54 Oiran
◎When rivals meet, they become extremely jealous◎
"Prince!"
Shu Yao blurted out.
Chen Jing'an played with the "evil ghost" mask with one hand and gently tapped her forehead with the other, a smile still on his face. "Xiao Yao'er, long time no see."
Shu Yao thought about it and realized that they had not seen each other for more than half a month. She covered her chest with her hands. She was really scared to death by him just now. What kind of good person would dress up as a ghost to scare people on the Lantern Festival?
Seeing her frightened look, Chen Jingan calmed down and asked, "Xiao Yao'er, are you scared?"
Shu Yao waved her hand: "It's okay." She looked towards him and asked in confusion, "Prince, are you visiting the temple fair alone today? Where's Miss Qian Xiao?"
Chen Jing'an tugged at her pigtails, full of playfulness: "What? Can't you come out to play alone? Besides, I'm not alone now, haven't I met Xiao Yao'er?" After saying that, he glanced at Ji Shijing next to him seemingly unintentionally and raised his eyebrows at him.
Ji Shijing met his gaze, his eyes darkened, and he tightened his hands at his sides.
Chen Jing'an sneered indifferently.
Shu Yao pushed his hand away. She had tied her hair into two braids today, a rare good mood, and she couldn't let him rip them apart. "Sir, do you want to come with us?"
Chen Jing'an folded his arms and tilted his head, his high ponytail fluttering down, looking very youthful: "Xiao Yao'er, are you not welcome?"
Shu Yao looked at Ji Shijing, as if asking for his opinion. He didn't say anything, but looked at her with a somewhat aggrieved look.
Shu Yao thought she had seen it wrong, so she rubbed her eyes and looked at him again, only to see that his eyes were calm.
Chen Jing'an pulled her wrist and noticed she was wearing the jade bracelet he had given her. He suddenly felt very happy, and the curve of his mouth deepened a little. "Xiao Yao'er, there's a selection of the most beautiful girls at Zui Xiang Fang today. Let's go and take a look."
He pulled her through the crowd.
The girl's palms were warm, and his heart beat faster. Even in the noisy street, he could still hear his own heartbeat.
Shu Yao was pulled by him to jog, her skirt flying. She turned around to look at Ji Shijing in a panic: "Ah Jing, hurry up and catch up."
As soon as she finished speaking, her figure was submerged in the crowd. Ji Shijing stood there. Although there was no expression on his face, his heart was in turmoil, and there was a voice constantly shouting.
"Kill him."
"Kill him."
"Kill him, and no one will compete with you for her. She will be yours alone."
"Forever only yours."
He closed his eyes and tried his best to suppress the impulse in his heart. A fishy and sweet taste came out of his mouth. He wiped it lightly with his fingertips, and a touch of bright red appeared in front of his eyes.
He stared at the bright red in a daze until a passing child accidentally bumped into him. Only then did he come to his senses and paint the red on the most conspicuous part of his cuff.
On this side, Shu Yao tried several times to break free from Chen Jing'an's hand, but the more she struggled, the tighter he held her, so she let him hold her hand.
Fireworks were set off on Chang'an Avenue. When they were half a street away from Zuixiangfang, Chen Jing'an stopped. He looked at the gorgeous fireworks in the sky, and a strange look appeared in his eyes.
Fireworks rang out in the sky, and he looked down at Shu Yao with a burning gaze: "Xiao Yao'er, today's fireworks are so beautiful."
His gaze was too intense, so Shu Yao turned her head away: "Today is the Lantern Festival, so the fireworks will naturally be beautiful."
Chen Jing'an paused, his expression becoming inexplicably lost. He seemed to want to say something but stopped himself, pulling her to continue walking towards Zui Xiang Fang.
Zui Xiang Fang is the busiest place today.
There are usually a lot of customers coming in one after another, let alone today. There are so many customers even at the door that there is no place to stay inside.
Chen Jing'an took her to the private room on the second floor. The room was clean and tidy. There was a bright red plum blossom in a jade vase on the windowsill. He pushed open the window and the scene downstairs was in full view. It was a great place to watch.
The two sat opposite each other, and she looked towards the door with a worried look, trying to find Ji Shijing.
Chen Jing'an poured her a cup of hot tea slowly and tapped the table lightly with his long fingers: "Xiao Yao'er, have a cup of hot tea first."
Shu Yao took the teacup, her eyes still fixed on the first floor.
Until a familiar figure appeared at the door, she quickly got up and ran downstairs towards that direction.
Chen Jing'an stared at her back in a daze and drank the tea in his hand.
As soon as Ji Shijing stepped into Zuixiangfang, a beautifully made-up woman walked towards him.
It was the first time the woman had seen such a handsome young man. She half covered her face with a handkerchief and walked slowly towards him: "This young man looks very unfamiliar. I guess this is his first time visiting our Zui Xiang Fang."
She walked in front of Ji Shijing with a shy look on her face.
Ji Shijing didn't look at her and continued walking inside.
Seeing that he ignored her, the woman stretched out her red nail-dyed fingers to hook his belt: "Sir, just follow me." Her eyes moved and her tone was charming.
But the next second, her hand stopped in mid-air, a trace of fear flashed across her face, and she tremblingly withdrew her hand. She was frightened and lowered her head, not daring to look into his eyes.
He was... so scary just now.
"Ah Jing."
Shu Yao came to him and called him with a smile: "Let's go to the second floor."
Ji Shijing looked at her and responded lightly.
When the woman looked at him again, his eyes had lost their gloomy look. What a strange man! She let out a breath, raised her handkerchief and went to greet other guests.
Ji Shijing and Shu Yao sat side by side. The bench was only big enough for one more person, so it was a bit cramped for two people to sit there. Therefore, they sat very close to each other.
Their breaths touched each other, and her warm breath occasionally sprayed on his side. He felt numb all over and inexplicably hot.
Seeing the tea on the table, he pursed his lips, adjusted his sleeves slightly, and then stretched out his hand.
Shu Yao caught a glimpse of the faint bloodstain on his sleeve. She was startled and wiped it with her hand, only to find that the blood had solidified. "Ah Jing, what happened?"
Ji Shijing coughed to indicate that he was fine.
She was anxious. How could he be fine if he was bleeding? "Are you coughing up blood again?"
Seeing her worried face, Ji Shijing's previous frustration dissipated instantly. He explained, "It must belong to someone else. I don't know where I got it from. It's okay."
"real?"
Just then, someone brought in a plate of pastries. Chen Jing'an placed the freshly baked butterfly pastry on the plate in front of Shu Yao and said at the right moment, "Since Second Young Master Ji has said it belongs to someone else, don't worry, Xiao Yao'er. Come, try this butterfly pastry."
Hearing him say this, Shu Yao picked up the butterfly pastry and took a bite.
Ji Shijing tightly grasped the blood-stained sleeve.
Prince Changxiang! Why is he everywhere?
Looking at the crumbs at the corner of Shu Yao's mouth, he reached out his hand, and touched her lips with his calloused fingertips. He used some force to wipe away the crumbs at the edge of her lips.
His fingers were stained with her lip balm, and he frowned and said nothing.
Shu Yao sensed that he was unhappy and whispered in his ear, "A Jing, don't you like staying here?"
Ji Shijing glanced at the person opposite him. Chen Jing'an was leaning back in his chair leisurely, his body lazy, his face looking out the window, as if he didn't care about the two of them.
"No." He said to Shu Yao.
Shu Yao put the butterfly cake in his bowl: "Then try this, it's delicious."
At this moment, the crowd on the first floor suddenly became noisy.
Chen Jingan said to Shu Yao, "Xiaoyao'er, the show is about to begin."
All the dancers on the stage retreated. Mei Niang came up, bowed to the crowd, and then signaled for silence: "Gentlemen, today is the day for my Zui Xiang Fang to select the most beautiful woman. Thank you for your support."
"Mei Niang, please let the girl out."
"Yes, we've been waiting for two hours."
“…”
Mei Niang asked everyone to calm down: "The girl we are meeting today is from Tianfulou in Jiangnan. She is gentle as water, and her appearance is comparable to Xi Shi, not to mention her figure."
Shu Yao was a little confused: "Is there only one girl?"
"The oiran is chosen from among the new girls every year. The one with the best appearance and figure is chosen and announced to the public on the day of the temple fair."
Shen Qianxiao pushed open the door, walked over slowly, and solved Shu Yao's doubts by the way.
Shu Yao understood. Rather than choosing the most beautiful woman, it was just announcing the result.
Shen Qianxiao smiled at them, then rested his head on Shen Jingan's legs: "Why didn't you call me when the prince came?"
Chen Jing'an twirled his hair around hers, as if playing with a pet's fur: "You must have been tired the past few days. Why don't you take a rest?"
His words were ambiguous, and Shen Qianxiao blushed.
Shu Yao naturally understood and drank a sip of tea to calm herself down. She secretly glanced at Ji Shijing and saw that his expression was normal. Fortunately, the child didn't understand.
Mei Niang was still talking below. With every word she spoke, the people below became more excited and threw all kinds of banknotes and silver onto the stage, just to see this year's top courtesan as soon as possible.
Mei Niang naturally knew what everyone was thinking, so she clapped her hands, and the servants beat the gongs and drums. Several pieces of red silk flowed down, and flower petals scattered from the sky. The scene was grand.
A woman dressed in a gorgeous black and gold dress slowly walked onto the stage. The hem of her skirt was outlined with a large field of crabapples, and with every step she took, the crabapples blossomed at her feet.
But she was wearing a veil, so one could only see her eyes that reflected the autumn water, rippling with water, which was truly beautiful.
She sat down on the stage, looking a little shy.
Shu Yao was concentrating on watching the scene below, and didn't even notice Ji Shijing's gaze on her.
Under the gaze of everyone, the woman stretched out her slender fingers and slowly lifted the veil.
Everyone below held their breath and even forgot to blink, for fear of missing any wonderful scene.
The moment the veil fell to the ground, there was a sound of gasps from all around, and the astonishment in everyone's eyes could not be hidden.
The high platform was spacious, with a young girl sitting upright. A cold wind blew through the hall, blowing up the strands of hair on her forehead. She lowered her head slightly, her small face was fair and elegant, and with just a little makeup on, she was already incredibly beautiful. Her drooping eyelashes drew a graceful arc in the air.
Shu Yao let out a soft "Wow". If she had such a look in the entertainment industry, she would have become a top star long ago.
Ji Shijing's eyes were always on her, and he could not see anyone else except her.
Chen Jing'an just glanced at the courtesan indifferently and drank a glass of wine without interest.
Shen Qianxiao raised her little face: "Sir, do you think this year's oiran is not pretty?"
Chen Jingan smiled and said, "Not as good as Qian Xiao."
Shen Qianxiao smiled and poured him another glass of wine.
Of the four people present, only Shu Yao was paying attention to the situation downstairs.
Mei Niang said to the crowd, "This girl's name is Haitang, she's seventeen years old. According to the rules, the bidding will begin now."
Everyone seemed to be particularly satisfied with this year's top courtesan, and the bids became higher and higher, until a young man spent five hundred taels of silver, and the bidding for the night was considered over.
Haitang looked at the handsome young man and smiled shyly.
The courtesan has fallen and the guests have dispersed.
Shen Qianxiao said to Shu Yao, "Originally, I wanted Miss Shu to do Haitang's makeup today, but Mei Niang said that Haitang's appearance only needs a little embellishment."
Shu Yao nodded. Mei Niang was right. Miss Haitang had a light complexion and was not suitable for heavy makeup.
Shen Qianxiao continued: “Haitang can redeem herself immediately with these five hundred taels of silver.”
Shu Yao was shocked: "Does this money belong to her?"
Shen Qianxiao nodded: "Mei Niang doesn't want a penny of the Oiran's bounty."
Shu Yao couldn't help but admire Mei Niang in her heart. In this world of decadence and extravagance, Mei Niang was truly a breath of fresh air as she was able to keep her money within reach.
After coming out of Zui Xiang Fang, Chen Jing'an stood up to see them off and walked side by side with Shu Yao. Ji Shijing walked between the two of them, separating them.
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