Chapter Text
“Master, I’m leaving for work, is there anything you need while I’m out?” Xie Lian asked as he has putting his hat on and his basket on his back. After cleaning the house and plucking weeds out of the garden. Today had been rather busy, he had to help his master, out of bed and help him cook breakfast, clean the house, attend to the garden, and refill the jars of herbs that were lined by the kitchen. But it was a fulfilling day and he was feeling great.
“No thank you Hua Xie, but be careful out there.” Old man Shi Lingyun said as he gave a pleasant smile at Xie Lian in the doorway. Xie Lian said his goodbyes to the old man before hurriedly walking into the bustling city. Xie Lian has been living in this bustling city for a few years now, and for the most part, everything was perfect. He felt proud that he was able to make a home for himself in such a place.
As he made his next turn, he made his way to his first stop. The Red Lotus Pavilion, one of Yongning City’s most luxurious brothels. Normally, Xie Lian would stay far away from places like this, not only because he wasn’t attracted to women in a way men usually were, but it was always because he viewed brothels as another way of objectifying women and prioritized the idea that the only thing thing they were good for is their bodies and pleasuring men. But despite his negative views on it, he somehow found a job and a comfortable atmosphere there. And no, it wasn’t doing what all the women did there for work.
He said hello to some of the workers in the building before going to the medicine room and putting his basket down, getting to work. Some women walked into the room, asking if he could treat the sores they got from their last nights client. He gestured to a cushion and took out some Poultices. He then grabbed the rooms mortar and pestle and crushed the herb into a paste. Once the paste was ready, he poured some onto a thick cotton cloth and applied it to the woman’s neck before wrapping a silk bandage around her neck securely but not tightly, and tying it.
“Keep this on you for the whole day, if you wake up tomorrow and find the sores still noticeable, come back for another dose. I also recommend you take the day off, so you won’t gain more sores or be forced to take the cloth off.” Xie Lian said as he was tying the silk around her neck.
“Thanks big brother.” The woman said happily before bowing and exiting the room. In regular brothels, prostitutes always had to be on their feet serving customers, but luckily since this particular brothel was so large, women could afford to take days off if they were ill.
He spent the next few hours treating the women who came in, whether it was something they think they got from intimacy, or that they’re just feeling under the weather. In any normal case, the women wouldn’t be comfortable with a man being in charge of their health, but after learning that he’s attracted to men instead of women, they got more comfortable around him. It was also because he was an apprentice of the Madame’s twin brother, who worked as their doctor for more than 30 years before retiring.
Once he was done treating all the women, he grabbed some notebooks and textbooks he purchased from the marketplace and headed towards one of the rooms they use to teach and prepare servant girls useful skills incase they want to become courtesans themselves. ChanChan, a courtesan known for her skills in playing the erhu and Guqin, was just finishing up a music lesson when Xie Lian walked in. Everyone in the room smiled and welcomed him in. He then handed out the books to all the servants and courtesans in the room, and proceeded to teach them about reading and writing. Xie Lian found out that most of the women in the brothel don’t know how to read or write, so he volunteered to teach them. Even if they already have or will get jobs that don’t require them to be literate, it’s still a useful skill that every person should know.
He was halfway done with his literary lesson when the Madame of the brothel burst through the door. “Hua Xie! What the hell are you still doing here?! there are more women downstairs who need to see you. Unless you got bored of your old job, and want to pay off your debt in a different way.” She said with a sly smirk. Xie Lian immediately cringed and got up. “I’m going! Sorry Madame!” He said as he quickly ran out of the room.
The day moved forward, and Xie Lian was able to finish his writing lessons after treating the rest of the women who had ailments. It was just nearing dusk and he needed to head home soon, Shi Lingyun would have been back home from selling herbs, and Xie Lian promised he would catch a chicken for them to eat on his way back.
Seeing as how he still had extra time left, he just remembered that he forgot to put on his usual freckles today, and that his current batch was almost out. He took out some jars he had of the clary he used to make the freckles and began mixing the ingredients.
Once he was done making the batch, he used a make up brush and a nearby mirror to paint his face, until brown speckles covered his nose and cheeks. He finally packed up and left the brothel, walking towards the fields to catch dinner. He’d been working in the brothel for about 7 years now, and for what it’s worth, it’s the most peaceful and content he’s been in centuries. Despite him working at the very kind places he was taught to never enter since he was young, he found a comfortable and productive atmosphere in the brothel. He had plenty of friends, and he even found a new hobby in herbalism because of it.
As for how he came to work for the brothel, well…
——
Xie Lian looked in awe at the big city in front of him. His compass broke when he was traveling west, but his compass broke on the way and he ended up wandering over here to this bustling city in the North. His curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to explore the vast market place.
There were all kinds of stalls lining the area, with merchants selling a different variety of treasures. Fruit, jewelry, tea leaves, silks, weapons, everything seemed to be on display here. One particular stall seemed to catch his interest. It was a stall that sold a very exquisite looking blade. But as he was admiring the sword, someone bumped into him and he ended up losing his balance and tumbling into a woman, knocking her to the ground.
“I’m very sorry, are you alright?” Xie Lian asked as he bent down and offered his hand to the women. But she swatted his hand away as she got up quickly and glared at him harshly!
“You stupid oath! Watch where you’re going!” The woman screeched. With the way she was dressed, Xie Lian figured that she must be a brothel worker. She wore a light pink robe that showed off her shoulder and large cleavage, and wore a white shaul around her arms. She had a heavy face a makeup on, big red lips, white powdered face, and eye shadow covering her eye lids.
“Do you know how long it took to get this makeup done! You could’ve-oh no.” The prostitute said as she lifted her hand to her right cheek. When Xie Lian took a look at her face, he noticed that there was a large gash on her face. The prostitutes eyes widened in horror at the realization, and Xie Lian could’ve sworn he saw her skin go lighter underneath her heavy makeup.
“Look what you’ve done!! I’m supposed to perform at a lords banquet tonight! I can’t show up looking like this!” The women yelled. Before Xie Lian coukd bow his head and apologize again, and old women came out of the brothel with an angry look on her face.
“Lu Ying!! Why are you screaming at the top of your lungs like a dying animal! You’re scaring away customers!!” The old lady yelled. This woman was wearing a long purple silk rode that covered her whole body, with a white silk belt binding her waist. Her long white hair was tied in a bun, using a golden hairpiece with a red gem inside it. She wore long golden hoop earrings and a slight bit of makeup on her face.
‘Must be the Madame of the brothel,’ Xie Lian thought.
“This stupid oaf knocked me down and scratched up my face!!” Lu Ying screamed. “You know what?! I’m done!! My contract is almost up anyway I quit working for you!!She yelled.
“W-wait, Lu Ying, think about this for a mome-“ “No! I’m done!! Find someone else to do your damn dirty work!! I’m going back to my family’s manor.” Lu Ying interrupted as she flipped her hair and angrily walked away. The Madame stood frozen in shock for a few minutes before angrily stomping over to Xie Lian and harshly grabbing a fist full of his robes pulling him toward her.
“You foolish wretch!! You just cost me one of my best courtesans!! Do you have any idea how much money I could lose because of this?!” The Madame yelled in his face.
“I’m very sorry for the trouble I caused ma’am, I’ll do whatever I can to fix this.” Xie Lian said bluntly as he took another bow. The Madame stopped and looked at him for a few minutes. “Come with me,”she said as she tightly grabbed his hand and led him inside the brothel. When they were inside, Xie Lian noticed how luxurious this building was. It was a large and well maintained building, dozens of attractive women in revealing clothes surrounded the place. Some were serving men drinks, others were playing instruments for them, and others were singing and dancing on small stages for them. This brothel must be as luxurious as it looks because it was full of many beautiful women and many men wanting to be entertained and pleasured by them. “Welcome to the Red Lotus Pavilion.” She said.
The Madame led him inside to what looked to be a dressing room and clapped her hands to get the other girls attention. “Girls! This is- what’s your name?” The Madame whispered mid shout” “Hua Xie.” “Hua Xie!” The Madame screeched. “He will be Lu Yings replacement for Lord Ye’s banquet tonight! So clean him up nice and teach him the ropes.”
Replacement? Teach him the ropes?
Oh.
Oh no…
“Wait a minute!!” Xie Lian yelled as he pushed the Madame out of the room to give them some privacy. “Are you suggesting I-“ “That’s right.” The Madame said as she smirked at him. “You cost me one of my best courtesans, so you will work until you can pay off how much she was worth.” “And how much was she worth, exactly.” Xie Lian asked nervously. “About 50,000 gold pieces.” Xie Lians face turned white as his stomach dropped at the same time. It was impossible for him to pay off a debt that big. Is he really gonna have to…to…
Before he could beg to do something, anything else, the Madame spoke again. “Relax, you won’t have to take any customers, for now. Right now, we need a skilled dancer to perform at a wealthy lords banquet for tonight. How about this, perform at the party. If you do good, we can discuss another way for you to pay off your debt. If not, then, I hope your stamina is as impressive as your looks.”
Xie Lian’s heart pounded in his chest as he swallowed hard. A performance? Sure he was good at dancing and singing, he sometimes did it on the streets for money, but he never did it in front of a bunch of lords. And what made this situation more stressful is that if he doesn’t do well then he may have to sleep with some of them, sacrificing his virginity-based cultivation that he’s worked so hard to preserve over the last few centuries. He was trapped like a rat, and he had no choice. He’s the one who caused this mess, and he said he would do what he could to fix it. He had to do this. With his heart in his throat, he closed his eyes and nodded at the Madame. “Alright, I’ll perform at the banquet.”
Madame smiled at him as she patted his shoulder. “I knew you’d make the right choice,” she said before shoving him back into the room. “Alright girls, you know what to do. And don’t even think about touching him. We need him in good condition for tonight.” She says as she slams the door. Xie lian looked in front of him and realized they were all crowding him with big smiles on their faces and fire in their eyes.
“Such a beauty!”
“Look at his sharp chin and nose.”
“His skin is like white porcelain!”
“His hair is so soft, it feels almost like silk.”
“His eyes are like melted gold!”
They all talked excitedly about how they look forward to working with him as they poked and prodded at him. “Hey! Back off and give him space!” A woman yelled. They all backed off of him immediately as they moved out of the way to the person speaking. They all cleared the way to make room for the person speaking and walking over to him. She was a pretty women who looked to be in her mid 20’s, she wore a light green and white robe that hanged loosely over her shoulders, and her hair was tied in a lose bun with strands of her hair out. He wore gold and sapphire earrings and a hairpiece keeping her hair up.
“Sorry about that, they can get a little over excited when they’re around a handsome man. I’m Shuiyun, I’ll be teaching you the dance for tonight.” Shuiyun explained. “Nice to meet you, I’m Xie Lian.” He said as he bowed. Shuiyun immediately got to work with prepping him for the banquet. She taught him the dance that he was going to do, a dance that involves moving the hips in a fast but sensual manner. Shuiyun was surprised on how fast Xie Lian was able to master the dance. He told her that he used to dance on the streets for money, and she told asked him why he didn’t do it professionally because he was so skilled at it.
Once Shuiyun was finished teaching him the dance, she and the other girls started getting his appearance ready. They had quite a debate over many things, what colored robes he should wear, how much makeup he should put on, what jewelry would suit him best. Eventually they settled on a black and red dancing robe that was easy to move around in. Once they got him settled into his outfit, they began working on his hair and makeup. Xie Lian didn’t like the way they kept poking and prodding at his face and hair, but they were only doing it because the Madame ordered him to. He just has to wear these ridiculous robes once and he can find another way to pay his debt and be out of here forever.
By time they were done, they were looking at him in awe. To match his luxury robes, they painted a bright red lipstick on his lips and red eye shadow that had a unique design that only covered part of his eyes. They put his hair up in a high ponytail, using a golden hairpiece to keep it up, similar to what Shuiyun used to keep her hair up. This was paired with a golden bracelet that covered each of his wrists, a golden necklace that covered most of his neck by his request, and long golden earrings with ruby’s on them. Before they got him ready, even when he was only wearing a white peasant robe, it was obvious that this man was very beautiful. But now, with all this makeup and jewelry, he looks more like a lovely princess than a peasant man.
Eventually it came time for them to leave for the banquet.
Xie Lian made his way downstairs with the rest of the courtesans and servants, where the Madame was waiting for them at the entrance. When she saw him her jaw slacked wide open. “Wow, you look better than I thought you would. You sure you don’t want to take any customers of your own?” She asked with a smirked. Xie Lian let out a grunt as his painted face contorted in disgust. The Madame laughed as she playfully patted his back. “I’m kidding I’m kidding! But honestly, you do clean up nice! Now let’s get out there and bleed those bastards dry!” The girls gave one final bow to the Madame before heading outside to the carriages. Xie Lian turned around to join them but was held back by the Madame. “Remember, if you don’t want to end up like them, you won’t mess this up for us.” She whispered harshly in his ear before shoving him towards the entrance. “Good luck!” She exclaimed excitedly before quickly walking outside to meet the girls. Xie Lian did a nervous gulp as he slowly walked to the carriages. ‘This is gonna be a long night.’ He thought.
—
The ride to the manor felt like forever, and Xie Lians nerves hadn’t relaxed a bit. Shuiyun noticed how much his leg was bouncing and how much he was fidgeting with his hands, so she put her hand on his shoulder to help him calm down. “Calm down, you have no reason to be nervous. The other girls I’ve trained to dance never picked up the routine that quickly before. Just think of it as another street performance.” She said sweetly.
Xie Lian smiled at her despite his nerves not settling. “Thank you, Shuiyun, but there’s a big difference between this performance and my other street performances.” He said as he looked out the window.
“If I don’t do well, I might have to sleep with some of the people there…”
—
The carriages finally reached to a halt as they approached their destination. The manor was a big and wealthy looking building, it was a 4 or 5 story buidling with all of the lights on. A servant who was already waiting for them outside had escorted them through the manor and where they’ll be performing.
“Madame Mu, my lord wishes to speak with you.” The servant said.
The Madame chuckled nervously as she turned to the girls and Xie Lian. “I have business to attend to so do your best to entertain the gentleman here, Hua Xie, remember what I told you.” She said as she sent a small glare at Xie Lian before walking off with the servant. Xie Lian took a deep breath and followed the girls into a small dressing room where they waited to be called for the performance.
—
“SHE WHAT?!?!” Lord Baizin yelled at the nervous Madame infront of him.
“Yes my lord, I’m afraid Lu Ying is not here. But-But don’t worry!! I didn’t come to your banquet empty handed!! I brought a new dancer that will knock your socks off!” She said
The man in front of her glares at her with his arms crossed. He was a shrewd looking man, possibly in his mid 40s, with an obese looking body shape that looked like he indulged in all of the food in the manor by himself. He wore a bright yellow and black outer robes that shined in the light of the lanterns placed around the interior of the building. His inner robes were fastened by a black and gold belt that matched his outer robes, and held his white inner robes in place. He had a a beard that covered the ends of his face, with a short goatee in the middle. Lastly, his hair was made into a tight bun with a yellow and black hair piece to complement his outfit.
“That woman was the only reason I stepped into your filthy whore house in the first place. I expected her to And you tell me at the last minute that you bring some new whore you found as a replacement for my 50th birthday celebration?!” He shouts angrily.
“He’s not one of mine, my lord, I found him in another tea house.”
“He’s a-?”
“Yes, he’s a man. But hear me out. I’ve never seen anyone like him before. His beauty is so immaculate it would be worthy of jealousy from the gods themselves. And one of my girls said he dances perfectly. Probably better than Lu Ying herself!” She explained.
Lord Baizin did look intrigued by this. He’s heard countless stories of woman bewitching countless men with their assets and skills. Whether it was their beauty, singing, dancing, ability to play instruments, or just their bodies. But a man, so radiant and talented he could have the Madame of one of Yongning city’s most luxurious brothels praise him for his talents, now that’s something he had to see. Still, he wasn’t to sure about this. He had only heard of this dancer just now, he didn’t know exactly how good he was. And he wanted his banquet to go smoothly without any complications.
Sensing the lords nerves, the Madame spoke up again. “How about this, let him dance for tonight. If he messes up in any way, you can have him for the night, plus the exact amount of money you paid me to have Lu Ying here, sound fair?” She offered
The lord was very intrigued by this offer, and agreed to the Madame’s terms. Just then, a servant knocked on the door and entered, bowing his head. “Forgive me, my lord, but the performance is ready to begin.” He said with his head still bowed. “Right.” The lord said as he walked out of the room, with the Madame trailing close behind him.
“Please don’t fuck this up, Hua Xie.” The Madame thought anxiously.
——
When they both got to the parlor, it was more crowded than when they first arrived. Dozens of lords were sat at the tables, talking, laughing and drinking with each other, while the women they brought as their dates gently laughed beside them. The servant girls were already scattered across the room, serving drinks, playing chess or go, or just joining them in witty conversation. The Madame rushed onto the stage to make her announcement. “Ladies and Gentlemen, instead of our usual dancer here tonight, I bring you a new and more talented beauty. Please welcome, the Red Lotus Pavilions first male dancer, Hua Xie!” She announced as she bowed and quickly walked off the stage. The lights slowly began to dim, while a group of servants and courtesans took their place by the stage with various instruments in their hands.
A moment passed, and then, they started to play a soft and calming melody on the pipa and erhu. This was an opening song that they typically liked to start performances with. After a few more minutes of the servants playing the soft music, a man stepped out from behind the curtains. This raised some of the patrons attentions, since they were originally expecting a beautiful woman that their lord and boss constantly talks about. But they weren’t disappointed, not in the least.
The man who stepped out was breathtaking, so striking he looked like he was carved and crafted by the gods themselves. His features consisted of sharp lines and delicate angles. A high chiseled nose, high cheekbones, and a firm jaw that gave him an ideal beauty. His eyes, narrow and piercing, looked like it coukd burn anyone who dared to meet his gaze. But it wasn’t just his face that captivated the audience, his entire body had a strong, yet delicate build to it. Each sway his hips did every time took a step drew attention to the blushing lords, eunuchs, and servant women watching in the audience. His silky brown hair tied into a tight ponytail, showing his golden eyes with long fluttering lashes, indeed he was a beauty, but was his dancing just as impressive?
Xie lian finished walking towards the end of the stage just as the servants stopped playing their music, closed his eyes, and waited for the music to start again. Just then, Shuiyun stepped out onto the stage, and all the musicians started to play an upbeat yet graceful melody while Shuiyun began to sing along. Xie Lian then lifted his hands above his head and began to sway his hips in a quick and sensual manner.
The silk sleeves on his arms fluttered and swayed like they were caught in a breeze. Each step he took was sharp yet poised, as if he was a ribbon being swayed along with the music. Gasps and murmur’s echoed all around the room, the guests eyes completely locked on the dancing figure, their gazes captured in both the awe and seduction the dancer presented. It was like watching a rare flower bloom in the spring after a long winter. In front of the stage, Xie Lian coukd see a chubby middle aged man in fine silks staring at him intensely while he moved his body. He figured he must’ve been the lord that was hosting this banquet. Xie Lian couldn’t help but shiver a little in disgust at the way he could feel him checking his body out while he moved, but he pushed those feelings down. He needed to do this with no complication. After what felt like hours, Xie Lian did one final spin with a gentle smile on his lips as the music finally died down and came to a stop. A moment of silence passed, and the entire room bursted into clapping and cheers from the audience.
Xie Lian stood still for a moment, not expecting a standing ovation, but quickly took a bow and exited the stage, with Shuiyun following close behind. When they were out of sight, Shuiyun, hugged Xie Lian tightly and laughed. “I told you you’d do great!” She said happily. Xie Lian hugged her back, it’s been so long since people cheered and cheered for him.
He had forgotten how good it felt…
—-
After the rest of the performance, the guests crowded around the Madame and bombarded her questions about the new beauty she just presented. Who is he? Where did you get him? Is he a new courtesan? What is her price for him. “ENOUGH!” The Madame screeched. The crowd, who was made up of more men than women, immediately went quiet and backed up from the angry old lady. “He’s not for you so keep your grubby hands off him! We have plenty of other women here for you, but Hua Xie is off limits!” She said.
The crowd all groaned in disappointment. What was the point of showing off a lovely specimen like that if he couldn’t even entertain them personally. They all walked away, still upset at the missed opportunity. Xie Lian was about to go over to the Madame asking how he did, where he felt a tight grip on his arm pulling him back. When he turned around, he realized that it was the same man who sat at the big chair in front of the stage watching him so closely while he danced. “Good evening.” The lord greeted. “I am Lord Baizin, the host of this banquet.” Xie Lian immediately retracted his wrist and bowed to greet him, but Baizin stopped him. “No need for such formalities. I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your performance. Very splendid. Truly a sight to behold.
“I thank you for your kind words, your lordship.” Xie Lian said as he took another bow. “I do enjoy a good performance, perhaps we can go to my private chambers and discuss the next time you perform here.” He said as he smiled and started caressing Xie Lians arm. The alarm bells in Xie Lians head immediately went off as he quickly retracted his wrist. “Thank you for the offer, your lordship, but it would be improper if someone like me were to come into your chambers.” He stated. “It wouldn’t be improper since I’m inviting you. And I’d hate to see a lovely flower such as yourself all alone tonight.” Lord Baizin said as he then swiftly moved closer and put his whole hand on the small of Xie Lians back. Xie Lian flinched and held back a gag as he could smell his horrid breath and the leftover food on his beard. Just as he was about to push the man away from him and tell him off, a familiar voice came from behind him. “Ahem!” The Madame cleared her throat as she shoved Xie Lian to her side. “You remember our deal, my lord, you said Hua Xie performed splendidly. As such, he will not be touched by you or anyone else in this manor. Or are you really the type of lord to go back on your word when it’s convenient for you.” She said. Lord Baizin sputtered arguments before quickly walking away to the party.
Xie Lian glared at the man while he was leaving before sighing in relief and turned to the Madame. “Thank you.” He said. “Don’t thank me, you can thank me by earning my money. Without becoming a prostitute.” Xie Lian looked at her with hope in his eyes. Did she just say what he thought she said. “Come back to the brothel tomorrow morning, then we can discuss another job for you. Thanks for helping us out tonight Hua Xie, you did good.” She smiled at him and then walked off. Xie Lian let out a big sigh of relief as his knees gave out and he collapsed on the floor.
He did it.
TO BE CONTINUED…