Chapter 37: Zhang Hongqiao in the Flesh

Zhu Neng drew his blade and stepped in front of the woman.

Zhu Shuang, standing upon his carriage, immediately grew alert. "What is it, beauty?"

Wearing a bamboo hat and a veil, the woman curtsied. "May the Prince of Qin be blessed. Your humble servant, Zhang, pays her respects."

Zhu Shuang knew exactly who she was. He waved his sleeve dismissively and said, "Rise."

Zhang Hongqiao lifted the beaded curtain of her hat and removed her veil. "Your humble servant, Zhang, wishes to ask Your Highness: you have abolished the categories of craftsmen, soldiers, and slaves, but what is to become of women in the musical register like myself?"

In ancient times, the four tiers of society—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—were considered "good citizens." Anyone outside these four was relegated to the "mean status." These individuals fell into two categories: those whose professions were considered lowly by nature—such as slaves, beggars, boat people, yamen runners, or morticians—and those demoted into the register, such as musicians, actors, performers, official courtesans, or those born to criminal families.

Under the feudal system of collective punishment, this "mean status" was hereditary. They were forbidden from taking civil service examinations, owning land, or marrying into "good" families. Men were destined to be slaves for generations, and women were doomed to be courtesans.

For a woman in the musical register, the best outcome was to be taken as a concubine by an official to gain freedom. This was why the legendary Liu Rushi might have felt drawn to the old man Qian Qianyi. A secondary outcome was to have a sympathetic scholar buy her freedom, and a lesser one was to find a wealthy upstart to provide for her. In reality, most were lucky to end their days in a brothel; once their beauty faded, they were often cast onto the streets to scrape by as clandestine prostitutes.

Reminded of this, Zhu Shuang realized how many "black slaves" of the Middle Kingdom still languished at the bottom of society.

After a long silence, he said, "Zhu Neng, pass my order: all those in the mean register who have no criminal record are to be cleared and registered as commoners. For the families of those who have committed crimes under the jurisdiction of the Military Governor's Office, the status will no longer be inherited; instead, they will be barred from civil service examinations for three generations. Musical entertainers are permitted to buy their freedom, and anyone who dares to obstruct this will be dealt with by military law."

Zhu Neng saluted and galloped away. Just as Zhu Shuang signaled for the coachman to move on, Zhang Hongqiao leaped onto the carriage. Zhu Shuang instinctively scooted back, his internal alarm bells ringing. "Lady Zhang, are you trying to assassinate me?"

He couldn't help it; the trauma from Minmin had left him paranoid. In this world, there was no such thing as an unprovoked romantic encounter; it was all just a calculated trap.

Zhang Hongqiao covered her mouth and giggled. "Your Highness is so powerful and heroic; how would a weak woman like me have the gall to commit such an act?"

"Um... could you put away your flintlock, Your Highness?" Zhang Hongqiao blushed, pointing to the barrel pressing against her chest.

The barrel was pressed against her bosom, creating a soft indentation. A soft moan escaped her lips, causing Zhu Shuang’s hand to tremble so violently he nearly fired.

Zhu Shuang tucked away the pistol, touched his armor, and clutched his belt defensively. "What do you want?"

Zhang Hongqiao moved closer. "Your humble servant only wishes to thank you for your immense kindness. Such a rebirth cannot be repaid; I can only..."

Zhu Shuang blurted out, "Offer yourself to me? Don't even think about it. I am a man of integrity."

Zhang Hongqiao shook her head. "I have some literary talent and wish to enter the Military Governor's Office to do something for the women of the world."

Zhu Shuang was speechless. *Why are you not following the script? If you had just taken off your clothes, I could have sternly refused and maintained my image as a gentleman. Instead, you're here asking for a job interview. Do you not respect this handsome face of mine?*

Zhu Shuang pointed at the carriage shaft, expressionless. "Get off."

Zhang Hongqiao blinked her large eyes. "The Military Governor's Office is several miles away. Does Your Highness truly have the heart to make a weak girl walk?"

Zhu Shuang finally understood how his father, the Old Emperor, felt when people tried to hitch a ride on his carriage. *What an absolute rascal.*

"You are a famous artist known far and wide. Don't you have your own carriage?"

Zhang Hongqiao’s ears turned red. She said embarrassedly, "To buy my maid's freedom, I sold my carriage. To buy my own, I gave all my savings to Mother. I have nowhere else to go."

Zhu Shuang nodded. "You are a kind girl, but what does that have to do with me?"

"Your Highness has the heart of a Bodhisattva. Can you bear to see a weak woman like me left to wander the streets?"

*How can someone be so thick-skinned?* Zhu Shuang thought. *Do I look like a pushover?*

He sighed, "How much did your freedom cost?"

Zhang Hongqiao stammered, "Ten years of savings—twenty thousand taels."

Zhu Shuang’s eyebrows twitched. He shouted to his temporary driver, Ma Sanbao, "Sanbao, turn around. We're going to the Shihua Pavilion."

Ma Sanbao asked, confused, "Your Highness, are we not going back to the manor for dinner?"

Zhu Shuang declared righteously, "No, we aren't. Saving our sisters in the brothels is a duty we cannot shirk."

Upon arriving at the Shihua Pavilion, Zhu Shuang saw the antique decor, sandalwood furniture, famous calligraphy and paintings, and even stair railings made of white marble. It was the most high-end club in Kaifeng, decorated more luxuriously than his own Prince of Qin's mansion.

Madam Huang, the brothel owner, saw the group of soldiers surrounding the imposing young general and hurried down, swaying her hips. She fawned, "Oh, such a handsome young general! It's barely noon. Please, wait a moment, I'll call the girls to dress up and receive you."

"Mother," Zhang Hongqiao said timidly from the crowd.

Madam Huang grabbed her. "So it's my good daughter Hongqiao! Did you climb a high branch and come back to support my business?"

Madam Huang's expression turned sour, and Zhang Hongqiao shrank fearfully toward Zhu Shuang.

"Hand it over," Zhu Shuang said, holding out his hand.

Madam Huang feigned ignorance. "The contract was already given to Hongqiao. What does the old woman have to give?"

Zhu Shuang said in a deep voice, "She is my newly accepted concubine. Hand it over."

Madam Huang, who loved money more than her life, was torn but then grew defiant. "General, we may be lowly, but this Shihua Pavilion has shares held by Prefect Song. If you make a scene, it won't look good for anyone."

Zhu Shuang had no time for nonsense. He waved his hand. "Lock her up with that turtle-son Song Xing, and the rest of you, raid this den of filth for me."

Two soldiers bound Madam Huang tightly. As she started to scream, they stuffed a smelly sock into her mouth. Qiu Fu delivered two heavy slaps, knocking her unconscious, and she was dragged away.

Fierce-looking soldiers stormed the building. The waiters and guards were terrified into submission. The girls, still dressing, were ushered out of their rooms in confusion by the Peacekeeping Army.

Xingfang, Hongxiu, and a dozen others saw Zhang Hongqiao and asked, "Sister Hongqiao, what are these soldiers doing?"

Zhang Hongqiao hid behind Zhu Shuang, embarrassed. Zhu Shuang spoke without reservation: "Sisters, this old procuress forced good women into prostitution and committed countless evils. I am here today to raid the house."

"Ah? But sir, why are you taking our belongings?"

"Sir, we are all poor souls. Can't you leave us something?"

Zhu Shuang was unmoved by their pleas. "No. While you may have lost your silver, you have gained your freedom."

Zhang Hongqiao tugged his sleeve and whispered, "There is a lot of gold and silver in the rooms that the sisters saved up for their own freedom and dowries."

Seeing the women clutching their handkerchiefs and on the verge of tears, Zhu Shuang sighed. "Aside from your redemption silver, you may take anything else in your rooms."

"Sir, what if our redemption silver isn't enough? Madam Huang was very stingy, and the price was set too high."

Zhu Shuang replied, "Why blame the price? It’s always been that way. Maybe you should look for the reasons within yourselves. Has your salary increased in all these years? Have you been working hard enough? Do you know how hard it is for us to rob this place?"

Seeing the women trembling with rage and clenching their fists—even his little fan, Zhang Hongqiao, glaring at him—Zhu Shuang chuckled. "Just kidding. You don't need to pay the redemption silver. Just go to the Military Governor's Office and get your household registration done."