13. Fatty Wang

The capital, though newly founded, had been carefully shaped by Ming since his ascent to power. Through strategic policies and waves of immigration, bolstered by its prime location straddling the northern and southern mountains with easy access to eastern and western rivers, it faintly stood as the world's center. Ming seized this edge to conquer the land and unite the realm. Politically and economically perfect, its rise was meteoric. In just thirty years, it blossomed into one of the most prosperous and splendid cities under heaven. It served as the gateway for trade with the western regions. Truly, it transformed year by year.

The wealthy, powerful, and influential flocked here. Within the city sprawled a district of lavish homes and gifted estates for the nobility. Rich folk from every corner of the nation, alongside idle nobles strolling with their dogs and parrots, fueled a culture of excess and indulgence. The drive to outshine each other grew daily. The ranks of servants swelled.

The thrifty ideals Ming championed in his youth faded into mere words on paper as he aged. Habits of extravagance sprouted without end: wine, lust, gambling dens, brothels, and pleasure houses. The capital of Bright Hua became especially infamous for its gold-draining pits of vice.

Here, with enough money and power, nothing was out of reach. Every craving could be satisfied.

Take whoring, for example.

Whether it was the soft, sweet maidens of the southern riverlands, the fiery and bold girls of the north, exotic beauties trafficked from the western regions, or songstresses and dancers offered by the northern tribes, all were available.

And so, a certain fatty found himself lingering here. He forgot his original purpose.

"Well, if it isn't Lord Wang!"

A middle-aged madam, her face thick with makeup, spotted a plump figure waddling over the threshold like a balloon. She darted forward with startling speed and eagerly ushered the fatty inside.

"You've been gone half a month, my lord! The girls have missed you dearly."

Of course they had. Lavish spenders like him were rare.

"Missed the money in my pockets, more like," the fatty shot back.

His name was Wally. Since arriving in the capital, he'd been unable to tear himself from its pleasure districts. Day after day, he squandered gold like dirt and whored until the skies darkened.

The brothels adored this man. He tossed money around without a second thought. It left the madams quietly anxious, though.

This fatty indulged without restraint. He cycled through girl after girl from dawn till midnight without pause. The madams feared their golden goose might one day keel over from exhaustion. Worse yet, he might suffer a stroke mid-thrust. Where would they find another rich fool so reckless?

Yet Wally remained unfazed. He often stayed in the pleasure lanes for days on end. If not for some urgent business, the madam reckoned he'd live there until he died.

And his stamina? Unmatched. Even seasoned whores were carried out of his room. Their faces flushed with satisfaction, and they dripped with lust.

"No such thing!" the madam chuckled. She waved her powdered arm toward the upstairs rooms. "Funny thing, though. While you were away these past two weeks, we got a new girl from the western regions. That figure of hers!"

*Gulp!*

Wally swallowed hard and glanced around. "Where? Where is she?"

"She's waiting for you, of course!" The madam beamed. She hesitated and rubbed her hands. "Just, the price!"

Before she could finish, Wally pulled a fistful of silver notes from his pocket. He didn't bother to count them and stuffed them into her arms. The madam's eyes gleamed as she led him upstairs.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the capital's gold-draining dens, at the familiar Golden Lotus Hall, a strikingly handsome "youth" with delicate features tossed gold around the gambling tables. He was prettier than most women, with rosy lips, white teeth, and porcelain skin. The surrounding gamblers cast uncertain glances.

Whose spoiled daughter was this, disguised as a man, daring to venture here?

It was none other than Li, the youngest daughter of Ming. She was the empire's most mischievous and devilish little princess.

"Big or small, big or small! Place your bets!"

"Open it up!"

"Woohoo!"

"Aw, damn it!"

Amid cheers of joy and groans of despair, Li gritted her teeth. Her delicate jaw clenched tight.

"Sorry, guest, you've got to admit defeat!" The dealer grinned and scooped up Li's chips.

Her budding breasts, tightly bound by cloth to flatten them like a man's, heaved with every ragged breath. Her flushed face and wide, furious eyes betrayed how much she'd lost.

"Hana! The money!" Li snapped. She reached back toward her maid, also disguised as a pageboy.

The maid's fair skin gave away her flimsy disguise. She looked ready to cry as she shook an empty purse. "Young Master, the allowance your father gave you this month is gone."

"Gone?!"

Li's face crumpled.

A princess's monthly stipend was no small sum, especially for Ming's most favored daughter. Her allowance even surpassed that of her older brothers.

Yet in just a few days, Li had squandered nearly all of it. The remaining jewelry and trinkets, stamped with palace seals, she didn't dare sell. Everything she could cash in for gambling funds had already been wagered.

Ever since tailing Feng to this place and getting hooked on the thrill, the playful little devil had been sneaking here every few days.

But a princess raised in the palace, clever though she was, knew little of the world's treachery. How could she outwit these seasoned sharks?

After a few rounds, Li had lost almost everything. Even her underwear was at stake.

"It's really gone?"

"Gone!" Hana whimpered, on the verge of tears. Not only had the princess burned through her stipend, but she'd also dragged Hana's hard-earned savings into the fire.

*My poor savings!*

No money left meant a dejected exit.

"Sigh!"

Mistress and maid sighed in unison as they slunk out of Golden Lotus Hall.

"Young Master, what now?" Hana asked timidly.

Li snapped irritably, "What else? Back to the palace!"

Broke and out of options, what else could they do? If they lingered past curfew and Ming found out she wasn't in the palace, she'd be done for.

But the more Li walked, the angrier she grew.

"Argh! So frustrating! I was this close to winning!"

But with not a coin left, how could she turn it around?

Then, her sharp eyes caught sight of a carriage parked at the street's edge.

"Hm?"

It bore the insignia of the Golden Yuan Merchant Guild: a design Li knew well. Back when her father was still a prince, that carriage had rolled up to the estate more than once.

Out lumbered a rolling mass of flesh. It was Wally, a man nearing three hundred pounds. His belly strained his expensive robes to the brink of tearing as he descended with help from his entourage.

He'd kneel before Ming with the utmost flattery. His gut nearly scraped the floor. Even spotting Li, he'd kowtow in terror.

Li remembered Wally vividly. Not just for his absurd size, but because he was filthy rich.

Insanely rich. Every visit, he brought cartloads of chests brimming with gold and silver.

Back then, money meant little to Li. As a princess, anything she wanted was hers with a word.

But after stepping into these gold-draining dens, she realized the coins she once tossed to servants actually mattered.

Money might not buy everything, but without it, you were screwed.

"That fatty's here?"

Li's clever eyes gleamed as a plan took shape. Wally was her father's walking treasury. As Ming's most beloved daughter, borrowing a little wouldn't be a problem, right?