Serious Accusation

Xie Bian considered Wei Xiangsi's callous words about the servants, and contrasted them with his warm manner with the Blooming Fragrance's attendant; whom he seemed to be on such good terms with, even though she was a maid at a brothel. Several things about the man were starting to fall into place in his mind.

He cared about appearances, but not in the way one would usually expect. He didn't care that people thought he was a rake and a libertine, who wasted his days away in brothels, as long as they thought he was nice. Between his brother and father, he was the nice one. Even the city's most morally upstanding citizens would have to concede that he found no love at home, so maybe he was just looking for it in unlikely places.