Chapter 19
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Chapter 19:
Mama Li is really good at managing the place. She controls the atmosphere in the Spring Flowers Tower and decides when the girls can come and go. She needs to keep everyone happy, both the guests and the girls. Mama Li speaks politely and smiles warmly, making sure to pay attention to the guests’ needs.
When the business is busy, Mama Li keeps a watchful eye on everything happening in the Spring Flowers Tower. She wants to make sure that no guests cause trouble when they drink too much, or that the girls don’t get into fights.
When Bi Yuansi mentioned wanting to meet the Oiran, Mama Li smiled and said, "We do have an Oiran here, but she usually doesn’t meet new customers. If you don’t mind, I can find a pretty girl to keep you company and have a drink with you."
The Oiran Contest for this year hasn’t started yet. Mama Li was referring to last year’s Oiran, Gu Lingfan.
In Pingkang Alley, the courtesans are organized into strict levels. Regular customers who come here know to choose a suitable girl based on their own status and wealth. Top courtesans like Gu Lingfan and Li Chunzhou usually only entertain wealthy and high-ranking guests. If other customers want to see them, they often need to make a reservation far in advance.
Bi Yuansi’s sudden request seemed a bit rude. Mama Li didn’t get upset, though, especially since he looked like a well-mannered gentleman. She explained politely, "If you want to meet Lingfan, you need to come at least three times beforehand. Once Lingfan agrees, then I can arrange a meeting for you."
Only those who have enough wealth are considered top customers by the Oiran. Gu Lingfan, in particular, attracts talented and wealthy clients who are often oblivious to the struggles of everyday people. They don’t hesitate to spend a lot of money to be with her.
Even with wealth, if someone doesn’t catch the Oiran’s interest, Mama Li won’t force the Oiran to see them.
With the Second Prince backing them up, Spring Flowers Tower was not afraid of offending guests.
After all, even if guests were powerful and influential, could they really be bigger than the royal family?
Bi Yuansi confidently tossed a bag of gold coins and asked firmly, "Is this enough?"
Mama Li smiled apologetically and said, "This is not about money…"
Bi Yuansi then threw another bag of gold coins and continued, "What about now?"
Mama Li remained silent, so he kept pulling out money, indicating he was willing to use money to persuade the madam to change her mind.
Cheers and praise started to rise around them, but Mama Li’s expression turned grim. She had dealt with difficult customers before, but there weren’t many who were as disrespectful in public.
Suddenly, there was a quiet murmur behind them. Li Chunzhou sensed something and turned around to see Gu Lingfan emerging with a group of maids.
The situation had escalated, and rumors had reached Gu Lingfan’s ears down below.
Li Chunzhou looked at the familiar face, snorted, and turned away as if she didn’t care.
Li Chunzhou’s feelings towards Gu Lingfan were actually quite complicated because it was Gu Lingfan, not her, who actively made their relationship what it was.
Even when guests mistakenly thought their relationship was not good, Gu Lingfan would get angry. But later, her attitude towards Li Chunzhou suddenly turned cold. Not only did she actively deny their friendship in various situations, but whenever someone mentioned Li Chunzhou’s name in front of her, Gu Lingfan would become cold-faced.
Li Chunzhou also said Gu Lingfan was unsociable and arrogant, emphasizing that she was not close with her, and insisted that she would one day overthrow Gu Lingfan from her position as the Oiran.
Both of them talked tough outside, but Li Chunzhou herself couldn’t explain why their relationship had reached this point today.
She was not the one who tied the bell, so she couldn’t untangle the knot between them.
Li Chunzhou vividly remembered her childhood when she had just left home, feeling insecure, and always followed Mama Li around. Mama Li couldn’t take care of her, so she entrusted Li Chunzhou to the already grown-up and elegant Gu Lingfan.
Gu Lingfan held Li Chunzhou’s small hand, patted her knee, and invited her to sit on her lap. She praised Li Chunzhou for being good, and Li Chunzhou still remembered how Gu Lingfan hugged her tightly.
The young girl’s embrace was truly soft and warm. Li Chunzhou could never forget that sweet sensation, feeling like falling into a cloud.
People in the capital city enjoyed gossiping about the two women, discussing their past conflicts and speculating about their complicated relationship.
However, few knew that Gu Lingfan and Li Chunzhou had a really good relationship in the past.
But the hatred that came later was real. When Li Chunzhou came to her senses, Gu Lingfan had already walked away.
Since she insisted on seeing Gu Lingfan, she must be coming out to see her. However, Gu Lingfan just stood on the balcony watching from afar and showed no intention of coming down to meet the visitors.
She didn’t need to lower herself just to please Bi Yuansi.
Seeing Mama Li and Bi Yuansi in a stalemate, Li Chunzhou walked down the stairs, hugged Mama Li’s arm, and said with a smile, "Since Fan Nuo is busy, why not let me accompany these gentlemen for a drink?"
When Bi Yuansi and his friends saw Li Chunzhou walking down the stairs, they were briefly stunned by her beauty.
However, after recovering, Bi Yuansi hesitated for a moment and then firmly declined Li Chunzhou on behalf of the group. He avoided eye contact with her and said cautiously, "No need, we want to meet the Oiran, not others. If she is unwilling to see us, we will come back tomorrow."
Li Chunzhou was a bit surprised. It seemed like for the first time, her charm didn’t work. It appeared that in matters of life and death, beauty was just temporary.
Gu Lingfan also came down, glancing at Li Chunzhou subtly.
As she walked past Li Chunzhou, she had a delicate expression on her face, gave Li Chunzhou a slight smile, not smug, but with a sense of being a complete winner.
As for Li Chunzhou, a nameless anger quickly rose in her heart, but she kept a straight face, did not explode on the spot, just gave Gu Lingfan a side face with no expression.
Gu Lingfan stood on the other side of the madam, coldly saying, "Mother, it’s just a cup of tea, no big deal, please let this gentleman come up."
A’ping couldn’t hold back, pointed at himself with his finger, "Huh? Just invite him? What about us?"
Gu Lingfan just calmly glanced at him, didn’t say much, and immediately there was a maid coming forward to explain, "I’m sorry, young sir, our lady is too busy, being able to accommodate you is already taking time away from other guests."
She said this not without a hint of showing off to Li Chunzhou, Gu Lingfan remained unchanged, neither agreeing nor stopping her maid.
Li Chunzhou was not angry because of the maid’s words, she was already intrigued by these foreigners because of their outsider status, since they didn’t need her here, she would leave.
It’s just that these foreigners had caused her to lose face in public today, giving Gu Lingfan a chance to pressure her, Li Chunzhou could not just let it go.
Suddenly, Chihong emerged from the crowd and approached Li Chunzhou. She whispered, "Miss…"
"No," Li Chunzhou placed her hand on Chihong’s shoulder, stopping her from speaking. She said softly, "You don’t need to intervene."
Today was the third day of this cycle, and most likely, the troublemaker would show up soon.
As soon as she finished speaking, Mama Li looked towards the direction behind Bi Yuansi. Her eyes lit up instantly, forgetting about Bi Yuansi’s group. Excitedly she exclaimed, "Second Master, you’ve arrived!"
The guests, who were initially just watching the commotion, all unconsciously wiped away their frivolous expressions and stood up anxiously, turning their heads towards the entrance.
All eyes turned towards the Second Prince, who lazily smiled in response to the hostess.
He was dressed in a slim moon-colored robe embroidered with intricate and splendid dark patterns in gold thread. The cloud brocade fabric made him look very handsome, with a nonchalant air of elegance.
Some players speculated that he might be a nobleman from a prestigious family, but the regulars at the Spring Flowers Tower knew that he was the current Emperor’s second son and the legitimate child of the late Empress, Liang Changfeng.
The Second Prince had only one bodyguard by his side, but nobody could tell exactly how many Dark Guards were hidden among the crowd.
The Second Prince’s eyes scanned the crowd and landed lightly on Li Chunzhou. He stared at her beside the old madam and said with a half-smile, "Have you really set your heart on wild things, wanting to drink with other men?"
"Second Master!" Li Chunzhou was neither guilty nor afraid. A bright smile appeared on her face as she rushed towards the Second Prince, effortlessly falling into his arms like a colorful butterfly.
The Second Prince raised his hand to embrace her, playfully pinching her cheek. He casually brushed her tender cheek with his hand adorned with a jade ring, then turned his indifferent gaze towards Bi Yuansi’s group, the smile on his face slowly fading.
Liang Changfeng’s expression hardly changed whether he smiled or not, giving people the impression of a fake smile.
His emotionless face and chilling cold gaze, rather than anger, revealed the true expression he had always concealed – false kindness.
With the arrival of the Second Prince, hardly anyone paid attention to Bi Yuansi’s group. Several players were pushed to the outer circle, watching in astonishment as the guests who were originally there to enjoy themselves flocked around the elegantly dressed man, putting on their best smiles and pretending to be very friendly to him.
Shi Gu, who had been silently surveying the surroundings, had a suspicion in his heart about the man’s identity. He pulled his companions closer and whispered, "This npc should be Liang Changfeng, the Second Prince of Daliang."
Ji He asked, "Should we go over and try to gather some information from him?"
After careful consideration, Shi Gu decided to stop his plan.
Liang Changfeng’s personality is well-known for being unpredictable and cruel, but because of his firm control over half of the Daliang’s money, the Emperor couldn’t say anything harsh to him.
After the late Empress passed away, hardly anyone was there to supervise Liang Changfeng. People of all kinds crowded around him, some manipulated by others behind their backs, and others simply drawn to his good looks and charm. Liang Changfeng was led by them to live a life of pleasure and indulgence all day long, and after a few years, his reputation in the capital city was completely ruined.
These were all things from his youth. As Liang Changfeng grew older and his temper calmed down, he started to focus on doing business.
In business, it’s important to greet people with a smile. However, no matter how friendly Second Prince appeared on the surface, those who knew him well understood that deep down he was still the same reckless and stubborn person who wouldn’t let go once he latched onto someone, like a mad dog. It’s just that as he got older, he got better at disguising it.
Liang Changfeng patted Li Chunzhou’s lower back with the hand wearing the ring, elongated his tone, and lightly laughed, saying, "Let’s go, take me upstairs."