Chapter 8: Autumn Water and Wutong

Ye Xiu has not rested since he went on the expedition. This time the army is on holiday, he just wants to understand the customs and habits of Fengzhou, and make the right judgment on how to manage Fengzhou in the future. Although he has heard some things from other officials in the past few days, he also wants to go out for a walk himself.

So Ye Xiu dressed up as a young man from a rich family, and only had Zhao De (Xiao Dezi's real name) with him. Seeing the crowd running in one direction, Zhao De quickly grabbed a man and asked, "Brother, may I ask what happened?"

"My dear brother, you are from outside the city, right? Today is Miss Murong Qing's poetry competition. The winner can stay overnight in Miss Murong Qing's room." As he said that, he hurriedly shook off Zhao De's hand and ran towards Qiu Shui Wutong.

"It's really unethical that a prostitute can drive the people of Fengzhou crazy," Zhao De complained.

"You know shit. You look like a rough guy." A man who was running suddenly stopped for a moment, then hurried over again.

"Fuck." Ye Xiu hurriedly grabbed Zhao De.

"Murong Qing? Qiu Shui Wutong? I didn't expect that there would be a brothel in a barren place like Fengzhou. Interesting. Let's go and take a look." Ye Xiu smiled.

When Ye Xiu and the other person slowly walked to the door of Qiu Shui Wutong, they were dumbfounded. They didn't expect that Murong Qing had such a strong appeal. It was impossible for them to squeeze in.

"Sir, for only five taels per person you can enter the inner hall and get close to Miss Murong Qing." At this time, a thin man with a shifty face came up to Ye Xiu and said.

Zhao De immediately separated the man from Ye Xiu, which surprised the man and made him realize that this young man was not simple.

"Damn, it turns out there were cattle in ancient times." Ye Xiu couldn't help but laugh.

"Zhao De, give me the silver."

"Master... this..."

"Stop talking nonsense and give it to me." Ye Xiu said again. Zhao De looked unwilling. Five taels of silver was enough for him to get by for half a year before.

"Gentlemen, please come this way." The man led the way respectfully, walked through the crowd to the door and handed the receptionist over.

Shit, I got ripped off. Turns out this passage was blocked by the crowd in front. I can just pass through it myself. Although I need a ticket, it only costs one or two taels of silver.

As soon as you enter, you will see a magnificently decorated hall with a wooden staircase in the middle leading to the second floor. Qiu Shui Wu Tong is considered the largest brothel in Fengzhou. It is a place where talented men and dignitaries display their status.

Qiu Shui Wu Tong has a total of five floors. One can get a seat in the hall by spending one or two taels of silver. The higher you go, the more expensive the seats become. Moreover, Murong Qing is the only one on the fifth floor and no one has ever gone up there, because in addition to silver, one must also have a poem that Murong Qing likes and that is recognized by everyone.

For those talented people, not to mention that they don't have such high talent, even if they do, they don't have that much money. And for some dignitaries, they have money but no talent.

In Qiu Shui Wu Tong, the first floor was one tael of silver, the second floor was ten taels of silver, and the third floor was twenty taels of silver. In that era, the annual salary of an ordinary official was only a few dozen taels. The fourth level requires only 50 taels and requires a certain level of talent. As for the fifth level, there is no monetary requirement and as long as Murong Qing approves, it can be done. But would someone who is approved by Murong Qing be short of money?

"Everyone, be quiet. Today is Miss Murong's monthly poetry contest. Anyone who can gain Miss Murong's favor can spend the night with her.

"Oh, oh, oh" the scene was boiling. Although everyone knew that they didn't have this ability, it did not hinder their excitement.

"Everyone, today Miss Murong has three questions in total, namely describing people, describing scenery, and free creation."

"So if one song is favored by Miss Murong, it means one Spring Night, and three songs means three Spring Nights?" a voice sounded in the crowd.

"Hahaha...oh, oh, oh." This time it completely livened up the atmosphere of the scene.

Since Ye Xiu and his friends arrived late, they naturally sat at a table in the corner. Seeing the crowd going crazy for it, Ye Xiu finally realized that the brothel in reality was even crazier and more exciting than what he saw on TV.

"I'll go first and give you a poem called "Spring Outing": The spring breeze gently blows the fragrance of flowers, and the green willows hang down and reflect the water in the pond. I go to the countryside with my family, singing and laughing happily to enjoy the spring."

"Although your poem describes the lush spring scene, it is too straightforward. Take a look at my "Autumn Mountain Village": The scenery in the mountain village is beautiful in autumn, and the golden rice is smiling. The red leaves on the mountain dance in the wind, and the persimmons on the branches are like fire."

"Good, good, good!" Cheers broke out from the crowd. This song is indeed better than the previous one, but most people also know that its level can only be considered upper-middle level, and it is still a long way from winning Miss Murong's favor.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem. I'm telling you all, please stop arguing with me." The man who spoke was a handsome man with fair skin and clean eyebrows, who came out waving a fan? Who else could it be but Tang Bo, the number one talent in Gyeongju.

"Hey, Young Master Tang is here, what are we going to do? It all depends on whether Young Master Tang's poem can win the first prize. Although Young Master Tang is indeed talented, he still can't get the favor of Miss Murong."

"Spring rain is as precious as oil, it flows all over the street. The scholar Jie fell down, making a group of cows laugh."

"Okay, okay, what a great sentence! Spring rain is as precious as oil." I think Miss Murong should be satisfied this time.

"沁园春·雪" When Ye Xiu opened his mouth, everyone looked in the direction of Ye Xiu. Everyone was wondering who was so blind as to dare to argue with Young Master Tang, and what kind of poem was this and why was the name so strange? Ye Xiu ignored Zong Ren's puzzled, doubtful and angry look.

"Qinyuanchun·Snow: The scenery of the north, thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow. Looking inside and outside the Great Wall, there is only wilderness; the great rivers are no longer surging. The mountains dance like silver snakes, and the plains run like wax elephants, trying to compete with the sky. It must be a sunny day to see the red dress and white snow, which is particularly enchanting.

The country is so beautiful that it attracts countless heroes to compete for it. It is a pity that the Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han were slightly inferior in literary talent; the Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song were slightly inferior in style and charm. The great Genghis Khan only knew how to shoot eagles with a bow. All the past is gone, and the heroes of today are still to be seen. "

The whole audience fell into silence, and then broke into thunderous applause.

Ye Xiu said proudly in his heart: "See how you compare, this was written by our great man."

After Ye Xiu finished reading with his head shaking, everyone knew that they had lost the scene writing game convincingly. Murong Qing also stared at Ye Xiu curiously, wondering when such a talented person came to Qingzhou.

"Xiao Hong, go check this person out."

This poem not only describes the scenery but also expresses the heroic feeling in one's heart. The sentence "To count the heroes of the past and present, look no further than today." fully demonstrates the author's domineering attitude that looks down on the past and present.

Then Ye Xiu said bluntly: "I will also give the following two poems to Miss Murong. "

"This one is called "Murong Qing": Her beauty is even more enchanting, her spirit is like autumn water and her face is like auspicious snow. Her phoenix eyes are half curved and hide amber, her lips are like a cherry. Her jade fingers are slender and soft when exposed to dew, and her golden lotus steps gracefully. The white jade is fragrant and the flowers are eloquent, and the good night worth thousands of gold is hard to get rid of."

"Shameless and vulgar." Some people have already expressed their dissatisfaction, because in ancient times few people described a woman so directly.

"Miss, he..." Xiaolan, who was next to Murong Qing, stomped her feet in anger.

"It's okay." Murong Qing just took a sip of the tea in front of her and put it down gently.

"I look at my sword under the lamp while drunk, and dream of blowing the horn in the camp. Eight hundred miles of roast meat is distributed to the subordinates, fifty strings play the music from the frontier, and the soldiers are inspected on the battlefield in autumn.

The horse is as fast as Lu, and the bow is as loud as thunder. To complete the king's affairs and win fame in life and after death. "Please accept the third song, Miss Murong," Ye Xiu said as he stood up and prepared to leave.

"Sir, please wait. I will keep my promise. Please go upstairs and have a chat."

At this time, Xiao Hong whispered in Murong Qing's ear: "He is the King of Fengzhou."

The Prince of Fengzhou was the former good-for-nothing Third Prince. Murong Qing was shocked.

At this time, Ye Xiu's voice rang out, "This young master is not interested in a night of passion with the lady."

Alpaca, the people in the crowd cursed Ye Xiu in their hearts, you are not interested, why are you here to make trouble, and you are still pretending to be cool.

"I just admire your talent and would like to ask for your guidance. You can leave anytime. Is that okay with me?"

Ye Xiu thought about it and realized that he had never seen a beautiful woman in this world. So he bowed and said, "Then I would rather obey your command." Then he walked straight upstairs.

"Hypocrite, villain, and hardcore indulging in lust." Another group of people were cursing downstairs.

When Ye Xiu, Chen Guang and Zhang Qingshan were about to step onto the fifth floor. Xiao Hong and Xiao Lan stopped Zhao De and said, "Only this gentleman can enter the young lady's boudoir."

"Master, this..."

"It's okay. I'm not that precious."

After seeing Ye Xiu follow Murong Qing in, Zhao De also hurried downstairs to call for help in case of any unexpected events. Xiaohong and Xiaolan watched Zhao De leave without paying any attention.