The Virgin Mary in the Book: I Decide My Life with Two Swords

Cang Yue Kingdom - Yuncheng - Noble House

At night, the Guiren Pavilion was a paradise on earth, with the sounds of stringed instruments and laughter echoing one after another. In the brightly lit hall, dancers danced gracefully. In this atmosphere of extravagance and decadence, people enjoyed fine wine and delicious food.

The shoppers walked in and looked around. Ye Ling said, "This place is similar to the one in Nanlai!"

"Ye Xiao... Oh no, Ye Gongzi, do you know how many categories the beauties here are divided into?" Bicheng asked with a smile.

"How many categories are there?" Meng Jing was very curious.

Bicheng explained as they walked, "Women here are divided into three levels: The highest level are those who sell their skills but not their bodies. They are called Qingguanren. They are all poor daughters of wealthy families or those who have been trained since childhood. They are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing and dancing, and are beautiful as flowers. The middle level is called Hongguanren. Their talents and looks are slightly inferior to those of Qingguanren, but they are entertainers and sell their skills and bodies. Of course, the price is definitely very high, especially in the Guiren Pavilion. The worst is prostitutes. Most of them have no special skills and are average-looking. Most of them come from ordinary families. They don't sell their skills, only their bodies."

Ye Ling looked at Bi Cheng and said with a smile: "Envoy Bi Qian's explanation is very logical and he seems to be very familiar with the situation!"

Bicheng smiled awkwardly: "As a man! Besides, I have no family, so I have to go somewhere."

"Oh~" Ye Ling smiled meaningfully: "Then, these prostitutes you mentioned, can they sell their art instead of their bodies for their entire lives?"

"Of course not. If they are noticed by the rich sponsor, they will still have to sell their bodies. And as they get older, they will gradually be forced to become prostitutes. When prostitutes get older, they will become prostitutes. When they can no longer be prostitutes, they can only do odd jobs and physical labor," said Bicheng.

Ye Ling shook his head. "Then selling art without selling one's body is a false proposition. For prostitutes, is there any difference between selling themselves a few times or just once? In the end, they will all become playthings of the powerful."

"Isn't the fate of the women here too miserable?" Su Su couldn't help but feel sad for them.

"Alas, this is their fate," Bicheng sighed helplessly. "However, there were also some courtesans who refused to obey and ended up with tragic deaths. Others were redeemed by wealthy sponsors, but they became concubines. Their endings were generally not very good."

"How pitiful," Su Su couldn't help but sigh.

"So, let's just go and have fun. Why worry about them? Everyone has their own ambitions and destiny. We can only live our own lives," said Meng Jing.

"That's quite true. Let's go," Ye Ling said.

"Wait, go this way, that place is not suitable for you three," Bicheng said with a smile.

Several people followed Bicheng to another place that looked more upscale.

After entering, Su Su looked around curiously. The atmosphere here was completely different from the previous place, more luxurious.

Bicheng took them to a private room with ease. There were already a lot of people gathered inside, shouting and betting on big or small. It seemed like a casino.

Ye Ling said, "Bi Qianshi, this time it's up to you. Whether we can get back what we spent here tonight depends on your gambling skills."

"No problem, leave it to me" must mean you are confident.

Several people squeezed in around the table, which was surrounded by gamblers. Their eyes were fixed on the dice and chips, their hands tightly gripping their bets. The table was covered with various gambling tools: dice, Pai Gow, mahjong, and so on. The gamblers' expressions varied: some excited, some nervous, some frustrated, some desperate. Their voices rose and fell: some cheered, some cursed, some prayed, and some cried. In this gambling house, no one cared about others' feelings; only winning or losing mattered.

A moment later, Bicheng and the opposing leader, each holding a dice cup, stood on both sides, and a battle was about to break out.

Ye Ling, Su Su, Meng Jing and Zhuang Yi were all watching nervously, and the people around them were also holding their breath, looking forward to the outcome of this battle.

Bicheng took a deep breath, his eyes fixed intently on his opponent. He gently swung the dice cup in his hand, as if mastering a mysterious rhythm. The air around him seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the result to be revealed.

Finally, they both placed the dice cups on the table. Bicheng smiled confidently, while the other team's boss seemed a little nervous.

"Open!" With the referee's order, the two dice cups slowly opened.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the dice, only to see that Bicheng's number happened to be slightly higher than the other party's.

"We won!" Ye Ling and others shouted excitedly.

Bicheng put away his chips with a smile. This victory made him famous in the gambling house.

"Let's go! That's enough for us to play tonight," said Bicheng.

"Why are you leaving? You're having fun! You're so awesome!" Su Su was very excited.

"Shh~" Bicheng lowered his voice: "Miss, in a place like this, you should quit while you are ahead. We will spend all the money here tonight to learn the rules. Do you understand? Let's go."

Su Su wanted to say something, but was pulled out of the room by Meng Jing: "Stop talking, you have to understand the rules. We won too much, they won't let us leave, and don't make things difficult for Master Youlou, he's a good person."

"Oh~ I see! Where are we going next?"

"Let's go dance, sing and drink," Ye Ling said.

"I agree, just like last time, you take me dancing" Su Su was very happy.

As they walked and chatted, Su Su praised sincerely: "Bicheng, you were really amazing just now!"

"Haha, I'm just lucky," Bicheng laughed. "But it's better not to come to places like this."

"I know!" Su Su nodded, but in his heart he was thinking that he would come to play with Bicheng next time.

The dance floor in ancient times was simple. When the three women joined the dancing, Bicheng naturally had a lot of fun. Zhuang Yi was more reserved. He found a table to sit down, drink and eat, and watch the performance.

At this moment, no one noticed You Ming Lang on the second floor. He looked at Ye Ling on the stage with a smile: "Why is she so cute?"

"My master! Her friends were not cute at all when they won money just now. Let's buy their bill tonight." The man who had just gambled with Bicheng was standing next to Youminglang.

"Just buy it. They won by their own ability. Can't you have some dignity in losing?" Hu Zi said.

"Okay, okay, I just consider myself unlucky," the man said helplessly.

"I'm tired, I'm going to rest. Don't disturb her. By the way, Hu Zi, have the two rooms next to mine been cleaned up?" You Ming Lang asked.

"The bedding has not been used, even the bathtub has been changed," said Hu Zi.

"Go tell Ye Ling later that she can stay here if she's tired of playing. There's no need to go to the inn with Jiuyou. There are plenty of rooms in the Guiren Pavilion." After saying this, Youminglang turned around and went back to rest.

"I understand," Hu Zi responded.

After Ye Ling had enough fun, they went upstairs and booked a big room. They ordered all the signature dishes and fine wine, and of course, there were also many prostitutes.

A woman in her forties came in with a few girls: "These are our prostitutes, and these are our prostitutes. Please take your pick."

Su Su and Meng Jing looked at each other and smiled awkwardly. They were not really here to have fun, they just wanted to see it.

"Leave two people who play music for the Qingguan people, and each of us who are from the Hongguan people will have one person to accompany us for drinking." Ye Ling is really good at having fun.

"Okay, you two will play some music to liven up the atmosphere, and the five of you will go drink with our distinguished guests. You guys can go downstairs." The woman told the other women to leave. "Everyone, take your time. If you have anything to say, just let me know."

"Thank you, please serve the food quickly, I'm hungry," Ye Ling said with a smile.

"Okay," the woman went out, twisting her slender waist.

The five prostitutes knelt beside Ye Ling and the other three. They could easily tell that Meng Jing and Su Su were women, but they were skeptical about Ye Ling.

Listening to the Qingguanren's song, Ye Ling shook his head: "Your singing is too... bland, and the music is not good."

"Sir, please calm down. We sisters will change the song right away." The prostitute next to Ye Ling quickly apologized with a smile.

Ye Ling waved his fingers and said, "I'll sing a song for you. You should learn it too. Listen carefully." Ye Ling cleared his throat:

The breeze on the southern branch

Still thinking of you in my dreams

Wait till autumn to see the mountain scenery

Revisiting old acquaintances

Three or two strokes of the pen

Not for record keeping

Poetry comes to mind

………………

When the song ended, everyone was stunned. Applause broke out in the room half a day later. Bi Cheng was so excited: "I've been listening to music for years, and this is the best piece. It's so beautiful. Master Ye... is there anything you don't know?"

"Yes, yes! Brother Ye, I want to marry you." What Meng Jing said was absolutely from her heart.

"That's not necessary, I'm of normal sexual orientation." Ye Ling quickly refused: "Everyone, I just made a fool of myself. Come on, come on, have a drink."

At this moment, the guests in the next room were also attracted by the singing and called out to the madam for the person who had just sung the song.

The madam was very helpless: "Sir, the girl who just sang the song is not from our building!"

However, the guest in the next room did not give up and insisted on seeing Ye Ling.

In desperation, the madam could only take him to Ye Ling's room.

As soon as he entered the door, the greasy man started yelling, "Who sang that song just now? Come on, sing another song for me."

"Dear guest, you can't do this! Everyone in this room is our landlord's distinguished guest. You can't do this recklessly, otherwise it will be difficult for me to do my job!" The madam was helpless.

"Distinguished guest? Master of Youlou? Why don't I believe it? Just... just a few miscellaneous people, you are still a distinguished guest? You know how much I spent on the Youren Pavilion. I am the distinguished guest." The man didn't listen to any advice.

Bicheng and Zhuang Yi have already stood up, and a battle is about to break out.

"What are you doing?" The man who had just been gambling suddenly appeared at the door.

"Hey! Manager Xi, you came at the right time. I want to listen to some music." The man hugged Manager Xi.

"Let the courtesan sing for you. He is a guest, why are you making a fuss?" Manager Xi didn't give him any face at all.

"What are you singing if you're not singing?"

"This is the guest's freedom. I can't control it, and you have even less control over it. Come, ask him to go back to his private room."

The two guards from the Noble House took the man away without any courtesy.

Manager Xi bowed and said, "Sorry to bother you, please continue," then turned and left.