Chapter 261: Encountering an Old Acquaintance in the Pleasure Quarter

Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Encountering an Old Acquaintance in the Pleasure Quarter

Liuyun Square. An entire city block dedicated to brothels. Can you even imagine?

And according to Yan Ying, there were six whole districts like this in Jianye City. Not to mention the roving courtesans found in the other residential blocks.

A single district had several hundred brothels. By that count, wouldn’t the entire Capital City have over a thousand?

Add in all the streetwalkers... Just how many "beauties" did Jianye City have? ’A hundred thousand? Or several hundred thousand?’

Chu Fan had only heard of brothels. He’d never asked about the details, let alone visited one, so he didn’t know that some of them weren’t just in the business of selling flesh.

In fact, the entertainment at some brothels was remarkably elegant.

Take the Xi Jun Building, their destination for the evening, for example.

It was one of the four great houses in the Capital City, and each of the four boasted a top Courtesan famous enough to be on the Hundred Flowers List.

Furthermore, these four Courtesans were masters of the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, dance, and song.

Upon entering Liuyun Square, the first thing that greeted them wasn’t a crowd of gaudily dressed women, but a refreshing floral fragrance.

This scent wasn’t the cloying mixture of cheap perfumes, but a faint, elegant aroma that was hard to describe.

Rows of buildings had strings of festive lanterns hanging before their doors, and in front of each, several beautiful women stood to welcome and send off guests.

Every one of them wore a radiant smile.

The men on the street came in all shapes and sizes, yet not one of them wore a lecherous expression. It was as if they were all scholars and poets strolling through.

They even started to speak with a certain scholarly flair.

Chu Fan found it all quite novel as he walked along.

Of course, some women did proactively solicit customers, but their sales pitches weren’t crude.

For example: "You two gentlemen must be tired from walking. Why not come in and rest your feet? We have fine wine and beautiful dances inside."

The Xi Jun Building had an impressive facade, many times grander than that of Mr. Hong’s Auction House.

Word of tonight’s main prize had already spread, so guests were arriving at the Xi Jun Building in an endless stream.

Even though most of them knew they didn’t have the wealth to win the auction for the Courtesan’s first night, just seeing her dance would be worth it.

For someone who made it onto the Hundred Flowers List, was there any question about her beauty?

When they reached the entrance, Chu Fan and Yan Ying learned that the minimum charge to enter the Xi Jun Building tonight was three thousand taels of silver.

Only those who spent ten thousand taels were qualified to enter the inner hall to see the Courtesan dance and play her zither.

’As for winning her first night, the price must be astronomical, right?’

"Welcome, young masters. Please, come inside."

Just one look at Chu Fan and Yan Ying’s attire was enough for the doormen to know not to turn them away. After all, their two outfits alone were worth more than three thousand taels of silver.

Yan Ying glanced at Chu Fan. As they approached, she, of all people, started to get nervous.

Chu Fan smiled and said, "Shall we go back, then?"

"No! We’ve already come all this way, we have to see it!"

The hostess who greeted them overheard their conversation and beamed. She beckoned behind her, and two beautiful women came forward, took each of them by the arm, and led them inside.

Both of them felt a little awkward being held by strange women, but they didn’t struggle.

’When in Rome!’

That’s how they both justified it to themselves.

Inside, the building opened into a massive, splendidly decorated hall, ablaze with light.

The music of zithers and flutes was pleasing to the ear, and the hall was filled with guests.

In the center, more than a dozen women with long, flowing sleeves danced with graceful, elegant movements.

"Gentlemen, will you be staying out here? Or would you prefer a private room? Or perhaps you’d like to go to the back to see Sister Chan’Er’s performance?"

"We came for Wen Chan, of course we’re going to the back!"

"This way, then, gentlemen!"

The Xi Jun Building truly had more to it than met the eye. After passing through a long corridor in the backyard, they found six more pavilions of various sizes, with an enormous Blessing Tower at the very center.

Chu Fan and Yan Ying were led into the Blessing Tower. The first thing they saw was a massive venue with a stage at its center. On the stage, dozens of women formed a circle, playing zithers, lutes, drums, and flutes.

In the middle, more than ten women with slender figures danced gracefully.

Surrounding the stage were three tiers of private rooms.

"Which floor would the two gentlemen like for their private room?"

"What’s the difference?"

"The first floor is ten thousand taels, the second is twenty thousand, and the third is thirty thousand. However, you can take any of the attendants serving you in the private room back to your inn or home tonight. There is no extra charge for that."

"The third floor, then!" Yan Ying decisively pulled out silver banknotes and handed them to the woman beside her.

The woman’s face immediately lit up. She led them to the best-positioned private room on the third floor.

And it was certainly a private and elegant room. Aside from the open wall facing the stage, all the other furnishings were immaculate.

It had a lounge couch and a tea table, some smaller tables for games, an adjoining room for relieving oneself, and even a bedroom for resting or sleeping.

A large square table was laden with delicacies, and four beautiful, slender women stood waiting in the room.

"Good evening, young masters!"

The four women’s voices chimed in unison, as pleasant as silver bells.

"Young masters, we hope you have a satisfying night at the Xi Jun Building!" After a curtsy, the two women who had led them up closed the door and departed.

One had to admit, thirty thousand taels of silver was an extravagant sum, but the feast on the table alone was probably worth several thousand.

If he were to rate Yun Xi and Leng Yingxue as a perfect 100 for beauty, the four women before him would score at least an 85.

Just as Chu Fan and Yan Ying were standing there, unsure of what to do next, two of the women, one on each side, led them to the large square table and sat them down.

Then they began to wait on them, one on the left and one on the right.

In truth, both of them felt rather awkward at that moment.

One of the four women kept stealing glances at Chu Fan, but he was too distracted to even notice.

Adjusting took a moment, but their awkwardness didn’t last long.

After all, while they might not have understood the etiquette of such a pleasure house, the four women beside them needed no instruction. They knew just how to make them feel at ease and get into the spirit of things.

Finally, Chu Fan noticed that one of the women sitting beside Yan Ying looked very familiar.

"You, come over here," Chu Fan said, beckoning to the woman.

"What’s this? Brother Chu, that’s not very appropriate, is it? She is my woman for the night," Yan Ying said, feigning a cold expression.

"I’m not fighting you for her. If you want, all four of them can keep you company tonight." Chu Fan rolled his eyes at her, then beckoned to the woman again.

The woman stood up and walked toward Chu Fan.

Chu Fan immediately stood up as well, pulling her over to the lounge couch on the side.

"If I remember correctly, you’re Lü Yunxiu, aren’t you? From Qingyun City? Chen Qi’an’s former fiancée," Chu Fan said in a low voice.

"Lord Chu truly has a good memory. To think you still remember this humble girl after so many years."

Indeed, this woman was Lü Yunxiu. In her quest for wealth and status, she had taken up with Yan Ji, the son of Yan Qi, the Sect Leader of the Red Blood Mansion. She had even tried to have her own fiancé, Chen Qi’an, killed.

If Chu Fan hadn’t intervened, Chen Qi’an would have died long ago.

"I later heard what happened to your Lü Family. You must hate me and the Chen Family, right?"

"My Lord, I now work for Lord Ji. He was the one who sent me to the Central Domain. He said that you had already arrived here, my Lord, and that I was to establish a bridgehead before expanding our operations."

Chu Fan’s brow furrowed upon hearing this. "Tomorrow morning, find me at the inn across from the Bell Tower," he said. "I have questions for you."

"My Lord, I’m afraid that might expose me."

"You’re already exposed. The Crown Prince’s men are in the room next door," Chu Fan sighed.