Chapter 9: Only Jade Wine In an ordinary and inconspicuous alley in Su County, yet...

An ordinary and inconspicuous alley in Jiusu County was unexpectedly filled with a noise that was incompatible with the surrounding environment.

At the end of the alley, the three large characters "Ningxiangju" are written in graceful strokes on the lintel, inlaid with gold powder, and gleaming with golden light. Under the interweaving of night and lights, it looks even more imposing.

In front of the door, two rows of maids dressed in light gauze robes stood gracefully, holding lanterns in their hands, their smiles like the spring breeze, which seemed to drive away the chill of the winter night.

With the sound of a gong, the music suddenly rose, and the strings and drum beats intertwined into a joyous scene. Guests dressed in gorgeous clothes poured into this dimly lit place one after another, while passers-by in simple cloth clothes could only stop outside, their eyes full of curiosity and yearning for this prosperous scene.

It turns out that the entrance ticket to Ningxiangju alone costs three taels of silver. For ordinary people, this amount is almost equivalent to several months' living expenses.

When Tang Suzi stepped into the carved door of Ningxiangju, he looked particularly out of place among the group of well-dressed guests.

When she reached the threshold, she was stopped for a moment, and was not allowed in until she showed the hard-earned admission letter.

Her eyes followed the two figures in front of her closely. After they sat down, she randomly slipped in among the guests at a table at the back and chose a relatively secluded spot to sit down.

After sitting down, Tang Suzi picked up the free pastry on the table and put it into his mouth, then drank a cup of tea in one gulp.

Earlier, she heard from Xiaoying that Ling An and Lin Xiangli went to Ningxiangju, so she immediately followed them here.

Three taels of silver...

As soon as she came in, she spent almost all the money she had saved up in the past few days.

Tang Suzi felt distressed, so he could only eat the cakes on the table in revenge, as if eating more could slightly alleviate the pain of losing three taels of silver.

On the second floor of Ningxiang Residence, Guo Yan stood by the window, his eyes fixed on a guest from the Chief Center.

"No, your prediction was indeed accurate. Once Wang Gui was reinstated, he couldn't control his nature again."

However, when he turned around to look for Fang Buyu's response, he found that the other party was gazing gently in a certain direction, with an indescribable tenderness on the corner of his mouth.

Guo Yan followed his gaze and saw Tang Suzi who was concentrating on making pastries.

Her bright eyes sparkled with satisfaction, and there were cake crumbs hanging from the corners of her mouth. She looked naive and adorable, exuding an unpretentious, natural innocence that was hard to ignore.

Guo Yan understood it all and felt relieved.

Fang Buyu has been trapped in the sorrow of Zhou Tiao's death for too long. If Tang Suzi can become the light that leads him out of the haze, as his best friend, Guo Yan will naturally be sincerely happy for him.

However, this relief is mixed with a hint of worry.

The resemblance between Tang Suzi and Zhou Tiao made him feel worried:

When Fang Buyu stared at Tang Suzi, was he thinking of Tang Suzi in his heart, or was he looking for Zhou Tiao's shadow through her?

When the answer gradually became clear in Guo Yan's mind and became self-evident, his gaze involuntarily turned to Tang Suzi downstairs, his eyes filled with complex emotions - sympathy, pity, and a faint worry about the uncertainty of the future.

At this moment, a delicate and melodious sound of wind chimes rang out, like the sound of nature, penetrating the noise and making everyone's eyes involuntarily focus on the entrance of the stage.

As the sound of wind chimes gradually approached, at this moment that attracted everyone's attention, a woman in gorgeous clothes slowly walked onto the stage.

She is the protagonist of tonight, the most beautiful courtesan of Ningxiangju - Chen Weiyu.

She was wearing a glittering long dress, the hem of which swayed gently with her steps, as dazzling as the brightest star in the night sky.

The long skirt is embroidered with intricate and exquisite patterns, and every stitch and thread reveals the craftsman's superb skills and infinite ingenuity.

Her upper body is matched with an exquisite embroidered tube top, which perfectly outlines her graceful figure and exquisite curves, making people unable to take their eyes off her.

Her facial features were as exquisite as a painting, and every stroke was perfectly placed, as if she were God's most proud work. However, within this absolute beauty, there was a subtle and indescribable sadness.

She stood in the brilliant light, like a winter plum blossom, breathtakingly beautiful, yet with an aura of coldness and arrogance that made people dare not approach easily.

With Chen Weiyu's appearance, the musicians' performance reached its climax and the melody became more passionate and enthusiastic.

The guests stood up, applauded and cheered.

"So she is Chen Weiyu..."

Amidst the clamor, Lin Xiangli looked at the beautiful figure in the center of the stage and murmured to himself.

That day, Fang Buyu said that his father had a close relationship with the courtesan of Ningxiangju, which made her instinctively resist and deny it. But since that day, the doubts in her heart have grown like weeds and are difficult to contain.

She couldn't completely convince herself why her parents, who had been a young couple for years and lived in harmony, had suddenly decided to become a nun three years ago. The image of her mother's resolute departure at that moment, combined with the subtle changes in her father over the years, made it impossible for her to continue deceiving herself that her parents were still as loving as ever.

But this courtesan looked about the same age as me, so how could she be with my father...

Lin Xiangli shook his head, unwilling to think about it any further.

At this time, the song ended, Chen Weiyu lightly lifted the hem of her skirt, ended her performance with an elegant bow, and prepared to leave.

However, an inappropriate male voice broke the silence.

"Wait a minute, Oiran, please stay."

Everyone's attention was instantly attracted and they all looked in the direction of the sound.

There was a middle-aged man sitting in the chief seat. He was wearing gorgeous but slightly tight clothes, with a bloated body, a round and rosy face, and his eyes flashing with undisguised greed and desire. He kept looking at Chen Weiyu with a frivolous smile on his lips.

He waved the folding fan in his hand leisurely and said slowly,

"I have long admired Madam Chen's natural beauty. Today is the day I celebrate my reinstatement. I wonder if Madam Chen would be so kind as to share a drink with me?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the air around them seemed to freeze.

Everyone cast complicated glances at Chen Weiyu, some were surprised, some were disdainful, and some were sympathetic.

Tang Suzi had already put down the snacks in her hand, and her eyes were closely following the beautiful figure on the stage, with mixed feelings in her heart.

Just now, when Chen Weiyu appeared in the music, Tang Suzi was deeply shocked by her beauty.

Her fairy-like face looked even more otherworldly under the light.

However, this greasy invitation at this moment made Tang Suzi feel disgusted, as if he had witnessed a wild boar breaking into the fairyland, which made people feel very uncomfortable.

On the stage, Chen Weiyu seemed to have struggled for a while, but finally walked slowly towards Wang Gui under the gaze of everyone.

She calmly picked up the wine jug and filled a glass for each of them. Then she raised her glass and looked Wang Gui in the eye.

"Master Wang, I salute you."

There was no trace of emotion in the voice.

However, Wang Gui did not appreciate it. He directly bypassed Chen Weiyu's arm and drank it all by himself. Then he turned his eyes to her and said frivolously,

"Drinking wine together is more interesting."

Although he was smiling, his eyes revealed an unquestionable sense of oppression, and he stared at the wine glass in Chen Weiyu's hand.

Chen Weiyu's fingers turned white due to the force, but she finally just lowered her eyes slightly, suppressed the discomfort, slowly brought the wine glass to her lips, and drank it all in one gulp.

At this moment, laughter and whistles were heard all around, instantly pushing the atmosphere of Ningxiangju to a climax.

After putting down his wine glass, Chen Weiyu stood upright and walked back to the backstage calmly and with neither arrogance nor servility amidst laughter.

She was in the midst of the hustle and bustle, yet seemed isolated from the world.

Looking at Chen Weiyu's back, Wang Gui snorted contemptuously.

"Why are you pretending to be so noble?"

The servant beside him whispered a reminder,

"Sir, Lin Bowen has not yet been convicted, so you need to proceed with caution."

When Wang Gui heard Lin Bowen's name, his expression changed slightly.

He looked at Chen Weiyu's departing back and thought to himself:

When Lin Bowen is completely defeated, who can you rely on? By then, you will definitely not be able to escape from my palm.

"Sister, are you okay?"

"Weiyu, are you okay?"

"This Wang Gui is really going too far!"

"People like him will get their comeuppance sooner or later!"

…

As soon as she stepped down from the stage, Chen Weiyu was surrounded by a group of sisters, whose concern was evident in their words.

Amid the sisters' indignation, Chen Weiyu forced a smile and responded softly:

"I'm fine."

After saying this, she walked through the crowd and into the shadows of the backstage alone.

When we reached a quiet and deserted place, suddenly, a thin figure jumped out from the shadows. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Ah Xi, who was in charge of burning firewood in the woodroom.

She was wearing a thin grey cotton coat. Despite the cold weather, she had rolled up her trouser legs to make it easier to work, revealing her slender legs. On her feet were a pair of rough, hand-woven hemp shoes that made a slight rustling sound as she stepped on the ground.

On weekdays, whenever Chen Weiyu passed by the woodshed, he would always see Ah Xi's thin figure busy burning firewood. Although the work was heavy and tiring, Ah Xi's face was often filled with an innocent smile.

Her eyes were clear and bright, like a spring flowing in the mountains, as if they could wash away all the dust in the world.

It was this innocence and tenacity that left a deep impression on Chen Weiyu about Ah Xi.

At this time, Ah Xi stood on tiptoe, as if he had something important to tell someone.

Chen Weiyu bent down involuntarily, and Ah Xi leaned close to her ear and whispered,

"Sister Chen, someone is waiting for you in the eighth room on the second floor."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ah Xi hurried away, leaving Chen Wei Yu alone there.

Looking at Ah Xi's thin figure, Chen Weiyu felt a surge of pity in his heart.

But then, she shook her head in self-mockery. She was still struggling in the quagmire, so what qualifications did she have to sympathize with others?

However, out of his inexplicable affection and trust for Ah Xi, Chen Wei Yu still came to the eighth room.

The door opened slightly, and two young men were seen standing in front of the window.

In the soft light, one of the men stood out. Although his clothes were simple, he could not hide his extraordinary temperament.

His face was extraordinarily handsome, as if it were nature's most elaborate masterpiece, with every contour perfectly outlining the masculine spirit and gentleness.

"You two are..."

Chen Weiyu asked doubtfully.

The man raised his hand gently, pointed to the quaint and elegant chair beside him, and introduced himself.

"Miss Chen, please take a seat. I am Fang Buyu, the Pavilion Master of Sky Eagle Pavilion."