"That's right," Song Qing agreed. Song Qing casually chimed in. He was clear about the customs of the Jurchen people. Unlike the Han people, they did not attach much importance to chastity. Therefore, the experience of the Fifth Princess, who had been in the hands of several men, did not make them feel that it was a bad thing. Instead, it made it more attractive. Song Qing came from a later era, so he was more open-minded than the people of the Song Dynasty, so he did not think much of it.
Wan Yanliang was very satisfied with his reaction. "To tell you the truth, I've been admiring the Fifth Princess for a long time, but I value heroes more than beauties, so I've decided to give her to Brother Tang Kuo. Besides, Brother Tang Kuo has suffered an unexpected disaster because of me, and you've also taught me to be on guard against assassins in the future, so I have to thank you even more."
Song Qing smiled bitterly. "Your Highness, how can a gentleman take away someone else's favor? Furthermore, I didn't help much this time."
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"Why not? You let me know about the assassins' methods in advance, which is equivalent to saving my life. How can I not repay you for saving my life? Brother Tang Kuo has been unwilling to accept it. Could it be that you think this gift is too little? "Wan Yanliang deliberately said.
"Your Highness must be joking. In that case, I will accept it. Thank you, Your Highness, for your generous gift." Song Qing actually wanted to get in touch with the Fifth Princess to understand the situation of her sisters in the laundry yard.
"Brother Tang Kuo, it's too early to thank me. Although I'm determined to have the Fifth Princess, there's no guarantee that some troublemaker will suddenly appear to compete with me for her. I hope Brother Tang Kuo won't blame me when the time comes," Wanyan Liang said with a smile.
"How could I be so ungrateful? Your Highness is worrying too much." Song Qing felt strange. Wan Yanliang had first promised something that did not belong to him, and then failed to keep his promise. Wouldn't he have offended someone else? Wan Yanliang was a scheming man, so he should not have made such a low-level mistake.
Noticing the change in Song Qing's expression, Wanyan Liang laughed and said, "Brother Tang Kuo, don't worry too much. As long as nothing goes wrong, you'll be able to enjoy the beautiful Fifth Princess in a while. Of course, if something really goes wrong, Brother Tang Kuo will have to accompany me back to my residence. You can choose any of the women in my residence, except for the Princess, as a token of my apology."
Song Qing's heart skipped a beat. It should be known that the women in the prince's mansion weren't just maids and maids … He was a prince with real power. Other than the official concubine, who knew how many other concubines and concubines he had. From what he said, if he wanted to, he could even sleep with his concubine? What a joke!
"Your Highness is too serious. As the saying goes, it's my fate if I get it, but it's my fortune if I lose it. How could I dare to ask for Your Highness' apology? This matter cannot be brought up again." Song Qing refused in a serious manner.
Wanyan Liang looked at him with a faint smile and said, "Brother Tang Kuo, are you afraid to pick a woman from my mansion? Hahaha, I see you as a friend. It's normal for friends to give concubines to each other. Don't take it to heart. "
"This …" Song Qing was about to refuse when Wanyan Liang casually waved his hand and pointed below. He said, "The competition for the Top Courtesan has begun."
A charming old brothel keeper walked up to the center of the platform and began to explain the things to take note of in this competition. She then boasted about the beauty of the Top Courtesan. At the same time, she introduced her special identity and experiences, which were similar to what Wanyan Liang had just mentioned.
Song Qing didn't care about what the old brothel keeper said. Instead, he focused on Wanyan Liang's actions that night. No matter how he thought about it, Wanyan Liang's actions were too suspicious. Whether it was the rash promise he made or the sudden mention of giving concubines, everything was strange.
His gaze swept across the surrounding boxes. Although he couldn't see clearly who was sitting inside, those who were able to come to this level were definitely wealthy and respectable. Although Wanyan Liang's power wasn't small, he had been in the capital for so long. Song Qing also knew that there were many people in the imperial court who were of a higher status than him. Why was he so sure that he would win the Top Courtesan? He was even willing to use his own concubines as compensation. Wasn't this risk too big?
…
Suddenly, Song Qing's mind lit up and he finally figured out the whole situation. Wanyan Liang wasn't so sure that he would win the Top Courtesan. On the contrary, he should have been sure that he wouldn't win the Top Courtesan. He was trying to find a reasonable reason to give concubines to him!
In the eyes of modern people, giving one's own woman to another man was inconceivable. However, in this world, concubines didn't have any status other than the official wife. It was normal for them to be given away by their masters. For example, the great scholar Su Dongpo. On the one hand, he was able to write a touching sentence like 'ten years of life and death' for his deceased wife. He looked like a great Casanova, but on the other hand, he was extremely heartless towards his concubines. He often gave them away, even when they were pregnant …
Su Dongpo was like this even though he was from the Song Dynasty. Wanyan Liang was a Jurchen noble, so he couldn't possibly care less about his concubines. However, Wanyan Liang was different from Su Dongpo. Wanyan Liang's status was much higher. Although he did not care about those women, to other people, those women could barely be considered princesses. With this status, they were more attractive than ordinary concubines.
If an ordinary person saw that Wanyan Liang had bestowed a prince's woman to him, wouldn't they be moved to tears and become extremely loyal? Unfortunately, Song Qing wasn't an ordinary person. Of course, he wouldn't be bought over just because of this. Moreover, he suspected that Wanyan Liang didn't just want to use this opportunity to win him over. Perhaps he had another purpose.
Although he didn't have any other evidence, Song Qing's intuition told him that Wanyan Liang's ultimate goal might be Tang Kuo Bian's wife, Ge Bi.
Song Qing still remembered that in his previous life, he had read a novel called 'Secrets of the Red Chamber'. In it, the Prince of Beihai used a similar method. He first invited Jia Rong to the prince's mansion, then instructed his favorite concubine to seduce her. Afterwards, he turned on Jia Rong and took out evidence of Jia Rong's corruption to threaten and seduce her. Jia Rong was terrified and fell step by step into the enemy's trap. In the end, she had no choice but to offer her wife, Qin Keqing, to the Prince of Beihai for mercy …
"I didn't expect that kind of method to be of great help today. Hehe, in the eyes of an experienced person, what kind of method has he not seen?" Song Qing couldn't help but sigh. The intelligence of a pervert was indeed limitless. Although he didn't know what Wanyan Liang's method was, he guessed that it wasn't much different from the Prince of Beihai's.
Looking at the private rooms not far away, Song Qing even suspected that Wanyan Liang wanted to use this competition to create a conflict between himself and some influential person. From then on, he would have no choice but to side with that person.
"I say, Madam, what's the point of you bragging here? Why don't you invite the Fifth Princess out and let us see if she's really as beautiful as you say." The Madam's complicated explanation had already caused many people to feel disgusted. Someone below could no longer hold back and shouted, immediately drawing a chorus of agreement.
"I know that all of you are waiting anxiously. I'll let the Fifth Princess out to meet everyone." After the Madam finished speaking, she clapped her hands. After receiving her signal, the thick curtain on the second floor was pulled aside. Soon after, an elegant sound of a zither could be heard from inside.
The group of men immediately craned their necks to look up to the second floor. They saw a beautiful figure sitting behind the beaded curtain, playing the zither. Immediately, exclamations rose one after another.
"She's indeed a peerless beauty."
"No wonder the Second Prince was so infatuated with her."
"Today, I must be her guest."
"Dream on. Don't you see how many princes are waiting upstairs? When will it be your turn?"
"Hmph, in any case, the rule tonight is that the highest bidder wins. I don't have anything else, but I have a lot of money!"
…
Song Qing's eyes were now very sharp. Although there was a beaded curtain between them, he could still clearly see the appearance of the Top Courtesan. She was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Even with Song Qing's picky eyes, he had to admit that she was indeed an outstanding beauty. Perhaps it was because of her noble birth, but despite the many years of suffering, she still had an innate arrogance that made her different from the other courtesans.
Hearing the vulgar nouveau riche downstairs criticize her, her delicate eyebrows first furrowed, as if she was about to fly into a rage. However, very quickly, her expression turned into worry.
Song Qing didn't know why he could think so much just by seeing her eyebrows move. But somehow, he had a feeling that he was right about her at this time.
"Indeed, I can't help but feel sorry for her." Wan Yanliang couldn't help but praise, "Brother Tang Kuo, are you satisfied with my gift?"
Song Qing had already roughly guessed his plan and agreed without batting an eyelid, "It's indeed very beautiful."
Seeing that everyone was amazed, the Madam seized the opportunity and shouted, "Gentlemen, I won't say anything else. The base price is 500 taels of gold. The one who offers the highest price will be the guest of the Fifth Princess of the Northern Song tonight."
Song Qing noticed that when the Madam spoke, the Fifth Princess lowered her head. She seemed to be expressionless, but under the table, she clenched her pale fists tightly, which betrayed her anger and helplessness at the moment.
"Let these people fight for a while. When it's about time, I'll come out."
Obviously, Wan Yanliang didn't want to lower his status and compete with those people. At this time, the bidding came one after another, and soon the price exceeded 1,000 taels of gold. Song Qing secretly clicked his tongue. "This is gold. I don't know how many Top Courtesans in the Qinhuai River can be bought with this price, but it can only buy her one night. And looking at the situation, the final price will be far more than that. This woman's identity as the Princess of the Song Dynasty is indeed extraordinary."
When the price reached 3000 gold taels, the voices of the people bidding suddenly decreased by half. After all, spending so much money to enjoy a night was really too extravagant. Many people who didn't have enough money had already given up on the idea of bidding.
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