In the middle of the wide space you see in front of you, there is a circular high platform. On the platform, there is a girl playing the pipa and singing, and another girl dancing. The two have a good-looking face, about the same height, and a soft figure. Their watery eyes are flowing inadvertently, in harmony with the singing. , breathtaking, endlessly charming.
Surrounded by spread out tables and tables. Although there is still snow falling outside, it does not affect the heat here at all. Rainy and snowy weather, in such an environment, always looks so poetic and picturesque. The talented people always have a lot of emotions to say to others, so there are still many people gathering here.
There was no one alone, they were all sitting together in twos and threes. They are young in appearance. They are either scholars who have entered school or minor officials in Bianjing. Some people are dressed gorgeously, while others are shabbily dressed, some are blushing and talking loudly, while others are drinking alone without saying a word, wandering outside the excitement. Those with louder voices are the loudest in the front row, while those with quieter voices are mostly in the back row near the door.
Upstairs is the private room. Some people are leaning on the railing to watch the scene below. More people are wandering around in the private room, hugging this talented woman and changing cups. Even though the place was noisy, the officials heard the laughter, and they could tell that the owner of the sound was very comfortable.
Looking at this scene, it is probably the same as in modern times. The seats in the front row are expensive, and most of them are rich people. The seats in the back row are cheap, and most of them come to join in the fun and find ordinary women. As for the private rooms upstairs, they are the big ones. They are the ultra-high-end consumers who have certain status and are of a certain age and do not want to be with the young scholars downstairs.
The air is filled with the aroma of rouge, gouache and wine and food.
Wang Yan was very familiar with the smell of rouge and gouache. It was the cosmetics he made. The largest consumer group of his products is this brothel, followed by the women living in the back homes of dignitaries.
It's just that there are so many brothels in the world that his production capacity cannot satisfy them. This also makes them in short supply and difficult to buy, and the price is naturally very high. It is the Royal Fragrance House that is all over the world, the brothel among brothels. The women here are of high quality and there are many rich benefactors. This is how the simple and elegant light fragrance can be blended with each other to fill such a huge fragrance. Space.
The taste is not good, but not bad either. Especially in such an addictive environment, it makes people even more restless, the blood becomes hotter, and the nerves become more tense...
The opening of the door had no impact on the people here. It was just that a few people happened to look this way to see if they recognized the new people and stayed there for a moment. The air was quiet before he entered. Everyone caught him and stared at him, whispering about whose son this was.
Standing at the door, Wang Yan looked up at the opposite second floor, where there was a woman leaning on the railing and looking down. She saw the door open from a high place, and when she looked there, she looked at the senior official who looked up. Eye to eye.
What kind of woman is that?
She was wearing a green and yellow embroidered shirt with a white fox fur coat on top. The blue and black head is twisted up, the tassels of the golden hairpin are slightly swaying with the movement, the almond eyes and willow eyebrows are blended together, even if she is not attracted by the discharge, there are thousands of amorous feelings in the flowing eyes, and the Qiong nose is pretty and straight, making her The slightly skinny face is more three-dimensional, the plump lips are slightly pursed, and a faint smile hangs on the face, calling her a beauty.
The reputation is indeed well-deserved, and Zhao Ji’s aesthetics are indeed adequate. I thought that the golden lotus was already the beauty of the country, but now that I saw Master Li, it was even more stunning.
Of course, it's not that Jin Lian's appearance is much worse, it's just that it's not just her beauty that shows. After all, Master Li is proficient in playing piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, dancing and singing. He has a lot of stuff in his stomach and his own background. What he shows is a kind of intelligence. Coupled with his appearance, it feels really amazing.
As for Jin Lian, although she has studied hard in the past year, it is obvious that one year is not enough to enrich her heart. Still only beautiful, empty inside, and uneducated.
When it comes to other ways to please men, Jin Lian is even more unbearable. After all, as a brothel woman, it is a required course in business such as Fang Zhongshu. How can she do it if she is not proficient in it.
In every aspect except appearance, Jin Lian is far inferior to Li Shishi, the most famous courtesan in the world...
Although Li Shishi is a prostitute, she does not have the aura of prostitution. She looks quite charming, but inside, she is cold and cold. This contrast is quite attractive.
"High official, that's Mrs. Li." Even though he knew that Wang Yan had guessed it, Mr. Turtle still informed her thoughtfully.
Wang Yan waved to Master Li above, and Master Li nodded in response. Of course she was confused, but since she became famous, there are many people who have tried their best to get close to her, and nothing is unusual. It's just that Wang Yan's behavior was really calm and natural, as if he really knew her. She was a little unsure, so she nodded politely. Of course, she would have nodded to anyone else.
With a chuckle, Wang Yan said: "Ms. Li is indeed worthy of being number one in the world."
"Who says it's not?" Mr. Gui said with a smile: "It would be great if you can take a look at Mrs. Li. Sir, would you two sit down in this hall, or go to the private room upstairs?" "
"Just over there." Wang Yan pointed to a table in the outermost corner: "Both of us haven't had dinner, so just serve the good wine and good food."
Chang Sui sighed and threw a ten-tael piece of silver into the hands of Mr. Turtle. Mr. Turtle happily took the silver and weighed it. He trotted over to clean the table and stools and asked Wang Yan and the two to sit down: "Master, please wait a moment." , the food and wine will be ready soon, will be ready soon.”
After saying that, he walked away with his legs tight.
Needless to say, the prices for food and drinks in this kind of entertainment venue must be much higher than outside. As for Mr. Turtle who opens the table here, he will naturally get a corresponding commission, and it is quite a lot. Catering profits are never bad.
Ignoring those, Wang Yan sat there, looking at the geishas singing and dancing with a smile, and listening to the discussions of the scholars around him.
It was obvious that these people were in no mood to sing or dance right now. Instead, he racked his brains in composing poems and lyrics, intending to write a masterpiece that could say a few words to Master Li.
Everyone in Bianjing knew that Master Li was Zhao Ji's imperial concubine and was not something they could approach. But this is a brothel, and Master Li is the mainstay here. When the mood gets better, he will also show off his face, do some talents to attract popularity, and keep his professional skills up to date.
And since Master Li could show his face like this, Zhao Ji must have allowed it. You, Zhao Ji, have already allowed Mr. Li to show off his talents, why can’t I just talk?
After all, the Song Dynasty and the scholar-bureaucrats share the same world, and the punishment cannot be imposed on the officials. It's just that some scholars are having affairs, and they don't think there's anything wrong with it. Although some madmen have died in the past, they deserved to be punished because they didn't count.
And after all, she is the emperor's woman, so it is impossible to say that she does not have some exciting ideas. If it really matters, it will be worth it if you think about it and leave a trace of romance in the history books.
It's that simple.
After a while, Mr. Turtle came over with wine in his arms, followed by two people carrying vegetables, and set up a table. Then, after saying that he would come back if you need more wine, he ran to other tables and asked if he wanted more wine. Serve the food and get busy.
As soon as the food was served, Wang Yan and Chang Sui started eating and drinking, watching their performance.
The singing and dancing gradually stopped, and a group of people applauded and cheered. The two geishas greeted Yingying with a bow and walked away gracefully with lotus steps.
Another turtle came up to the high platform. He bowed his hands in greetings and shouted loudly: "Thank you all for coming. The singing and dancing are over. I am a talented gentleman. I have finished the poem about praising the snow. I don't know which gentleman." Let me first describe his masterpiece so that Lady Li, the other ladies, and the gentlemen present can comment on it."
As soon as he finished speaking, a handsome gentleman in the front row said, "I'll come first." He stood up, walked around in a circle and stepped onto the stage, with hands held in all directions...
"This person is Chang Dingyuan, Suzhou. This autumn..." A person not far from Wang Yan introduced the star on the stage.
Most of the scholars at this time were open-minded and had no embarrassment. What's more, this is one of the best brothels and has always been a famous place. The three redundancies of the Song Dynasty are not a secret, everyone knows it. There are many dignitaries in Bianjing who have become famous here and participated in some celebrity poetry gatherings from time to time.
After all, reading is all about fame and fortune, and it has always been that way.
While Wang Yan was eating boiled lamb chops, his mouth was full of oil, and he was drinking wine, he raised his head and glanced at Master Li who had been standing there at the railing on the second floor. It's just that this look is incredible. Next to Master Li, he saw a fat little white man standing with his hands behind his hands, looking at him with a smile. Isn't it the Zhao Ji whom he had just met?
Immediately, he threw away the mutton chops in his hand, stood up, took a step back, and bowed to Zhao Ji from afar.
Zhao Ji smiled and nodded, waving his hand to signal him to get up and continue doing whatever he was supposed to do. Wang Yan then continued to sit down to eat meat and drink, listening to the goings on on the stage with a very serious look.
Li Shishi paid attention to the man in the black fur coat for a while, and they still looked at each other when they first came in. She didn't see any other bad looks in the man's eyes, only the appreciation of beauty. This kind of look is rare in her body. Moreover, she was wrapped in a black leather coat. She was tall and sitting in the corner. She could see him at a glance from above. It was difficult for her not to notice.
"Guan, who was the one who saluted just now?"
"Oh? Master is interested in him?"
"It's just that with so many people here, it's strange that he is the only one saluting the official."
"Of them, some don't know it's me, and some know me but pretend not to know." Zhao Ji shook his head and smiled, and answered: "He is Wang Yan. He came to Beijing the day before yesterday and had lunch with me in the palace today. "
"Wang Yan?" Li Shishi asked confusedly. She had heard of this name in a daze, but she couldn't remember what it was for.
Seeing that she didn't think of it, Zhao Ji continued to speak thoughtfully: "That's Wang Yan from Yanggu County. The things you used were all researched by him. People say he is the reincarnation of the God of Wealth. Do you remember?"
"His name is so great, why can't I remember it? The officials don't know that the sisters of Yuxianglou spent their own money to buy the rouge and gouache at a high price. If the slave family hadn't been given it by the officials, I'm afraid it would have been too I don't have much money left." Master Li smiled tenderly and said, "Originally, I thought that the God of Wealth was so special, but now I have seen him, he is just an ordinary person, just a little taller and stronger, but a little too young. Look at his face. , I’m afraid it hasn’t reached the top yet?”
"He was crowned eighteen, and his nickname is 'Zi Yan'. He is turning twenty this year." Zhao Ji touched his mustache: "He is not an ordinary person as you say. He was visiting the garden with me in the palace today. When I asked him, he learned how to call him He took snow as the theme, no matter whether it was good or bad, he just composed a poem. While he was chatting with me in the garden, he was thinking, and saw a proud snowy plum blossom, and wrote a limerick, saying, "...the plum blossoms will never be seen when flying into them." What do you think, Master?"
"The first three sentences are just a child's joke, but the second half is the finishing touch. With that artistic conception, even though it is a limerick, it is very valuable, and ordinary people may not be able to match it."
Zhao Ji continued with a smile: "After this incident, I asked him to compete with my guard's imperial belt. You may not know that those belts and imperial weapons are masters selected from the Forbidden Army. They are not accessible to others. As a result, Wang Yan accompanied my royal belt and fought back and forth for nearly a quarter of an hour. Then he kicked the royal belt away. He didn't blush and was out of breath. He was just there to amuse me. Later I asked again. Yudai, he said that if Wang Yan is really serious about fighting, he can defeat him with three punches and two kicks, or even kill him. He is good at literature and martial arts, and he can also make money. This guy is awesome..."
"Wang Yan is so powerful, isn't it because he is used by the officials and is loyal to the Song Dynasty? He is also an official with a keen eye, knows people well and is good at assigning tasks. If it were not for the love and protection of the officials, it is not known whether Wang Yan could survive to this day, and how could he have such a great reputation? Head." Master Li smiled and said: "Guan, don't say Wang Yan. Come here at this time. I think the official has not eaten yet, so I will go back to the room with the servant and eat some wine and meat. Later, I will ask the slave to massage you. You will spend the whole day. The affairs of the country are troublesome, and I will relieve my fatigue with you."
Zhao Ji laughed, hugged Master Li's slender waist, turned and left...
Seeing Zhao Ji leaving with Mei, Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, and went to talk to the turtle man from before. After eating and drinking, I went straight to find two oirans, one for my subordinates and one for myself. He's here, and Zhao Ji has seen him, so he can't just leave without doing anything.
Master Li, he is out of luck. Not only was Zhao Ji here, but he was not here, he came first in poetry, and when he had the chance to meet Li Shishi, he didn't dare to do anything. Someone must have reported Zhao Ji, and that was to cause trouble for himself.
After a night of fun, I got a feel for the power of the famous prostitutes of the Song Dynasty. Under the female clothes that he had served, he washed and showered, had breakfast, gave a tip, and settled the general bill, with the equally comfortable long-term escort. Leave and continue to wander around Bianjing City. He will have more walks to experience the scenery of the Song Dynasty.
He was in no hurry to leave. Before he came, he told Jin Lian that he would spend the Shangyuan Festival here, that is, after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, before setting off back to Yanggu. After all, you are here, this is the biggest festival of the year, you have to see everything. Besides, we don’t have many years to see such a scenery, so just take a look if you can.
In the afternoon, as soon as he returned to the inn, he saw Yang Jian waiting there with two eunuchs. He stepped forward and bowed: "Wang Yan has met Yang Daguan. I didn't know that the senior official came today and asked him to wait for a long time. Really?" It's Wang Yan's fault, so don't blame the high official."
"Okay, Ziyan, you and I are not outsiders, and we don't want to use polite words. I came here this time to deliver the decree on behalf of the official family." As he spoke, Yang Jian stood up and spread out the imperial edict in his hand: "To Wang Yan, the captain of Guo School." !”
Wang Yan was stunned for a moment, and quickly knelt down on one knee. Others in the room followed suit and knelt down, listening to Yang Jian reciting the imperial edict.
In fact, it was nothing, just to affirm his merits in making money and get promoted again. He was given the title of Captain Zhenwei, a rank-6 casual official. At the current level, even though he is a worthless casual official, it is not easy to be promoted further up. Moreover, Zhao Ji also had to consider that he would have to pay more money every year in the future, and it might be more and more every year. He would always have to keep it in case it was difficult to award the reward in the future. In addition, I was given a bunch of messy porcelain, silk cloth, tribute tea, gold and silver, etc., as well as the calligraphy and paintings I asked for earlier, all of which are quite valuable.
Apart from anything else, Zhao Ji still gave a lot of rewards for these messes, which was quite generous. Of course, compared to what he offered, it was somewhat worth mentioning.
After receiving the imperial edict, Wang Yan took Yang Jian upstairs to sit down, drink tea and chat.
Looking at the senior official playing with the tea set, Yang Jian said: "You performed well this time, and the official is very satisfied."
"It's obvious that the official family has spent so much money on so many rewards."
"Those are all the good things offered by various places this year. Even if you have money, you can't buy them. Even Cai Jing doesn't have as many things as you. You are the only one of the Holy Heart, so go ahead."
Taking the tea from Wang Yan, Yang Jian took a sip and continued: "I heard that Tong Guan posted a message for you?"
"The official is well-informed..." Wang Yan raised his head, glanced at him, and said, "I was invited to attend a meeting in Fan Lou today, but I declined."
"That's right. Zi Yan, you are still young and don't know the connection. Let me remind you, do what you should do and stay out of other things. It's not that I'm afraid of you siding with Tong Guan. , it’s the officials’ side that can’t get through.”
"Wang Yan knows, thank you for the heads up."
"I cherish your talent. You have really helped me a lot this year. I can't bear to see you go astray. Okay, that's all. You can take care of yourself." After that, he put down the tea he had only drank a sip of and stood up. Leave.
Wang Yan said something symbolic, sent him downstairs, left the inn, and then returned upstairs to continue drinking tea.
Yang Jian didn't have such a good heart, and those words he said were testing him. After all, he had never left Yanggu County before, so he probably had little experience and didn't understand anything, which allowed Yang Jian to take advantage of it. But now, he has met Zhao Ji and felt Zhao Ji's attention, and his status is now different. He is not something Yang Jian can manipulate at will, nor is it someone Yang Jian can use to serve Zhao Ji and apply eye drops at will. And the most important thing is that Yang Jian took 10% of the profit. The money is hot now, but he doesn't want to let it go yet, so he comes here to pretend to care about him.
But this is because Yang Jian is being cautious and lacks confidence. Yang Jian didn't know that that little money was nothing to a high official. Yang Jian must be waiting for him to express his opinions later, but he is not used to this problem. After all, Yang Jian himself knows that his status is different now, so why are he pretending? We will do maintenance later, let it dry for a while and let Yang Jian shiver for a while.
The official did not take any further action, and drank tea and read alone in the inn room. After dinner, he went downstairs to eat a fairly sumptuous meal, then washed up and returned to the room to continue reading.
He blew out the candles at the usual time. But he didn't sleep. Instead, he sat there fully dressed. The hand on the table was tapping the table time and time again, waiting for the time to come.
After a long time, it was late at night, after everyone was probably asleep. Without disturbing others, he quietly jumped out of the window. I looked left and right on the street, then controlled my steps, ignored people, and ran towards Xihua Gate...
There is the Yuxiang Tower.
Who doesn’t love a beautiful woman...
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
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