GBP Chapter 509 Forcibly Entering the Eyebrow Tower
Chapter 509 Forcibly Entering the Eyebrow Tower
Amidst the laughter of the Duke's personal guards and bodyguards, Liu Ye continued, "Since these women are neither respectable women nor your wives or concubines, and you are not a brothel madam, then it's none of your business whether I'm drinking and patronizing prostitutes with the Duke of Wei! What right do you have to come here and yell at me to release them?"
Xu Hongji was taken aback, then burst into laughter. His words, though crude, were true and quite satisfying.
Hou Fangyu stared blankly, speechless, unsure how to respond. Gone was the composure he had displayed when refuting Xu Hongji. He looked back pleadingly.
Zhang Pu stood in the crowd, shaking his head helplessly. Hou Fangyu was still too young and his adaptability was too poor. Once he deviated from the pre-arranged speech, he didn't know how to respond. He had finally managed to silence the Duke of Wei and was about to gain the upper hand, but the other party turned the tables by avoiding the main point.
The current situation was entirely his doing, and Hou Fangyu's previous statements were all based on his personal instructions.
When news of Liu Rushi reached Hou Fangyu and Chen Zilong, Chen Zilong, fearing his wife's wrath, decided against going to Meilou to stand up for Liu Rushi—after all, his first wife had previously caused a scene at Liu Rushi's "South Tower," making everyone feel awkward. Only Hou Fangyu, upon hearing that Li Xiangjun had been forcibly detained by the brute Liu Ye, was consumed by jealousy and wished he could sprout wings and fly there immediately. However, he was still somewhat sensible, knowing that he might not succeed alone, so he sought help from his leader, Zhang Pu.
After being turned away by Liu Ye, Zhang Pu remained resentful. Upon hearing Hou Fangyu's plea for help, he hatched a plan. He mobilized some key members of the Fushe Society and marched in a large group to Meilou, intending to stand on the moral high ground to humiliate and rescuing Hou Fangyu. This would both avenge Liu Ye's previous rudeness and enhance the reputation of the Fushe Society.
Imagine a group of unarmed scholars, facing fully armed soldiers, using their lips as guns and their tongues as swords, beating a duke and an earl so badly they couldn't lift their heads, and "rescuing" three courtesans from the heavily guarded Meilou. What a glorious achievement that would be! After expelling the eunuch Gu Bingqian, the Fushe Society would add another glorious feat, and also gain a reputation for chivalry and protecting beauties in the world of romance.
However, once the plan was finalized, Zhang Pu didn't roll up his sleeves and get to work himself. After all, offending Liu Ye, a military general from Guangdong, was nothing compared to offending the Duke of Wei, whose family had been guarding Nanjing for generations and whose title was hereditary. This kind of thankless task, which would hurt both sides, was passed on to the eager and impetuous Hou Fangyu. Unfortunately, Hou Fangyu was too inexperienced and was easily silenced by Liu Ye's few words.
After a moment's thought, Zhang Pu called over a key member of the Fushe Society, gave him a few words of advice, and then asked him to tell Hou Fangyu.
Upon hearing this, Hou Fangyu retorted: "Don't try to evade the question. I'll just ask you: Whose soldiers are these at the gate? The court gave you military power, is it just a tool for you to indulge in prostitution and gratify your desires? As a military officer, instead of thinking about serving the country with loyalty, you abuse your power for personal gain, using the army to guard the gates of a brothel for yourself. This is a disgrace to all military men!"
At Zhang Pu's prompting, the members of the Fushe Society shouted in unison, "A disgrace to the military!"
Liu Ye coldly replied, “While I was leading troops to fight the enemy and serving my country with utmost loyalty, you were indulging in poetry and debauchery; while I was returning in triumph after defeating tens of thousands of bandits, you were here waging war over a few prostitutes. I have soldiers, which I trained single-handedly; I have official positions and titles, which I earned with sword and spear. And you, a scholar, instead of thinking about studying behind closed doors to become an official and benefit the people, sharing the emperor's burdens, you crave the prosperity of Nanjing, indulging in pleasure and debauchery—this is disloyalty; your father is still in prison, and instead of trying to rescue him, you only think about standing up for prostitutes—this is unfilial piety. How dare such a disloyal and unfilial person speak ill of me?”
Hou Fangyu staggered two steps, clutching his chest, speechless. He was known for his intelligence from a young age, and his early imperial examinations went smoothly, but he repeatedly failed the metropolitan examinations, his academic career a high start followed by a sharp decline, a source of deep regret for him. His father, Hou Xun, was impeached by Wen Tiren and others for misusing public funds and harming the country, resulting in his dismissal and imprisonment, a situation Hou Fangyu was powerless to change, finding solace only in the decadent pleasure quarters—a wound he didn't want others to reopen. Liu Ye's words were like daggers, striking at his core, leaving him too ashamed to respond.
Zhang Pu hadn't expected Liu Ye to be so sharp-tongued. It seemed Hou Fangyu couldn't win against him. But since he had come with such a fierce attitude, he couldn't just give up halfway. He also didn't want to fight head-on, so he found Wu Changshi, who was a little older than Hou Fangyu, and whispered something to him.
Wu Changshi understood and stepped forward, shouting loudly, "Gentlemen, don't waste your breath on him. He's just a mere warrior who can neither compose poetry nor write lyrics. What makes him think he can monopolize the four beauties of Qinhuai? He's nothing but a scoundrel. Let's all go together and rescue these ladies. Let's see if they dare to lay a hand on us!"
The members of the Fushe Society were all self-important, believing only their talents were worthy of these young ladies. They had often gone to great lengths to please these famous courtesans, content with just a smile from them. Now, the thought of their beloved women being forced by this rude brute, tears streaming down their faces, to serve wine and drink, and possibly even be forcibly taken, ignited a fire within them. They shouted, "He is unworthy of these ladies! Charge in and save them!"
The crowd of dozens of people became agitated and rushed inside, only to be blocked by the guards at the entrance, and a scuffle ensued.
Liu Ye spat out in disdain: "When they can't win an argument, they resort to force. That's the true face of these talented scholars from the Fushe Society."
Xu Hongji asked worriedly, "What if they try to force their way in? Most of these people have achieved official rank and are the future pillars of the court. We can't afford to take action against them, because we can't bear the responsibility if we damage them."
Liang Xiaoming also came out, looking dejected, and casually asked, "Aren't scholars supposed to have a high status? If we can't take action, we can't stop them, can we?"
"They're just a bunch of failed exam takers repeating their studies," Liu Ye scoffed. "Besides reciting a few poems, composing a few lyrics, engaging in lofty discussions, and spouting nonsense, what else can these people do?" Liu Ye's statement had merit. The Fushe Society, in its early days, didn't have a strong political connotation; it was simply a group for studying the eight-legged essay, exchanging knowledge, and cultivating character. As the name suggests, the Fushe Society was an ancient version of a re-examination group, a self-organized study group for candidates retaking the imperial examinations.
The scholars at the gate rolled up their sleeves, eager to rush in, but the guards, without orders, dared not act on their own. The personal guards of the Duke of Wei's mansion knew that most of these scholars held official titles and were not required to kneel before officials, so even the government officials dared not offend them easily. They looked at each other, hesitant to make a move.