The light dimmed, and Jiangning City became lively, with painted boats and illuminated brothels lining the river. The nightlife here naturally wasn't limited to visiting brothels. One could admire the night view of the Qinhuai River, sample pastries and snacks, sit in a teahouse, and listen to stories and tunes. However, comparatively speaking, visiting brothels was indeed the most fashionable option.

The tense situation inside and outside the city, and the floods that occurred every few years, couldn't shake this scene of extravagance and luxury. The rich were still rich, and in prosperous places like Jiangning, Yangzhou, and Tokyo, the government's control was still relatively strong. Even if the city gates were closed after a few days, most brothels,妓寨 (jìzhài, a type of brothel), and places of entertainment would continue to operate as usual. Moreover, due to the closed city gates, prices and fees would be even higher, but the wealthy, with nowhere else to go, would visit even more frequently. This period would become the golden time for such entertainment venues.

When Ning Yi, Li Pin, Su WenGui, and Su WenXing arrived in front of the Yan Cui Brothel, the others they had arranged to meet were already there. These were mostly friends of the Su family's younger generation, including two relatively unknown scholars who wanted to meet Ning Yi and Li Pin. Not only were Su WenXing, Su WenGui, and Su WenTian from the second branch present, but also Su WenLuo and Su WenJi from the third branch. Su WenDing, who was usually closer to Su Tan'er, also came. In short, Su ZhongKan greeted everyone he saw. He was paying for everything today, allowing the Su family's younger generation to have some fun.

As Su Tan'er had said, Su ZhongKan wasn't very honest and certainly had an interest in the position of family head. However, it had to be said that even so, he didn't need to use any petty tricks against Ning Yi at the moment. This banquet was just a casual move, partly to see Li Pin off in the name of the Su family, and partly because he genuinely wanted the children of the family to have more contact with Ning Yi and Li Pin. After all, Su ZhongKan was well aware that the children of his family weren't very accomplished. If he were to humiliate Ning Yi, it would only be like slapping himself in the face. Besides, there was also Li Pin, who was skilled in social situations and would definitely stand on Ning Yi's side.

Yan Cui Brothel wasn't as famous as the brothels that often produced top courtesans and 花魁 (huākui, the most beautiful and talented courtesan), like Jin Feng Brothel and Ning Yu Brothel, where Qi Lan was located. These few famous brothels were considered the first tier in Jiangning's brothel scene. Yan Cui Brothel was considered the best of the second tier. Its ranking could barely make it into the top ten in Jiangning. The service and entertainment were actually quite attentive, but it might not be as elegant as Jin Feng and Ning Yu, purely due to the brand effect.

For example, if the Jiangning Prefect or the驸马 (fùmǎ, imperial son-in-law) Kang Xian were to host a banquet, going to Yan Cui Brothel would be embarrassing. However, many wealthy merchants still liked to patronize the place. Scholars also came, and many weren't so particular, but not many came, as it wasn't their first choice.

Today, no one spoke of poetry or essays on the way. People like Su WenXing and Su WenDing usually liked to play the role of talented scholars, but they were also aware of their limitations. Ning Yi and Li Pin were both present, and even the slightly famous scholars in Jiangning wouldn't dare to show off in front of them. Chen Ji had previously encountered Ning Yi and dared not write poetry. Why bother talking about things that would only make them feel awkward? These people belonged to the first, second, and third branches of the family, and there might have been some friction or arguments among them on ordinary days, but at this moment, they were of one mind, only talking about business, not poetry.

Use your strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses. This was quite in line with military strategy. Su WenXing, Su WenGui, and Su WenJi had all tried to manage a shop or something at home. Su WenJi got along with Ning Yi relatively well on the way. This kid was known as the Little Mengchang of the Su family. He lacked ability, but he knew how to use people effectively, and his attitude was relatively humble and his words were modest. Ning Yi found him quite interesting. Having strengths in interpersonal relationships was good, but those who could truly manage people must also have the ability to weigh and restrain talents. This was probably his weakness.

These abilities required long-term cultivation and were related to one's own aptitude and later education. To use a talent with a 100% ability, one must have at least 60% of that ability themselves. It wasn't that it couldn't be cultivated, but Ning Yi naturally didn't need to say anything about such matters. He listened to Su WenJi's experiences in this regard and some interesting anecdotes from the business world, and Ning Yi naturally smiled and nodded to show that he was learning. Su WenJi became even happier, rare to be able to show off in front of someone like Ning Yi, of course, he spoke even more deeply.

Occasionally, Su WenXing and Su WenGui would interrupt: "Liheng, you don't understand things like business. Don't listen to his nonsense. He's fooling you. In the Taihu Lake deal, WenJi didn't know where the problem was at all."

"Who says I don't know!"

"You just listened to your shopkeeper's nonsense. You believe whatever they say..."

"At least I can tell what makes sense!"

The two sides inevitably argued. On the carriage, Ning Yi and Li Pin found it interesting. After a while, they came over to Ning Yi again and said, "Otherwise, you can go back and ask Second Sister tonight and see what she says... Hmph."

Although Su Tan'er was a woman, and everyone was fighting openly and secretly for the family property at this time, no one would deny Su Tan'er's business acumen. As for Ning Yi, he might be a great talent, but he naturally knew nothing about business. Whether it was Su ZhongKan or Su YunFang, they had probably told the children what the reason was for letting Ning Yi marry into the family. Xi JunYi, on the other hand, was rejected because he was too talented in business. There was no doubt about this.

So, all the way, they showed off their business experiences, trying hard to show Ning Yi and Li Pin the excitement of the business world and demonstrate their own excellence. Everyone got out of the carriage and met a few invited friends at the door. Su WenXing was the first to enter Yan Cui Brothel. Before long, he ran into an acquaintance in front.

When the group entered the gate of Yan Cui Brothel, they already saw Su WenXing and Xue Jin of the Xue family exchanging sarcastic remarks. Next to Xue Jin was his older brother, Xue Yan, who was the younger generation of the Xue family and was said to be the future head of the family. There were also some friends and guests. Seeing that more than a dozen members of the Su family had suddenly entered, they also gathered around. The madam and pimps of Yan Cui Brothel, seeing that the situation was not good, quickly came over to say good things and smooth things over.

Quarrels over jealousy were common in brothels, but at this time, it was just a few words. Everyone had their own status, so they wouldn't really quarrel. Both sides found it interesting, but Xue Jin's face turned a little ugly when he saw Ning Yi. After "The Taoist Recited Two Poems", he basically didn't dare to write poetry anymore, always feeling ridiculed. At this time, both sides were a little noisy. Xue Yan smiled and greeted Su WenGui and others. The madam mediated. Xue Jin and Su WenXing made a few sarcastic remarks, still thinking about targeting Ning Yi. Li Pin next to Ning Yi greeted someone on the other side.

"Brother Qingdi, you're here too."

"Brother Dexin, nice to meet you."

The other person was also a scholar, named Liu Qingdi, who was as famous as Li Pin, Cao Guan, and others. After the greeting, Xue Jin also raised his head and introduced, "This is my brother's friend, Liu Yan, Liu Qingdi." There was a burst of "I've admired you for a long time." Xue Jin stared at Ning Yi. Ning Yi turned his head to look at the layout and furnishings of the brothel.

Just now, it was only Xue Jin and Su WenXing, and there were quarrels and anger. At this time, with more people, it looked a little harmonious. They greeted each other a few times, secretly satirizing each other with honeyed words and hidden daggers. Xue Yan smiled and said, "The specialty of Yan Cui Brothel is that sitting in the lobby is always more comfortable. We'll watch the performance in the lobby today. What do you think?"

Su WenGui smiled and said, "Brother Xue's discerning eye is known to everyone in Jiangning. Since Brother Xue is here tonight, we will naturally sit in the lobby too... Let's go to the second floor."

Generally speaking, the outer buildings of brothels have similar structures on the first and second floors, basically a theater-like structure around the stage in front. There are naturally private rooms here where you can keep company with courtesans and drink 花酒 (huājiǔ, flower wine), but the performances on stage are more popular, and in public, it is naturally impossible to make too excessive actions to the accompanying women. No one comes here to watch a play. If you really want to keep company with a courtesan and develop a deeper relationship, you have to change rooms. Ning Yi followed upstairs and turned his head to ask Li Pin, "What are these guys planning to fight over this time?"

Li Pin laughed and said, "The performances in the outer hall of Yan Cui Brothel also take a lot of effort. For example, popular women like Lü Xia sometimes don't accept prior appointments. They perform in the outer hall. If they take a fancy to someone, they will come down to offer a glass of wine before accompanying them to the inner hall. Ha, a glass of wine in public, this is quite prestigious. Merchants and scholars, everyone likes this kind of plot where they use their means to win the beauty."

Ning Yi nodded: "In that case, you probably have to spend money to be liked."

"That's natural." Li Pin smiled, "Of course, it's not just that simple. For example, you can be an old lover, or Liheng, you can simply write a good poem for her, and she will naturally come over to offer you this wine. In short, it's nothing more than this kind of routine. If you want to show off, you have to put in some effort."

"Oh, is Brother Li planning to write a poem to win the beauty later?"

"That's a little difficult. Liu Qingdi's poetic talent is not inferior to mine. Besides, look at Xue Yan's expression. They are obviously regulars here and are sure to win. Of course, your brothers probably know this too. The reason they are confident is that they see both of us here. If only I write a poem, even if I lose, Lü Xia will have to come up and say hello. But if Liheng you also write a poem, with the name of the first talent and the genius, plus your brothers' silver bullet offensive, the result of this matter will really be unknown."

"Oh, in short, it's very prestigious..."

"Haha, it's all for face..."

The two laughed as they headed to the private room on the second floor where they could watch the performance. In fact, Li Pin was quite interested in this kind of thing. Even if Ning Yi didn't write, he would probably write one to accept Liu Qingdi's challenge. Ning Yi looked back and saw that the scholar named Liu Qingdi in the lobby below seemed to be looking over here too, waving and smiling, looking very friendly. However, Ning Yi's gaze passed him because suddenly, the scene from a window of a room on the side of the stage attracted him.

The window of that room didn't seem eye-catching, because it was on the side of the stage and probably not used for banquets. Ning Yi noticed it because the madam who had just been trying to mediate was going in that direction, and then... Ning Yi saw a face revealed there, it was actually Nie Yunzhu.

This woman didn't know how long she had been watching in that room. At this time, when Ning Yi's gaze looked over, she immediately smiled and waved lightly in this direction. When Ning Yi also smiled and waved, another figure poked out from the side of the window. It was also a woman. She looked curiously at Nie Yunzhu's expression, then searched the hall for familiar figures. When she saw Ning Yi, her eyes blinked and her whole face wrinkled. It was Yuan Jin'er.

So these two guys ran over to sell preserved eggs...

While thinking in his heart, Yuan Jin'er didn't know what she said. Nie Yunzhu smiled and glared at her good-naturedly, speaking in defense. Then the two of them joked around. Yuan Jin'er pushed Nie Yunzhu away from the window. A second later, she poked her head back out and stuck her tongue out at Ning Yi, as if she had monopolized her Yunzhu Sister, and slammed the window shut.

Ning Yi smiled amusingly...

***************

Oh yeah, before eleven o'clock, I made it.

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