The final note fell.
Zhou Yuanyuan froze in an exquisitely graceful pose.
Her eyes were half-closed, her lashes lowered, a flushed glow lingering on her face as if she had just poured out all her passion.
For a single breath, everything stilled.
Then suddenly, cheers, applause, and whistles erupted all at once!
“What a dance! Worthy of the courtesan queen!”
“That waist, those legs, that posture… I can barely hold it in!”
“Tell us the rules! How do we win Yuanyuan tonight?”
“No way! I need a round right now, I can’t take it anymore!”
“…”
Zhou Yuanyuan’s dance was seductive and captivating. Combined with her beauty, it was enough to drive the men below into madness.
Liu Long also showed a look of keen interest.
“Tonight, based on the dance just performed, compose a poem. The one I find most pleasing may enter my chambers… for half an hour.”
Zhou Yuanyuan spoke in her irresistibly alluring voice, announcing the rules for the night.
Sleeping with a courtesan queen like her was no simple matter. Not only did it require money, but also various challenges, and each time the test was different.
Moreover, Zhou Yuanyuan did not appear every night. Usually, she would show herself only once every two months.
Yet each appearance stirred a frenzy, filling the Drunken Flower Pavilion to the brim.
Ye Wudu found this method quite clever.
Scarcity increased value.
Men were like that… the harder something was to obtain, the more precious it seemed to them.
Thus, although Zhou Yuanyuan was merely a courtesan queen, she was the dream lover of many men.
After announcing the rules, Zhou Yuanyuan returned to her chambers.
“Haha, looks like Young Master Liu will take the beauty tonight!”
“Of course! Young Master Liu is the number one talent in North Desolation City. I’ve even read his Mid-Autumn poetry from last time.”
“In poetry, who could possibly beat Young Master Liu? I’m giving up already.”
“Sigh… looks like I won’t get to enjoy Yuanyuan tonight either.”
“…”
After the rules were announced, many sighed in resignation, while others eagerly flattered Liu Long.
Liu Long wore a proud expression. If it were any other challenge, he might not be certain, but in poetry, victory was guaranteed.
Recently, his probing toward Murong Wanyin had revealed that her “pretty boy” husband was not as simple as he appeared.
So Liu Long had temporarily set aside his plan to claim Murong Wanyin, intending to investigate further before making a move.
However, constantly thinking about her had only fueled his desires.
Still, Liu Long was extremely picky. Ordinary women simply could not catch his interest.
Hearing from friends that the courtesan queen would appear tonight, he came to try his luck.
Since it was a poetry contest, he felt completely at ease… victory was already in his grasp.
Ye Wudu thought for a moment and decided to write one as well.
It was not that he was particularly interested in Zhou Yuanyuan. Seeing Liu Long so eager, he naturally could not let him succeed.
Besides, he himself needed to vent his pent-up heat… and he preferred someone cleaner.
With such a high barrier, very few could reach this courtesan queen. At the very least, she was cleaner than the other women in the pavilion.
Even shared rides came in different qualities…
But which poem should he use?
After some thought, Ye Wudu decided to compose part of it himself and borrow part from memory. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
In the end, he wrote on the rice paper:
“A slender waist sways like willow in the wind,
Long sleeves drift like clouds chasing the moon.
Step by step, lotus blooms, stunning all present,
One glance over the shoulder, and a hundred charms come alive.”
Half an hour later, Zhou Yuanyuan’s personal maid collected all the poems and brought them to her chambers.
Liu Long sat confidently, waiting for the glorious moment when his name would be called.
To outshine everyone and earn the chance to enter Zhou Yuanyuan’s chambers… in North Desolation City, this was something worth boasting about.
Just mentioning it among his circle would draw admiration and envy…
Inside her chambers, Zhou Yuanyuan carefully read through the poems.
Most failed to impress her. She found them crude and unrefined.
Only when she reached Liu Long’s poem did her eyes brighten slightly.
“Liu Long… so this is the number one talent of North Desolation City. No wonder.”
She murmured softly and continued flipping through the rest.
Although many people were present, not everyone could compose a poem on the spot.
Thus, she only had a dozen or so to review, finishing quickly.
After reading Liu Long’s poem, she felt that all the others were trash in comparison.
But when she reached the last sheet, she froze.
She rubbed her eyes and read it again carefully.
By the time she reached the end, a deeply alluring smile spread across her face.
“What a line… ‘one glance over the shoulder, and a hundred charms come alive’!”
To her, it was simply the most perfect praise for her beauty.
It struck right at her heart.
Looking at the signature… Ye Yuan.
She had no impression of this name. Could he be from outside the city?
She instructed her maid that the winner was Ye Yuan and told her to bring him upstairs.
As the courtesan queen’s maid appeared, everyone waited for Liu Long’s name to be called.
“Young Master Ye Yuan, please follow me upstairs.”
The moment the name was announced, everyone in the Drunken Flower Pavilion froze.
Their gazes instinctively shifted toward Liu Long.
At that moment, Liu Long’s face turned alternately red and pale, though he said nothing.
Clearly, he was unwilling to accept this result. He had absolute confidence in his poem.
But the rules had to be respected. If he protested openly, it would only make him appear lacking in grace.
“What? Who is Ye Yuan? Never heard of him! Girl, did you read the wrong name?”
“Hah! That courtesan queen is just a pretty face, isn’t she? Can she even understand poetry?”
“That’s right! If it’s not Young Master Liu, I refuse to accept it!”
“She’s just a courtesan… how could she appreciate Young Master Liu’s brilliance?”
“…”
Before Liu Long could even speak, his companions had already begun protesting for him.
Even some less familiar young masters joined in.
They could accept losing to Liu Long… but who was Ye Yuan?
A name they had never heard before… how could he win?
Instantly, the entire hall fell silent.
Many of the more literate young masters felt their scalps tingle.
“One glance over the shoulder, and a hundred charms come alive”…
This line… was simply too powerful!
Ye Wudu slowly stood and walked toward the upper floor.
Everyone wanted to see who this mysterious figure was.
But his face was hidden beneath the bamboo hat and black veil… nothing could be seen.
At that moment, no one questioned Zhou Yuanyuan’s judgment anymore.
Though they did not know what Liu Long had written, it was likely impossible to surpass this poem.
Liu Long’s companions deflated like punctured balloons, no longer daring to make a sound.
Ye Wudu handed the maid 10 silver tael and said softly, “When Young Master Liu leaves, knock on my door. I wish to make his acquaintance.”
Seeing such a generous sum for such a simple task, the maid happily accepted it.
Pushing open the door, Zhou Yuanyuan sat at a round table, looking at him.
She slowly rose and closed the door, smiling, “Young Master, may I ask you to remove your hat?”
Ye Wudu removed it, revealing a strikingly handsome face.
Zhou Yuanyuan’s beautiful eyes lit up instantly.
At first, she had assumed he hid his face because he was unattractive.
She never expected that this Ye Yuan not only possessed outstanding literary talent, but was also so handsome.
Even without payment, she would have been willing to accompany him.
Though Ye Wudu had gained some fame in North Desolation City for his good looks, Zhou Yuanyuan had never seen him before and did not recognize him.
However, she did know of Murong Wanyin. Rumor spoke of an exceptionally beautiful woman who sold Nougat. Out of curiosity, she had gone to buy some once.
After that… she believed the rumors.
And in comparison, she felt herself pale in comparison.
“Young Master, please sit. Allow me to play a piece for you.”
Zhou Yuanyuan wrapped her arm around his, her voice gentle as a faint fragrance drifted into Ye Wudu’s nose.
Ye Wudu smiled, finding it amusing.
Before transmigrating, when visiting such places, they would rush things.
After transmigrating, they offered to play music first.
Was civilization really progressing?
Zhou Yuanyuan smiled sweetly, “Young Master, what are you smiling at?”
Ye Wudu replied casually, “With someone as alluring as you, Miss Yuanyuan, how could I not smile?”
Zhou Yuanyuan lightly tapped his chest with her small fist.
After pouring him a cup of hot tea, she gracefully walked to the zither.
When the music began, it was soft and gentle, like the first rain of early spring.
The sound flowed from her fingertips, passing through the curling incense smoke, through the bamboo curtains, through the moonlight filtering in through the window…
And softly settled into Ye Wudu’s ears.
Her posture while playing was elegant. Her hands glided across the strings, every movement smooth and perfectly timed.
As she played, she occasionally cast him deeply seductive glances.
Enchanting and full of allure.
Ye Wudu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
So this… was the pleasure of listening to music in a Brothel…