"Twenty-five?" Xin He raised an eyebrow: "Still holding the position of the top courtesan after nine years, no wonder she is the number one prostitute in the capital."
"Anyway, Miss Ah Lian is very well-known in the capital city. There are countless officials and nobles who wish to see her, but she may not even agree. As her fame grew, so did her attitude. Not only is it expensive to see her, but you also have to be to her liking."
Xin He curved her lips slightly: "That is quite interesting."
"What the Eldest Miss doesn’t know is that the more proud and aloof Miss Ah Lian becomes, the more people are attracted to her. Even a rumor has it that a wealthy young master spent all of his fortune just for a night with Miss Ah Lian. Also, the son of a noble family even claimed to marry her as his legal wife!"
You must understand, in this era, it is extremely rare for a prostitute to be favored by officials and nobles and taken back home as a wife. After all, the majority of these officials and nobles care about face. Women of pleasure are just for fun. Marrying one may bring shame to the family. Even if you marry one, she would only be a concubine, not a legal wife.
That Miss Ah Lian could achieve such a feat is indeed extraordinary.
Although Ji Xinhe was surprised, she was not too shocked, as she had seen Ah Lian on the street once before, and just one casual glance from Ah Lian had captivated her. Which man could resist such a woman?
Xin He smirked: "So, it appears that Miss Ah Lian is indeed a gold signboard in this capital city."
"Gold signboard? She is more than that, she is a golden signboard!"
Ji Xinhe quirked her lips: "I want this golden signboard!"
Looking at the outside, it was already getting dark.
"Shulan, go prepare a men’s outfit for me."
Shulan was stunned: "What do you need a men’s outfit for?"
"Visiting the brothel." Xin He smiled.
——
The night in the capital city was much quieter than during the day; almost no one was on the streets, except for Hua Street.
The brothels, these ’golden caves’, particularly flourished in the capital. The nobles loved to come here. They behaved with decorum during the day, but at night they came here to let loose. Despite having many wives and concubines at home, they preferred the company of the beautiful women here.
Therefore, the brothels in the capital, especially the number one brothel, Wanhua Tower, liked to bring in extremely beautiful young girls from the market. They would train these girls from a young age in the ways of a lady of quality, mastering all the essential skills such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. In no way were they inferior to the young ladies from noble families.
Just like this renowned Miss Ah Lian, she was a successful product. Someone who could hold the position of both the number one talented woman and the first prostitute in the capital steady for nine years was indeed a figure worth noting.
Dressed in men’s clothes and with some makeup on to make her face slightly darker, Xinhe looked like an elegant young master. Swinging a fan, she swaggered through Hua Street, hearing women inviting guests in soft, sweet voices. It was bustling.
Only when she arrived at the entrance of Wanhua Tower did she stop.
Immediately, several girls came up to greet her: "This young master is new here! Is this your first visit? I promise we will serve you well!"
Xinhe wrapped one arm around one of them, smiled playfully, "You are so enthusiastic, how can I refuse?"
"Young Master~" The girls playfully clung to her.
She was welcomed in by the crowd, but suddenly stopped: "Regrettably, I didn’t come to refuse, but especially to see the famous beauty of Miss Ah Lian."
As Xinhe finished speaking, the faces of the girls turned sullen: "Does the young master think we are not good enough?"
"You are good, but not as good as Ah Lian." Xinhe smiled: "Be good, go get your madam out here, tell her I want to see Ah Lian."
The girls walked away humming in displeasure, reluctantly went to call the madam.
"Goodness, what happened? Are the girls here not to your satisfaction?" The madam approached with a smile.
Ji Xinhe chuckled: "I’m not dissatisfied, I just want to see Miss Ah Lian."
The madam sighed helplessly: "Oh dear, there are so many people who want to see Miss Ah Lian every day, I can’t handle it all. Would it be okay to let me find another girl that you like to serve you?"
Xin He directly threw a few banknotes into the madam’s hands: "Enough talk, I only want Ah Lian."
The madam felt the thickness of the banknotes and instantly smiled brightly: "Absolutely, young master, please follow me upstairs. I will go and bring her here right away!"
Xin He tugged at the corner of her lips and followed the madam upstairs.
The madam led Xin He to a private room and then quickly left to fetch Ah Lian.
Xin He was left waiting in the room, but after some time with no one arriving, she got up to see what was going on.
She asked where Miss Ah Lian’s room was located and wanted to see what was going on. Who would have thought that she would hear an argument as she approached the room?
"You’d better know your place! You think you’re still a girl of seventeen or eighteen who can stay up all night? In the past, putting on airs was all fine, but now the times have changed, you’re still putting on a high and mighty act and thinking it will attract people? Have you ever thought about your current position, the clients who come to Wanhua Tower for you are getting less and less, don’t you realize it yourself? Today we have a rare rich guest, you should be content!"
"How much I am worth is not for you to decide!" Ah Lian replied coldly, with great arrogance.
"Oh! It’s not my place? I’ll tell you, I made you famous, Ah Lian. Making you popular was thanks to my ability. I’ve made one successful person like you and I can make another one! The Oiran competition is just around the corner, I plan to let Han Xiao take the stage. She’s only sixteen, fresh and delicate like a flower just like you were, even better than you. In the beauty contest, she will definitely outshine you. If you don’t hurry up and make the most of this opportunity, you think there will be more chances in the future?"
The madam’s words were sharp and harsh, causing Ah Lian’s face to go from pale to flushed. But she couldn’t deny what the madam said; Ah Lian was indeed falling short.
Outsiders may not know, but how could she not know? The regular guests she had before were now mostly tired of her. She was already twenty-five, and unlike the budding young girls, she no longer had a sense of freshness. She was going to have to step back and let the younger ones step in. She was going to fall from the top. But how could she be willing to accept that?!
The madam placed a banknote in her hand: "Weigh it for yourself. If you lose this wealthy client today, there may be none in the future."
Having said that, the madam swayed her hips, turned around and left.
Xin He quickly slipped back into her own room.
As expected, not long afterwards, the madam brought Ah Lian in.
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