Chapter 343: A Few Kids Visit the Brothel

The second floor is a suite of private rooms; the corridor is covered with a red carpet, and on both sides are carved wooden doors, each with a sign hanging on it.

Zhu Yong looked from room to room, and when he reached the third room, he heard voices coming from inside.

"Brother Chang, where's the girl you ordered? Why hasn't she arrived yet?"

"What's the hurry? She's just getting dressed; she'll be here any moment. Let me tell you, the top courtesan of Zui Xian Lou is proficient in qin, chess, calligraphy and painting, and she's beautiful too. My father, when he visited last time, praised how well she played."

"Does your father know you came here?"

"What does it matter if he knows? My father said a real man must see what he ought to see, and besides, we're just here to listen to a tune, not to do anything else."

"Exactly, just to listen to the music."

Zhu Yong recognized the voice; it was Chang Mao speaking.

This kid even uses Chang Yuchun as a shield; if Chang Yuchun found out his son came to a brothel, it would be no surprise if he tore his skin off.

Zhu Gang leaned in, lowered his voice, and with a wicked grin said, "Second Prince, let me handle it."

Before Zhu Yong could speak, Zhu Gang kicked the door open with a foot.

With a "Bang," the door panel slammed against the wall, producing a deafening crash.

The room fell silent instantly.

Chang Mao was seated on the Main Seat, legs crossed, holding a tea cup.

Li Jinglong sat beside him, peering out the window. Xu Zengshou and Tang Yue sat opposite, each clutching a handful of sunflower seeds, cracking them vigorously.

The four of them all turned their heads and, seeing the person standing at the doorway, their faces turned pale.

The tea cup in Chang Mao's hand "clanged" onto the floor, splashing tea onto his trousers.

He opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long moment.

Li Jinglong reacted quickly, sprang to his feet, and stammered, "Prince… Prince…"

The sunflower seeds in Xu Zengshou's hand scattered across the floor, and Tang Yue immediately ducked behind Xu Zengshou.

Chang Mao finally recovered, hurried to his feet, his face ashen, and said, "Prince… Prince, we only came to listen to the music…"

Zhu Gang leaned against the doorframe, laughing so hard his back bent, "Listen to the music? Your fanfare for listening is no small thing—you even ordered the top courtesan."

Chang Mao's face turned even whiter.

Zhu Yong entered the room, stopped before the group, and swept his gaze over their faces one by one.

Chang Mao lowered his head, daring not to look at him.

Li Jinglong craned his neck, wishing he could slip through a crack in the floor.

Xu Zengshou and Tang Yue were even more distressed, their legs trembling.

The room was so quiet one could hear the sound of a pipa from below.

Zhu Yong fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Chang Mao, does your father know you came here?"

Chang Mao's voice, like a mosquito's, replied, "No… I don't know…"

"Li Jinglong, your father's illness hasn't fully recovered, yet you run around blindly?"

Li Jinglong's eyes were red, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

Zhu Yong then asked Xu Zengshou and Tang Yue, "You two, does your family know you came to a place like this?"

Xu Zengshou and Tang Yue shook their heads in unison, their faces turning pale.

Zhu Yong looked at them for a while, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Reaching the doorway, he tossed a line without looking back, "All of you, come with me."

The boys dared not disobey, heads drooping, obediently trailing behind.

Chang Mao walked the slowest; Zhu Gang slapped the back of his head and said, "What are you dawdling for… Walk faster."

Chang Mao tucked his neck in and quickened his pace.

Zhu Di walked at the rear, glanced at the boys, and shook his head.

He recalled his own teenage mischief—mostly skipping school to catch crickets—and wondered how he ever dared run to a place like this.

Nowadays children are getting bolder.

Leaving Zui Xian Lou, the wind over Qinhuai River brushed them, and the boys finally regained some composure.

Chang Mao stole a glance at Zhu Yong, wanting to speak but holding back.

Zhu Gang, laughing at his misfortune, said, "Chang Mao, you're quite bold. If your father finds out, he'll surely break your legs."

Chang Mao's face grew even whiter, his voice trembling, "Third… Third Uncle, please don't tell my father…"

"What do you call me?" Zhu Gang snapped.

Chang Mao quickly corrected, "Third Prince, I beg you, don't tell my father…"

Zhu Gang chuckled, "I can't decide that; ask your Second Prince."

Chang Mao looked pitifully at Zhu Yong.

Zhu Yong ignored him and strode forward.

Li Jinglong followed behind, whispering to Chang Mao, "Brother Chang, it's all your fault for insisting on coming to hear some music…"

Chang Mao retorted irritably, "Aren't you the one who wanted to come? You were urging the girl to hurry earlier."

Li Jinglong fell silent.

Xu Zengshou and Tang Yue walked at the very end, murmuring quietly.

Xu Zengshou said, "It's over… It's over, my father will definitely beat me when he finds out."

Tang Yue added more pessimistically, "My father not killing me would be a miracle."

Zhu Su, walking beside them, couldn't help but say, "Now you're scared? When you went in earlier, didn't you think ahead?"

The boys all lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

The group crossed the stone bridge over Qinhuai River, heading northward.

Chang Mao's family lives in the Chang residence in the north of the city, Li Jinglong's family lives in Cao Guo Gong Fu, Xu Zengshou's family lives in Wei Guo Gong Fu, and Tang Yue's family lives in Tang's residence.

These families aren't far apart, so it's convenient along the way.

On the road, Chang Mao mustered his courage, slipped up to Zhu Yong's side, and whispered, "Prince, could you… not tell my father?"

Zhu Yong gave him a glance.

Chang Mao felt guilty under that look, and his voice grew softer as he said, "I just… just wanted to see for myself, didn't intend anything else…"

"How old are you?" Zhu Yong asked.

Chang Mao was startled for a moment and answered honestly, "Sixteen."

"Sixteen, you should be mature now. When your father was sixteen, he was already on the battlefield with your grandfather. And you! Going to a brothel…"

Chang Mao opened his mouth but could not speak.

Zhu Yong no longer looked at him and kept walking forward.

Zhu Gang interjected, "Chang Mao, you kid, don't be oblivious; your second uncle is doing this for your good. If it were me, I'd have tied you up and sent you to your father long ago."

Chang Mao shrank his neck and dared not speak again.

Arriving at the gate of Chang's residence, Zhu Yong halted. Chang Mao stood at the foot of the steps, head lowered, like an eggplant bruised by frost.

Zhu Yong looked at him and said slowly, "Go back and admit your mistake to your father; punish yourself as you should, and don't try any tricks."

Chang Mao nodded, his voice muffled, "Understood…"

He shuffled up the steps, and when he reached the doorway, he glanced back once more.

Zhu Yong was still standing there, Moonlight shining on him, his expression indistinct.

Chang Mao clenched his teeth, pushed the door open, and went inside.

Li Jinglong's family was the closest.

Zhu Yong escorted him to the gate of Cao Guo Gong Fu; Li Jinglong stood at the foot of the steps, his eyes rimmed red, as if about to cry.

Zhu Yong looked at him, his tone softer than before, and said, "Your father's health is poor; don't let him worry."

Li Jinglong nodded vigorously, his voice trembling, "Prince, I was wrong…"

"Just knowing you're wrong is enough, go back!"

Li Jinglong wiped his eyes, turned, and ran into the residence.

Xu Zengshou and Tang Yue huddled behind, not daring to breathe.

Zhu Yong gave them a glance and said, "Let's go! I'll see you back."

The two boys obediently followed behind, not daring to speak a word the whole way.

Arriving at the gate of Wei Guo Gong Fu, Xu Zengshou's legs were trembling.

Zhu Yong patted his shoulder and said, "Go back and admit your mistake to your father; your father isn't an unreasonable man."

Xu Zengshou nodded, steeling himself, and pushed the door open.

Finally it was Tang Yue.

Tang He's residence was at the far end of the lane, modest in size, but kept very tidy.

Tang Yue stood at the doorway, pitifully looking at Zhu Yong, wanting to say something but not daring.

Zhu Yong looked at him and suddenly recalled Tang He from the army years ago.

That veteran who had followed Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the world was now old, and his son was still so young.

"Go inside, and don't go out again," Zhu Yong said.

Tang Yue nodded vigorously and pushed the door open.

At the moment the door closed, a voice from inside, trembling with tears, said, "Father…"

In the Moonlight, the several younger brothers stood behind Zhu Yong, none speaking.

Zhu Gang, rarely putting away his playful grin, sighed and said, "These kids need to be dealt with."

Zhu Di nodded and asked, "Should we go back and tell Chang Shu and the others?"

Zhu Yong shook his head and said, "No need, let them tell their families themselves. If they don't even have the courage to admit a mistake, what can we expect of them in the future?"

Zhu Gang thought for a moment and said, "Second Prince is right; a real man should act and take responsibility. If these kids can't even dare to admit a mistake, they've been raised in vain."

Zhu Su whispered from the side, "Chang Mao is bold, he'll probably admit it. Li Jinglong is timid; I bet he won't sleep tonight."

The group stood at the alley entrance, Moonlight stretching their shadows long.

In the distance, the lights along Qinhuai River still glowed, and faint sounds of silk and bamboo instruments could be heard.

Zhu Yong turned and walked back, the younger brothers following behind.

Halfway, Zhu Gang suddenly said, "Second Prince, if we had done such things when we were young, would Imperial Father have broken our legs?"

Zhu Di thought for a moment and said seriously, "He would, and without Imperial Father even acting, elder brother could have dealt with us."

Zhu Gang shivered, "Elder brother is a smiling tiger; he deals with people harsher than Imperial Father."

Zhu Yong said nothing, a faint smile curling his lips.

He recalled how, back in the camp, Chang Yuchun had taught him how to fight and command troops.

At that time, Chang Yuchun often said that a general must not only know warfare but also know how to be a person.

If you can't even be a good person yourself, how can you lead soldiers?

Poor Zhu Yong still doesn't realize that he was duped by Chang Yuchun, after all Chang Yuchun learned from Xu Da.

These kids will inevitably get a beating when they go back.

But taking a beating isn't bad; as long as they learn the lesson afterward, that's enough.

Moonlight, like water, spilled over Qinhuai River.

The summer night of the eighteenth year of Hongwu was quiet and long.