118. Red Flower Pavilion (1)
Red Flower Pavilion (1)
118. Red Flower Pavilion (1)
Just as it was hard to believe that our master was the sect leader of a martial sect, the woman called the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress was someone impossible to imagine managing a pleasure house. Her neat attire and upright posture evoked a scholar. That gentle-looking face made me realize yet again how sorely lacking my experience in the martial world truly was.
"Pavilion Mistress! What are you doing out there? Come in, quick!"
Do-hwa came out of her workshop at the news that the Pavilion Mistress had arrived and headed happily for the gate.
"It has been a long time, Madam Do. Since the lady of the house has granted permission, I will come inside."
"Pavilion Mistress, aren't you exhausted from being so perfectly polite all the time?"
"I deal with guests for a living. Even when meeting a close acquaintance, I must not breach decorum."
"P-Pavilion Mistress! What brings you here...?"
The courtesan who had followed Do-hwa out was visibly startled when she saw the Pavilion Mistress.
"Seungju. So you were here. I took the liberty of using my friendship with Madam Do to seek a meeting with a person I could not easily approach on my own."
The Pavilion Mistress smiled softly, faced me, and offered a cupped-fist salute.
"I am Lee Yeon, the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress. It is an honor to meet you, Reverend Yeongmok."
"A pleasure. I am Yeongmok of Yeongsan Sect."
"It is a minor breach of decorum, but with my sect's very survival at stake, I have been waiting only for dawn to break so that I might meet the Yeongsan Sect Leader."
Excessive courtesy. A difficult situation, most likely. Helping Do-hwa was one thing, but getting exploited by an unorthodox faction through that connection was the last thing I wanted. Just as I had with Hall Master Cheonghwa or the branch head, I meant to make up some suitable excuse and send her away, but at the sound of the commotion, my master and my senior sisters came out into the courtyard.
"Pavilion Mistress! This is the Yeongsan Sect Leader!"
Do-hwa clung familiarly to my master and introduced her. At that sight, the courtesan called Seungju turned pale, her legs even trembling.
"Do... Do-hwa! That's backward! You should be introducing the Pavilion Mistress to the Sect Leader! The Sect Leader is far higher in rank!"
"Ah! Right! You said the Sect Leader looks really young but has already reached thirty? So the Sect Leader is older?"
"Madam Do. I told you age was a secret."
My master pulled a face on the verge of tears. And Seungju now genuinely looked like she wanted to cry. The Pavilion Mistress smiled serenely and bowed deeply toward my master—not even a cupped-fist salute but a full formal bow—and greeted her.
"I am Lee Yeon, the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress. I offer my respects to the Sect Leader, whose renown has spread so swiftly in so short a time."
"Huh? Ah... I'm Chae Yeong-ok, the Yeongsan Sect Leader. Why are you suddenly bowing like that? Please, stand up."
"Forgive my presumption. Just as the Sect Leader is a sect leader yet fundamentally a Daoist, I hold the post of Pavilion Mistress but am fundamentally a courtesan, so I believe this etiquette is proper."
The Pavilion Mistress rose as she spoke. Irritating. A person who startled my master with unconventional words and conduct. In situations like this, my master inevitably surrendered the initiative.
"This is not a pleasure house, so could you refrain from startling my master with pleasure-house etiquette?"
Unruffled by my prickly words, the Pavilion Mistress replied calmly.
"Wherever a Daoist resides is a Daoist temple, and wherever a Buddhist monk resides becomes a monastery. No matter where I am, I am undeniably a courtesan, so I must observe my full courtesy."
A way with words befitting the hospitality trade.
"Did you come here first thing in the morning because you wanted to play word games?"
"Yeongmok!"
My master firmly checked me when I let my displeasure show.
"Not at all. Reverend, have you ever visited a pleasure house?"
"I have. It cannot compare to Beijing, I'm sure, but I have been to Snowflower Pavilion, the only pleasure house in Jilin."
"Was the pleasure house enjoyable?"
"Why do you keep deflecting? Yes. It was enjoyable. So?"
"Then I wish to entertain you, Reverend, at our Red Flower Pavilion. Since you have come to Beijing, you ought to enjoy a Beijing pleasure house."
"Is that what you wanted to say? Then why did you seek out my master?"
"Naturally, because I wish to invite the Sect Leader and the other members of Yeongsan Sect to Red Flower Pavilion as well."
A composed voice. A clear, untroubled face without a trace of tension.
"Um... Pavilion Mistress? We are all women. I will send Yeongmok along, so please let him have a pleasant time."
As expected, my master had lost the initiative in this disconcerting situation.
"Sect Leader. Women, too, can enjoy a pleasure house. The first floor of Red Flower Pavilion is a fine restaurant where anyone—men and women, young and old—can enjoy themselves. On the second floor, courtesans pour wine at your side and delight guests with songs and instruments. From the third floor, as the Sect Leader imagines, one may enjoy the courtesan's body, but we also receive guests who bring women with them. Please do not think of it as something difficult. I only fervently hope you will visit Red Flower Pavilion, thinking of it simply as enjoying fine food, fine wine, and the talents of the courtesans."
"Master! Let's go! When else would we ever get to visit a pleasure house?"
Jeong-hyang, her interest piqued by the Pavilion Mistress's words, grabbed my master's hand.
"If Daoist Jeong were to grace us with her presence, Red Flower Pavilion would shine with brilliance. We have many lovely girls, but none like Daoist Jeong."
She had even investigated who Jeong-hyang was. Jeong-hyang had done nothing during the Blacksmith Gang incident, and even at Seungdeok Manor, she had stayed inside the estate—her face might have become known, but her name should not have.
"To be honest, I'm interested too. Fine cuisine aside, ordinary women rarely get to enjoy songs and dances and instruments."
Lee Eun-ha, surprisingly, was on the approving side. Now that I thought about it, besides cooking, she had considerable talent in singing too, and she hummed cheerfully every day, didn't she?
"We would be going to the second floor, then?"
Even Son Yeong was showing interest, beginning to question the Pavilion Mistress.
"No. I shall escort you to whichever floor you wish. The third floor may be suitable, but the fourth is somewhat difficult to recommend to members of Yeongsan Sect. That is a place where men who bring women from outside exchange and enjoy one another's women. Of course, if you are interested, I will introduce the most suitable male guest so that you may enjoy yourselves pleasantly."
"Since we have a young junior sister among our party, we will have to go to the second floor."
Son Yeong spoke with a trace of regret left in her words.
No, you aren't even a man, so why are you regretful about that?
"You need not worry about that. The young lady Cho-ryeong shall be delightfully entertained by apprentice children her own age playing instruments and ball games."
"Madam Do told us yesterday that the courtesans put on a show of coupling with one another using Wooden Roots—could we see that as well?"
Insane.
So Son Yeong, burning with academic fervor, wanted to go to the third floor to learn about lesbian play with Wooden Roots? At her words, my face, Lee Eun-ha's, and Seungju's twisted into horror, and we all turned to glare at Do-hwa.
"Of course. Bedchamber arts are originally a Daoist practice, are they not? Between our Red Flower Pavilion and Yeongsan Sect, seemingly unconnected as they are, a small link may yet form."
The Pavilion Mistress's expression did not change, but she must have been genuinely delighted by women who showed such enthusiasm for the pleasure house and even looked forward to its most intimate sexual services.
"Now that you mention it, I've grown a little curious about a pleasure house's bedchamber arts as well. It would do no harm to broaden our knowledge of how they differ from Daoist ones, would it?"
The Yin-Yang Art was my master's pride. It might not have been what the Pavilion Mistress intended, but she had swallowed the bait whole.
"I am grateful that you are all so pleased. But, Reverend—Reverend, the sole man among us—why do you wear such a dissatisfied expression?"
"Because I don't know your true intentions. Speak plainly, as Clan Head Peng did. What do you need that makes you invite us to a pleasure house? Are you hoping we'll smash the Gongsun Clan for you? I'll tell you now, that's impossible. The Gongsun Clan is a problem, yes, but in Hebei there's the Peng Clan, the Eon Clan, and those beggar bastards. More than that, this is Beijing, the seat of the Imperial Household. As outsiders, we will certainly face uncomfortable pressure from the authorities."
"If the Gongsun Clan could be defeated with a single invitation to a pleasure house, Red Flower Pavilion would have already become a sect surpassing Shaolin. Revealing my true heart is something I am unaccustomed to, but I fear incurring the Reverend's anger, so I will speak frankly. I wish for you to personally enjoy Red Flower Pavilion and render your judgment of it."
Huh? A customer-satisfaction survey? Surely that wasn't the reason.
"Not long ago, through a clash with the Gongsun Clan, Red Flower Pavilion was placed on the verge of annihilation. Still, out of the mercy of a prestigious clan, they did not slaughter Red Flower Pavilion, filled as it is with women alone. Instead, in exchange for our lives, we resolved to leave Beijing. But throughout the realm, every place already has its master, and there was nowhere for us to settle—not even in Jilin, beyond the wall.
"We wish to go to Yeongsan. The purpose of this invitation is to demonstrate our worth to the master of Yeongsan, the Yeongsan Sect Leader, and to seek permission to be taken into the embrace of Yeongsan Sect."
In a clear voice, the Pavilion Mistress finally revealed her true intentions.
Dangerous. With a purpose like this, there was no reason for friction with a fellow orthodox sect like the Gongsun Clan. A sect made up only of pitiful women who had lost a conflict and been left with no way to earn a living was the very image of Yeongsan Sect's past. Had she asked us to fight the Gongsun Clan, Master would have politely refused. But a story like this would sway her.
"Red Flower Pavilion is an unorthodox faction. We are orthodox. The paths we walk are different."
I hastily voiced my opposition, but the Pavilion Mistress answered with composure.
"If the master of Red Flower Pavilion is the Yeongsan Sect Leader, who walks the orthodox path, then Red Flower Pavilion too will become orthodox. White Tiger Sect has already served as an excellent example of that. A courtesan's work is not an honorable one, but we commit no evil acts that harm the common people. For they are our valued guests."
"Hey, say yes, will you! I don't really get all this, but anyway, Red Flower Pavilion is moving right in front of your sect, isn't it? That means you can use Red Flower Pavilion for free for the rest of your life!"
She might not know the martial world, but she had a sharp eye. Do-hwa stepped in to help the Pavilion Mistress.
"That is correct. The reason we are an unorthodox faction is that the sect which has protected us all this time was the unorthodox Black Heaven Association. When Black Heaven Association was defeated by Yeongsan Sect, they could no longer protect us, which led to our current predicament. From now on, our protection fees will be offered to Yeongsan Sect."
They'd give us money too. And the cause of this whole mess was partly our responsibility, so if we had a conscience, we should take responsibility. That was the gist, wasn't it?
"Red Flower Pavilion Mistress. Let me ask one thing. Red Flower Pavilion, unlike an ordinary pleasure house, is a martial organization whose members practice martial arts, isn't that so? In that case, do you not engage in work different from an ordinary pleasure house?"
My master's question was unexpectedly prudent.
"We sell our bodies and our smiles, it is true, but we also sell information. For a man is most off guard when he lies atop a woman's body. Of course, unlike the Beggars' Sect or the Hao Sect, we can only gather information from a single region, so we trade that information to the Hao Sect. In terms of commerce, you might think of us not as a retail shop dealing face-to-face with customers, but as wholesale—a trade between merchants. Naturally, Red Flower Pavilion will henceforth become the ears and eyes of Yeongsan Sect."
Now she was accelerating her bargaining by offering information as well. At her words, my master began to deliberate carefully.
"Yeongmok. I really don't know what to do. In my heart, I want to help the Pavilion Mistress. Because we were in the same situation once."
"It is completely different, Master. Yeongsan Sect was truly on the verge of starving to death. No matter how they look, these people have martial arts, considerable funds, and the skills to make a living. Unlike Yeongsan Sect in the past, even if Red Flower Pavilion closed its doors, its members would get by perfectly well on their own."
"Is that so? If Yeongmok is opposed, I will do as you say."
Master said she would follow my judgment. Ah... damn. That didn't feel right either. She was my master and the Sect Leader. I was the one who should have followed her. If I disliked that, I should have asked her then and there to hand the sect-leader position to me. She would probably have yielded it immediately. What I was doing was evading a Sect Leader's responsibilities while trying to move Yeongsan Sect according to my own whims.
"No. All decisions are yours to make, Master. Whatever decision you make, I will simply follow."
"Are you telling me to do it, or not to do it?"
These words came after serious thought, but from my master's perspective, my sudden change in attitude must have seemed irritating.
"You must decide, Master."
"Then don't go saying something different later."
"When have I ever said something different?"
"Huh? Oh? That's true, isn't it? Yeongmok has never once changed his words, has he? Then as sect leader, I will decide. For now, let us go to Red Flower Pavilion. Let us go and experience thoroughly just how charming Red Flower Pavilion is. Madam Do. Please postpone your tour of Beijing by just one day."
"Don't you worry, Sect Leader. I'll be playing with our Seungho all day today, so go and enjoy yourselves to your heart's content.
"Ah, Eun-hyeok. When you go to Red Flower Pavilion, make sure you ask for our Seungju unni. The Pavilion Mistress will cover the cost of the house, but courtesans earn separate money when they're requested by name."
"No, Madam Do. I shall attend upon the Reverend myself.
"Seungju. You remain here and look after Madam Do. By now you understand—Madam Do is no longer simply a close younger sister. You grasp the significance?"
"Yes, Pavilion Mistress."
"Should things go well, I will leave you here in Beijing with your daughter. Your task will be to look after Madam Do while gathering intelligence in Beijing."
"Understood. I will execute it flawlessly. I shall pray fervently that Red Flower Pavilion survives, from within Madam Do's residence."
"Pfft. She called me Madam Do. Unni. Go and bring Jin-ah. You haven't had breakfast, have you? You have no idea how delicious the food our Eun-ha makes is. Even you, unni, who've eaten Red Flower Pavilion's cooking, will be shocked."
Do-hwa stretched and walked back into the house. I hadn't had the presence of mind to consider it. After regaining some ease, the first thing she would want most was to be with her child. Swayed by talk of sightseeing in Beijing, I hadn't even given that any thought—I still had a long, long way to go.