The next day, Yan Si went to see Qióng Liú Yu, requesting that the latter take him out to play.
Initially, upon seeing the command token, Qióng Liú Yu was indeed a little surprised, but then he smiled and asked, "Supervising Official, are you sure you want to go?"
Yan Si immediately nodded, "Of course."
Qióng Liú Yu hesitated and contemplated for a moment before finally agreeing, "Very well, then. Supervising Official, please wait a moment for this humble one."
A token granting free passage? He didn't expect RongCheng would trust Yan Si enough to hand it over. Indeed, RongCheng must hold him in extremely high regard.
Nevertheless, Yan Si was not a fool; the command token that his Elder Brother had explicitly warned him to guard carefully was something no one should dare touch. He wouldn't even lend it out for a look.
Knowing this, Qióng Liú Yu also had no desire to touch it and cause trouble. Following that, he kept his word and took Yan Si out.
The moment he saw his master intending to leave the palace, Xiao Yi ran after him and called out, "Ma— Master, where are you going? Please let this servant come along."
Yan Si immediately shook his head, "No, you cannot follow. Hurry back. We will return soon."
With that, he ignored Xiao Yi and followed Qióng Liú Yu out of the palace.
Gazing at his master's retreating figure, Xiao Yi felt an unexplained surge of anxiety and secretly prayed, "Master, you can go anywhere, but please don't really go to that pleasure house."
Xiao Yi didn't know that the conversation he had eavesdropped on a few days ago was about to become reality...
After leaving the palace, Yan Si was truly impatient and wanted to go to the pleasure house immediately. Knowing this, Qióng Liú Yu merely smiled and said, "If you want to go to the pleasure house, you must wait until nightfall. It is still early now, and going there won't be fun."
"But... but..." He had promised RongCheng that he must return to the palace before dark.
Seeing Yan Si hesitate, Qióng Liú Yu took the initiative to sling his arm over the other's shoulder and advised him in a familiar manner, "Young Master, don't worry. His Highness only said that, but where would he find the time to come and check on you? Let us enjoy ourselves tonight, and then this humble one will bring you back before daybreak, alright?"
"About that..." Qióng Liú Yu's words did sound quite reasonable. Lately, his Elder Brother hadn't been paying much attention to him anyway, and besides, this was just going out to play for a little while.
Seeing that Yan Si was wavering, Qióng Liú Yu pulled him along again, "Let's go! This humble one will take you to a place that is very fun."
That day, Qióng Liú Yu truly took Yan Si to many places, including a gambling house, yet the latter did not seem very happy... Seeing this, Qióng Liú Yu then brought him back to a tea house to watch an opera.
Here, watching the actors perform on stage, from their costumes to their heavily powdered and painted faces that were somewhat gaudy, and their graceful dances, everything delighted Yan Si. Although he truly did not understand anything they were singing, he still listened with rapt attention.
Qióng Liú Yu silently watched Yan Si and smiled without speaking, feeling that he was truly well-suited to stand up there, among those base singers and actors.
When night fell, after watching the opera, Qióng Liú Yu indeed kept his promise and took Yan Si to the pleasure house.
The moment he stepped inside, he was suddenly overwhelmed and wanted to retreat. Qióng Liú Yu immediately stepped forward to block him, asking with a smile, "Young Master, what's wrong? Now that we're here, why not hurry inside?"
"No..." This place was intensely saturated with the unpleasant smell of rouge and powder, which was nothing like the faint scent of sandalwood that lingered on RongCheng's person. Moreover... women... there were many women here enticing the wealthy patrons to partake in pleasure.
Seeing Yan Si look frightened, Qióng Liú Yu patted his shoulder reassuringly, "Young Master, there's no need to fear. The ladies here are all very sweet; they will certainly make you supremely happy."
Yan Si shook his head slightly, wanting to run, but Qióng Liú Yu held him back. The latter summoned four or five beautiful maidens and immediately brought him into a private room.
The five courtesans looked at Yan Si as if spider demons had just captured a monk. They circled him, examining him for a long time before giggling amongst themselves. One of them exclaimed, "Look here, is this Young Master truly a young master? Being so beautiful, he might as well be a young lady in disguise."
The remaining four agreed, "That's right! Perhaps she's a daughter! Quick, quick... let's strip off his clothes to check!"
"No... No! Step away from me!" Yan Si was cornered, chased round and round the room by the five "spider demons," and finally backed against the wall.
This place... is too terrifying... no fun... not fun at all...
Yan Si clutched his robe tightly, determined not to be touched by those women. However, they were many and strong; they joined forces to pull and strip his clothes, deliberately teasing him with laughter, "Young Master, don't be afraid. We courtesans will certainly serve you until you reach a state of ecstasy. Quick, take off your clothes!"
Before long, they had stripped off all of Yan Si's outer garments, leaving him only in his under-robe...
"Step away... you all step away..." Yan Si struggled with all his might to escape the grasp of those lustful women, but he was soon caught again and pressed onto the bed by them.
His heart pounded fiercely in his chest. He felt an extreme terror yet didn't know what to do, only realizing how foolish he was for not listening to his Elder Brother, leading to this predicament. Now, whom could he call for help?
His last piece of clothing was almost completely stripped away by the five courtesans. Yan Si finally couldn't endure it anymore. He huddled tightly against the corner of the bed, his eyes squeezed shut, and called out loudly, "Elder Brother... Elder Brother... Save me! Save me!"
Although he knew his Elder Brother could not possibly appear here, Yan Si did not stop hoping, because that person always came whenever he was in danger. It had to be so...
Hearing Yan Si's call, the courtesans all laughed and mocked him, "Young Master is so adorable! You're still calling your Elder Brother to save you now? But we haven't done anything, we just want to have some fun with you."
Saying this, they clustered around, intending to drag Yan Si to the center of the bed to drain his vital essence. Unexpectedly, a voice as cold as ice suddenly spoke from behind, "He called the right person. Forcing someone is not good."
Hearing the familiar voice, a hint of joy flashed across Yan Si's face as he looked up, "Elder... Elder Brother!"