"Even the Emperor doesn't dare?"
"..." Chu Xiao's tone gradually lowered: "Don't speak lightly of the emperor."
"Oh." Xi Heng agreed casually.
Yan Hongji also got on the carriage and sat next to Xi Heng.
She rang the silver bell hanging on the top of the carriage to urge the vehicle to move forward.
The wooden wheels rolled, and a breeze blew in from the window, causing the purple curtains to sway slightly.
Xi Heng sat on the comfortable cushion, watching the scenery outside, and subconsciously recalled that he had also come to the capital in a similar purple and gold carriage.
The two young girls beside him laughed and chatted about the various entertainments in the capital. They first talked about the various theater theaters, and then the dance halls that catered to the children of wealthy families or scholars and businessmen. They talked about the various performances there, such as variety shows, various palace tunes, puppet shows, shadow shows, acrobatics, storytelling, etc. They chatted in a friendly manner for a long time.
Yan Hongji's charm does not only lie in her exquisite appearance, but also in her excellent communication and eloquence.
Listening to the other person's voice always makes people relax and chat for a long time unconsciously.
Xi Heng listened quietly and also learned about part of the entertainment industry in Beijing from the conversation between the two people.
There are many categories of these ancient entertainments. The dances in dance halls and theaters alone can be divided into seven major categories and more than twenty minor categories. And as long as you want to watch them, you can go to designated places and order dances to watch at any time. Most of them do not require advance reservations, which is very convenient.
But the price was a bit overwhelming for her.
There are thousands of swallow houses and singing halls in the capital city, and a visit to any of the better ones would cost at least fifty taels of silver.
The entrance fee alone is two taels of silver, and a table of wine and food is more than thirty taels, and inviting dancers to the restaurant costs dozens of taels. With singing and dancing, drinking and tasting tea, many people can spend hundreds of taels of silver in an afternoon.
Xi Heng was stunned for a while after hearing these words. Her previous consumption concept could not support such a story that cost hundreds of silver taels in half a day.
Xi Heng silently turned her head, pulled aside the purple curtain on the car and looked out the window. The crowded and bustling Qin Xie Chang Lane outside had become a huge den of money in her eyes.
People are constantly moving around, and a lot of money is moving between their footsteps.
She only needed twenty taels of silver to practice martial arts in the Red Line Sword Academy for three months. A family of four in the capital city only needed twenty taels of silver to live in peacetime. However, in this prosperous Qin Xie Changxiang, if you walked into a house and stayed for half a day, you might get a hundred taels of silver...
"What a huge gap..." Xi Heng whispered to himself.
Yan Hongji and Chu Xiao were still chatting quietly nearby.
As they chatted, Chu Xiao suddenly said something that Xi Heng couldn't quite understand:
"Speaking of which, I heard that many young ladies from several big families in the capital have formed a group called the Love Flower Society? In the several restaurants and singing houses in Qinxie Changxiang, as long as you mention this name, you can find some special entertainment?"
The girl, with her long hair half-tied up with a jade hairpin, a pretty face and an air of nobility, asked curiously.
At the side, Yan Hongji, who was just introducing the musical drama, suddenly paused, his eyes fell on Chu Xiao's face, and he blinked.
"... Chu Xiao, how did you know?"
"I just heard some rumors in the palace. Is this true?"
Yan Hongji opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say for a moment.
"And what is that so-called special entertainment?" Chu Xiao asked again.
Xi Heng was listening nearby, quietly recalling what he had heard yesterday when he first arrived at Qin Xie Chang Lane and was being solicited by a heavily made-up woman in yellow when she was in front of a singing pavilion with green tiles and red eaves.
"Many young ladies in the city secretly took this as a good idea... so they arranged some special services in the building."
This seems to be somewhat similar to the topic that Chu Xiao and Yan Hongji are talking about at the moment.
"It's better for Chu Xiao not to know." After hesitating, Yan Hongji chose to wave her hand to avoid the topic.
"Then Hongji must know?" Chu Xiao noticed this: "Could it be that you are also a member of the Love Flower Society? After all, you are also a lady from a wealthy family in the capital."
"That's not the case." Yan Hongji held his forehead with his hand: "I only know that because that group of people want some of my businesses to run that kind of service."
"What kind of service? Do you agree to it?"
"How can we agree to this? Our Yan family has never provided any services like those in brothels or painting houses." Hong Ji shook his head.
"Which type?" Chu Xiao continued to ask.
"It's not a good thing, you don't need to know it..." Yan Hongji's tone has become somewhat weak and helpless.
Xi Heng watched from the side, blinking his eyelashes.
She also wanted to know a little, but she also vaguely knew what the so-called waiter service was, so she just continued to look at the scenery outside the window with red cheeks without saying much.
Gradually, the carriage slowed down and the sound of the wheels slowly stopped.
When they saw the place, three girls got out of the car.
The setting sun outside casts a layer of pale gold on the green tiles of the buildings.
Tall and lush green locust trees are planted on all sides of the tall pavilion. In front of the building stands a huge strange stone, with green and thin bamboos taking root around it.
This singing pavilion is slightly more spacious than Yan family's Huamanlou, but the carvings on it are not as rich and gorgeous as those in Huamanlou, but it has a more generous feeling than Huamanlou.
Yan Hongji approached first and led the way, saying, "This is the Liuluo Tower we just talked about in the car. Most of the Hu girls that Chuxiao was interested in danced here. Among them, the Huxuan dance is quite famous in the inner city. Scholars who like to drink and write poetry also often come here to write poems in praise of the place. There is a poetry pavilion in the tower that you can see."
"Actually, I'm more interested in the special services that the Love Flower Society mentioned." Chu Xiao's mind seemed to be full of this.
After hearing this, Yan Hongji pursed her lips and tried hard to hold back the sigh that wanted to come out from inside her chest.
"Let's not talk about the Love Flower Society. It's not a good thing." She waved her hand to remind him, and then without waiting for Chu Xiao to respond, she walked straight into the pavilion.
The receptionist at the gate recognized her and said, "Miss Yan, are you here today to discuss business with my master, or..."
"Bring a few friends here to enjoy the music and watch the dance." Hong Ji interrupted briefly, then took out four silver beads from the purse on his waist and placed them on the table next to the host.
"Miss, please follow me." The waiter led the person into the building and asked, "Do you want to go to the upstairs wing room or the living room?"
“A seat closer to the stage will do.”
"I understand." The other party led the person inside.
The pavilion is quite spacious, with each seat several meters apart. The table is covered with cloth painted with many bright colors and patterns representing the Western Regions, such as images and camels.
Most of the maids in the building also wore brightly colored short jackets with narrow sleeves and tight long skirts, with bare waists and shoulders. The long skirts had several slits on the thighs, so that the skin under the clothes could be easily seen when they walked. There were gold thread decorations hanging on the waist, wrists or arms, and they looked very charming.
This was Xi Heng's first time in such a place, and he felt a little uneasy after sitting down.
Even though she can kill people without blinking an eye now, she is still a little shy in this kind of scene.
On her way to the capital, she saw people who would cover their bodies tightly even in summer. However, these waiters in ethnic costumes had no such concerns and showed off their beauty without restraint.
It's novel...
Xi Heng took a sip of the black tea brought by Hu Ji, trying to hide his feelings.
On the other side, Chu Xiao, who was also here for the first time, had a different attitude. He stared at these scantily clad and exotic girls without any hesitation.
Hu Ji did not shy away from this. Instead, she chuckled and gave a charming and gentle look, called her "Miss" softly, poured her tea and went back to serve other dishes.
"What do you think? There is no such scene in the palace, right?" Yan Hongji said from the side.
"No wonder people want to go out of the palace first when they talk about having fun." Chu Xiao shook her head slightly: "It's true that life outside the palace is more colorful than inside."
"It's not just rich, the connotation is also very unique." Yan Hongji said with a smile: "I will invite the courtesan in the building to come and accompany you to entertain you."
"It's not that easy to invite an oiran, right?"
"It's not that difficult." Hong Ji waved her hand to reassure her, then left her seat and went upstairs.
After a while, Yan Hongji had not returned yet, and several Hu girls began to dance together on the stage.
The drums began to beat, becoming more and more lively.
As the string music sounded, the woman on the stage raised her slender arms wrapped with soft silk feather ribbons and began to dance, spinning and stepping like the fluttering snow and flying grass, rotating one after another as if tirelessly.
The dancer's costume is as light as floating clouds and her beautiful appearance is like a blooming peony.
Xi Heng watched quietly from below. He had already finished the tea in his hand but forgot to put it down.
"Yes." Until a voice came from her left: "Are you stunned?"
Xi Heng was disturbed and turned to look. Seeing that it was Chu Xiao talking to her, she just shook her head casually.
"It's amazing that a great poet can be so shy." The other person chuckled and picked up a piece of dessert on the table and put it to his lips.
Am I being underestimated?
Xi Heng pouted and didn't respond.
"Miss Xi Heng, would you be willing to write another poem about such a beautiful dance?" Chu Xiao encouraged. Until this moment, she was still obsessed with Xi Heng's previous poem.
"No inspiration." Xi Heng said casually. She would never say that she had never memorized any poems about Hu Xuan dance.
"What a pity." Chu Xiao did not force it. Speaking of poetry, she softly recited the poem that Xi Heng had said before.
After reading it once, she sighed and asked, "How was it made?"
Xi Heng did not answer.
"Can I share this poem with others?" Chu Xiao asked.
"Whatever you like." Xi Heng looked at the people dancing on the stage.
Seeing that the other party didn't care much, Chu Xiao shook his head gently.
Not long after, Yan Hongji brought down the most beautiful Hu girl from upstairs. Not only was she beautiful, but her voice was also more fluent than other Hu girls. She no longer had the dull tone that was common among people from the Western Regions.
Moreover, as the most beautiful girl in the building, her ability to adjust the atmosphere during interactions is obviously quite good. Even Xi Heng, who speaks less, was pulled into the other party's atmosphere.
Drink tea, watch the beautiful Hu Ji dancing beside you, chat with her from time to time, and taste some delicacies on the table... It seems that today will slowly come to an end in this peaceful atmosphere.
But halfway through, a drunken man in brocade clothes suddenly approached them.
"Spring Breeze, Spring Breeze..." He said in a hazy voice, "Why don't you see me, but come to play with them? I am the eldest son of the Zhong family. I have given you five hundred taels of silver and ten pieces of green silk as my head wrapping fee, why don't you want me to go upstairs to see you..."
"The Zhong family?" Yan Hongji looked at the person who disturbed her, with a hint of hostility in her eyes.
The drunk man opened and closed his eyes: "Why is Miss Yan here too? Is she also coming to Liuluo Tower to watch the Hu Ji Dance?"
"It has nothing to do with you, right?" Yan Hongji waved her hand to signal the other party to leave.
"It turns out that the eldest daughter of the Yan family, who is rumored to be quite capable and business-minded, actually has such a hobby..." The other party said: "It is said that the other members of the Yan family of this generation are all playboys, and can only rely on you, the eldest daughter, to support them. Now it seems that you are not as powerful as the rumors say."
"Chunfeng, why are you with this person? My Zhong family is many times bigger than their Yan family. Whatever they give you, I will give you twice as much!"
"Young master is drunk today, you'd better go back first--" The courtesan named Chunfeng was about to dissuade him in a gentle tone, but was interrupted by another voice.
"Zhong Qingjiang, step back. You're disturbing my interest." Chu Xiao said to the man coldly.
"You, who are you? How dare you call me by my name..." The man yelled in a muffled voice, lowered his head to rub his confused and hazy eyes, and then raised his head again to finally see the other person's appearance clearly.
It was at this moment that his whole body suddenly stopped and he felt numb and trembling all over.
A trace of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, which made him sober up a lot.
"Your Highness..." Zhong Qingjiang understood immediately. His face, which was red due to alcohol, immediately turned pale. His hands trembled slightly and shook from side to side, not knowing what to do.
"Don't expose yourself." Chu Xiao said easily.
"Yes! Yes!" The troublemaker seemed to be suddenly splashed with cold water, and immediately came to his senses. He nodded quickly: "I recognized the wrong person, Your Excellency. Please forgive me!"
"Just get away from me." Chu Xiao waved his hand without saying anything more.
"Yes! Thank you very much!" Zhong Qingjiang agreed immediately and left the nobleman's sight with a swaying figure.
"..." After seeing this scene, Xi Heng finally understood why this man named Chu Xiao had such an arrogant personality.
If she herself had always been respected and even feared by others, she might have become even more arrogant and conceited than Chu Xiao.
It is even possible that human life is not treated as human life.
Alas, why is my life as a royal princess gone?
Xi Heng sighed silently in his heart.
After a slight disturbance, Chu Xiao continued to talk with the courtesan Hu Ji beside him. However, after what happened just now, Hu Ji seemed to be vaguely aware of Chu Xiao's identity, and her tone of conversation became much more restrained.
On the other side, Yan Hongji also shifted his attention and looked at the direction where the guy surnamed Zhong left, vaguely thinking about something.
Xi Heng had just noticed the hostility in Hong Ji's eyes, so he took the initiative to ask, "That man was so rude, do you want me to teach him a lesson for you?"
Yan Hongji was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "What's the point of teaching this dandy disciple a lesson? He is not the head of the Zhong family. The one who is my enemy in the business world and has swallowed up many of my family's businesses is not this person, but his father."
"Then I'll help you teach his father a lesson." Xi Heng had one line of thought.
Yan Hongji smiled bitterly: "The Zhong family has a master of dark energy, how can you teach him a lesson? Besides, this is the capital, it is not suitable to use knives and guns. The soldiers in the capital are not vegetarians."
"Wouldn't it be better if we weren't discovered?" Xi Heng suggested:
"It's not that easy... But speaking of this, I do have some enemies that I hope Senior Sister can help me deal with."
