Chapter Twelve#
Hundred Nether Mountain | Roasted Rabbit Champion Sixteenth Lady#
They left the city through the east gate, traveling a stretch of the main road before the carriage stopped at a fork.
The three disembarked, and Pei Jintang, familiar with the way, led the other two into the left fork. They walked along a path flanked by clusters of small white flowers until they reached a nameless lake. Across the middle of the lake stretched a stone bridge leading to Hundred Nether Mountain.
The stone bridge was wide enough for four or five people to walk abreast. Several stalls lined the bridge, selling simple, everyday trinkets. Pei Xiting noticed that despite the vendors’ plain attire and warm smiles, they couldn’t quite conceal the shady aura that suggested they might whip out a cleaver at any moment.
After crossing the bridge, they arrived at a cave entrance. There was no plaque, only two giant peachwood statues on either side. The left statue held a halberd, majestic and imposing; the right had a leisurely expression, one hand gently stroking a fierce tiger beside it.
Seeing Pei Xiting studying the peachwood statues, Zhao Yi remarked, “The Hetu Kuodi Xiang says: ‘On Mount Peach Capital grows a great peach tree, its twisted branches spanning three thousand li. Above it perches a golden rooster; below it dwell two spirits—one named Yu, the other named Lei. They hold reed ropes, lying in wait for inauspicious ghosts and monstrous beings.’ These two statues are those spirits: Shentu and Yulei.”
Pei Jintang added, “Legend has it they can slay evil ghosts, and common folk revere them as door gods, praying for protection from calamities and misfortune… Ah, that’s not important—I’m starving! Let’s go in!”
Pei Xiting was pushed through the cave entrance by Pei Jintang. After about a dozen paces, the path opened up. Above, colorful ropes wove a brilliant canopy of meshed lights. Colorful lanterns stretched from the entrance to left and right, winding upward along the twisting mountain path, illuminating the second, third, and fourth levels.
Beneath the rope canopy lay a huge pit, also crowded with stalls and buzzing with voices—clearly the underground level of this large market.
“Roasted Rabbit Champion is down there. Follow me.” Pei Jintang gestured for the two to keep up. “They say when Hundred Nether Mountain first started business, some guy got drunk at the top, yelled ‘Yahoo!’ and jumped off, dying on the spot. So afterwards, everyone just defaulted to eating and drinking on the bottom two levels.”
Pei Jintang led them down a stone staircase in the corner and found a shop tucked in the left corner. A bamboo pole stood at the front with a wine banner: one side read “Ha Ha Ha Ha,” and the other side read “Go Screw Yourself.”
“They greet customers with smiles, but if someone starts trouble, kicks and punches are inevitable.” Pei Jintang explained to the other two. “The boss is no pushover.”
“What a frank shopkeeper.” Zhao Yi looked up at the banner and applauded. “The calligraphy is crisp and elegant, with sharp, upright bones. Clearly, the writer has profound skill.”
“Young master has a good eye!”
A woman’s voice came with a laugh. The three looked over and saw a pale hand lift the bamboo curtain, revealing a face with willow-leaf brows and apricot eyes. The woman appeared to be about twenty, dressed in a yellow-orange chest-high gown. She swayed a fan as she walked forward gracefully, truly fitting the description “light as if ready to soar, alluring in every pose.”
“Oh my, such handsome young masters!” The woman’s eyes lit up. She wrinkled her nose and used her fan to shove Pei Jintang aside. “Get inside!”
“These two are proper gentlemen, don’t scare them off.” Pei Jintang laughed and ducked through the curtain.
“Proper?” The woman teased. “Men? Only when they’re nailed into a coffin can they be proper!”
She circled the two, her beautiful eyes smiling, utterly tempting. Zhao Yi looked down, not daring to meet her gaze, but she lifted his chin with her fan and grinned in his face. “Young sir, how old are you?”
Zhao Yi, unlike his elder brother, never fooled around. He didn’t even have a personal maid in his room. The only women he spoke to regularly were his mother, respectable ladies, or young girls. He had never encountered such a flirtatious woman. Stiff and rooted to the spot, he reached for Pei Xiting’s sleeve for help and stammered, “L-Lady, I am twenty this year.”
“So you’re my younger brother, so innocent!” The woman hip-checked Zhao Yi’s butt, making the latter jump like a startled rabbit and scurry behind Pei Xiting.
Pei Xiting: “…”
The woman covered her face with a laugh. “I am Sixteenth Lady, twenty-seven this year. You may call me Sister Sixteen.”
She threw a flirtatious glance, which sent Zhao Yi, who had just tentatively poked his head out from behind Pei Xiting, darting back again.
The woman finally took pity and stopped teasing him. She circled Pei Xiting, studying him carefully. “Young master, haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”
Pei Xiting replied, “This is my first time here.”
The woman did not press further. She patted Pei Xiting’s arm and said, “Go on in and sit.”
Pei Xiting nodded and pulled the turtle-like Zhao Yi through the curtain.
Pei Jintang was already seated at a wooden table in the corner, sipping the complimentary mulberry water. Seeing Zhao Yi’s bashful demeanor, he couldn’t help teasing, “Sifan, is this sister beautiful?”
Zhao Yi sat down, scratching his head sheepishly. “B-Beautiful, yes.”
Pei Jintang laughed heartily and pushed the menu over. “I ordered one roasted rabbit and a plate of fava beans. You two decide what you want.”
The menu listed only roast rabbit, fava beans, melon seeds, spicy radish, and a variety of wines and liquors. Pei Xiting glanced over it. “Rose Dew wine.”
Zhao Yi said, “I’ll have mulberry wine.”
Pei Jintang looked up and saw the woman approaching. He called their orders.
The woman instructed a waiter to fetch the wine. Then she sat down next to Pei Xiting, who had his back to the door, and fanned herself. “Three big men, just one roasted rabbit? Will that be enough? Let me treat you to another one.”
“That’s enough. My third brother doesn’t really like rabbit much. We’ll grab something else later.” Pei Jintang said.
At that, the woman raised an eyebrow and followed Pei Jintang’s gaze to Pei Xiting beside her. “Oh, so he’s your third brother?”
She seemed momentarily stunned, then smiled again. “No wonder he looks familiar. You two resemble each other!”
“Do we?” Pei Jintang frowned at Pei Xiting. “I don’t think so.”
Zhao Yi nodded in agreement.
“Brothers, after all. At first glance, there’s a slight resemblance in the brows and eyes, though your temperaments are completely different.” The woman lifted her fair arm to rest on Pei Xiting’s shoulder and poured him a cup of mulberry water with her other hand. Her gaze was like a lit fuse, tracing every detail of his face. “Hey, what’s your name?”
She held the wine cup to his lips, her breath fragrant. Pei Xiting took a sip from the cup and replied calmly, “Pei Xiting. No courtesy name.”
“Jintang, Xiting—one glorious hall, one clear mountain stream—both beautiful.” The woman set the cup down gently. Just as she was about to speak again, a coarse voice shouted from upstairs:
“Sixteenth Lady, come up and drink with us!”
“Yeah! What’s so fun about those pale-faced pretty boys? Come up and—”
“Up your grandpa’s ass!” Sixteenth Lady slammed the table, startling Zhao Yi, who had not been prepared. He jolted and spilled mulberry wine all over his face.
Sixteenth Lady pulled out a handkerchief and meticulously cleaned the now-burning-red face of Zhao Yi. As the innocent young man stared in bewilderment, she rose gracefully and sauntered away.
She stopped at the foot of the stairs. All trace of her previous sweet, soft voice had vanished. She shouted up, her voice sharp and fiery: “You expect me to drink with you? Who the hell do you think you are? If you can drink, drink; if not, fuck off. If I hear another word of shit, I’ll cut off that thing of yours, pickle it in wine, and smash it down your throat!”
The shop fell dead silent.
Pei Xiting looked up and saw Zhao Yi, frozen solid, clearly struck dumb by Sixteenth Lady’s transformation from gentle lady to lion’s roar.
Pei Jintang clinked his cup with Pei Xiting, leaned in, and whispered, “Don’t doubt it—she actually did it. Four years ago, a flower thief came here to drink. He made a move on Sixteenth Lady, even tried to strip her in public. So she cut off his thing, threw it into a jar of wine, and forced him to drink it all… Ugh!”
He quickly downed some wine to suppress the nausea before continuing. “Anyway, the flower thief bled to death on the spot. He was wanted in many places for kidnapping women and raping young girls, so when the Crane Cage Office came to deal with it later, they didn’t punish Sixteenth Lady. But her reputation for swift cuts spread. Even though she still gets provoked occasionally, no one dares to actually do anything. Hear that? Upstairs went quiet, didn’t it?”
Pei Xiting said, “This place is a mix of dragons and snakes. Without skill and a strong character, it’s hard to establish a business.”
Pei Jintang agreed. “So don’t underestimate Sixteenth Lady.”
“Ah, I remember now. I’ve heard about this too.” Zhao Yi had recovered from Sixteenth Lady’s vocal shock therapy and whispered, “I heard that a censor submitted a memorial requesting that the Crown Prince order the Crane Cage Office to execute Sixteenth Lady. His Highness rejected it. The censor submitted two more times, citing scriptures and making grand speeches, but was still rejected. On the fourth attempt, not only was it rejected, but the censor was also demoted.”
A young waiter, about twelve or thirteen with a clean face, brought the wine and peanuts, set them down, and clattered away in wooden clogs.
Zhao Yi continued in a low voice, “I heard there was more to it. At the time, the Crown Prince had just taken up residence in the Eastern Palace and was soon commanded to oversee state affairs. He also established the Crane Cage Office, which made the courtiers uneasy. The old officials who had supported the late Crown Prince Yuanhe naturally resented the new Crown Prince. Corrupt officials feared the Crane Cage Office. And compared to the new Crown Prince, some officials preferred the gentle, benevolent Yuanhe Crown Prince as heir. So many wanted to test the Crown Prince or even pressure the Eastern Palace. Someone stirred up the most outspoken censors to serve as the spearhead.”
Pei Xiting had heard of Yuanhe Crown Prince—the first crown prince of Emperor Xining, born of the late Empress Wang, Emperor Xining’s first empress who had passed away years ago.
In the winter of the thirteenth year of Xining, the Yuanhe Crown Prince allegedly poisoned the emperor and committed treason. He was placed under house arrest and died in a self-inflicted fire. The next day, the Crown Princess hanged herself, leaving behind only a four-year-old son. In the spring of the fourteenth year, Emperor Xining appointed the adopted son of the second empress, Empress Qu—the Fifth Prince—as Crown Prince.
Compared to Yuanhe Crown Prince, the new Crown Prince was clearly a difficult and unyielding heir, instantly arousing the wariness, fear, and even hatred of some courtiers. After all, Yuanhe Crown Prince had always been benevolent and seemed unlikely to commit treason. The new Crown Prince was the ultimate beneficiary, so Yuanhe’s supporters couldn’t help but feel uneasy and suspicious.
Pei Xiting said flatly, “Three strikes and you’re out—the Crown Prince was already being generous. It wasn’t wrong for the censor to hold a different view, and remonstrating was his duty. What got him abandoned was willingly becoming a tool in someone else’s hands.”
Pei Jintang wasn’t well-versed in court politics, but after a moment’s thought, he said, “Is that so… it makes sense!”
He sighed and shook his head. “Some officials, especially the older ones, really love threatening people with their positions and lives. Too bad the Crown Prince isn’t Yuanhe Crown Prince—that trick doesn’t work on him.”
“Any tactics like kneeling at the palace gates, threatening to dash against pillars, or submitting joint petitions to openly beg and covertly coerce—if anyone dares to do that to the Crown Prince, they’ll come to no good.” Zhao Yi poured rose dew wine into Pei Xiting’s empty cup. “His Highness has an iron hand and won’t tolerate defiance or threats from his ministers.”
Pei Xiting listened to them talk, trying to imagine Fuchuan in such a situation. A man so composed and restrained, with emotions seldom showing—what would he look like when angry? Would his mask finally crack, or would he become even calmer? Either way, with that face, it would certainly be thrilling.
The waiter brought the roasted rabbit. The aroma of oil and cooked meat filled the air. Pei Jintang eagerly attacked it, while Zhao Yi ate much more delicately.
Pei Xiting leisurely ate a rabbit leg, washing it down with wine. The rose dew wine was refreshing, though slightly sweet.
After Pei Jintang and Zhao Yi had finished one rabbit, still mindful of Pei Xiting, they didn’t linger. Zhao Yi was teased again while paying the bill and fled with a red face.
“Come again next time!” Sixteenth Lady leaned against the counter, waving her fan twice. After the curtain dropped, she lowered her hand, and the smile slowly faded from her face.
“Got your eye on one?” the young waiter asked without looking up from his abacus.
Sixteenth Lady asked, “Which one do you think is best?”
“Zhao Four is too proper; he can’t handle you. Pei Three is too cold; you can’t handle him.” The waiter said. “Pei Two? He smiles, easy to get along with. And most importantly, he likes our rabbit. He has taste.”
“I’m not interested in playing with little brothers.” Sixteenth Lady withdrew her gaze and said softly, “Just thinking… it’s been over ten years in a blink.”
The waiter glanced at her, baffled, only to receive a flirtatious look in return. He rolled his eyes and went back to work.