The beggar asked in a hurry, “Doctor, can…it be healed?”

“Er…” Mr. Huang hesitated for a moment and then said, “I’ll make a prescription for you. After you buy the medicinal materials, have a try first. If he doesn’t get better in three days, you should see other doctors.” He turned around and made a prescription. Then he gave it to the beggar. “Go to buy medicinal materials.”

The beggar grabbed the prescription. He was absent-minded for a while and then asked pitifully, “Doctor, how much…are these medicinal materials?”

Mr. Huang replied, “They are two kinds of medicine, to be applied externally and taken orally, as his internal organs are damaged. About two taels of silver. I treat him for free as it appears that you don’t have money, but I am not in charge of the pharmacy. I can’t meddle when you buy medicinal materials.”

The beggar asked helplessly, “Sir, can you give medicinal materials to me first? When I…”

Mr. Huang raised his hand. “Stop. I have made it clear. I am not in charge of the medicinal materials. Talk with the salesclerks at the counter.” Then he added, “It will be pointless if you talk with them. Their monthly pay is less than two taels of silver. If they give you medicinal materials, they have to pay for it.”

The beggar looked hopeless but suddenly heard Yang Ning’s voice. “Buy medicinal materials first. It’s the top priority to save him.” He took out a small ingot of silver, about two tales and threw it to him.

The beggar caught it hurriedly and shed tears of gratitude. “Thanks a lot, sir. I…I will surely pay you back.”

Yang Ning laughed. “Stop talking. It’s the most important to save his life. Just have a try first and see if it will work.”

Mr. Huang said, “This is Marquis of Honor. You are lucky today to meet such a philanthropist.”

“Thanks, Marquis. Thanks very much.” The beggar felt indebted. After he bought the medicinal materials, he came back and expressed his thanks repeatedly. Then he carried the middle-aged beggar on his back and left.

“Mr. Huang, is this an infectious disease? Is it serious?” Yang Ning asked.

Mr. Huang looked around and then frowned, whispering, “I don’t dare to hide it from you, My Lord. I have been a doctor for many years and have seen a lot of diseases, yet the disease today is weird, and I have never seen it before. It must be infectious. Look at the younger man, and there are red spots on his arm. Hope that the medicine will be effective.”

Yang Ning nodded slightly and didn’t stay there for long. After a short while, he said goodbye and went away.

After he returned to the mansion, Qi Feng came to him and reported, “My Lord, Master Yuan told somebody to send a message that it is a big happy event that you are titled and he will hold a banquet to celebrate it for you.”

“Master Yuan?”

“Master Yuan Rong.” Qi Feng laughed. “Have you even forgotten him?”

Yang Ning finally remembered that he asked Yuan Rong to go with him to the mansion of the Marquis of Martial Arts as a witness the other day, and then he had never seen that guy.

He remembered that Yuan Rong still owed him one thousand taels of silver. The truth of the assassination in the Loyalty Manor had been found, and the chief criminals behind the scenes were the third elder lord and Qiu Yi, and it had nothing to do with Steward Wu in the villa of the Loyalty Cemetery. Steward Wu and the guards in the villa secretly asked Yuan Rong to see Yang Ning in order to save their future and they were willing to settle it at the price of one thousand taels of silver.

Yang Ning hadn’t got the silver, so he could get it by the way today. Now the mansion was short of money, and one thousand taels of silver could be a useful buffer in time of need.

And Yang Ning prepared to start producing Rebirth Powder, so they needed money to cover the cost.

At dusk, Yuan Rong sent a carriage to pick up Yang Ning specially. Yang Ning didn’t know where Yuan Rong would hold a banquet, while Duan Canghai followed Yang Ning in person with two guards because he was alert after Yang Ning was poisoned lately.

The carriage came to the bank of the Qinhuai River.

In the moonlight, smoke covered the cold water and white sands, and the boat stopped by the Qinhuai River at night, next to a wineshop.

When the carriage stopped by the Qinhuai River in the evening, even if it was not next to a wineshop, fragrance could be smelt within five kilometers and beautiful women who were singing could be heard. When a man was here, he was slightly drunk.

Yang Ning finally knew that Yuan Rong held a banquet for him in a boat on the Qinhuai River. He thought about it and realized that it was not beyond expectation. After all, Yuan Rong claimed to be a playboy, and he felt just like a fish in water in such a place.

There was a small boat near the river bank. Duan Canghai and Yang Ning went into the boat and it floated on the river, heading to its center.

Yang Ning looked at the gaily-painted pleasure-boats shuttling like carp on the surface of the river. Each of the boats had its own characteristics, and they were decorated beautifully with bright lights. When he listened to the singers and felt the charming scenery, his eyes were hazy like smoke, water, sands and the moonlight.

He had thought that since the late emperor had just passed away, it must be hard to see something romantic in the capital for a long time, but in only a few days, the Qinhuai River had returned normal as people sang and danced in celebration of peace.

Perhaps in many people’s eyes, it didn’t matter who was on the throne, and what mattered was that the flourishing scene of prosperity in the capital needed to be continued all the time.

In no time, the small boat approached a pleasure-boat which looked large-scaled and beautiful with gauze lanterns hung and colorful trimmings enlaced. But in the boat, it was not lively, and sounds of zither like tinkling fountains could be heard occasionally.

As the small boat moved closer, somebody in the pleasure-boat coordinated with them and put a rope ladder down. Yang Ning climbed up along the rope ladder, and Duan Canghai didn’t dare to neglect but kept alert and followed him into the pleasure-boat.

A girl dressed up like a maid was waiting in the pleasure-boat. She had pretty eyes and brows. As the shadows under the light covered the boat and night wind blew, she was good-looking. She walked to them and said in a clear voice, “My Lord, Master Yuan is waiting for you inside.”

Yang Ning nodded slightly. The maid led the way in front of him and walked to the bow. There were stairs to the second floor, and the maid stated, “My Lord, Master Yuan is upstairs.”

Yang Ning went up along the stairs, and Duan Canghai was about to follow him, yet the maid stopped him. “Sir, the lady is playing zither. Will you take a knife upstairs?”

Duan Canghai replied casually, “This knife is momentarily with me. You want me to leave the knife here, unless you can keep me here.”

The maid smiled charmingly. “Sir, if you want to stay here and have a drink, I can drink with you.” She ogled at Duan Canghai, and Yang Ning saw that, thinking, “As expected, it deserves to be the red-light district by the Qinhuai River. Even though this girl is only fifteen or sixteen years old, she has the ability to lure men.”

Duan Canghai sneered and didn’t have compassion for womanhood but followed Yang Ning upstairs.

At the top of the pleasure-boat, a lady was sitting in front of a zither and playing it, with a small table next to her. On the small table, there were wine and dishes. Yuan Rong leaned against the wine table and gently shook a jade pendant in his hand from side to side. He closed his eyes and seemed to enjoy the ethereal zither music.

Seeing him, Yang Ning knew that this guy was an old hand. He walked to Yuan Rong, and Duan Canghai didn’t follow him but stood at the stairway, looking around alertly.

“This is the banquet that you prepared for me?” Yang Ning sat at the table and didn’t look at Yuan Rong but glanced at the lady, to see that she sat there lazily with no expression on her face. However, when she sat there, it seemed that there were untold feelings all over her body.

She was gorgeous and dazzling, yet when others looked at her for the first time, they didn’t see her beauty but her eyes.

Her eyes were half-open, and it seemed that she was immersed in her zither music, or that she was about to fall asleep at midnight as there was no sexual prosperity of the Qinhuai River in her eyes but loneliness.

And she was looking at Yang Ning.

Yang Ning smiled faintly as a greeting. Then he looked at Yuan Rong, to see that Yuan Rong put up a finger beside his lips, gesturing for him not to speak.

After a tune, the lady walked over and knelt at the table. Then she picked up the wine pot and poured two cups of wine.

Yuan Rong finally sat up and picked up a wine cup, saying with a smile, “My Lord, to you. Congratulations, you have inherited the title of nobility. Long live Marquis of Honor.”

These words were weird, yet Yang Ning still picked up the other wine cup. After they drained the cup with one gulp, the lady refilled their cups.

“No hurry.” Yuan Rong laughed. “This is just the appetizer. There is a big feast waiting for you tonight.”

“I don’t care about anything else. Have you brought the silver?” Yang Ning reached out his hand. “One thousand taels of silver, hurry up and give it to me.”

Yuan Rong was stunned and then laughed. “My Lord, the atmosphere is free from vulgarity, but you talk about money at this hour. Won’t it dampen the spirit?”

Yang Ning said, “In my eyes, nothing is better than money. Don’t tell me that you didn’t bring silver.”

“Don’t worry. Have I ever broken my promise?” Yuan Rong smiled. “Come on. I will introduce this beauty to you first. Pearl, this is Marquis of Honor. Take good care of him.”

The lady showed a fascinating smile. “My Lord, nice to meet you.”

Yang Ning nodded slightly. Yuan Rong expressed, “There is only one pearl on the Qinhuai River, and all the others are vulgar.”

Yang Ning saw that Pearl smiled again and suddenly thought of Xiaodie.

His original intention of coming to the capital was to find Xiaodie, but the escort agency had an accident and had been robbed on the way, and there was no news about Xiaodie.

He didn’t know where Xiaodie was. Was she saved? Did she regain her freedom or go from the frying pan into the fire? Was she in the capital now?

He wanted to make use of the influence of the family of the Marquis of Honor to find Xiaodie, yet recently, the mansion was in a difficult position, and he was in trouble from time to time. How could they have energy to help him look for Xiaodie?

If Xiaodie was really still in the capital, she might be reduced to poverty and make a living in a brothel. At this thought, Yang Ning felt that his heart seemed to be pressed under a stone.

“Pearl, have you stayed in the capital for a long time?” Yang Ning pretended to ask casually.

He suddenly realized that if Xiaodie was in a brothel, he had to look for her in such places. Pearl was in this field, but he didn’t know if he could ask her to help him find clues.

Pearl smiled gently. Although she was in a red-light district, she didn’t look like a whore. She answered in a soft voice, “I came to the capital when I was eleven years old. Ten years has passed.”

“Oh?” Yang Ning smiled. “You must be familiar with the capital, right?”

“My Lord, do you want to ask if I am familiar with this field?” Pearl rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I started to make a living in this field since I was eleven years old. After ten years, I am quite familiar with it.” She said peacefully, but Yang Ning incisively noticed the weariness in her tone.

At the moment, they heard that gongs were beaten from a distance and then drumbeats were coming. When Yang Ning was surprised, he heard a harsh sound rushing to the sky and fireworks flew to the clouds. The fireworks were dazzling like kylins with auspicious signs or flower groups. For a moment, the place above the Qinhuai River, was just like the heaven on earth and a fairyland.

Yang Ning was astonished and thought that fireworks should have been invented in this era.