Listening to the Wind Tower
Ping An looked at the brothels in front of him and felt somewhat disappointed, as their decor was clearly not as luxurious as the brothels next door, nor were they filled with carriages like the ones he had passed by.
She turned her head with a hint of dissatisfaction and said, "Qiuyan, didn't you say that Tingfeng Tower was the number one brothel in the capital? How come it's so deserted?"
Qiu Yan blinked a little guiltily.
"No, how could I dare to deceive Your Highness... Miss?"
Qiu Yan did not lie to Ping An. Tingfeng Tower was indeed the largest brothel in the capital. However, what she did not say was that Tingfeng Tower was known for its strict rules. It only accepted guests with reservations. No matter whether they were high-ranking officials or kings and generals, they all had to make reservations. Those without reservations were not served.
Ping An pouted, then walked to the front of Tingfeng Tower and knocked on the door.
Hearing the commotion, the pimp respectfully opened the door and asked in a low voice, "May I ask which family our distinguished guest is from? Which young lady or young master did you make a reservation for?"
"I didn't make an appointment," Ping An said bluntly, unaware of the rules.
The pimp, a man of many experience, explained without hesitation, "Since our esteemed guest has not made an appointment, we can only ask that you come another day. It is the rule of Tingfeng Tower that we do not accept guests without an appointment."
Ping An frowned, beckoned Qiu Yan to come forward, took a stack of silver notes from her hand and waved them: "Even with money, you still need to make an appointment? I can pay ten times that amount."
The pimp smiled ingratiatingly, "I know your sincerity, but this is the rule of Tingfeng Tower. No one can be an exception. Without an appointment, it's not possible, and I can't make that decision."
"If you can't make the decision, then find someone who can."
"What you say, esteemed guest..."
“Qingcha,” a somewhat languid voice interrupted the pimp, “Since this distinguished guest is so sincere, and I happen to be unavailable today, I will entertain him myself.”
Upon hearing this, the pimp named Qingcha raised his head and said with a hint of warning, "Sister Furui, you know the rules of the brothel. No one can be admitted without an appointment, and no one can be an exception."
Fu Rui chuckled softly and gracefully descended the stairs. She leaned close to Qing Cha's ear and whispered in a seductive voice, "Didn't you notice the clothes and jewelry this lady was wearing?"
Qingcha, having seen much at Tingfeng Tower, paid no heed to Furui's charm. She carefully examined Ping'an's clothes and jade pendant, somewhat puzzled: "This lady's clothes are indeed made of rare materials, and the craftsmanship of her jewelry is truly remarkable. So what? I've already said that even royalty and nobility have to make an appointment."
Fu Rui, exuding charm, covered her face with her fan, rolled her eyes without regard for her image, and said in a seductive voice with a hint of disappointment: "No wonder you've been in the building for so long and you're still just a doorman... This lady's clothes are all made of tribute brocade, and her jewelry has imperial marks. Where do you think she came from?"
Qingcha gasped, afraid that Ping An would overhear their conversation, and pulled Furui back a few steps before speaking, "You mean she is that 'Your Highness'?"
"It's hard to say, after all, that person..." Fu Rui waved her hand upwards as if tossing her hair: "That person said there was only one person, but who knows if there is some concubine hidden in private? All we can say is that this 'madam' must have come from 'there'. Are you sure you want to turn away such an important guest?"
Qingcha gritted her teeth and cupped her hands in greeting to Ping An: "Honored guest, please wait a moment. I will go and ask the master. If the master permits, I will make the arrangements for you."
After saying this, Qingcha instructed Furui to treat her well before turning to leave.
Fu Rui smiled and curtsied to Ping An, saying, "Please come in and sit down, Madam."
Qiu Yan hurriedly tried to stop her, but Ping An pushed her aside.
Ping An had come to see male prostitutes, but upon seeing such a beautiful woman as Fu Rui, she couldn't help but be captivated. She stepped forward, took Fu Rui's hand naturally, and walked into Tingfeng Tower with the air of a hostess. She even picked out a table to sit down and calmly instructed the palace servants to pour tea and prepare food, as if Tingfeng Tower were her home.
This behavior left Furu stunned.
—After all, Fu Rui was a courtesan. Even those who came to Tingfeng Tower simply to listen to music rarely looked at her with such an expression of pure appreciation and amazement, without any disdain or belittlement.
It's rare to see someone so brazenly come to Tingfeng Tower in broad daylight, completely unafraid of being seen, and acting as if they don't consider themselves an outsider.
Ping An, unaware of all this, waved his hand in front of Fu Rui after noticing her somewhat absent-minded state.
"Fu...Rui?"
Fu Rui quickly snapped out of her daze, giving Ping An a charming and alluring look in her eyes: "Madam has such an outstanding presence, I... I was momentarily stunned, I'm so sorry."
Ping An was so captivated by Fu Rui's gaze that she didn't come to her senses for a while before blushing and saying, "Where do I have outstanding temperament... You are the one with outstanding temperament. Even the empresses in the palace can't compare to your charm."
The smile on Fu Rui's face faded a little.
The ladies in the palace certainly wouldn't have her charm; after all, they were of different social standing.
While others only need to please one emperor, she needs to please every guest who comes to her, regardless of gender or age. Isn't that incredibly charming?
Fu Rui lowered her eyes slightly, her voice a little unsteady: "Speaking so frankly... Madam is quite uninhibited. Aren't you worried that I might tarnish your reputation by speaking carelessly?"
“Don’t worry,” Ping An blinked and said with a smile, “Even if you told anyone, so what? You only know that I came from the palace. What do you know about my name and identity? Besides, if you can use your power to intimidate people, why bother to be cautious and try to cover it up?”
“Madam is so straightforward,” Fu Ruiyu said, taking the tea from Qiu Yan’s hand and pouring a cup for Ping An. “I wonder if Madam came here today to have some fun or to broaden her horizons.”
Is there any difference?
"Of course."
Fu Rui took a few steps closer, leaned close to Ping An's ear, and gently blew a breath, her voice full of alluring charm.
“If it’s about having fun, Fu Rui is confident that she can make Madam happy. But if it’s about broadening one’s horizons, then Madam’s goal should be male prostitutes, which Fu Rui… won’t be able to achieve.”
Ping An's face turned even redder.
She overheard the deposed concubines in the Cold Palace spouting all sorts of vulgar and offensive talk, but they only talked the talk and never actually did anything about it.
She married Cui Shenzhi, but Cui Shenzhi would never treat her so lightly except in bed.
She hurriedly dodged Fu Rui's advances, covered her ears, and ran behind Qiu Yan, peeking out to say, "I originally came here to broaden my horizons, but..."
Just then, a familiar voice interrupted Ping An.
"Broaden your horizons? Broaden your horizons in what way?"
Ping An froze completely. She slowly turned around and looked at Cui Shenzhi, who had arrived without her noticing, and said somewhat guiltily, "You...aren't you busy? What are you doing here..."
Cui Shenzhi replied with a displeased expression, "I was busy, and I was just worried about whether someone would be sad when someone told me that something had happened. I was so anxious that I rushed over, only to find that someone wanted to 'broaden their horizons' at Tingfeng Tower."
Ping An glared at Qiu Yan, then glanced at Fu Rui with some concern, and while apologizing, pulled Cui Shenzhi's hand and walked out.
—Fu Rui's face and charm are irresistible to even a young woman like her, so Cui Shenzhi would certainly be even more unable to resist. However, she and Fu Rui have no alliance of interests. If Cui Shenzhi becomes infatuated with Fu Rui, she will be in trouble.
As fate would have it, at that very moment, Qingcha appeared with a handsome young man dressed in light clothing.
"The host said that it's rare for distinguished guests to come all this way, and since Fu Rui is the only one here, she was worried that the guests wouldn't have a good time, so she specially asked me to find this place that hasn't been hung up yet..."
Qingcha was stunned, staring at everything before her, unsure how to react.
Cui Shenzhi was almost dragged out of Tingfeng Tower by Ping An when he saw this scene. He stopped in his tracks with a dark face and wouldn't budge no matter how Ping An pulled him.
"The host is very thoughtful. In that case, madam, let's not disappoint the host's good intentions."
Ping An's little face scrunched up, and she shook her head frantically, but to no avail.
Seeing this, Qingcha, Furui, and Yuliu behind Qingcha immediately recognized Cui Shenzhi's identity. They all stood properly, heads bowed, not daring to speak. Furui and Yuliu even subtly straightened their loose clothes.
Cui Shenzhi pulled Ping An into his arms, pinched her cheek in a fit of pique, and turned to Qingcha, saying, "Aren't you going to take us to the side room?"
Qingcha led the way with trembling legs. Furui and Yuliu didn't know whether they should follow, so they both fell behind, hoping that Cui Shenzhi wouldn't notice them. But they heard Cui Shenzhi say "follow me" without any emotion, so they could only follow with bitter faces.
Upon entering the room, Cui Shenzhi's face darkened further as he looked at the dim candlelight, the sheer curtains filling the room, and the suggestive arrangement on the bed.
Ping An ignored these arrangements and simply stood between Cui Shenzhi and Fu Rui, attempting to prevent Cui Shenzhi from seeing Fu Rui.
After Fu Rui noticed this situation, her mind began to stir.
She whispered to Yu Liu and Qing Cha, "If you don't want to offend our distinguished guests, listen carefully to what I say."
After speaking, Fu Rui stepped forward and lit the candle. Her expression was no longer as charming as before, but gentle with a hint of aloofness: "Qing Cha, didn't the master tell you to put these light gauze garments away? Why are you hanging them up? Did you wash them and find nowhere to dry them, so you hung them here?"
Qingcha nodded somewhat nervously.
"Yes...yes, I thought this room is well-ventilated, and hanging it here would make it dry faster, so I hung it up. I had completely forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it. How rude of me to bring such an important guest here..."
As Qingcha spoke, she and Yuliu pulled down the gauze curtains, rolled them up, and stuffed them onto the bed. They then drew the bed curtains to cover up the bed's furnishings. At the same time, Furui pushed open several windows facing the street, instantly dispelling the ambiguous atmosphere in the room. Cui Shenzhi's face brightened, and he gave Furui an approving look.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com