Tang Dynasty: To win Yang Guifei, they asked Emperor Xuanzong to die.

The madam glanced at the pimp, somewhat reluctantly: "If we bring out our trump card too early, won't that just give others a head start?"

A nanny in a small town brothel has a limited perspective: she must hold onto the girls she has, and not release them until she sees a good one. She is reluctant to let others see her, otherwise she will feel insecure.

The pimp, however, was quite clever and immediately said, "Mother, you're mistaken. They come from Chang'an and have a broader perspective than us. They'll definitely see right through us. We should just lay our cards on the table and show them our sincerity. Maybe that will work wonders."

The madam originally looked down on these male servants who served others.

But lately, she's really been stumped by Li Mao and his two companions.

I might as well try anything, even if it's a hopeless case, and just listen to this pimp!

After thinking it over, the madam hardened her heart and said to the pimp, "Go upstairs to my room and bring Qiuyue out."

Listening to the occasional sounds of string and wind instruments emanating from the top-tier private room, the madam's eyes revealed a rare hint of confidence. —This Qiuyue girl was someone she'd stumbled upon by sheer luck; she'd paid a fortune to acquire her, and she'd been carefully raised, never seen by customers.

Now that she's been released, even the most knowledgeable and discerning guests from Chang'an would likely be amazed!

Li Mao was completely unaware that the madam was secretly observing them and trying to figure out how to "win them over" so they would spend more at the Drunken Red Pavilion. In their eyes, as long as enough money was paid, they would be popular even without visiting girls. In reality, in places like brothels, those who indulged in extravagant spending were always more popular than those who remained chaste.

Before long, a melodious piano tune filled the private room.

Li Mao and the others looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman with a white veil slowly emerge from behind the jade screen in front of the door. Although her face was covered by the thin veil, her graceful figure was enough to make the three men present hold their breath and stare.

After bowing slightly, the woman turned around.

Then the music suddenly changed, transforming from the previous languid and decadent tune into a smooth and melodious piece that was incredibly pleasing to the ear.

The woman with a white veil had a graceful figure and moved with light, delicate, and boneless movements.

Looking up, one feels an indescribable charm and elegance.

When the music ended, the scene fell into a brief silence.

Even Li Mao, who had seen countless beauties, could only hear the pounding of his own heart at this moment.

This small town of Lingzhou actually has such a beautiful and charming woman!

After a long silence, Li Mao was the first to clap his hands and exclaim, "Absolutely wonderful! This music should only exist in heaven. How often can one hear it in the human world? I never expected to encounter such a wonderful skill in a remote place like Lingzhou."

Even Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, who usually dared not look women in the eye, couldn't help but clap along.

This was the first time they had ever seen such a beautiful woman; she was as graceful as a startled swan and as swift as a swimming dragon. Not to mention Chang'an, there were few women in the entire country as light and graceful as a fairy.

Not to mention that she was also veiled in a light gauze, like a pipa player, which only made her more alluring.

Li Mao asked, "Young lady, what is your name? What kind of dance were you just doing?"

"My name is Qiuyue," Qiuyue said, bowing gracefully to Li Mao and the other two, and said with neither arrogance nor servility, "This dance is called 'The Dance of the Startled Swan,' and it is a unique skill passed down in my family."

The Dance of the Startled Swan, it's the Dance of the Startled Swan again!

Li Mao's thoughts were immediately pulled away.

The beautiful woman before him brought back memories of what Yang Guifei had told him. She had said that the woman Gao Lishi brought back from Guangzhou could dance the "Dance of the Startled Swan," and that she was so stunning that even Yang Guifei couldn't learn it.

Now Qiuyue says that this dance is her family's secret technique?

How is this going?

Li Mao was determined to find out the truth whenever he had any doubts.

He then asked, "Miss Qiuyue, forgive my intrusion, but were your ancestors surnamed Jiang, and were you from the South?"

Everyone present was stunned by these words.

Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi looked at Li Mao with bewilderment, expressing their incomprehension at his sudden question.

Qiu Yue was slightly taken aback, and then smiled and said, "Honored guest, you think too highly of me. I am not from the South and I don't remember my ancestors' surnames. It's just that our family's unique dance has some use in these brothels and theaters, which is why I have always remembered it."

If the other party refuses to answer, it's either because they genuinely forgot, or they have some other reason.

Li Mao disliked forcing people to do things against their will, so he did not press the matter.

“Young lady, why don’t you take off your veil and let us see your true face?” Li Guangbi spoke up at this moment. He was much more composed when facing women than his superior, Guo Ziyi.

The autumn moon remained still, but the mist and waves shifted and swirled.

He glanced at Guo Ziyi, then at Li Mao.

Li Mao understood and quickly pulled Guo Ziyi along, saying, "We are all curious about your dancing skills, and how beautiful you are. Please do us the honor of removing your veil. To show our sincerity, I will speak with the madam and book you for the whole month. You won't have to see anyone else this month."

They booked Qiuyue for a whole month right away, which shows their sincerity.

Qiuyue wasn't the type to deliberately tease people just because she was pretty; upon hearing the voice, she immediately removed her veil.

To be honest, she wasn't as beautiful as Yang Guifei.

However, her overall demeanor, combined with her simple makeup and white dance costume, significantly enhanced her beauty. She was an absolute beauty, and it was truly a pity that such a person ended up in a small place like Lingzhou City.

Li Mao immediately made her stay to pour wine and dismissed the other beauties.

However, no matter how beautiful Qiu Yue was, Li Mao didn't have any romantic thoughts about her. He wasn't the kind of man driven by lust who couldn't control himself when he saw a beautiful woman. Such a beauty was better left to Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, two tough men born into a family of men, to feast their eyes on!

That evening, the madam counted the silver notes she had received from Li Mao, overjoyed.

Looking at the beautiful Qiuyue beside him, he felt a pang of melancholy: "Although they gave a lot of money, it was ultimately at the cost of you. I'm afraid such a beauty will never be found again in a small place like ours."

If Qiuyue has already served a man, her virginity cannot be sold for money.

Seeing through the madam's thoughts, Qiuyue said, "Don't worry, Madam. His Highness Prince Shou and the two generals are all upright gentlemen. Even though they paid a lot of money to book me, they only asked me to help pour wine. They didn't have any lewd intentions. Their feelings were genuine, but they stopped at the proper place. I did not lose my virginity."

"Huh?" The madam was shocked: "They paid eighty taels of silver to keep you for a month! They've thrown away all that money, but they haven't even gotten a taste of the benefits... These guests from Chang'an are really something. I'm even thinking of selling my properties in Lingzhou and going to Chang'an to do business!"