After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 55

“Takeaway drinks…” The Emperor was taken aback.

He glanced at the courtesans beside him who were holding handkerchiefs to their mouths, and quickly understood the meaning of the brothel madam’s words.

“Damn it, takeaway drinks… This isn’t my drink…” The Emperor’s face flushed red with anger, “Stop assuming that there’s some improper relationship between people! This person on my back is my friend!”

Madam: “Oh, a friend…”

Emperor: “He twisted his ankle. After the room is ready, get some ointment for injuries. Get the best you have! Money is no object!”

As he spoke, he patted his waist to show off his wealth.

Seeing his display of “I’m not short of money,” the girls, who had lost interest and were about to leave, turned their heads back.

They had thought he was interested in someone else and had even brought a takeaway meal to the brothel. Not only that, but the takeaway was a man, not a woman, which was like turning a romance channel into a BL story, totally ruining the mood. However, now it seemed…

Turns out these two were friends!

The zero profit suddenly turned into double the joy. A few of the girls, seeing the Emperor’s bulging purse and his extravagant spending style, immediately rolled up their sleeves and decided to persuade him to buy drinks and tips to empty his wallet.

“Besides the ointment, get some medicinal wine as well. The more the better,” the Emperor remembered something and instructed, “Don’t worry about the cost, the more expensive, the better!”

Madam’s eyes lit up: “Sure! Since you say so, I will definitely prepare it for you…”

The Emperor, noticing the madam’s obsequious expression, vaguely felt something was off, but as a university student from before his transmigration, he wasn’t aware of the deceptions of brothel society. He nodded in satisfaction: “In that case, you can arrange it!”

The madam quickly called the innkeeper over and whispered, “We have a big spender tonight, so be sure to make a profit.”

“Miss Yue,” the innkeeper looked at the register with difficulty, “The best rooms are already taken. Tonight is the Midsummer Night, with celestial maidens parading the streets, and all the top rooms have been booked. Currently…”

He looked at the register and suddenly brightened: “By coincidence, there are two rooms left on the fourth floor. The fourth floor has four top-tier rooms named after Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon. The Flower Pavilion facing the street has already been rented out. The Snow Pavilion is booked by a wealthy merchant. Now only the Wind Pavilion and Moon Pavilion are available. The Moon Pavilion is usually reserved for the celestial maiden and her guest for the evening. The Wind Pavilion, directly opposite the Moon Pavilion and next to the Flower Pavilion, is available.”

The madam thought for a moment and finally said, “Since this young master doesn’t seem to be a troublemaker, and there’s some distance between the rooms, let’s arrange him on the fourth floor.”

But then she remembered the man in the Flower Pavilion and asked with curiosity: “By the way, did the gentleman in the Flower Pavilion really rent the top-tier suite for three months?”

The innkeeper nodded: “That person seems to be a wealthy merchant from the north. He said he likes the hustle and bustle, the beautiful women, and scenery, so he rented it for a long term.”

Seeing the madam’s interest, the innkeeper added, “What these young masters and wealthy merchants do with their money is their business. We don’t need to understand it or get involved. They can spend as they wish. Our job is to get their money into our pockets. That’s all we need to focus on. Do you understand?”

“Understood, understood,” the madam said, shaking herself out of her curiosity.

Although she was curious about the young master in the Flower Pavilion, Yanyun Lane was known to be one of the most mixed places in the capital. It had high consumption and high status, frequented by the wealthy and influential, as well as assassins and overseas merchants. Men in the brothel often became loose-lipped in front of the gentle women, and there were even spies sent from other countries to gather secrets from high-ranking officials.

To survive here, one must not be too curious or investigate guests’ identities, which was a big taboo.

The madam quickly arranged a top room for the two. The room was on the fourth floor of the Reflective Shadow Pavilion, which required some effort to climb. The madam invited a few guards to help, but the Emperor waved them off.

He carried Zhou Xun up the stairs. Zhou Xun, nestled in his neck, suddenly asked softly, “When did you discover my identity, Your Majesty?”

Emperor: !

Zhou Xun stopped pretending!

“Well…” The Emperor chuckled awkwardly and decided to preserve Zhou Xun’s dignity, “I just found out, haha. If you hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have noticed…”

Zhou Xun: …

“You’re not very convincing, Your Majesty,” Zhou Xun said.

His words were said softly, perhaps to avoid being overheard by the madam, but they felt like a feather brushing the Emperor’s ear, making his ears turn red.

…He didn’t know why, but it reminded him of the scene when he brought four packages for his roommate, only to find him affectionately with his girlfriend downstairs. The expression his roommate had while listening to his girlfriend’s cooing seemed strangely similar to his own expression now.

“Oh…” The Emperor said awkwardly. He quickly put on a shocked expression: “I really just found out, truly! I’m so surprised!”

Zhou Xun: …

Unable to resist, Zhou Xun pinched the Emperor. Since the Emperor was carrying him, he ended up pinching his neck.

At first, Zhou Xun thought it was just an involuntary reaction. However, as he realized how intimate and inappropriate his action was, he felt his face heat up.

…He stopped speaking. The Emperor also fell silent.

The madam walked ahead, a bit worried about the wealthy young master behind her. Despite looking delicate, he was still a man. She had noticed the Emperor’s slow pace when going upstairs.

Now, after climbing two floors, she feared…

But when she looked back, she was stunned.

The young master in the dark robe looked even more radiant, energetic, and sprightly than before!?

The madam had no idea why the young master seemed to be glowing with renewed energy. She led them up to the fourth floor, and towards the east was the room marked with the character “Wind.” The room’s entrance was a paper door decorated with mountains, rivers, and bamboo forests, with the bamboo leaves leaning to one side as if blown by the wind.

All four top-tier rooms on the fourth floor were named after “Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon,” with the paper doors decorated accordingly. For example, the Moon Pavilion’s paper door featured a moon reflected in the water, and the Snow Pavilion’s door showed snow falling under an eave. The Flower Pavilion’s door…

The madam glanced at the closed paper door of the Flower Pavilion, decorated with countless red flowers, blazing and bright, as if they had bloomed from the ends of the earth to this place.

Flowers…

Light as…

Inside the Flower Pavilion, a man in purple robes and a half-mask watched the celestial maiden on the flower cart from a distance, a smile curling on his lips.

His fingers glided over the strings of a zither.

The celestial maiden had not looked this way even once.

“Brother Zhu, it’s getting late,” Xie Zhengqing, who had been sitting uncomfortably for a long time, finally stood up, “I’ve had enough of the commotion tonight. I’ve watched and heard enough. I’m really tired… I’m going back to rest now.”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t go! The celestial maiden is drawing the lottery!” His friend, seeing him get up as if burned, quickly stopped him, “What commotion, you’ve been drinking tea all night! Look at you, you’ve had free refills at Hongxiu Tower, and tonight you’ve had more than a dozen cups. You’re just drinking tea to make up for it!”

“Well, this place has been absurd today…”

Xie Zhengqing refused to stay, so his friend said, “At least wait until she finishes drawing the lots…”

Before he could finish, a disheartened sigh came from the crowd downstairs.

“Forget it, it seems I’m not destined to win the lottery in this lifetime!”

“Who’s so lucky to spend a good night with the celestial maiden?”

Just as Xie Zhengqing was about to turn down the offer completely, a voice from behind him caught his attention.

“Sir, your ticket number is 374, right?” the attendant asked with a smile, “The person drawn by Miss Qing Ruo today is… you!”

Xie Zhengqing stared at the ticket he had casually placed on the table, stunned.

……

Zhou Xun and the others were unaware of the excitement outside, as their excitement was within the “Wind” room.

The interior decoration of the “Wind” room was indeed very elegant, and even the hanging paintings were quite valuable. Zhou Xun couldn’t help but glance at one of the paintings as the Emperor carried him past it. One of the paintings even appeared to be the authentic work of the renowned painter Lin Mingxi from the previous dynasty.

Seeing Zhou Xun looking at the paintings for a while, the madam whispered to a nearby servant, “Make a note of it—art viewing fee, five taels.”

The servant noted it down.

The Emperor had no interest in the room’s décor. His focus was entirely on Zhou Xun’s injury. The room had a luxurious couch, and as soon as they entered, he carefully placed Zhou Xun on it and told the madam, “Get more cushions.”

The madam, eager to please, responded, “Certainly!”

She instructed someone to fetch the cushions and then asked the Emperor, “Would you like to choose a fragrance? We have a fine pear fragrance, purchased from the Western Regions, costing one tael of powder for one candlestick.”

The Emperor waved his hand casually, “Just order it.”

The madam’s face lit up with a smile. The Emperor then asked, “Aside from that, when will the medicinal wine and ointment arrive?”

“Right away!”

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, many beautiful women began to enter with trays. The Emperor was dumbfounded by the sight.

Each woman’s tray held a cup of medicinal wine, and the cups were crystal-clear, looking like high-quality crystal. The medicinal wine inside was golden and aromatic, suggesting it had been aged for some time. As the wine arrived, a woman skillfully arranged all the cups…

Zhou Xun heard the Emperor’s voice.

“Damn… A champagne tower of medicinal wine?”

Author’s Note: Emperor: Is this brothel run by a pig farm?

In a brothel where even breathing costs money, it seems like a pig farm is running it. The Emperor is about to go bankrupt (√)

The setting of Yanyun Lane is more akin to places like Ginza or Kabukicho (?), not places like Yoshiwara.

Here are the names of the places mentioned in this chapter

1. **烟云坊 (Yān yún fāng)** – Smoke and Clouds Lane (a high-end district, akin to Ginza or Kabukicho)
2. **红袖楼 (Hóng xiù lóu)** – Red Sleeve Building (a location with a reputation for high-quality tea)
3. **风阁 (Fēng gé)** – Wind Pavilion (one of the rooms on the fourth floor)
4. **月阁 (Yuè gé)** – Moon Pavilion (one of the rooms on the fourth floor, typically reserved for special guests)
5. **花阁 (Huā gé)** – Flower Pavilion (one of the rooms on the fourth floor, decorated with flowers)
6. **雪阁 (Xuě gé)** – Snow Pavilion (one of the rooms on the fourth floor, themed with snow)

These locations are described as high-end and luxurious, fitting with the setting of a brothel or entertainment district.