The usually bustling banks of the Qinhuai River were in an uproar today.
The reason was none other than the half-dead Xiaoxiang Pavilion across from the established brothel, Zuihong Brothel. Now, it was wrapped in dozens of heavy black cloths.
Dozens of heavy black cloths hung straight down from the top eaves, wrapping the entire building tightly and airtightly. The daylight shone on it, but not a single ray of light seeped through; instead, it exuded an indescribably eerie vibe.
Li Sheng was busy at the main entrance, leading burly servants. He held a newly painted mahogany notice board that was gleaming with oil.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way! Are you blind? If you bump into this, selling your skin wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"
Li Sheng shouted with his broken gong-like voice, his face full of fierce flesh, driving the spectating commoners backward. He heavily pounded the notice board next to the door pier, stirring up a cloud of dust.
There were only two lines of words on the board, written in a cursive script that looked like dragons and snakes, carrying a fierce and wild energy:
"Deep in the Hundred Flowers, serious inquiries only; entrance fee, one hundred taels of silver."
An old man looking like a schoolteacher at the very front of the crowd squinted his dim eyes and read out loud following the handwriting. As soon as he finished the first word, his withered fingers trembled.
"One... one hundred taels? Did this old man see wrong?"
The crowd fell silent for a breath, and then instantly boiled over.
"One hundred taels of silver? Did this Miss Xu lock her brain away in the Ciyun Nunnery?"
A young peddler almost overturned his carrying pole, spit flying everywhere.
"This one hundred taels of silver is enough to buy a neat little courtyard in the west of the city, marry a pretty wife, and buy two maidservants to order around with plenty left over. Now, just to enter a door?"
"Hey, I've seen a lion opening its mouth wide, but I've never seen one swallowing the sky directly."
An old woman holding a vegetable basket nearby spat on the ground with a look of disgust.
"Is this opening a restaurant or a brothel? This is clearly robbing people of their money. Only an idiot would go!"
"This Xu family is used to being local tyrants in Taoyuan County. They probably still think we Jiangning people are ignorant country bumpkins who haven't seen the world."
Mockery, curses, and questioning swept through every corner of Jiangning City along the cold streets.
At this time, in a private room on the second floor of Zuihong Brothel opposite, the window was half pushed open.
Eldest Young Master Zhao Tai of the Zhao family was leaning on a soft couch, holding a delicate girl in his arms, playing with a white jade cup in his hand. He listened to the noisy commotion below and let out a sneer.
"Interesting, truly interesting."
Zhao Tai took a sip of wine, slammed the cup heavily on the table, and looked at the several young masters of noble families sitting opposite him.
"This Xu Qinghuan could come up with the wicked trick of proving your mother is your mother in court. I thought she had a lot of depth. Looking at it now, she's just a stupid nouveau riche."
The madam of Zuihong Brothel waved her round fan, laughing so hard her branches trembled, the greasy flesh on her chest jiggling.
"Eldest Young Master Zhao is right. The men of Jiangning City love to play, but no one is a fool."
"In my Zuihong Brothel, the prettiest girl accompanying for a night is only ten taels of silver."
"She hasn't even shown a shadow, and she wants to charge a hundred taels?"
"I see, the day her Hundred Flowers Brothel opens will be the day it closes down."
"She must be crazy about money."
Zhao Tai sneered.
"We don't even need to do anything. Just this notice will make her lose face in the official and business circles of Jiangning down into the gutter."
In the dark back hall of the Hundred Flowers Brothel, Xu Youde was holding his precious golden abacus, pacing around the main hall.
"Daughter, you can't, you really can't!"
Xu Youde looked at the second notice Xu Qinghuan had just finished writing, his heart aching.
"This one hundred taels entrance fee has already offended the entire city. You still want to write this? Isn't this jumping into the fire?"
Xu Qinghuan held a goat hair brush, her wrist steady, and wrote another line of large characters on the gold-flecked rice paper.
"On the first day of opening, limited to twelve seats. Those without an invitation, even if they are royal relatives, will not be received."
She threw the brush away after writing the last word, looking up at her father's face that looked like he was about to cry.
"Dad, what do you know."
Xu Qinghuan patted the ink stains on her hands and smiled.
"The rich people in Jiangning City don't lack silver; they lack face."
"But our family's reputation is terrible now!"
Xu Youde slapped his thigh, his flab quivering.
"If this notice is posted, who knows how the people outside will talk about us. They'll say we're country bumpkins, say we're boundlessly arrogant."
"It doesn't matter if our reputation is bad. What matters is... we have to make them curious."
Xu Qinghuan walked to the window, as if she could see the mocking faces outside through the heavy black cloth.
"The more they can't get something, the more their hearts will itch intolerably."
Before long, the second notice was also posted by the foolish Li Sheng.
This time, the commoners who were originally just mocking completely thought the Xu family was crazy.
"Limited to twelve seats? And not receiving those without an invitation?"
"Does this Miss Xu really think she's the current Emperor? Twelve seats, did she invite fairies from heaven or enshrine a true Buddha in her brothel?"
Just as the whole city was arguing endlessly, an urgent and arrogant sound of horse hooves came from far to near.
"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of my way!"
The crowd was roughly separated, and a group of burly servants carried a heavy vermilion lacquered chest, panting as they arrived at the entrance of the Hundred Flowers Brothel.
On the horse sat a fat-headed, big-eared man, covered in gold ornaments from head to toe, even with a shining gold bean inlaid on his large front tooth. It was none other than Gold-Tooth Jin, known as the number one nouveau riche in Jiangning County, who made his fortune through smuggled salt.
Behind him, of course, was someone—the Xie family.
Gold-Tooth Jin dismounted, his big belly trembling three times. He swaggered over to Li Sheng, pointed his thumb behind him, with a fierce look on his face.
"Is this that whatever Hundred Flowers Brothel? One hundred taels of silver to enter the door, right?"
Gold-Tooth Jin was stunned, his mung bean eyes full of astonishment.
"What? You think it's too little money?"
Gold-Tooth Jin waved his hand, and the servants opened the lid of the chest.
In an instant, a chest full of bright, white silver almost blinded everyone under the gloomy sky.
"I don't have anything else, just a lot of money!"
Gold-Tooth Jin shouted at the top of his lungs, afraid that others wouldn't hear him.
"Paying one hundred taels by one hundred taels is too troublesome. Here is one thousand taels. I want to book the whole place today! Go, call your whatever county princess out. I want to see if this hundred taels of silver to buy the threshold burns the feet!"
The spectating commoners instantly exclaimed. There really was someone coming to be a sucker.
Li Sheng glanced sideways at the chest of silver, a cold smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, and tapped his whistle stick on the ground.
"Boss Jin, you'd better carry this money back to buy meat to eat."
Gold-Tooth Jin was stunned, his mung bean eyes full of astonishment.
"What? You think it's too little money?"
"My lady said."
Li Sheng spoke word by word, his voice exceptionally clear.
"The Hundred Flowers Brothel emphasizes the word 'elegance'. Boss Jin, the smell of salted fish on your body is too strong. If you enter the door, I'm afraid it will smoke our flowers. Besides, you don't have an invitation, so this door... you really can't enter."
"What the hell did you say?!"
Gold-Tooth Jin's face instantly turned the color of pig liver.
"I have silver, and you dare to say I don't have the qualifications to enter this broken door?"
The onlookers who had initially been mocking the Xu family now watched Gold-Tooth Jin get put in his place. For a moment, they were entirely at a loss as to whether they should continue laughing at the Xu family for being crazy, or laugh at this nouveau riche Gold-Tooth Jin for losing face.
