A Pawn's Passage

The Ziguang Society was exceptionally skilled at gathering intelligence. It was once said that wherever there were women, there were their eyes and ears.

This was not mere exaggeration. It was a fact. The Daoist Order had personally confirmed that their network could infiltrate nearly anywhere and was impossible to guard against.

Wang Jiaoyan was a woman, and many of the people she interacted with were women. Some among them might well have been members of the Ziguang Society.

Qi Xuansu, wary of false accusations and mindful of his reputation and future, was careful not to form overly close relationships with any woman other than Zhang Yuelu.

Still, Qi Xuansu was intrigued and asked, “Where did you learn all this? I doubt it’s mere hearsay.”

Chen Jianqiu smiled faintly. “Have you ever heard of the Emerald Lodge?”

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment. “No, I haven’t. Is it another secret society?”

Chen Jianqiu shook her head. “It’s not a secret society. But it’s a small association officially recognized by the Daoist Order. In the Imperial Capital, there are many guild halls where officials, gentry, and scholars from the same hometown gather. The Emerald Lodge is similar in form, but instead of being based on regional ties, it’s a place where women of particular social standing meet for tea and conversation.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “What sort of ‘special status’ are we talking about? Are you one of them?”

Chen Jianqiu replied, “Yes, I was invited and am a member of the association. But I’m only an ordinary member. There are higher-ranking members above me, and a few who serve as the Lodge Mistress.”

Qi Xuansu grew more curious. “Even a Commandery Princess enfeoffed by the Great Xuan Court is only considered an ordinary member? Then what identity do the Lodge Mistresses have? Are they Imperial Princesses of the Great Xuan Court?”

Chen Jianqiu explained, “No, but they are still women of great lineage. In its earliest days, the Emerald Lodge began as a poetry club founded by noble ladies from powerful families. It was quite elegant then. Each lady took turns hosting gatherings to compose poetry and paint. But after those young ladies married and became matrons of their households, they became busy maintaining their households and had far less leisure for artistic pursuits. The poetry club gradually lost its elegance and evolved into a social venue for noblewomen. Eventually, it became a business venture and expanded its services. To join, one had to pay a substantial membership fee. But in return, one could enjoy various forms of entertainment and luxury, rivaling even the famed Sycamore Villa of the Imperial Capital.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “You mentioned services. Do they involve relations between men and women?”

Chen Jianqiu replied, “I’m young and haven’t experienced such things myself. The few times I went, it was only for tea. But from what I’ve observed, such services do exist. Many of those noblewomen are as fierce as wolves and tigers. Their husbands may not be entirely lacking in vigor, but they’ve long since lost interest in their wives. When they do oblige, it’s perfunctory. So it’s not surprising that these women would have certain needs.”

Qi Xuansu began to understand a few things.

It was no wonder this place was called the Emerald Lodge. Emerald was a shade of green, which was a symbol of a man being cuckolded.

As Chen Jianqiu had said, it was not surprising. Within the Daoist Order, there were two distinct factions. One was the conservative faction, which included the Four Prodigies, This group held overwhelming influence in the higher echelons of the Daoist Order. The Grand Master, Three Deputy Grand Masters, seven Virtuous Great Sages, and the Three Heirs were all conservatives, either remaining unmarried or devoting themselves to one partner for life. With how strictly the Daoist Order valued morality, anyone aspiring to rise higher could not afford to have a stain in that regard.

The other faction was the libertine faction, which preached that people should enjoy themselves while they could. Though its members seldom held high official ranks, that did not mean they lacked influence. Many of the hidden powerbrokers of great families belonged to this faction.

It was precisely because of the libertine faction’s existence that places like Purple Immortal Mountain, Sycamore Villa, and Emerald Lodge continued to thrive.

The husbands of these women were not necessarily ignorant. But for members of the libertine faction, such things were trivial. Everyone played their own game. Some young, handsome men even used this path as a shortcut to rise swiftly to wealth and status.

Strictly speaking, Madam Qi was also part of the conservative faction, since she had never married. Though she claimed to have had a son, no one—not even her old acquaintances—had ever seen him. Moreover, when she adopted her son, she raised him as her own, properly disciplining, scolding, and supporting him when necessary. The focus was nurture. But others were different. Some older women adopted sons for companionship, and many of these sons ended up sharing their beds.

There was a world of difference between nurture and companionship.

Qi Xuansu asked, “You mentioned Wang Jiaoyan earlier, and now Emerald Lodge. Are you saying the two are connected?”

Chen Jianqiu answered, “Yes. To my knowledge, Wang Jiaoyan is one of the secret proprietors behind the Emerald Lodge. What’s more, she has a lover there.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but give Chen Jianqiu a look.

Chen Jianqiu went on, “I only learned this after visiting the Emerald Lodge myself. The place also has male courtesans, all of them extraordinarily handsome and delicate, so beautiful they could make one’s heart ache.”

“Now that’s true equality.” Qi Xuansu chuckled with dry amusement.

Chen Jianqiu almost burst out laughing, but she held it in and continued, “Among these courtesans, there’s one named Xi Ye.”

Qi Xuansu said, “That’s an odd name. It’s certainly an uncommon last name.”

Chen Jianqiu replied, “It’s a stage name, not his real one. Women these days are fond of that sort of aesthetic.”

“I see...” Qi Xuansu remarked and offered no further comment.

Chen Jianqiu continued, “I’ve seen Xi Ye once. He’s truly beautiful. At first glance, he seems gentle and refined, almost scholarly, with a frail elegance that makes older women ache with pity and desire. I’ve heard several members even fought over him, jealous to the point of physical altercations. Naturally, someone like that caught Wang Jiaoyan’s eye. Used to getting her way, she didn’t want to share him with anyone else. She wanted to make him her personal possession, so she found an excuse to transfer Xi Ye from the Emerald Lodge to the Nanyang United Trading Company, appointing him as her personal secretary.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Proximity breeds advantage.”

As a member of the Ziguang Society, Chen Jianqiu spoke of such matters without embarrassment. “What I’ve heard next is that Wang Jiaoyan never travels without her secretary. She usually doesn’t live with her husband. She has her own private residence, and her secretary often stays overnight to attend to her needs. As for whether anything unspeakable has occurred between them, I won’t presume to say. It depends on one’s interpretation.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Does Lin Tianhe know about this?”

Chen Jianqiu shook her head. “It’s hard to say. He would have at least heard some rumors. But because of Wang Jiaohe and Wang Jiaoying’s power, he doesn’t dare confront her, so he feigns ignorance. Or perhaps, he genuinely doesn’t care. I’ve heard that Lin Tianhe himself isn’t exactly a faithful husband. He’s had plenty of lovers of his own—red, white, and black.”

“Red, white, and black...?” Qi Xuansu started, then stopped abruptly as realization struck.

Those colors did not refer to wine but to skin tones.

He had to admit that both husband and wife were equally indulgent.

In truth, this was the norm for many. People like Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu—who would draw their swords at the mere hint of betrayal—were the rare exceptions and the true outliers of their time.

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat. “Enough of that. Continue with Wang Jiaoyan.”

Chen Jianqiu nodded and went on, “Xi Ye is also ambitious. He wasn’t content being just Wang Jiaoyan’s plaything. He wanted to become a Daoist priest. But being a Daoist requires a clean background. One’s ancestry is examined for three generations to be of common birth or from the great Daoist families. Many powerful figures have tried and failed, earning at best a mere Daoist Priest Kindred title. How could someone like Xi Ye possibly become a Daoist priest? Even a Daoist Priest Kindred title would be a stretch for him. Naturally, Wang Jiaoyan refused, so Xi Ye threw tantrums and sulked. In the end, she had no choice but to promise to promote him within the Nanyang United Trading Company.”

Qi Xuansu’s eyes flickered with thought.

At last, all the threads were intersecting—Emerald Lodge, Wang Jiaoyan, and Nanyang United Trading Company. The key to it all was Xi Ye.

Chen Jianqiu went on, “Although Wang Jiaoyan is nominally one of the owners of the Nanyang United Trading Company, the company actually has many shareholders who were the local powerhouses of Nanyang, including the Sun family. Wang Jiaoyan represents only the Wang family, but above her are Wang Jiaohe and some others. So the company isn’t her personal property, and she can’t make unilateral decisions. Promoting Xi Ye directly to a senior post would cause outrage among the company’s veterans. If they complained to Wang Jiaohe, it would spell trouble for her.

“So Wang Jiaoyan came up with a plan and had Xi Ye start from the bottom to polish his résumé. At least then, his promotion wouldn’t look too abrupt. Xi Ye worked for several years in the Poluo headquarters. Though he knew nothing of trade, he excelled in dealing with people, leveraging his connections from the Emerald Lodge. With Wang Jiaoyan’s protection, he made modest progress. But once successful, he became arrogant and careless, offending Wang Jiaoying over some matter. Wang Jiaoying threatened to have him castrated, and Wang Jiaoyan had to send him to Lingnan to lie low.

“To my knowledge, Xi Ye holds many of Wang Jiaoyan’s secrets. If you can capture him, Wang Jiaoyan will be completely at your mercy.”

After hearing this, Qi Xuansu fell into thought and murmured, “Lingnan.”