Chapter 498: Drinking Among the Flowers by the Qinhuai River

Zhu Youxiao glanced at the Duke of Wei and said, "My mind is made up. My lord, say no more."

Having said this, Zhu Youxiao looked at Wei Chao beside him and said, "I have also prepared a set of clothes for you, my lord. Why not go change into them?"

The Duke of Wei felt somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't expected the Emperor to show him no courtesy either. This left him with a faint sense of unease in his heart.

When the Emperor privately asks you to go out with him, either he is very close to you and doesn't treat you as an outsider, which is why he brings you along.

The Duke of Wei's relationship with the Emperor was nowhere near that level — and besides, this was his very first meeting with the Emperor.

The current Emperor was a man of great decisiveness, and he wasn't particularly friendly toward old-timers like them. Under such circumstances, that first possibility naturally couldn't apply.

So then, it had to be the second one.

The second possibility, of course, was that you had committed some offense, and the Emperor wanted to deal with you. Keeping you by his side was to prevent you from causing trouble or disrupting his plans — or even to bring you to the scene to see for yourself, and then make you confess your crimes.

The Duke of Wei's earlier words had actually been a probe. If the Emperor's attitude hadn't been very firm, perhaps there might still have been room to negotiate.

But judging from the current situation, the Emperor's attitude was not merely firm — it was absolute. The Duke of Wei had to come along.

Under such circumstances, the Duke of Wei had no choice but to follow.

So the Duke of Wei could only say, "Yes, Your Majesty. Your servant will go change clothes at once."

Watching Wei Chao's retreating figure, Zhu Youxiao turned around expressionlessly and ordered, "Make the preparations. We depart."

The place Zhu Youxiao was headed was, naturally, the banks of the Qinhuai River.

In Nanjing, the Qinhuai River's banks were the most famous locale of all.

There were many flower boats on the Qinhuai River, and every year there were many courtesan queens as well. This had already become a very thriving industry within the city of Nanjing.

Zhu Youxiao had heard of it in his later life, so he was naturally curious. However, if he wanted to see the famed Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, that wasn't possible at this time. Figures like Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan — some had only been born a few years, others weren't even born yet, so there was no point in thinking about them.

He wondered what the courtesan queens of this era were like.

It was worth going to take a look.

But Zhu Youxiao didn't hold out much hope. After all, in his own palace, whether it was Noble Consort Tian or Noble Consort Yuan, both had been selected from the most beautiful women in the realm. Whether in qin, chess, calligraphy, or painting, or in looks and appearance, they were beyond what ordinary people could compare with — the pool of selection wasn't even on the same level.

Not to mention Empress Zhang. Zhu Youxiao didn't think anyone here could measure up to his precious pearl.

Still... since Zhu Youxiao had come to Nanjing, he naturally wanted to see this kind of place for himself — consider it broadening his horizons.

Besides, this kind of place also held things Zhu Youxiao was interested in. He imagined tonight would yield very good results.

In Nanjing, this was one industry. And behind them, there was another industry.

After the group left the palace, they headed straight for the Qinhuai River.

The Duke of Wei followed behind, the expression on his face somewhat complicated.

From the direction they were taking, he could tell where His Majesty was going — it was plainly to the Qinhuai River to visit the flower boats.

This was not something an Emperor should be doing. If anyone found out that he had gone to the Qinhuai River's banks together with the Emperor, he reckoned that would be a crime on his part.

Under such circumstances, the Duke of Wei wanted to offer a few words of counsel.

But he was disappointed — he simply couldn't get close to Zhu Youxiao, let alone speak with him.

Those eunuchs had surrounded Zhu Youxiao tightly. It looked loose, but anyone trying to get close would find it basically impossible.

Even arrows shot from any direction couldn't reach Zhu Youxiao. He had people blocking him on all four sides. Under such circumstances, the Duke of Wei couldn't even speak.

After nightfall, the banks of the Qinhuai River grew lively.

Countless people were frolicking and strolling here, shouting and calling out.

Lanterns were hung up along both sides of the street. The crimson lanterns dazzled the eyes — he wondered if this was what the term "red-light district" looked like.

Seeing quite a few scholars weaving through the crowd, folding fans waving in their hands, Zhu Youxiao's mood turned sour.

On the street next to the Qinhuai River's banks stood the Confucius Temple and the Examination Hall. The fact that this place had its current fame and its current business was largely propped up by these so-called scholars — they were willing to throw money around here in great piles.

In the Great Ming, they were the upper class. Their families had money and land, they had social standing, and they enjoyed everything.

As for what they did? What did they do?

They exploited and squeezed all the more. Very few scholars in the Great Ming managed to become officials — compared to the total number, it wasn't many.

Those who hadn't become officials were using their scholar privileges to exploit the nation and exploit the common people.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at the Duke of Wei behind him and sighed inwardly — perhaps those scholars weren't even as good as this fellow.

Walking a short distance down the street, he saw a very large establishment, brilliantly lit, with people at the entrance welcoming guests.

On the river in front of the entrance were moored three very large flower boats. Even by this area's standards, they were quite big.

Clearly, all three flower boats belonged to the establishment before them. It was evident this was a very large business.

Zhu Youxiao led his people over, waving a folding fan in his hand, looking every bit the elegant young gentleman of the world.

Upon arriving at this brothel, Zhu Youxiao's gaze seemed to be drawn to something.

Standing still in place, he raised his head and looked at the plaque before him, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

The plaque was very large and ornately decorated. Written on it were three large characters:

Li Chun Court.

Zhu Youxiao reached out and beckoned the Duke of Wei to his side, then asked, "My lord, this place seems quite extraordinary. I wonder who the backer behind it is? Do you know, my lord?"

Hearing these words, the Duke of Wei's body gave a shudder, and the expression on his face turned somewhat ugly. Still, he forced a smile and said, "To answer Your Majesty, your servant is advanced in years and takes no interest in such matters. I do not come to places like this in my daily life."

"Moreover, officials of the Great Ming are not permitted to frequent brothels, and your servant never comes to such places. Who the backer behind this brothel is, your servant naturally would not know."

"Is that so?" Zhu Youxiao smiled and nodded, speaking in a casual tone. "I see. Then it was wrong of me to ask such a question. But this place really does look quite nice — let's go in and sit for a while."

Having said this, Zhu Youxiao snapped his folding fan shut with a swish, then walked into the establishment with his hands clasped behind his back.

The greeters at the entrance saw this group and hurriedly smiled and called out welcomes.

Naturally, a place like this wouldn't have prostitutes at the door greeting or soliciting customers — that was what low-end establishments did; high-end places never engaged in such trivial tricks.

Only after walking inside did women come forward to greet them. They weren't there to accompany you — they were there to receive the guests.

Unlike those greeting guests at the entrance, these women mainly handled arrangements. Their status was lower than the madam's, but they did similar work — such as arranging the wine, private rooms, and girls.

If every brothel relied on the madam alone to handle all of this, it would wear her to death.

These women who greeted guests were all a bit older, none of them had been redeemed from their contracts, and they would likely spend their old age in the brothel. They did this kind of work on a regular basis, and in private they also taught the new women who arrived.

You should know that in a high-class establishment like this in the Great Ming, it wasn't enough to just sleep with people to survive. The girls here had to be beautiful, good at conversation, versed in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, knowledgeable in poetry and verse, and able to chat with you to pass the time.

It could be said that this was a high-end club, and none of the girls here were ordinary people. Just like those high-end places of later generations, the girls there were beautiful, well-educated, and even had impressive academic credentials.

This kind of thing was what the Old Ancestor had long since grown tired of. Many girls were so sought after that it was hard to even get a single meeting with them. It wasn't a matter of money—the more exclusive something was, the more people clamored for it.

Even nobles or high-ranking officials wouldn't make a mess of things here. If they truly wanted a woman, they would usually throw money at it, paying a large sum to redeem her. That too counted as an elegant affair.

The one who came to greet Zhu Youxiao and his party was a woman in her thirties, her face beaming with a brilliant smile as she walked straight up to Zhu Youxiao and said with a laugh: "This young master has an extraordinary bearing. Might I ask if you have a girl you're familiar with here?"

"No, this is my first visit." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile: "The place isn't bad. If the girls are just as good, then I'll stay."

"Very well, young master, rest assured—the girls here will definitely satisfy you." The woman said with a smile: "What sort does the young master prefer? Do you have any requirements?"

Zhu Youxiao turned to look at her and said: "Give me the best—your top courtesan. Also, book me the private room Tian-zi Number Two. It's too chaotic downstairs. This young master doesn't care for such places."

Having said this, Zhu Youxiao smiled and snapped open his folding fan.

Wei Chao, who stood beside Zhu Youxiao, stepped forward, pulled a banknote from his sleeve, smiled as he pressed it into the woman's hand, then stepped back to the side.

The smile on the woman's face grew even more radiant. Taking the banknote, she ran her fingers over a few spots, then smiled and tucked it into her sleeve.

She didn't even need to look—by the size, it had to be a hundred-tael silver note, and from the texture, it was one hundred percent a note from the Imperial Bank.

This young master was truly generous, tossing out a hundred taels right off the bat.

And this was before anything had even happened.

The woman's smile instantly became even more brilliant, and she hurriedly said: "Young master, please wait a moment—the girls will be here right away."

She turned her head and called out: "An honored guest has arrived. Prepare the Tian-zi Number Two room."

Having said this, she turned and led the way in front, speaking as she walked: "Young master, we have fine wine and dishes here. Two good sea bass came in yesterday—I'll have them prepared and sent to you shortly. Might I ask what wine the young master would like?"