Chenyi Palace.
"He agreed?"
Su Mochen sat at the table, poured Kung Fu tea, and asked.
"Yes, His Majesty just sent someone to inquire, and the person came back and immediately ran to tell me that the Third Prince of Southern Qi agreed on the spot!"
"Okay, that's good!"
Without pausing his hands, Su Mochen continued pouring tea, his emotions remaining largely unreadable.
Gui Zhi continued, "I've heard that the third prince of Southern Qi is a man of great talent and skill, and his poetry is also excellent. As a prince, he must be very arrogant, so it's normal for him to agree."
After speaking, she glanced at Su Mochen, and seeing that she was still focused on pouring tea as if she hadn't heard what she said, she asked with some concern, "Your Highness, did you hear me or not? Guizhi can guess what you're thinking, but can you be sure that Young Master Jing will definitely attend the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering?"
Having his thoughts exposed, Su Mochen's cheeks flushed slightly, but he still bit his lip and said, "Of course!"
He then explained, "Guizhi, we've been with him for over half a month now. Can't you see his love for watching the excitement?"
Guizhi tilted her head and thought about it. That made sense. Their first meeting was in a place like Chunshui Tower. Logically speaking, now that he had come to Jingzhou and encountered such a grand annual event as the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering, there was no reason for him not to participate.
But the key question now is—
“But Your Highness, we can’t even be sure if he’s come to Jingzhou yet, so how can we guarantee that he’ll attend the poetry gathering? What if he doesn’t attend? Wouldn’t that be putting ourselves at risk?”
Su Mochen shook his head and analyzed, "He had always wanted to come to Jingzhou to take the imperial examination in order to obtain official rank. But he was delayed in Yongzhou for so long, and the examination has long been over. If he wants to obtain official rank again, he can only do so through the poetry gathering! The Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering is such a rare opportunity, and he has the talent in this area. What reason is there not to participate?"
After saying that, he didn't forget to ask, "By the way, did you find someone to ask them?"
Guizhi shook her head repeatedly: "That's why I'm worried! I sent people to inquire at every inn, big and small, in Jingzhou City, and even brothels, but no one has seen him!"
"Are you inquiring about the name Jing Zhe? He's a very cunning man. He probably wouldn't dare to enter the palace if he ran away halfway, and even if he secretly entered Jingzhou, he probably wouldn't dare to use his real name—did you ask them about A-Kun?"
"Your Highness, I asked as well, and there was no such result!"
"..."
Now, Su Mochen was somewhat bewildered.
They've been back in Jingzhou for three or four days now. Logically, even if he's slow, he should have arrived in the last couple of days, right? Why can't we find him?
The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. She pouted and said defiantly, "If I can't find him, I can't find him. At worst, I'll just marry someone from Southern Qi! Anyway, he said he wouldn't miss me if he didn't see me!"
"..."
————
"The fastest way to truly understand a city is to learn about its nightlife!"
Walking on the streets of Jingzhou, Jing Zhe solemnly imparted his experience to Hanhan.
Hanhan looked at the vendors and stalls on both sides of the street and nodded repeatedly.
"Young Chief is right, I understand!"
You don't know anything!
Jing Zhe chuckled to himself, then inquired around and led the simpleton to the entrance of a brothel called "Wu Xian Yuan".
It is said that Wuxian Garden is a property established in Jingzhou by Wuxian Pavilion, one of the four major sects, and is very different from Xunchang Brothel.
The customers here are mostly literary figures and scholars who make friends through literature and exchange ideas on poetry.
Although there are many beautiful women in Wuxian Garden, they do not engage in prostitution. Instead, they play the zither and sing songs in the garden, adding to the enjoyment of composing poems and lyrics.
Logically speaking, Jing Zhe would disdain coming to such a place; compared to brothels, it was too elegant and meaningless.
He would much rather go to those brothels where girls stand outside waving pink handkerchiefs and calling out, "Young master, come in and have some fun!" Just to feast his eyes would be better than listening to some bumpkins bragging here.
Yes, in his eyes, the intellectuals of this era were nothing more than hillbillies…
But I'm not out here today to seek pleasure or indulge in eye candy; I have serious business to attend to.
So he went inside with Hanhan.
As expected of Wuxian Pavilion's property, Wuxian Garden was not the low-class brothel Jing Zhe had imagined, consisting of only a single flower-covered building. The main building had three floors and was exquisitely decorated. The courtyard behind the main building was truly amazing, measuring the size of four or five main buildings.
The courtyard is filled with pavilions and towers, with hidden rockeries and streams. In the middle of the courtyard, there are many osmanthus trees, whose golden flowers emit a sweet fragrance in the night, making people feel relaxed and happy.
If it weren't for the fact that this was a brothel, Jing Zhe, who was visiting for the first time, would probably have thought it was the residence of a prince or nobleman.
The main building lobby was crowded, but not noisy.
The people in the hall were well-dressed and spoke elegantly. As you passed by them, you could occasionally hear them reciting poems or other literary expressions. Jing Zhe found it uninteresting, so he sat down in a corner, staring at the bustling crowd in the hall, and began to think about his next move.
"Young master, please pay the fee for the private room."
I had barely sat down when a waiter came over.
Unlike the servants Jing Zhe had seen in Yongzhou, whose attire clearly indicated they were men of low birth, this man wore a white, high-collared robe with the character "仙" (immortal) embroidered on his chest, which made him seem somewhat out of place.
But after a little thought, it becomes clear.
Since Wuxian Garden is an asset of Wuxian Pavilion, the staff there are naturally outer disciples of Wuxian Pavilion, so it is only natural that they wear Wuxian Pavilion uniforms.
But Jing Zhe didn't quite understand what this "private seating fee" meant.
Does that mean we have to pay to come in and sit down?
This is way too dark!
In his time, let alone sitting down, even elderly people could sleep in furniture stores without anyone daring to interfere. But the moment he sat down, someone came to collect a fee. He should really ask them about this.
After hearing Jing Zhe's question, the waiter was not angry: "Young master, this must be your first time visiting Wuxian Garden, right? Everyone who enters the garden, whether they sit or not, has to pay a fee for a private seat. Land in Jingzhou is incredibly valuable. If everyone came in to sit without paying, what would we eat and drink in this huge Wuxian Pavilion?"
Jing Zhe thought about it and realized it made sense. There were no girls around, and the only way to make money was by selling tea and wine and charging for private rooms. Not wanting to make things difficult for him any further, he asked, "How much is the private room fee?"
"One tael of silver."
"One tael of silver?"
Jing Zhe exclaimed in surprise.
He saw over a hundred people coming from all directions. Each person bought one or two taels of silver. Even without selling anything, he could earn over a hundred taels a day. This shop was really shady!
"Young master, the one tael of silver is just a prepayment. We will register it for you. If you want drinks later, the cost will be deducted from that amount. You can collect the remaining silver from us when you leave!"
The waiter said calmly.
————
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