After Liu Hao was released, he pretended to be ill and did not attend court or entertain guests. He kept a low profile for a whole month until the news of the headless case of the imperial envoy was overshadowed by other major events.
In the evening, he brought a few of his close retainers to Heng Wu Restaurant for a drink.
Heng Wu Restaurant, located in Apricot Rain Alley in the east of the city, was worthy of being the number one music house in An Ling. It was not a brothel or a brothel, but regardless of gender, the musicians and dancers in Heng Wu Restaurant were all first class in appearance and talent. There were three hundred and sixty-six songs and three hundred and eighty-eight plays. No matter popular or unpopular, they were all skilled and familiar with all of them.
Da An had been peaceful for three hundred years. Now in the golden age, the people of An were not good at riding and shooting. They loved to seek pleasure. A place as elegant and not boring as Heng Wu Restaurant was naturally sought after.
The road in Apricot Rain Alley was not wide. The path paved with bluestone could at most accommodate two sedan carriages side by side. Therefore, the passing carriages and horses would stop on the nearby streets and walk in. This was not a path drawn by Heng Wu Restaurant for the guests. This was a place filled with high officials and nobles. No one wanted to offend someone they shouldn't offend by blocking the road.
Unless you were fearless. For example, at this moment, Liu Hao's sedan was carried in from Apricot Rain Alley and stopped at the gate of Heng Wu Restaurant.
Little Lao'er, who was at the door, recognized Ning Wang's sedan and had already run in to call his mama. When Liu Hao got off the sedan, the retainers followed. Heng Wu Restaurant's Li mama had already walked down the steps with a smile on her face. She held a blue silk handkerchief and respectfully waited. She looked at Liu Hao's expression and said,
"Wang Ye is in a good mood today. Are you listening to a book or watching a play?"
The mama of Heng Wu Restaurant was not a madam in a brothel. She did not do the dirty work of a pimp. She was equivalent to a female shopkeeper. This Li mama was over thirty but still had a slim figure. When she was young, she had been a female entertainer in a musical house and was skilled in all kinds of instruments.
Liu Hao smiled and said, "I haven't been here for a while. Are there any new plays?"
As Mother Li welcomed them inside, she replied, "Yes, yes, there's a book called" Worship the Immortals "that was arranged for the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's a big play, twenty to thirty actors, a total of thirty-six plays. There's also the 'Oath of Brotherhood in the Peach Garden' that you like to watch. The lyrics have been changed and the pieces have been rearranged. There are also two or three plays. If you want to see something new, your servant will let them prepare it. "
"Go." Liu Hao waved his hand and Li mama summoned a thin and pale young man to open the way for Ning Wang and his party.
Inside Heng Wu Hall. It was brightly lit. As soon as he entered, he saw two three-story buildings. The second floor was connected by a bridge, which looked like the word "work" written upside down.
On the door on the left hung a horizontal board with the words "End of the World of Fragrant Grass", and on the other door was "Evergreen Pine and Cypress".
Standing outside the building, he could hear the hustle and bustle of people. Especially the first floor of the Fragrant Grass Pavilion. There was a large stage set up and martial songs were being sung. The sound of gongs and drums filled the air and it was extraordinarily lively.
When Ning Wang and his party entered the Cypress and Cypress Building next door, their ears suddenly became quiet. No matter how noisy the other side was, when it came to this side, it was like they were separated by a street, and they could only hear movement. It was not disturbing.
The upper and lower floors of the Cypress and Cypress Building were private rooms, but they were much more spacious than normal restaurants and brothels. The small ones could hold a group of musicians, and the large ones could set up an entire stage, taking up half the floor.
Just this half floor. It was truly a money-squandering establishment. The number of nobles who could come here to amuse themselves could be counted on two hands.
Since Liu Hao had come, he naturally wanted to go to the top floor. The waiter leading the way pushed open the four doors to the hall. There were hundreds of golden cups and silver candles already lit up in the room. It was bright and extravagant. At the far west was a stage two zhang wide. Separated by a picture railing, there was a row of soft chairs and couches on the opposite side.
When he sat down, Li Mama led a group of delicate and pretty maids in. Her hands were holding tea trays, cups, fruits, and fine wine. They were placed on the table, and then she waited on the side. Her actions were not frivolous at all.
Li Mama handed the script on the sandalwood tray to Liu Hao. She first ordered "Drunken Flower Shade". This was a short play that could be sung for the time it took to drink a cup of tea. It was to give the troupe preparing for the big play later on. The main thing was to listen to the newly written "Sworn Brotherhood in the Peach Garden". In reality, it didn't matter if the first play was ordered or not ordered. After all, a short tea play in the Cypress and Cypress Building cost ten taels of gold. But with Ning Wang's wealth, he would not be stingy.
The play quickly started on the stage. As the musicians started to play, there was more noise in the surroundings. The guests that had been slightly reserved in front of Liu Hao relaxed. Some started to talk and laugh, some supported the performance, causing Liu Hao to laugh continuously. But there was probably no one who really wanted to listen to the play.
Among the many guests, there was a petty person who liked to take advantage of the opportunity. His name was Yuan Zhouzi. Whatever other people were talking about, he would add a few words and express his opinion to show how knowledgeable he was. The result of being so talkative was that he drank half a pot of tea more than the others. Before the big play started, he had to pee.
When he left, no one paid attention to him. He left for about fifteen minutes before he came back. The "Sworn Brotherhood in the Peach Garden" was being sung. The lyrics were all new. Liu Hao listened intently. The surroundings were quiet and no one made noise.
Yuan Zhouzi lifted the corner of his robe as he hurried into the banquet. He didn't sit properly. He didn't listen to the play, but kept looking at Liu Hao as though he wanted to say something but couldn't.
He silently waited until the stage was changed. There was an old guest beside Liu Hao. He had seen Yuan Zhouzi peeking his head out and teased him:
"Zhouzi, your memory is the best. Can you hear the difference between this new play and the old one?"
Yuan Zhouzi didn't listen to what was being sung on the stage. However, he was worried that he didn't have a chance to speak. When he saw Liu Hao looking over, he quickly stood up and said,
"I just left the banquet and missed the play in front of me. But I heard another good play. It's really interesting. I want to tell it to Your Highness. I don't know if it's okay."
There were many capable people among Liu Hao's guests and they had their own pride. They didn't like a petty person like Yuan Zhouzi. Therefore, no one said anything to cater to him. However, Liu Hao was a little curious. He raised his hand and gestured to Yuan Zhouzi,
"What wife? Tell me."
Yuan Zhouzi hurriedly responded. He took two steps forward and stood in front of Liu Hao. He gestured with his hands and feet to start from when he went to the toilet a moment ago.
It was his first time going to Heng Wu Mansion. He didn't know everything. He walked around and went down to the second floor. He crossed the bridge and went to the Fragrant Grass Pavilion opposite. After a few steps, he saw that the door was not closed properly, so he mistakenly entered.
Unexpectedly, it was a single room. Several playboys were drinking and chatting. In the west corner, someone was playing the lute, so no one noticed the intruder.
Yuan Zhouzi found that he went to the wrong door and was about to leave. At this moment, he heard voices in the room and stopped.
Who was sitting in the room? It turned out that Yin Yuanbo and a few friends of scoundrels heard Madam Yin's nagging at home yesterday. They were upset and came to Heng Wu Mansion to pass the time. You asked him why he didn't go to the brothel to find a lover. Fortunately, Master Yin had been strict with him recently. If he went to that kind of place and someone reported it to the family, he would inevitably be beaten up.
Yin Yuanbo vented his anger by drinking. He drank too much and was coaxed by the people around him. Then he began to talk about the cause and effect, "My mother found a wife for me. Unexpectedly, she was the daughter of a servant who was let out of the house. How could such a lowly person be worthy of me, Third Master Yin? But this little girl was arrogant and looked down on me. She rejected the matchmaker and came to our house to show off her power!"
His friend asked curiously, "Is there such a thing? What kind of beauty dared to look down on our Third Master?"
Yin Yuanbo laughed coldly, "Ha, beauty? With that kind of beauty, I wouldn't be able to get excited even if she stripped naked in front of me. She's just a woman who is good at playing tricks. It's good to have a good reputation. To put it bluntly, she's just a bitch who is greedy for power and wealth. On one hand, she rejected my family, but on the other hand, she came to show off. "
His friends looked at each other. The more they listened to him, the more confused they became. So they asked, "Who is this person? She sounds like she has some reputation. Have we heard of her? "
Yin Yuanbo said, "Why haven't we heard of her? Isn't she the Fairy Miaoling who has the ability to call the wind and summon the rain and cast beans to form soldiers?"
Everyone exclaimed in surprise. There was no one who didn't know the name of the person in the words.
"Why do you say she came to your house to show off, ahem, show off?" The person who asked the question did not believe it. After all, the rumor said that Yu Shu was a descendant of an immortal family. Even the emperor thought highly of her and gave her a title. Why would such a person want to seduce the young master of an assistant minister's residence?
Yin Yuanbo said in a strange tone, "She didn't go for me, a good-for-nothing ruffian. She went for the real third young master of the Prime Minister's residence, my cousin Yin Yuanrong."
Then he said that on the day of Yin Deng's birthday, they met a disheveled Yu Shu in the backyard. However, his words were biased and he said that this accident was a deliberate plan of Yu Shu.
"If I didn't happen to be on the side and saw her ugly appearance with my third cousin, I'm afraid she would have shouted and forced my third cousin to take responsibility for her. Bah!"
After Yin Yuanbo finished speaking, he spat on the ground with extreme disdain.
There were still people who did not believe him. After a few noises, they saw him pointing to the sky and cursing with a red face and neck, "If I lied to you, let me be impotent!"
Hearing this, Yuan Zhouzi saw that there was nothing else to say and quietly left.
Back in front of them, on the top floor of Cypress and Cypress Building, Liu Hao and a group of guests listened to Yuan Zhouzi's vivid narration. The former propped up his chin thoughtfully. He didn't speak, so no one could discuss. The performers on the stage were singing a passage. Just after the last note, Liu Hao gave a light laugh and sat up from the couch. He stretched out his leg for the manservant to help him wear his shoes.
Then he said to everyone without another word of gossip, "Ben wang is going to change. Everyone, continue to listen to the play."
Leaving behind the nervous Yuan Zhouzi and a group of confused guests, he left with his hands behind his back. Outside, he called over Li Mama, who was outside, and whispered a few orders before turning to go to the empty room next door.
Li Mama hurried down to the second floor. She grabbed a waiter and asked, "Do you know which room is the third young master of the assistant minister's fu? Quickly go ask. "
Ning Wang wanted her to find Yin Yuanbo and secretly bring him here.
If you think this website is good, please share it. Thank you for the support of the readers.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
