The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun

Page 314

There are different types of brothels. The brothel here is a high-class brothel. Generally, the top courtesans in high-class brothels sell their art but not their bodies. These courtesans are not only outstanding in appearance, but also have exceptional talents. They are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. You can't just pay money to see these courtesans. Unless you are a high-ranking official or a talented and romantic man, they will not even give you a second glance. Ordinary people can hardly ever see them.

The poetry contest that the man mentioned was an event organized by the courtesan. Her main purpose was to make those romantic and talented men compete for her affections, thus further enhancing her fame. If she was lucky enough to meet a true talent and compose a timeless masterpiece, it would be a great achievement for the courtesan herself, ensuring her lasting fame.

As for who will ultimately win her favor, those who understand the situation know the rest.

After pouring the tea, the man asked the two if they needed a few girls to come and keep them company. Zhu Shou saw that Jiang Ning didn't seem interested, and since he wasn't there to find girls, he declined.

"Brother Jiang, what's wrong? Is it too noisy here?"

After the man left, Zhu Shou was still looking around, finding it all very novel. But when he turned around, he saw that Jiang Ning's face was expressionless, as if nothing here could please him.

Zhu Shou hadn't seen Jiang Ning smile once since he came in.

"This is not."

Jiang Ning shook his head.

"What happened?"

Zhu Shou asked curiously.

Just as Jiang Ning was about to speak, a loud shout suddenly erupted from the hall, attracting the attention of the two.

Jiang Ning and Zhu Shou turned their heads and saw a beautiful woman appear on the second floor. It was this woman's appearance that made everyone make noise.

The woman was so beautiful that even Zhu Shou couldn't help but be captivated.

Jiang Ning, however, was not interested in this. He only glanced at it before turning back, but paused for a moment when he caught sight of someone in the crowd.

He actually saw the middle-aged man who had been riding a horse on the street yesterday.

This was the Lord Zhang that Chen Qingyuan had mentioned.

What a small world!

"Brother Jiang..."

After the initial amazement, Zhu Shou quickly recovered and turned to speak to Jiang Ning. However, upon seeing Jiang Ning's expression, he was surprised. Following Jiang Ning's gaze, he also saw the middle-aged man.

Upon seeing the middle-aged man, Zhu Shou's expression visibly turned cold.

Chapter 418: The Sad Zhu Shou

Both of them saw the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man, still oblivious, went up to the second floor surrounded by several people, without glancing at Jiang Ning and Zhu Shou.

"Brother Jiang, what are you thinking about?"

Zhu Shou turned around and found Jiang Ning looking around, his gaze mostly on the women, but there was no interest in them, nor any desire in a man when he saw a woman.

Upon hearing Zhu Shou's words, Jiang Ning withdrew his gaze.

"I'm wondering how many of these people are here against their will, forced into it."

Zhu Shou was taken aback.

The people Jiang Ning was referring to were easy to understand; they were the courtesans from brothels.

But it was precisely because he understood that Zhu Shou was even more puzzled.

Is this all Jiang Ning is thinking about?

"Brother Jiang, do you think they weren't there voluntarily?"

Zhu Shou asked.

Jiang Ning shook his head.

There's a reason why the brothel industry has existed since ancient times. Of course, there are many women who are willing, but he was thinking about those who were not, like the ones he encountered in Xiangyang.

Jiang Ning remained silent, but Zhu Shou was very curious. His gaze unconsciously swept over the courtesans around him, and he pointed to one of them.

"come here."

The courtesan was taken aback for a moment, then came over.

"Young master, is there anything I can help you with?"

Zhu Shou asked directly, "Did you enter the brothel voluntarily?"

The courtesan, when asked the question, was momentarily stunned, then rolled her eyes and gracefully walked away.

Zhu Shou didn't get an answer, so he asked other courtesans. The responses he received were either eye-rolls or being ignored. A couple of kind-hearted women gently reminded him that if he was going to lose his mind, he should see a doctor.

"Young master, would you like a lady to keep you company with a drink? Or shall I have a few ladies accompany you?"

A servant from the brothel nearby ran over and asked what was going on.

Everyone in the hall is now focused on the courtesan who has appeared. Zhu Shou is questioning the girl he has caught. The brothel servants wanted to have Zhu Shou thrown out, but after seeing his clothes, they realized that he must be someone important, so they had to come over and appease him.

Upon hearing the servant's words, Zhu Shou also quieted down.

The servant breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew. Zhu Shou looked at Jiang Ning across from him.

"Brother Jiang, they didn't say they were forced."

At this moment, Jiang Ning looked at Zhu Shou with surprise in his eyes.

He didn't know what to say about the other person's actions just now.

Now, as Zhu Shou asks him questions, Jiang Ning seems to see a clear kind of stupidity in his eyes.

Of course, Jiang Ning didn't think Zhu Shou was really that stupid; the other party must have never been to such a place before.

The fact that the other party could ask so many questions suggests either that he has a mental problem or that his high status makes him lack ordinary ways of handling things.

Could they be from the palace?

Jiang Ning couldn't help but glance at Zhu Shou.

Zhu Shou had no idea what Jiang Ning was thinking. After a while, two courtesans came over and sat down next to Zhu Shou and Jiang Ning.

"Don't you two gentlemen get bored drinking? How about we join you for a drink?"

After the two courtesans sat down, they smiled at Jiang Ning and Zhu Shou. Their demeanor was dignified and proper, and they did not pounce on Jiang Ning like other women of the night. If this were not a brothel, people outside would have thought they were ladies from a respectable family.

What are your names?

Zhu Shou asked curiously.

"This humble servant is Yiyi/Qin'er".

Two courtesans answered.

"Oh."

Zhu Shou nodded and asked curiously, "Did you go to the brothel voluntarily?"

He was still very curious about this, with a determination to get to the bottom of it.

Originally, I wanted to chat with the two of them for a while, talk about poetry and literature, and show off their talents, but Zhu Shou didn't play by the rules and left them speechless.

She wanted to get up and leave, but the two women had been invited to keep her company while she drank, so one of them could only force a smile.

"What do you mean by this, sir?"

Jiang Ning simply drank his tea and remained silent.

Zhu Shou added, "I'm just curious whether you did it voluntarily."

The two courtesans remained silent.

This was the first time they had encountered such a problem.

"I came here when I was seven years old."

One of the courtesans did not answer directly, but said, "My family was so poor at the time that we were almost starving. My father had no choice but to sell me here for five taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shou's expression vanished, and his brows slowly furrowed.

"Who would come here willingly? They just can't survive here anymore."

The courtesan sighed softly, her appearance evoking pity.

Zhu Shou remained calm, seemingly lost in thought, and asked the courtesan.

"So you'll never be able to get out?"

Zhu Shou looked serious.

The courtesan who had spoken earlier laughed and said, "As long as we can redeem ourselves, that's fine."

Jiang Ning then asked, "How much silver?"

The courtesan turned to look at Jiang Ning and smiled, "If I want to redeem myself, it will cost five hundred taels of silver."

so much?

Zhu Shou frowned.

That's a hundredfold increase.

The courtesan didn't seem to find anything wrong with it.

After buying them, the brothel invested a lot in them, teaching them to read and write, and learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. These were all resources. Moreover, the brothel was not doing charity; giving them the opportunity to redeem themselves was already giving them a way to survive.

Zhu Shou said, "I'll redeem you and give you your freedom, how about it?"

The courtesan smiled upon hearing this but did not respond.

Judging from Zhu Shou's attire, she knew he was no ordinary man and could certainly afford five hundred taels of silver. However, she was unwilling to be redeemed by someone else; she wanted to redeem herself, for that was true freedom.

Zhu Shou wasn't stupid; he knew the courtesan was politely declining his offer. His expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but not because of the courtesan's rejection, but for other reasons.

Zhu Shou, who had initially been curious about the place, lost interest and said to Jiang Ning, "Brother Jiang, would you like to stay a little longer?"

"Let's go then."

Jiang Ning stood up.

The two courtesans were dumbfounded as they watched the two men get up and leave.

This was the first time they had ever seen a man enter a brothel where one didn't say a word but just drank tea, and the other kept asking questions and then left.

Two oddballs.

These two courtesans thought to themselves.

Upon seeing Jiang Ning and Zhu Shou emerge from the brothel, the men who had been following Zhu Shou in the distance breathed a sigh of relief.

They were all planning to go in and pull Zhu Shou out if he didn't come out soon.

However, the group was momentarily bewildered upon seeing the expression on Zhu Shou's face.

Why did you get angry after visiting a brothel, sir?

Zhu Shou was not in a good mood at the moment, and looked at Jiang Ning.

"Brother Jiang, you've been to other places. Do you think what they said is true? Are the courtesans in other places like this too?"

Jiang Ning nodded.

In fact, he had seen far more than just courtesans during his travels.

Zhu Shou felt a mix of emotions at this moment.

Chapter 419: This one matters, this one matters too.

"I never imagined that so many people in my Great Ming Dynasty would be unable to survive."

Zhu Shou muttered to himself.

At this moment, he felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.

Although his voice was low, Jiang Ning could hear it very clearly.

The other party is most likely a member of the royal family, and has always been in the capital. Their situation is different from that of ordinary people, so it is normal for them to react this way.

What surprised him was why Zhu Shou would feel down about such a thing.