Chapter Ninety-Four: Lady Thirteen of Autumn

“You do not look like a native of Shuo Prefecture, sir. May I ask whether something is troubling you, or whether I, Thirteenth Madam, have neglected you in some way and caused you offense?”

No one knew why, but when facing this strange man, Thirteenth Madam found herself instinctively lowering her bearing. Her eyes swept over him, as though she were trying to find something in him, but such efforts were ultimately futile. If a person deliberately wished to conceal something, then for a stranger it was nearly impossible to detect anything at all. Thirteenth Madam was no different in that moment, so after only a brief pause, she still chose to ask directly. Perhaps there was no more straightforward way than this.

“I am only here to drink. So long as there is wine, that will do. No need for you to serve me. If you wish to drink as well, then sit down.”

The man still did not lift his head to look at her. He merely spoke in that cold manner, his bearing aloof and proud. If it were anyone else, they would likely have been delighted to receive such attention from Thirteenth Madam. At that moment, jealousy, envy, perhaps even hatred, stirred in many hearts, but all of it could only be swallowed down. People like this strange man were better left alone. Harmony brings profit; that was the merchant’s instinct.

Thirteenth Madam did not seem angered by his words. Indeed, though what he said was not especially pleasant, it was the truth, and compared with false politeness, it was easier for her to accept. Still, her hand swiftly turned, pressing down the motion of his hand as he was about to pour the wine. A faint smile curved her lips as she said, “Of course I want to drink, but your wine is too strong. It goes to the head and is not suitable for a woman like me. Why not come with me instead? I still have a few rare fine vintages in my room, just enough for us to drink to our hearts’ content.”

Clearly, the man paused as well. Though the Celestial Fragrance Tower was hardly a pure place, a woman like Thirteenth Madam had always maintained her own propriety. That very quality only added to her allure. What cannot be attained often makes a man’s heart more determined, and so a woman’s chamber was naturally something to be guarded carefully and rarely opened to others, let alone to a man, and for something as unruly as drinking. At this, countless people would have sighed in regret, and the taste of jealousy in their hearts would naturally have grown even stronger. It was obvious that the strange man had not expected her to say such a thing. His surprise was not overwhelming, but neither could it be hidden away easily. After a moment, only one word escaped his mouth: “This...”

“I had thought you were a free and easy man, somewhat unlike the rest. It seems I was wrong.”

As she spoke, Thirteenth Madam slowly withdrew her hand. There seemed to be a note of disappointment in her words. Yet the strange man suddenly appeared to relax. The coldness in his expression faded somewhat at that moment. He set the wine cup in his hand onto the table and then stood up, answering, “Fine. I’ll go wherever you say, as long as there’s wine. That will do. Still, there’s one thing I should make clear in advance: if your so-called rare vintages are too expensive, I, this wine-crazed fool, may not be able to pay for them.”

“What does it matter? Since I have said it, then let it be my treat, Thirteenth Madam’s treat. All that matters is that we drink freely and happily. Money and the like only make things seem vulgar. Just come with me. I guarantee you will not regret it.”

When a woman smiles, it is seldom unbecoming, and for a beauty like Thirteenth Madam, it was enough to make her seem utterly enchanting. The gazes of the men in the hall had been fixed on the two of them all along, and at this moment their feelings grew inexplicably complicated. A man of that sort, no different from a beggar in appearance, had somehow won Thirteenth Madam’s favor. What was more, the very act of spending money to curry favor with her now seemed vulgar in her eyes. How could this not make them flush with anger? Yet that anger could not be released. The moment they saw the smile on Thirteenth Madam’s face, all such feelings vanished without a trace. In the end, they could only curse themselves inwardly for being so cheap.

Going up the stairs, they quickly reached the third floor. The layout here was naturally entirely different from the great hall below. There were only about a dozen rooms arranged around the circular edge, forming a complete ring and leaving a vast open space in the center. Looking straight up, one could clearly see the starry sky. No one knew what material had been used to build the roof, but while it allowed light to pass through, it was not eroded by wind, sand, rain, or mist. Even on bright days, it could scatter the sunlight into brilliant, rainbow-hued glimmers. It was truly marvelous.

Pushing open the door and stepping inside, it was clear that Thirteenth Madam was an exceptionally meticulous woman. The room bore none of the usual disorder one might expect from a woman’s chamber. It was neat and elegant, yet still grand in bearing. A table stood in the center of the room: a standard square eight immortals table. Its surface was covered with a white gauze canopy, much like the curtain hanging at one side of the room that concealed the bed. Upon the table rested a small glass lamp. At the moment, its flame was faint and even trembled slightly.

When a person enters an unfamiliar place, curiosity is unavoidable. Though this wine-crazed fool was a strange man, he was not entirely beyond such things. So at this moment, his attention swept around the room before finally settling on Thirteenth Madam before him. Only then did he speak: “People in the northern deserts all know that you, Autumn Thirteenth Madam, are a woman of true character, a heroine among women. But in my opinion, wine-crazed fool though I may be, that may not be entirely true.”

“Oh? And why do you say that?”

Standing before the table, Thirteenth Madam came to a stop. She turned her gaze toward him and asked softly, her tone unhurried. It was obvious that while she cared about how others saw her, she did not necessarily take it too seriously. With one hand, she casually removed the small pin resting near the lamp base and gently adjusted the wick. In this way, the flame brightened noticeably, rising straighter and more firmly.

Seeing her do this, the wine-crazed fool became even more certain of his guess. His own steps also came to a halt, and he took a nearby seat before replying, “The word boldness may only be your disguise. I think what you lack is perhaps a sense of security. Otherwise, you would not have chosen to keep your room in the corner, nor would the lamp in this room be kept lit like this all the time. And if the light had grown even a little dimmer, the first thing you would do would be to brighten it. Thirteenth Madam, I wonder whether I am right or wrong?”

“You do have a sharp eye. You observed rather carefully. But in doing so, you have also revealed something about yourself: you are not some wine-crazed fool at all, because a true fool would never say such things.”

Having had her secret seen through at once, a normal person would surely have hurried to conceal it. But Thirteenth Madam did not. Not only did she not hide anything, her expression did not change in the slightest. Even her words were aimed directly at him. At that, the wine-crazed fool grew somewhat embarrassed. He had indeed uncovered another’s secret, but his own? Of course, there was no need to deny it. Their thoughts were the same in this regard. The man smiled, seemingly using the gesture to ease the present tension.

“I’m guessing you simply dislike staying downstairs, and inviting me to drink was only a shield. Why else would there be wine in your room?”

“You are mistaken on that point. I really did only invite you here for a drink. The people downstairs are nothing but those drawn by my looks, each one wearing an equally tiresome face. Staying there too long would naturally make anyone grow weary.” This was rather unexpected for the wine-crazed fool, but Thirteenth Madam did not linger on it. She moved toward a cabinet in the corner, slowly opened it, and inside were four or five wine jars, along with two small but exquisitely made celadon cups.

“If you are tired of it, you could simply leave. Why insist on staying here and running this enormous Celestial Fragrance Tower?”

The wine-crazed fool asked in confusion. If a person wished to do something but failed, perhaps there were unavoidable hardships. But if a person did not want to do something, then no matter what difficulties stood in front of them, they could still overcome them. Just like Thirteenth Madam now: she had money of her own. Whether she opened the Celestial Fragrance Tower or not was no great matter.

Without answering him in haste, Thirteenth Madam took one jar in one hand and the two cups in the other, walking back slowly. Though the jar was not large, with the weight of the vessel it still came to no less than twenty jin. Yet she held it with one hand without the slightest sign of strain. At that moment, the wine-crazed fool was certain of one thing: she was indeed a trained hand.

“People are just like that. Helpless, really. At first, I only felt that men could not be relied upon, so I had to rely on silver. But later on, though I earned more and more silver, I found that I myself became less and less willing to let go. If I do not earn for a single day, I feel empty inside, terribly uncomfortable, just like you when you drink wine. But what good is wine, really? It is merely a way of deceiving oneself. Tell me, am I right?”

What had begun as a casual sigh suddenly turned into a question. The wine-crazed fool had merely been following her words with some inward reflection, but when that question was thrown at him so abruptly, it startled him badly. In his eyes, a trace of doubt could not help but surface.