After confirming Xu Yun was human and not a ghost, the actions of Old Chief Steward and the others became considerably bolder.

However, given that their master was a scholar, and the current national focus was on literature over military, Old Chief Steward and a group of servants, though displeased with Xu Yun's disturbance of their peace, only used sticks to hold his neck.

There were neither restraining ropes nor any pushing and shouting.

Just like that.

The group noisily proceeded to the central courtyard, coincidentally encountering an elder heading towards the backyard with the servant.

Old Chief Steward quickly stopped and led the servants in a salute:

"Good day, sir."

The elder nodded slightly in acknowledgment, first glancing at Xu Yun, then asking Old Chief Steward with confusion:

"In the First Year, who is this person...?"

Old Chief Steward turned to Xu Yun, snorted coldly:

"Sir, this is the Water Ghost who howls from the well in the South Wing at midnight, but in reality, it's just a burglar who sneaked into the manor and accidentally fell into the water!"

"A burglar?"

The elder took the torch from the servant beside him and examined Xu Yun under the firelight.

After a moment, he frowned slightly.

Although this person's clothing was somewhat peculiar, judging by his complexion, he hardly seemed like a gentleman of the night, right?

It's essential to know.

Although this era was hailed as the wealthiest in history, even in Bianjing City, few could boast skin as delicate as this man's.

Notably, some known gentlemen of the night, such as Wen Tong and Liu Zhong, on wanted posters, were all skinny and sinister-looking characters.

Not to mention that although his attire was bizarre, the boots on his feet were quite remarkable, with such fine workmanship that they might fetch seven or eight silver pieces if pawned.

The elder pondered for a moment, then addressed Xu Yun:

"I do not know, noble sir, your esteemed surname? Why intrude upon my manor in the dead of night?"

Xu Yun instinctively opened his mouth to speak but found himself unable to formulate a response:

The elder's words clearly hinted at something deeper, but how could he explain his behavior?

Originally, Xu Yun thought the well he fell into wasn't one of those small private ones but a communal well, with a diameter of one and a half meters, so the explanation of accidentally falling into it at midnight could just about suffice.

However, the walls of this courtyard were high and imposing, rendering his previous explanation useless.

The critical problem was that he had no information about the era or goals; he couldn't even make an educated guess.

Thus, Xu Yun's lips moved a few times, but ultimately, he chose to remain silent.

To the elder, Xu Yun's hesitance and eventual silence conveyed a different meaning entirely.

This man, later known as the 'Eastern Da Vinci' and a super genius, although now elderly, had lost none of his intellectual prowess.

His mind swiftly scanned through a variety of experiences, suddenly recalling something:

If memory served, there was some trouble at the largest pleasure boat in Bianjing City last night, with rumors of a few male entertainers escaping...

He then turned to Old Chief Steward, asking:

"In the First Year, does this man possess a badge?"

"Nothing was found."

"Light Disc Guide?"

"Nor was there."

"What does he have?"

Old Chief Steward accepted a box and two bundles from someone nearby:

"Just these three items."

"Open them for inspection."

Old Chief Steward placed the three items on the table in the courtyard and opened them one by one to reveal their contents.

The elder stepped forward slowly, examining each item:

Bits of gold and silver — hmm, trinkets hastily gathered during the escape.

Something resembling dough — hmm, pastries intended to be consumed in a rush when leaving the pleasure boat, inadvertently soaked with water.

A small knife wrapped in cloth — a knife less than a foot long, likely a tool for peeling apples in the Musician's Room?

As for the last headdress...

Right, perhaps a headdress favored by a certain patron?

The elder felt as though he had become a reincarnation of Bao Longtu, upholding the honorable tradition of the Prefect of Kaifeng, accurately deducing the man's identity with precision.

No wonder he lacked a badge;

No wonder his clothing was strange;

No wonder he remained silent;

Even more so, no wonder he, in panic and despair, chose in the dead of night to enter my manor but avoided the main building and both East and West Wings, opting instead for the South Wing, a servant's quarters...

All of this, because the person is a...

Male entertainer!

At this thought, the elder couldn't help but show a moment of pity.

To later generations, the term "male entertainer" might conjure images of Qing Dynasty's 'husband's house,' referring to Dan roles in Peking Opera.

But in fact.

Throughout the long history of feudal dynasties in this land, every dynasty had the profession of male entertainers.

Male entertainers flourished during the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Tang Dynasty saw a decline, but in the Song Dynasty, the trend of male beauty revived.

Due to the abundance of publicly available male beauties, the authorities had to intervene:

"Men who act as beauties shall be caned a hundred strokes, and those who report it will be rewarded fifty strings of cash."

However, just as there are still many industries today, laws could not entirely restrict the appearance of male entertainers.

On the contrary, the legal restrictions nurtured the male entertainment industry in the shadows, extending its reach to quite a significant range.

Unlike female prostitutes, if a woman of the profession had active or passive options to leave, such as a patron redeeming them or aging out, the fate of male entertainers was undoubtedly much bleaker.

Because of the dark aspect of the industry, most male entertainers lacked family registration badges.

Once the master household felt a male entertainer could no longer bring enough profit, they would contact the authorities to arrange for the entertainer to become a scapegoat.

If it involved incarceration, it was one thing, but if they became a substitute for a wealthy death row inmate, the outcome for the entertainer would be very grim.

When the elder was in office, he had strongly urged the Court to enforce laws that prohibited the persecution of male entertainers.

Unfortunately, the forces involved were too vast, and the elder, incapable of combating them all, had no choice but to give up.

In doing so, he performed what was, in his lifetime, his only 'Gate Valve' act:

Any student or friend known to favor male entertainers, the former was expelled from his academic circle, and the latter was severed from all ties!

This pondering brought the elder to a place of empathy for Xu Yun's situation.

After some brief consideration, he told Old Chief Steward:

"In the First Year, take this man to the South Wing, clear a room to house him temporarily.

Provide him with some food daily. After meals, he may walk around the manor briefly, but guards must accompany him."

"As you wish!"

Old Chief Steward nodded, though a hint of hesitation appeared on his face:

"But sir..."

The elder lifted his eyes and glanced at him, saying:

"In the First Year, you have been by my side for decades. Speak freely if you have concerns."

Only then did Old Chief Steward continue:

"But sir, are we to leave this person alone like this? Shouldn't we report this to the authorities?"

The elder shook his head, confident in his judgment:

"This person is merely a pitiful soul. Look at his build; under close supervision, what harm can he really do?

We will return to Jingkou in a month; providing for him is just rice and vegetables.

If nothing unusual occurs, after returning home, we could employ him as a tenant farmer to live out his days as a farmer, which surely beats losing his life..."

Seeing that his master had made up his mind, Old Chief Steward refrained from further remarks and took his leave with a bow.

He collected Xu Yun's belongings and escorted him back to the South Wing.

Two quarters of an hour later.

A room of seven to eight square meters was cleared for Xu Yun, who cleansed the black dog blood off himself and changed into a hemp-blue robe.

Old Chief Steward dispatched someone to bring a basin of hot soup, then exited the room and locked the door.

Inside the room.

Xu Yun soaked his feet, looking at the two bells tied around his ankle by Old Chief Steward, and sighed softly:

"So, which dynasty is this, after all?"

...

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