What does "undressing" mean in Chapter 16?

After the ten young masters finished their performance, the proprietress returned with a gong. The auction process began: the young masters came forward one by one in the order of their appearance, and patrons from upstairs and downstairs placed bids, with the highest bidder winning.

Yan Wuxin spent three thousand taels of silver and won the first prize. The young master immediately hurried upstairs, with three parts shyness and seven parts joy, and stood in front of Yan Wuxin with a smile, "Please, young mistress, untie my belt."

Yan Wuxin pulled off the gold ribbon from his waist and glanced at the name embroidered on it: "Fang Qing, a good name."

Fang Qing remained silent, only lowering her head and smiling faintly.

Yan Wuxin pulled his wrist and made him sit beside her. Fang Qing, well-trained, immediately picked up the wine pot and poured wine for her, and also poured a cup for Lu Jinlan.

This was the first time in Lu Jinlan's two lives that she had ever visited a brothel and witnessed such a scene, especially with the two men exchanging glances and making unwanted physical advances in front of her. She simply didn't know where to look.

The auction continued, and Lu Jinlan did not bid. She just drank her wine and glanced downstairs from time to time, only to accidentally catch a gaze being cast at her.

Number ten, that elegant young man who could wield a sword, looked up at her with his melancholy and beautiful eyes.

Lu Jinlan's mind wavered. She picked up Yan Wuxin's fan and fanned herself with it, then couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Fang, do you know what number ten's name is?"

Fang Qing was massaging Yan Wuxin's shoulders when she heard this, and she craned her neck to glance downstairs. "His name is Lou Yumin."

Yan Wuxin slightly opened his eyes. "Surname Lou? Are you a relative of Lord Lou, who was convicted last month?"

Fang Qing: "That's right. Lord Lou was convicted of disrespect, and the entire Lou family suffered as a result. All the women were exiled to the remote and harsh Changzhou, and the men were naturally sold to brothels. Yu Mian is Lord Lou's illegitimate son, born to a concubine. I heard that his father died early, and Lord Lou loved him very much, but once this happened, he couldn't care less."

Lu Jinlan couldn't help but sigh, "How pitiful."

Fang Qing smiled and said, "If Young Madam Lu takes pity on him, then take a picture of him. Yu Mian is not only skilled in swordsmanship, but also loves reading. He can recite your poems and essays by heart, and he has also read your policy essays. He admires you to the extreme."

Yan Wuxin glanced at Fang Qing and asked with a hint of sarcasm, "And you? Do you also admire Jinlan?"

This was a tricky question, even Lu Jinlan felt embarrassed for Fang Qing, and teased, "Wu Xin, what kind of question is this? We're both here, how is she supposed to answer it?"

Yan Wuxin waved his hand, quite interested, and said, "I insist on hearing his answer."

Fang Qing lowered her eyes and smiled calmly, saying, "Young Madam Lu is famous throughout the capital. Such talent has captivated countless wealthy young men, and there are no shortage of admirers in brothels. But Fang Qing is different from others. I am a fool, I cannot read. The person I admire treats me differently and spends lavishly on me..."

As he spoke, he wrapped his arms around Yan Wuxin's waist and whispered in her ear, "You."

Lu Jinlan secretly admired him; no wonder he was able to participate in the Hwarang election, he was quite capable.

With a few words, she skillfully navigated social situations, praising Lu Jinlan, expressing her feelings to Yan Wuxin, and even displaying a somewhat endearing demeanor. Even her flirtatious gestures were so natural; if Lu Jinlan hadn't witnessed it herself, she wouldn't have believed the two had just met.

Yan Wuxin was indeed very satisfied with the answer, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He hooked Fang Qing's chin and kissed her.

Lu Jinlan sighed and looked away, feeling more like an ancient person.

Lou Yumin is almost here. Among the nine young masters ahead of him, the highest bid was seven thousand taels for number six. If Lou Yumin can bid seven thousand and one taels, he will be chosen as this year's Flower Prince.

Seeing the glances he kept casting at her, Lu Jinlan resolved to be a person who cherishes flowers.

She first counted out eight thousand taels of silver notes. As soon as the gong sounded, the proprietor announced, "Young master number ten, the starting bid is one thousand taels. Please place your bids, esteemed guests."

Lu Jinlan immediately replied, "Eight thousand taels."

"Wow!" The crowd gasped in surprise.

Seeing Yan Wuxin looking over, Lu Jinlan quickly said, "Consider it a loan, I'll pay you back later."

"Tsk, what do you mean by not paying it back? What's mine is yours, sisters, let's spend our money together."

Fang Qing teased, "Indeed, sisters are like limbs, and men are like clothes."

Yan Wuxin squeezed his hand. "You are my favorite clothes."

Amidst the laughter and chatter, the proprietress was already preparing to strike the gong. Lou Yumin was about to go upstairs when she suddenly heard someone shout, "Nine thousand taels!"

"Wow!" The entire audience was shocked and exclaimed, "What day is it today? Has the God of Wealth descended to earth?"

The person bidding was at the table next to Lu Jinlan; from her angle, she could only see a profile. The person looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with sharp features, an upright posture, and the air of someone in a position of power.

Lu Jinlan retorted, "Ten thousand taels."

The boss was overjoyed, never expecting that the highlight of the night would be here.

"Ten thousand taels! That breaks the record for all previous Hwarang elections. Young Madam Lu has offered ten thousand taels. Will anyone else bid higher?"

"Ten thousand eleven thousand taels!"

Lu Jinlan frowned. The person next to her seemed to be at odds with her. She didn't know if he really liked Lou Yumin or just wanted to steal what she liked.

Yan Wuxin, unconcerned about the cost and eager for a spectacle, declared, "Raise the price! Who's afraid of who!"

Lu Jinlan: "Twelve thousand taels!"

Neither of them would give in, and after several rounds, Lu Jinlan gritted her teeth and raised the price to 17,000 taels.

The man said to the proprietress, "I didn't bring that many silver notes with me, only sixteen thousand taels. However, I have a rare and precious luminous pearl here, worth at least one hundred thousand taels. I'll put that as collateral. How about it, Madam Lu? Can you raise the price?"

The man's attendant held up the luminous pearl and showed it to everyone. As Lu Jinlan hesitated, Yan Wuxin tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "This is bad. This luminous pearl seems to be something that was presented as tribute to the palace. This man is probably a member of the royal family."

Lu Jinlan was about to give up, but hearing that the royal family was involved rekindled her fighting spirit. "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" she thought. "They're even coming to brothels to steal men; who's more noble?"

She said to Yan Wuxin, "Ignorance is no excuse, let's just pretend we don't know."

As Lu Jinlan spoke, he stood up and said to the proprietress, "I didn't bring that many silver notes either, but as you all know, I am skilled in poetry. I would like to offer a poem as a gift, and as for how many taels of silver it is worth, that's up to Young Master Lou to decide, how about it?"

Before the boss could even respond, everyone was already clapping and cheering, and the room erupted in cheers.

The boss immediately ordered someone to lay out paper and grind ink. Lu Jinlan strode forward, thought for a moment, picked up his brush and wrote: "The Song of the Pipa" - A poem I came up with on a whim after meeting Bai Juyi in a dream.

Lu Jinlan thought: That person, relying on their royal status, can acquire priceless treasures with a flick of their wrist; as a transmigrator, I'm naturally no less capable. At this point, copying from books is the obvious choice. We're all Celestial Dragons, each with our own invincible abilities; as for the outcome, let Young Master Lou choose for himself.

After a brief moment of thought, she was considering which poem would be most appropriate for the occasion. Fengchunlou was a place of debauchery and debauchery, and these young gentlemen were fallen into prostitution; she immediately thought of "The Song of the Pipa."

Of course, some changes had to be made to fit the current era.

Change "She claims to be a woman from the capital" to "She claims to be a man from the capital." Similar examples include "Her beauty always aroused the jealousy of Qiu Lang," "Her sister went to war and her uncle died," and "The eldest daughter married a merchant."

She wrote a line, and the onlookers recited it to each other. Everyone discussed it, with praise and sighs mingling together. When she wrote the line, "We are both wanderers from afar, why should we need to have known each other before?" even the person who passed on the poem choked up.

Lu Jinlan looked up and saw that not only were the young masters sobbing, but even the proprietress's husband was shedding a few tears. The once vibrant spring-like Fengchun Pavilion seemed to have suddenly turned into autumn, becoming desolate.

Fang Qing murmured with red eyes, "It's really strange. I'm clearly not good at poetry and literature, but I don't know why, I feel very sad."

Lou Yumian's eyes were filled with sorrow, and she remained silent.

Lu Jinlan finished writing the last word and put down his pen amidst cheers from the crowd.

The boss's husband hurriedly asked, "Yu Mian, what do you think of Lu Shao Niang's poem compared to the Night-Shining Pearl?"

Lou Yumin said in a deep voice, "The luminous pearl is worth a fortune, but Young Madam Lu's poems and essays... are priceless."

"Oh!" Everyone looked enlightened, managing to detect a hint of affection on Lou Yumin's aloof face, and the corners of their mouths turned up.

The boss immediately announced: "Lou Yumian, the winner of this year's Flower Prince Contest at Fengchunlou, and Lu Jinlan, the number one patron."

"Good!" Yan Wuxin led the cheers.

Lou Yumin walked to Lu Jinlan's side, bowed, and said in a low voice, "Please, Young Madam Lu, untie your belt yourself."

Following Yan Wuxin's example, Lu Jinlan pulled off the gold ribbon from his waist, which was indeed embroidered with his name.

The crowd cheered again, and Lu Jinlan felt inexplicably hot. Lou Yumin, unlike Fang Qing who was adept at social maneuvering, stood there just as blankly as she did. The two of them stood there dumbfounded, their faces flushed.

Yan Wuxin couldn't stand it any longer and shouted, "A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Everyone, let's disperse and not delay us from getting back to our rooms."

"Back to the room?" Lu Jinlan snapped back to reality and grabbed her. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean?" Yan Wuxin lowered his voice. "What kind of place is this? What does 'undressing' mean? Don't tell me you don't know. So many people are throwing money around tonight, is it just for chatting and drinking?"

Lu Jinlan: "But I really didn't mean to do that... Ouch!"

Before Yan Wuxin could speak, the system gave her a tap.

"Not taking advantage of a good deal goes against the spirit of male-oriented content, so deduct 10 points."

Lu Jinlan clutched her aching shoulder, looking troubled. Yan Wuxin said, "What's wrong? Are you afraid they're not clean? All the men who can participate in the Flower Prince selection are chaste men who have never been with customers. If you don't believe me, you can check their chastity marks later."

As she spoke, she gestured for Lou Yumin to come over, "Help Young Madam Lu back to her room. She's a little drunk, so you'll have to take good care of her tonight."

Lu Jinlan entered the bedroom in a daze, brushed Lou Yumian's hand away, and sat down alone at the desk. "Go and make me a cup of tea."

"good."

As soon as Lou Yumin stepped out, Lu Jinlan immediately contacted the system.

Lu Jinlan: "Can't I do whatever I want? Why does the system require me to sleep with him?"

The elderly customer service representative said, "The reason you can do whatever you want is because you have the privileges of a male protagonist in a male-oriented novel. But in male-oriented novels, 'doing whatever you want' means indulging in lust. 'Doing whatever you want' doesn't mean being celibate; it means indulging in unrestrained lust. Have you ever seen a male protagonist in a male-oriented novel return empty-handed from a brothel?"

Lu Jinlan took a deep breath. "That won't work either. I'm afraid I'll get sick."

Have you ever seen a male protagonist in a male-oriented novel get a sexually transmitted disease?

"No."

"Then you won't either."

Lu Jinlan fell into a long silence. Lou Yumian pushed open the door and came in. "The tea is here."

She suddenly had a bright idea: if he doesn't want to, the system can't blame me, right?

A note from the author:

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