676: Chapter 458 676: Chapter 458 Ye Tian occasionally listened to information from his father, feeling that these people were merely hopping about, and for the moment they posed no threat to the Imperial City.
He instructed his father to keep a close watch on the Prime Minister’s movements and disregard the rest, and he also made it clear that the women of the family should not participate, and even the young men should avoid such banquets.
General Ye, upon hearing his eldest son’s words, strictly forbade the family from attending the banquet and went out to patrol the streets themselves.
Ye Shi arrived on high in the air above the main street, where he was in charge of leading the patrol, idly sitting on the Magical Treasure, checking if the sky outside was as blue as the one over the Imperial City.
Another person on patrol in the main street, accompanying his students, was Tang Feiyang.
The two had different tasks, and during their patrol, if they encountered anyone from the Prime Minister’s camp causing a disturbance, they would stop it, regardless of what was going on.
Suddenly, a street in the Imperial City became very lively, which was not due to the lavish residences of some nobles; this street had more brothels than homes.
It was not yet night, and a woman at the brothel was about to throw an embroidered ball, and fireworks were being set off for the occasion.
One woman, her face covered revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes, wore splendid and dazzling head ornaments.
Below the brothel, numerous young gentlemen and older men stood, continuously calling out.
“Beauty, throw the embroidered ball to me, and I will cherish you,” one shouted.
“Beauty, throw the embroidered ball this way, and I will ensure you never want for food or drink, and I will redeem your indenture papers for you,” called another.
The beauty on the brothel balcony remained silent, her gaze wandering into the distance, looking up towards the sky, from where she could see several streets bustling with people.
Where there was such excitement, crowds naturally gathered to spectate.
The students led by Tang Feiyang, who were not necessarily smitten with the woman’s beauty but being scholars and artists, did enjoy appreciating her.
So, these men also ran over, and Tang Feiyang found it impossible to stop them.
Tang Feiyang looked up at the brothel and saw the woman looking down; her eyes seemed familiar, and so did her silhouette.
Her face was covered by a veil that made it hard to see clearly, making her seem like one of the famous courtesans of the brothel.
“Will you throw the embroidered ball down?”
The people below did not stop calling out.
The people above silently watched below, while those inside the brothel continued to light fireworks and play music.
The woman holding the embroidered ball had initially set her sights on Tang Feiyang, but after catching sight of a man flying above, a man whose portrait she had seen before, she hesitated.
He was from the Guardian God Family, the second son of General Ye, Ye Shi, and his abilities and status were no less formidable than those of Tang Feiyang.
Tang Feiyang had already seen through her intentions and identity, finding it hard to entice this man.
His family had declined the invitation to the banquet.
The Guardian God Family had done the same, rejecting all invitations sent to them.
Du Jiaolan was initially sulking, but she later realized she needed to devise a way to bewitch the younger generation.
If they would not attend formal banquets with proper social etiquette, might there be another way to draw them in?
Du Jiaolan thought of one of their organized enterprises, a brothel; this particular street was full of them.
The brothels in Capital City belonging to their organization had girls brought over from their homeland abroad.
This batch of women was trained in reading, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and had learned the language of this country.
They appeared no different than locals, blending in seamlessly with the dress and customs of this nation’s people.
Their organization had managed these brothels in the country for many years, and while the behind-the-scenes owners were organization members, they were also powerful and privileged.
Du Jiaolan started to make her move, twirling the embroidered ball in her hand, drawing more shouts and more onlookers.
She aimed to attract the attention of the men in high places; although trained by the organization, she lacked the ability to fly, possessing qinggong, but not the means to soar to the heights above.
Ye Shi, young as he was, just like other young men, led his group slowly flying closer to the lively scene.
He did not descend from the sky but hovered, looking down.
Du Jiaolan made her move once again, with many in the crowd there just for the show and to join in the fun.
Even though she threw the embroidered ball with the intention of attracting Tang Feiyang, she was not one of the brothel’s women but merely using the establishment to fulfill her objective.
“Beauty, why are you moving over there?”
With so many people in the crowd below, Du Jiaolan moved to another side, and the crowd below shifted with her.
Tang Feiyang was among the crowd, initially keeping a bit of distance, simply there to watch the excitement.
As Du Jiaolan moved, she drew the crowd towards him, pushing him along with them.
The crush of people below was intense, and in the commotion, one could easily get trampled.
Tang Feiyang leapt back, but the students with him were not so fortunate; being slower to retreat, their shoes were trodden off by others.
From his vantage point above, Ye Shi could not see the actions of those below.
He and some younger members of the crowd were shifting positions, and with such commotion, the narrow street was jam-packed.
If any criminals were to cause trouble, and the mass of people started running, it could lead to deaths from the stampede.
A guard whispered in his ear, saying it was only a woman from the brothel, and the crowd acted as though they’d never seen a beauty before.
“Tsk, tsk, they’re all cheap!” Ye Shi remarked disdainfully.
“Instead of going to the respectable gatherings of daughters of wealth, they crowd here for excitement!”
Ye Shi noticed that among the crowd looking to catch the embroidered ball, many were wealthy young men, the sons of high officials.
Panic ensued as the carriage horses stationed by the curb, as well as other horses, were startled, running amok and causing screams to pierce the air.