“Qingya Abode, what a nice name!”
Xia Chen exclaimed. Such an elegant name, but who would have thought that it was a place for spiritual exchange!
Li Xi, with his keen eye, went to knock on the door, explaining as he did so.
“Qing Ya Guniang is the owner of the Small Yard. She is quite famous in the capital and is highly sought after by literati. I hear that even some officials from the imperial court sometimes visit this yard.
Upon entering the Small Yard, besides paying the entrance fee and drinks, whether one can stay overnight depends on whether Qing Ya Guniang is impressed by their talent. However, even if Qing Ya Guniang is not impressed, one can still choose some maids or servant girls!”
Qing Ya Guniang is extremely famous in the capital, a renowned beauty…
Xia Chen was a bit surprised. This Qing Ya Guniang has a very good business mind. Isn't this Qingya Abode essentially a high-end private club?
Leveraging Qing Ya Guniang's personal brand to build her reputation, and then, with its unique 'mutual consent' feature, it differentiates itself from other brothels and entertainment venues, creating a competitive edge.
This 'mutual consent' model is sure to pique the curiosity of literati and scholars. It is said that there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts; scholars have high standards and do not believe themselves to be inferior to others.
Moreover, the more unattainable something is, the more people desire it. If they can't stay overnight after one visit, they will try a second, a third…
That feeling of being able to see but not touch makes people itch with desire, which in turn increases the repeat purchase rate.
Truly amazing!
Xia Chen nodded, growing curious about this Qing Ya Guniang. He just didn't know if the actual owner of this Small Yard was Qing Ya herself or someone else.
“Do you have an invitation?”
At this moment, a small head peeked out from behind the gate of Qingya Abode. Her cheeks were round, and her face was delicate and quite adorable.
Li Xi quickly handed over the invitation. Soon, the gate opened. Xia Chen had already put on the mask Li Xi had prepared in advance. As soon as he entered, Xia Chen was greeted by a strong scent of rouge.
The round-faced maid led the three into the courtyard. There were already quite a few people inside, about twenty or thirty, all dressed as literati. When they saw the three enter, they merely glanced up before returning their gaze.
Xia Chen took a seat at the end and began to observe carefully.
In the courtyard, there were lively scenes: maids dancing gracefully, and people playing drinking games like 'Feihualing' and 'Xingjiuling'.
Xia Chen watched for a few moments before shifting his gaze to the center of the courtyard, to the gracefully dancing women.
Aside from their slightly revealing attire, the dancers had an outstanding demeanor, not like common seductresses, but rather like Young Ladies from prominent families. This kind of temperament made it understandable why this ordinary Qingya Small Yard was so popular.
Indeed, she was elegant and refined. It was just unknown what Xia Chen truly looked like.
“Her appearance must be even more outstanding, otherwise, her reputation wouldn’t be so great.”
Xia Chen pondered inwardly when suddenly, he heard an extremely beautiful zither melody, and the guests stirred slightly.
“Qing Ya Guniang is coming out!”
Xia Chen quietly listened to the moving zither music until it gradually faded, and then Li Xi's voice reached his ears.
“Qing Ya Guniang is proficient in poetry, prose, song, and music. Her guqin playing, in particular, is hailed as exceptional. Some even praise Qing Ya Guniang’s zither playing as not inferior to the ladies of the Jiaofang Division.”
Xia Chen nodded, looking towards the room. He saw only a graceful figure, indistinct in the lamplight, reflected on the screen.
“Young Masters, you’ve waited long!”
A clear, melodious voice sounded, and a beautiful woman emerged from behind the screen, a smile on her face. Instantly, everyone present, even those wearing masks, had their eyes light up.
What a Young Lady from a prominent family!
When Xia Chen saw the true face of this Qing Ya Guniang, he couldn't help but smile. Was she playing with… a sense of contrast?
Interesting!
“Qing Ya Guniang is joking. We are all here to drink. It’s only just gotten dark, so it’s hardly been a long wait!”
From the Northwest direction, a man seated in the first row spoke loudly. He wore a mask and was dressed lavishly, his gaze now somewhat fervent as he looked at Qing Ya.
“That’s right, besides, a beautiful woman is always worth waiting for!”
Another pot-bellied man chimed in.
Qing Ya Guniang chuckled softly, covering half her face with a handkerchief, shy and demure, making people want to embrace her and cherish her.
The moment Qing Ya Guniang appeared, she overshadowed all the maids in the courtyard, making them seem somewhat dim in comparison, and drawing all the guests' attention to Qing Ya alone.
The atmosphere in the courtyard reached another peak. Everyone was no longer quiet as before, but began to speak up, vying to win a smile from the beauty, attract her attention, and become her guest for the night.
Qing Ya Guniang surveyed everyone present, her gaze sweeping over each mask. When her eyes passed over Xia Chen, her gaze lingered slightly, as if trying to see through the mask to discern who this person truly was.
Everyone's attention was on Qing Ya Guniang, so they naturally noticed this detail. Thus, everyone present began to scrutinize Xia Chen.
Upon closer inspection, their hearts tightened. Although Xia Chen wore a mask, he sat there calmly sipping his wine, his demeanor too outstanding.
Some people are naturally the focal point of a crowd.
“Could this be a royal descendant or a noble Young Master?”
Everyone speculated inwardly, but they weren't too flustered. They were all patrons, and now wearing masks, it was a fair competition, nothing to worry about.
“Young Masters, how about we start with a round of Feihualing?”
Qing Ya smiled. Feihualing is a game favored by literati, where participants take turns reciting poems containing a specific keyword. The loser is penalized with a drink, requiring participants to have a certain reserve of poetry.
Everyone smiled and nodded, clearly confident in themselves.
Xia Chen played a few rounds and answered some lines, but he didn't try to stand out too much, so he wasn't particularly prominent in the crowd.
Although the Marquis's Mansion was a military family, the children of the Marquis's Mansion were required to study from a young age. While not expected to be masters, they certainly had to learn some basics.
Time slowly passed, and various games unfolded: 'Qu Shui Liu Shang' (winding stream party), 'Ji Gu Chuan Hua' (drumming and passing flowers), and finally, some even competed in poetry. The courtyard, neither too big nor too small, had a lively atmosphere.
Xia Chen couldn't help but nod. This Qing Ya was a talented person, perfectly managing the flow and rhythm of the entire event.
She pushed the atmosphere to a climax.
During the process, a few scholars indeed performed exceptionally well, presenting several poems that even Xia Chen found to be of remarkable quality.
“Gentlemen, I am a bit tired and will go rest now. Please enjoy yourselves!”
Qing Ya Guniang rose and curtsied gracefully to everyone, her demeanor gentle and elegant, looking every bit like a Young Lady from a prominent family.
Everyone nodded, but their expressions were somewhat tense, knowing that the main event was about to begin.
They wondered who would be fortunate enough to be chosen by Qing Ya Guniang to stay tonight, becoming her admirer.
Among them, those few scholars who had performed well and stood out today couldn't help but stand up, their eyes filled with confidence, all believing they would be chosen to stay tonight.
…
