Chapter 18

Xiao Tan was sent out to prepare the food, leaving Zhao Yougong and Cui Nian-nu alone in the room. At this moment, Nian-nu squinted her eyes and hummed the tune of "Ding Feng Bo," while Zhao Yougong listened with a serious expression. He was capable of giving comments, after all, he was a well-known playboy in Bianliang and was very familiar with the pleasure quarters, understanding men's thoughts to some extent.

Nian-nu's voice was crisp and mellow, like a gentle stream, beautiful and soothing. When the song ended, Zhao Yougong couldn't help but clap his hands. With Nian-nu's voice and appearance, she would be a great singer even in the future. "Nian-nu, this 'Ding Feng Bo' is truly beautiful!"

"Beautiful? Oh? Does the Prince think it's beautiful? Where do you find it beautiful?" Nian-nu smiled, her eyes twinkling, and her lips slightly pursed.

Zhao Yougong was momentarily taken aback. He had just said something nice casually, but to pinpoint where it was beautiful, with his lack of knowledge, how could he say it? He coughed dryly and smiled awkwardly, "Well, the lyrics are good, but most importantly, it's Nian-nu singing, which makes it indescribably wonderful!"

Hearing Zhao Yougong's explanation, Nian-nu covered her mouth and giggled, her beautiful eyes rolling subtly. "Prince, your words are so sweet. I bet you've said them to others too, haven't you?"

"Hmm? I swear to heaven, I've only said this to you!" Zhao Yougong pointed to the sky, his expression very sincere. However, the young prince usually took oaths as casually as eating, so who would believe him?

Nian-nu naturally wouldn't believe him either. She pouted, seemingly a bit jealous. "Prince, you're just deceiving me. What about Sister Yurou from the De Yue Lou? Haven't you said many nice things to her?"

"Uh, Yurou's voice is good too, but I've never said the same things to her!" Zhao Yougong always felt that shamelessness was a skill. After all, a different word made a big difference.

What a rogue, truly a rogue. Nian-nu found the young prince, though with a commoner's demeanor, quite interesting. Even without knowing his true abilities, she would look at him differently.

In the courtyard of the Gao family, the corpulent Gao Yanei was leaning against a stone table, basking in the sun. These days, he hadn't been having a good time. He had lost the last two competitions with Zhao Yougong, the most infuriating being once when he had to bark like a dog and another time when he was bitten by a pig. It was truly infuriating. On the contrary, Zhao Yougong was doing quite well. Gao Yanei was a man who sought revenge for every wrong, and in essence, he was a commoner. If he suffered a loss and didn't get back at his opponent, how could he continue to live? The upcoming courtesan competition was a good opportunity. This time, he had to undermine Zhao the Rogue's prestige. The idea was good, but Gao Yanei had his own difficulties. To make Li Shishi the courtesan champion, money was needed. Normally, Gao Yanei could use his status to do some things, but this time the judge was the notorious Li Gang, who was immune to threats. Therefore, to win, he could only follow the conventional route.

The Tokyo courtesan competition evaluated two aspects: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and singing and dancing. After each girl performed, the audience would make their choices based on their preferences. If they liked it, they would buy flowers to give to the girl. The girl with the most flowers at the end would be the winner. Buying flowers was expensive, with a peony costing fifty coins.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the cultivation of peonies was unprecedented. The most famous were the peonies of Luoyang. At that time, almost all wealthy families in Kaifeng and Luoyang would grow some peonies for appreciation, though many did so to appear refined.

Mid-April was the busiest time for flowers in Luoyang. Before the Tokyo courtesan competition, most of the peonies from the Western Capital (Luoyang) would be transported to Tokyo. Once the competition began, the merchants in Tokyo would make a fortune. Throughout the Song Dynasty, despite the miserable foreign wars, the prosperity was incomparable to the Tang Dynasty. The Song economy was developed, and even ordinary families had some savings, which was why the entertainment industry in the Song Dynasty was so vibrant.

It was just past noon when Gao Qiu left the Grand Marshal's residence and returned home early. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Gao Yanei sighing and leaning against the stone table, a fan with a tiger painting covering his face. Seeing Gao Yanei in this state, Gao Qiu stroked his beard and smiled. At this hour, why was Shibo at home? Although Gao Shibo was Gao Qiu's adopted son, Gao Qiu had no biological children, so he doted on him greatly. Otherwise, with the things Gao Yanei did in the capital, he would have been sent to the Kaifeng Prefecture to face the tiger-headed guillotine long ago.

Walking over and picking up the fan, Gao Qiu kicked Gao Yanei's calf with his foot. "Bao Lang, what's wrong? Did you cause trouble again?"

Whenever Gao Shibo stayed at home and wore a sour face, it was usually because he had encountered some trouble. This time was no exception. Seeing Gao Qiu return, Gao Yanei quickly stood up. "Father, why are you back so early today?"

"There's nothing urgent at the Grand Marshal's residence, so I came back to rest. But why are you in this state?"

Gao Shibo had something to ask for. He made Gao Qiu sit on a stone stool and began to massage his shoulders. "Father, this time you must help me!"

After Gao Shibo explained the courtesan competition and the previous events, Gao Qiu squinted his eyes and stroked his beard, smiling without a word. This made Gao Yanei a bit anxious. "Father, you must help me. After all, it's also helping the Emperor, isn't it?"

Gao Qiu, who had been smiling, frowned when Gao Yanei mentioned this. He opened his eyes and sternly said, "Bao Lang, don't talk nonsense. What does the courtesan competition have to do with the Emperor?"

Startled by Gao Qiu's reprimand, Gao Yanei realized his mistake. The imperial family and their relatives all knew about the Emperor's relationship with Li Shishi, but no one dared to speak about it because the current Emperor was very sensitive to what others said. Sometimes, Gao Yanei also disapproved of the Emperor's nature. The pleasure quarters already had Li Shishi's name, so why hide it? If he really feared gossip, he shouldn't have chosen Li Shishi in the first place.

Although Gao Yanei was unhappy, he didn't dare to show it. He quickly lowered his head and promised, "Father, don't be angry. I won't say such things again!"

"You, ah, Bao Lang, remember, as long as you don't offend the Emperor, I will do anything for you. But if you offend the Emperor, don't blame me for not protecting you!"

Gao Qiu's tone was stern. He wasn't just scaring Gao Yanei. He knew his situation well. His position as Grand Marshal and Commander of the Imperial Guards was entirely due to the Emperor's favor. In terms of ability, he was far from competent. Therefore, Gao Qiu had to always please the Emperor. If he lost the Emperor's favor, he would be nothing.

"Father, rest assured, I really remember!"

"Remembering is good, but you must be more careful with your words!" Gao Yanei used to be Gao Qiu's junior, and Gao Qiu knew his character well. "Regarding the courtesan competition, I agree, but you should discuss it with others first!"

"Others? Oh, do you mean Cai Wulang and Wang Erlang?"

Gao Qiu nodded and smiled without a word. Gao Yanei, having received his instructions, ran out of the courtyard excitedly. Watching him run out, Gao Qiu sighed helplessly.

The Emperor was naturally concerned about the courtesan competition, hoping Li Shishi would become the champion. As a favorite of the Emperor, Gao Qiu and others had to do something, but their status made it inappropriate for them to participate in the competition. Therefore, they could only let the younger generation handle it.

Wang Tenghui, Cai Wulang, and Gao Shibo gathered at the De Yue Lou. What they discussed is unknown, but from the next day, Tokyo saw a craze for buying peonies. Of course, peonies couldn't be bought anywhere; they had to be purchased from the designated places for the competition. Each peony had a number, and only 30,000 numbered peonies were used in the competition. Unnumbered peonies were useless.

Due to the actions of the three young masters, the price of peonies, originally fifty coins each, skyrocketed to one thousand coins each in just one day. It was then that Zhao Yougong realized the situation. When he tried to buy peonies, he found that he didn't have enough money.

The three young masters had already bought over 5,000 peonies, and with the purchases by the families of officials, Li Shishi had already received over 8,000 peonies. To make Nian-nu win, Zhao Yougong needed to buy at least 10,000 peonies, which would cost 10,000 strings of coins. The current Chuwang Palace couldn't afford such a sum.

Zhao Yougong's head ached. He wandered around the room, worrying, then went outside to find Su Ying.

At that moment, Su Ying was bending over to tend the flower beds in the courtyard, wearing a pink jacket and a blue floral skirt. She was fully focused on the orchids, unaware of how alluring her posture was, with her attractive buttocks and seductive figure. Even Zhao Yougong, who saw her every day, couldn't help but breathe faster.

Hearing a sound behind her, Su Ying put down the small hoe and turned around. Under the pink jacket, she wore a white undergarment. Although the materials were not expensive, they made her look exceptionally beautiful.

"Prince, is there something you need from me?"

"Yes, Ying, how much money do we have left in the household?"

"Um?" Su Ying frowned slightly. Whenever the young prince asked about money, it was never a good thing. So she said softly, "Prince, we have about 3,000 strings of coins left..."

3,000 strings of coins? It was too little, barely enough to buy peonies. How could he get more money? After hesitating, Zhao Yougong gritted his teeth and said, "Ying, sell the land in Tongxu Town in the next two days. A lower price is fine; I need the money urgently!"

Sell the land? For Zhao Yougong, it might not mean much, but Su Ying knew that most of the household's expenses came from the land in Tongxu Town. If the land was sold, what would they eat and drink?

Zhao Yougong wanted to sell the land, and Su Ying knew why. She had tried to ignore it before, but this time she couldn't hold back. "Prince, are you going to ruin the legacy left by the old master for that Cui Nian-nu?"

Hearing Su Ying's trembling voice, Zhao Yougong turned around. He didn't want her to see his face, which was twisted with hatred, frustration, and mockery.

"Is the land yours or mine?"

"Of course, it's the Prince's!" Su Ying bit her lip, and blood trickled down.

"Since it's mine, why are you asking? I told you to sell the land. If you can't do it, Mu Chun and Mu Xue can!"

Leaving these cold words, Zhao Yougong walked out of the courtyard.

Watching his back, Su Ying squatted down and sobbed silently over the flower bed. She didn't know how much longer she could endure. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year, she would follow the poor Empress.

Spring had come, and the peonies were in full bloom, but their beauty only pierced the heart.