Lu Ying and the others followed Wu Xiaoqi's gaze to see a fair-skinned, bearded, scholarly-looking middle-aged man wearing tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses enter the inn, accompanied by dozens of burly men bearing the banner of the Three Links Escort Agency.
The Three Links Escort Agency was the largest escort agency in the Central Plains.
Wang Daxia questioned, "He looks utterly ordinary, just like a common passerby, and even needs reading glasses. Are you certain this is the legendary Luo Longwen—the man famed for his charm, silver tongue, ability to win courtesans' trust, mediate among pirates, and incite internal strife as an anti-Japanese Pirates hero? They say madams love money and courtesans love handsome men. With his looks, he hardly fits the image."
Even Lu Ying and Wei Caiwei found it hard to believe, thinking Luo Longwen should possess at least half of Wang Daxia's handsomeness.
This flustered Wu Xiaoqi, who insisted, "It's truly him, guaranteed authentic! He's aged severely these years—the beard and glasses change his appearance—but I couldn’t possibly mistake him. I’ve been keeping close watch on Yan Shifan’s retainers."
It wasn’t entirely unjust for Wang Daxia and the others to judge by appearances, as Luo Longwen’s reputation was immense.
Beyond nurturing Death Warriors, Yan Shifan hosted many retainers skilled in unique arts. Luo Longwen excelled in inkstick crafting, earning even the Jiajing Emperor’s admiration. However, what made him "notorious" and Yan Shifan’s top retainer was a woman: Wang Cuiqiao.
Born into a scholarly, official family that fell into decline, Wang Cuiqiao was forced into prostitution as a "thin horse" before rising as a renowned Jiangnan courtesan celebrated for talent and beauty. When the leading pirate chief Xu Hai sacked her county and took her as his fortress madam, her literary skills made her his scribe for all correspondence.
Xu Hai commanded over 100,000 troops, including genuine and disguised Japanese Pirates, repeatedly defeating anti-pirate general Hu Zongxian. Forced to strategize, Hu sent Luo Longwen—Xu Hai’s fellow townsman fluent in Japanese—to negotiate.
As an ink master aware of Wang Cuiqiao’s refined tastes, Luo Longwen gifted her exquisite ink, persuading her to influence Xu Hai into accepting imperial amnesty. He promised Xu Hai an official post and her the title of "Madam of Honor."
Wang Cuiqiao, originally from an official family, had been trapped in prostitution and piracy against her will. The path to legitimacy and honor held irresistible appeal, so she unleashed a torrent of persuasion.
Coincidentally, Xu Hai clashed with his genuine Japanese Pirates subordinate Maye over uneven spoils. Xu Hai killed Maye and others, presenting them to Hu Zongxian as a pledge of reform and acceptance of amnesty.
Seeing the pirate faction weakened by infighting, Hu Zongxian turned on Xu Hai, leading to a battle where Xu Hai died by suicide. Devastated, Wang Cuiqiao leaped into the sea to join him in death.
People preferred spreading this tragic romance over bloody war tales. Though Xu Hai had other consorts and even rivaled genuine Japanese Pirates for another woman, oral tradition idealized him and Wang Cuiqiao as each other’s sole love. Luo Longwen, once credited for anti-pirate efforts, became a universally despised villain.
Now, five years after Wang Cuiqiao’s suicide, Luo Longwen fled to the capital under Yan Shifan’s protection, fearing retaliation from remaining pirates, and lived undisturbed for five years.Yan Shifan was preparing an escape route for his family in advance. No one understood the coastal regions better than Luo Longwen, making him the most suitable candidate. Worried about being recognized by old acquaintances, Luo Longwen deliberately grew a beard. In truth, his eyes weren't presbyopic—wearing glasses simply altered one's appearance and demeanor. The crystal-polished lenses were actually flat.
Additionally, he hired the Three Links Escort Agency to protect the capital provided by Yan Shifan, ensuring all preparations were complete before departure.
Inns required real-name registration. Luo Longwen approached the front desk, presenting his household register and travel permit: "Zhang Shan, antique merchant."
Lu Ying and the others exchanged glances. Seeing their skepticism, Wu Xiaoqi went outside to inspect the goods guarded by the Three Links Escort Agency.
The carriage was surrounded by layers of escorts, but Linqing's ice and snow had begun to melt, leaving the roads muddy. Observing the deeply sunken wheel tracks in the mud, Wu Xiaoqi ran back to report to Lu Ying: "Their cargo is extremely heavy—the wheel ruts are twice as deep as ours. How could they possibly be antique dealers?"
Lu Ying instructed, "Go to the customs checkpoint and inquire how this antique merchant named Zhang Shan passed through and how much tax he paid."
Linqing was one of the most crucial cities along the Ming Dynasty's Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, connecting north and south. Any merchant vessel traveling to or from the capital via waterway had to pass through Linqing's customs checkpoint to pay taxes. Thus, Linqing ranked first among the eight major customs checkpoints, with an annual tax revenue seven times that of Hangzhou and Yangzhou combined.
During her own passage, Lu Ying had paid over thirty taels in customs duties.
Wu Xiaoqi departed on his mission. Just then, someone descended the stairs, immediately catching Wei Caiwei's attention—it was Ding Wu!
Reunited after long separation, Wei Caiwei gripped the table leg tightly to stop herself from impulsively rushing to greet him.
Ding Wu wasn't alone; behind him stood a middle-aged man, likely a trusted aide of cult leader Zhao Quan.
The two approached the front desk, where Ding Wu asked the innkeeper, "Can the ship finally depart tomorrow? We've been waiting for days."
Though the ice in the Linqing section of the Grand Canal had melted in the middle, brick-thick ice sheets still clung to both banks, trapping large merchant vessels in place.
The innkeeper replied, "With consecutive sunny days, it should be possible soon. If necessary, customs officers will use cannons to blast the ice. Once the ships can move, further south will be entirely navigable as the weather warms."
Ding Wu seemed relieved. As they sat down to eat, a group of painted courtesans fluttered in like butterflies to solicit customers.
As the Ming Dynasty's primary customs checkpoint, Linqing attracted wealthy merchants, leading to a thriving entertainment industry rivaling Nanjing's Qinhuai River district. It was renowned for "thirty-two pleasure lanes and seventy-two music towers."
The Xie Family Tavern where Ding Wu stayed was Linqing's largest establishment, boasting over a hundred private rooms across multiple floors. The vermilion-painted building featured emerald-green window frames. From opened windows, the Grand Canal resembled a white ribbon winding through layered mountains, flanked by endless rows of merchant ships.
With winter ice blocking the river and fewer traveling merchants, business was slow, prompting these courtesans to seek clients at the Xie Family Tavern.
The women were lavishly dressed and quite attractive, but with more courtesans than customers, they had to employ various tactics to compete for patrons.Lu Ying was the most handsome, appearing wealthy and dashing, quickly becoming the target of the courtesans. As he was about to be swarmed by these social butterflies, Lu Ying had a strategy. Calmly pouring a cup of wine, she said to Wang Daxia beside her, "Brother, drink this cup to the brim."
Wang Daxia was taken aback, but Lu Ying had already brought the cup to his lips, acting intimately.
Wang Daxia suddenly realized that to avoid harassment from the brothel women, Lu Ying had chosen to harass him instead.
Wang Daxia drank the wine in one go from Lu Ying's hand.
Observing from the corner of their eyes, Ding Wu and Wei Caiwei could hardly bear to watch. Ding Wu stroked his chin, while Wei Caiwei massaged her forehead.
The courtesans, seasoned veterans, immediately recognized Lu Ying's peculiar preferences and knew he was off-limits. They whispered among themselves, "Hmph, another one selling his backside," and "Business is already slow, and now men are competing with us."
The courtesans then turned their attention to Ding Wu.
Ding Wu was familiar with such situations. He chuckled and clasped his hands in apology, "Sorry, sisters, but I have a fierce wife at home. If she finds out, she might storm this brothel and ruin your beautiful faces—that wouldn't be pretty."
He pointed to his companion beside him, "But my friend Hua Brothers here would love to chat with you all about romance."
Hua Brothers was short and stout, dressed in a fur coat, with a large gold ring on his thumb resembling a mahjong tile, looking every bit the nouveau riche. The courtesans flocked to him, praising him to the skies—though he was barely taller than a stool leg, they made him sound like a flower.
Hua Brothers selected two courtesans with ample bosoms, soft bodies, slender waists, and sweet voices and went upstairs with them.
In the lively and decadent Xie Family Tavern, only Wei Caiwei, disguised as a wandering physician, was left unnoticed. The tavern was filled with wealthy merchants, while she was plainly dressed, with only a bowl of rice, a side dish of fermented black beans, and a bowl of yam meatballs on her table—not even any wine.
Being so shabby, the courtesans ignored her; everyone had to make a living, after all.
Wei Caiwei mixed the fermented beans into her rice and ate with her head down. The revelry belonged to others; to her, it was just noise.
After Hua Brothers had been escorted upstairs to the realm of tenderness, Ding Wu walked over and sat opposite Wei Caiwei. "Doctor, how much for a pulse reading?"
Wei Caiwei put down her bowl. "Twenty coppers, with medicine and treatment charged separately." Outwardly calm, inwardly turbulent, a surge of emotion rose within her, causing the rice to lodge in her throat. She quickly drank a cup of tea to wash it down.
That cup of tea betrayed her agitation. Facing her sworn brother, whom she had grown up with, she couldn't maintain her composure.
Ding Wu counted out twenty coppers and placed his wrist on the table.
Wei Caiwei firmly pressed her fingers against Ding Wu's hand. Her pulse, as the physician, raced faster than her "patient's." Their eyes met, filled with nothing but concern, unable to get enough of each other.
Wei Caiwei worried about Ding Wu, and he felt the same. They had lived together in Tieling for ten years, like real siblings. When he learned that someone disguised as the White Lotus Sect had kidnapped Banxia on the street, he longed to return to the capital immediately.
Now, seeing each other seemingly well, they were overwhelmed with emotion. The surrounding noise seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them.
The pulse reading took a bit too long. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lu Ying led Wang Daxia over. "Doctor, my brother here hasn't been feeling well lately. Could you take a look at him?"Wang Daxia had long been displeased watching Wei Caiwei keep her hand pressed over Ding Wu's. He immediately rolled up his sleeves, revealing his pale arm, and thrust it across the dining table. "My turn."
Wei Caiwei remained expressionless. "Medical consultations follow order of arrival."
Wang Daxia produced a silver ingot. "Enough to cut in line?"
Wei Caiwei had been hoping to find an opportunity for acupuncture or cupping therapy to speak with Ding Wu privately. Annoyed by Wang Daxia's insistence on disrupting this, she accepted the silver and took his pulse. Before long, she released his hand and announced loudly: "Congratulations, madam! Joyful news—you are with child!"
Author's note: Cross-dressing is a habit that, once started, never ends.
Note 1: Adapted from Chapter 92 of The Plum in the Golden Vase. The temporal setting of The Plum in the Golden Vase aligns with the late Jiajing period, matching this story. Thus, all depictions of Linqing herein derive from The Plum in the Golden Vase—where the tales of Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlun unfold, and where the Xie Family Tavern stands as the largest establishment in Linqing County. Chen Jingji, Ximen Qing's son-in-law, serves as the tavern's primary shareholder.
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