Chapter 122: The Perils of Ignorance (Part Two)

As the laughter on the second floor grew louder, more and more people crowded around. Many were pushed into the room by those behind them who had come to watch the commotion. Yang Yaozong waved his hand behind him to signal for silence, and the onlookers promptly hushed.

Yang Yaozong smiled. "The gentlemen of old always wore jade. They wore pendants on the left and settings on the right. In other words, the way one wore jade was once elevated to the level of ritual. Of course, even if I explained it to you, you wouldn't understand." A roar of laughter erupted behind him again.

The portly foreigner slammed his hand on the table and stood up, glaring at Yang Yaozong. His move caused the surrounding crowd to suppress their chuckles, but it had no effect on Yang Yaozong.

Yang Yaozong smiled and patted the portly foreigner’s shoulder, pressing him back into his seat. "The culture of our Great Zhou is vast and profound. Even the small carvings on these jade pendants carry deep meanings. Let me tell you a few simple ones to broaden your knowledge. For instance, patterns symbolizing success in one's career include lychees, longans, walnuts, carp, and bamboo. Patterns wishing for marital harmony and family prosperity feature mandarin ducks, twin lotus flowers, white-headed birds, fish, or lotus leaves. Then there are those who hope for protection from deities to ensure a smooth life, prosperous career, good health, and all things going as planned; these are represented by figures like Guanyin, the Buddha, or Zhong Kui."

Yang Yaozong walked over to a young gentleman and said, "This gentleman’s pendant is carved with a toad, which signifies the attraction of wealth. I presume this gentleman comes from a merchant family." The gentleman with the toad pendant nodded, looking at Yang Yaozong with admiration.

Yang Yaozong nodded and walked to another gentleman. "This gentleman must be a scholar seeking to make a name for himself, as he wears a cicada pendant, which symbolizes progress in one's studies." The gentleman with the cicada pendant gracefully opened his fan, gave it a few waves, and smiled with a nod.

The portly foreigner, feeling dizzy and annoyed by Yang Yaozong’s lecture, barked, "It’s just a jade pendant! Why should I care about all that? If I like it, I buy it; if I want to wear it, I wear it!"

Yang Yaozong turned to the portly foreigner with a smile. "Oh?" He waved the pendant in his hand before the foreigner's eyes. "Buy it if you like, wear it if you want? Do you know that the figure carved on this pendant is the White-Browed God?"

The portly foreigner snorted and shot Yang Yaozong a look. "We Turks worship the wolf as our totem, revere the sun, heaven, and earth, and believe in Manichaeism and Buddhism. We also believe in gods, so what is wrong with me wearing the White-Browed God?"

Before Yang Yaozong could speak, the onlookers burst into laughter.

Yang Yaozong waved his hands to quiet them and smiled. "Since you believe in gods, you should know that they cannot be invoked so casually. The White-Browed God carved on this jade is also known as the Demon God. Books say that 'magic of the brothels is found everywhere; in the north, brothels must worship the White-Browed God, also called the Demon God, praying to him morning and night.' This White-Browed God is the deity worshipped by the entertainment quarters and brothels—the guardian of women of the night."

As Yang Yaozong finished, the laughter became uncontrollable, rising and falling in waves.

The portly foreigner slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Yang Yaozong. "You! You!"

Yang Yaozong frowned, let out a cold snort, and said sternly, "You! You what? You are very rude! If this were a pendant with any other pattern that you had extorted, I would let it go. But a pendant carved with the White-Browed God is never sold on the open market unless it is custom-made. Do you still dare to claim this pendant is yours?" He then sneered, "If you dare to claim it, then with everyone here as witness, this pendant is yours. I just wonder what you want this god to protect you with? Your flow of customers or your wealth? I’m afraid with the blessing of the White-Browed God, no one would dare patronize your business."

The crowd erupted in laughter, looking at the portly foreigner with mockery.

The portly foreigner looked at the pendant in Yang Yaozong's hand as if it were the most repulsive thing he had ever seen. His face turned from blue to white, and his eyes blazed with fury as he suddenly threw a punch at Yang Yaozong.

A figure darted in front of Yang Yaozong, caught the foreigner's fist, and pushed him back, causing him to stumble. It was Jie Zhilue, who had also come to watch.

Just as the portly foreigner was about to curse, another foreigner emerged from the crowd, glared at the portly man, and shouted something in Turkic. Upon seeing the man who scolded him, the portly foreigner sullenly withdrew his fist, casting a venomous look at Yang Yaozong.

The man who had just emerged was the one who had been discussing matters with Jie Zhilue next door. He gave Yang Yaozong a deep look before turning to lead the portly foreigner away.

Yang Yaozong frowned at their backs and called out, "Do you intend to just walk away like this?"

Both foreigners turned to look at him. The portly one roared, "What else do you want!"

Yang Yaozong sneered, "It is not about what I want." He pointed to the woman injured by the foreigner and the shattered mess in the room. "We people of Great Zhou are always courteous. We were generous enough to overlook your attempt to extort the pendant, but you must compensate for the woman you injured and the bowls and cups you smashed. If you truly have no money, I can be generous enough to pay on your behalf. But I have one word of advice: a gentleman pursues wealth through proper means. Also, I must remind you that even a petty thief in Great Zhou should have some common sense."

The portly foreigner glared, his eyes wide with rage. "You!" He made a move to rush at Yang Yaozong, but the other foreigner stopped him. That man took a banknote from his robe, stared hard at Yang Yaozong, and handed it to the injured woman. Then, he turned and pushed through the crowd, taking the portly man away.

As they left, the onlookers from Great Zhou cheered and praised Yang Yaozong. The ladies of the Red Dust Drunk brothel made bold, inviting gestures toward him, though Mother Jiang quickly dispersed them. The woman who had been bullied by the foreigner bowed repeatedly to Yang Yaozong in gratitude, looking as if she would offer her life in return, until Mother Jiang finally eased the situation.

When the crowd dispersed, Yang Yaozong suddenly remembered Ayi and Jie Zhilue, but he could no longer find them.

Mother Jiang walked over to Yang Yaozong, sighed, and cast him a resentful look. "No wonder our Saintess has given her heart to you. My lord, please do not do such things again. Today, countless girls in the Red Dust Drunk will be thinking of you, tossing and turning in their beds. They are probably envying that bullied girl now, wishing they had been the ones bullied so they could taste the feeling of being protected by you."

Yang Yaozong said sheepishly, "Mother, you jest."

Seeing Yang Yaozong blush, Mother Jiang let out a giggle, then composed herself. "My lord, you have likely offended those two Turks today. The one who scolded the other is Chishi Sili, an Eastern Turk who moves frequently with the Prince of Diligence. When our Left Protector came a few months ago, this man had just arrived, and we didn't know much about him. I hear they are planning to leave soon."

Yang Yaozong frowned and nodded. "If he can openly associate with the Prince of Diligence in the capital, he must be under the Prince's protection. Oh, and the foreigner who helped me today is one of those I asked you to track and investigate."

Mother Jiang asked, "You know him, my lord?"

Yang Yaozong nodded. "You could say we are friends, but I don't know him well. I just feel their identities are not ordinary, so I wanted to find out more."

Mother Jiang nodded with a cunning smile. "And what about the foreigner dressed as a man? You must know her too. I saw the way she looked at you—her eyes were full of affection!"

Yang Yaozong looked at Mother Jiang in surprise. "Mother Jiang, you knew she was a woman in disguise? Haha, your eyes are indeed sharp. She is the other Turk I asked you to track, named Ayi. She is also a friend."

Mother Jiang giggled and gave him a sidelong glance. "Oh! A friend? You have so many friends, my lord. I have run the Red Dust Drunk for so many years; if I couldn't tell a woman from a man, I would have wasted all these years in this place of pleasure. Even though that Turkic girl is tall, she has the look of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old. If she didn't paste on those two mustaches, she would look like a handsome young man, but the mustaches are an unnecessary addition—a fifteen-year-old boy could never grow such hair."

After this playful comment, Mother Jiang turned serious. "When you were downstairs, I saw those two enter the very room reserved by Chishi Sili. If they have connections with him, their identities cannot be simple. But I suspect we won't find out anything."

Yang Yaozong nodded thoughtfully, then smiled suddenly. "But the harder it is to find out, the more it proves their identities are not simple, right?"

Mother Jiang’s beautiful eyes widened in appreciation, and she said softly, "My lord, your perspective is truly unique!"