Chapter 170 Specialized instruments of torture for female
Rich families’ childes lived at leisure. They didn’t have to worry about time, money or women. Then, what would they worry about? First, they complained about having no limitless energy or healthy body to spend limitless time with women. Second, they were scared that once their bodies feeling not well and their energy was low, they went to see their familiar doctors or to the medicine pharmacy. Even if their secrets were not going to be spread, they would lose faces in front of their acquaintances. A man could lose anything except his face, because if so, he would not be able to show his masculinity to women.
While Quan Ji Tang was the best choice for them, which was held by Master Xue and his wife. At the beginning, they went there because some friends recommended, and Quan Ji Tang was an unfamiliar place with less popularity. What’s more, they thought it was less awkward to see a doctor in an unfamiliar pharmacy. Master Xue had excellent medical skills and a full understanding of those childes’ urgent but low-profile feelings. During the examination, Master Xue would not make them feel embarrass whether feeling the pulse or asking private questions, so they liked to visit Quan Ji Tang gradually. After feeling the effect brought by potion, moxibustion and bath, they became regular customers.
Later, Quan Ji Tang launched many types of aphrodisiacs named restoratives, and the effect was amazing. Master Xue was too old to examine patients quite often, and it was harder to see him once than the Dr. Ma in San Qing Tang. Now there was only Dr. Hai in Quan Ji Tang, but the best aphrodisiacs in Yang Zhou City were selling here. Quan Ji Tang made huge profits every single day, and it became the top in this field with its’ four chain stores.
He Danggui and Liao Qing’er didn’t expect it–Quan Ji Tang which once meant “the determination to save all” had become almost as famous as Ren Shu Tang, and it was earning money from officials and rich families. So, everyone in Yangzhou City had heard more or less about Quan Ji Tang–the pharmacy selling aphrodisiacs. Everyone seemed to forget the kindness of Quan Ji Tang that it offered medicine to poor people constantly in last three years.
All in all, Quan Ji Tang’s reputation was not very well, so it was hard for Liao Qing’er and He Danggui to expose their identities as bosses.
Liao Qing’er’s older brother Liao Zhiyuan who knew this secret through his resources changed into a different person suddenly. He was strongly against Liao Qing’er selling aphrodisiacs and opening brothels. Liao Qing’er opened three brothels–one male brothel (no women entered), one female brothel (no men entered) and one regular brothel (no minors entered). Liao Zhiyuan had been to their brothels looking for trouble by dressing as a rich guest, but he was chased away by Gao Jue who was hired by Liao Qing’er with some wine. So, he went back to the capital with a bloody nose and a swollen face. And he decided to let Liao Qing’er get married with someone soon.
When they were having a quarrel, He Danggui was also there. She tried to stop them, but Liao Zhiyuan acted impolitely to her. The kind smile he had in the Taoist Temple back in the years was gone. He Danggui guessed the change was because of Duan Xiaolou and Guan Yun, Liao Zhiyuan’s younger cousin. And it was heard that Guan Yun was staying at Liao’s Family all the time, but she didn’t get married with Duan Xiaolou.
So, He Danggui asked Liao Zhiyuan what was going on with Master Duan recently.
“Master Duan?” After a sneer, Liao Zhiyuan didn’t answer He Danggui and pulled his sword out–even it was cut in half by Gao Jue, but it was still a nice sword.
He Danggui was right. The sword was indeed sharp and powerful. Liao Zhiyuan cut some of his hairs and threw them on the blade, and his hairs just got cut in half in a flash. Then he began to tell the details of him torturing some criminals–the most painful way to peel the scalp, nails and figures, and how to make the best sound when dismantling the bones. And then he described some specialized ancient instruments of torture for female, which would made them cry and yell when being tortured. Finally, he told about what scaring punishments an ungrateful person would get in afterlife.
Before He Danggui said anything, Liao Qing’er ran towards Liao Zhiyuan and scratched his face which was already badly battered, leaving some scary blood marks. Liao Zhiyuan became so angry that he ran out to the yard and chopped several hundred jin of wood. Then, he was gone with anger and left a message, “After the Spring Festival, I will let you marry the most fierce and violent person in imperial guards. And you two can scratch each other’s face!”
He Danggui was concerned about Liao Qing’er, but Liao Qing’er comforted her, “I once lost my face badly in a crucial public occasion in the capital three years ago, so I am still a ‘celebrity’ now, and no childe would want to get married with me. What’s more, I planned to find three or four husbands. If the person my brother selected for me is not bad, he can be one of my future husbands.”
He Danggui thought “the most fierce and violent person in imperial guards” was no way to be “not bad”, so she kept persuading Liao Qing’er to return to the capital once the vacation started and reconcile with her brother. What if she acted rashly to marry an inappropriate person because of being angry? It would cause so much trouble when divorcing and cause a bad influence to her reputation. He Danggui was aware that Qing’er was a woman who wanted to have a husband who only loved her, even if she always acted so free and said that she would have three or four husbands. On the night He Danggui went to sleep together with Qing’er, Qing’er told many love stories from her world to He Danggui. In those stories, the end would always be a couple being together in life or death beautifully, no matter what happiness or struggles they experienced before.
Liao Qing’er promised casually of going back the capital once the vacation started. He Danggui asked like having a stutter if she could help her find out what Duan Xiaolou was doing recently. Liao Zhiyuan hated He Danggui so much, so He Danggui was worried about Duan Xiaolou. It had been two years since she and Duan Xiaolou broke up peacefully. She sincerely hoped Duan Xiaolou could forget this unpleasant period and find his true soulmate.
Liao Qing’er squinted at He Danggui and asked, “Xiaoyi, are you regretting now? You must be thinking about Duan Xiaolou all the time, right? The feelings you have to him must have changed from move to love, right? You are actually jealous of Guan Yun, and the reason why you broke up with Duan Xiaolou was because he was always wearing Guan Yun’s handmade shoes and socks, right? To be honest, you’re envying her.”
This was the first time He Danggui had heard Qing’er spoke with this kind of tone, so He Danggui paused and thought for minutes about these questions. She thought, “Have I really been jealous of Guan Yun? Was it when Guan Yun and Duan Xiaolou were riding happily on the racecourse of Chengxu?”
Suddenly, Liao Qing’er’s cute chubby hands reached over and held He Danggui’s face. Liao Qing’er apologized sincerely, “I’m sorry. These love stories I’ve told you have poisoned your pure heart. You have become a love perfectionist who thought the reality could be the same in the stories–the man loves you only and forever. Alas, now it seems that Duan Xiaolou could never be able to do that. I don’t know if you’re going to meet another considerate and sweet man like him who loves you so much.”
He Danggui smiled and said, “Yeah, Childe Duan is a nice man, and I hope he has forgot about me completely.”
Liao Qing’er sighed deeply and said, “Anyway, even the love master Duan Xiaolou can’t marry one woman in all his life, so I feel hopeless for every man in your world. Each one is male chauvinist. They think every woman is so tolerant, and their wives and concubines should love each other. They think an occasional jealousy is cute, but constant being jealous is quite annoying. When I first met Duan Xiaolou, he was expressing his love to you, which made me be very touched. And I thought the stories in books have come true. Duan Xiaolou loved you so much, but he was also detestable. Every time when you were moved and decided to treat him better and express your feelings to him, he was seduced by that sinister woman Guan Yun, which made you be bitterly disappointed. And he was like a fool when he happily showed you a small doll that he and Guan Yun made together. What a fool.”
He Danggui lowered her eyes and said, “I guess he was not stupid at all. At that moment, he was probably aware that his mother has decided to let Guan Yun marry him as his wife. So, he was testing me with that to see if I was willing to be his concubine. He tried several times but failed to know my true feelings, so he did some stupid things later.”
Liao Qing’er scorned on Duan Xiaolou, “He looked like a nice and decent man who loved you very much, but he did dirty plans to you. And you were doing the same to him. You already have known what he was plotting, but you acted that you knew nothing at all, letting him continue his plans. And at last, you could sentence him in all. After losing you, he was half dead in heart. You were hardhearted even if you loved him, but I admire that. Actually, it was not a bad idea to be his concubine. His family is the richest in the capital. And I heard that his family uses legendary luminous pearls as light bulbs. If you marry him, you could invite me to have a tour in his house and then we will fight against Guan Yun together. And finally, you would be his wife.”
He Danggui smiled and said, “Qing’er, although I’ve experienced so much, but the relationship between men and women is strange to me. I’ve never been taught about these things in my life, so I’m clumsy on these things. In my previous life, I only knew how to be a concubine, and I did a bad job. So, when I woke up in this life, I decided to avoid the sadness of my previous life when I got married–being required to kneel in front of the wife all the time, or always acting nervously in front of every concubine. When I was with that man, I became more restless, and it seemed all the pleasure and love were stolen by me from his other women. But back then, at the Taoist temple, I didn’t dare to say that I wanted my husband to love me only in his whole life. Thank you for clearing my mind.”
Liao Qing’er couldn’t help being regretful and said, “Actually, Nalan Xingde said all these. I was quite far away from his ideological level. I wanted to have many husbands when I was young. Besides, it was Zhu Quan’s business to take care of whoever he wants. You who were being imprisoned shouldn’t fight each other, instead you should resent him together because he treated you like animals.”
He Danggui nodded and thought back for a while. Then she said, “At that last moment, everyone took the opportunity to go against me, which also verified my thoughts. When I lost my position, I saw around that the highest seat was inlaid with pairs of resentful eyes, as if they were already there for years. They were staring at me all the time. They watched me fighting to reach the top, watched me trying to have a baby but failing because of my sick body, watched me threatening Bai Yangbai to use his forbidden magic in order to help me conceive, watched me losing my kids just as Bai Yangbai warned before, and watched me giving up the seat I got with my lifetime’s hard work. It must be those wicked eyes which made my kids die. They said I stole their husband. But now I’ve thought it clear. No matter what kind of man I marry, he can’t have relationships with other women and can’t bring those resentful eyes home. I desire a man can only love me in his whole life.”
Liao Qing’er was crying. She said, “Yes, let’s work together! I also want a faithful husband. But I’ve looking for him since I entered your world. And I only knew that Commander He is the man who would devote all his love to the woman he loved. However, he already had a son and a daughter. What if we all fall in love with the same man?”
He Danggui smiled and said, “You can tell me the person you like in advance, and I will not compete with you for him.”
Liao Qing’er dried her tears and said, “Xiaoyi, you’re so nice. But it should be vice versa, because the person would not be mine after you quit. You designed to make Gao Jue hate you, but he was not a fool. I guess he is still thinking about you now, and it is quite scary to be loved by him. I saw he draw a picture of you in his secret chamber and cut the eyes out to carry them in his chest. And then he just burnt the painting. That scared the hell out of me! Since then, my feelings towards him have gone. Ancient people are so mysterious and strange! Later, I saw Gao Jue was with a woman guard. She is good looking. I think they are in love, and I even feel a little jealous. Xiaoyi, you should wear sunglasses when going out. Gao Jue is a maniac, and I’m afraid that he would suddenly appear and rip your eyes out!”
He Danggui said calmly, “Relax. As for Master Gao’s attitude, I have already asked him. He never liked me, and he was just missing his childhood friend through my eyes. The blue hairpin that was mistaken as a love token by you is actually his friend’s legacy. He wanted me to keep it just because we have similar eyes. But that hairpin seemed to be quite worthy, and even I couldn’t guess its actual price. So, I insisted to return it back. Then he suggested to draw a painting of me and asked me to do a couple of more favors for him. And then his hairpin stayed with me, for now.”
Liao Qing’er was surprised and said, “Are we talking about the same person? The way he looked at you was pure love! But even he was the man who loved you the most in this world, I can’t let him be with you! He used the scissor to cut your eyes out of the painting. What a pervert! He would abuse you to death when you get married with him. By the way, what was the favors he wanted you to help with?”
He Danggui laughed and said, “He wanted me to tell you next time when you peep at him through the gate of his secret chamber, be careful of the switch under your feet. Last time, you stepped on a switch and locked him inside the chamber, which made him take a lot of efforts to get out.”
Hearing this, Liao Qing’er was shocked and said, “So dangerous! It’s true what happened on televisions! Once the secrets of this kind of chamber were found out, the person would be killed and melted by Hua Shi Powder! He thought about you at that moment, so he didn’t kill me.”
“What are you talking about?” He Danggui disagreed, “Master Gao had a kind heart below his scaring face. Last time when you were being harassed, it was him who saved you. I’m sure he was just missing his friend through my eyes. You thought he was staring at me with love, but actually his focus was on somewhere else. What’s more, the blue hairpin was carved with a girl’s name in small letters, which can prove that it was worn by someone. He didn’t have to lie to me. If he wanted to hurt me, he wouldn’t help me. And, what is Hua Shi Powder you just mentioned? It sounded so powerful. I’m surprised I haven’t heard it before.”
Liao Qing’er scratched her chin and said, “I guess it is concentrated hydrochloric acid, a magic liquid. In fact, it was weird when I was being harassed. After all these years I’ve lived, I have never been harassed before. And the second day after I found out Gao Jus’s dirty secrets, two seniors came to harass me, yelling indecently. But they were just holding my shoulders without touching or kissing. They didn’t even see my face to check if I was a woman or not. And then the pervert Gao Jue suddenly jumped to save me. What a coincidence!”
He Danggui couldn’t help but laugh. She said, “In this case, he was probably touched by your sincerity, so he decided to be gentle to you.”
“No, thanks.” Liao Qing’er waved her hands and said, “I didn’t know he got married back then, so I fell in love with him. Now since I know that, I will never like him again. We ought to have consistence on this. We won’t allow our husbands to have other concubines, and their servants must be male, not even a eunuch!”
He Danggui was surprised and said, “Do you discriminate against eunuchs? I remembered last time you were crying sadly over the eunuch and the women in brothels.”
Liao Qing’er waved her hands again and said, “The period I lived in Guan’s Family had only left me bad memories and terror. Fortunately, I refused my aunt and didn’t get married with Guan Mo, or else I would be competing his love and care with a wicked 12-year-old eunuch. Come on, let’s forget about him and make a promise by holding palms–we will only get married with a man who support monogamy. We shall have a race about which one of us can first find our loved one. Let’s bet on Gao Jue’ hairpin, and I will bet on my black account book!”
He Danggui smiled and said, “Gao Jue’s hairpin? Are you sure? If so, I will give it to you.”
Liao Qing’er laughed and said, “It’s the jackpot. It will be no fun if you just give it to me!”
So, they held each other’s palms to make the promise, which happened a month ago. Now, Meng Xuan was complaining about He Danggui doing business secretly, “No matter how you gained your profits legally or illegally, you can’t go to the brothel anymore and you can’t cure men’s physiological illness anymore. They can just go somewhere else to see another doctor. It’s my insistence, and I hope you can respect me because we will be a couple in the future. I will feed you and give you whatever you want.”
He Danggui raised her eyebrows and said, “Seventh Childe, actually I also have a principle that I must insist. Could you consider it?”
Visit freewe𝑏n(o)vel.𝑐𝘰𝑚 for the best novel reading experience