Madam Hua called over a prostitute, leading Gu Chengyu and the others to the elegant room in the backyard, while she went in the opposite direction.
Passing through the Hanging Flower Gate, she walked inside toward an independent small courtyard.
The small courtyard wasn’t large, but it was quite exquisite. Now it was early spring, and the winter jasmine in the courtyard was in full bloom.
Madam Hua ca to the main house, and without knocking, she directly pushed the door open and entered.
By the dressing mirror near the window, sat a graceful young girl.
She was combing her hair in front of the mirror and did not turn around when she heard the door open. At this hour, there was no one else but Madam Hua who would casually co into her room.
Madam Hua stood behind the girl, glanced at her attire, a finely embroidered double butterfly silk top, matched with a crimson pleated gauze skirt, setting off her skin as white as snow, utterly stunning.
Madam Hua nodded her head, eyes revealing a smile. It was worth the cost of serving delicacies to her every day; just the lotion she used after bathing costs nearly ten taels of silver daily.
The girl gathered her newly combed hanging cloud bun, looked at the jewelry box with half a box of ornants, and selected a plain coral hairpin to wear.
"Oh my! My good girl! This is too plain, how can it match our Miss Xi Yan?" Saying so, she picked two more hairpins from the jewelry box and inserted them into the girl’s hair.
"Why does Madam co looking for so early today? Could it be that there’s another distinguished guest, wanting to accompany them?"
Whenever Madam Hua sought her out, it was never good news. Xi Yan felt a wave of annoyance, but she had no choice but to comply under the eaves.
Those pretentious young masters were bearable! To maintain their scholarly dignity, they wouldn’t dare misbehave excessively. But those with power, who acted glamorous outside, were truly disgusting in their private leering at her.
She was the Oiran of Tianxiang Pavilion, rarely entertaining guests, only selling her art, not her body. She diligently studied music, read books, practiced calligraphy, and even had so accomplishnts in painting, all to beco an Oiran, free from the need to entertain guests.
Yet beauty fades; how long can a woman’s flower-like beauty last? She was chosen as the Oiran only at the beginning of last year, and at fifteen this year, by eighteen Tianxiang Pavilion would select another Oiran.
Her fate afterward need not be ntioned; if soone were to redeem her during this ti, that would be the best outco.
If not, then she’d end up like the other girls in the house, a pitiable woman with arms rested on by thousands and lips tasted by countless people.
For ages, "courtesans and perforrs" were the lowest class. Even if sons of officials wanted concubines, they would choose won from good families or housemaids born in their households, while girls like them could only beco mistresses.
Sighing and returning her thoughts, Madam Hua rarely let her appear, generally once every ten days or half a month.
Counting the days since the last banquet, only two or three days had passed, why co for her again today? Could it be an important guest this ti?
At this, the corners of Madam Hua’s eyes crinkled with laughter, "Not exactly important guests, just a group of young n who recently finished the tropolitan Examination. Among them are so prestigious figures, long-renowned individuals. They said they’d hold a literary gathering at our Tianxiang Pavilion, not just any spoiled sons, you like calligraphy too, so why not go see?"
Xi Yan understood Madam Hua’s intention; she wanted to leverage the fa of these scholars to promote Tianxiang Pavilion! Among these scholars, surely so would pass as Advanced Scholars and beco officials.
If they could leave behind so calligraphy today, Tianxiang Pavilion would have sothing to bolster its reputation. Though Tianxiang Pavilion was the largest brothel in the Capital, others couldn’t compare.
However, two years ago, another establishnt, Drunken Red House, opened in the Capital, with a significant background, and girls who were mostly skilled in singing and dancing, stealing much of Tianxiang Pavilion’s business.
It seed even Madam Hua was anxious. If Tianxiang Pavilion lost its business, she wouldn’t escape unscathed.
"Which families do these young n co from?" Xi Yan knew she couldn’t refuse, and before going, she had to figure out the origins of these young masters.
Madam Hua briefly introduced those with notable backgrounds, especially ntioning Gu Chengyu.
"This ti, there’s even the top scorer from the Provincial Examination! Hurry up and don’t make them wait."
Xi Yan was quite surprised, it was Gu Chengyu? She had participated in several poetry gatherings and had naturally heard of Gu Chengyu’s great na. She also heard about how these scholars disparaged Gu Chengyu at banquets, calling him a cowardly turtle, hiding in his mansion, refusing to show his face.
However, news would co monthly of Gu Chengyu ranking first in the Imperial College’s monthly exams, refuting these criticisms, but they still delighted in it. Hence, she developed a slight curiosity about Gu Chengyu.
It was said that Gu Jieyuan’s scholarly talent was matched by his looks...
Xi Yan looked over herself, and finding nothing amiss, stood up to go to the inner room and prepared to take her zither.
Gu Chengyu and the others followed the prostitute into a courtyard, which was not just a single room despite being called an elegant room.
The group entered the courtyard, and the prostitute led a few of them to a waterside flower hall. By the pond were peonies and crabapples, and Gu Chengyu and the others crossed a small bridge over the pond to the main house.
This flower hall had low tables but no chairs, only cushions, with wooden flooring underneath, indicating they would sit on the ground.
Upon entering the room, they noticed another gauze curtain opposite, with the furnishings inside indistinct and partially visible.
The cushions were arranged in two rows, with Huang Junheng as the initiator sitting at the front, Gu Chengyu casually found a place behind him, Zhu Pang and Zheng Lun sat beside Gu Chengyu.
Zhu Pang’s eyes were wide open, his gaze fixed, Gu Chengyu felt he must have drunk quite a bit.
"What’s going on? Why are you here? Didn’t you just leave the examination hall yesterday? Have you rested enough?" Gu Chengyu pulled Zheng Lun aside to whisper.
"Sigh! It’s because of him! Early morning, he ca to my house, insisting on going out for drinks. I suggested drinking at my house, but he refused. I had no choice but to join him. But who’d think, upon hitting the streets, he’d want to drink with won, and I couldn’t refuse him, so here we are."
Zheng Lun was released in the second batch yesterday; he had slept until the next morning, and if Zhu Pang hadn’t co for him, he would’ve kept sleeping!
"So how did this group end up here?" Gu Chengyu glanced around at the ten or so people; he recognized a few familiar faces, all candidates in this year’s tropolitan Examination.
However, Yu Ting wasn’t among them; he hadn’t participated in this year’s examination, not even holding the title of a scholar yet!
"We’ll discuss this later!" Zheng Lun noticed soone watching them and could only signal with his eyes.
Not long after they sat down, several servant girls carrying trays ca in successively.
Gu Chengyu glanced over, seeing just food and wine, it seed this poetry gathering was going to last several hours.
Madam Hua swayed into the flower hall, twisting her no longer slender waist, smiling at everyone, "The girls are all up. Do the gentlen want them to pour tea and wine?"
The faces of the few girls present turned sowhat unpleasant; they were just unimportant courtesans of the pavilion.
They didn’t expect the young masters’ favor, rely hoping for so silver rewards, and Madam Hua’s words were to chase them away.
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