Three days ago, when the beauties’ paintings were hung up at Guilin Residence, Lian’an Town was buzzing with excitement. The news of the Oiran competition at the Flower House spread throughout the small town in an instant, and even people in the prefecture city heard about it because of Ah Lian’s reputation.
During these few days, people never seemed to stop discussing this exciting event. Conversations at teatime and meals always focused on the beauties’ paintings, Flower House, and Ah Lian – full of anticipation, disbelief, admiration, and curiosity. After three days of endless chatter, the Flower House finally opened its doors for business to a lively atmosphere.
It was dusk, and the bustling Hua Street was already lively. Generally, the street was most bustling after nightfall, when the lanterns were lit, and the tender voices of the courtesans called out to potential customers. The music of strings and flutes created the most beautiful scenery of the night.
However, today, this scene appeared earlier, and there were noticeably more people. It was said that there were even quite a few guests who came specifically from the prefecture city, as they came to see Ah Lian.
On the opening day of the Flower House, as soon as the door opened, it was filled with guests. Who would have thought that a month ago, this very Flower House, which was now packed, was almost empty and on the verge of closing down?
Madam Chen was bustling among the endless stream of guests, barely touching the ground and grinning from ear to ear: "Oh, sir, please come in!"
"I heard that there is an Oiran competition at your banquet tonight; is Ah Lian really here?"
Madam Chen excitedly waved her handkerchief: "Of course! Rest assured, she will be here!"
"Are all the beauties from the paintings here too?"
"Yes, yes! Today, you’ll get your fill of seeing them!" Madam Chen grinned, unable to hide her pride.
Guests entered the Flower House one after another, while maids and servants bustled around non-stop.
Thankfully, Xin He had been well-prepared in advance, or else she wouldn’t have known how to deal with the situation today.
As per the basic rules, those who came here first had to pay three ounces of silver as tea money, which was essentially the admission fee. Whenever a Flower House hosted an Oiran competition, there was always an entrance fee since high-ranking courtesans were not always so easily seen. On this day, all the chief courtesans had to perform on stage, and it wasn’t like the show was free after all, right?
The Flower House was bustling and full of lively atmosphere.
"Madam, are we not going tonight? It’s the opening of the Flower House today." Shulan was clearly eager to see the excitement, and as she looked at Xin He, who hadn’t budged for a long time, she became a little anxious.
Xin He laughed, "Why are you in such a hurry? It’s not time for the show to start yet. Let’s wait for all the guests to arrive, then we’ll go. This way, we won’t have to squeeze in with the others, and our private room is reserved."
Now, she was the owner of the Flower House, and a private room on the second floor was reserved specifically for her; no one else could use it.
"I’m just afraid of missing the opening." Shulan said with a smile.
Smiling, Xiaoyu said, "You, a girl, are so interested in the happenings at a Flower House? It’s embarrassing to say that out loud."
Shulan’s face turned red, "I’m not!"
Xin He laughed, "There’s nothing embarrassing about Shulan’s interest. Courtesans of the past only performed skills that attracted men, but the girls at Flower House have various talents that not only men enjoy watching. If there’s an opportunity in the future, we can expand in other areas, and there’s no impossibility,"
"Are you saying we should let women into the brothel to watch talent shows? How is that possible?" Shulan couldn’t help but blurt out.
"When that time comes, Flower House will no longer be considered a brothel. It will be a higher-class establishment than a brothel. But for now, it’s still too early to talk about it. All we can say is that there’s a market for this among women, such as you, Shulan," Xin He laughed.
Scratching her head, Shulan said, "I don’t know anything; I just think what Madam says makes sense. Do what you think is best, Madam."
Xiaoyu entered and said, "The young master has some business to attend today and is afraid that he’ll be late. He sent someone to say that he couldn’t accompany Madam to the Flower House tonight, so Madam, please be careful."
Upon hearing this, Xin He was taken aback. He seemed to have become busier these days, and although she had also been busy with Flower House matters and hadn’t been paying much attention, she realized that he seemed exceptionally busy these past days.
When they first arrived at Lian’an Town, he had only needed to deal with some letters from the capital. He had spent his days teaching Xiao Bei swordsmanship or reading and handling minor matters. Just a few days ago, he had joked that in his lifetime, he had never imagined living such a leisurely life.
In the end? It was probably still far away.
Xin He had a sudden, uneasy feeling that something bad was going to happen. His sudden busyness made her worry if something happened in the capital.
Marquis Mu didn’t want her to worry, so even if there were any problems in the capital, he would handle them himself, not wanting to stress her out. But now she couldn’t help but feel worried.
Xin He furrowed her eyebrows and unconsciously began thinking about various matters.
In fact, she had always known that even though they had left the capital, they had never been able to free themselves from the whirlpool of their past. However, the comfortable days they had been living lately and Marquis Mu’s infrequent mention of issues made her somewhat forgetful.
"Madam, it’s time. We’ll be late if we don’t go now." Seeing Xin He lost in thought, Shulan reminded her.
Xin He looked at the sky outside and realized that it was indeed getting late, so she nodded, "Let’s go."
"Yes."
The horse carriage was ready, and Xin He got into the carriage, heading straight for the Flower House.
The Hua Street was especially lively tonight, but only the Flower House was bustling, while the other banquet halls were eerily quiet and appeared to have no guests.
As such, the street was exceptionally quiet tonight.
When Xin He, dressed as a man, arrived at the Flower House, a young servant was already waiting outside. Seeing Xin He, he immediately greeted her, "Young master, you’re finally here! Madam Chen has been waiting for you for quite a while, fearing that you might not come."
Xin He laughed, "The courtesans are performing on stage. What difference would it make if I didn’t come?"
The sweet-talking servant replied, "Young master, you’re joking. The courtesans are performing new talents for the first time, so they’re bound to be a little nervous. If you sit in the audience, they’ll feel a little more at ease, right?"
Xin He smiled and stepped in.
The servant immediately led her upstairs, "Young master, this way, please."
As Xin He walked upstairs, she took in the bustling scene—it really was lively today.
Suddenly, an angry voice shouted, "What do you mean? Just now, when I asked, you said there were no private rooms available. But now that he’s here, there’s one? Are you trying to say that my Sun Family doesn’t matter?!"
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