Nightfall

The reason for him to enter the brothel was to check on Zhang Yiqi’s itinerary, revenge for Zhuo Er, seek justice for the villagers who were murdered by Yan territory, and seek justice for everyone who died terribly in the General’s Mansion!

Ning Que had wanted to enter this brothel and sincerely realized that all those excuses were f*cking nonsense. If he insisted on taking such views, Blackie would be drenched with rainwater and rose from hell to give him a good kick.

As all these thoughts were running through his mind, and partially because he was stepping into another new chapter of his life, he was feeling very nervous. Upon entering the brothel, he then realized that he had forgotten to notice the signboard of this brothel, but in fact, this brothel did not have any signboard.

With two enthusiastic manservants leading the way, he walked past a small garden, and into the brightly-lit building.

Ning Que casually glanced around the interior of the lobby. Though his facial expression looked peaceful, he was feeling shocked within. He discovered that this brothel was noisy and joyous outside, yet serene and peaceful inside, which was very different from the usual brothels. Of course, he had never entered a brothel before. It was just that in the past when he brought Sangsang to visit the doctors, or when he went to purchase Article on the Response of the Tao, he had taken a look at the brothels from a distance at Changping. Hence, to be accurate, he should say that this particular brothel was different from what he imagined to be like.

The lobby was brightly-lit and serene, with a red-carpeted stage sitting in the middle. Several slim and elegant-looking ladies were on the stage focusing as they played their instruments. Their expressions were gentle, and yet they did not attempt to flirt with any of the customers below the stage.

Upon entering the lobby, he felt as if the whole world had quietened down. The laughs from those ladies who had previously waved their red sleeves and teased him in front of the lobby were already far from being heard. The next moment, there were sounds of the footsteps coming from above. Ning Que guessed that the ladies must be rushing to take a peek at him, as he hurriedly lowered his head to hide his embarrassment.

The manservant whispered to him gently to ask if he required any services. He was not poorly served just because he was young and was teased by the ladies outside. Ning Que pinched the bag of money in his sleeve and secretly guessed that the ten silvers which he had stolen from Sangsang would probably be insufficient for him to enjoy here. Thus, he casually pointed a table at the corner.

A pot of rice wine, two plates of melon seeds with nuts, four dishes of sweet pastries with hot towels on each dish. Even the bucket for collecting the melon seeds shells was beautifully painted with red plum on the black surface. These great services and elegant details cost Ning Que a total of four silvers, but he felt that it was all worth it. To a poor kid who had stayed at the frontier fortress for years, he had never enjoyed such experience before.

After drinking two cups of rice wine accompanied with a few nuts, the bamboo instruments performance on the stage turned into a dance performance as the ladies started to swirl and jumped with the music played. Fair skin and slim-line figures were revealed as they raised their arms and legs. As such, the initial serene and quiet lobby had become warm and cozy.

In the lobby, there were several customers who each had a gentle-looking female accompaniment smiling in a flirty manner by their sides. As the sky was getting darker and the atmosphere in the lobby was getting better, the distances between them were also naturally drawn closer as they snuggled and kissed one another. No one had any idea where their hands were touching and smoothing under their broad sleeves, but perhaps due to the rules in this brothel, no exaggerating intimate acts were displayed in the lobby.

As a result, Ning Que, who was sitting in a corner alone, instantly felt that he was a round peg in a square hole. There he was, sitting all by himself with no women by his side. It was indeed awkward to be in such a state at a place like this, especially when he noticed that a few ladies were standing by the railing upstairs, laughing and teasing him again. To make the situation worst, those women who were in the arms of the customers took a few side glances at him from time to time with interest, which made him felt even more awkward.

A young man took a look at Ning Que and noticed his problems, even though it did not strike his mind that this lad might be lack of money due to the new set of clothes this lad was wearing. He thought that it might be Ning Que’s first time here and he might just be too embarrassed to voice out. The young man laughed and signaled the woman in his arms to invite Ning Que to join his fun.

The Tangs were generally generous and enjoyed companionship. They were also very friendly and it was common for them to join their tables in brothels’ tavern. Ning Que was slightly stunned upon receiving the invitation, but neither did he want to appear narrow-minded. Hence, he made a sincere gesture with his hands and allowed the manservant to move his remaining miserable-looking dishes to the young man’s table.

At places of entertainment, there was no reason for one to introduce his own name and family to the other party. As old saying states, “We’re people who’re only seeking for enjoyment, so it doesn’t matter if we were strangers before this encounter.” The young man did not ask for Ning Que’s name either, but laughed and joked with him. After a few cups of wine, Ning Que felt more at ease. That was when he realized that he was also someone who could chat and joke a lot. After conversing for a while, the people sitting at that table had instantly become rowdy.

The young man seemed to be in a good mood. He took a side glance at Ning Que from head to toe, as he generously commanded to the steward. “Arrange two ladies for this lad here. Age and nationality do not matter. I just need someone who can entertain and serve the customer well.”

Ning Que silently thought in his heart, “Does that mean age gap is not a problem, and nationality is not an issue?” He never thought that the people at the Chang’an were so open-minded about such things. As he was enjoying his time, he suddenly understood the true meaning behind the invitation. He could not help but feel shocked at his realization, as he quickly gestured his hands and rejected the offer.

“It’s really fine… and no need to be modest,” the young man said as he laughed softly. His laughter was unusually cunning. He continued, “Young brother, if I’m not wrong, I guessed you’re still a virgin?”

Ning Que was so embarrassed that he frowned his brows and the freckles on his cheeks suddenly became more vivid. He thought quietly to himself, “surely now is not the time for me to gesture my hands and exclaimed to him, ‘What a good judgment you have!’.”

The steward squinted his eyes, which caused the wrinkles on his face to gather together, and laughed before telling the young man not to worry and he would arrange as per requested. The young man noticed the shocking look on Ning Que’s face, as he slightly frowned and guessed. “Or is it that my young brother here does not like old mama-like women, but prefers young and sexy ladies?”

Ning Que sat there like a block of wood, and his mind seemed to be drifted elsewhere. All of a sudden, he smiled politely and said with determination, “To be honest, I still prefer ladies who’re of the similar age as me.”

“Good, good, that’s how a man should be like. Honest and straightforward.”

The young man tapped his fan as he praised. He then raised his brow, giggled and said, “Lad, if you want someone your age, her experience would be lesser. I never expect my young brother have such a light taste.”

Ning Que raised his brows. As he was about to brag about a large amount of experience he had in his years of imagination, a young maidservant suddenly came hopping and running down the stairs. She walked to their table without any expression on her face and said with a crisp voice, “Sir, Mistress Jian would like to see you.”

Ning Que was finally able to enter this new age under the sponsorship of this kind young man, but yet suddenly, this young maidservant came to interfere their conversation. As he was getting slightly nervous, he instantly recalled the storylines from various legendary stories. Whenever the main male lead was having a good time at the brothel, accidents would always happen and in the end, it was often being interrupted. These accidents or planned incidents included the burning of brothel, the fight between the experts, that young lover became jealous, or that the fierce wife at home suddenly appeared…

With these thoughts in mind, he started to feel extremely anxious, even to the extent of feeling hopeless. He did not even wonder who was this Mistress Jian that wished to meet him, but yet at the mention of this name, many customers at the lobby revealed a surprised and confused look, as they looked jealously at Ning Que.

The young man was stunned as he jealously patted on Ning Que’s shoulder and laughed loudly. “What a good life you have.”

Ning Que was somewhat awakened by the young man’s pat on the shoulder, which was filled with heavy resentment. He then noticed the looks on everyone’s faces in the lobby. He was taken aback and started to feel curious about this Mistress Jian, of course, with several fanciful reveries on his mind.

…