nucmednet Chapter 271 Killing the chicken to scare the monkey
Chapter 271 Killing the chicken to scare the monkey
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The man was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and cursed, "Where did this scoundrel come from, daring to barge in and ruin my good time?"
Liu Ye walked over, grabbed his collar, and dragged him out, saying, "Even though this is a brothel and everyone's here to solicit prostitutes, it's not a cheap brothel where you can pay a few dozen coins a time. There has to be some ambiance, right? We could have been talking about poetry and listening to some music, what a nice atmosphere! You've ruined it all. Besides, he said he didn't want to sleep with you. You didn't pay and still forced yourself on him. That's so low!"
Liu Ye was taller than most men in this timeline. He dragged the man like an eagle snatching a chick. The man had no ability to resist and could only stagger along as he was dragged along, reaching out to grab the other man's face haphazardly, but he couldn't grab him.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you know who I am? Let me go right now, kneel down, kowtow, and admit your mistake, and I'll let you go..."
"I don't care who you are... There are rules for casual sex, and there are rules for prostitution. Your behavior is so tasteless, you've disgraced us men. Today, I'll act on behalf of heaven and teach you a lesson!"
Liu Ye dragged him down the stairs. The man couldn't keep up and was almost dragged sideways down the stairs, inevitably bumping and bruising, letting out a series of screams.
Several men who appeared to be attendants downstairs heard the noise and were terrified. They rushed up and tried to snatch the man back.
Liu Ye stopped and delivered a standard front kick, sending the first follower tumbling down the stairs.
"What, trying to outnumber everyone? I have people too."
Upon hearing the commotion, the guards scattered throughout the hall gathered around the attendants, beating them all to the ground with a flurry of punches and kicks.
Seeing the situation was turning bad, the man hurriedly said, "Don't do anything rash... My godfather is Chang Kun, the eunuch in charge of Nanjing. Offending me is the same as offending him. You should think carefully!"
Liu Ye was startled. What a small world! They were plotting against him, and now they were directly clashing. But since they had already started fighting, he couldn't back down halfway. He laughed and said, "So you're the adopted son of the garrison eunuch. You've got quite a background. I'm really scared. But I'm not from Suzhou, and I'm not from Southern Zhili. He shouldn't have any jurisdiction over me, right?"
This man was Chang Wei. After leaving Su Ji, feeling that the situation was settled, he wanted to celebrate with some wine and women. On his attendant's recommendation, he went to Le Yun Lou and specifically requested the top courtesan, Dong Xiaowan. Dong Xiaowan was unwell and, having never liked such dissolute young men, made an excuse to avoid him. Chang Wei, feeling humiliated, stormed into her room, intending to force himself on her. Unexpectedly, before he could even begin, someone barged in.
According to the customs of the late Ming Dynasty, to become a courtesan's patron, a guest had to fund a grand ceremony, preferably with the addition of several well-known and romantic scholars to add to the festivities. He would then give the brothel a large sum of money, after which the courtesan would serve only that one guest. This process was called "combing." The amount of money required for "combing" varied depending on the social status of the person being "combed."
Dong Xiaowan was renowned for her exceptional talent and beauty. Back in the Qinhuai River, her aloof and refined demeanor captivated many discerning patrons. However, her refusal to sell herself drew ridicule from the madam, leading her to angrily return to Bantang in Suzhou. A courtesan like her, "gilded" by the Qinhuai River, possessing fame, talent, and beauty while still retaining her virginity, was incredibly sought after. It wasn't uncommon for her "combing" (a euphemism for prostitution) to fetch over a thousand taels of silver. One thousand taels of silver is roughly equivalent to six hundred thousand yuan in today's currency. Many wealthy people in Jiangnan could easily afford to support a courtesan long-term, and it would even become a status symbol.
Chang Wei wasn't unable to afford the money, but the problem was that an uneducated playboy like him couldn't integrate into the circles of literati and scholars, and would rarely have the opportunity to "courte" famous courtesans. Top courtesans were proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; many were as talented as men, and were fawned over by the powerful and famous, developing arrogant and pretentious personalities. How could they possibly be willing to submit to a nouveau riche who barely knew any characters? However, relying on his godfather's power, the arrogant and domineering young master Chang was not about to be humiliated by a prostitute. You want to act like a courtesan? I'm not playing the literary game with you; I'll just be tough.
If an ordinary customer did this, the brothel guards would have already beaten him out with sticks. It's not easy to cultivate a popular top courtesan, and she's the brothel madam's cash cow. How could she let someone else have her for free without charging a large sum of money? But Chang Wei's background is too great. At least in the brothels of Suzhou Prefecture, no one can control him. When the signboard of the Nanjing garrison eunuch is displayed, the brothel madam and pimps all stay far away. No one dares to provoke this man.
Hearing Liu Ye's words, Chang Wei thought he was really scared, and said smugly, "If you know what's good for you, release me quickly, set up a feast to calm my nerves, and pay me several hundred taels for medicine. Then we'll let bygones be bygones."
Liu Ye chuckled, but inwardly he was pondering how to deal with him. Although he disapproved of the man's sleazy behavior and acted out of righteous indignation, it wasn't a deep-seated grudge. Besides, Dong Xiaowan hadn't been forced into anything, so it seemed unnecessary to fight this playboy to the death over this matter. However, seeing his relentless attitude, even if he were willing to back down, he probably wouldn't be able to let it go easily.
While he was hesitating, he caught a glimpse of several elderly men standing in the corridor on the second floor. They were Su Mingkang and his men who had come out to see what was going on after hearing the commotion. An idea struck him: Why not take this opportunity to make an example of them, to reassure those old foxes like Su Mingkang, and let them know that he was not afraid of the eunuchs guarding Nanjing, thus relieving their worries?
So Liu Ye pushed Chang Wei to the ground, stepped on his chest, and said, "You want to apologize and calm your nerves, right? That's easy, I'll 'calm your nerves' right now!" After saying that, he stomped harder, making Chang Wei's eyes bulge out.
"Oh, right, there's also the cost of the medicine." Liu Ye beckoned, signaling Li Fu to hand over the silver. Li Fu quickly handed over a packet of silver.
Liu Ye had someone hold down Chang Wei's hands and feet, took out a silver ingot, and stuffed it into Chang Wei's mouth as he screamed. The cold, hard silver ingot made Chang Wei feel extremely uncomfortable and he wanted to spit it out, but unexpectedly, a second silver ingot was stuffed into his mouth.
These are fifty-tael silver ingots. Two ingots filled Chang Wei's mouth completely, leaving him speechless.
Liu Ye raised the third ingot, and Chang Wei shook his head in terror, his eyes filled with fear and pleading. He never expected that this person wouldn't be afraid at all after learning about his background; either he had an even greater background, or he was a complete madman. As the saying goes, "The weak fear the strong, the strong fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the reckless." Faced with someone like this, Chang Wei immediately cowered.