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Chapter 1265: The Brothel where Hou Resided
🕑 Added 2023-08-17 00:31:31 +0000 UTCChapter 1265: The Brothel where Hou Resided
This was the first time Shu Yu had witnessed the grand courtesan houses of the Da Su Dynasty. Standing at the entrance of Piaoxiang Courtyard and seeing the girls there dressed so scantily on a chilly day, with smiles on their faces as they greeted the guests, she couldn't help but shiver.
Thinking that she might not enjoy such an environment, Meng Yunzheng suggested, "Let's go elsewhere; we don't necessarily have to go inside. We can ask around nearby."
The old madam of Piaoxiang Courtyard was a graceful woman in her forties, known as Liu Ru. She managed the entire courtesan house efficiently, and everyone in the area knew her name.
However, Liu Ru was only the madam; the true owner was someone else. They wanted to find the person with the authority to make decisions.
"No need to ask around," Shu Yu said as she noticed the girls inside reaching out to pull her and Meng Yunzheng in. They quickly moved to the side.
Huddled in a corner, they observed the lively scene in front of them.
Suddenly, Shu Yu said, "I had a strange feeling that Piaoxiang Courtyard sounded familiar, and now I remember. This place used to be the brothel where Aunt Hou resided."
Originally, Hou Shi was a maid serving by the side of the top courtesan at Piaoxiang Courtyard. As long as she stayed close to the top courtesan, she remained unharmed. However, as she grew older, the madam considered selling her virginity at an auction.
Clever Hou Shi managed to avoid that fate by seizing the opportunity to become the concubine of a local official's younger brother, Second Master Shu. This saved her from a life of being bought and sold.
Hou Shi had shared many things about the courtesan house with Shu Yu. At first, Hou Shi found it hard to accept, feeling embarrassed to talk about it. But later, she realized that Shu Yu didn't seem to look down on courtesan women. So, Hou Shi felt more at ease and began sharing more, especially as Shu Yu was about to come of age. During their stay in Zhengdao Village, Master Lan, the previous overseer, had suggested Shu Yu work at the music house. The music house was similar to a brothel, and Hou Shi was concerned that Shu Yu might be naive about such matters.
Therefore, Hou Shi had also revealed some unsavory details of the brothel life to Shu Yu, to ensure she was well-informed and wouldn't be taken advantage of.
Because of that, Shu Yu had a good understanding of Piaoxiang Courtyard.
Meng Yunzheng's mouth twitched uncontrollably; he hadn't expected such a... history.
He rubbed his forehead and asked, "Did she mention the owner of Piaoxiang Courtyard?"
"Hold on, let me think," Shu Yu furrowed her brows. Hou Shi had mostly talked about the girls in the courtesan house and some of the customers, as well as her own experiences.
Regarding the madam...
After searching her memories for a while, Shu Yu suddenly smiled, "I remember now. The owner of Piaoxiang Courtyard is Master Miao, who lives in the western part of the city."
"Master Miao?" Meng Yunzheng was quite familiar with Dong'an Prefecture's capital, but he hadn't really looked into such matters. He wasn't aware of this Master Miao or his establishment.
"It seems we need to go to the western part of the city and investigate what kind of person this Master Miao is."
If they hoped to use Master Miao as an intermediary to buy from the black market and then resell it to them, they needed to know his preferences.
However, someone who could manage such a large courtesan house was not a simple character.
To succeed, they would need to find Mr. Miao's weaknesses and use either threats or incentives.
Meng Yunzheng stood up, ready to leave, but Shu Yu suddenly pulled him back, "No need to go to the western part of the city."
