Chapter 233: Flower Collection

Chapter 233: Flower Collection

Chapter 233: Flower Collection

On a night in early October, the autumn breeze was refreshing and the moonlight was bright.
The entire port is covered with a light silver gauze.

Different from the many ports we have passed before, the port of Dongting Lake is obviously a place where people from all over the world gather.
Even at night, the port never stops and is extremely lively.

Looking around, there are a lot of ships, brightly lit, and large and small ships closely connected.

Cargo ships and passenger ships are moving back and forth, and busy merchants are shuttling among them.

The crowd walked along the port and soon arrived at the market outside the port.
There are all kinds of shops lined up as far as the eye can see, and this place can be considered a town.

A group of people walked in it, looking around.
As usual, Liu Heiying stopped at almost every stall and spent some money.
As per custom, Lu Yunyi bought him a bamboo basket for him to carry.

The price is much higher, three taels of silver.

In some border towns, it is equivalent to a month's wages in a store.

The streets were filled with the aroma of wine. Following the sound,
It turned out to be a tavern called "Road Blocker". The tavern was already packed with people, talking and laughing loudly, and it was very lively.

Li Jinglong had never seen such a scene.
He couldn't help but stop and take a closer look. He sniffed hard and said with emotion:
"No wonder it's called Roadblocker, it really smells good."

He looked back and forth inside and said in a slightly disappointed voice:
"It's a pity that there are no seats left, otherwise I would definitely like to taste it."

The sight of these people stopping attracted the attention of a middle-aged man with a pointed chin and monkey cheeks who was standing quietly on the street and looking around.
His eyes twinkled and he walked up with a smile, holding some big red pieces of paper in his hands.

The guards looked alert, and the middle-aged man quickly raised his hand:

"Don't worry, don't worry. Do you want to have some wine?

I dare not lie to you, the wine of this roadblock is indeed delicious, but it is a pity that you have to queue up every day.

But don't worry, sir. You only need one or two taels of silver to cut in line. How about I give you a number that's a little bit ahead of you?"

Li Jinglong looked puzzled and didn't quite understand
He was from the capital, and he was eating in Yingtian.
Even if the shop is closed today, I still have to work for him. I have never experienced what it is like to queue up and have my number called.

It was Lu Yunyi who opened his eyes wide with an expression of disbelief.

Are there scalpers now?

"Your ticket can't be fake."

Lu Yunyi asked. He heard that some scalper tickets were fake and they made money from outsiders like them.

The man's eyes widened and he jumped a little;
“Oh, it seems that this guest understands the market situation, but those are all done by some unscrupulous people.

I have been in Yuezhou for more than ten years, and everyone in Yangliu Street knows me. How could it be fake? "

"Let me see what number it is." Lu Yunyi walked closer.

The man with the pointed chin and monkey face opened his palm, and a red square paper with the number 14 appeared.

Lu Yunyi nodded and shouted, "Black Hawk, Black Hawk, give him one or two taels of silver."

"I'm coming."

Liu Heiying rushed over with a small bamboo basket in his hand and looked at the man.
He took out a banknote from the stack of banknotes in the basket and handed it over.

The man with the pointed chin and monkey cheeks saw a large stack of banknotes in the bamboo basket and roughly estimated that there were at least a hundred taels.
He couldn't help but widen his eyes, took a breath of cold air, and dared not provoke him anymore. He quickly bent down and thanked him:
"Thank you, sir. Number eight has been called now. It will be your turn soon."

Lu Yunyi smiled, took the piece of paper and looked at it carefully. There was not only the font size,
There is also a sign of the tavern "Road Blocker", which is a small square restaurant.

He nodded with satisfaction and looked at Li Jinglong and others, "Let's go."

"Ah? You don't want to eat?"

Li Jinglong looked at him in surprise.

Lu Yunyi smiled and said, "There are too many people here."

"What about your tael of silver?"

"Keep it as a memorial and bury it in the grave together.
Let future generations see the wisdom of our ancients. It’s a pity that this is paper and I don’t know if it can be preserved.”

The people present looked at each other in surprise, not understanding why he had such a hobby.

Liu Heiying thought for a moment, took out an ornament similar to a rouge box from the small box, and opened it gently.

Lu Yunyi looked at him with admiration, then put the paper in and instructed:

"Remind me to write a travelogue when we get back."

"okay."

The group of people walked around in circles like this.

Li Jinglong was beside him, with a strange look on his face, but he couldn't help asking:
"Yun Yi, why did you keep those things?"

"When you live in this world, you must always leave something behind."

what?
"Compared to ordinary people, it is much easier for us who serve in the army and serve as officials to leave our names in history.
Let's look at the Song Dynasty, which was only a hundred years ago. Some famous paintings and calligraphy have been lost, and some things are unclear.
Not to mention a thousand years later,
So I thought of leaving something behind, so that people in the future can dig us out and read our travel notes.
Oh, a thousand years ago there was a general named Lu Yunyi who was drinking in Yuezhou Port, number 14.

But they don’t know that we didn’t eat it at all, we just did it for them to see, hahahaha.”

Lu Yunyi laughed so happily that the fatigue on his face disappeared a little.

Li Jinglong, who was standing by, also found this very interesting and laughed:
"I don't know how those little brats in the future will evaluate me. I am the Duke of Jiujiang in the Ming Dynasty!"

Lu Yunyi stopped smiling, glanced at him, and said calmly:
"Fight well, and you will surely have an extremely impressive reputation by then."

"I'll lend you some good words!"

Li Jinglong laughed loudly and walked forward with big strides.

After a lot of twists and turns, they soon arrived at the largest brothel near Yuezhou Port.

This brothel is located on the east side of the street and covers a vast area.
The main door is made of fine red wood.

A gilded plaque hangs above the door lintel, on which are engraved three large characters: "Hua Jian Ji".
The brushstrokes are powerful and golden.
The stone lions on both sides of the gate are majestic and magnificent. There are endless streams of pedestrians coming and going, and some beautiful girls are posing in front of the gate.

Lu Yunyi looked at the huge plaque above with a hint of doubt in his eyes, as if he had heard this name somewhere before.

Liu Heiying on the side commented excitedly:

"Hua Jian Ji, what a good name,

Brother Yun'er, Huajianji is a collection of poems from the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties compiled by Zhao Chongzuo of the Later Shu Dynasty.

The book contains 500 poems by 18 poets including Wen Tingyun, Huangfu Song, and Wei Zhuang. It was first compiled in the third year of Guangzheng in the Later Shu Dynasty.

Most of the collected poems reflect the emperor and his ministers enjoying themselves in front of the emperor among flowers, with quite a few of them being gorgeous and fragrant!
It seems that this store owner is full of confidence, comparing it to the five generations of enjoyment!"

Lu Yunyi then looked enlightened. He had heard Wen Tingyun's poems before, so no wonder they sounded familiar.

At this moment, a girl in a green dress was looking at Liu Heiying in front of the door. Her eyes were bright and a small smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She said silently in her heart:
"He's tall, dark-skinned, and not bad looking, but a little stout.

Why is there a gold border on this dress? Could it be someone from the capital? A distinguished guest has arrived!"

As she thought about it, she looked at the other people, and the more she looked, the more frightened she became.

The person next to the fat black man was also tall and had fair skin.
Although he looked like someone who had indulged himself in excessive sexual activities, he had an extraordinary temperament and was dressed in expensive clothes. He looked down at her from a high position.

She was very familiar with this feeling, it must be a big shot in the officialdom.

She turned her gaze to the last person and immediately saw the huge jade pendant on his waist.
Hiss. It must be the finest white jade. This jade pendant might be worth tens of thousands of taels of silver.

The girl in green had no time to look at his face.
Just this jade pendant alone shows that the visitor is extremely noble. Even if he is a pig, he must be served well! !
What's more, they are quite handsome.

Thinking of this, the girl in green tiptoed over little by little, with a graceful figure and a smile on her face:

"Gentlemen, what are you doing standing here? Come in quickly."

Liu Heiying's saliva was almost flowing out, and he looked like a pervert. He rushed forward and said, "Okay, okay, okay!"

Lu Yunyi slapped him and said, "What a success!"

Liu Heiying stood there in a daze, touching his head.

Looking at Li Jinglong who was standing there motionless, he quickly came over, his face almost splitting with laughter:

"Uncle Li, please come in quickly!!"

Li Jinglong stiffened his neck, raised his chin to the sky, flicked his sleeves vigorously, and strode inside!
The woman in green came forward with a smile, took Li Jinglong's arm, and asked with a smile:
"My name is Luying, you are so handsome, where are you from?"

Li Jinglong sniffed his nose, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
The fragrance is too strong, not as good as that of the Imperial Music Bureau in the capital or the Qinhuai River.

There was a strange flash in Lu Ying's eyes. Seeing that he didn't speak, she leaned her head closer and whispered:
"Sir, you have arrived at the right time. Everyone from our Huajian Gathering is here today.

If you like, I'll call it for you."

Li Jinglong was even more surprised. He looked Lu Ying up and down and snorted coldly:
"I can meet anyone, why call me a big shot?" Lu Ying's eyes flashed with pride.
She put her red lips close to him, and her warm breath echoed in Li Jinglong's ear, giving him goose bumps.

"You are not comparable to those ordinary people.
The young master is so handsome, I think he is not short of money, the sisters will definitely like him."

Li Jinglong looked her over and laughed heartily:
"You are quite discerning, little girl. Call them all over to have a look. As for the money, don't worry."

Luying smiled, nodded slightly, and gestured to the waiter standing on the side.

A group of people followed Luying and walked into Huajianji.

Entering the gate, you will see a deep courtyard with a staggered layout, rockery, flowing water, pavilions and towers complementing each other.

There is a huge flower bed in the center, with flowers of all seasons competing for beauty and fragrance.
There was a beautiful woman in a red dress dancing on it, and passers-by couldn't help but look over there.

Liu Heiying was even more exaggerated. He walked closer and closer, almost reaching under the woman's skirt.

This made Guo Quan and Xu Zengshou in the back so ashamed that they almost hid their heads.

Lu Yunyi slapped him again and cursed, "You are a sex-hungry ghost."

Unexpectedly, Liu Heiying nodded repeatedly, as if to say, I am I am!
With a sigh, Lu Yunyi pulled him away.
At the same time, he raised his head and glanced at the woman in the red dress.

But he found that the woman in the red dress was particularly generous. She swung her red dress hard, revealing her long, straight white legs. She raised her eyebrows and smiled at Lu Yunyi.

This made Liu Heiying extremely jealous, and he punched Lu Yunyi twice.

The main building of Huajianji towers into the clouds. In the center of the hall, a huge jade screen blocks the view from inside and outside.

Several people did not enter the main building, but followed Lu Ying through it.
Soon they arrived at a huge courtyard.

Lu Ying smiled and explained: "My lords, this is the largest Qimeng Garden in Huajianji, and it is also the most secluded place."

The courtyard is brightly lit yet softly lit. Tall stone lanterns are lined up on both sides of the stone path, with flickering flames.
The moonlight filtered through the sparse clouds, falling on the carefully trimmed branches and leaves, flickering with the lights.

In the center stands an exquisite pavilion, with its roof covered with glazed tiles, which looks even more dazzling against the backdrop of the night.

After passing the pavilion, the group entered a large room.
The guards were guarding outside, and only five people entered: Lu Yunyi, Liu Heying, Li Jinglong, Guo Quan, and Xu Zengshou.

This scene made Lu Ying's eyes flicker. She could almost conclude that these people were the rich young men from the capital.

He is young, rich, and has bodyguards.

The room is lit by a combination of exquisite lanterns and candlelight.

The room is tall, with carved beams and painted buildings, and the walls are covered with exquisite murals depicting the changing of the seasons.

The most eye-catching thing is the four women standing in the four corners of the room.
They are wearing colorful long skirts representing the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

In the northwest corner is a woman dressed in light green gauze, holding a guzheng in her hand, plucking the zither with her fingertips. The melody is like a spring breeze, gentle and full of vitality.

A woman in the northeast corner is wearing a fiery red dress, holding a pipa in her arms. As her fingertips jump, the music sounds like a summer heat wave, warming the wilderness.

The woman in the southeast corner is dressed in golden silk and gently strokes the guqin. The sound of the guqin is melodious and brings a hint of coolness and pleasure.

The woman in the southwest corner is dressed in plain white, holding a jade flute. The sound of the flute is clear and cold, like the first snow in winter, which makes her look noble.

The four women each performed their duties and stood in four corners, with music interweaving and smiles on their faces.

When a group of people walked in, the sound of stringed instruments stopped abruptly, and was replaced by four intertwined sounds:

"Hello, gentlemen."

"Okay, okay, this is good!!"

Liu Heiying's eyes almost popped out, and he said without hesitation,

He walked straight to the couch behind the central table and sat down, and called out to Li Jinglong and others:

"Come and sit down, come and sit down, this place is much better than my Manchunlou, not bad, not bad!!"

As soon as these words came out, not only Li Jinglong became interested, but Lu Ying's eyes also lit up.

"Manchunlou? Could it be a brothel in the capital? It really belongs to a powerful and wealthy family."

The more she thought about it, the more she dared not neglect it. She quickly stepped forward and leaned over to whisper in Li Jinglong's ear:

"Sir, I will call everyone over right now. The food and drinks will be served later.

You can also use the four girls in the house as you like."

Li Jinglong also saw this kind of scene for the first time, so he asked curiously:
"How much silver is required for the use of this room?"

Lu Yunyi and Liu Heiying also pricked up their ears, listened and looked at Luying.

She smiled, her red lips parted, a hint of determination flashed in her eyes, and she decided to ask for more money...
"This young master, it's not expensive, just three thousand taels."

"Three thousand taels?" Li Jinglong's eyes lit up and he murmured:
"It's really not expensive. Not bad. This trip to Yuezhou Prefecture has broadened my horizons."

Lu Ying's face froze, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She had already quoted an extra 1,000 taels.
This inevitably made her excited, and her hands clenched in front of her couldn't help but turn white.

Lu Yunyi frowned slightly with a look of surprise, looked at Liu Heying and gave him a wink.

Liu Heiying understood immediately and stood up.
With sharp eyes and a frosty face, he slapped her in the face.
A crisp "pop" sound echoed in the huge room!
Luying was knocked to the ground by a slap. The room suddenly became quiet. The girls in the four corners were horrified and could not help covering their mouths.

I only heard Liu Heiying cursing:
"Damn it, I'm rich, but you're such a scoundrel. You see we're from out of town, so you're trying to rip us off, right?

Your prefect Zhuang just met with us half an hour ago and asked your shopkeeper to come over!"

Lu Ying was originally angry, but when she heard the words of Magistrate Zhuang, she was so frightened that she dared not say a word.
She knew that Magistrate Zhuang had arrived at Hezhou Port in the afternoon and rested at the roadblock not far away.

She looked at the people present, and then at the frosty-faced guards in front of the door.
I guessed that these people must be the big shots who came down from the military ship.
She pretended to be weak and stood up little by little.

His cheeks were swelling rapidly and his speech was a little unclear:

"Please don't blame me, my dear lords. I am not appreciative of your kindness."

Liu Heiying waved his hands impatiently!
Lu Ying left slowly, and Li Jinglong's eyes widened.

This appearance clearly proved what Liu Heiying said.

"Is she really talking nonsense?"

The frost on Liu Heiying's face was as cool as a spring breeze. He patted his stomach and then sat down:
"We run a brothel, how can we cheat you?

Brothels are places where people are treated differently depending on their taste.

Jinglong, you should put away that big jade pendant, it's too eye-catching."

Li Jinglong was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the white jade pendant on his waist, and then at the clothes inlaid with gold threads.
Some of them understood, and they all said that they were being taken advantage of.

He gave a bitter smile and said, "Black Eagle, don't worry about the few thousand taels of silver. Just have fun."

"Hey! That's not how you calculate the account. We are rich and not stupid. Don't let anyone fool you.

For an extra 1,000 taels of silver, you have to kill a hundred more barbarians on the battlefield, or you can break the formation, which is very difficult."

After Liu Heiying said this, Li Jinglong also felt that one thousand taels were somewhat precious, and nodded repeatedly:
"Black Hawk, you are right."

At this moment, a fragrance spread out, followed by a smile as warm as water.

At this time, a plump woman in her thirties walked in slowly.

In an instant, Liu Heiying and Li Jinglong's eyes lit up!
He looked at the woman without sparing any glances.

The years have left faint traces on her face, but have also added a touch of maturity.

Her figure is plump and well-proportioned. Although she is wrapped tightly, she still reveals her excellent figure lines.

The buttocks are round and curvy, like ripe fruits, exuding alluring charm.

The half-slit white dress revealed one thigh, which was slender and white, with smooth lines, as if carved from ivory. The skin glowed faintly in the candlelight, delicate and smooth.

When she walked gracefully, her long legs swayed gracefully, as if with a silent rhythm, which was fascinating and made people unable to look away.

That unique dress is conservative yet has a touch of charm that makes people feel amorous.

She walked in with a smile, her eyes shining with warmth and kindness.

She bowed first, her movements gracefully and appropriately.

"Dear guests, I, Hua Jieyu, am extremely sorry for not coming to greet you in person.

The waiter does not know the etiquette, please do not be offended, guests."

Her voice was soft and apologetic as she continued:
"My company, Huajianji, will cover all your expenses today as a token of our apology."

(End of this chapter)