Ding Huosi Office.
Chen Mo sat upright, one hand flipping through the docunts.
Li Yuan stood beside him making tea. If you observed closely, you would notice that her body trembled slightly, and her ears beneath her hair were flushed and burning hot.
"M-Master, please have so tea."
"Hmm."
Chen Mo picked up the teacup, took a sip, and frowned, "It doesn’t taste good."
Li Yuan’s breathing was sowhat rapid. She said softly, "Then, what kind of tea would you like to drink? I can have soone buy it."
Recently, they had received quite a bit of reward money from solving cases. Added to the several thousand taels before, their accounts were quite well-off. Let alone tea, they could drink fine wine as water without a problem.
Chen Mo pondered for a mont, then said, "Thick peach cream tea."
"..."
Li Yuan knew that the master was spouting nonsense again. She endured the mischievous hand under the table and said,
"About half of the backlog of cases has been processed. The rest should be resolved by the end of the month, definitely in ti before the inspection."
Chen Mo nodded.
Outsourcing cases was relaxing, but ultimately it ant owing favors.
The Gui Water Bureau and the Bing Fire Departnt were not worth ntioning, but the Six Gates had contributed a lot this ti, and he really needed to thank those two Divine Catchers properly.
"Yuan’er, you have worked hard during this period. Take a few days off to rest and refrain from running around outside," Chen Mo extended his hand to pinch her upturned buttocks, "You’ve grown thin from exhaustion, I feel distressed for you."
"..."
Li Yuan’s face turned bright red as she bit her lip and said, "Master, please...stop fooling around...it’s work hours now..."
*Couldn’t she clearly see Chen Mo’s intentions?*
*Although he said she should rest, wasn’t it because he wanted to do sothing mischievous?*
*Chen Mo was not insatiable, his small head controlled the big head. It was mainly because Li Yuan’s appearance of being an "employee suffering from the superior’s tornt yet forced to compromise reluctantly" was really intoxicating!*
*Plus, the extra office attribute buff...*
*This master would oppress the small commander rcilessly!*
(⺣◡⺣)♡~
At this mont, the sound of footsteps approached.
Qin Shou walked in briskly, excitedly saying, "Master, tonight the Imperial Music Bureau..."
Upon seeing Li Yuan there, his words abruptly stopped.
Chen Mo frowned, "Speak your mind."
Qin Shou scratched his head and laughed sheepishly, "Tonight the Imperial Music Bureau is holding the Hundred Flowers eting. I wanted to ask if you are interested...cough, cough, if not, it’s fine."
In the past few visits to the Imperial Music Bureau, Li Yuan had always followed along, so their relationship needed no further explanation.
If he upset her and she used him for sword practice...ugh, how terrifying!
"Hundred Flowers eting?"
Chen Mo vaguely rembered that it seed to be a grand event where the Imperial Music Bureau selected the Oiran.
He was not very interested in it. After all, whoever beca the Oiran didn’t affect his free pleasures...
Just then, a Colonel entered the office, presenting a letter.
"Master, soone sent you a letter."
Chen Mo curiously asked, "Who sent it?"
The Colonel shook his head, "Didn’t see the face clearly. They were wrapped in a grey robe, and after giving the letter, they disappeared in the blink of an eye."
Chen Mo opened the envelope and found a familiar paper figure inside.
After infusing it with True Yuan, Gu Manzhi’s slightly urgent voice echoed by his ear, "Don’t co to the Imperial Music Bureau!"
...
lody Avenue.
The sky had just turned dark, and lanterns were already lit, their brilliant colors flowing like a rainbow. From afar, it looked like a vibrant sea of flowers.
The front of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was filled with carriages and horses. Nobles in brocade clothes and young wealthy n stread in, while the prostitutes at the entrance greeted them with bows and fawning smiles.
Inside the building, it was even more bustling. The hall was packed to capacity, with a stage set up right in the center. Around it hung exquisite silk curtains, sparkling with a soft glow under the candlelight.
"Brother Cheng, who do you think has the best chance of becoming the new Oiran today?"
"In my opinion, it’s likely to be Miss Xiao from Taohua House. Her calligraphy and painting are unmatched."
"Not at all, here, calligraphy and painting aren’t as useful as piano skills. I think Miss Yu’er from Qingya House is quite good."
"But Yu’er has a weak foundation and refuses to accompany clients. How many people truly support her? Moreover, Zi Yan’er overshadows her, and her piano skills aren’t much worse..."
The crowd engaged in heated discussions.
The criteria for selecting an Oiran at the Imperial Music Bureau were simple.
Only the top attractions from each small court were eligible to participate and showcase their talents publicly. They had to earn thunderous applause to qualify for retention.
However, the most crucial aspect was the level of support from esteed clients.
The more tips clients gave, the higher the Lady’s value, and the top five most valuable won would beco Oirans.
The generous patron who offered the most rewards could join her on the flower boat and enjoy a night cruise on the Canglan River.
Even if the girl supported didn’t beco an Oiran, one could still spend a spring night in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Backstage.
Yu’er looked at Gu Manzhi, who was disguised as a young maid, and whispered, "Sister, has the master received the ssage?"
"He should have received it."
Gu Manzhi appeared slightly worried.
*She knew the sect would eventually be unable to hold back, but she hadn’t expected it to co so swiftly!*
Since the mountain gate had been destroyed, nine out of ten sect disciples were lost. To expand its influence, the Moon Brilliance Sect had been recruiting talents over the years and even cooperating with other sects.
This included the Gu God Sect from the Southern Wilderness.
The Gu God Sect was infamous for its treacherous thods, using living beings for raising poisons, which went against nature. Many people in the sect, including Gu Manzhi, opposed any relations with the Gu God Sect.
However, Ji Lianxing, driven by revenge, cared little about such scruples.
Yu Jie was from the Gu God Sect and served as a Guest Elder in the Moon Brilliance Sect.
"The last incident hasn’t even been settled, and now they want to cast a curse on Chen Mo again?"
"I absolutely won’t allow such a thing to happen!"
Gu Manzhi’s eyes showed determination.
This ti, besides Elder Yu, there was movent from the Princely Heir’s side as well.
They sent soone to inform Yu’er, asking her to deliver a ssage to Chen Mo, inviting him to the Hundred Flowers eting, even preparing a silver note of three thousand taels to ensure Chen Mo boarded the flower boat!
*Although the purpose was unclear, it was certain the Princely Heir had ill intentions!*
"I’ve explained the whole situation to him through the paper figure."
"As long as he doesn’t act foolishly and avoids this ordeal, I’ll slowly figure out a plan later."
Dong—
A gong sounded.
The curtain opened, and the Hundred Flowers eting officially began.
Under the loud introduction of the host, a series of young ladies took the stage, showcasing their talents. The music was lodious, and their dance moves were graceful, with cheers erupting from the audience from ti to ti.
Those who could beco the top artists of the Imperial Music Bureau were all exceptional in both appearance and talent.
Their stunning figures and celestial singing voices gradually pushed the evening’s atmosphere to its peak.
Yu’er also went on stage to perform a piece.
She deliberately played several parts incorrectly, so even those ignorant of music could hear it, leaving the audience baffled with only sparse applause.
Such a performance would normally an elimination, but she was allowed to stay.
Gu Manzhi’s eyes darkened slightly.
Clearly, this was also arranged by the Princely Heir.
In the end, only ten people remained on stage, including four Old Courtesans.
Next ca the highlight of the evening—
"Mr. Zhang from Xilin Street rewarded Zi Yan’er with three hundred taels!"
"Young Master Wang Siyuan from the Wang family rewarded Lan Re with one hundred taels!"
"Young Master Zhao Qian from East Forest Street rewarded Miao Yin with three hundred taels!"
"From the Wu Family..."
The servant carried a gold box through the hall, with various people occasionally placing silver ingots or silver notes inside.
Ten strings of lanterns hung above the stage, corresponding to the ten people on stage, with each string being lit up for every hundred taels rewarded.
Zi Yan’er had already lit seven lanterns, ranking fourth and temporarily safe.
She glanced sideways at Yu’er, a mocking smile on her lips, and taunted:
"Only one lit? Tsk tsk, dead last."
"Didn’t your Young Master Chen co to support you today? Not even a single decent esteed client; isn’t that too embarrassing?"
"Hmph!"
Yu’er couldn’t be bothered to respond to her.
Tonight was fraught with danger; she wasn’t keen on letting the master co!
After all, she had already lost her life, so why fear losing face?
At this mont, the servant’s excited, sowhat shrill voice rang out:
"Young Master Yan Linghu from the Yan Family rewarded Yu’er with two hundred taels!"
?
Yu’er looked up.
Just then, she saw the burly Yan Linghu sitting below the stage, staring at her with a brazen gaze.
Last ti, he had tried to use force, which was indeed against the rules.
This ti, it was all above board; as long as the reward was ample, Yu’er would definitely be his to enjoy!
The Hundred Flowers eting was hosted by the Ministry of Rites, featuring many dignitaries. Did Chen Mo think he could snatch soone away in plain view of everyone?
"There’s no rush with dealing with Chen Mo. Let’s first taste this little maiden; I’ve been bottling up so rage..."
"It’s a sha Chen Mo doesn’t seem to be here...otherwise, I’d want to savor his expression."
Yan Linghu licked his lips, his face twisted with malice.
Just then, the servant’s voice, sharp with excitent, piped up:
"Young Master Chen Mo from the Chen Family rewarded Yu’er...one thousand taels!"
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