Chapter Eight: Buying a Companion

The thirteenth young master’s excursion, regardless of how many coincidences one might argue, left the Ye family with a chill down their spines. This incident made it clear there were loopholes in their security measures. In response, after this event, the Ye family immediately began to overhaul the safety protocols at the Ye residence. Subsequent events made this episode all the more intriguing.

But the real highlight wasn’t the security lapses—rather, it was where the thirteenth young master went after leaving home, and how he spent those three days away.

When the thirteenth young master first stepped out, he was so captivated by the novel sights on either side of the street that, for a while, he forgot his purpose entirely and simply wandered about the city at random.

This was his first time venturing out; everything was fresh and new to him.

Fortunately, he was in the imperial capital, within a district reserved for the nobility, so the surrounding security was excellent. Even though the thirteenth young master, dressed in extravagant finery, wandered the streets alone, no one harbored any untoward intentions toward him.

Perhaps it was because there were so many noble boys and girls in the area, and they usually had attendants. People might have assumed the thirteenth young master’s attendants were just somewhere nearby, or mistook someone else’s for his.

Eventually, the thirteenth young master remembered his objective: to squander and spend extravagantly. Upon asking a passerby, he was told there was a notorious den of dissipation in the city, a place where many of the idle sons of the elite frittered away their fortunes.

He no longer recalled exactly who had given him this information; if he had, that person would be in grave danger, for, at this moment, every adult present felt a powerful urge to slap that individual to death.

Why such fury? If you knew the nature of this establishment, you would understand—and perhaps feel the same urge yourself.

“Moonlit Pavilion of Flowers!” the thirteenth young master had pronounced the name slowly that day.

“Pffft…” Ye Yi and Ye Chengtian instantly spewed out the tea they had just sipped.

“What?! What did you say? The Moonlit Pavilion of Flowers?” Ye Yi and Ye Chengtian cried out, their lips still flecked with tea leaves.

“Yes!” The thirteenth young master nodded solemnly.

“Chengtian, what kind of place is the Moonlit Pavilion of Flowers?” Long Anqi asked in puzzlement. Clearly, she was unfamiliar with the establishment, though she could tell both her husband and father-in-law knew it well.

“Well… that’s the most upscale brothel in the capital…” Ye Chengtian replied, somewhat embarrassed.

“Oh, a brothel; no wonder you’re embarrassed. You men… What?! A brothel?” Long Anqi was slow to react at first, but the truth struck her suddenly.

Brothel was the polite term; in plain language, it was a whorehouse. The idea of a five-year-old boy going to such a place was utterly unacceptable.

No wonder he had been missing for three days—who would have thought to look for a five-year-old in a place like that?

“Son, tell your mother—what did the person who told you about this place look like? I’ll kill him!” Long Anqi’s face had an ominous blue tint, and her murderous intent was so palpable that no one doubted her threat.

One could hardly blame her; who in their right mind would suggest such a place to a child?

“He had two eyes and a nose…” the thirteenth young master tried to recall, but his vague description would only confirm that the person was human, nothing more.

“…”

“Forget it, at least you’re back. So he spent some money; it’s not as if he could buy anything inappropriate yet,” Ye Chengtian said, his expression odd.

“Hmph, he’d better not have done anything strange, or I’ll tear that Moonlit Pavilion of Flowers apart,” Long Anqi said through gritted teeth. “Little darling, what did you do there? Tell me everything, in detail.”

“There was delicious food and drinks, and lots of pretty big sisters who played games with me. I want to go back next time,” the thirteenth young master replied.

Long Anqi’s lovely face darkened as she sternly commanded, “You are not allowed to go back! Under no circumstances can you ever go to such a place again, no matter how much you want to squander money.”

“Why? It’s so much more fun there than here,” the thirteenth young master protested, and it seemed two of the men present quietly agreed—at least, that had been their opinion in their younger days.

“A mother’s word is final. You must listen,” Long Anqi insisted, unable to offer a proper explanation.

“Oh, then I won’t go. I’ll find somewhere else to squander money next time,” the thirteenth young master said, tilting his head.

Next time? There would be no next time—they would never let him out alone again.

That left one question: what about the little tigress girl? And as for why the Moonlit Pavilion of Flowers had entertained the thirteenth young master for three whole days without question—well, everyone present already knew the answer.

For the Moonlit Pavilion of Flowers, as long as you had money, it didn’t matter if you were old or young, emperor or slave; you would be treated like royalty.

As for the little tigress girl, as the thirteenth young master had said, he had bought her as a slave.

At that time, the Moonlit Pavilion of Flowers happened to be hosting a female slave auction, and the little tigress was one of the girls up for sale. Of course, such events were intended for patrons with certain unusual proclivities—details best left unspoken.

In the end, the thirteenth young master, in his quest to squander his allowance, bought the little tigress girl—not out of compassion, but simply to waste money.

Among all the slave girls, he chose the little tigress because they were of a similar age. Children naturally gravitate toward other children.

It’s also worth noting that the thirteenth young master spent nearly all his pocket money at the Moonlit Pavilion of Flowers, including the price for the little tigress—sixty-eight thousand, one hundred gold coins in total.

That sum was more than most people could hope to earn in a lifetime, yet he spent it all in three days—truly a prodigy in the art of squandering.

That’s also why the Moonlit Pavilion of Flowers kept silent, letting him spend as he pleased—a client like that was a rarity indeed.

Of the total, fifty thousand gold coins went toward purchasing the little tigress, the lion’s share. Reportedly—just reportedly—a certain influential patron with unusual tastes was also bidding, which drove the price up to fifty thousand gold, the highest transaction of the event. The runner-up, a breathtaking half-elf, sold for only twenty thousand.

Again, it was said that the eminent bidder was furious and demanded to know who dared to compete with him, only to be dumbfounded when he discovered the truth. Anyone would have been astonished—it was clear this wasn’t about buying a girl for companionship, but for play.

He decided to yield; after all, who would want to be known for competing with a child? If word got out, his reputation would be ruined.

He did not know, however, that the thirteenth young master was no ordinary child, and his disappearance had already caused an uproar throughout the city. In the end, the whole affair became widely known.

Many people confronted the influential patron, saying, “Who would have thought you were that kind of person…”

And truth be told, even if the man had kept raising the bid, the thirteenth young master would have matched him every time, for his sole aim was to squander money; he cared nothing for how much he had on hand, nor did he know the exact amount.

Thus, the case of the missing young master came to a close, though the ripple effects lingered.

…――――――――

Brothers and sisters, show your support—send in your recommendation votes!