Xie Jiuan followed Gu Jiangyue out of the inn with a smile on his lips. Mu Lingyue Orchid seemed to be quite famous in Liangzhou. Relying on their memories, they quickly found the brothel mentioned the day before.
Gu Jiangyue was dressed in men's clothing at the moment and had no concerns as she walked straight into the brothel. However, unlike last time, no one surrounded the two of them. Gu Jiangyue looked curiously into the brothel and saw a red - dressed woman in mid - air. It seemed that she was performing something. As her figure changed, she caught everyone's attention.
Gu Jiangyue and Xie Jiuan were left undisturbed. They casually found a seat and sat down. They watched the woman's performance in mid - air. After a while, Gu Jiangyue lost interest. Leaning on her chin with one hand, she said,
"Later, we'll act separately. I'll go find the courtesan. You stay here and don't go anywhere."
Gu Jiangyue stared into Xie Jiuan's eyes with a hint of warning. Xie Jiuan wasn't watching the woman's performance but sipping his tea on his own. Seeing Gu Jiangyue like this, he thought she was cute and readily agreed with a soft laugh.
"Sure. Then, young master, you must be more careful."
After answering, Xie Jiuan lowered his head to drink his tea again. Gu Jiangyue saw his demeanor, and most of her concerns had faded away. She stared boredly at the dancing woman on the stage.
The woman was in mid - air without any protection. Her feet were on the red silk ribbons. It seemed that with a single misstep, she would fall, but those ribbons were as stable as the ground under her feet. She even took the time to throw a flirtatious look at the audience below.
When the dance ended, the woman stopped moving. Looking at the crowded audience, Gu Jiangyue inexplicably felt that the woman's eyes turned colder.
"Gentlemen, how did you like Qianqian's performance? If you like it, please give some tips."
Just then, a brightly - dressed woman who seemed to be the madam walked out of the crowd with a small box in her hand. As she walked, she shouted something with a very obsequious tone.
Gu Jiangyue murmured to herself that the woman's name was Qianqian. Before she knew it, the madam had already stood beside her. Looking at Gu Jiangyue with a smile, she said,
"Sir, would you like to give some tips?"
Adhering to the idea of not wasting a single coin, Gu Jiangyue spoke first,
"How much for your top courtesan?"
The madam immediately recognized that Gu Jiangyue was a first - timer. It seemed that she was dissatisfied because she hadn't gotten any tips just now. She pointed at the dancing woman and said,
"Sir, it's your first time here. You don't even know our rules. Hua Qianqian is the top courtesan. She has to be auctioned. Just wait."
After saying that, the madam gave Gu Jiangyue a disdainful look and left. That look seemed to be mocking Gu Jiangyue for not knowing anything.
Gu Jiangyue watched the madam's departing figure without any particular thought. She calmly poured herself another cup of tea and sipped it quietly. The madam walked around the crowd a few more times. After realizing that she couldn't squeeze out any more money, she finally left with the heavy box.
Gu Jiangyue kept her eyes on Hua Qianqian's position. The madam seemed to say something to Hua Qianqian, and then Hua Qianqian walked straight into a room. Gu Jiangyue guessed that if the auction really started later, Hua Qianqian wouldn't know who her guest was.
"Dear guests, thank you for your support. I hereby announce that today's auction officially begins. You can start bidding!"
After arranging Hua Qianqian in the room, the madam shouted at the top of her voice, extremely hard - working. The people below seemed to be waiting for this moment. After the madam's shout, the discussions among the crowd rose one after another.
"I bid eighty taels!" someone shouted first.
Gu Jiangyue didn't say a word. Instead, she watched the whole thing first to see how much this top courtesan was really worth. After that person started, the bidding voices rose and fell without a moment's rest.
After a while, the price had been raised to two hundred and forty taels. Two hundred and forty taels was no small amount. The bidding voices became fewer and fewer. When Gu Jiangyue thought the time was right, she said coldly,
"Three hundred and forty taels."
Gu Jiangyue's somewhat childish voice fell. The whole room fell silent. Everyone looked at her in shock. Among them, the madam's gaze was the most intense.
"Three hundred and forty taels. The deal is done. Once the bid is made, it's immediately effective. If you break the agreement, it won't be easy to explain."
The madam's unfriendly voice rang out. Gu Jiangyue was dressed very simply and hadn't even given a single coin just now. The madam's suspicion of Gu Jiangyue grew stronger.
Gu Jiangyue had become the focus of the crowd. With a smile on her lips, she stood up facing the skeptical looks of the crowd and said,
"Of course, this young master has the money. But this young master will pay."
Gu Jiangyue winked at Xie Jiuan, who was sipping tea beside her. The crowd's attention immediately shifted to Xie Jiuan. Xie Jiuan was a bit dazed. The tea he had just swallowed almost choked him. After he recovered, he nodded with a smile and said,
"Yes, I'll pay, she'll have fun."
Xie Jiuan stood up, becoming even more conspicuous in the crowd. Many women blushed when they saw Xie Jiuan and shyly lowered their heads.
Xie Jiuan didn't bother to care. He took out a few silver notes from his sleeve and gave them to the madam. He took a small bamboo token from the madam's hand and threw it directly to Gu Jiangyue. Gu Jiangyue easily caught it and waved it towards Xie Jiuan with a big smile.
"This young master will be back soon."
Gu Jiangyue went upstairs. As usual, she knocked on the door twice lightly and once heavily. The person inside seemed to be surprised for a moment. After hesitating for a while, she said,
"Come in."
Gu Jiangyue directly pushed the door open. Hua Qianqian was sitting at the table beside. Seeing Gu Jiangyue coming, she just looked at her with a smiling face. Gu Jiangyue placed the bamboo token the madam had given her in front of Hua Qianqian.
Hua Qianqian's gorgeous fox - like eyes didn't look at the bamboo token. Instead, she stared at Gu Jiangyue's face for a while, then said with a smile,
"Sir, please sit down."
Gu Jiangyue hadn't thought about how to start the conversation yet, so she sat down first. Hua Qianqian poured a glass of wine for Gu Jiangyue.
"I haven't asked your name yet, sir."
Gu Jiangyue didn't reach out to touch the glass of wine. Instead, she said coldly,
"My surname is Gu."
Seeing that Gu Jiangyue didn't intend to say more, Hua Qianqian didn't press further. She picked up the wine and took a small sip, saying,
"Master Gu doesn't seem to be here for pleasure. It seems that you have something to ask for."
After hearing Hua Qianqian's words, a look of shock flashed across Gu Jiangyue's face. However, Gu Jiangyue didn't intend to hide anything. But before she could speak, Hua Qianqian preempted her.
"Maybe I should address you as Miss Gu."