down in an instant.

Nanny Chen begged Zhaolu to keep the secret, leaving Zhaolu in a dilemma. She knew where her mistress was trapped but could not save her.

"Madam, aren’t we going to save the young lady? She must be forced into this, suffering!"

Zhaolu wiped away tears urgently.

Nanny Chen’s mind was a mess, without a plan.

"How are we going to save her, Madam? That’s Drunken Flow Years. We can’t just throw our lives away."

That evening, they returned home to find Bo Ge tying a noose to hang himself.

He had been harassed by a customer again that day, forced to kneel before a difficult patron, and his portrait of Tian Qin had been drenched with wine.

Bo Ge lived in pitch-black darkness, an endless sea of suffering with no taste for life.

"Mother, don’t stop me. Please, let me go!"

The hemp rope had already left deep marks on his neck.

"My son, what are you doing? You’ll be the death of me! Come down, have you lost your mind?"

Nanny Chen wept and shouted, desperately trying to stop him.

After a struggle, she had no choice but to reveal Tian Qin’s faint whereabouts to Bo Ge, turning it into his hope for survival.

When Bo Ge learned that she had been sent to a brothel, his anger and grief erupted like a volcano, spitting blood and tears. His fury was so immense that he bit a tooth to pieces, wishing he had never been born.

"Animals! Animals!"

He was ready to die, his throat feeling like hot coals, determined to perish together with those beasts.

As Nanny Chen had feared, Bo Ge went to the entrance of Drunken Flow Years that very night, demanding to see the person. With no money or power, he didn’t even have the right to enter, shouting that he was the top courtesan’s husband. Naturally, he was beaten severely by the thugs.

Liu Ruyan heard him shouting Yingge’s name and, fearing complications, ordered him beaten to death. Nanny Chen and Zhaolu arrived just in time and, in a panic, invoked the name "Xie Tanwei," claiming they were from the Xie residence, barely managing to save Bo Ge’s life.

Even so, Bo Ge was battered and half-dead, foaming at the mouth, convulsing pitifully, with no strength left to resist.

"Lock them in the water dungeon first."

Liu Ruyan was a businesswoman who hated losing customers to disturbances. She had a deep-seated hatred for the troublemakers.

She immediately sent a message by carrier pigeon to Lord Xie.

Whether Miss Yingge’s old flame lived or died was for Lord Xie to decide.

Yingge was crucial; nothing could go wrong.

...

The spring rain drizzled on, filling the pond. A few scattered green leaves floated on the water, casting mottled spring shadows.

The eastern sky, though clearing, remained gloomy. A few trembling rays of sunlight pierced the clouds. Old trees rustled, and the greenery in the earth awakened. Potted orchids, dripping with dew, were placed on the terrace, neatly trimmed, exuding the breath of spring.

Tian Qin had just woken from her hangover, languid and dispirited. After rinsing her mouth and washing her face with rosewater, two maids dressed her hair before the bronze mirror, the strands gleaming with careful grooming.

Now, as the mysterious top courtesan admired by all, she had grown accustomed to the rhythms of the brothel. The sheer, veiled garments of the courtesan were actually light and comfortable, and the sound of pipa played for pleasure helped her sleep.

She picked up the palm-sized mirror, intricately carved with dense and complex patterns—a top-quality Persian product that Mama Liu had sent over yesterday. The mirror reflected her face very clearly, showing every single strand of her eyebrows distinctly.

Admiring it idly, she was wondering what wine to drink later when suddenly a figure in ink-black clothes appeared in the mirror.

Tian Qin set down the bronze mirror.

Turning around, it was Xie Tanwei.

She was surprised by his sudden appearance; he had said he would be on an external inspection for a few days and wouldn't come to her place.

But she wasn't too surprised either; his temperament was changeable, and changing his mind was a common occurrence.

The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, the rich aroma of white camellia, and the lemony scent of lemongrass steeped in tea.

Xie Tanwei came over and grazed her clean earlobe, his tone neither pleased nor angry: "Putting on makeup?"

Tian Qin said flatly, "You're here."

Xie Tanwei's gaze settled on her slender waist, so small it seemed barely graspable. He pulled her into his embrace, and she complied obediently, like a tamed little animal, or like a doll whose soul had been scooped out and stuffed with cotton.

"You've learned to behave," he commented with a cold, detached gaze.

She sneered, "Did I have a choice?"

"If you'd been like this earlier, nothing would have happened." Xie Tanwei coldly traced the shape of her lips with his hand, a faint, restrained smile playing on his face. "Seeing you so obedient, I have a piece of good news for you."

Tian Qin showed little interest, her gaze dropping. "What."

She couldn't imagine what good news could come out of his mouth at this point.

"Bo Ge and Nanny Chen have come to rescue you."

Xie Tanwei tossed a pouch before her. It was dirty and worn, the very one Nanny Chen always wore, stained with shocking bloodstains. Judging by the thickness and smell of the blood, its owner was on the verge of death.

He seemed to realize this as well and smiled lightly. "Sorry, Liu Ruyan didn't instruct her men to moderate their force, but they're still alive."

Tian Qin was thunderstruck. Stunned, she picked up the pouch, her fingertips digging deep into her palm, a gloomy light radiating from her eyes. "Let her go!"

Xie Tanwei shrugged. "Let go. They refused to leave, claiming they came to find their wife. Bo Ge was dragged into the water dungeon, shouting your name repeatedly, saying you are his wife. They sold their house and land, saved up twenty taels of silver, and want to redeem you."

Tian Qin asked with hostility, "And you agreed?"

Xie Tanwei glanced around at the tall, thick walls enclosing the area and said in a slow, languid voice, "Of course not."

"How despicable they are, trying to buy you for a mere twenty taels. In my eyes, little sister, you are priceless. You no longer care for him, yet he comes to presume upon you. Back then, they were the ones who forced the marriage, taking advantage of your misfortune, preying on you, and morally blackmailing you into marrying into their poor, humble family."

He spoke at length, his words filled with tenderness, light yet profound. Then he changed the subject and added:

"However, since they came for you, I have to ask for your opinion."

"If you are willing to be 'bought' away, I will naturally respect that. But I was once your brother-in-law, considered half an elder. I don't want to see you treated as a commodity, traded back and forth, especially at such a cheap price. Although you have fallen into the world of prostitution, I have never regarded you as a prostitute. When Liu Ruyan took care of you, I only instructed them to be respectful and courteous and not force you to receive guests."

Xie Tanwei paused, his meaning profound, hiding his inner possessiveness and jealousy. He dropped a cold sentence in her ear: "If you accept being 'bought,' then you will truly become a prostitute, and I will be able to buy you back at an even higher price."

Tian Qin turned her head away in disdain, ashamed to face his hypocritical face. How many times had he taken pleasure in testing her like this?

She had no choice at all and could never escape this Drunk on Fleeting Years. By now, shackles had locked her tight, casting her into the eighteenth level of hell. She no longer hoped to escape alive and unharmed.

He did evil and still expected her to forgive him, wanting her to stand on the same side as him.

"I won't leave. I'll stay."

Tian Qin declared decisively, as if making an oath to him.

"Stay? To do what?"

Xie Tanwei pressed on mercilessly, his voice cold and menacing.

"To be with you," Tian Qin said, looking into his terrifying eyes.

"To serve you and stay with you for a lifetime."

"Let them go. Drive them away, out of my sight. Don't kill them and dirty your hands. As for me, you can lock me up, and I will stay forever."

She negotiated with him, uttering the most tactful and sincere words she had spoken in recent days, full of deep yearning. She offered her pale, slender wrists to him.

Xie Tanwei curved his lips. This was the effect he had been scheming to achieve—a great test of obedience.

"I don't have a habit of coercing people. I hope you are willing."

Xie Tanwei let out a soft, ambiguous laugh, alternating between overcast and sunny. He casually teased her upturned nose and said slowly, "A forced melon isn't sweet, as the old saying goes. You should act accordingly."

The opposite of "forced" is mutual affection and mutual consent.

Tian Qin didn't know how he could say such shameless words—hadn't he already coerced her enough?

To save the lives of Nanny Chen's family, she had no choice but to comply with him, her voice as flat as plain water: "As you wish."

Xie Tanwei saw through it perfectly and gave a slight nod.