Xin He waved her hand, "All right, let’s not talk about it for now. I can’t wait to deal with the current details of the wedding and the other arrangements at the shop. The Old Lady said that someone would bring the wedding dress to me today for a fitting. Later, just let that person come in directly."
With that, she paused for a moment before continuing, "In these two days, I’ll quickly select the jewelry for the wedding day. On the day after tomorrow, you’ll help me deceive those in the mansion so that I can go out for a while."
Xiaoyu nodded, "This servant understands."
Xin He was no longer particularly interested in the matter of trying on her wedding dress. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. The second time lacked the surprise of the first, and besides, she wasn’t trying on the wedding dress to show it to Mu Houchu. She would be fine as long as it fit her.
As for the marriage, she really didn’t have any special requirements. In her view, she was now no different from being married to Mu Houchu. That day at the medicinal spring... Though he had purposely set a trap for her, her final compromise meant that she recognized it as well.
Both of them had already consummated their relationship, and she accepted this. The ceremonial trappings were not very important.
In her view, instead of a long-planned wedding, it was more like an impending farewell.
Before this farewell arrived, she might not have too much time to handle all matters. However, she would, as much as possible, sort them out, or else, she wouldn’t feel at ease.
——
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. Xin He was almost always busy trying on wedding dresses, selecting jewelry, and preparing for the wedding as arranged by the Old Lady. It was not until dusk that day when she managed to avoid it by pretending to feel unwell.
Xiaoyu, looking at Xin He dressing in men’s clothing in front of the mirror, was very nervous, "Eldest Miss, can you really go out like this? What if someone finds out..."
The wedding is happening in just a few days!
Xin He laughed, "It’s okay, I will only go out for a while. I have already told the Old Lady I’m not feeling well. Just stay in the room, if anyone comes, just tell them I’m resting and can’t be disturbed, understand?"
Only then did Xiaoyu nod, "Yes."
After Xin He got dressed in men’s clothing, she immediately crawled out of the window. Nimbly and quietly, she left Hou Mansion.
Her initial plan after leaving Hou Mansion was to jump directly onto a horse carriage and head to Hua Street. However, just as she climbed over the wall, her waist was immediately hooked by an arm, and she was easily drawn into someone’s embrace.
Out of desperation, Xin He aimed a hand at that person’s face.
Mu Houchu caught her arm and whispered, "Are you trying to murder your husband?"
Xin He widened her eyes at him, "What are you doing here?!"
Mu Houchu pinched her little face, "Why can’t I be here? I knew you were going to come out, so I’ve been waiting here for a long time."
Xin He was annoyed, "Why didn’t you make a sound then? You frightened me! I thought I had encountered a pervert!"
Mu Houchu laughed, "With your skills, any real pervert would have turned tail long ago."
With that, he picked her up, took a light step, and they were on the horse.
Xin He was surprised, "Do you know where I’m going?"
"Isn’t today the Oiran competition? You sneak out tonight, if it’s not for this, what could it be?" Mu Houchu hummed lightly, glancing at her, "Look at you, what kind of clothes are you wearing?"
Xin He chuckled, "I’ll just go to have a look. After all, I’m not very confident about Ah Lian’s performance."
Mu Houchu kicked the horse’s belly, "In the future, if you want to go to such places, I must accompany you."
The horse galloped all the way and went directly to Hua Street.
Hua Street was bustling today, as you know, the annual Oiran competition at Wanhua Tower is a focal point in the capital.
Inside Wanhua Tower, a high stage had already been set up in the hall. The place was crowded, bustling with excitement.
Just to get in, you had to pay five ounces of silver per person to have a chance to see the girls’ beauty.
Even Xin He, who paid the fee, felt a pang, "How much do they make? It’s not worth five ounces of silver just to watch a show!"
Mu Houchu said indifferently, "The Wanhua Tower is considered one of the top brothels in the capital, and given that your Ah Lian is hosting this event, even one glance at her is worth a fortune. You can’t expect people to let you watch the show for free."
Xin He huffed, "All right, all right, today we’ll see if this show is worth these ten ounces of silver!"
With that, she pulled Mu Houchu’s sleeve and went in.
When the Madam saw Xin He, she hurried over with a smile, "Ah! Little Master, you’re here again today? Did you specifically come for Ah Lian?"
Xin He laughed, "Yes, of course. I’m here to support Miss Ah Lian."
The Madam turned to look at Mu Houchu. Seeing his handsome appearance, she couldn’t help but take a few more glances, "Who is this man...?"
Mu Houchu raised his eyes and glanced over. The Madam was scared and turned pale, quickly retreated her gaze, afraid that if she looked for too long, she would be in trouble.
Seeing him exuding such a menacing air, the Madam knew right away that he was an untouchable dignitary, and hurriedly said with diligence, "In that case, please follow me upstairs, sir. There happens to be a private room available." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
Xin He clapped her fan, "Great!"
The private room on the second floor was indeed much more comfortable. Not only was it spacious, but the view of the stage in the hall downstairs was also crystal clear. More importantly, it was not crowded.
Sitting upstairs, Xin He cracked melon seeds while listening to the lively discussion downstairs about today’s Oiran competition.
"Hey, who do you think will win the Oiran competition today?"
"Hmph! Do you need to ask? It will be Ah Lian, undoubtedly! Ah Lian has been the winner for consecutive nine years, overshadowing all other girls, there’s nothing to discuss! Who can beat Ah Lian’s talent and beauty?"
But suddenly someone seemed to lower his voice and said, "That’s not necessarily true. I heard that the Madam of Wanhua Tower has been secretly training a new girl, and she’s so beautiful. I heard she’s even more charming than Ah Lian. Her name seems to be Hanxiang."
"Really?!" As soon as this statement came out, everyone instantly became interested and quickly asked, "If there really is such a stunning beauty, why didn’t they release her earlier?"
"What do you know? Exactly because she is a stunning beauty, she has to be kept until the day of the Oiran competition to induce shock and awe. This way, she will fetch a good price! I bet! This new girl will definitely win tonight! And, she hasn’t even been... yet! The man then laughed lasciviously, apparently very expectant.
"Tsk tsk, if this is true, it is really worth watching today’s Oiran competition."
"Otherwise, we should open a gambling circle right now and see who will win! I’ll bet on Hanxiang! Who would you bet on?"
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