The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

The woman flew into a rage, "You blind fool, who's your auntie?!"

Although Chang'an was puzzled, based on his many days of service experience, the best thing to do at this moment was to smile and explain and apologize.

The woman was somewhat surprised to see Chang'an look up and smile warmly. "This child is so handsome at such a young age, how come he's become a pimp here?"

"Although he is a pimp in the Zhexian Tower, it is still a bit of a pity."

Thinking of this, the woman's anger subsided considerably. "Don't call me 'Auntie' anymore, do you hear me?" Her tone was much gentler than before.

Chang'an nodded in agreement and went up on the stage to pick up the wine jug that the woman had thrown away.

He lowered his head and searched carefully, afraid of disturbing the sisters who were dancing.

The wine pot was right at Miss Lianxue's feet, and the wine had already spilled onto her spotless white skirt.

Lianxue gently played the zither, gazing at Chang'an, who was at a loss on the stage, with a hint of pity in her eyes.

Lianxue deliberately slowed down the melody, making it gentle, and then a soft and melodious melody rang out.

Upon hearing the sound, Yu Lei looked at Chang'an and chuckled. Then, her dance steps slowed down, and she led the dancers to disperse in accordance with the music, clearing a path for Chang'an to reach Lianxue on the stage.

Chang'an hurriedly ran over. Although he usually got along well with the girls, he rarely interacted with the two top courtesans of the Zhexian Tower. Each time he delivered food, he would only offer a few cold greetings.

Thinking of this, Chang'an became a little nervous. "Excuse me... Sister Lianxue." After saying that, she bent down and picked up the silver wine pot.

Looking up again, their eyes met.

Chang'an stayed for a while, then saw Lianxue nod to him while holding the zither with both hands.

Chang'an would use a smile to ease the awkwardness.

Seeing Chang'an on the stage, the woman in the audience suddenly had a brilliant idea and called out, "Young master, do you have any talents? You could perform for us on stage!"

Upon hearing this, Master Zhou was dumbfounded and looked at his wife in disbelief.

"What are you looking at? You're allowed to look at pretty girls, but I'm not allowed to look at young, tender faces, is that it?" After saying that, the woman forcefully squeezed next to Master Zhou, who subconsciously moved aside.

The other dignitaries in the audience also expressed their dissatisfaction, saying, "Madam, if you really like him, just spend some money to have him perform for you alone. There's really no need to get in the way of our enjoyment of the dance."

"Tch, don't you get tired of seeing these little bitches writhing around every day? What's wrong with changing things up once in a while? Besides, it won't take up much of your time, gentlemen," the woman said nonchalantly.

The nobleman was unwilling to argue with this wicked woman any further, fearing that his low status would only waste his breath.

The reaction wasn't entirely one of resistance. Some influential figures and acquaintances from Chang'an were curious to see what talents he possessed.

"Little turtle, why don't you perform a little bit yourself?"

"Yeah, just looking at those girls' legs flashing with white light is too much for my body. Why don't you, little turtle, perform a little something to entertain everyone?"

"Yeah, yeah." More and more people joined in the commotion.

As the music and dance gradually subsided, everyone's attention turned to Chang'an. If he didn't put on a performance today, it wouldn't be a pleasant sight for anyone.

Chang'an was extremely embarrassed on stage, but she remained calm and said, "But... I don't have... the same talents as them."

The woman looked somewhat annoyed and slammed a silver coin onto the table.

“Young master, as long as you can make me happy, everything will be yours. And from now on, I will bring my husband here every day.” Upon hearing this, Master Zhou’s eyes lit up, and he looked up at Chang’an with anticipation.

Looking at the silver, the dancers couldn't help but marvel, and Chang'an couldn't contain his excitement, "This silver is something my father and I could never earn in a lifetime, yet she just casually tossed it aside... I never thought that this reward money would one day fall into my lap."

"As long as you flaunt your figure, you can live a life free from worries about food and clothing. This is what this era of laughing at poverty but not prostitution is all about."

"It's a pity that my elder brother is not fortunate enough to enjoy this money."

But if Chang'an doesn't have any talent, then he still doesn't have any talent, so he's not very useful.

For a moment, silence fell over the area.

At the stalemate, Lianxue stood up, bowed, and said in her cold and beautiful voice, "My lords, why don't I play a duet with him? This would satisfy Madam Zhou's request and also allow you to enjoy some dance music."

"Hmph, then you mustn't steal his thunder," Madam Zhou said irritably.

"Yes," Lianxue said with a soft smile.

Upon learning that they could still enjoy the top dancers' music, the nobles nodded in agreement.

At this moment, a beautiful pipa player on the stage waved to Chang'an and said with a smile, "Come on, Xiao Mei, you can use my pipa."

“Everything… has a first time.” Chang’an gritted his teeth and walked up.

The pipa player handed the pipa to Chang'an, gave him a few simple instructions, and then hurriedly left the stage.

But Chang'an didn't hear a word, and looked completely bewildered while holding his pipa.

In my confusion, I felt a gentle hand pat my shoulder.

Turning around, she saw Yu Lei smiling and saying, "It's okay, Xiao Mei, we're here. You can play however you want."

“Play it however you want…” Chang’an felt slightly relieved.

He sat on the stage, took a deep breath, and imitated how they usually played the pipa. He tuned the strings, plucked them lightly, and a "ding" sound rang out.

At first, Chang'an learned quite well, but later he started playing randomly, relying entirely on his own intuition.

The music was chaotic and disorderly. Although the dancers moved their feet, their faces were all frowning. They didn't know where to start dancing, and for a moment, their dance steps were scattered.

Seeing this, everyone slowly shook their heads.

Just then, a melodious piano tune began to play.

The sound of the zither was like a fragrant orchid in a valley, perfectly complementing the tone that the pipa lacked.

The chaotic pipa sounds, after being soothed by the music of the zither, gradually transformed into a beautiful melody.

The music in Chang'an would occasionally break, making the dance less beautiful than before, but it didn't affect anything.

The melodious music was the main attraction, and under Yu Lei's guidance, the dancers found their rhythm and performed synchronized and graceful steps.

And so, Chang'an led the way with rhythm, while Lianxue played the zither behind him to make corrections, and the dancers danced gracefully to the music, and the duet was finally completed.

Everyone cheered, and Madam Zhou excitedly said, "Well done, well done! Young master, you played very well. This silver is yours." With that, she tossed the silver to Chang'an.

"Thank you so much," Chang'an said shyly.

"Young master, may I come again tomorrow?" Madam Zhou said to Chang'an with a mischievous smile, while pulling on Master Zhou's ear.

"Take care on the road, Master Zhou, Madam Zhou." Fu Rou followed to see the guests off.

At this moment, Chang'an only knew that she had dragged the team down. It was her sisters who had turned the tide, but she was the only one who received the reward money. She couldn't help but blush.

Just as she was about to get up and take her leave, Lianxue stood up and said, "My lords, my dress is stained with wine, and I'm afraid it will be an eyesore for you, so I'll take my leave now."

"Why would I find it an eyesore?"

"Miss Lianxue is all... I'm all... hehe." One person said in a fangirling tone.

"Let Miss Lianxue go down first."

"Thank you, esteemed sirs." Lianxue smiled and withdrew.

She deliberately said these words after Madam Zhou left, so as to avoid embarrassing Madam Zhou.

Immediately, Chang'an also got up to take his leave, and the stage was handed over to Yu Lei and the others.

As soon as Chang'an went down, he saw Fu Rou return after seeing off the guests, smiling as she came to his side.

Seeing her extend her hand and look at Chang'an with a seductive gaze, it was clear that she meant something.

Chang'an sighed softly and handed the pipa back to Fu Rou. "Sister Fu Rou, I really don't have the talent for this. I'm not suited for this kind of thing."

Fu Rou covered her face and smiled, "As long as you can make money, then you have talent and are suited for this."

She handed the pipa back to Chang'an, then opened her other hand and smiled, saying, "This is what you should have taken. Now give me what you shouldn't have taken."

Chang'an was slightly startled, "Sister Furou, you don't mean to..."

Fu Rou's smile was so beautiful, yet at this moment it sent chills down one's spine.

She said, "Here you go, Xiaomei. I'll keep the money for you. It'll be yours sooner or later."

"Okay... fine, we can't use it for the time being anyway..."

Seeing Chang'an take out that shiny silver coin, Fu Rou's eyes lit up and her mouth watered.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll definitely keep it safe for you, I'll definitely keep it safe for you!"

Chang'an looked helpless. "Why does he act like a completely different person when he sees money?"

Before leaving, Fu Rou added, "By the way, in order for you to still be able to earn money tomorrow, I've found you a mentor."

"Wha...what?"

“Right behind you.” Fu Rou smiled wickedly.

Chang'an turned around and saw Lianxue, dressed in white, standing below the stage, looking at him with her icy eyes.

Chang'an silently walked up to her and said awkwardly, "Sister Lianxue, I'm...I'm sorry, I've troubled you all..."

Lianxue said gently, "For your first time, this is already quite good."

"Mrs. Zhou will be coming again tomorrow night, right?" Lianxue asked.

Chang'an was somewhat worried. "Yes, she will come again tomorrow."

Lianxue smiled, "Don't be afraid, Sister Furou has already told me that I will teach you how to play the pipa..."

"Is this... really okay? Sister Lianxue is the top courtesan, and I'm just..."

Lianxue nodded, "Okay, come to my room tonight."

"This...this isn't appropriate." He had heard since childhood that one shouldn't enter a girl's boudoir, but he couldn't explain why.

Lianxue pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Are there any better places to choose from?"

Chang'an hesitated, unable to think of any other good places, and also because he didn't want to refuse, so he immediately agreed.

Lianxue said, "Alright, come to my room in a bit, but before that..." As she spoke, she looked down at the wine-stained hem of her skirt.

Having observed things closely over the past few days, Chang'an slowly said, "I'll go get some hot water now... and then... and then I'll take it to Sister Lianxue's room..."

Lianxue smiled slightly, "Then I'll have to trouble you."