1. There is a woman in the city known for her frivolous nature... In the spring of the ninth year of Yuanzuo's reign, the wise and virtuous Emperor Yuanzuo died young, and Prince Xiang ascended the throne, changing the era name to Datong. From then on, the dynasty entered an era of
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Chapter 1
1. There is a woman in the city known for her frivolous nature...
In the spring of the ninth year of Yuanzuo's reign, the wise and virtuous Emperor Yuanzuo died young, and Prince Xiang ascended the throne, changing the era name to Datong.
From then on, the dynasty entered an era of incompetent rulers—or rather, a period of harmony. Fortunately, the previous wise ruler had laid a solid foundation for the dynasty, so in the early years of the Great Harmony, the world could barely maintain a prosperous appearance.
After discovering that the new, incompetent ruler, aside from being truly incompetent, seemed to lack any tyrannical or cruel traits, the people resumed their optimistic and positive lives. This positive national image and the high quality of the people were reflected in the thriving entertainment industry of the capital.
Have you not heard of the Xiaoyao Tea House, where one can savor fragrant tea and learn about the affairs of the world?
Have you not seen how talented men and beautiful women, after reading countless books, find joy in the world of happiness?
Even more so in the Red Powder Lane in the west of the city, where countless romantic figures have been buried.
"Today, this old man is going to talk about this joyous day!"
In the Xiaoyao Tea House, Old Zhang, the tea master, slammed his gavel, glanced around, and was pleased to see the engrossed expressions of everyone in the audience, except for one girl by the window. That girl was dressed in a woman's dress, but her hair was tied up high in a masculine style. She looked utterly bored, as if waiting for someone, showing no interest whatsoever.
Old Zhang raised his voice.
"Huanxitian is a bookstore, and it's the biggest bookstore in Beijing. Although the name sounds like a brothel, it's actually—it's not really a proper place at all!"
Everyone smiled knowingly.
"If you call it the biggest bookstore, it has everything from classics and historical texts to poetry, calligraphy, and paintings. If you don't call it a bookstore, what else could it be but books filling the shelves and the store? Everyone says that literature carries the Way, and while I can't speak for other books, I swear on my life that the books in Huanxitian truly do carry the Way!"
Everyone slapped the table and laughed, echoing their agreement.
"Besides its books, the most famous thing about Huanxitian is its manager. This manager is no ordinary person. Her surname is Fan and her given name is Qingbo. Although she is a delicate woman, her behavior is more unrestrained than that of a man. People call her 'Qingbo Girl'..."
This joke had been told countless times, yet everyone still listened with great interest. The shopkeeper was so engrossed that he ignored customers trying to pay their bills.
The man in front of the counter was dressed in a blue scholar's robe, with a square cloth bag slung across his shoulder; he looked like a scholar. Seeing this, I could only silently leave the silver. I thought to myself, "This capital city is truly different. Such is its cultural atmosphere; the people are so enthusiastic about books. The saying 'hearing the Way brings joy' is exactly what it means." Once settled, I'll definitely go to the Joyful Heaven to see for myself.
Thinking this, the scholar stepped across the threshold, only to be met by a travel-worn figure rushing towards him. Unable to dodge in time, he stumbled and crashed into the counter. The shopkeeper then reacted, repeatedly saying, "Are you alright? Are you alright?" and went to help the scholar up. Halfway there, he heard a commotion in the hall, looked up and saw the scene, and was shocked. He let go of the scholar's hand and hurriedly ran over.
With this help and release, the scholar fell flat on his back again.
It turned out that the old man had said something gossipy about the female manager of Huanxitian, which angered the well-dressed man who had arrived travel-worn, and he was about to strike. People tried to break up the fight, and others gathered to watch, making quite a scene.
Amidst the chaos, a bright voice rang out. "Zice, forget it, let's go."
The voice belonged to the girl by the window. She placed her hand on the man's arm, and the raging lion instantly transformed into a docile cat.
"Manager Fan, you haven't paid for your tea yet..."
The girl giggled and winked at Old Zhang, her alluring smile bringing a blush to his old face.
"So you know how to call me Manager Fan? You go around gossiping about Huanxitian and my private affairs right in front of me all day long, and we haven't even charged you for your nonsense yet, and now you're asking me for tea money? Even if we take a step back, I was the one who saved you when Zice was about to hit you. Shouldn't yo
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
