Shanxi merchants were wealthy, so their brothels and pleasure quarters were even more prosperous than those in the capital.
Xie Xuan frequented brothels in the capital, so even though he had never been to Jinzhou before, he seemed quite familiar with the place.
High-class brothels were not places for people to satisfy their desires, but rather places for talented scholars and wealthy merchants to indulge in refined pursuits.
Xie Xuan used the silver given to him by Su Muxi to give the madam a piece of gold as soon as he entered the door, which immediately made the madam beam with joy and she treated him with great hospitality.
In addition, Xie Xuan's handsome appearance and unrestrained temperament will soon attract many girls in the building to his side.
Xie Xuan's actions quickly aroused dissatisfaction among others.
"My name is Tao Rong. I've met this gentleman before. He looks unfamiliar to me. I suppose this is your first time visiting Fan Hua Lou."
Tao Rong's white robes accentuated his elegant demeanor, but his appearance was rather ordinary. Standing next to Xie Xuan, the difference in their looks was immediately apparent.
However, his surname is Tao, and he belongs to the Tao family, one of the four major Shanxi merchants. Just this surname alone is enough to make people take notice.
Xie Xuan merely glanced at him and said, "Yes, I'm from the capital. This is my first time here."
After saying that, he continued drinking with the girl beside him, without getting up or paying any attention to Tao Rong.
This made Tao Rong feel embarrassed, and he immediately became angry.
So what if they're from the capital?!
Even high-ranking officials of the third rank in the imperial court had to show deference to the Tao family.
What is this person in front of me anyway?
Tao Rong then gave Zhou Xun a wink, and Zhou Xun understood, stepping forward arrogantly and saying, "I've taken a liking to the young lady Yue'er beside you!"
"Miss Yue'er, why aren't you serving me!"
Yue'er looked troubled, and in the end, she had no choice but to serve Zhou Xun.
After all, Young Master Zhou and Young Master Tao are good friends. Even though the young master in front of them is from the capital, he still cannot afford to offend Young Master Tao.
But as soon as Yue'er got up, Xie Xuan grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms with a little force.
Although Xie Xuan still maintained his unruly appearance, his ears turned slightly red. Taking advantage of the moment he stood up, he helped the woman in his arms to the side, straightened up, and stood in front of Tao Rong.
Looking at Xie Xuan's tall and straight back, Yue'er's pretty face turned bright red, and her heart pounded wildly.
She had been in this brothel for many years and had seen all kinds of young men, but she had never seen anyone like Young Master Xie before.
Young Master Xie is not only handsome and dashing, but also very sensible; he would never lay a hand on them.
In the eyes of other young masters, these prostitutes were nothing more than playthings to be entertained, but there was not a trace of contempt in Young Master Xie's eyes when he looked at them.
Although she couldn't ask for much given her status, she still couldn't help but fall for Young Master Xie.
Xie Xuan was unaware of Yue'er's thoughts, but looked at Tao Rong and thought to himself that he was lucky.
Unexpectedly, the first person to come looking for trouble was the Tao family, one of the four great Shanxi merchants.
This saves a lot of trouble.
"This young master snatched someone away halfway, which is ungentlemanly. How about this, the two of us have a contest. If I lose, I will give Miss Yue'er to this young master and leave him one thousand taels as payment for his expenses at the Blooming Flower Pavilion today."
But Xie Xuan immediately changed his tone, "If I win, this young master will not only have to give me a thousand taels of silver, but also bow and kneel down to apologize to me! After all, you just disturbed my enjoyment, so it can't be left like this!"
Although Xie Xuan spoke to Zhou Xun, his gaze remained fixed on Tao Rong, his undisguised provocation igniting Tao Rong's competitive spirit.
Before Zhou Xun could speak, Tao Rong stepped forward, slightly raised his chin, and said with a hint of arrogance, "May I ask how this young master is addressed, and what kind of contest he wishes to have?"
"I am Xie Xuan, the son of the Imperial Censor. What I want to compete in is painting. Let's see who can vividly depict the beauty of Miss Yue'er. Whoever paints the most lifelike picture wins."
After saying that, fearing that Tao Rong wouldn't take the bait, he quickly added, "I wonder if Young Master Tao dares to do so?"
With such provocation, how could Tao Rong possibly say he dared not!
However, while his painting skills were average, Zhou Xun's were far superior. So Tao Rong said to Zhou Xun, "In that case, Brother Zhou, why don't you accept?"
Zhou Xun hadn't expected that this person was actually the son of the Imperial Censor. If he offended Xie Xuan, it might implicate the entire Zhou family.
But if they back down, they might directly offend the Tao family.
Just as Zhou Xun was caught in a dilemma, Xie Xuan spoke up again.
"How about this? I'll take this opportunity to make friends through painting. Young Master Tao, why don't you invite all the skilled painters in Jinzhou City over? If even one of them can beat me, then I'll consider myself the loser!"
Arrogant!
That's incredibly arrogant!
Even those who disliked Tao Rong and Zhou Xun chose to stand on their side at this moment, simply because Xie Xuan was too arrogant and clearly did not take the talents of the entire Jinzhou seriously!
Tao Rong sneered, "Since this is what Young Master Xie wants, then I will grant Young Master Xie's wish!"
In less than an hour, all the talented scholars in Jinzhou City had heard the news and rushed to the Fan Hua Lou. Many onlookers also curiously gathered around, and in no time, the Fan Hua Lou was packed with people.
And it was the first time that Yue'er had stood in the middle of the stage in the lobby on the first floor, being watched by so many men.
The reason Xie Xuan proposed the competition was to paint a picture of Yue'er.
Seeing this, the other girls all showed expressions of envy.
You should know that no matter who wins or loses, Yue'er is going to make a name for herself in Jinzhou City.
After all, even the most famous courtesan in Jinzhou City didn't receive this treatment.
Yue'er struck a pose with a shy expression, her eyes fixed on Xie Xuan despite her bashful and smiling demeanor.
The moment Xie Xuan spread out the paper and picked up the paintbrush, his entire aura was unleashed, as if he had become a completely different person.
The girls in the building all turned their heads to look at him, and even the madam of the brothel blushed when she looked at Xie Xuan.
This made the local talents of Jinzhou even more displeased with Xie Xuan. They were all eager to compete with Xie Xuan and make him admit defeat and slink away from Jinzhou.
But when Xie Xuan stopped writing and had his painting held up, most people fell silent and stopped writing.
Xie Xuan painted the Moon Maiden so lifelike that not only did her appearance and clothing match the real person, but he also captured her shy expression.
"What? Why have you all stopped painting? Is there anyone who can paint more lifelike than me? If not, then I have won this contest!"
Xie Xuan's eyes were filled with mockery, and his words with contempt.
They appeared extremely arrogant, yet no one dared to step forward and respond.
Tao Rong's face was extremely ugly. He never expected that among so many talented people in Jinzhou City, none could compare to Xie Xuan.
Xie Xuan, however, did not stop there. Instead, he looked arrogantly at the group of talented men in front of him and cursed, "In my opinion, you are all a bunch of utter trash!"
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