#13: The Fragrant Pavilion, Part 2

The Fragrant Pavilion had a total of four floors, divided into east and west wings. Standing on the top-floor terrace, you could overlook a vast checkerboard-like arrangement of buildings in the ward.

As they entered the Fragrant Pavilion, they saw ten women on each side, dressed in silk gauze. Their bodices were pulled extremely low, making it seem as if they were not wearing any clothes at all.

Di Jiang’s expression remained normal, but Wu Ruian’s face flushed instantly.

Having been a frequenter of pleasure quarters for a long time, he wasn’t blushing because of the maids. Instead, he was embarrassed because he saw Di Jiang’s eyes scanning over the maids one by one, with an uncontrollable look of excitement.

Is there something wrong with this woman’s brain?

“Your Highness, we welcome you. Please come upstairs,” the lead maid said. Immediately, four other maids surrounded the two, escorting them upstairs.

When they reached the second floor, they saw a row of bamboo slips on the wall. The names of six people were written on the slips in gold paint.

Wu Ruian’s jaw dropped in surprise.

“Didn’t I tell Gongsun Qi to take my nameplate down six years ago! His memory is terrible!” Wu Ruian blurted out, which made Di Jiang even more suspicious.

Di Jiang carefully examined the slips and realized they were the names of the owners of the Fragrant Pavilion over the years. The one at the very front, with the largest name, was Wu Ruian’s.

Di Jiang let out a thoughtful “hmm,” looked at Wu Ruian with suspicion, and raised an eyebrow, saying, “The Fragrant Pavilion... could it be that you built it?”

Wu Ruian put his right hand in a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, turning his head away.

“Hmm. So that’s a yes,” Di Jiang said, shooting him a glare. While no one was looking, she gave him a hard pinch on the waist.

Wu Ruian’s body stiffened, and he couldn’t even manage to beg for mercy.

With something like this, explaining it would only make it look like he was covering it up. It was better to say nothing. After all... he would definitely prove to Di Jiang with his actions that he was faithful and true to her from now on!

When the two went upstairs, the room was already filled with people who had been waiting for a long time. Over a dozen young nobles were seated around a circular table. As soon as Wu Ruian and Di Jiang entered, they all looked at them.

Among these people, Wu Yu and Gongsun Qi were the most eye-catching. Wu Yu was the newcomer in the circle, so he was naturally popular. As for Gongsun Qi, he stood out because of his clothes.

“Your Highness, you’re finally here! I thought you were going to stand us up again tonight!” Gongsun Qi was wearing multi-colored clothes that looked very flamboyant. He was like a peacock displaying its feathers, exuding pride and arrogance in his every move and word.

Wu Ruian nodded slightly and said calmly, “I can’t stand you up if I never agreed to your invitation in the first place. For the past six years, I’ve always explicitly refused.”

“Oh, my mouth, it deserves a slap!” Gongsun Qi said, slapping himself, but then he quickly smiled again. “I’m just so happy to see you again that I lost myself for a moment. Please don’t be offended.” Gongsun Qi then looked at Di Jiang. “May I ask, Your Highness, who is this...?”

“Jiang Di, a good friend of mine,” Wu Ruian answered flatly, his eyes fixed on Di Jiang.

Di Jiang smiled slightly and greeted everyone, “Hello, everyone, I’m Jiang Di.”

“Welcome, Young Master Jiang,” Gongsun Qi said, leading the applause. He raised his hands high above his head, and every gesture seemed arrogant and conceited.

Everyone seemed happy about Di Jiang’s arrival, but few were genuinely sincere. They were only being polite because Jiang Di was Wu Ruian’s friend. Besides her outstanding looks, Jiang Di seemed to have no other notable qualities. After all, they were all top nobles in Taiping Prefecture, and they had never heard of a prominent family named Jiang.

Di Jiang had met Wu Yu in the afternoon, so he was the only one she knew in the room.

Without Di Jiang needing to say a word, Wu Ruian had already taken her hand and walked over to Wu Yu. He pulled out the chair next to Wu Yu, gently guided Di Jiang to sit down, and then smiled at Wu Yu.

Wu Yu understood Wu Ruian’s intentions and returned his smile with a knowing look.

Only then did Wu Ruian feel at ease enough to sit down next to Di Jiang.

“Alright, now that everyone is here, let the banquet officially begin.” Gongsun Qi clapped his hands, and a line of maids filed in. They carried trays filled with various delicacies and fine wine.

Di Jiang looked at the wine glass in front of her. It had a conical shape with a tall stem and was crystal clear.

A maid filled the glass with a purple wine and placed it in front of each person. Gongsun Qi was the first to pick up his goblet, raising it and saying, “Let’s raise a toast to welcome back Prince Wu, who has been away from our circle for six years.”

Everyone at the table raised their glasses. Wu Ruian and Wu Yu also picked up their cups.

Di Jiang found the glass fascinating and smelled the wine. Its aroma was rich and different from any other wine she had ever tasted.

“If you can’t drink, give it to me,” Wu Ruian said softly from beside Di Jiang.

Di Jiang shook her head, took a small sip, found it pleasant, and drank the whole glass.

She wasn’t unable to drink; it just depended on whether the wine was worth drinking.

“What kind of wine is this?” Di Jiang asked curiously.

“Wine from the Western Regions,” Wu Ruian smiled.

Di Jiang nodded. “So this glass is what is rumored in the markets as a ‘grape wine glowing cup’?”

“Exactly.”

While drinking, Gongsun Qi secretly observed the handsome Jiang Di, then looked at the doting Wu Ruian beside her, and suddenly understood what was going on.

Wu Ruian had been absent from the pleasure quarters for six years. It turns out... he was interested in men!

Well, this was not a big deal.

Gongsun Qi smiled discreetly and whispered something to a maid. The maid then went to Wu Ruian, called away the two maids serving him, and soon returned with two young male attendants with delicate skin and large, expressive eyes.

Wu Ruian and Di Jiang both found it a bit strange but didn’t think much of it.

“Now that we’ve welcomed Prince Wu, allow me to make a grand introduction to a newcomer in our circle,” Gongsun Qi said, picking up another glass of red wine and walking over to Wu Yu.

“Welcome, Prince Yu, for gracing my family banquet with your presence,” Gongsun Qi said, raising his glass. “Please treat this place as your home and enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you, Young Master Gongsun,” Wu Yu smiled faintly, raised his glass, and drank it all.

Others might not have noticed, but from Di Jiang’s angle, she clearly saw Wu Yu’s tightly furrowed brows and the struggle in his throat as he swallowed the wine.

Everything looked so difficult, which showed he couldn’t drink at all.

“I believe everyone knows that the Third Prince, Prince Yu, has been recuperating in the Eastern Capital since he was a child and only recently arrived in Taiping Prefecture,” Gongsun Qi said, raising his glass and sweeping his gaze across the room. “What do you say, shouldn’t we let Prince Yu experience the enthusiasm of the people of Taiping Prefecture?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” The crowd was excited, their cheers shaking the room.

Gongsun Qi then gave a confident smile and snapped his fingers. Another group of maids entered from outside. They walked straight to the other end of the room and moved a screen aside.

Di Jiang and Wu Yu were both curious, staring intently at where he pointed, and didn’t notice Wu Ruian’s unease.

Wu Ruian was holding his forehead, having a very bad feeling.

He remembered the first time he had a social gathering with Gongsun Qi and his friends. Gongsun Qi had also said he had a surprise for him. What was it back then... a striptease?

Yes, that’s right.

Ten or eight women, and in the end, they all stripped completely naked, with all parts of their bodies on full display.

At this thought, Wu Ruian’s face flushed. He prayed that Di Jiang wouldn’t see anything that would remind her of his past and give him a slap... No, a slap was acceptable. After all, he really was a useless playboy in the past. What he was truly afraid of was her getting angry and ending their relationship. That would be real trouble!

Wu Ruian was filled with anxiety, agonizing between ice and fire at every moment...