As soon as he showed up, another commotion ensued. After all, everyone had heard about how he had spent a fortune the previous day, inviting all the girls to the private room. Mei Qing had received so much attention mainly because of him.
However, the man himself seemed unfazed. He continued to stroll upstairs at a leisurely pace. When passing by Su Mingyu, he even paused briefly and nodded as a greeting.
No one had expected that such a simple treat could forge a connection with the aloof Mo Wenyuan.
Despite the envy, no one dared to don a terrifying mask and try to get close to Mo Wenyuan.
The stir caused by Mo Wenyuan had yet to subside when the entire brothel suddenly erupted into another frenzy.
Su Mingyu raised an eyebrow and smirked. Sure enough, this man had come.
"Ah~ Isn't this His Highness the King of Yu? Your presence has truly graced our humble abode." The madam smiled obsequiously and scurried over to flatter him.
The King of Yu merely cast a disdainful glance at the madam. His attendant stepped forward and tossed a silver ingot at her. "Lead the way."
The madam's face bloomed like a flower. "Yes, yes, yes! Someone, please show His Highness to the elegant seat on the second floor."
This haughty demeanor made Su Mingyu squint her eyes.
Just as she was about to look away, she locked eyes with the King of Yu.
Su Mingyu immediately flashed a harmless grin at the bewildered King of Yu below.
Seemingly taken aback by Su Mingyu's presence, the King of Yu first froze, then let out a sneer and strode up the stairs. He sat directly next to Su Mingyu. "Su... brother?"
Su Mingyu nodded. "Your Highness the King of Yu, it's been a long time."
"Yes." The King of Yu's eyes sparkled with amusement. "The last time I saw Brother Su, you weren't this dashing."
"I'll take that as a compliment, Your Highness." Su Mingyu grinned brightly.
The onlookers below were dumbfounded.
Just who was this young man surnamed Su? He had easily won Mo Wenyuan's approval and now seemed to have a close relationship with the King of Yu.
Judging from the way the King of Yu chatted with him, there was no trace of his usual arrogance.
Noticing the curious glances around them, the King of Yu raised an eyebrow and teased in a voice only they could hear. "I didn't expect Miss Su to have such an interesting hobby. And it seems you've caused quite a stir?"
Su Mingyu squinted her eyes. "Since ancient times, gentlemen have always admired beautiful ladies. Although I'm no gentleman, who doesn't appreciate beautiful things?"
"True." The King of Yu nodded appreciatively. "Then which girl does Miss Su think is the best? Do share with me."
"Here, you should call me Brother Su. Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing to be kicked out if someone discovers my identity." Su Mingyu pretended to ponder for a moment. "Miss Nian'er is wonderful. She has an exquisite figure. Miss Mei Qing is also excellent. Your Highness missed Miss Mei Qing's sword dance. It's truly a pity."
"Oh?" The King of Yu raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll take a good look today to see what kind of charm the girls favored by Brother Su possess."
Su Mingyu nodded. "Then Your Highness should look closely."
With that, Su Mingyu took a sip of tea. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Gu Ruobai across the room. His eyes seemed to be ablaze with anger. Su Mingyu swallowed nervously and felt a twinge of guilt.
Noticing Su Mingyu's gaze, the King of Yu also looked in the direction of the man in the distance. His eyes glinted. "I heard Brother Su gets along quite well with Mo Wenyuan?"
Su Mingyu raised an eyebrow and looked at him, silently asking what he meant.
The King of Yu smiled faintly. "Not many people get to dine with Mo Wenyuan."
"Really?" Su Mingyu remained calm. "We simply had a meal together and admired these beautiful girls."
As they were chatting, the hunched man from yesterday walked onto the stage again, carrying a gong.
With a deafening gong sound, the man stepped forward and announced the names of the top ten girls.
Although many people already knew the results, they couldn't contain their excitement when they heard that the girls they had voted for were on the list.
"Today's competition will be based on the rankings. The girls will perform the program that receives the most votes. You have the final say."
With that, the hunched man took out a sign with the words: music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, singing, and dancing.
"Each vote costs one tael of silver. The girls will perform the program that receives the most silver. Do you want to see the girls' strengths or weaknesses? Then vote now!"
The hunched man winked suggestively. "You can even choose the girls' costumes!"
"Bring out the costumes prepared by the Sinnan Pavilion."
With that, a group of cute girls walked onto the stage, carrying elegant dresses.
The onlookers below stared in disbelief. Some of the dresses were so revealing that they barely covered anything!
For a moment, many men blushed and their hearts raced. "Do we have to pay for this too?"
The hunched old man smiled. "Among the winning options, the gentleman who pays the most silver can choose which dress the girl will wear!"
The men who had silently backed out after hearing about the fee immediately perked up. As long as they paid enough silver, they could make these girls wear such sheer dresses. The thought alone was enough to excite them. "Alright, alright, hurry up! I can't wait!"
"Yeah, hurry up."
The crowd below erupted into another frenzy. Su Mingyu watched from afar and curled her lips.
Sure enough, as long as there was interaction and a sense of control, these people would get excited.
However, Su Mingyu had only suggested using voting to add more fun. The madam had taken advantage of the situation and charged one tael per vote.
When Nian'er, dressed in a white gown, stepped onto the stage, the men below almost went wild.
One by one, they bought tickets and voted for the options they wanted to see.
In fact, they no longer cared what the girls would perform. They just wanted to see these beautiful girls wear the dresses they had chosen.
While the excitement was building below, the people on the second-floor balcony remained relatively calm.
In particular, Su Mingyu, the King of Yu, and Mo Wenyuan sat still, seemingly out of place with the bustling scene below.
"Brother Su, don't you like Miss Nian'er? Why aren't you making a move?"
The King of Yu raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Don't you have any silver? I can lend you some."
Su Mingyu looked relaxed. "Why the rush?"
"What do you mean?" The King of Yu sat up straight, intrigued.
"I don't like wasting silver. I prefer to spend it on something worthwhile."
Su Mingyu's words made the King of Yu burst into laughter. "So, Brother Su wants to be the oriole behind the mantis."
Su Mingyu smiled but didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "What about Your Highness? Why aren't you taking action? Do you not like Miss Nian'er?"