Spring arrives and the land smiles

After another day of non-stop travel, we finally arrived in Suizhou in the evening.

However, instead of letting Qingyan meet Ningyuan as she had hoped, Lan Zhen and her group went straight to the largest den of iniquity in Suizhou—Hua Man Lou.

The back alley of the brothel was usually set up separately for people like Lan Zhen who were of high status but could not reveal their identities in such places, so even if there were sedan chairs coming and going, it would not attract much attention.

Thus, Qingyan was carried openly into the brothel, where female customers were originally forbidden, in a small sedan chair draped in green gauze. Of course, it's not hard to conclude from this that Lan Zhen was indeed a regular customer here.

The entertainment districts have always been gathering places for wealthy and leisurely young men. The saying "the entertainment districts are never quiet, and families are always together" is probably largely due to these纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families who are spoiled and dissolute). Come to think of it, His Highness Prince Zhao is a man of many pleasures, so how could he stay away from these brothels? Hmph, let's despise him first.

Qingyan was led out of the sedan chair by a young maid who looked about her age. As soon as she stepped out, she looked around curiously. As expected of the premier building in Suizhou, its carved railings, painted beams, pavilions, and cloud-like terraces exuded a quiet, elegant luxury. There was no vulgarity in piling on gold and silver; simple shapes and colors were enough to dazzle. Thus, timeless classics are always simple combinations of lines and colors, which in themselves are an undeniable interpretation of luxury and splendor. In this light, Lan Zhen certainly had good taste in choosing such a place.

The young maid stopped in front of a quiet room far from the main hall. "Miss, this is your room." Pushing open the door, a delicate fragrance of lotus blossoms wafted out, making Qingyan think she had stumbled into a lotus pond. But how could there be such elegant summer flowers in the dead of winter? And the fragrance was so fresh.

"Please come with me, young lady."

Following the maid into the room, as expected, there was no superfluous decoration or embellishment. The simple and elegant carvings, the light ink-colored varnish, and the milky white gauze curtains made everything feel refreshing and comfortable. Qingyan was very satisfied with the room.

"Please feel free to ask if you need anything, Miss. My name is Cai'er." As the sun began to set, Cai'er lit the lamps in the room and stood respectfully at the door.

Qingyan smiled in response.

"Granny Liu will be here soon. Miss, please rest. Cai'er will prepare your meal." After saying that, she turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Granny Liu? Who is Granny Liu? Did they lock Ningyuan up in a brothel, with the brothel madam watching over him? That's ridiculous!

Before Qingyan could figure out what was going on, the old woman Liu, whom Cai'er had mentioned, had already pushed open the door and entered.

The old woman in front of me, Granny Liu, was all smiles. She was dressed in a plain floral silk jacket and was around forty years old with a medium build. Unlike most middle-aged women, she had a pair of overly shrewd eyes. “Miss, please rest here tonight. We will move to Quhe Garden early tomorrow morning. I’m sorry to trouble you.”

"Thank you for your trouble, Granny." Qingyan smiled politely and led her to the round mahogany table with cloud and bat patterns inside the room, and poured her a cup of tea.

Granny Liu sat down, flattered, her face full of ingratiation. "Miss, please feel free to ask if you need anything prepared. The manager is away on business and won't be back for a few days. We'll discuss the stage performance with you then. You must be tired from your journey, so please rest well for a few days. We'll also need to prepare. Suizhou is a small border town, so it can't compare to the capital. There aren't many people like you in Suizhou. If you trust me, I'll raise your price to five times that of the top courtesan here." Granny Liu spoke vividly, even waving her nail-painted fingers. Qingyan, however, was completely bewildered, and the more she listened, the more confused she became. What stage performance? What price? Why did she sound like a girl about to be listed here?

Just as Qingyan was wondering, Cai'er brought in another little maid with dinner.

Granny Liu glanced at the food plate and smiled with satisfaction. "I won't disturb you any longer, Miss. If you need anything, just tell Cai'er to do it. If you need anything, Cai'er will bring it to you." After saying that, she pulled Cai'er and the little maid out, leaving Qingyan staring blankly at the table full of delicacies.

"Hey," he wanted to call out to them to ask for clarification, but before he could finish speaking, the two women had already left and closed the door.

What exactly happened? Can anyone tell me?

"Never mind, let's fill our stomachs first. Things will eventually be cleared up." Qingyan saw several dishes on the table that were her favorites, and her appetite immediately increased.

Just as she picked up her chopsticks, there was a knock at the door. Who was so inconsiderate as to knock at this hour! Qingyan had no choice but to put down her chopsticks and open the door.

"It's you?" Lan Zhen appeared before her in a jade-green robe, looking refined, elegant, and charming.

“The princess is having a meal. What a coincidence, I’m also hungry. I wonder if the princess would mind joining me?” Lan Zhen glanced at the sumptuous food on the table, and without caring whether Qing Yan was willing or not, walked straight to the table, sat down, picked up the chopsticks that Qing Yan had placed beside her bowl, and began to eat.

"Hey, those are my chopsticks!" Qingyan glared angrily at Lan Zhen's actions.

"It's okay, I don't mind." Lan Zhen ignored him and continued eating.

But I mind! Qingyan swallowed her words, thinking about what Granny Liu had just said, which must be related to him.

She walked over and sat down next to Lan Zhen. There was only one set of bowl and chopsticks on the table. Qing Yan was too lazy to ask someone to bring another set, so she picked up a soup spoon and a bone plate and started eating.

"What exactly did that Granny Liu say?" Qingyan questioned him.

“Granny Liu is one of the top madams in Suizhou. With her backing you up, your price will surely be several times higher than that of the most beautiful courtesan,” Lan Zhen said casually as she ate.

"What!" Qingyan's spoon clattered into the plate. "Did you sell me to this madam?" Qingyan felt as if a flock of crows had flown by.

"Don't put it so harshly," Lan Zhen said, seemingly unsurprised by Qing Yan's reaction, still maintaining a nonchalant demeanor. "I just told her that the top courtesan in the capital had come to Suizhou and, having nothing better to do, wanted to make a cameo appearance."

"You, you, you," Qingyan couldn't utter a single word for a long time. "Why did you do this? Are you crazy?!" Qingyan grabbed Lan Zhen's arm excitedly and shook it violently a few times.

"You always say I'm a pervert. If I don't do something unexpected, how can I live up to the title you gave me?" Lan Zhen smiled contentedly, which almost drove Qing Yan crazy.

"It's not that I gave you this label, but that the word 'pervert' was created specifically for you!" Qingyan gritted her teeth and glared at him, wishing she could tear him apart on the spot.

Grabbing Qingyan's ravaging hand, Lan Zhen smiled ambiguously, gently touching her hand to his lips, and a slightly damp kiss landed smoothly. "Such a stunning beauty, I wonder who she will end up with?" Lan Zhen laughed, his eyes narrowed.

"What exactly do you want?" Qingyan pulled her hand back sharply, her face ashen as she suppressed her anger, and her tone was extremely unfriendly.

"I just want to see how far you're willing to go for Ningyuan, that's all. Why don't you satisfy my curiosity, Princess?" Lan Zhen still had a smile on her face, as if she was looking forward to a good show.

“You’ve changed…” Qingyan pointed at him and cursed.

"You're a pervert, aren't you?" Before she could finish her curse, Lan Zhen interrupted her, "Want to try something even more perverted?" Her alluring face looked so irritating that Qing Yan's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Ignoring Qingyan's fury, Lan Zhen continued fearlessly, "The perverted and effeminate people the princess mentioned certainly weren't taught by the Grand Tutor. I wonder which story they're from? Could you enlighten me?" Seeing that Qingyan didn't respond, Lan Zhen paused for a moment, as if thinking for a moment, and then continued, "It can't be anything nice, otherwise it wouldn't have fallen on my head, hahahaha!" After saying that, he burst into laughter again.

"Endure, endure, I'll endure for Ning Yuan's sake," Qingyan comforted herself inwardly, so apart from her unpleasant expression, she didn't take any further action.

Qingyan took a deep breath, calming her raging anger slightly: "I can satisfy your curiosity, but I need to see Ningyuan first."

“Well,” Lan Zhen put down her chopsticks, glanced at the spoon Qing Yan had dropped on the plate, and snatched it without warning. She scooped a spoonful of soup from the stew pot and savored it.

"You!" Qingyan was furious, but she had to suppress it.

"The ginseng and black chicken soup tastes good. Would you like to try some, Princess?" Lan Zhen scooped up another spoonful and held it to Qing Yan's lips this time.

Qingyan turned her head away, avoiding his spoon, her expression unfriendly. "Your Highness is a man of status, and cannot break his word." She paused, seemingly offering a friendly reminder, but her words were vicious: "And please, Your Highness, do not forget my status. Besides, we are now in the same boat. Aren't you afraid of dying from the poison?" Qingyan wanted to threaten him with the slow-acting poison, but the words lacked conviction.

Lan Zhen remained calm, clearly expecting all of this. "If I succumb to the poison, your concubine will be executed along with me," he chuckled indifferently, placing the spoon into the bowl. He then spoke slowly and deliberately: "Five days from now, you will perform as the most beautiful courtesan in the capital. If you can raise a thousand taels of silver," Lan Zhen glanced at Qing Yan, a handsome smile curving his lips, "I will allow you to redeem Ning Yuan."

Redeem him? This guy is definitely not your average pervert!

Qingyan sat at her desk early in the morning, deep in thought. A thousand taels of silver! This Lan Zhen was really going to be a nightmare! Given the current purchasing power of silver in Daqi, an acre of land only cost five taels. A thousand taels was a considerable sum even for a spendthrift playboy, let alone just for picking up girls. In the capital, she might have found a rich second-generation heir who was acting on impulse, but this was Suizhou, whose economic strength was far inferior to the capital. No one would be willing to pay that price. Qingyan sighed heavily. Truly, even a hero can be brought down by a mere penny, let alone something far more than a penny.

That Granny Liu was quite efficient. She said last night that she would change her room, and this morning she sent people to move her. The Quhe Garden she mentioned was just behind this room, so Qingyan didn't refuse and went along.

As she entered Quhe Garden, a fresh fragrance of lotus blossoms wafted towards her, instantly clearing Qingyan's previously troubled mind. However, the further she went, the hotter she felt, realizing it was already the dead of winter. The feeling of coldness, on the other hand, had been fading since she entered the garden. It wasn't until Cai'er led her across a lotus pond of moderate size, where the lotuses in the water stood out remarkably proudly, that Qingyan suddenly realized and was shocked. This kind of large-scale greenhouse cultivation, which even the imperial palace never had, was taken for granted here, making Qingyan admire the business acumen of the operators.

"Miss, do you like this one?" After walking along the long corridor by the lotus pond for a long time, Cai'er pointed to a small courtyard in a secluded spot and very respectfully asked Qingyan for her opinion.

"Hmm, this is fine, let's keep it here." Qingyan nodded in satisfaction after surveying the tranquil surroundings.

Pushing open the door, she found the place understated yet luxurious, but Qingyan was no longer in the mood to appreciate it.

"Cai'er, call Granny Liu over. I have something to discuss with her." Qingyan sighed softly. It was better than sitting and waiting for death.

"Yes, miss." Cai'er responded and left.

"Miss, is there something you need from me?" A whiff of rouge wafted in from outside the door, clashing with the original lotus fragrance, causing Qingyan to frown. It wasn't that the rouge was particularly strong, but it seemed rather vulgar compared to the delicate lotus scent.

Granny Liu entered with a smile, but the shrewdness in her eyes when she looked at Qingyan was impossible to hide. Qingyan smiled inwardly and didn't care.

"You're very polite," Qingyan casually made up a nickname for herself, thinking that no girl in the brothel would use her real name. "The nanny knows why I'm here. Since I'm going to perform, I'll need to make some preparations, so please do me a favor." Qingyan nodded slightly in acknowledgment.