Fang Jie, as usual, got up early to exercise, then took a cold shower, changed his clothes, and went out. The reason he didn't stay overnight at the martial arts academy but instead ran back and forth was extremely simple. Once a man has tasted that intoxicating pleasure, it's hard to endure lonely nights.
Besides, Shen Qingshan was a bewitching woman.
Fang Jie's pride lay in his physical prowess, which would probably make most men in the entire Sui Dynasty envious. Add to that his even more infuriating weapon—his natural advantage was unparalleled. In fact, this should be considered a model of a good man; he'd rather travel twenty miles back to the Sanjin Marquis's mansion than indulge in debauchery outside. Of course, Fang Jie's frugality was also a factor.
Just as he reached the gate, he saw a very luxurious carriage approaching from afar. Fang Jie recognized it as belonging to the Prince Yi's mansion. A short while later, the carriage arrived at the gate. Qin Liuqi, the steward of Prince Yi's residence, alighted with a beaming smile and bowed to Fang Jie, saying, "Greetings, Young Master Fang."
Fang Jie returned the bow and smiled, "What wind blew Steward Qin here? Meeting such a distinguished guest right off the bat! I should probably go to the casino today and gamble it all away!"
Qin Liuqi laughed, "I'm hardly a distinguished guest. His Highness knows that Young Master Fang has been back at the Martial Arts Academy for training these past few days, so he specially sent me to fetch you early, lest you leave if I arrived late. Yesterday, a merchant from Dongchu brought a large batch of foreign trinkets into the city and presented quite a few to His Highness. Although they aren't particularly valuable treasures, they look quite exotic, so His Highness sent me to invite Young Master Fang to come and admire them."
"Foreign trinkets?"
Fang Jie was taken aback, only then remembering that to the east of the Great Sui Dynasty lay the boundless sea, and it was said that on the other side of the sea lived a foreign country with a civilization far different from that of the Great Sui Dynasty. This was quite different from his previous life. In his previous life, foreigners were often associated with the Western world, but in this world, they were located east of the Central Plains. Fang Jie then wondered, could it be that there wasn't a place called Japan east of the sea in this world?
"That's right..."
Qin Liuqi smiled slightly, "Some of the little things foreigners make are quite exquisite. There's a clock that displays the time; every hour on the hour, a little bird pops out and chirps—it's melodious and quite novel. Unfortunately, their time is different from our Sui Dynasty's, so it's just for show, a decoration."
Fang Jie exclaimed in surprise, thinking that he had seen many such things in his previous life.
"Since it's the Prince's order, how could I dare disobey? Please wait a moment, Steward Qin, I'll go back and give a few instructions."
He turned and went back, pushing open the door to the room. Shen Qingshan hadn't gotten up yet. The blankets were slightly disheveled, revealing her smooth shoulders and beautiful legs. Her long hair obscured half her face, adding a unique, languid beauty. Fang Jie couldn't help but smile, walking over to sit by the bed and tucking her in.
"I'm going to Prince Yi's residence; I might be back late tonight," he said softly, stroking Shen Qingshan's hair.
Shen Qingshan, her eyes closed, let out a sweet murmur of response through her nose, then clung to Fang Jie like an octopus, burying her head in his chest, her soft, full breasts rubbing against him. Fang Jie smiled wryly, "If you continue like this, don't blame me for being impolite."
Sleepy-eyed Shen Qingshan murmured, "Please don't be impolite," and Fang Jie had no choice but to pick her up and lay her down on the bed. "Although there might not be any secrets in Prince Yi's residence, since we're inside, we shouldn't miss the opportunity to see as much as possible. There's an old elm tree outside the east wall of the residence. When it's getting dark, you and Daquan will wait there in the carriage. If I find anything useful, I'll throw it out from there."
"Too dangerous!"
Shen Qingshan opened her eyes and looked at Fang Jie solemnly, "Prince Yi, Yang Yin, can't possibly trust you completely right now. You can't act so soon."
"I know."
Fang Jie chuckled, "Don't you know me? I'll investigate when I have the chance, and if not, I'll just freeload. They say the Prince's mansion is full of beauties; who knows, I might even have some romantic encounters."
Shen Qingshan wasn't bothered by such words. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Want me to come with you?"
Fang Jie frowned, remained silent for a while, and said, "Alright, I heard there are quite a few foreign gadgets in the Prince's mansion today. If I don't have a chance to investigate, I can take you to see some things you don't usually see. Get up and wash; I'll have Daquan and Qilin prepare."
Shen Qingshan hummed in agreement and then got up. As she sat up, the brocade quilt slipped off, revealing her fair and pert breasts to Fang Jie, making him dizzy. The shameless man raised his hand and pinched one of her nipples with two fingers, twisting it a few times. The delicate beauty glared at him, but let out a seductive hum through her nose.
Fang Jie quickly withdrew his hand, afraid he might lose control and do something inappropriate again. Seeing his defeat, Shen Qingshan raised her chin triumphantly, exuding extreme charm and provocation.
"You vixen."
Fang Jie kissed her cherry-like lips fiercely, then got up to find Da Quan and the others.
...
...
The Prince Yi's residence was located in the western part of Chang'an City, not particularly large. After all, according to the rules, this was merely a temporary residence for the prince in the capital. According to ancestral custom, after reaching adulthood, princes of the Sui Dynasty had to leave Chang'an to reside in their fiefdoms, which became their kingdoms, and the taxes of the people had to be paid to the prince's residence. Without the emperor's order, a prince was not allowed to leave his fiefdom at will; if he violated this rule, he might be punished for treason.
Prince Yi, Yang Yin, was a rare exception since the founding of the Sui Dynasty, granted the emperor's permission to reside in Chang'an for an extended period. The home of this most leisurely prince in the land was exquisitely decorated, and the courtyard was beautifully constructed, resembling the water towns of Jiangnan. Qin Liuqi led Fang Jie and Shen Qingshan forward, occasionally pointing out the layout of the courtyard.
Passing a sizable martial arts training ground, Fang Jie saw several shirtless martial artists sparring in the arena. Seeing his curiosity, Qin Liuqi smiled and said, "They're all wandering swordsmen. His Highness has many friends and never inquires about their backgrounds. Some of them, having fallen on hard times, came to the capital seeking refuge. His Highness, being hospitable and righteous, kept them all, giving them a monthly stipend as a form of security for the Prince's residence."
Fang Jie hummed in agreement. Seeing that the men, though burly and robust, seemed to lack real skill and were mostly just imposters, he lost interest in watching further. Shen Qingshan, too, ignored the men, but her eyes were drawn to several large stones from Jiangnan.
These stones were incredibly valuable; the resources spent transporting them from Jiangnan alone were considerable. Even a prince's salary, though not low, would likely be insufficient to afford such a magnificent residence. Moreover, rumors circulated that this prince was a womanizer, with the annual expenditure on brothels and pleasure boats already astonishing.
Seeing the strange look in her eyes, the quick-witted Qin Liuqi smiled and explained, "The prince enjoys collecting beautiful things, and his interests are wide-ranging, but the court's salary is naturally insufficient. However… the prince has a share in the trade, and few know this. Young Master Fang, please don't mention it to outsiders. After all, it's not appropriate for a prince to be involved in matters concerning merchants."
Fang Jie quickly nodded, "I understand."
Chen Qingshan frowned slightly but remained silent.
Walking further into the garden, they discovered a waterway running through it. A large river flowed through Chang'an, so this waterway must be a branch of that river. The waterway wasn't very wide, and its source and end were unknown. Most surprisingly, a multi-story ship was moored on the waterway.
It was three stories high and looked extremely luxurious. Only a prince of the Sui Dynasty could afford to moor a ship in his courtyard. The cost of this ship was so high that even all the large stones in the courtyard combined could barely support it. This showed that the prince had no scruples. If he were truly worried about being impeached for the dubious origins of his money, he wouldn't have dared to arrange things like this in his courtyard.
"His Highness is waiting for you in the ship's reception hall. Please, Lord Fang and I, go aboard," said Qin Liuqi with a smile as they approached the ship. "I still need to go out to buy some things. Excuse my rudeness."
Fang Jie clasped his hands in a polite greeting, then, led by the prince's servants, he and Shen Qingshan boarded the ship. The ship appeared extremely sturdy. Fang Jie carefully examined it as he walked, seemingly unintentionally touching the gunwale before quickly withdrawing his hand.
Upon reaching the second floor, Fang Jie turned to the other side and saw Prince Yi, Yang Yin, standing on the deck, laughing and chatting with two exceptionally beautiful women. Looking out from the side of the ship, Fang Jie noticed a small pond connected to the deck, where the two women were feeding fish. Countless colorful koi carp scrambled for the food, creating a rather spectacular sight.
Red, white, black, and spotted koi splashed quite high in the water.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Fang Jie cleared his throat and greeted him from a distance. Prince Yi turned around and immediately laughed, "Jue Xiao, you've arrived quickly. Oh… and you brought beauties with you. Are you trying to make me jealous?"
"How could I dare to have such thoughts, it's just…"
Fang Jie glanced at Shen Qingshan, then gave her a knowing look. Yang Yin laughed heartily and beckoned, "Come, come, what do you think of these koi in my pond?"
Fang Jie leaned closer, first bowing to the young women beside Yang Yin, which elicited a soft chuckle from the two delicate beauties. They then excused themselves and withdrew, one of them turning back to give Fang Jie a charming smile. Their audacity was astounding; they seemed utterly unafraid of Yang Yin. Fang Jie thought for a moment and immediately understood. These two women were definitely not from the manor; they were most likely courtesans from some brothel.
Yang Yin handed Fang Jie a packet of fish food, then took one for himself and sprinkled it down. "These fish are used to being pampered. Their food is specially prepared. This small packet costs as much as a meal for an average family."
Fang Jie laughed, "If they were released, wouldn't they all starve?"
Yang Yin smiled slightly, "Not necessarily. Fish are different from people. Here, they live carefree lives, fed regularly, which naturally makes them seem pampered. But if released, wouldn't they have to compete with the grass carp and shrimp in the lake and river for food?"
"However… if you put a grayish-brown loach in here, it might not survive."
"Why?"
Fang Jie asked. "How could these koi possibly allow a mudfish to be on equal footing with them? It would probably be torn apart and driven away by the koi the moment it was released. If no one specifically feeds it and takes care of it, it will either be swallowed by the koi or starve to death."
After saying this, Yang Yin gave Fang Jie a meaningful look.
Fang Jie naturally understood the meaning behind his words and nodded.
Yang Yin knew Fang Jie understood his meaning, so he smiled and said, "To allow a loach to survive among a pond full of koi, it needs to grow strong enough that the koi fear it… But who has that ability?"
Fang Jie pondered for a moment and answered seriously, "Naturally, the fish farmer."
"Yes…"
Yang Yin casually tossed a bag of fish food into the pond: "The fish farmer feeds them more if they want them to grow fat, and doesn't feed them if they don't want them to grow fat. It's that simple. No matter how noble the koi are, they're just playthings for the fish farmer. No matter how worthless a loach is, if the fish farmer likes it, they can treat it like a treasure."