At that moment, a crowd of young noblemen were making a racket. Several women adorned with glittering jewelry and a few burly servants stood nearby, placating them. "Miss Su Mu is meeting with an important guest. She'll be here shortly." Sitting opposite her was a middle-aged man dressed in fine silks and brocade: Hong Xuanji. "Wherever you go, you have to respect the rules of the place." A woman of peerless beauty, seeming to drift with an immortal's air, sat quietly. Of course, Marquis Wuwen's Mansion never held gatherings like this. Hong Xuanji had even submitted memorials to the court several times, recommending that places of pleasure like the Flower Scattering Pavilion be banned to prevent corruption among officials. In Yujing, idle princes, nobles, scholars, and civil and military officials held small gatherings with friends every few days. They might drink and make merry, discuss poetry and literature, or admire paintings and calligraphy, among other things. Indeed, the minimum charge at the Flower Scattering Pavilion was several hundred taels of silver. It was a classic money pit. But then, who could blame them? The Flower Scattering Pavilion was Yujing's foremost brothel. When Hong Yi heard the invitation, his brows knitted, and a strange feeling stirred within him. It was brought on by the title "Yujing's foremost talented woman."
The Flower Scattering Pavilion stood in eastern Yujing. It was hardly a single building; it covered dozens of mu, all carved balustrades and jade-like stonework, with tier upon tier of five-story pavilions. At the entrance stood burly servants in bright clothes, while beyond the doors stretched a flower hall, deep and winding. "What important guest could be more important than Princess Zhennan? Let's go see." The group started clamoring again. "The Flower Scattering Pavilion? An invitation from Princess Zhennan? A gathering hosted by Su Mu, Yujing's foremost talented woman, to discuss the mysteries of the Way and debate poetry and literature..." "Go back and inform the princess. I'll get ready and come right away." People who visited the Flower Scattering Pavilion generally arrived in sedan chairs or carriages. Almost no one came on foot like Hong Yi. A single invitation stirred boundless melancholy in him—and even, inexplicably, some anger.
Though it couldn't really be forbidden, if Hong Xuanji found out, Hong Yi would still get a merciless beating. Hong Yi only had a few hundred taels of silver on him, and handing out four taels in tips each time stung a little. But he understood the rules: wherever you went, you followed that place's customs. At the Flower Scattering Pavilion, that meant tossing money around and tipping generously. There was no room for stinginess, or plenty of little obstacles would be waiting for you. At that moment, she was surrounded by a crowd of young noblemen, who clustered around her like stars around the moon.
Hong Yi knew that the Flower Scattering Pavilion was run as the most refined sort of pleasure house; it did not sell sex. After winding through turn after turn, a spacious flower hall came into view. It was like the central courtyard of a wealthy household, with bright pavilions and a broad courtyard, and was crowded with young people. The decor and grandeur alone were enough to make ordinary commoners—and even modestly wealthy families—hesitate to enter. Hong Yi spotted Luo Yun at a glance, dressed like a young gentleman, holding a folding fan and wearing a jade pendant at her waist.
But that memorial had met fierce opposition. On top of that, establishments like the Flower Scattering Pavilion paid enormous taxes to the court each year and had deeply entrenched connections. Even someone as powerful as Marquis Wuwen, whose influence reached across the court, couldn't bring it down. Hong Yi wore fine clothes and had the bearing of a scholar, so the burly servants didn't dare tell him to leave. But the moment he showed them the invitation to Princess Zhennan Luo Yun's gathering, their expressions changed. They immediately plastered on broad smiles.
"You're all making such a racket. Isn't the Dagan Empire supposed to prize refinement above all?" Luo Yun raised her folding fan and shook her head. The group fell quiet at once. Then she spotted Hong Yi, her eyes brightening as she went to greet him. These were clothes he'd had made in advance to celebrate passing the provincial examination. Since he was attending a princess's gathering, and since he was also remembering his mother, he couldn't dress too shabbily.
The rules of the Marquis Wuwen household were strict; members of the Lineage were forbidden from entering places of pleasure. In a quiet room in the five-story building on the east side of the Flower Scattering Pavilion, Hong Yi accepted the invitation printed on snowy-white paper and tucked it into his sleeve. He rose, straightened his clothes, put on a newly tailored silk brocade robe, changed into new soft-soled deerskin boots, and made sure everything was neat before setting out. When Hong Yi tossed two silver coins to each of the servants, their eyes crinkled with delight. They bowed so low their backs curved and hurriedly ushered him inside. At the same time...
At such gatherings, a woman's company was needed to lend a man an air of sophistication—especially the company of an elegant woman. The maids and concubines at home, or a fierce wife, were all unsuitable.
"Though the Flower Scattering Pavilion is a brothel, all its women are courtesans who sell their talents, not their bodies. Every one of them excels at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and their gifts for poetry and song are dazzling. The princes, nobles, civil and military officials, and scholars of Yujing often spare no expense to invite these courtesans to their gatherings. It's a refined pleasure house, utterly unlike ordinary brothels that trade in flesh." Even the least popular courtesan cost several hundred taels to invite to a gathering. The famous ones could easily command over a thousand, and that was nothing compared to Yujing's foremost talented woman. But Hong Yi was already breaking the rules anyway, so he steeled himself.
Looking at the row of elegant, far-reaching pavilions, the faintly visible pink silk screens on their rooftops, and the wisps of fragrance drifting through the air, Hong Yi could already feel the soft warmth and sultry music. They seemed enough to rot a man to the core, even before he went inside.
"Eighteen years ago, Mother was also Yujing's foremost talented woman. But what good did that do her? She was still of lowly status. After marrying, she was worth less than a commoner." When Hong Yi reached the Flower Scattering Pavilion's entrance, two burly servants immediately came over and sized him up. Seeing Hong Yi leave with the invitation, Hong Yu and Huang Yu exchanged a glance. One of them hurried toward the main residence, evidently to report to Lady Zhao.
Inside were countless deep corridors, pavilions, gardens, ponds, and private rooms. The decor was even more lavish than that of wealthy households. At the entrance, bright carriages, green-canopied sedan chairs, little pink sedan chairs with gilded trim, and many others were guided into orderly rows by the servants, without the slightest confusion.
The most suitable women, of course, were these courtesans. "Should I go or not? If Father finds out I went to a place like this, I'll be in serious trouble. But I do owe Luo Yun a favor, and refusing her gathering seems quite improper. Forget it. I already have plenty of debts; one more won't hurt. I might as well go and see what Yujing's foremost talented woman looks like." He had money now, and his outfit was refined without being flashy, making him the picture of a proper young scholar.
Truthfully, he knew he wasn't going to the Flower Scattering Pavilion for pleasure or to see a talented beauty. More than anything, the invitation had stirred memories of his mother. "Today's invitation comes from Princess Zhennan. Is Miss Su Mu still going to put on airs?!"
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