Chapter 129: Triple critical hit, it

"Hahaha!"

Gao Changwen suddenly burst into loud laughter, which gave Gao Yang quite a start.

"What are you shrieking for all of a sudden?" Gao Yang had a face full of black lines as he looked at Gao Changwen.

Gao Changwen scratched his head and said, "I just felt the atmosphere was weirdly awkward, so I couldn't help myself."

Gao Yang: "……"

Seeing this, Chen Yi generously pulled Song Qingqing forward. She pretended to be casual and said, "Young Masters, it seems everything is fate, meeting here of all places. Are you two here to buy clothes as well?"

As Song Qingqing's best friend, she naturally knew what Song Qingqing was thinking, and she also felt it was quite awkward.

Just after breaking off the engagement, Gao Yang had transformed from a mere playboy into a pillar of talent in all of Changancheng, one who could suppress the top scholar Cui.

Even the Empress was moved by him.

Among all this, the most awkward party was the Song Fu.

But Chen Yi couldn't easily speak on this matter; after all, Song Qingqing had gone too far.

However, because of their previous relationship, her standing with Gao Yang and Gao Changwen was still decent, and she did have a bit of face.

Upon hearing this, Gao Changwen nodded in total agreement. "It is indeed quite a coincidence. Usually, after strolling through the Rouge Pavilion, we head straight back to the residence to recuperate for several days. I didn't expect that the first time we came to this Brocade Tower, we would run into you."

"Rouge Pavilion?"

"You went to a brothel?"

Chen Yi was extremely shocked.

Song Qingqing's expression also changed.

But Gao Changwen looked surprised. "What's with those looks? As playboys, what else would we do if we didn't visit brothels on a daily basis?"

"Should we be rushing to the front lines to die in battle?"

This righteous, self-assured manner, along with that certain tone, left Chen Yi at a loss for words.

What he said made so much sense that she had no way to refute it.

Once Gao Changwen thought of everything inside the Rouge Pavilion, he instantly became interested. "We didn't just go to the Rouge Pavilion; my elder brother will even be able to enjoy it for free in the future."

In Gao Changwen's eyes, a supreme membership card for the Rouge Pavilion was simply a symbol of glory.

Immediately, he recounted the supreme membership card worth two hundred thousand taels of silver, along with all the privileges that came with it.

For a moment, Chen Yi was stunned.

According to Da Qian's salary standards, although her father was a Third Rank high official, his annual salary, including all the miscellaneous bits, was only a few tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Of course, that was his public income.

But in the household, there were still dozens of servants to feed. Two hundred thousand taels of silver was absolutely an astronomical figure.

The Rouge Pavilion, as a famous brothel in Changancheng, was well-known to them; most of the girls there sold their art but not their bodies, and they were all beauties.

Gao Yang's privilege was already terrifying.

Furthermore, in the midst of their conversation, Gao Changwen shook his head and recited the *Qingping Tune* that Gao Yang had composed.

In an instant.

Both women were filled with shock.

Especially Song Qingqing, whose heart was stirred by endless astonishment.

She had studied the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood and was proficient in poetry and couplets, which was why she was hailed as one of the four great talented women of Changancheng.

But even she, upon hearing "Clouds think of clothes, flowers think of looks; spring breeze brushes the railing, dew makes the flowers thick," was filled with surprise.

Song Qingqing finally couldn't hold back. Her red lips parted slightly as she said, "Gao Yang, was this 'Clouds think of clothes, flowers think of looks; spring breeze brushes the railing, dew makes the flowers thick' truly written by you on the spot?"

She didn't believe it; with just this one poem, Gao Yang could rank among the top-tier poets of Da Qian!

As soon as Gao Yang heard Song Qingqing's skeptical tone, he felt inexplicably annoyed.

After all, she had guessed correctly.

He really had plagiarized it; he just plagiarized Li Bai from another dimension.

He snapped back at Song Qingqing directly, "No, I copied it."

The cold attitude and harsh tone instantly made Song Qingqing think of how she had waited for Gao Yang under a tree for several hours yesterday, only to be bitten by mosquitoes until she had several large welts.

In her heart, although she had done the wrong thing and had indeed been somewhat hurtful, causing the Duke of Dingguo's mansion to lose face.

But as a proud person, she had already lowered her head.

Gao Yang was a man; couldn't he be more broad-minded?

Besides, she only wanted to be friends with Gao Yang. Did he really think that just because he had surpassed Cui Xinghe and gained the Empress's favor, she couldn't live without him?

She, Song Qingqing, was only giving him one more chance to pursue her.

With so many talented scholars in the world, which one wasn't a match for her, Song Qingqing?

Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, Chen Yi hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Young Master Gao, don't take it to heart; Qingqing didn't mean it that way at all."

Gao Yang was noncommittal.

He simply looked down on women like Song Qingqing who fawned over the powerful, even though he had seen plenty of them in his past life.

But it was like smelling dog shit; you couldn't just because you smelled it every day, start thinking one day that it smelled fragrant, right?

Unless you became a bootlicker.

It was the same principle.

Chen Yi's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said to Gao Yang, "This 'Clouds think of clothes, flowers think of looks; spring breeze brushes the railing, dew makes the flowers thick'—this was written for Qingqing, right?"

Gao Yang heard this and let out a "Holy shit."

Song Qingqing's pretty face froze.

The meaning of this poem was very straightforward; it described a woman's beauty as if she were a fairy from heaven.

She had broken off the engagement only ten days ago. In such a short time, besides her, who else could be in Gao Yang's mind?

He spoke more harshly than anyone else, but in reality, he was still pining for her in his heart.

Hmph!

Song Qingqing's beautiful complexion improved.

"Gao Yang, I can understand your feelings. It's right for you to hate me. Yesterday, you made me wait for several hours; let's call it even."

"We can still be friends in the future."

Damn!

Gao Yang couldn't hold it together. He hurriedly said, "Big sister, can you not insult this poem?"

"When have you ever seen a fairy who fawns over the powerful? I'm begging you, hurry up and go find Cui Xinghe."

Insult!

Fawning over the powerful!

Find Cui Xinghe!

These three phrases were a lethal triple combo, instantly delivering a series of critical hits to Song Qingqing's heart.

"Gao Yang, what do you mean by insult, what do you mean by fawning over the powerful, and what do you mean by finding Cui Xinghe? You explain yourself clearly today!"

Hearing this, Song Qingqing exploded. These words were not only highly aggressive but also extremely insulting!

Gao Yang couldn't be bothered to deal with Song Qingqing; it was just a waste of breath.

Just then, Shopkeeper Qi walked over from the other side, holding a bolt of fine, white Zhao Gao. Gao Yang stepped forward directly.

"Young Master Gao, this is the Zhao Gao you wanted. However, as you know, the journey from the Zhao Kingdom is long, and coupled with the mature weaving technology, the price is relatively expensive."

Gao Yang took the Zhao Gao from his hands and began to stroke it gently.

Sure enough, both the texture and the feel of this Zhao Gao far exceeded the fabrics of Da Qian.

"Only the Zhao Kingdom can produce this Zhao Gao?"

"That is natural. After all, this is one of the Zhao Kingdom's major means of accumulating wealth, and its core technology has always been kept secret."

Shopkeeper Qi wore a smile on his face.

Gao Yang examined the Zhao Gao in his hand and asked, "How many taels of silver for one bolt of Zhao Gao?"

"Ten taels of silver."

Hearing this, Gao Yang was somewhat surprised; this price really wasn't cheap.

"Zhao Da, pay him."

Gao Yang stroked the Zhao Gao in his hand, a smile full of deep meaning appearing on his face.