Chapter 72: Attending the Banquet

The young masters and commoners watching from the sidelines were also stunned.

This was the final day of rehearsals, and Liu Zheng did not hold back. With a grand scene directly from the piece "Dragon Flame of a Prosperous Age," a group of top courtesans on the Fengming Tower float performed in full costume. The music was majestic, magnificent, and extravagant; not only did it instantly cast all the floats from the other flower houses into the shade, but it also brought the atmosphere of this grand rehearsal to its peak, leaving people unable to restrain themselves.

The lights of the entire venue shone upon them.

Today's style could be summed up in two words: luxury.

Radiant and fragrant, they gave people a feeling of warmth and soft jade amidst this frozen, snowy world. This was truly something that conformed to the aesthetic values of this world.

Not only that, but Liu Zheng had also upgraded this aesthetic.

With Shen Manqing's style of luxury paired with a song of a prosperous age, who could compete?

Luxurious, grand, and high-class.

In this era, who could possibly outplay Liu Zheng?

Once this float appeared, it instantly killed the competition. After this, none of the other flower houses had anything left to fight with.

"This..."

"What happened to the 'natural look' we were promised!"

"I bought a whole box of soap yesterday! Why is it so fragrant again today!"

The waves of fragrance brought about by the gorgeous extravagance once again became the hot topic of discussion for the people tonight.

"Brother Liu..."

Zheng Yue Ru was also defeated, looking at Liu Zheng with a wry smile.

Who was it that said yesterday that the jade of the He clan should not be adorned with five colors, and Sui Hou's Pearl should not be adorned with silver and yellow? Who was it that said one must sweep away ten layers of makeup before the face is no longer hateful...

So you were just saying that for fun?

Liu Zheng, however, said with a smile: "How is it? Is the scene acceptable? Such a magnificent sight is the only thing worthy of today's prosperous age! Did you smell those various fragrances? After the Bitter Water Rose, we have several new products: Peony, Jasmine. Which one do you like?"

Zheng Yue Ru clutched her forehead, unable to speak for a moment before saying: "But Brother Liu, with this 'Dragon Flame of a Prosperous Age' out today, what shall we do tomorrow when the Empress arrives?"

This Young Master Liu was something else; such a top-tier program was good enough to enter the palace and be performed for the Emperor, so why not save it for the end?

Rehearsing it today and doing it again tomorrow, the effect would certainly not be as explosive as it was today.

Liu Zheng chuckled and said: "Rest assured, Yue Ru, tomorrow's program should be even more to the Empress's taste."

"You... you, what did you call me?"

Zheng Yue Ru wanted to retort, but then she realized how Liu Zheng had addressed her. Her pretty face flushed red instantly, a flash of great embarrassment crossing it. Looking charming and alluring, she dared not look at Liu Zheng again.

She looked at Shen Manqing, who was surrounded by ten thousand flowers, and sighed slightly in her heart. As a close friend who had fallen for Liu Zheng, how could she not know that she herself had been treated by Liu Zheng as a tool to promote these products of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce? Liu Zheng had been extracting the value from her time and again, yet she remained so willing...

Tonight, the perfume of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce would be snatched up again.

"That bastard Liu Zheng! What on earth is he trying to do?"

Guo Yu, on the restaurant balcony, watched the city of Liangzhou go crazy once again because of Liu Zheng, and in his anger, he fiercely threw the wine pot in his hand to the ground.

"Young Master..."

"This bastard really doesn't play by the rules!"

Guo Yu gritted his teeth and cursed: "Don't give me that nonsense. With his 'Dragon Flame of a Prosperous Age' today, can our Yihong Courtyard compare?"

A group of lackeys stood speechless.

"Useless, all of you are useless!"

"Young Master, where are you going?"

"To buy perfume!"

This night was yet another night led by the Liu Family young master in the name of fashion.

"This Young Master Liu..."

Du Biao was also amazed. When the rehearsal ended, he saw the look of frustration on the face of his own Xiao Ruozhi.

"No matter, no matter. If we lost this time, so be it!"

Du Biao laughed heartily and comforted her.

"Third Leader, who exactly is this Liu Family young master?"

"Exactly. This display is comparable to court etiquette; how can we compete?"

Du Biao looked at Xiao Ruozhi and chuckled: "Ruozhi..."

Xiao Ruozhi, however, was stubborn: "Third Leader, Ruozhi is also skilled in this court dance. Since that Fengming Tower is so eager to please the Empress, why can't we?"

The crowd was startled and then overjoyed to hear this.

"Is there enough time?"

Du Biao asked.

After all, the Top Courtesan Competition was tomorrow. There was only one day left to prepare.

Xiao Ruozhi said confidently: "My solo dance alone will not lose to that Shen Manqing. Sisters, we only need a little coordination!"

Du Biao was overjoyed: "Is that true? If so, we can start preparing immediately!"

Xiao Ruozhi and the sisters of the Lanxiang Troupe were suddenly filled with fighting spirit.

Come tomorrow, they would definitely outshine that Fengming Tower!

Du Biao immediately ordered everyone to cooperate with Xiao Ruozhi unconditionally, then walked out of the Lanxiang Troupe and followed the swarming crowd; in truth, he was a bit curious himself.

Yesterday it was soap, today it was perfume.

What exactly was this perfume?

He watched as people went crazy, once again breaking down the doors of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce. Following the soap, it was now perfume. However, compared to last night, the scene was at least a bit better. After all, the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce had priced the perfume relatively high, placing it in the category of luxury goods.

However...

The moment those beauty-loving young ladies of wealthy families saw the Perfume.

They were already completely unable to extricate themselves.

The Perfume displayed in the shop seemed to have different characteristics for every bottle; there were red ones, purple ones, blue ones, yellow ones, and green ones.

More importantly, those perfume bottles were crystal clear; when the lamplight shone into them, they would emit a dazzling, seven-colored radiance.

What woman wouldn't like this?

Opening the bottles, those different fragrances wafted out, and the crowd went completely crazy.

"Don't push, I was here first!"

"Get lost! I'm buying the whole lot!"

"Yo, is being the eldest daughter of the Wang Family so impressive? I'm buying the whole lot too!"

"You, you, you! My father is a Counselor of the Liangzhou Salt Transport Department, who dares to snatch from me?"

"Get lost, you!"

The clerks of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce were stunned; soon, twenty or thirty people arrived specifically to maintain order at the scene.

"Don't cause trouble, don't snatch, line up slowly. Everyone will have a share, everyone will have some today. No buying the whole lot, limited to one bottle per person!"

Du Biao watched from afar, his heart filled with a thousand emotions.

Who said Liangzhou was barren and the people had no silver? Who said the consumption power in Liangzhou was insufficient? Who said the people here were all penniless? Looking at this scene, who would dare believe it?

……

On Liu Zheng's side, he had just walked down from the restaurant with Zheng Yue Ru, but he encountered his old man and Chen Ruoshi below.

Chen Ruoshi looked coldly at Liu Zheng and Zheng Yue Ru; she almost couldn't help but strike out with the horse whip in her hand.

"You pair of shameless wretches, have you finished drinking?"

Chen Ruoshi's almond eyes were cold as frost.

"You..."

Zheng Yue Ru was so angry she couldn't go on.

"My son, my son, Miss Zheng, Miss Zheng, please do not be angry, please do not be angry! Eldest Miss Chen is here to invite us to the Liangzhou Prefecture for a banquet!"

Liu Dahao hurriedly stepped out to smooth things over, winking at Liu Zheng.

"A banquet?"

Liu Zheng was taken aback. Sure enough, a Horse Carriage was parked at the entrance at this moment.

Chen Ruoshi snorted: "Liu Zheng, don't forget why you came to Liangzhou. Considering you encountered assassins on the road and needed care, my father didn't rush to have the County Marquis of each prefecture and county come to report for duty! Who would have thought you would be here engaging in romantic dalliances with this merchant woman? How utterly shameless!"

Zheng Yue Ru finally couldn't hold back and retorted: "Miss Chen, don't go too far! Tomorrow is the day the Empress returns to visit her family; let's see you call me a merchant woman then!"

"Hmph!"

Chen Ruoshi rolled her eyes.

Liu Zheng felt a headache hearing this; he hurriedly pulled his old man along, said goodbye to Zheng Yue Ru, and got into the Horse Carriage sent by the Liangzhou Prefecture to pick them up.

Liu Dahao wiped away cold sweat and asked: "Zheng, look, as I said, wouldn't it be wonderful to settle your lifelong affairs early? Which of these two young ladies are you truly fond of?"

Liu Zheng rolled his eyes and smiled bitterly: "Can you stop adding to the chaos, Old Man?"

Liu Dahao laughed craftily: "My son, I understand you! My son has a heart as vast as a valley and looks down upon the world; why choose? You want both!"

Liu Zheng almost fell out of the carriage, the corners of his mouth twitching. After a while, he said: "Old Man, is Old Man Chen Ping inviting us here to..."

Liu Dahao nodded, looking guarded: "Could it be that this fellow sees my Zheng is a man of talent and wants to propose a marriage? Hmm, this Chen Family girl has a poor temperament; I still need to ponder this matter..."

Liu Zheng closed his eyes to rest.

Liu Dahao, however, became more excited as he spoke, earnestly analyzing it for Liu Zheng on the side. He said that although the old thief Chen Ping was cunning, his daughter was indeed a peerless beauty, so she would barely be a match for my Zheng. But that Zheng Yue Ru had the backing of the Empress and could help Liu Zheng in his career. He suggested having both, but he was having a hard time deciding who should be the wife and who the concubine.

Liu Zheng continued to ignore him.

Liu Dahao could only shake his head and sigh, saying that as a father, he would definitely respect Liu Zheng's wishes and would never be like other wealthy families where it was all about the orders of parents and the words of matchmakers; that was not the style of our Liu Family.

Soon, the Horse Carriage stopped. Chen Ruoshi lifted the curtain of the carriage; she first glared coldly at Liu Zheng, but when she faced Liu Dahao, she was all smiles.

"Elder Liu, the road is icy, be careful getting off."

Liu Dahao looked at Liu Zheng triumphantly and chuckled. Like a magic trick, he took a bottle of Perfume out of his pocket: "Miss Chen, my son Liu Zheng is ignorant. This Perfume is a rare item; how could I not give it to Miss Chen first? Look, I brought you a bottle right here. Our family's goods—there's more when you finish it!"

Chen Ruoshi accepted it happily and spoke directly, calling him 'Uncle Liu' with every sentence, sounding extremely affectionate.

Liu Zheng covered his forehead and sighed.

Who was it that said the Chen Family girl had a poor temperament?

Who would have thought that before they even went in, they saw Chen Ping, who had received the news, already welcoming them with open arms and running over with a happy laugh.

"County Marquis Liu, it has been several months in the blink of an eye; are you still in good health?"

He immediately began chatting arm-in-arm with Liu Dahao, not mentioning the incident a few days ago when Liu Dahao caused a scene at the Liangzhou Prefecture.

Liu Dahao coughed: "I am well, I am well. Prefect, you have lost weight!"

Liu Zheng rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

These people of the ancient times were actually far more hypocritical than the people of later generations.

The day before the Empress's visit to her family, suddenly holding a banquet to summon his old man—there was definitely nothing good about it.

Sure enough.

After exchanging pleasantries with Liu Dahao for a while, Chen Ping looked at Liu Zheng with an affectionate face: "Young Master of the Marquis, you have become much more robust!"

Liu Zheng hurriedly cupped his hands: "Liu Zheng greets the Prefect."

Chen Ping laughed: "Come in, come in, it's cold outside. I remember that day Young Master Liu called me 'Father-in-law'; how is it that after a few months, you've changed your tune?"

"Father!"

As soon as Chen Ping said this.

Chen Ruoshi's face turned bright red.

Liu Dahao was dumbfounded.

Liu Zheng was the same, beginning to feel disheveled in the night wind.