Tongzhou City was famous for two places. One was Baihe Academy, a sacred ground for scholars across the land. The other was Baixiang Pavilion, a paradise for the sons of nobility and idle dandies.
Baihe Academy echoed with the sounds of recitation and study. Baixiang Pavilion, on the other hand, was filled with the scent of flowers and perfume.
The former had no unlearned visitors; the latter, no unstained patrons.
As the most renowned brothel in Tongzhou and the leading establishment in the entire empire, Baixiang Pavilion had risen to prominence a decade ago and quickly became a place all men longed to visit.
In time, not only men, but even women grew curious about the place. What kind of charm did it hold that men would flock to it so feverishly—especially since, according to rumor, the women there only sold their artistry, not their bodies? That only made people more eager to uncover the truth.
But Mu Qing wasn’t heading to Baixiang Pavilion out of curiosity.
She was looking for someone.
This matter traced back to an old family dispute—precisely the kind of thing she hated to meddle in. But right before this trip, her mother had asked her, eyes red with emotion, and to secure the right to travel, Mu Qing had agreed. So, this errand had to be done.
She’d thought it would be easy to find someone in such a well-known establishment. But reality quickly slapped her in the face.
After she finished scouting Baihe Academy for her little brother and made her way back from Tongzhou’s scenic outskirts, she headed for Baixiang Pavilion, only to be told—“Baixiang Pavilion’s gone.”
What?
How could it just be gone?
Mu Qing was stunned. Seeing her disbelief, the passerby sighed, “You must be from out of town, right? A month ago, Baixiang Pavilion caught fire… so many people died, it was awful. If you don’t believe me, you can go have a look yourself.”
Mu Qing thanked him and followed his directions toward Baixiang Pavilion.
Bingtang and Xueli whispered back and forth as they walked, occasionally exchanging a few words with Mu Qing. Naturally, the subject of their gossip was the infamous brothel.
But her husband, walking silently at the rear, was unusually quiet. Granted, he wasn’t one for conversation to begin with, but as the only man in the group, his complete lack of reaction toward such a famed establishment was… a little odd.
However, Mu Qing had her own concerns weighing on her mind and didn’t have the energy to focus on her husband’s mood. The group made their way up the busiest street in Tongzhou, heading north, and soon reached what used to be Baixiang Pavilion.
Or more accurately, the ruins of Baixiang Pavilion.
The place once hailed as a sacred haven by countless wealthy and idle sons was now a scorched wasteland. Charred beams and crumbling walls stood desolately on a patch of bare earth. All traces of its former splendor had vanished.
So it was true. The place was gone.
Then what about the people?
What about the girls?
Most importantly—what about the proprietress?
Mu Qing had many questions but no one to ask. Just as she was wondering what to do, her husband suddenly said coldly, “Let’s go.”
She turned to look and saw his expression had turned alarmingly grim. She froze in surprise.
But her husband didn’t wait for her response. He turned on his heel and started walking away.
Remembering his tendency to suddenly collapse, Mu Qing didn’t dare linger. She quickly instructed Bingtang and Xueli to follow suit.
On the way back, her husband walked like he was being chased by demons. His long legs carried him far ahead with each step. Mu Qing and her two maids had to keep increasing their pace, eventually breaking into a light jog just to keep up.
The inn was only three or five streets away from Baixiang Pavilion, but by the time they arrived, Mu Qing was panting, and the two maids were completely out of breath, looking thoroughly disheveled.
And her husband still wore that icy expression.
Mu Qing, both tired and annoyed, was just about to speak up when he abruptly asked, “Why did you go there? Who were you looking for?”
Mu Qing hesitated. On second thought, this wasn’t something she needed to hide from him. After all, even if they were in a contract marriage, they’d be together for a year.
If it wasn’t anything too serious, there was no harm in sharing—especially since it was old history, not worth covering up anymore.
Besides, if what the locals said was true, the person she was looking for might already be gone.
In that case, this would remain nothing but a relic of the past.
“I was looking for the proprietress of Baixiang Pavilion—Madam Feng Yuan.”
Before she even finished the sentence, her husband suddenly turned around and grabbed her hand. “Why are you looking for her?”
Again?
Why was his grip so strong?
Mu Qing grimaced in pain and gestured at him. He froze, then finally loosened his grip a little.
Only then did Mu Qing speak with a wince. “My father knew her, over a decade ago… I’m just asking on his behalf. Why are you so worked up? Don’t tell me… you knew her too?”
Her husband’s reaction was too extreme. There had to be more to it.
Her direct question left him silent. He let go of her hand, seemingly lost in a long-buried memory.
Just when Mu Qing thought he might go mute forever, he finally said, “Aunt Feng… is gone.”
What?
Mu Qing stared at him, stunned.
Her always-calm, never-ruffled husband’s eyes were suddenly red. “A month ago, when Baixiang Pavilion caught fire… she didn’t make it.”
…
Once he started talking, the rest came easily.
Her husband paused briefly, then explained simply how he had known this Madam Feng.
After hearing the story, Mu Qing was left speechless.
All she could think was—what a small world.
So her husband had actually been raised by the proprietress of Baixiang Pavilion.
No wonder he’d said what he did back in Linqing City. Based on the timeline, the fire had already happened by then. He really had been “without a home.”
She didn’t know what to say.
She simply patted his shoulder and offered a quiet “My condolences,” then stepped out of the room.
It was obvious that he needed some time alone. Thankfully, Mu Qing had enough tact to recognize that.
Although Mu Qing didn’t have a favorable impression of this Madam Feng—whom she had never met but had heard about in her parents’ endless arguments—she had still raised Mu Qing’s husband.
Mu Qing knew that people couldn’t be judged solely as good or bad. Still, her first impressions made her feel complicated about this woman.
That’s why she’d hoped to meet the legendary, dazzling proprietress with her own eyes. She hadn’t expected to hear of her death instead.
She wondered how her father and mother would feel when they found out.
And now, this gave her husband’s background a whole new dimension.
Raised by a brothel madam. Knows martial arts. Hunted by unknown forces… It all sounded like an entirely different genre of story.
He couldn’t be the protagonist, of course—that role belonged to Dragon-AoTian. Who knew how things were going in Yangzhou with him? Once she returned to the Mu household in Jiangnan, she’d have to quietly investigate. Nothing must go wrong.
As for other roles… Mu Qing thought back. In the original novel, there was no important character or lackey with a background like her husband’s.
So her husband—so beautiful, with such a mysterious past—wasn’t even one of those “tragic and powerful” side characters?
That felt like a bit of a waste.
But the more she thought about it, the more she felt the fire at Baixiang Pavilion seemed suspicious.
And considering all the strange things that had happened in Linqing, it was clear this wasn’t a simple case.
She had expected a bloodbath to follow, but strangely, ever since she and her husband decided to go all-in on this contract marriage, the road had been unusually calm. No more ambushes or assassination attempts.
Truly baffling. Could it be that she really had a lucky koi’s fate and was subconsciously warding off disaster?
Lost in thought, Mu Qing wasn’t watching where she was going and bumped straight into Bingtang, who had just returned.
How was this girl still so clumsy, even as an adult?
Mu Qing was about to scold her when she saw the girl’s panicked expression.
“Young Miss, something’s wrong—Master sent a message. He wants us to return home quickly… he says he’s found a particularly good match for you. He wants him to be your husband.”
