The following night, the full moon hung high in the sky.

Inside the Drunken Flower Pavilion, the largest and most magnificent brothel in the capital, singing and dancing filled the air.

One by one, the girls, dressed in brightly colored clothes, covered their faces with small round fans and giggled, swaying their waists as they greeted and saw off guests.

Third floor

In the corridor draped with colorful gauze, the madam led a beautiful woman, carrying a pipa, toward the most prestigious private room.

Her full lips, painted with rose-red lipstick, opened and closed repeatedly, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

“Manniang…”

As they approached the private room, the madam couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up.

The woman called Manniang was the most beautiful courtesan at Zuihualou, possessing an irresistible charm.

Her pipa playing was so exquisite that listeners were always mesmerized, as if they were in a gentle paradise.

Manniang: "What's wrong, Mom?"

Man Niang's beautiful face remained as calm as ever, as if she was never worried about what kind of person she would be serving.

On the contrary, the madam's expression was strange; her eyes glanced hurriedly towards the private room before quickly looking away.

With an expression of disbelief and wonder, as if someone had lived a long life and seen the world, he pulled Man Niang to a stop, whispering words of concern and advice:

"Manniang, Mom knows you've always been an obedient and good child."

But Mom still wants to remind you, the guest inside spent a lot of money on you.

No matter how different this one is from the previous ones, you can't refuse, you know?

The mother noticed that the master and servant seemed to be in disguise; they might be some important person in the capital whom they couldn't afford to offend.

You absolutely must be patient; just do whatever I ask.

In any case, you won't lose out. After tonight, Mom will compensate you double with those gold ingots, and Mom will give you half of them..."

Despite being mentally prepared,

But when she pushed open the door to the private room and saw the two people sitting inside, Man Niang's smile froze for a moment.

Why are there two girls...?

Is this what Mom meant by "different"? ...It really is so different...

It's one thing that they're different, but judging from these two girls, she's old enough to be their mother.

Actually, Man Niang exaggerated. Man Niang is 30 this year, which is the prime of a woman's charm.

It's possible that Shang Changge and Qingyao's disguises tonight made them look a bit young, which gave Man Niang this misconception.

Madam: "Ouch!"

The madam cried out and pushed Man Niang forward, afraid of offending the wealthy man inside who brought her money.

"Manniang, why are you still standing there like an idiot? Hurry up and come over!"

She then turned to Shang Changge, who was sitting by the window, and smiled obsequiously, "Master, ptooey, ptooey! Miss, please don't mind, it's just me, your mother..."

I spoke with Man Niang carefully before you came. Whether you want to listen to music or do something else, Man Niang will make sure you have a great time!

Shang Changge raised a deep brow, knowing that the madam had misunderstood something.

But instead of explaining, she took advantage of the situation and made the misunderstanding even worse, offering her thanks instead.

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Mom."

The speculation was confirmed by the woman herself; even with her face covered in rouge, the madam's smile was almost impossible to maintain.

He said a few more flattering words, and before leaving, he winked and gave Man Niang a good talking-to before closing the door to the private room.

After leaving the house,

The madam walked along the carpeted corridor, glancing back every few steps, vigorously fanning herself with a small round fan while muttering to herself:

"My goodness, Mom, I've really seen something amazing today!"

Inside the private room,

Man Niang had a pretty good mental fortitude; she had already moved her curvaceous figure over and sat down next to Shang Changge.

As she poured the wine, she noticed a blush creeping onto Shang Changge's face, and said in a shy, coquettish voice:

"This is the first time I've ever received a guest like you, young lady, and I'm quite nervous."

"Young lady, how about we have a few drinks first, then I'll play you a tune before we get down to business?"

Shang Changge smiled enigmatically and politely declined, saying, "No need."

Man Niang's expression froze again.

Shang Changge had played enough tricks on people and had no interest in continuing the charade or making things up. He directly exposed Man Niang's methods:

I don't want to listen to your music anymore, or have any more weird, suggestive dreams about us.

Qingyao couldn't understand.

Man Niang's expression changed drastically. Holding her pipa, she stood up abruptly from beside Shang Changge.

He cautiously stepped back several paces, distancing himself from the master and servant, and asked coldly:

“What is the young lady saying? Man Niang doesn’t understand.”