Nightfall

Even though Mistress Jian had now become Madam Jian, Ning Que would not reject her suggestion, since he had not forgotten the real reason why he had been searching relentlessly in the brothels of the Chang’an city. Moreover, the opportunity to visit the best brothel in Chang’an as a VIP was nonetheless pretty valuable for the humble young man that he was.

Walking down the stairs of the west court, there was a finely mowed lawn behind the building lined with a pebbled path that extended across a white wall, through which a small stream flowed under the starry night. A few small houses were built along the two sides of the stream, emanating sound of music and string instruments. That would be the dancers preparing for the imperial celebrations.

The maidservant wasn’t in a good mood after being scolded, and her face looked even sterner as she saw Ning Que strolling and looking around comfortably, as if he really was a casual tourist sightseeing. Mockingly, she said, “I don’t know what got into Mistress Jian today, and why would she treat a pauper like you so kindly. And you, being a poor scholar you really shouldn’t have agreed to this. But oh well, someone who’d want to visit a brothel despite being so poor is obviously thick-skinned.”

Having been called thick-skinned, Ning Que decided to honor the name and do as if completely oblivious to her sarcasm. Then he replied gently, “I couldn’t possibly turn down the good intentions of Mr. Chu as he really offered to pay for me, and these matters between us men are quite complex, but quite simple too after all.”

“You’re just a boy, how dare you boast about your manhood.” The maidservant sneered. “it would be fine if it were a few drinks only, but how are you so shameless to let him pay for your other expenses too? You don’t even know him!”

Hearing her words about being boy or man reminded Ning Que of the first time when he saw Lee Yu in Wei City. At that time, Lee Yu posed as a mere maidservant and not a princess, and today, another maidservant said the same thing. It hadn’t been long since her first encounter with Lee Yu, but somehow it felt like years ago.

That maidservant had already returned to the depths of the imperial court, and countless officials and commoners celebrated her return. And now, he had also arrived in Chang’an, visiting a brothel for some strange reason, and was now listening to the melodies that were specifically composed for her before she was going to. Thinking about the strange circumstances in life, he couldn’t help laughing.

“What’s so funny?” The young maidservant chid.

Ning Que extended his palms to show that he had nothing to say. Right now he only wanted to collect some intelligence, and he wasn’t really into arguing with the young maidservant since he didn’t want to waste this rare opportunity of strolling around this brothel.

Upon finding out about the status of House of Red-Sleeves among the rich and famous, he had a feeling that, this must indeed be the place where Censor Zhang Yiqi frequented, because this was the only place that provided enough privacy and prestige at the same time.

How should I probe into that? Playing dumb or naive won’t work, so I should start talking casually about fun facts and anecdotes of the border town, which would certainly appeal to this young handmaiden who lives among pretty girls but enjoys hearing about the legends of the border town warriors.

Ning Que had always been quite good at dealing with people like this maidservant, and that’s not because of the princess who was now in the palace but because of the little handmaiden of his who was so cold and seldom smiled. If he was able to tame someone like Sangsang, or at least he thought he did, it should be a piece of cake to handle Mistress Jian’s young maidservant.

And indeed, a few moments after, the young maidservant was already all smiles and began exchanging all kinds of gossip of the trade with Ning Que with great excitement. By then Ning Que had great knowledge about matters such as why the music and dance band had to take on prostitution, and which of the pretty girls here was the most popular, who had got a sugar daddy, and which of their sugar daddies had the highest title in the government.

At places where beautiful girls abounded, it was easier to make money with their beauty, and it was effortless, involving little devotion and great gains. Considering that top courtesans from House of Red-Sleeves enjoyed great chances of becoming the concubines of high-rank officials throughout the world, who wouldn’t like to make lots of money and lead a great life at the end of their career?

When Mistress Jian first established House of Red-Sleeves back in the days, she probably strove for a clean song-and-dance troupe. Nevertheless, surviving in a world of male dominance wasn’t exactly easy. The seemingly highly popular and respected song-and-dance troupe had no chance in countering the pressure of the noble and aristocracy around the world, and in the end she could only succumb to the cruel reality.

Flowers blossomed by the stream, starlight was reflected and shattered by flowing water, and the world behind the white wall seemed so pure and wonderful. Like a poet, Ning Que strolled under the starlight holding his hands behind his back, though the purity of the scenery failed to relax his mind.

A young lad shouldn’t be easily irritated.

Thinking about the gossip he just heard from the young maidservant, he shook his head briefly to get rid of such useless emotions, and continued strolling by the stream, occasionally greeting the pretty girls that crossed his path, showing impeccable manners.

Just as was mentioned before, it always looked much ridiculous to see a teenage boy pretending to look mature and seasoned. However, while it might be upset to see a ridiculous and ugly person, it was quite cute when ridicule was partnered with youth and tenderness.

As they came to Chang’an, it was much easier to take a bath than back in City of Wei, and his slightly curled black hair that used to look dirty and greasy now looked clean and fresh thanks to Sangsang, and alongside his complexion which was not necessarily handsome but clear enough, he now enjoyed a pretty clear and pure look.

Moreover, the hot and spicy shredded noodles sold at the other end of Lin Fortieth Lane were really delicious with its succulent beef slices. Having been eating that for days, both he and Sangsang managed to gain some weight, making his face look even cuter and more inoffensive, therefore quite likable.

The girls along the way glanced at him with curiosity, and they all seemed to like him for his clean and youthful look. Once they realized he was the young man they kindly made fun of and invited in, they couldn’t help giggling. The girls had seen all kinds of weird things taking place here at the house, but it was certainly the first time Mistress Jian ordered someone to give a young man a tour around here, and out of curiosity and excitement, Ning Que was surrounded, and they just wouldn’t let him leave.

The young maidservant was nudged out by all the other courtesan girls and felt utterly frustrated, as if her exclusive toy was taken away by the big sisters. She stood there angrily with her hands on her waist and yelled like a tigress. “Don’t you dare spoil the young lad! He’s a scholar aiming to enter the academy, and he’s still a… you know what I mean, so if you’re not planning to give him one of those big red packets, just leave him alone already!”

“Oh dear, look at our poor Xiaocao, what got into you? Your big sisters are just curious about this lad and want to play a little, don’t you get upset! So he’s a scholar aiming to enter the academy? More the reason to check him out properly, should we?”

Someone spoke at a fast pace and with a slightly husky voice, and the girls quickly separated to let a woman with striking beauty walk in with great elegance. The woman was around twenty, looking plump and ripe, showing wonderfully curvy arms and a beautiful waistline. She walked in a way that was so feminine and sexy that, it looked smooth like water flowing.

On the other hand, her face was so small that it made her chubbiness go completely unnoticed, and you could only contemplate her jade-like clear beauty.

Upon seeing this woman, Ning Que’s eyes brightened up and exclaimed in his mind, ” She’s the one !”