Chapter 70: Dress Up Rehearsal
at this time.
Liangzhou Prefecture.
Chen Ping sat in the study, surrounded by several military advisors.
"Sir, the Baiya Army has been quite active in Liangzhou recently. I'm afraid they have ill intentions!"
Chen Ping's face darkened slightly, and he tapped his fingers on the table. He said slowly, "Recently, I have been wondering if the assassination that happened outside Yinzhou was done by the Baiya Army!"
Everyone was shocked.
If it were before, they would not have been so suspicious, but with the rising reputation of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce in the past few days, it has become the talk of the town, so this is not impossible.
"But sir, if the Baiya Army is targeting the Liu family father and son, wouldn't that be exactly what we want?"
"The Liu family father and son are definitely not good people!"
"Sir, the Queen has come back to visit her parents this time, and she must have some plan! If the Baiya Army really joins forces with the Queen, then our Liangzhou Prefecture will have a hard time!"
Chen Ping nodded.
He felt a headache. What he didn't know was that the assassin had originally targeted Zheng Yueru. Now everyone thought that the target was Liu's father and son. This situation made him a little confused. It also made the people of Liangzhou unable to guess.
This was the smoke screen that Liu Zheng had deliberately released.
"Haha, so what you mean is, to win over the Liu family father and son?"
Chen Ping asked with a smile.
He thought this was absurd. The Liu family father and son were not taken seriously before, but now they have become the ones who can break the balance?
A military advisor said, "Sir, the Liu family took charge of all the ceremonials for the courtesan party. Can't you see that? They must be trying to please the queen in order to get a state marquisate!"
Everyone agreed with this.
"My lord, the Queen is very ambitious. There is Zheng Yuxing in the army, Baiya in the north, and Yinzhou in the west. It will be strategically disadvantageous to our prefectural government! Although Yinzhou is poor, but with Yangzhou, it occupies a corner and cannot be ignored!"
"Yes, sir!"
"In this case, the governor's mansion is in danger!"
How could Chen Ping not know the current situation? He angrily said, "Don't waste your words. I am a prefect, and I am not allowed to be hindered by a woman. Wouldn't it make the Prince of Jinghua laugh at my incompetence?"
Everyone gave suggestions.
The emperor is still alive, and the power of the queen is irreversible. The prefectural government should retreat and avoid the queen's edge. On the one hand, it should pretend to be friendly with the queen, and on the other hand, it should win over the Liu family and their son and vigorously support the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce to fight against the business groups of the Baiya Army.
"You guys, please go down..."
Chen Ping felt extremely tired after listening to this.
Fight for Liu Dahao?
He was extremely unwilling to accept this, but what else could he do at this moment? The Queen was powerful, and with Zheng Yuxing in charge of the army, Chen Ping was already at a disadvantage. But... using the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce to fight against the Baiya Chamber of Commerce? What if this was like raising a tiger to cause trouble?
"Call the lady over here!"
With his thoughts racing, Chen Ping finally said helplessly.
…
The Queen's procession moved forward slowly.
At this time, a fast horse from the army brought another letter.
"Liu Dahao?"
The queen studied the letter, frowned slightly, and fell into deep thought.
The letter said that Liu Dahao of Yinzhou had a rising reputation and was deeply loved by the people. This time, the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce was doing its best to manage the empress's ceremonial procession, and he could be of great use. In addition, Zheng Jiayueru of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce was the chief treasurer, so why not go with the flow and give Liu Dahao a promotion? The Baiya Army also strongly recommended this move. The Liu family was weak, so they could be saved or abandoned, used or killed. It was the most suitable way to restrain the prefectural government.
"A mere county marquis is trying to hinder the governor's office?"
The Queen snorted coldly, not caring at all: "Yu Xing has been a general for many years, but he is becoming less and less aggressive!"
Then she burned the letter in the stove and said no more.
…
Liu Zheng had no idea at this time that by making the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce known to everyone and gaining great fame, he had put himself in a rather delicate situation.
What he is concerned about now is how to earn back his 100,000 taels of silver safely!
"Ok?"
After waiting for a while, the twelve courtesans came out one after another. Some wore ruqun, some wore straight skirts, and some wore curved skirts. They dressed up carefully and competed with each other for beauty. The plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum were all outstanding, and the people were dazzled.
beautiful!
Liu Zheng was truly impressed. This ancient service really did not require any modification from him. It could highlight all the characteristics of people of this era. Especially Shen Manqing, who was wearing a light red skirt, which showed her graceful figure to the fullest. She also had a sense of etherealness and a great temperament, as if she was ready to ascend to the heights at any time.
"What's that smell?"
"Miss, this soap smells so good!"
"Yes, I haven't used any makeup, but there is a strange fragrance. Is this the soap? It's really magical!"
The courtesans were all chattering, astonished by her beauty.
The madam was already dumbfounded. This soap is scented with roses, a scent that cannot be achieved by the spices and sachets . Although it is not as strong as perfume, it is more natural.
"Let's go!"
Zheng Yueru smiled slightly, very satisfied.
So, the courtesan team of Fengming Tower set out. It was not yet completely dark, and after learning that there would be a grand rehearsal today, the people of Liangzhou City had already been eager to go, and the streets were already crowded.
Compared to the actual ceremony on the day of the Oiran Festival to welcome the Empress, the common people seemed to prefer this grand rehearsal, as if it was prepared just for them, allowing them to revel in it to their heart's content.
"Brother Wang, you put on that cold cream today, but you didn't wear a felt hat when you went out. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"
"Hahahaha, that's right!"
"Today, my younger brother has a sigh of drunkenness on his back. Can he float to the surface?"
"Today the courtesan will dress up for a rehearsal. Is there any beauty among you, Brother Lu?"
"You are a farmer, you don't know how to work at home, what are you doing going to see that courtesan?"
"Please give me some wine, please give me some wine. Then take a look at the vanishing cream and see if there is any cheaper one. I will bring back a few bottles for you and Xi'er..."
"Well, go ahead!"
Along the way, people were joking and talking non-stop. The so-called Oiran Club was previously attended by only scholars and wealthy young men, but this year with the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce's publicity, people from all walks of life were eager to join in the fun.
The whole city is in carnival. It is not an exaggeration to describe it with these four words .
There are also those outsiders who came here after hearing the news.
When these people walked onto the street, they realized that wherever they looked, there was the "Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce" trademark! At the door of the inn, on the carriage, on the tree trunk, and even on the windmills that were given out for free to children on the street, the trademark was everywhere...
Today, Du Biao was also walking on the street with a few followers.
Seeing the scene of the streets being deserted, he smiled faintly: "This young master of the Liu family is indeed an interesting person. Back then, he spent hundreds of thousands of taels of gold, and everyone thought that the dandy style had returned. Now it seems that I regret it a lot!"
The attendant laughed and said, "Third Master, even if you can take control of this matter, you will not bother with such petty cleverness!"
Others were similarly flattering.
Du Biao shook his head slightly after hearing this.
Small cleverness? Often these small clevernesses are really great wisdom! However, the Baiya Chamber of Commerce really does not need such publicity, as its reputation has spread far and wide. But no matter what, this move by the young master of the Liu family still made him wary.
"Are the courtesans of our Lanxiang class ready? Since Fengming Tower has taken so much of the limelight, we must win this time!"
Thinking of having such a strong opponent, Du Biao also felt competitive.
"Don't worry, Third Master!"
"Our courtesans this time have been carefully selected from the capital and trained for several months. They will surely stun the whole city!"
Du Biao nodded with satisfaction.
The venue for this Oiran meeting was set in the famous Liuxiang Flower Street in Liangzhou. This was the most prosperous street in Liangzhou, with a wide road and elegant buildings. At the end of the street was a seven-story building, magnificent and majestic. When the queen returned that day, she would climb this building for her subjects to pay homage.
Although it was just a rehearsal today, it was the Lantern Festival after all. The roadside was full of fireworks, lanterns, red silk, palace lanterns, jade bricks and glazed tiles. The so-called fireworks never get dark, and you can have fun tonight. This is the description of the willow alley flower street at this time. With such a grand scene, the weather has become much warmer, and many restaurants have set up tables and chairs outside for people to drink and watch.
Old people, adults and children gathered here tonight and it was very lively.
But after all, it was just a rehearsal, and there certainly wouldn't be the formal scene of the day of the courtesan meeting. Most people came here for today's courtesans.
"Are you here? Are you here?"
Guo Yu and the group of young masters around him were already extremely excited.
"Haha, Mr. Guo, the courtesans in our Yihong Courtyard are all top-notch. They will definitely outshine that Fengming Tower!"
The lackey beside him flattered him.
Guo Yu snorted coldly: "Of course, today, I want to see how Liu Zheng fights me!"
At this moment, amidst the crowd, a group of beauties first appeared in this red-light district, and the whole place was noisy for a while.
"Look, look, that's the most beautiful girl in our Yihong Courtyard!"
Guo Yu was very excited.
Sure enough, this group of courtesans slowly drove over on a float, and their sweet voices and unrestrained behavior made countless men obsessed with them and screamed non-stop.
"Look, this is our Yihong Courtyard. We will definitely win the championship this time!"
Guo Yu is full of confidence.
Then, right after that, the courtesans of another brothel also appeared in the same way. On the floats, beauties were posing and flirting. Some sang erotic songs, and some deliberately wore revealing clothes.
Many young men even ran beside the floats, reciting poems and composing couplets, looking very ugly.
Liu Zheng looked at it and shook his head slightly.
This ancient beauty pageant was still based on the most basic concept of competing for beauty.
He gained more confidence in Fengming Tower.
At this moment, the Lanxiang class, which was highly expected to win the championship, finally appeared.
But because it was just a dress-up rehearsal, they certainly wouldn't show off their prepared programs at this time, but the beauties of the Lanxiang class looked more elegant than the brothels in front. Whether in terms of clothing or body movements, they looked more like ladies from wealthy families, without any flirtatiousness.
Liu Zheng frowned slightly.
This brothel of the Baiya Army is really special...
At this moment, he felt a provocative and passionate gaze looking at him.
In the crowd, Du Biao was sitting on the third floor of a restaurant, raising his glass to Liu Zheng from a distance and laughing loudly.
