"Oh dear, it's really swollen, let's go." Zhi Qiu quickly stood up, and the two men also got up. Xue Qing finally got her wish and took the three ancient people to stroll around Qing.
It was Xue Qing who suggested watching the chrysanthemum competition, but Zhi Qiu was even more excited than Xue Qing. She pulled Bai Xichen ahead and kept talking the whole way.
"Young master, I've heard that the women of Qing are all very talented. Is that true?" (Zhi Qiu)
"It should be so. Women in the Central Plains believed that talent in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting was just as important as beauty." (Bai Xichen)
"Isn't it amazing that Miss Yichun is the top courtesan?" (Zhi Qiu)
"It should be. I heard of her reputation even before we arrived in Changsheng Town; her musical skills are unparalleled in the area." (Bai Xichen)
"Many people must like her; she's very expensive." (Zhi Qiu)
"It must be. I heard that a young master made a life-size pure gold statue of her, but she still looked down on it." (Bai Xichen)
"Oh, Qing is so kind. Everyone likes her and gives her so many things." (Zhi Qiu)
"Yes." (Bai Xichen)
Xue Qing, listening to their conversation from behind, burst into tears. Bai Xichen, what kind of strange ideas are you instilling in underage girls? Besides, statues are usually made for the dead. Even if they are covered with Swarovski crystals, no one will be happy!
"Zhiqiu, don't listen to Young Master Bai's nonsense. Qingnu is not good at all. She has to greet people with a smile every day. If she doesn't earn enough, the madam will abuse her." Xue Qing said to Zhiqiu. This child's outlook on life is still very delicate. She was afraid that Zhiqiu would be misled by Bai Xichen and go astray.
"Uncle-Master, how do you know about Qing's affairs?" Liu Ying asked abruptly.
Xue Qing burst into tears again. Could she say that she read it in a novel? In this feudal era, even angst-filled youth novels were considered outdated.
"I heard it from someone at the inn," Xue Qing lied, quick-wittedly. After all, the inn was a mixed bag, so it wouldn't be surprising to hear anything there.
As the four walked and talked, they arrived at the brothel, which was packed with people, red flags waving everywhere. Sure enough, many women had come to watch, but most were married; there were few single young women like Xue Qing. Xue Qing noticed some eyes were fixed on her and thought, "Oh no! This body, as the original heroine's primary rival, naturally needs to be good-looking. A beauty is never at a disadvantage, but the only thing that might put a beauty at a disadvantage is her appearance. People might not think she's also a woman of the same gender." Liu Ying, being observant, also noticed the strange gazes. He pulled Xue Qing to his right, shielding her with his body as if to hide her.
The hall below Lichun Courtyard was filled with pots of chrysanthemums, in various colors, shapes, and quantities. The owners of the chrysanthemums also had various colors, shapes, and quantities. Xue Qing thought to herself that Yichun was really pitiful. It would be fine if a handsome young man won, but if that old man with the gold teeth over there won, just thinking about it made her feel disgusted.
"Old lady, look at my chrysanthemums, I bought them for ten taels of silver!" a burly man said in a rough voice.
"...Pfft." Xue Qing half-covered her face with her long sleeve and laughed again, not in a very kind way. Can't you be a little more discreet when you talk? All this chrysanthemum stuff is making it impossible for anyone to live.
Liu Ying and Bai Xichen both looked at Xue Qing with eyes that said, "This girl is still drunk." Zhi Qiu, unaware of what was funny, asked curiously, "Miss Xue, what's so funny?"
"It's nothing, I just think he's quite cute," Xue Qing said dismissively.
So that's what Miss Xue likes. Zhi Qiu shuddered. Bai Xichen glanced at Xue Qing with pity; the girl was quite beautiful, and her taste was even more outstanding. Liu Ying silently noted in her heart, "My martial uncle's drinking manners are really terrible."
"Please be patient, sir, Miss Yichun will be out soon," the madam said obsequiously. No sooner had she finished speaking than a maidservant called out, "Miss Yichun is out! Miss Yichun is out!"
A beautifully dressed woman, supported by a maid, stepped down from the second floor. Her face was partially veiled, obscuring her features, but she must have been stunningly beautiful. The regulars at the brothel gasped in surprise, and the married women wore expressions of gritted teeth.
"Grandpa's chrysanthemums have a very nice shape, but it's a pity that they have a lot of nectar but no fragrance, so they're not top-quality," Yi Chun commented as she approached the burly man's chrysanthemums.
“Miss Yichun, look at this pot of chrysanthemums I bought for twenty taels of silver.” A short, buck-toothed man pushed his chrysanthemums to Yichun’s feet.
“This young master’s chrysanthemums, though fragrant, are too pungent,” Yi Chun said, shaking her head slightly.
"Girl, girl, look at mine." Everyone else eagerly called Yichun to their chrysanthemums, and Yichun commented on them one by one, but she didn't seem very satisfied with any of them.
"Stop arguing! Miss Yichun, just look at this pot of chrysanthemums. Victory is mine for sure," a wealthy businessman with the air of a small-town entrepreneur interrupted the others. "I bought this pot of chrysanthemums for a hundred taels of gold!"
One tael of gold is equivalent to ten taels of silver, and one hundred taels of gold is equivalent to one thousand taels of silver. What a grand gesture! Everyone turned to look at the priceless chrysanthemum. Its shape and color were extremely rare, and it was flawless in terms of color, fragrance, and taste. It truly was a case of getting what you pay for. Xue Qing scanned the hall and saw that there was no chrysanthemum more expensive than it. If he could really win the heart of the beauty...
Yi Chun stared at the chrysanthemum worth a hundred taels of gold for a long time, then sighed, "Beautiful as it may be, it has no soul."
Xue Qing nearly spat out a mouthful of bright red python blood wine. What is the soul of a chrysanthemum? Without cucumbers, any chrysanthemum is soulless! She truly didn't understand what this Yi Chun girl wanted. She didn't want the domineering chrysanthemums bought at great expense, nor the chrysanthemums she had personally cultivated for years with such sincerity. Could there be any other kind of chrysanthemum? No!
"That young master Wang said he personally planted chrysanthemums for Miss Yichun, watering them and catching insects every day. It's so touching, yet Miss Yichun refused them." Zhi Qiu wiped her eyes with her sleeve and said regretfully.
"I read in a book that a woman's spirit and body are separate. She may say no, but she may actually want it. Miss Yichun actually likes it." Bai Xichen calmly said something that had caused a serious misunderstanding.
"No, Young Master Bai, what you said only applies in very few situations (bed, sofa, grove), and also, please stop reading those random books." Xue Qing couldn't help but tell Bai Xichen whether it was really good for Zhi Qiu to be with him, and whether she would grow up to be a strange woman.
"Uncle-Master, be careful, there's a master here." Liu Ying turned her head and whispered to Xue Qing.
Xue Qing glanced around hurriedly. There were too many people in the hall, and she couldn't tell which one was a master. Yan Ming had said before leaving that he had left his men in the Central Plains, so it couldn't be that person. Xue Qing timidly moved closer to Liu Ying and secretly tugged at his clothes with her right hand.
A hearty laugh suddenly rang out in the hall, and a handsome young man in fine clothes, holding a fan, stepped out from the crowd: "Haha, interesting. Miss Yichun certainly has refined taste. I'm becoming more and more interested in you."
"Is he the expert?" Xue Qing asked Liu Ying in a low voice, her body instinctively sensing a dangerous aura emanating from the man.
"Yes." Liu Ying nodded calmly, her gaze fixed firmly on the strange man.
"Young master, are you also here to compete in chrysanthemums? May I ask where your chrysanthemums are?" Yi Chun asked, noticing that he wasn't holding any chrysanthemums, fearing he might be there to cause trouble.
“Since the young lady doesn’t like living chrysanthemums, I will enter this painting into the competition.” The young man revealed his right hand, which had been behind his back, and a painting unfolded. It depicted a vast field of chrysanthemums, stretching out and growing without any constraints from flowerpots.
Yi Chun stared at the painting for a few seconds, her expression hidden behind her veil. After regaining her composure, she slowly said, "Young Master understands Yi Chun's feelings. Mother, I really like this painting. This young master is the winner."
"Girl, what did you say? Don't you like that pot of chrysanthemums that costs a hundred taels of gold?" The madam found it unbelievable. She couldn't understand any words or paintings. How much did a painting cost? How could it be as attractive as gold?
"What's this? The chrysanthemums I bought from the Western Regions aren't even as good as a painting!" "Exactly, is she after that handsome young man?" "I think the two of them are having an affair and are just using the competition as a pretext." The other contestants were also indignant and spread all sorts of rumors and slander. The imagination of people in ancient times was quite impressive.
"Mother, I am the one who will make the decision. Go and prepare the wine. I want to drink with the young master." Yi Chun had already made up her mind.
"Wait a minute, I only drink wine from beautiful women. If you want to drink with me, please remove your veil first," the young man said unexpectedly, showing a lack of romantic understanding, which made the onlookers even more indignant.
Yi Chun slowly removed her veil. Her face was not strikingly beautiful, but it was a masterpiece sculpted by heaven. Her flawless features exuded an elegant and refined air, no wonder so many men were infatuated with her.
The young master closed his fan and laughed heartily: "Good, good, indeed a rare beauty. Old woman, how much is she worth?"
This question struck a nerve with the madam. The benefits that a girl like Yichun would bring to Qing were immeasurable. She gritted her teeth and asked for an exorbitant price: "Ten thousand taels of silver."