sbdcsierra Chapter 346: Unparalleled Beauty vs. 711
Chapter 346: Unparalleled Beauty vs. 711
The sound of the piano is like the gurgling of water, like continuous drizzle, like rain hitting banana leaves, beautiful, clear and pleasant to the ear, fascinating and captivating. The literati and poets present seemed to hear the sound of nature.
They closed their eyes, shook their heads, and became increasingly intoxicated by the soothing and relaxing music.
A carriage passed by Guiyin Pavilion. In the carriage, Young Master Nan Ze had made an appointment with a young master from another aristocratic family to meet and have a drink at Yaqing Pavilion.
But when the silky and lingering music of the piano from Guiyin Pavilion entered his ears, it immediately touched his heartstrings.
Nan Ze lifted the carriage curtain with his folding fan, his eyes fell on the brightly lit Guiyin Pavilion, and suddenly spoke.
"parking."
The coachman was stunned and subconsciously grabbed the reins.
The horses pulling the cart were well-trained and stopped trotting smoothly.
The curtain was lifted, and Nan Ze jumped down from the carriage and walked towards Guiyin Pavilion.
The driver scratched his head in confusion: Sir, we haven’t reached Yaqing Pavilion yet?
The servant shook his head and told the driver to go to Yaqing Pavilion to inform the young master's friends that they would not be going to Yaqing Pavilion today.
After explaining, he hurried to catch up with the young master. Otherwise, he could become the young master's personal servant, but the coachman has been working for so many years and is still a coachman.
Nan Ze stood at the door of Guiyin Pavilion, his eyes fixed on the high platform.
The woman sat behind the guqin, her figure was graceful, her skin as delicate as jade, her three thousand black hair was simply combed into a fairy bun, and the back of her hair was scattered on her shoulders.
She had her eyebrows slightly drooped and was wearing a face scarf. She had an elegant temperament, like an orchid in a valley. The sound of her piano was sometimes soaring into the clouds, sometimes low like a whisper, sometimes ethereal like cotton wool, and sometimes steady like a cliff pine.
It touches the hearts of those who listen to the music and makes people fascinated.
Nan Ze's eyes unconsciously deepened, as if the night outside was long and endless.
He just looked at the woman playing the piano on the stage from afar, her pair of upturned peach blossom eyes filled with emotions that others could not understand.
When the piano music stopped, Nan Ze raised his lips and smiled, his eyes becoming more and more emotional, and he walked forward.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, the woman on the stage stood up amid thunderous applause, and then ran backstage like a rabbit.
Nan Ze reached out subconsciously, but only managed to grab a red ribbon.
The well-combed flying fairy bun cascaded down instantly when the ribbon was untied.
Playfully slipped away through Nan Ze's fingers.
Mother Rong, who was preparing to meet and cover for her goddaughter to leave, was just immersed in the beautiful piano music and was only a little dull for a moment.
But when she saw that Qu Xinyue was almost stopped by Master Nan Ze, her heart skipped a beat.
Fortunately, Qu Xinyue escaped quickly and it was just a false alarm.
Mother Rong hurried forward to greet Nan Ze (stop Master Nan Ze)
Nan Ze was already interested in Qu Xinyue's dancing last time, and this time he was again impressed by the piano music.
Originally he seemed to have almost caught the person, but he didn't expect that the woman who had made his heart ripple again had already run away like a frightened deer.
Now it seems that Rong's mother was actually trying to entertain him, but was actually blocking his steps secretly.
His eyes dimmed, hiding the tide in his eyes. He touched the roof of his mouth with the tip of his tongue and lowered his head to smile softly.
"Make a price."
Although these words were incoherent, Rong's mother immediately understood what Nan Ze wanted to express.
Her heart skipped a beat and the smile on her face froze.
I didn't expect that Young Master Nan Ze seemed to be able to walk through a sea of flowers without getting a single leaf on him, and he even wanted to pick some flowers!
If other girls in Kyoto knew about this, what a sensation it would cause!
However, this flower is her goddaughter, and her face is also...
She sighed and apologized.
"I'm sorry, Master Nan Ze's request cannot be granted by Rong Ma, because the girl just now was only there to save the situation, and she didn't put up a sign."
Nan Ze's dark eyes flashed with surprise, and he frowned slightly and asked, "Then how do we meet her?"
Mother Rong had a headache and almost pretended not to understand the Tai Chi.
"That girl only appears when she wants to, and she doesn't often go on stage on weekdays."
Nan Ze saw how protective Rong's mother was, and the surprise in his eyes deepened.
What should I do? I'm becoming more and more interested in this girl!
At this time, the total amount of silver received as rewards from various beauty shops had been heard from outside the building.
"Chun Man Lou, three thousand three hundred taels!"
"Huayue Tower, two thousand seven hundred taels!"
……
"Yaqing Pavilion, nine thousand one hundred taels!"
As the shouts of money given as tips tonight spread from one mouth to another at the beginning of Jinjin Road, the voices spread to the end of the street.
Today's competition for silver rewards among various families has almost come to an end.
Those who did not report the reward basically said that today's reward was too little and they were embarrassed to show it off. In order to avoid being laughed at, they simply did not report it.
As the sound of the nine thousand one hundred taels from Yaqing Pavilion rang out, people kept gasping.
Generally, a basic fee for tea and water will be charged when you enter.
One guan is equivalent to one tael.
In addition, if you make reservations, order wine, and other services, the total consumption will increase accordingly.
Miscellaneous items, at least fifty taels of silver.
In that era, one tael of silver could buy one dan of fine rice, which is about 130 jin.
A piece of medium-quality cotton cloth sold for about two taels of silver.
A piece of cloth can be cut into one hundred feet, or thirty meters.
Therefore, for a family of five, fifty taels can support basic expenses for a year.
Therefore, the reward money of Yaqing Pavilion suddenly soared to nine thousand one hundred taels of silver, which is a terrifying number!
Manager Fang asked Rong's mother in a low voice.
"Should we report today's total bounty?"
When Rong's mother saw that Manager Fang did not look happy, she sighed slightly and asked, "How many are we?"
Manager Fang pointed out a number: "One thousand five hundred taels."
This number is indeed a bit embarrassing.
Given Guiyin Pavilion's reputation, if this number were announced, Guiyin Pavilion would become a laughing stock for everyone in Jinjin Road tomorrow.
Manager Fang made an objective analysis: "Some guests waited for Yingxiang for a long time but she didn't come out, so they left early and went somewhere else."
Among them were a few guests who left, who were wealthy and generous.
Once these people go to other places, they won’t be able to compete with other places for the reward money.
Moreover, Manager Fang seriously suspected that these guests most likely went to Yaqing Pavilion after leaving Guiyin Pavilion.
Nan Ze raised his hand, and a red ribbon was wrapped around his wrist.
He put his middle and index fingers together and moved them towards the servant behind him, his voice clear and his speech at a moderate pace.
"Give me eight thousand taels of silver."
The calm tone made it seem as if what he wanted was not eight thousand taels of silver, but eight copper coins.
Even Rong's mother and Manager Fang, who often saw customers spending lavishly, couldn't help but be amazed by Nan Ze's generosity!
Holding a thick stack of eight thousand taels of silver in her hand, Mother Rong felt it was unreal.
Mother Rong wanted it and didn't want it at the same time, but finally she gritted her teeth and said it clearly.
"Master Nan Ze, even if you offer so much reward, the girl still won't hang up her name card and won't see guests."
What this means is that the money is given away in vain.
Nan Ze's voice was clear and pleasant, with a faint smile on his face: "Mother Rong, don't worry. This is just a small amount of money. I didn't say that she must come out to see me."
Mother Rong was still holding a thick stack of silver bills in her hand. Looking at Master Nan Ze's indifferent attitude, she suddenly felt dazzled by his handsomeness.
I couldn't help but secretly regret that I am now old and ugly. If I were 25 years younger, I would do everything I can to seduce her.
"Guiyin Pavilion, the total reward is nine thousand five hundred taels of silver!"
The sound of a gong and the sound of counting startled almost everyone.
In particular, they were already preparing to celebrate and were planning to go out and promote Yaqing Pavilion as the best beauty shop on Jinjin Road tomorrow, but suddenly they heard the good news from Guiyin Pavilion.
Everyone in Yaqing Pavilion was stunned!
Aren’t the several generous guests of Guiyin Pavilion now being taken to Yaqing Pavilion by them?
How come there is such a generous man in Guiyinfang?
The madam of Yaqing Pavilion didn't believe it, so she sent an errand boy to Guiyin Pavilion to see if it was fake.
The errand runner obediently ran towards Guiyin Pavilion, and when he arrived outside the hall of Guiyin Pavilion, he peeked inside and saw a thick stack of silver bills, some white gold ingots, and small change on the red tray guarded by the guards.
Nine thousand five hundred taels, the real deal!
As soon as the errand boy told Yaqing Pavilion, the madam of Yaqing Pavilion's face suddenly darkened.
Thinking about tomorrow, in the next fifteen days, Guiyin Pavilion will continue to attract more customers who are willing to spend money because of its reputation as the best.
……
As early as when the errand boy from Yaqing Pavilion came to Guiyin Pavilion, Rong's mother saw that everyone was in a competitive relationship. Almost every time there were a few female mice in the other party's home, they would pay special attention to them.
She let the runner look at the reward money before putting it away. Eight thousand taels of it were rewards from Nan Ze for Xinyue, so she would not take any money from it and would give it directly to Xinyue later.
The little girl will feel more at ease if she has some money to save.
The remaining money should be used to buy three more sets of clothes for each of the girls in the pavilion and to hire some musicians...
Even though Mrs. Rong was calculating the expenditure of the money in her heart, it did not stop her from inviting Nan Ze into the private room.
He also instructed Manager Fang to deliver Guiyin Pavilion's best wine and delicacies.
……
Nan Ze's personal servant secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rong's mother finally leave with a smile on her face.
It's just that the smell of perfume on my mother's body is too strong and I'm not used to it.
"Sir, Rong Madam is too ignorant. She won't even let you see anyone for eight thousand taels."
The servant thought that in the past, girls from other families would always be eager to throw themselves at the young master, but now, the young master wanted to get close to a girl for the first time, but he was met with many obstacles.
Thinking this way, everyone felt dissatisfied with their own young master.
But since his own young master was willing, he couldn't say anything.
Nan Ze glanced at the servant who was indignant for him, smiled suddenly, and spoke nonchalantly.
"It's not about being tactful or not. It's just that eight thousand taels is not enough to convince Mother Rong. After all, everyone or everything in this world has a price."
He took a sip of tea, smelling the delicate fragrance of tea, and spoke slowly.
"If you can't see eight thousand taels, it's because I didn't give you enough, but I have nothing else except silver.
At this time, someone knocked on the door of the private room.
Nan Ze put away the sarcasm and nonchalance on his face, and put on a gentle smile again. In the blink of an eye, he was again the handsome young man in this world, pure and elegant, with a sparkling appearance.
The servant opened the door, and seven or eight young men dressed in elegant attire rushed in.
They were arm in arm, holding folding fans in their hands, and each of them looked boneless, with smiles on their faces.
Seeing Nan Ze sitting cross-legged in the private room, sipping his tea slowly, he immediately started laughing, with a look of surprise on his face.
"I just said I saw Brother Nan Ze just now, right? And you said I was seeing things."
"Oh, it really is Brother Nan Ze. The nobleman who just gave Guiyin Pavilion a reward of 8,000 taels is really Brother Nan Ze?!"
A group of young masters squeezed in and surrounded Nan Ze, all of them craning their necks in an unruly manner, waiting for the answer.
After hearing Nan Ze's faint "hmm" of affirmation, these young men who were sitting crookedly on the cushions all let out sighs and envy in unison.
They are about the same age as Brother Nan Ze, so why can they only be playboys while Brother Nan Ze can be in charge of the entire Nan family’s business?
Look, look at them, eight thousand taels, just taken out as soon as they said it!
If these people want to hire a pillar, they don’t know how many months they will have to save up money.
These young men, whose pockets were almost tight, stayed in Nan Ze's private room and had no intention of leaving.
Nan Ze did not drive them away. After all, the money spent on these playboys could be earned back double by their family.
Suddenly, the private room became lively.
The air was filled with the aroma of wine and the sound of stringed instruments.
In the backyard, inside Yingxiang Courtyard.
Wanxiang was accompanying Yingxiang, waiting for news from the front yard.
They believed that after tonight, Mother Rong would realize the importance of Yingxiang and would definitely pay more attention to her in the future.
But after waiting for a long time, what came was the total reward that Guiyin Pavilion received for its talent show tonight, which firmly surpassed Yaqing Pavilion and became the most outstanding one in the entire Jinjin Road Beauty House!
Wanxiang and Yingxiang were confused when they heard the news.
Yingxiang couldn't sit still anymore. She always felt that she had made a wrong decision by listening to Wanxiang and going against Rong's mother.
She walked out of the yard in a panic, and quickly stopped a cleaning maid who had just returned from the front yard and asked.
"I didn't go on stage tonight, so why did Guiyin Pavilion receive such a high reward?"
Yingxiang was extremely confused, she knew that even if she went on stage and gave it her all, she would never be able to get such a high reward!
"The person who saved the situation was the girl who danced to save the situation last time. It was also this girl's appearance that made Master Nan Ze spend eight thousand taels." The cleaning maid answered truthfully.
But this answer was like a bolt from the blue to Yingxiang!
Even Wanxiang, who had chased after them, felt a little unsteady when she heard this.
It's that guy again!
And let Master Nan Ze spend eight thousand? !
Wanxiang felt very sad.
It would be great if Master Nan Ze could give her a reward of more than 8,000...
"Is that person still wearing a mask when he goes on stage this time?" Wanxiang asked.
The maid who cleaned the room got the exact answer and knew that the masked woman who saved the situation left immediately after her performance and never showed up again.
Wanxiang's thoughts couldn't help but move.
Since Master Nan Ze has never even seen the woman's true face, yet he was able to reward her with so much silver, maybe after Master Nan Ze got to know me, I would get even more silver as a reward?
Wanxiang thinks she has good looks, otherwise she wouldn't have become one of the mainstays of Guiyin Pavilion.
Thinking of this, she excitedly asked the maid who was sweeping the floor.
"Is Master Nan Ze still in Guiyin Pavilion?"
The maid who cleaned the room shook her head honestly.
"Master Nan Ze is drinking with a bunch of young masters in Luoxue's private room."
Wanxiang got the answer she wanted and her eyes suddenly lit up.