Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 2
Huo Fenghua had lived more than twenty years in his previous life. Other than gambling, he really didn’t have any skills to speak of.
Even though it was a different era and a different world, the moment he lifted the curtain and stepped into the gambling house, he felt as if he’d come home. It seemed that no matter what time or space, gamblers were the same: bloodshot eyes, bulging veins, staring at a table as if possessed. Even though it was still morning, the foul air inside the gambling house was no different from midnight.
Huo Fenghua had always lived among people like this, yet he was different from them. Gambling was his job; a way to earn money and survive. He understood the truth that nine out of ten gamblers lose, and he’d never believed he could get rich at the table just by luck. Of course, people did hit it big, but that was definitely not due to luck. It was the kind of tricks that many would consider… unsavory.
He didn’t rush into the crowd. Instead, he circled the gambling house once, pausing to take a look at each table. The place wasn’t very big. The two most common games were pai gow and dice.
In his previous life, Huo Fenghua was good at cheating at mahjong and card tables. He rarely touched pai gow, but dice were basic. When he was little, his father had given him a few dice and told him to shake them around and play.
So he stood by the table where people bet big or small on dice, listening and watching for a long time. The dice here were dice made of bones. Different materials meant different sounds, but for an old gambler like Huo Fenghua, there were still patterns to follow.
The cloth of his clothes was fine. The colors weren’t flashy, but among this crowd of gamblers he still stood out. Since he hadn’t placed a bet for a while, the thugs stationed around the gambling house had been watching him the whole time. Huo Fenghua didn’t delay any longer. After listening through a few rounds, he took out a small piece of broken silver. Only when it was time to actually bet did he realize that twenty taels of silver didn’t seem like a small amount, because broken silver was rarely seen on this table. Most people’s stake was nothing more than copper coins.
Huo Fenghua bet big. Bets were final once placed. When the dice cup was lifted, it was big, just as he’d predicted. He collected the silver he’d won, tilted his ear to carefully listen to the sound in the cup, and the second time he bet on small. This time he won again.
Huo Fenghua stayed in the gambling house for nearly an hour. He won some and lost some, but overall, he won more than he lost. Afraid of drawing the owner’s attention, he decided to quit while he was ahead. When his silver had gone from twenty taels to thirty, he stretched and planned to leave.
At that moment, someone behind him suddenly tapped his shoulder with a folding fan. He turned his head and saw a handsomely dressed young gentleman standing behind him, eyes wide in surprise.
“Huo Fenghua?”
Huo Fenghua thought the man’s looks could be considered handsome, but his eye sockets were dark, and even the way he spoke lacked vigor. Huo Fenghua smiled at him and clasped his hands in greeting the way others did.
The young gentleman’s astonishment didn’t lessen at all. His fan fluttered rapidly a few times as he stammered, “You, you, you… aren’t you married to—” Before he could finish, he saw quite a few gamblers nearby turning to look. Realizing it wasn’t the place to talk, he grabbed Huo Fenghua by the sleeve and hurried out. “Come with me.”
Huo Fenghua still didn’t know the man’s name, but he didn’t resist when he was pulled along. Once they exited the gambling house, they were back in the same quiet pleasure quarters. The young gentleman looked left and right, tapping the folded fan against his palm again and again, and in the end he led Huo Fenghua to a brothel called Huayue Pavilion.
Huo Fenghua had never been inside a brothel. He couldn’t help looking around, wanting to see just how pretty the girls were. But the moment he stepped through the main door, the madam of the brothel came up to greet them and exclaimed in surprise, “Young Master Wang, why are you back again when you just left?”
So the Young Master Wang beside him had left this brothel early this morning, then gone to the gambling house next door. Seeing Huo Fenghua there, it hadn’t been convenient to speak, so he brought him back here.
Young Master Wang flicked his fan and said to the madam, “Get me a quiet private room.”
The madam hadn’t even had time to put on powder and rouge. Her face was wrinkled into a knot as she said awkwardly, “The girls haven’t gotten up yet.”
Young Master Wang said, “No need. Just bring me some wine, dishes, and pastries. Have the girls come serve after they’ve gotten themselves ready.”
The madam repeatedly agreed, then she leaned in to look at Huo Fenghua, and her face immediately turned as if she’d seen a ghost. She couldn’t even get her words out clearly. “Th-this… Isn’t this Young Master Huo?”
Huo Fenghua froze. Only then did he realize he was probably a regular here in the past. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he gave the madam a smile. Up ahead, Young Master Wang was already hurrying upstairs, so Huo Fenghua could only follow after him.
The private room in the brothel was actually plain and clean, but a perfumed breeze lingered around his nose the entire time. The moment Huo Fenghua entered, he couldn’t help sneezing.
Young Master Wang reached out and shut the door, then leaned against the back of it and said in a secretive tone, “Huo Fenghua, tell me honestly. Did you run away from the Feng residence?”
“What?” Huo Fenghua was still rubbing his nose.
Young Master Wang said, “People say the Feng family’s rules are strict. How would they allow a mere concubine to linger in the pleasure quarters and gambling dens? And you’re telling me you didn’t sneak out?”
Huo Fenghua slowly sat down by the round table and examined this Young Master Wang. After hesitating a little, he said, “A few days ago, I accidentally fell into the water.”
The sudden statement left Young Master Wang completely at a loss. “What?”
Huo Fenghua held two fingers together and pointed at his own head. “After I came out of the water, I haven’t been very clear-headed. There are a lot of things I can’t remember.”
“Can’t remember?” Young Master Wang’s voice shot up. He stepped forward and grabbed Huo Fenghua’s shoulders. “Then do you still remember me? I’m Wang Anzhi. Don’t tell me you don’t even remember me?”
Huo Fenghua smiled. “I do have some impression, but I can’t recall many things clearly.”
Wang Anzhi’s expression turned serious. He gripped his fan and paced a few steps around the room, then moved close and sat down beside Huo Fenghua. Carefully, he asked, “How did you end up falling into the water for no reason? Could it be that Feng Tianzong’s male wife deliberately harmed you?”
Huo Fenghua looked at him and tested him. “Oh? Why would he harm me?”
Wang Anzhi’s eyes flickered, and he said slowly, “Maybe he was jealous that General Feng favored you.”
Huo Fenghua had grown up mixing with all kinds of people on the fringes of society, and reading faces and moods was his strongest skill. Just from Wang Anzhi’s expression, he could tell the man’s words were probably unreliable. He’d originally planned to fish more information out of him, but now he changed his mind.
Just then, a servant from the brothel brought up wine and dishes. Wang Anzhi had them put everything down, chased them all out, then personally poured Huo Fenghua a drink, sighing as he did. “I thought once you married into the Feng family, we’d never have a chance to sit down and share a drink again. Who’d have thought I’d run into you here today?”
“We used to drink together often?” Huo Fenghua asked, puzzled.
“Of course,” Wang Anzhi said. “You and I have known each other for years. Ever since you came to Donglin, we’ve been close.”
Huo Fenghua suddenly recalled what Qingqing had told him: that he’d originally been from Xichou, and Xichou had already been destroyed by Feng Tianzong’s army. Why he’d married Feng Tianzong as a concubine must have involved many twists and turns.
Wang Anzhi had already drunk quite a bit last night, and now after two more cups his face flushed from his eyes down to his jaw. He suddenly leaned close and asked Huo Fenghua, “We’re brothers, so tell me straight. Has Feng Tianzong taken your virginity yet?” As he spoke, one finger pressed against Huo Fenghua’s back and slowly slid downward.
Goosebumps erupted over Huo Fenghua’s skin. He shifted aside to dodge Wang Anzhi’s hand. When he turned to look at him, he saw Wang Anzhi wearing a lewd grin, and the words at Huo Fenghua’s lips were swallowed back down.
Wang Anzhi didn’t seem to notice at all. He teased, “Seriously, it’s only been a few months, and your eyes and brows are full of charm now. Looks like Feng Tianzong really does have some skill.”
Huo Fenghua had no idea where he was seeing “full of charm.” Ever since he’d woken up in this body, he’d been sickly. Even this morning, before he left his room, he’d looked in the mirror and seen his face was still pale. Qingqing had even said he’d gotten noticeably thinner.
He didn’t get angry with Wang Anzhi. He just smiled and said, “Feng Tianzong has a proper spouse who’s as beautiful as an immortal. How would he ever look at me?”
“Su Zeyang?” When Wang Anzhi mentioned the name, his mouth twisted, and he let out a cold laugh. “So what if he’s good-looking? So what if his martial arts are strong? He’s willing to marry someone as a male concubine. That’s just self-degradation and shamelessness!”
Huo Fenghua picked up a pea between his fingers and popped it into his mouth, chewing lazily. Wang Anzhi didn’t seem to realize that his words had insulted Huo Fenghua too. He lifted his cup, wanting to clink it with his, and said, “Come, come, drink.”
At that moment, the door was gently pushed open from outside. Two beautiful women, carefully made up, appeared in the doorway. The first had a light, graceful figure and threw herself into Wang Anzhi’s arms, speaking softly and sweetly. “Young Master Wang, Zhu’er knew you couldn’t bear to leave.”
Wang Anzhi wrapped an arm around the woman named Zhu’er. He’d spent the night in her room last night. Grinning, he said, “Yeah, see? I’m back again.”
The other woman shut the door and came in. She first looked at Huo Fenghua over cautiously, then her eyes widened in shock. “Th-this… isn’t this Young Master Huo?”
Wang Anzhi chuckled. “It is indeed Young Master Huo. Get over here and serve. Why are you standing there like an idiot?”
The woman went over to Huo Fenghua, still not fully recovered from her surprise. She said, “Didn’t Young Master Huo marry into the General’s Manor? How dare you come back to Huayue Pavilion?”
A fine sheen of sweat suddenly rose on Huo Fenghua’s forehead. So he wasn’t just a regular in places like this, everyone here even knew he’d married the General as a male concubine. Was he the impressive figure, or was General Feng the impressive figure? Had the whole Donglin Kingdom heard about the fact that he’d married a man?!
Wang Anzhi wore an expression like he was watching a play, smiling as he said, “Why can’t he come back and have a drink with a beautiful woman just because he married the General? Hurry up and feed Young Master Huo a drink.”
The woman came close to Huo Fenghua, soft and light as she leaned into his arms. All at once her face turned red as she said, “General Feng is such an extraordinary man. I don’t dare feed his person wine.”
Even as she said that, she pressed up against Huo Fenghua and sat down on one of his thighs.
Huo Fenghua caught the thick smell of powder and perfume, and his nose started itching again. Before he could speak, Wang Anzhi said, “What, you’re eyeing General Feng too?”
The woman hurriedly said, “How would a humble girl like me dare?”
Wang Anzhi teased, “It’s a pity General Feng only likes men and not women. You can ask Young Master Huo for advice. See if General Feng is just as fierce and domineering in bed.”
Even though Wang Anzhi was bantering with a prostitute, every sentence kept circling back to Huo Fenghua’s identity as General Feng’s male concubine, and his tone was full of contempt and lewdness. And after what he’d said about Su Zeyang earlier, Huo Fenghua completely understood: this man had never regarded him as an equal at all, let alone as a “brother.”
But Huo Fenghua had been bullied and looked down on since childhood. He wasn’t angry over it. He just wanted an excuse to leave. Yet before he could even open his mouth, there was a loud sound at the door. Someone kicked it open from outside.
Huo Fenghua saw that the one who kicked his way in was Liu Yong, a servant from the General’s Manor. He stormed in aggressively, and the moment he saw Huo Fenghua he shouted, “Young Master Su, he really is here!”
Right after that, Su Zeyang walked in from outside. The moment he saw Huo Fenghua, his brows furrowed tightly.
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