Chapter 22 The Evil Courtesan (4)
There are many women in Yoshiwara, so naturally there are many gossips.
There are countless cases of low-class prostitutes pulling each other's hair, tripping each other up, and forming cliques in order to compete for customers.
But this does not mean that there is no conflict among high-ranking prostitutes who have no worries about food and clothing.
On the contrary, the high-level prostitutes have gone from fighting openly to fighting secretly, and they are more ferocious, more violent, and more unscrupulous.
Lower-class prostitutes compete for business just to make a living, but if the upper-class prostitutes win, they will get the supreme title of "Oiran", the right to choose their customers, and countless wealth and glory.
Especially the oiran of Yuejianlou, every time she goes out, there is a grand and dazzling parade. She meets guests with a proud and charming attitude, which is the highest "honor" in Yoshiwara.
And in front of Xiangyu is such an opportunity to become the new top courtesan.
The current courtesan of Tsukimi-ya will retire in half a year, and now is the critical time to decide on the next new courtesan.
Of course, Xiangyu is not the only one vying for the title of top courtesan. Her biggest competitor is a girl of the same age named Fanhong.
…
Selecting a new oiran is a major event in Yuejianlou, and even the servants in the kitchen are discussing it heatedly.
"Have you heard? The owner has gathered all the 'prospective courtesans' together for the selection!"
"I heard it, I heard it! It seems there are four people in total, but the final winner should be one of Miss Xiangyu and Miss Fanhong."
"So who do you think will win?"
"It's hard to say. Miss Xiangyu is gentle and generous, while Miss Fanhong is charming and playful. It's hard to tell who's better. It all depends on who I like more!"
"It's to see who can sell their virginity for the highest price, haha!"
"That's right, hahahahaha!!"
Tokisui listened to these gossips and recalled the message that Songshan gave to Xiangyu... "A green umbrella reflects her rosy face, a glass of fine wine is given to entertain guests at the banquet, on the flowery road, good luck and everything goes well", which was actually a blessing for her to become the new top courtesan.
So what is the relationship between these two people?
Songshan seems to have some admiration for Xiangyu, but judging from Xiangyu's slightly indifferent reaction, it seems that it is just unrequited love on the part of the man.
But the question is, how did they know each other?
Logically speaking, Xiangyu was sold to Yuejianlou at the age of 5 and was trained according to the standards of the successor to the oiran. Naturally, she never left the house and had no chance to come into contact with people and things other than Yuejianlou. How could she have an entanglement with a small tattoo shop owner...?
Just as Shisui was trying hard to imagine a melodramatic eight o'clock drama, the housekeeper, Mrs. Ya, came to the kitchen.
She walked around the place once, twice, and three times, then gathered everyone together and started giving a lecture.
"Tomorrow morning there will be a blessing ceremony before the Oiran selection. Have you prepared the cakes and fruits needed for the ceremony?"
"Report to Madam Ya, everything is ready!"
"In addition to the four prospective courtesans, the host will also be present tomorrow. All items must be carefully checked over and over again. If anything goes wrong, you all know what will happen..."
Naturally, everyone in the kitchen solemnly promised that there would be absolutely no problems.
Tokiho was originally just a nobody, but by chance she happened to be standing next to the shelf where pastries were stacked in the kitchen...
So after Madam Ya left, the head of the kitchen arranged a "good job" for her - to look after the shelf of pastries.
Well.
This left Shisui speechless.
It is now Youshi (equivalent to 5 pm), which is the busiest time in the kitchen. Generally, after Choushi (equivalent to 1 am), the guests are either drunk or asleep, and the kitchen becomes idle, so everyone can go to rest.
But now——
Shisui had to stay up late in the smelly kitchen, and had to kill a few rats and cockroaches running around from time to time.
It's just a few fruits for blessing, they're neatly packed in a food container on the shelf with a lid on, what could go wrong?
In the second half of the night, Sui felt cold and sleepy and could not bear it any longer, so he found a chair and hid in the corner. He also covered himself with a few sacks as a blanket and fell asleep leaning against the wall in a daze.
But she underestimated the intrigues in the corridors.
It turns out that there are people who really want to make these ordinary pastries...
…
Yinshi (equivalent to 3 a.m.).
There are only a few rooms in Yuejian Tower with lights on.
The entire Yoshiwara gradually became quiet.
A thin dark figure approached quietly.
The shadow's footsteps were light, but Shisui sensed them the moment he stepped into the kitchen.
She woke up and opened her eyes slightly.
But the kitchen was dark, and Shisui hid secretly, and the props on her body were also well disguised.
The dark shadow looked around furtively, but didn't notice her presence.
When the black shadow approached the shelf where the pastries were placed, Shisui recognized that the person was actually Xiaotao, the maid beside Xiangyu!
There are a total of 4 food boxes on the shelf, blue, red, yellow and white, corresponding to the different themes of "spring, summer, autumn and winter" respectively.
Xiaotao opened the second red "Summer" food box on the left, took out a packet of white medicine powder from her clothes, and sprinkled some in it.
After finishing, Xiaotao left quickly.
What... is going on?!
Guessing that Xiaotao had gone far away, Shisui pulled off the sack covering her body and went over to open the food box that had just been tampered with.
Inside is a pink cherry blossom fruit, which is coated with a layer of white sugar and mixed with the powder sprinkled by Xiaotao, making it hard to tell the difference between the real thing and the fake.
Shi Sui picked up the food box and put it under her nose to sniff, but couldn't smell anything.
But she had no reason to test the poison on herself. What if she died?
Shi Sui's eyes turned and her gaze fell on a big rat that was gnawing on a radish by the stove.
The lucky one is you!
Shisui grabbed the back of its neck and forced the contaminated fruit into its mouth, then shook it a few times to help it digest and absorb.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the effect of the medicine was apparent.
The big rat was vomiting and having diarrhea as if a dam had broken. It was squeaking in pain, and its four legs were twitching and twisting in extreme agony.
It turns out that Xiao Tao took a laxative...
There is indeed a part in the blessing ceremony where these pastries are eaten.
If she made a fool of herself at the ceremony because she accidentally took laxatives, she could basically say goodbye to her position as the top courtesan.
Xiao Tao, who poisoned Xiang Yu, is someone close to her. Who is she trying to harm?!
Xiangyu looks gentle and lovely, but is she actually as vicious as a snake?
Or is there something else behind this?
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