Chapter 919, Part 1: Entry Denied
Even though they had fought side by side in the dungeon, they hadn’t known each other for that long. They couldn't help but still be a bit unfamiliar with each other. But now that they were talking about courtesans, they naturally grew closer.
They quickly set out toward Scarlet Invitation. Gao Ying and Pei You had been planning to head over in a lavish palanquin, but Zu An was already used to spacious modes of transport like buses and subways, so he really couldn't get used to the crammed and bumpy palanquins. As such, he suggested going by horse. Gao Ying and Pei You were both cultivators, so they had no objections. There were many others who rode horses, but since they were young masters from distinguished clans, and Zu An was even a rising star in the capital, no one would trouble them.
As they urged their horses along, Pei You said with a smile, “I wonder who will have the chance to ride the beautiful Nan Xun today? The feeling of that would definitely be much better than these horses.”
Zu An raised his eyebrows when he heard Pei You speak such coarse words. This guy seemed like a gloomy and unsocial youngster, but now, he had immediately become a social butterfly! I guess pretty girls really are the greatest motivation for changing a man. He replied, returning the smile, “Scarlet Invitation will definitely be crowded today. We might not even be able to find a spot later.”
Gao Ying said, “Since the courtesan queen Nan Xun is taking a guest today, the capital’s men will obviously storm over. Even those from the commanderies surrounding the capital might come over. However, most of them will only be able to watch from afar. Scarlet Invitation has only sent out a hundred cards to prevent things from getting too chaotic. Only those with the cards can enter tonight.”
“Only a hundred?” Zu An was shocked. Even though that number seemed large, how many wealthy people were there in the capital? Furthermore, each clan often had hundreds to over a thousand people. If one added in the nearby commanderies, then this number wasn’t enough at all!
“Then doesn’t that mean Scarlet Invitation would only invite high officials from the court?” Zu An recalled something similar from his past world. Half of these hundred cards would already have been handed out secretly beforehand, and only a few would actually enter the marketplace.
“That’s actually not the case.” Gao Ying chuckled. “After all, this is a place of romance, and the court’s officials are scared of being accused of misconduct by the imperial censors. Out of consideration for their prestige, the elders typically won’t go. Only juniors like us will go and join the liveliness. Perhaps it won’t be appropriate for Sir Zu to go to this kind of place soon either.”
After all, at first, Zu An hadn’t even been a normal citizen in the capital, but rather a prisoner. And yet, afterward, his career had skyrocketed; he had since become a viscount and a popular person in the Eastern Palace. Most importantly, he was now an existence most powers couldn't overlook. His rank might shoot up a few more levels in mere days. At that time, it really wouldn’t be too appropriate for him to go to such a place.
Zu An thought to himself, So that’s how it is… Those officials’ positions are so high that they can’t even play around with courtesans? How sad is that? But when he thought about it, once one reached that level, one could just take in whatever girl one wanted. One didn’t have to frequent such places.
“It’s all thanks to brother Gao’s luck and social connections that he ended up getting an invitation card. I wanted to get one too, but I couldn't obtain one no matter how hard I tried.” Pei You promptly brought up Gao Ying’s contribution, saying that it was because of him that they could all come today.
“I only found someone who was willing to sell it to me by chance. After all, this courtesan became famous while we were in the dungeon, so we didn’t have any chance to obtain a card normally.” Gao Ying returned the favor, explaining that it wasn’t because Pei You didn’t have the resources, but rather that their group had been fighting in the dungeon while these tickets were being circulated. They hadn’t had a chance to seize any for themselves.
Zu An thought, No wonder I’ve never heard of this courtesan before. Turns out she only became popular while we were in the dungeon! Just then, however, he thought of something and suddenly laughed. “We guests are always the one who choose the courtesans in the brothels, yet now, it almost looks like the courtesan is choosing us.”
It was like the hostess clubs of his past world; if he didn’t like the girl, he could just ask for another one. Yet now, their roles seemed to have been swapped with this courtesan queen Nan Xun. It was almost as if she were the one choosing her guests!
Gao Ying and Pei You both couldn't help but chuckle. “Now that you mention it, that really is the case. But you’ll know once you see her later. She is worth it.”
Pei You continued, “Brother Zu, we already share a bond of life and death, so I’ll be a bit more straightforward. We wanted to give you the courtesan queen as gratitude for saving our lives, but this courtesan queen is a bit special. We can’t even win her over with our clan backgrounds, and can only rely on our own skill. If we can’t obtain Nan Xun’s invitation, we'll give you another courtesan queen. Scarlet Invitation has twenty-four stunning beauties who are known as the twenty-four bridges to the moon. You can play with them to your heart’s satisfaction.”
Zu An thought to himself, Like hell I’ll have a bond of life and death with you men. He waved his hands and said, “Don’t worry, I might not have other good points, but I am pretty good with the ladies. I feel like this courtesan will definitely choose me later.”
Pei You was speechless. He gave Zu An a look. If it weresn’t because Zu An had saved his life, with his usual personality, he probably would have mocked Zu An for being a cocky nobody.
After all, this Lady Nan Xun was different from the other courtesan queens. Rumors spread quickly among the capital’s social circles. Not a single person was confident in receiving her invitation.
Gao Ying was a bit more sophisticated. He laughed out loud to mediate the atmosphere. “Chu First Miss also chose brother Zu out of so many candidates, so brother Zu’s skill is easy to see. Perhaps Lady Nan Xun really will choose you today.”
…
The group had already unwittingly arrived at Scarlet Invitation while talking and laughing.
Even though Zu An had already made his mental preparations, he was still a bit stunned when he saw the splendid lights and pavilions. The scene before him was like one straight out of ‘Spirited Away’. It was as if he had returned to his past world’s Chongqing Hongyadong[1].
The place was even more magnificent than Immortal Abode in Brightmoon City! The government brothel’s style was lower profile. It couldn't compare to Scarlet Invitation in that aspect.
It was equivalent in size to Brightmoon City’s entire red light district! No wonder no one could figure out the boss behind it. How could a place that could occupy so much land in the capital have an ordinary background?
Scarlet Invitation was already extremely lively. Zu An constantly bumped and brushed against other people. He felt as if he had returned to his past world’s train stations during the new year.
There were some people who were shouting Lady Nan Xun’s name so passionately they passed out. There were even more people who, because they knew they couldn't get in, screamed out their love for her while waving banners in the air, hoping that Lady Nan Xun could see their literary talent and invite them inside.
Zu An gave them a look. These people had written all sorts of poetry, but for someone like him who had read through Tang and Song poetry, the level of their writing couldn't help but seem a bit clumsy. It looked awkward and cringeworthy in comparison.
“Make way; excuse us!” Gao Ying and Pei You were sixth ranked experts, so they could make their way across the ground through the release of ki without hurting anyone. The three of them quickly arrived at the entrance.
Zu An noticed that there was security by the gates to maintain order. There were also many bailiffs standing watch. This really was quite the big deal. A brothel actually had so many people present to maintain public order!
While he was sighing in admiration, a teasing voice suddenly remarked, “Oh? Isn’t it Little You? Why are you here with someone from the Liu clan?”
Zu An turned around. He saw a young master who was escorted by a group of people looking at the three of them with a mocking expression. The young master was decent looking, but there were black rings under his eyes and his complexion was extremely pale. He looked like someone who had let women and alcohol completely destroy his body. He looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but there wasn’t the slightest bit of steadiness in his demeanor. There was only an air of frivolousness.
“Is that any of your business?” Pei You sneered. At the same time, he explained quietly to Zu An, “This is my great grandfather’s third branch clan’s Pei Xingyan.”
Zu An quickly realized that this was the Waterfront Duke Pei Zheng’s grandson. Even though Waterfront Duke Pei Zheng and Pei You’s grandfather were brothers, their relationship wasn’t all that good. Pei You and his father’s branch in particular were close to the Bi clan, and were closer to the crown prince’s faction. That only made Pei Zheng even more unhappy with them.
“What a textbook example of a villain.” Zu An sighed when he saw the other party’s provocative behavior. He suddenly remembered that Big Manman’s father was Pei Zheng’s fifth son. This guy in front of him was actually her cousin! He decided to just avoid conflict out of consideration for Big Manman.
But Zu An couldn’t have expected that Pei Xingyan wouldn’t even give him a look, and instead looked toward Gao Ying and acted as if he only recognized him at that moment. “Aren’t you that Liu clan’s little cousin? I heard that you were a pretty steady guy, so why did you come to a place of romance like this? Shouldn’t it be that wastrel Liu Xian from your clan who comes here instead? Why isn’t he here?” He looked from side to side while speaking, as if he were looking for Liu Xian.
1. A famous tourist attraction in China’s Chongqing City ☜