Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 493 Danger Approaches

When Liu Ye followed the butler to the entrance of the main building, several young women came out to greet him, and the one in the lead caught his attention.

This person was in his early twenties, tall and slender, with a face like a peach blossom, a bun like a black cloud, and a waist like a willow. In particular, his eyes were brimming with autumn water, as if the water would overflow if he moved them.

The steward introduced, "Lord Pingnan, this is Gu Mei, the owner of Meilou. She will take you upstairs." Then he said to the woman named Gu Mei, "Miss Gu, this is Lord Pingnan, whom the Duke is hosting today."

So this is the owner of the brothel. Liu Ye looked her over and secretly admired her, thinking to himself that this was the first time he had ever seen such a young and stunningly beautiful madam.

Gu Mei's eyes sparkled as she said with a smile, "The Duke of Wei was right. The Earl of Pingnan is a handsome and talented man, and so young. Tonight, the other talented men from Jinling will probably be overshadowed by you."

Liu Ye is well-traveled and has seen brothels and clubs in both ancient and modern times. He is adept at handling such situations and said with a smile, "Miss Gu is joking. I am just a martial artist. How can I compare with a well-read and romantic gentleman?"

Gu Mei smiled gently, "If the Earl of Pingnan doesn't mind, you can call me Hengbo. Please follow me; the Duke of Wei has been waiting upstairs for quite some time." With that, she gracefully led the way, several young women surrounding Liu Ye and escorting him upstairs. Shimazu Chiyo, uncomfortable with this scene, frowned and followed behind.

Surrounded by the fragrant aroma, Liu Ye casually murmured the name Hengbo to himself, then froze. Gu Hengbo?

As he followed her upstairs, he looked at the slender figure in front of him. This was the famous Lady Yokobo.

Upon arriving at a very spacious private room upstairs, they found that quite a few people were already seated. Duke Xu Hongji of Wei was sitting in the second seat. When he saw Liu Ye enter, he stood up to greet him and introduced him to the people present: "Gentlemen, this is today's protagonist."

The others stood up and politely bowed, saying, "Greetings, Earl of Pingnan."

Liu Ye nodded to everyone while declining Xu Hongji's offer to sit in the head seat, insisting on sitting in the second seat and giving the head seat to Xu Hongji.

After some polite refusals, Xu Hongji sat down at the head of the table and introduced everyone present to him one by one.

"Brother, to celebrate your birthday today, I've specially invited some of the most famous young talents in Jinling. You two, one a scholar and the other a warrior, are both outstanding individuals. Why not get to know each other better? This is Zhang Tianru from Taicang, a prominent figure in Jinling. Back then, he led the crowd to expel the eunuch faction leader Gu Bingqian, and his name resounded throughout the land..."

Liu Ye raised an eyebrow. This was truly a remarkable figure—the renowned Zhang Pu, founder of the Fushe Society, who rose to fame with his "Record of the Five Martyrs' Tomb" and became a spiritual leader for scholars across the land. The thought of meeting the author from his Chinese textbook felt quite extraordinary. He cupped his hands and said, "I have long admired your esteemed name, Young Master Zhang."

Zhang Pu's eyes were bright and his brows were full of heroic spirit. He returned the greeting and said, "You are too kind, Earl of Pingnan. My humble name is not worth mentioning."

Xu Hongji then introduced mostly historically renowned figures, such as Chen Zilong and Wu Changshi, both key members of the Fushe Society. When he introduced Mao Xiang, Liu Ye immediately thought of Dong Xiaowan and couldn't help but ask, "Does Young Master Mao know Dong Xiaowan?"

Mao Xiang, courtesy name Pijiang, is known in history for his marriage to Dong Xiaowan. Hearing Liu Ye's question, he was momentarily confused and hesitated before saying, "Miss Dong is famous throughout Qinhuai, how could we not know her? Not only do I know her, everyone here knows her."

Liu Ye chuckled and said, "Just asking." He thought to himself that the two of them probably hadn't made contact yet.

The last one introduced was very young, no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. Liu Ye thought to himself, "He's barely grown up and already visiting brothels. The ancients were truly romantic." He forgot that in ancient times, seventeen or eighteen-year-olds could get married and have children, and visiting brothels was the most fashionable pastime at that age.

The young man took the initiative to introduce himself: "Shangqiu Marquis Fang Yu, courtesy name Chaozong, has met the Earl of Pingnan." Perhaps due to his youthful vigor, he was not as tactful as the previous men, and his tone carried a hint of arrogance.

So it turns out he's Li Xiangjun's lover from "The Peach Blossom Fan"! Liu Ye glanced at him. This young master, famous for being the protagonist of "The Peach Blossom Fan," seemed a bit arrogant and looked down on Liu Ye, who was a count from a military background. No wonder, in their eyes, "all other professions are inferior, only studying is superior"!

He didn't bother arguing with the other person and sat down at Xu Hongji's invitation.

Gu Hengbo wasn't very old, but she handled the room full of dignitaries and celebrities with remarkable ease. She was incredibly charming and tactful, flitting among them like a butterfly flitting among flowers, her radiant smile instantly enlivening the somewhat serious atmosphere. Naturally intelligent, she had established herself at a young age, being both the owner and the top courtesan of the brothel, Mei Lou. She was adept at navigating the world of entertainment, and handling today's situation was a piece of cake for her.

Xu Hongji waved his hand and gave an order that left no room for refusal, as if commanding a battle: "Miss Gu, pick a girl for everyone, serve the best wine. Today we celebrate for the Earl of Pingnan, and we shall not leave until we are drunk!"

Zhang Pu and the others were very accommodating, cheering loudly. Only Hou Fangyu muttered in a voice barely above a whisper, "Such an elegant place, with such charming beauties, should be a place for composing poems and exchanging verses. Now it's turned into a brothel for drinking and flirting. How vulgar!"

He was the youngest, sitting at the very bottom, far from Xu Hongji, so Xu Hongji didn't hear him. Liu Ye, who had been staring at Zhang Pu and Hou Fangyu, vaguely heard the second half of the sentence. He sneered, not saying anything, but inwardly he despised it: Even the most upscale brothel is still a brothel. Even if you write a few poems, it doesn't change the fact that you're just a womanizer. What's with the pretense of being high and mighty?

A group of pretty girls spread out and sat around the group. Everyone present was a seasoned veteran of the pleasure quarters, very familiar with the game, and each put their arm around the girl next to them. The girl sitting next to Liu Ye was only fifteen or sixteen years old, her face flushed, like a virgin, somewhat nervous, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet. Liu Ye glanced at her but didn't pay her much attention—she was simply too young. In later times, fifteen or sixteen was still considered high school age; even if she was pretty and had the makings of a beauty, he couldn't bring himself to make a move.

The wine was served quickly, a fine daughter's red wine. With Zhang Pu and others deliberately flattering him, Xu Hongji quickly got into the mood, drinking from large bowls, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

Downstairs, in the river.

Several shadowy figures waited patiently. When they heard unrestrained laughter coming from upstairs, they exchanged a gesture and slowly climbed up the pillar, deliberately making no noise so as not to alert the soldiers guarding the door.