Beauties in Simulation Cross over into Reality

After Jiang Qingyi left, Xiao Mo stood there blankly for a moment.

Xiao Mo hadn’t expected her to leave so decisively.

But she was gone, and Xiao Mo had no intention of following her.

’Never mind whether I could even keep up.’

’She’s off to meet a friend. Why would I tag along and intrude?’

Fanning himself, Xiao Mo continued to stroll through the Imperial City.

He watched the shops lining the road.

He listened to the shouts of the street vendors.

He admired the graceful women in colorful long skirts, their chatter as lively as songbirds.

The red glow of the lanterns fell upon the young women’s faces, dusting them with a faint blush that made them seem even lovelier than usual.

“Come on and play, sir~”

“Master, come on in and have a seat.”

“Oh, Landlord Wang, what took you so long? I’ve missed you terribly! Please, right this way.”

As Xiao Mo passed the largest brothel in the Imperial City, he could hear scantily clad women beckoning to customers from the railings.

Large swathes of their pale skin were exposed. Some wore nothing but a bodice, their full chests straining against the fabric, making the embroidered peonies upon them seem utterly lifelike.

’Worthy of its reputation as the most famous brothel in the Zhou Imperial City.’

Even the women beckoning from the entrance were more beautiful than the courtesans in the inner courtyards of most other brothels.

“Don’t just stand there looking, handsome. Come and play~”

“Come on, handsome. I promise I’ll take good care of you~”

“My, you’re handsome. I’d almost be willing to pay you for the pleasure.”

Seeing Xiao Mo pause to watch from outside the brothel, several women assumed he was interested in coming in. They immediately began to sway their hips as they approached him.

His clothes alone marked him as a man of wealth and status.

But his handsome face alone was enough to make them lose their composure.

’Forget him paying, I’d gladly pay for him!’

Seeing the women approach, Wei Xun wasn’t sure whether he should intervene on Your Majesty’s behalf. He didn’t move until Xiao Mo gave him a subtle look. With permission granted, Wei Xun led the guards forward and sent the brothel women on their way.

“Not going in for some fun, sir?”

Just as Xiao Mo was about to walk on, a woman’s voice called out.

Xiao Mo turned to look and saw the young woman he had met on two previous occasions standing nearby, smiling at him.

Today, the young woman was dressed in a pale pink gown. Part of her long, jet-black hair was pinned up, while the rest cascaded over her shoulders. A dangling hairpin was nestled in her hair.

With every step she took, the hairpin swayed gently.

The soft, red light of the lanterns cast a gentle glow on her face, making her fair, delicate features all the more radiant and captivating.

Though many women on the street were beautifully dressed, they all paled in comparison to her.

Xiao Mo noticed that the maid named Xiao Chun, standing beside the young woman, was watching him warily.

’It was as though she feared her mistress’s husband couldn’t resist temptation and might sneak into the brothel behind his wife’s back.’

“Greetings, Miss,” Xiao Mo said with a respectful bow.

Xiao Mo wasn’t sure why.

But despite having met her only twice, he always felt a strange sense of comfort when he was with her.

’Perhaps,’ Xiao Mo surmised, ’it’s because neither of us has asked about the other’s identity. We’re simply getting to know each other as friends, with no vested interests involved, and that’s why I feel so relaxed.’

“Greetings, sir.”

Yan Ruxue stepped forward and returned the greeting with a slight curtsy. As she dipped, her gown clung to her frame, accentuating her graceful figure.

“Are you enjoying the Poetry Lantern Festival as well, Miss?” Xiao Mo asked with a smile.

“I am,” Yan Ruxue nodded. “I always come out with my mother and father for the Poetry Lantern Festival. But tonight they went to visit some guests, so I just came with Xiao Chun.”

“I see,” Xiao Mo nodded.

Just then, Xiao Chun’s eyes darted about before she looked up at Xiao Mo and called out cheerfully, “If you’re not busy, sir, would you like to join us? It’s always livelier with more people.”

“Well…” Unsure how to respond, Xiao Mo looked to Yan Ruxue.

Yan Ruxue’s eyes crinkled in a smile as she gave a slight nod. “If you wouldn’t mind, sir.”

“How could I possibly mind having your company?” Xiao Mo smiled. “After you, Miss.”

Yan Ruxue nodded. “After you, sir.”

Xiao Mo and Yan Ruxue walked side by side, maintaining a respectable distance of about half a body-width between them.

Wei Xun and the others tactfully fell back, giving Your Majesty and the young lady some space to themselves.

As they walked, Xiao Mo and Yan Ruxue chatted about amusing things that had recently happened in the Imperial City, and their conversation eventually turned to the arts, such as the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

From her refined speech and bearing, Xiao Mo already knew she was a well-bred young lady from a respectable family, but he hadn’t expected her to have such a profound mastery of the four arts.

Before they knew it, they had been strolling along the street for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

As they were passing a teahouse, an attendant came out, bowed to the pair, and said invitingly:

“Honored guests, our Zhencha House is hosting a little poetry-guessing game today. There are prizes for correct answers. I wonder, would you two care to join in?”

She quickly added, “It’s free of charge.”

“Would you care to go inside and play, Miss?” Xiao Mo asked the woman beside him.

Yan Ruxue nodded. “I will defer to you, sir.”

“Then let’s go in and have a look,” Xiao Mo decided.

“Wonderful! This way, sir and miss,” the tea attendant said eagerly, ushering Yan Ruxue and Xiao Mo into the teahouse. “If any of the games catch your eye, please feel free to participate. Later this evening, the renowned Lady Sisi will also be performing.”

Zhencha House was quite large, and Xiao Mo had vaguely heard of its reputation.

Zhencha House was known as one of the three great teahouses in the Imperial City, and its owner was said to be a court minister.

The interior of Zhencha House was also festooned with red silk ribbons and lanterns.

Hanging from the lanterns were paper slips bearing poetry riddles.

Anyone who guessed a riddle correctly could take down the paper slip and exchange it for a prize from the teahouse.

In addition, there were other games like finishing poetry verses and matching couplets.

Many scholars and young ladies were participating, and while the air was filled with laughter, the atmosphere remained one of scholarly elegance.

After wandering around the first floor for a while, the group went up to the second.

The second floor was much quieter than the first.

Still, a number of young women and scholars were playing games there as well.

There was only one game on the second floor.

Xiao Mo glanced at the rules. It seemed one person would choose a poem for the other to guess. A correct guess earned a reward, and the game lasted a little longer than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

After she finished reading the rules, Yan Ruxue turned to Xiao Mo with a smile.

“Sir, shall we give this a try?”