flstandardbreds Chapter 95
Chapter 95
Seeing her wiping her hands, Nalan Yin felt somewhat displeased.
"I want more."
"You can't eat anymore. Continue. Remember what you just said."
Although Nalan Yin was envious, she didn't say anything more and slowly said, "Red Love Pavilion has a rule that a flower queen auction is held every six months. The highest bidder can not only have the beauty's first night, but also get any information you want to know."
Nalan Jingwen's eyes darkened as he stared at him and said, "I've bid for the title of courtesan so many times, why haven't I heard of this?"
"Not many people know about this, very few, and you didn't even ask, did you?"
"Then how did you know that?"
Nalan Yin gave her a faint smile, like a pure white flower, innocent and naive.
“I’ve grown up in the filthiest part of the palace. What haven’t I heard of? What’s this?”
Nalan Jing heard this, looked at Jingchi, and the latter shook his head at her.
He doesn't know either.
Nalan Jingwen looked at Nalan Yin again, "Is this true?"
"I don't know if it's true or not, we'll find out by trying."
"Is this the only way?"
"There is still one."
Nalan Yin smiled mysteriously, "I heard that as long as you offer a certain price, you will have a chance. However, no one knows exactly how much it is. It may be a few taels of silver, or it may be tens of thousands of taels of gold. It all depends on the person's mood."
The price difference is enormous; even royalty and nobility would not be able to come up with tens of thousands of taels of gold at once.
Nalan Jingwen keenly grasped the key words in his words.
"Who is that person?"
Nalan Yin shook her head, "Perhaps he is the master behind this Red Passion Pavilion."
Nalan Jingwen pondered. The fact that Hongqing Pavilion had survived in the capital for so long without being eliminated by other forces meant that either the person behind it had an extremely powerful background, or the person himself was unfathomable.
Their voices were very soft, and the sound of their zithers masked their words, so people like Chun and Huayue, who had no martial arts skills, couldn't hear what they were saying.
Soon, the madam's voice came from below.
"Greetings, esteemed guests. As you all know, what day it is tonight?"
Someone quickly responded.
"Stop dawdling, hurry up and carry him up!"
The madam looked down at the people below with a smile, her eyes narrowing as if she could see mountains of glittering gold.
"I know everyone is looking forward to our Red Passion Pavilion's new courtesan, but the auction will start in a while. Now, let's have our Red Kite come up on stage and perform a dance for you. After the dance, the auction will officially begin."
After he finished speaking, he stepped back, and the music began to play.
A red ribbon descended from the sky and stood upright on the stage. Then, red rose petals began to fall from the sky, and everyone instinctively reached out to catch them.
A man dressed in a light red veil floated down slowly along a red ribbon, his face half-covered, revealing only a pair of alluring eyes. Everyone stared in disbelief, forgetting even to drink the wine in their hands.
Nalan Yin began observing Nalan Jingwen's expression as soon as the man appeared, and found that she was only looking at the audience, with no lust in her eyes, as if she were looking at an object.
The most beautiful courtesan at Red Passion Pavilion is always one in a thousand, attracting countless suitors. Some are even willing to pay any price, risking their entire fortune, just to spend one night with her.
Judging from Nalan Jingwen's attitude, she was extremely cold, which was completely inconsistent with the rumors about her.
Noticing the intense gaze from the side, Nalan Jingwen glanced sideways and said calmly, "Is there something on my face?"
What do you think of this year's courtesan?
"very beautiful."
She gave an objective answer.
Nalan Yin's eyes darkened slightly as she continued, "So, are you planning to bid on him?"
Nalan Jingwen continued to nod, wanting to verify whether what Nalan Yin said was true.
Nalan Yin remained silent, and Nalan Jingwen paid no attention, continuing to watch the performance below.
After the dance ended, the madam went back on stage.
"Now that the dance is over, it's time for the part you've all been waiting for. Starting bid: 500 taels! Let's begin!"
Hong Yuan removed her veil and sat on the chair in the center of the stage, like an object waiting to be bought.
When he removed his veil, everyone in the room erupted in cheers, and bidding immediately began.
"Six hundred taels!"
"Six hundred and fifty taels!"
"Seven hundred taels!"
Nalan Jingwen looked indifferently at the commotion below the stage, and she also saw several familiar faces from the court.
The bidding gradually increased until it reached 1,500 taels, when the people in the opposite compartment suddenly spoke up.
"Two thousand taels."
Nalan Jingwen raised an eyebrow slightly. If Nalan Ge also bid, it would mean that what Nalan Yin said was basically true.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that Nalan Ge, who never leaves the mansion, arranged to meet Duan Yu tonight, which happens to be the day the courtesan leaves her home every six months?
The entire audience was stunned by the price. This was just a man, and no matter how handsome he was, he wasn't worth that much money. For a moment, the entire audience fell silent.
However, there were still a few stubborn individuals who wanted to take the person down.
"Two thousand one hundred taels."
The voice came from the opposite compartment again.
"Two thousand five hundred taels."
The entire room fell silent again; this was the highest price ever paid for a courtesan at auction in all these years.
The madam went up on stage with a smile, "Room No. 3 in the 'Heavenly' section will be auctioned once for 2,500 taels, twice for 2,500 taels, and so on..."
Before he could finish speaking, he heard a male voice.
"Two thousand five hundred and one taels."
The madam froze, looked towards the source of the sound, and her expression changed.
Nalan Jingwen smiled faintly, looked at the incredulous crowd below, and nodded to the mirror pool.
The person in the opposite compartment remained silent for a moment before offering another price.
"Three thousand taels."
The whole audience gasped.
Jingchi continued, "Three thousand and one taels."
To win by a mere one or two taels of silver is more of an insult than a bidding war. Even if the Prince's mansion were wealthy, they would never spend a penny more.
"Three thousand and one taels once, three thousand and one taels twice, three thousand and one taels..."
"Three thousand five hundred taels."
"Three thousand five hundred and one taels."
Everyone realized that tonight was no longer their concern; it was a contest between two big shots. However, the one in room number three of the Heavenly tier was clearly more aggrieved, being suppressed by an extra tael of silver each time.
A female voice came from the other end, "Would you be willing to give Hong Yuan to me? I really like her, and if you agree, I will definitely repay you with a generous gift."
She was clearly angry, but she still had to hold it in.
Nalan Ge dared not reveal her identity rashly at this moment. Countless forces throughout the capital were watching her. Returning to the capital early was already controversial. To outsiders, if she had stayed quietly in her residence, no one would have said anything. But if…
Nalan Jing chuckled upon hearing this and said, "But what can I do? I also like Hong Yuan. I fell in love with him at first sight and I can't live without him. Please don't make things difficult for me. However, you can continue bidding. I'm not short of money."
Nalan Ge's fiefdom wasn't wealthy, just more than enough, but tonight's three thousand five hundred taels was probably the limit she could come up with.
Nalan Jingwen was indeed not short of money. Nalan Fengxing would send people to give her things from time to time, saying it was a reward for her. The storerooms in the mansion were almost overflowing with money and jewelry.
As soon as he finished speaking, they heard the sound of porcelain shattering on the other side.
Nalan Jingwen's eyes were deep and unmoved, while Nalan Yin stared at her, momentarily lost in thought.
Although she found her act of using a tael of silver to suppress the other party to be shameless, she still couldn't help but look at her.