Night had fallen, with a string of lights stretching along the river, most of the city already asleep. Search: \(¨Complete¨ Book¨Divine¨Site¨) to read high-quality literature for free.

From atop Fan Lou, Li Shishi held a lamp, watching the homeward-bound guests depart in different directions. At this hour, the departing people were no longer loud and boisterous as before, their numbers diminished. Some left alone through the side door, others in twos and threes, bowing and chatting, servants bringing carriages, and everyone gradually departed in different directions.

The lights flickered dimly, and she watched from the window for a while. This was not the end of the day at Fan Lou; many successful talents and frustrated officials remained in the rooms within, accompanying their favored girls until the next morning. But the night had indeed deepened.

Night travelers carrying lanterns passed through the alleys, and watchmen on night duty stopped by the roadside, brushing shoulders with solitary carriages. Looking out from here, the lights of every household were gradually extinguished, and the barking of dogs came from afar. People spoke, but the words were unclear. The carriage of a Grand Academician returned to his mansion, and a carriage with the Taiwei's (Grand Commandant) insignia drove past.

She watched these things, then took a sip of tea. The guests had left long ago, and the tea had long cooled. Having been raised with the best upbringing since childhood, she did not like this kind of tea. It tasted bitter from the tea leaves, and also had the blandness of water. But she often habitually took a sip, and then… covered her lips with her sleeve and spat it out. Walking out the door, the maidservant followed, and they returned together to the courtyard.

The girls of Fan Lou, some sold their art, some sold their bodies, and most did both. It was late, and those who stayed overnight included wealthy households looking for pleasure and also those who were considered intimate guests of some talented women. If one did not delve too deeply, there were not a few examples of genuine affection and mutual respect. Money was certainly spent, but both sides generally felt it was worth it. At this time, there were many stories of talented scholars and beautiful women, and many women were willing to remain chaste for a certain man. This kind of thing was not forbidden in Fan Lou; selling art was actually more valuable than selling one's body. Although truly forming a couple, leaving the register, marrying, and having a happy ending were not common, they were not non-existent, and could always leave people with good hope.

Thus, as she passed through the courtyard below, several sisters greeted her. Some had no guests and were returning to their rooms or resting outside. Others were serving guests, and when they came to close the door, they caught a glimpse of her. The atmosphere under the lanterns here was somewhat similar to that of a family. However, the peaceful appearance might not truly be harmonious. After leaving this large courtyard and about to return to the independent small courtyard where the courtesan lived, she encountered two women head-on. These two were also popular girls in Fan Lou, one named Tang Yue, and the other named Fu Qiushuang. After greeting her, they began to mock her with some sarcasm, mostly envying that Li Shishi could go out to visit friends, and after she returned, Xu Dongmo and others eagerly came to find her.

Li Shishi smiled gracefully and dealt with them. As they spoke, the night wind blew, carrying the sound of crying. Li Shishi frowned. Tang Yue and Fu Qiushuang sneered. The crying came from a girl in the building named Ling Xuemei. She used to have some friendship with Li Shishi. Recently, it was said that she had fallen in love with a man and wanted to remain chaste for him. This was originally nothing. But that man was not a wealthy household, and his talent might not be outstanding. He didn't have enough money to redeem her. Ling Xuemei also resisted selling her art. It was said that she splashed a guest's tea when he touched her hand. This was a great taboo. She had been locked in a dark room and beaten these past few days, which was a trend to force her to receive guests.

"Having reached this point, she still can't understand her own identity, pretending to be noble, really..." Tang Yue and Fu Qiushuang said this, looking at Li Shishi, probably with some implicit meaning, "Sister Shishi wouldn't sympathize with her, would she?"

Li Shishi smiled and shook her head: "It reminds me of something Mama said. At that time, I had just come to Fan Lou and heard someone crying. Mama said to me, 'It's good if you can't stand such sounds. If one day you get used to it and gloat over it, I'm afraid you'll never get out for the rest of your life...' Two sisters, I'm going back to my room first."

She nodded slightly and turned to leave. She might not like what was happening over there, but it was not something she could interfere with. There were such things everywhere.

Everywhere has its own ecosystem.

Compared to the noise of the day, the city gradually fell into the sleep of the night. Even if there were occasional movements, they were drowned in the darkness after spreading to a not-so-distant range. In the palace, Emperor Zhou Zhe casually flipped a plaque, yawning and began to think about what to say during the morning court tomorrow. In the study rooms of many officials' residences, the lights were still on at this time. The people in the lights rubbed their noses and foreheads, continuing their work. In courtyards near and far, there were occasional rustling noises. The prefect was humming obscene tunes in the room of his newlywed concubine. A carriage entered the Taiwei's (Grand Commandant) mansion from the back door. On one side of the mansion, someone was shouting: "Lu Qian—I can't take it anymore, I must kill you! Come out here..."

A man named Gao Mu'en, holding a small knife, ran wildly in the courtyard of the Taiwei's mansion, vowing to kill Lu Qian, the skilled martial artist who was hindering him. His words and appearance were quite comical. Finally, when he ran back to the courtyard where he lived, he saw Lu Qian standing quietly under the door. Lu Qian pushed open the door of the room next to him. In the room, there was a sack struggling on the ground. His eyes immediately lit up: "Lu Qian, you still love me, who is it, who is this..."

He rushed in and cut the ropes on the sack with the small knife. What was released inside was a woman tied up with ropes. Gao Mu'en was stunned: "Lu Qian! That's not who I wanted, who I wanted was... Ah ah ah ah ah—never mind, she'll do for now... Little Mimi, girl, I said I would find Little Mimi..."

Lu Qian closed the door, and then there was laughter, the sound of clothes being torn, and the desperate cries of the woman coming from her throat because her mouth was blocked...

The night continued, with the stars and moon turning in the sky with layers of thin clouds. The passage of time would not leave out any place. Before dawn, the city gradually woke up, the sound of getting up, the sound of lighting lamps, the sound of dogs barking, the thin mist flowing, the dew dripping from the leaves. After Ning Yi got up, he did calisthenics in the yard. When he went to another courtyard, he saw Yuan Jin'er had gotten up early, which was rare. She was wearing thin clothes, sitting under the eaves, dazed, not knowing what she was thinking. But after seeing Ning Yi, she suddenly stood up and went back to her room coldly. Ning Yi raised his hand to say hello, but could only pout at this time.

"Crazy..." He muttered, touching his nose.

After having breakfast and resting for a while, he had to go to Qin Fu to pay a visit. Qin Si Yuan was going to the morning court, and he mainly discussed various issues related to Liangshan with Cheng Zhouhai and others. Although there was already a preliminary idea for the breakthrough point of this trip to Shandong, Cheng Zhouhai and others were the ones who dealt with intelligence all day long. Communicating with them more was very beneficial to his actions and to discovering more things that needed to be checked and filled.

Due to the courtesy he received yesterday, Qin Si Yuan also greeted the stewards at home. This time, Ning Yi was welcomed into the Prime Minister's residence. But when he entered the courtyard where Cheng Zhouhai and others were, he heard people talking inside.

"What can happen if something like this happens... it's just a trivial matter..."

"But they are just lawless! If this continues... the Taiwei's (Grand Commandant) mansion..."

"Do you have witnesses and evidence? What's the use of guessing, let alone this kind of thing..."

Several people were talking inside. Cheng Zhouhai's voice was louder and more indignant. Yao Zunian and Ji Kun seemed to be persuading him, but they also had some dissatisfaction. Ning Yi shook his head, but it was not surprising. People like them who dealt with various dark secrets saw far more injustice than ordinary people. From the meaning of their words, although they knew the injustice of what was being said, Cheng Zhouhai even cursed, but it was not a feeling of wanting to stand up or do anything. It was probably a routine expression.

When Ning Yi knocked on the door and entered, the three stopped talking, and then greeted him. Cheng Zhouhai's face was gloomy. He nodded to him, then threw a completed file to the side. After everyone exchanged pleasantries, he was the first to look up and say, "I heard Liheng encountered that Flower-like Tai Sui (Grand Tutor's) yesterday."

"Yes, nothing happened... did Sixteen Shao (Young Master) come back and say it?"

The reason why Cheng Zhouhai and others knew about this was mostly because of Qin Shaoyu. Yao Zunian said: "That Flower-like Tai Sui (Grand Tutor's) is notorious. There are many people in the capital who can't stand it. It's just that his adoptive father Gao Qiu is in favor with the emperor, and everyone can't touch him. There's no way to do it."

"Yes, I understand."

Cheng Zhouhai nodded: "That's fine. Although that Gao Mu'en is messy, he ultimately doesn't dare to touch people with real status and background. Although it is widely rumored outside that the Taiwei (Grand Commandant) only gained his reputation from Cuju (ancient Chinese football), he is actually... not an incompetent person. Liheng doesn't need to worry about the safety of the people around him. We will also make some arrangements here."

Ning Yi nodded and smiled. In fact, after talking with Qin Shaoyu about Gao Yanei (Gao Qiu's son) yesterday, Ning Yi had temporarily put it out of his mind. There were nearly a million people in Bianliang, including merchants and residents. At this time, the architectural skills were not as developed as in later generations. The entire city circle was as large as a city with millions of people in later generations. Even if the surrounding residential countryside was removed, the city area within the city walls was quite considerable. Being able to meet a celebrity like Gao Yanei (Gao Qiu's son) was considered fate, but it might not be easy to meet him again. Taking a step back, Qin Shaoyu, Cheng Zhouhai, and others were all right. If Gao Mu'en really dared to act unscrupulously against everyone, even if the Taiwei (Grand Commandant) Gao Qiu was in favor with the emperor and could be compared with the two ministers on the left and right, he would not be able to protect this adopted son. Even regardless of these, even in Jiangning and Hangzhou, such playboys were everywhere.

"...Teasing women is considered the most unpopular thing among these people's evil deeds. But this Gao Yanei (Gao Qiu's son) is actually quite interesting."

Knowing that Cheng Zhouhai and others were trying to make him feel at ease, Ning Yi was grateful and wanted to liven up the atmosphere, so he joked a bit. However, this statement only received a wry smile. Yao Zunian shook his head. Although it was not a rebuttal, he obviously disagreed to some extent: "What Liheng said is not bad, but... you will know in the future..."

This wry smile was not directed at Ning Yi. He put aside this matter soon after and talked about other issues. Ning Yi was not omniscient either. It was not until he returned that evening that he roughly guessed why the wry smile was. Before that, he had quite the style of a famous scholar and proposed to Qin Shaoyu, Cheng Zhouhai, Yao Zunian, and others to go to various brothels together...

Support (Complete Book Divine Site) share this site with those little friends who need it! Please leave a message if you can't find the book!