Chapter 323

Suddenly Wang Chengen seemed to think of something, and his eyes lit up.

"Eh? In the evening, it seems Su Qiao is going too, so how about… mm, I'll just rely on Mr. Su! Mr. Su, don't blame me, our household has no choice. At worst, our household will compensate you later."

Su Qiao, who was fast asleep under a brocade quilt on the bed, suddenly sneezed.

He woke briefly for a moment. "Who's thinking of me?"

Sleep overcame him, he turned over, and fell fast asleep again.

179, the rules!

At dusk, Su Qiao finally woke up.

Maids and servants brought hot soup and helped him wash his face and hands.

Su Qiao even took special care to rinse his mouth.

He changed into a moon-white scholar's robe, a folding fan in his hand.

Mm, Su Qiao did it on purpose.

Since he was going to see beauties, naturally he had to dress a bit more dashingly.

Don't mention it, people always say a person relies on a chair and a horse on a saddle.

Su Qiao himself was already a handsome, gentle, and refined scholarly youth; now, dressed up like this, he instantly became even more eye-catching.

Like a graceful young gentleman from a great clan.

When Su Qiao arrived at the entrance of Yi Hong Lou, even those arrogant henchmen of noble families, who looked down on everyone, put on smiles when they saw Su Qiao.

They didn't dare provoke him carelessly.

"This Young Master, please!"

Su Qiao gave a faint nod and followed the crowd inside.

He thought he had come early enough — the sky had only just darkened, and he was already here.

And the result?

Arriving at the entrance, he saw a stream of carriages and horses, with many carriages and people practically queuing up to squeeze in.

Truly worthy of the famous courtesan who had earned such a great reputation — in this era she really was like a star.

Su Qiao secretly felt in his heart that he had perhaps underestimated her before.

Entering Yi Hong Lou, the inside was arranged just like a teahouse stage.

It looked exactly like an open-air courtyard, except with a roof added on top.

Right in the center of the first floor, a platform two or three chi high had been set up, on which Yi Hong Lou's singing girls performed.

Beside the platform were quite a few people holding instruments to help with the accompaniment — erhu, sheng, xiao, and the like.

The seats in front of the stage were the most ordinary chairs; don't be fooled by them being closer, truly high-status people were unwilling to sit that near.

It was like being watched like a monkey.

The price of those seats was actually a bit cheaper.

The entire theater was also tall, roughly the height of a four-story building.

The second floor had private boxes, prepared for those who liked quiet and had money.

The third floor was where guests could rest; the fourth floor was off-limits — it should be where the girls rested.

The whole environment was also decorated with very suggestive touches — pink gauze curtains, festive red silk, and so on.

The moment Su Qiao entered, he attracted quite a bit of attention.

Especially Yi Hong Lou's Madam Hong — the moment her eyes caught Su Qiao, they immediately gleamed with golden light.

She tossed aside the guest in front of her and rushed toward Su Qiao.

"Oh my, this Young Master is here for Lady Liu too, isn't he?"

The Eight Beauties of Qin Huai were basically all chaste courtesans — they sold their art, not their bodies.

Anyone who wished to become a behind-the-curtain guest had to do so willingly; they could not be forced.

Moreover, each and every one was accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting — truly versatile and talented ladies of learning.

So they were also called "ladies," and were vied for in praise by scholars from the south.

The moment Madam Hong came over, she grabbed Su Qiao's sleeve, her hands constantly feeling along his arm.

Although the other woman still had her charms, Su Qiao was still covered in goosebumps by her overly enthusiastic reception.

"Uh, yes. Are there any private boxes? I'd like somewhere quieter."

Su Qiao asked, subtly and forcefully pulling his hand free from her embrace.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Madam Hong's eyes, but then she thought of him asking for a private box, and looked again at the air about him.

Mm, absolutely not short of money — definitely from a great clan.

So she beamed and hurriedly nodded: "Of course! Fifty taels of silver."

A seat that originally cost ten taels of silver was directly multiplied five times by her lips.

"Fine!"

Su Qiao agreed without the slightest hesitation.

The money had been snatched from Zhu Youjian anyway, so whether it was expensive or cheap didn't matter to him.

Seeing Su Qiao agree without so much as a frown, the smile on Madam Hong's face instantly grew even brighter.

Her gaze toward Su Qiao grew hotter and hotter.

She had taken him for a big sucker!

After being led to the private room, Su Qiao paid up and quickly sent everyone away.

Only he himself remained in the empty private room, and only then did he let out a breath of relief.

That's right — even the attending maidservants he had chased out.

……

Not long after Su Qiao came in, Zhu Youjian also arrived at Yi Hong Lou with Wang Chengen and several guards.

Seeing the same imposing noble air around Zhu Youjian, the people at the door did not dare to stop him either.

Coming out this evening, the same as before, Wang Chengen had deliberately brought a good number of banknotes, adding up to over two hundred thousand taels.

It was only because the Jianzhou Jurchen bandit chieftain had now been suppressed, and with high-yield crops like potatoes and corn, the pressure on Great Ming had suddenly lessened considerably.

Added to that, Zhu Youjian had arrested so many corrupt officials that the imperial treasury was now quite flush.

Otherwise, let alone two hundred thousand taels, even scraping together twenty taels would probably have required pawning something.

"I wonder if Su Qiao has arrived yet."

Zhu Youjian's party numbered five or six people — quite a few — and Wang Chengen, worried about Zhu Youjian's safety, likewise chose a private room on the second floor to enter.

As they say, it was fate.

Their private room and Su Qiao's private room were separated by only a single wall.

Neither side knew, though.

……

Clang-clang-clang!

Su Qiao munched on sunflower seeds, sipped tea, and watched the scene outside the private room — it was simply too comfortable.

Felt even more interesting than watching a TV drama.

The gong sounded, and Su Qiao swept a quick glance outward.

Whew!

The entire Yi Hong Lou was packed to the rafters — the aisles on the first floor, the railings on the second floor, basically every spot had people standing.

............ 0

Su Qiao had been inside for barely half a shichen, and already Yi Hong Lou looked like this.

One could well imagine how lively the event was, how many people were curious to see Liu Rushi.

The sound of the gong drew everyone's attention to the stage.

The noisy chatter died down considerably.

At this moment the stage became very open — only the pimp remained, holding the gong and standing to one side, and right in the middle stood Yi Hong Lou's Madam Hong.

"Honored masters and young masters, this one knows you've all come to show your support, surely wanting to meet Qinhuaihe's top courtesan, Lady Liu. Truth be told, this is all thanks to Great Ming's revival, Your Majesty's wisdom, the Jianzhou Jurchens and Tatars being completely done for…"

This Madam Hong truly was in the entertainment business — she rattled on and on at length, and her mouth was plenty sweet.

In just a few words, she had every guest in Yi Hong Lou wearing smiles.

"Enough, enough, stop talking — hurry up and bring Lady Liu out!"