Chapter 70

In the city of Luoyang, within the Xunfang Pavilion. The competition for the title of "Flower Queen" had already begun, and the pavilion was filled with spectators. At this moment, the various Flower Queens from different regions were still in the process of building up their momentum, performing every night. Below, it was a world of men; anyone with a few spare coins would come to watch. Even if they couldn't afford to call a few girls or dare to touch the Flower Queens, they could still enjoy a small drink and watch the Flower Queens from different regions perform with all their might, which was a delightful experience.

For Xia Hongsheng, this was his first time entering a brothel, both in this life and in his previous one. It was different from what he had imagined and what he had seen on TV. There were no heavily made-up women waving handkerchiefs at the entrance, trying to lure customers. There were no groups of lecherous men hugging and groping each other, speaking obscene words. Instead, each person had a small table, and they knelt on either side, with women dancing in the middle. There were women around, but they were kneeling properly at the side of the tables, gently pouring wine, serving dishes, and peeling fruits. They spoke softly to the guests, and their demeanor made Xia Hongsheng doubt that this was a brothel at all.

Xu Qixian and the others seemed to be regulars here. They had women serving them, pouring wine and serving dishes. The women would use their left hand to support the chopsticks, gently blow on the food, and then offer it to the men with a smile, without any sign of flattery. Their movements were elegant and gentle, like a kind sister, full of warmth, which left Xia Hongsheng amazed. The "land of tenderness" was indeed a "grave for heroes." No wonder the literati of ancient times were so fond of visiting such places. Which man wouldn't want a woman who could fully embrace him, gentle as water?

At the beginning, Xia Hongsheng was stunned by the beauty of the Flower Queens. Each one of them had a face that could make the moon hide and the flowers blush, and their beauty far exceeded the goddesses he had seen on the internet in his previous life. Gradually, he became more composed. After all, seeing so many beautiful women, one would eventually get used to it. No wonder Master Wan had said yesterday that in the competition for the Flower Queen, it was already difficult to distinguish the winners based on their looks. Indeed, they were all top-notch beauties, and it was hard to tell who was more beautiful just by their appearance. They were all highly trained, each excelling in talent and artistry, making it even harder to distinguish them.

However, no matter how bright and beautiful the Flower Queens on stage were, there was always one face that lingered in Xia Hongsheng's mind. She had no heavy makeup or forced smiles, only a gentle and serene demeanor, like a cool and fresh breeze in the wilderness.

Thinking of that face, which was as clear and bright as the moon, everything around him seemed to fade away, as if the world were empty. Xia Hongsheng clearly knew what this feeling was. He couldn't help but sigh, confirming a saying from his previous life: "At first sight, it's all about the face."

But, she was really beautiful... Thinking of the face under the veil, Xia Hongsheng became lost in thought, no longer hearing the music or seeing the beautiful Flower Queens. Suddenly, a little girl's face flashed before his eyes, and he was startled back to reality.

Thud! Xia Hongsheng's head hit the table. I'm not a lolicon!

Xia Hongsheng stood up abruptly. It's just a few poems, after all. His mother, a Chinese teacher, had forced him to memorize poems and ancient texts since he was young, and he had studied Chinese in college, so he had memorized countless poems. He was confident he could come up with a few good ones!

The song on stage gradually faded away, and the Flower Queen who had been performing retreated. Then, two people came up, one holding a lute and the other a long flute. It was none other than Qiao'er and Pan'er! Sure enough, a woman in plain clothes then appeared, her face covered by a veil. The crowd looked curiously at her, as this was the first time a Flower Queen had appeared on stage with her face covered.

Only Xia Hongsheng could see the clear face and white dress under the veil, with her black hair like ink.

The woman didn't speak, but knelt down and gently played the zither, performing "High Mountains and Flowing Water."

"Hehe, this woman has a good mind," a scholar beside Xia Hongsheng said, fanning himself with a folding fan.

Xia Hongsheng also thought the woman was clever. The other Flower Queens' performances were beautiful, but they were still too flamboyant for a brothel. Her performance, however, suddenly changed the mood, making the audience feel as if they had been cleansed of all pretense and restlessness.

However, just as everyone was enjoying the beautiful music, a voice suddenly interrupted, "Hey, lady, since you are a prostitute, why do you wear a veil? Take it off quickly, let me see your face!"

The crowd immediately frowned and looked at the man, who was pointing at the stage with a fan. He was a young nobleman, dressed in brocade, but his face was pale and his steps unsteady, clearly a man who had been drained by alcohol and women. Behind him were several strong, muscular attendants, who seemed to be his guards.

There really are such uncultured people! Xia Hongsheng frowned and glared at the man. The nobleman was dressed in brocade, but his face was pale and his steps unsteady, clearly a man who had been drained by alcohol and women. Behind him were several strong, muscular attendants, who seemed to be his guards.

"The previous sisters were extremely beautiful, but I, a humble woman, am not worthy of your gaze. I will not remove my veil," Yue Xian stopped playing the zither, bowed to the nobleman, and said softly.

The crowd burst into mocking laughter, and the nobleman became furious, pointing at Yue Xian and shouting, "Hey, you little girl! If I want to see you, you should let me see! Why so many words? If you don't take off your veil, I'll do it myself! Stop making noise, or I'll have you all thrown into jail!"

Yue Xian ignored him, bowed to the audience, and retreated. The nobleman continued to shout, but was eventually calmed by one of his guards.

The next Flower Queen quickly took the stage, but the audience was still discussing the "High Mountains and Flowing Water." Xia Hongsheng understood the scholars' feelings. It was like eating a light and simple dish after a heavy meal, which was refreshing. Similarly, after seeing so many flamboyant and beautiful women, the sudden appearance of a cold and indifferent one was a pleasant surprise.

As the sky grew dark, Xu Qixian and the others planned to stay overnight, but Xia Hongsheng looked down on them and decided to return to his inn. Fortunately, it wasn't too far, and if he walked quickly, he could still make it back before the curfew.

Speaking of which, the curfew was really bad! It started at the second watch, which was around 9 PM in modern time. After that, no one except the night patrol and the watchmen could be on the streets, or they would be arrested and questioned. Brothels, though a night business, had to close at curfew, and while guests could stay inside, no one could be on the streets.

Xia Hongsheng grumbled as he walked out of the Xunfang Pavilion. Just a few steps out, he heard someone calling him, "Master Xia... Master Xia!"

Xia Hongsheng turned around and saw one of Yue Xian's attendants, the one who had played the zither at Yixiangju, named Pan'er. He turned to her and asked, "Miss Pan'er, what is it?"

"Your servant greets Master Xia!" Pan'er bowed and said, "We saw Master Xia on stage earlier! My lady has a letter for you and asked me to catch up with you and give it to you!"

Saying this, Pan'er took out a letter and handed it to Xia Hongsheng with both hands.

Xia Hongsheng took the letter and read it by the light of the Xunfang Pavilion. The handwriting was elegant, much better than his own. The letter invited him to meet at Yixiangju. He guessed that Yue Xian probably thought it would be too abrupt to send a message through Pan'er, so she wrote a letter instead.

"I understand. Please tell Miss Yue Xian that I will come tomorrow as scheduled," Xia Hongsheng said, putting the letter away.

"Great!" Pan'er clapped her hands in delight. Seeing Xia Hongsheng smile at her, she blushed and lowered her head, saying, "I haven't thanked you for driving away the Turks and saving us that day..."

"Miss Pan'er, you're too kind," Xia Hongsheng smiled and shook his head. "The curfew is almost here, and I need to get back to the inn. I'll take my leave now."

"Master Xia, please walk slowly!" Pan'er bowed in return.

Xia Hongsheng left the Xunfang Pavilion and hurried back to the inn. The streets were almost empty, and it was pitch black except for the moonlight. Since coming to Luoyang, Yan Shi and Xu Yanzu had disappeared, and they were probably already on their way to Chang'an. The salt-making method he had submitted had not received a response, and the matter of the horseshoes had also been forgotten. Would he receive any rewards? After all, in ancient times, there was no concept of patents. The land and its people belonged to the emperor, and the court could use anything without prior notice.

Hm? While thinking, Xia Hongsheng suddenly felt a chill down his back and turned around. The street behind him was dark and empty, with no one in sight.

Why did it feel like someone was watching him?

Thinking of the horror movies he had seen in his previous life and looking at the dark street, Xia Hongsheng clicked his tongue and decided to hurry up and leave.