Chapter 34 The Most Popular Courtesan, Nianxin

It was a light rain outside again. These two months were the rainy season of Huaiyang City, the capital of the Empire of Yun, bringing a unique aura that only belonged to a southern city, which was not annoying as people expected. There's a street crowded every night. It's connected with the main avenue by an alley. Most people who came to this street were men—men of different ages and with different figures, handsome men and ugly men. This street was a famous nightspot on which many brothels were located. On this street, the business of an inconspicuous brothel called Dream Pavilion hadn't been prosperous. It was not as flourishing as other famous large brothels. However, a woman in red appeared and changed the destiny of this brothel. The woman in red came to this small brothel of her own free will. She had a pure face but always wore a coquettish smile. She didn't like gold or silver jewelry, only wearing an ordinary hairpin with a pearl on her head. Even so, she was still stunningly beautiful. The name of the woman in red was Nianxin. Since she was here, she had shown a unique, noble, and elegant temperament that ordinary women didn't have. She had a stunning but not tacky face, and the mysterious feeling in her eyes was very special. Therefore, she soon became the most popular courtesan lady on this street. Many people wanted to visit her, but it's almost impossible. Because of her, Dream Pavilion's business suddenly boomed. It became a prosperous place on this street. The procuress of Dream Pavilion worshiped her as a Buddha and even arranged a private house for her. The debut of this courtesan lady was tonight. All seats of Dream Pavilion were occupied. Many people had come here days ago to queue up for a reservation number to get a chance to see her performance. The sun hadn't set, and it was still early in the afternoon. However, many men had been waiting for tonight's performance here without doing anything else for a long time. They didn't feel tired at all. They kept discussing, looking forward to the show at night. The procuress seized this opportunity to make money. She asked various women of Dream Pavilion to accompany these men, making their waiting less boring. Here came the night. All candles in Dream Pavilion were extinguished in a flash. In the darkness, a row of lanterns was lit up separately on the four corners of the stage in the middle of Dream Pavilion. A woman wearing a veil and a dress as red as fire descended from the ceiling and landed on the stage. She wore a simple hairpin with a pearl on her head. Her eyes were pure and clear, but they also revealed coquettish and enchanting feelings—her eyes showed two kinds of extremely incompatible beauty. She was like a witch who could seduce everyone without taking off her veil. Men had lost their minds when looking at the woman on the stage. They now thought the women around them were not attractive at all. Compared with the beautiful woman on the stage, these women were too ordinary. Therefore, they didn't want to pay any more attention to them. The woman in red danced gracefully on the stage. Her sleeves flew freely like fire snakes slithering into the hearts of the audience. She was so beautiful, as fascinating as poppy flowers. Everyone was willing to be a moth that darted into the fire sea that this woman set on. Music rang on the stage when these men were all stunned by the beauty. The woman took off her red robe slowly. She wore an embroidered white dress inside the robe which outlined her amazing body perfectly. At the same time, her red veil also turned into a white one. Only the simple hairpin with a pearl remained unchanged. A soft and lingering song flowed out of her mouth, clean like a creek— Wind and sand blocked my view. I couldn't see the person but heard her beautiful singing, Clean and sweet like an oriole's chirping. The delight I felt was as much as the sorrow I had. I wondered how many hearts were broken for love, Since it was always so hard to find a soulmate. I wished everything was nothing but a dream. I wished life could still be a beautiful song under the moonlight, When I woke up. Her singing sounded sad but beautiful, which made people lose themselves in her song. Compared with red, white seemed to be more suitable for the woman. Wearing a white dress, she was as pure as a noble fairy. She drove people even crazier, and they wanted to possess her more. The song was over, but everyone was still immersed in it. All the candles in the lobby of Dream Pavilion were lit up again. The woman in white stood still on the stage. She bowed to the crowd gently and then walked towards her private house in the backyard. The whole audience went crazy. People kept calling her beauty, darling, or other even more intimate addresses obsessively. The procuress came to the stage immediately to appease the audience. "Everyone, calm down. Tonight, it is Miss Nianxin's debut. Miss Nianxin is different from other girls. Those who want to meet her must go to the door to sign up first. Miss Nianxin will choose the person she wants to meet herself. May you guys be her destined men." Nianxin left the lobby and walked to her private house in the backyard. It was noisy outside, but Nianxin’s place was extremely quiet. The slender and delicate woman gently pushed open the door of her bedroom and then walked in. Sitting inside, a handsome man with elegant and calm eyes was suppressing his raging anger. When he heard the door pushed open, he raised his head and looked at the woman in front of him. "Nianxin, what are you going to do?" The man wanted to kill all the men outside when he thought of their filthy eyes staring at Nianxin. But he would not do it since he was not Yun Su. "Zhi, you have known that it will happen sooner or later since the day you rescued me." "Nianxin, Ayue wouldn't want you to change into such a person if he was still alive." "But Yue is dead, isn't he? Zhi, don't stop me. I live for revenge. I have waited for this day for three whole years." Nianxin spoke while taking off her veil. She reached out to touch the pearl on her hairpin. Her pure face was no longer as innocent as before. Nianxin's eyes were once impeccably clean, but now they were filled with maturity and prudence as deep hatred was hidden inside. The complex of emotions made her more and more stunningly beautiful. Yun Zhi used to be the Senior General of the Empire of Yun, but now he was just Xuan Zhi, an ordinary person. He was in the sulks when he looked at the woman in front of him. He didn't want to criticize her. However, he felt sad that he still couldn't open her heart after companying her day and night for the past three years. "Zhi, from tomorrow on, the guests that the procuress arranges for me must be sons of officers or men with official rank. It is good for us to collect more information." Nianxin lifted the teacup and sipped the tea served by the man slowly. "Nianxin, these things can be done by other women. Why do you...?" Before Xuan Zhi finished speaking, a delicate index finger shut his mouth. Nianxin sat down in his arms naturally. He sighed helplessly and held her tighter. For the past few years, they slept on the same bed, holding each other every night, but there was nothing between them. He knew that she just needed some company because she couldn't bear sleeping alone. Xuan Zhi was willing to be her silly heater, and he didn't want to force her or make her feel unhappy. "Well, I will tell the procuress tomorrow. You must be careful." "Okay. Zhi, don't worry. I am no longer the little princess who was bullied by everyone. Don't frown so often, or you will soon become an old man," Nianxin said as she touched Xuan Zhi's brow with her delicate little hand. "Nianxin, which family are you going to deal with first?" "The Fengs. The youngest son of the Fengs is a regular visitor of brothels. We can start from his family." "Okay, whatever you want." The Fengs were a family of generals. It had been famous in the past. Master Feng was the hero who accompanied the current emperor's father to conquer the four kingdoms. He had been a veteran general of the Kingdom of Yun who won lots of battles. However, the new emperor Yun Su started a rebellion three years ago. The old general was so angry that he decided to resign his position. Now only the eldest son of the Fengs was still a general in the army. This family was not as distinguished as before. Even so, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. With the foundation built by Master Feng, this family had lived a good life. The old general only married a wife without any concubine. This couple had a harmonious relationship, and they had treated each other sincerely for a lifetime. Their three sons had all grown up. What made the old General Feng and his wife most worried was their three precious sons. All of them were not young but still hadn't married. The Feng couple were anxious because they wanted to have grandchildren. Feng Qianchu, the eldest son of the Fengs, was loyal and honest. Although he was unlearned, he was a responsible man with an upright attitude. However, he knew nothing about the relationship between men and women, and he had never interacted with any women. Feng Qianchu had been surrounded by men, and he only thought about fighting for the empire all day long. Feng Qianwu, the second son of the Fengs, looked quite handsome. He was also the best among the three sons. He was a rare talent who became a political scholar (one who passed the imperial examination at the county level) at the age of 14. But he was a kid who didn't take an ordinary path. Feng Qianwu didn't choose to be a politician but go into business. Fortunately, the old couple of the Fengs were not stubborn, and they allowed him to do whatever he liked. His business got better and better over the years. His shops were all over Huaiyang City. Women who liked him could line up from the city gate to his family door. However, he didn't like any of them, and he didn't even bother to look at them. The Feng couple was worried that he would become a monk someday. Feng Qianmu, the youngest son of the Fengs, was completely different from his two brothers. He was a dissipated man addicted to all kinds of brothels. He could not live without women. Feng Qianmu was known as a playboy in Huaiyang City, and it's because Mrs. Feng had spoiled him—he was the youngest of the family! The old general felt indignant about him. The silver lining was that Feng Qianmu hung out with many women but never brought one home. Therefore, Master Feng chose to turn a blind eye to him. However, Feng Qianmu had gone too far this time. He was obsessed with the courtesan lady Nianxin in Dream Pavilion. He stayed in Dream Pavilion all day long. Besides, he kept telling his family that he wanted to marry Nianxin as his wife. The old couple felt anxious now. No matter how beautiful the courtesan lady was, she was just a prostitute. How could he marry her? This was so humiliating for their family. His two brothers also couldn't keep calm anymore. Now the youngest master of the Fengs, Feng Qianmu, was sitting in Nianxin's bedroom in the backyard of Dream Pavilion. He was not ugly, but influenced by his long-term obscene lifestyle, he looked kind of sluggish. He had fallen in love since that night when he watched Nianxin's debut. After that, he signed up many times to see the beauty. Tons of noblemen wanted to see Nianxin, but not many of them could meet her. Feng Qianmu was so lucky that he was selected by Nianxin and entered her courtyard.