Brother Rong of Red Mansion

Chapter 33 Whoring
  When the lanterns came on, the lights in the attic were bright. The men who came early had already skillfully put their arms around the sisters, started to move their hands up and down, and began to tease them with gentle words.

The culture of brothels has been passed down to this day. It is no longer the "official slaves" and "domestic prostitutes" of the Warring States, Pre-Qin and Han Dynasties. It is a forced service experience of "slave atonement".

After Xuanzong's interest reforms in the Tang Dynasty, the unique restaurant culture of the Song Dynasty, and then the court system of the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, the brothel culture that has been followed since the Ming Dynasty was finally formed.

Scholar-officials in the Confucian tradition created a "spiritual world" unique to them in the culture of female prostitutes.

As recorded in Chapter 93 of the Book of Whoring: "Tea in the morning and wine in the evening are just for the lonely old man; a poor man who can help others when they are in trouble is a lover."

The "best state" of a prostitute in a brothel should be to win the heart of a beautiful woman, to embrace her, and even to make the beauty stay on his bed for him, so that he can help each other in times of trouble.

Or as Chapter 40 of the Book of Whoring says: "The interest lies in the desire to be together but not yet together, then they are together; the love is in the time when they want to marry or not, then they are divorced after marriage."

Pure love and happiness are not the ultimate goal of happiness. True joy lies in the emotional experience of sexual intercourse.

The men and women who can come to Taipinglou are all veterans and top picks in entertainment.

At this moment, I was just laughing and flirting with the sisters. Looking at it, I didn't feel that the atmosphere in the attic was full of lust. Instead, my heart was pounding and I couldn't help but be eager to try it out.

If we take later generations as an example, it is like a KTV, dance hall, or bar. There is a hint of ambiguity in the upright atmosphere, and there are beautiful girls singing and laughing, waiting for you to show off your skills and get to know them.

Of course, the decoration and furnishings of Taiping Tower provide a different visual experience from modern KTVs, dance halls, and bars.

******
  Taiping Tower is divided into three floors and is 36 meters high. It goes without saying that it has carved beams and painted buildings, blue bricks and green tiles, and cornices. Because it was built under the orders of Emperor Taizu, the founder of the Zhou Dynasty, it was all designed and built by officials from the Ministry of Industry at that time. Every brick and every tile is made of the best masonry and wood.

When the lanterns first come on, colorful glazed palace lanterns are hung outside, illuminating the entire building with brilliant lights.

Laughter came from the attic.

The singing voice is melodious, and the sound is like the cry of an oriole on the branches; the dance is graceful, and the shadow is like a phoenix whirling among the flowers.

Entering the Taiping Tower from the main entrance, you turn around an embroidered screen with pictures of eighteen beauties, and you see the brightly lit interior of the attic. Nearby is a theater stage with musicians playing the flute and ruan, and several dancers lined up in order to perform a dance. There are also dramas, operas, songs and dances, singing, singing, playing, breathing gongs and boards, etc. The so-called "those who take advantage of the opportunity" take turns performing on the stage to enliven the atmosphere in the attic.

Looking to both sides, there are hundreds of pavilions upstairs and downstairs.

The pavilions are neatly arranged one after another, surrounded by railings and verandahs. Colored palace lanterns are hung on the capitals of embroidered pillars and brackets, and auspicious patterns such as "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" are displayed on the glazed screen.

Looking closer, you can still see green plaques hanging on the doors and windows of the pavilion. There are small characters on it, such as "Liu Saihong", "Chen Su'e", "Mei Bifeng" and other flower names. They are the so-called "flower cards".

Going around the stage, there is a straight staircase, covered with a luxurious red and gold-threaded felt blanket with a pattern of flowers and fairies. It extends to the second floor, and there is a square platform connecting the left and right and extending to the third floor.

In the verandah outside the pavilion, under the bright colored lights, the prince and grandson in the royal robes were laughing and joking with their arms around the girls in their costumes.

There were turtles wearing swastikas and green bodies, walking around the verandah with their heads bowed.

This is the view of the entire Taiping Tower at night.

Jia Rong has been here several times in his memory, but when he comes again now, he still feels dizzy and his heart is up and down.

After calming down for a while, Jia Rong turned around and saw Jia She, Jia Zhen, Jia Lian, Jia Qiang and other gentlemen chatting and laughing around the charming old madam. She was immediately surprised and called her careless. !
  The 75th entry of the Book of Whoring records: "The most important thing is for a bustard to have pleasure, how can it be better to have pleasure with a man?"

There is a note that says: "Those who are good at whoring, buy the money and do whatever they want, this is called writer's whoring. Those who are not good at whoring only flirt with their cousin, let alone the madam's resentment, this is called young whoring."

Jia Rong secretly regretted it.

In his previous life, he was a serious popularizer of historical knowledge. He couldn't resist the requests of his fans and carefully studied "The Book of Prostitution". He boasted that he was handy and rich in theoretical knowledge. But when it came to actual combat, he was just like Brother Chu.

Alas, it really shouldn’t be!
  Jia Rong corrected his mistake when he realized it. He quickly smiled and walked forward slowly to join in the conversation with the Madam.

******
  As the saying goes: A wife is worse than a concubine, a concubine is worse than a steal, and a concubine is worse than a concubine who cannot steal. The brothel is a "paradise" created by the scholar-bureaucrats and literati.

Here they can experience the "taboos" under the traditional Confucian moral code. Therefore, one of the most important features of brothel culture is the unique "family space". Jijia mostly takes the family as its basic unit. The servants call her "Mother", and outsiders call her "Little Mother". The old bustard is called the "false mother" and the actress's family is called the "mother", just like an ordinary common people's family.

When a guest calls a guest, he or she calls her "brother-in-law," and when a guest calls the false mother, she calls her "grandma."

Today's titles such as "sister", "sister", "mother", "wife" and "little lady" are also reflections of this spiritual need.

Therefore, Chapter 113 of the "Prostitution Sutra" says: "Everything that is attached to the body is ultimately useless; only when it reaches the point of being speechless can it be a wonderful state."

There is a note: "The lonely old man shows his attitude. This is just an image, and there is no need to comment. When people engage in prostitution, it is just false thoughts at first. Over time, the love becomes closer, and when it gets very close, it is just like the daily routine of a couple, then it is nothing. Talk about wonderful things."

This is the superior realm of prostitutes: "Those who come to prostitutes will be treated as if they were a married couple."

******
  Jia Rong tried her best to get close to the heavily made-up old madam, calling her "good mother" one after another.

The clear eyes and the smile on the lips made the old madam smile. She shook the fan more and more vigorously in her hand and inadvertently raised her hand. The rich fragrance hit her face, faintly containing body fragrance, making Jia Rong's mouth dry.

However, Chapter 58 of the "Prostitution Sutra" says: "It is better to marry a ruthless woman than to marry a willing woman."

It's a bad thing to go whore in a brothel. Because someone who can be an old madam is used to showing off her coquettishness, smiling with a smile on her face but hiding a sword in her heart. I just want to get money from you. Once I squeeze you clean, I will kick you away without hesitation.

Most of the "true feelings" are false.

It is the first taboo of the pleasure trap.

Jia Rong is not a hungry ghost in lust, and he doesn't choose food when he is hungry. He was just here to be naughty. As Chapter 82 of the Book of Whoring says: "Buy your heart and waste your money. If you are interested, you will get out."

So he only complimented the old madam, but did not accept the "olive branch" she extended.

When the old madam saw this, she was not upset at all. She still had a smile on her face and was showing off enthusiastically.

Along the way, her waist and hips were swaying, and she was waving her fan in the fragrant breeze, with a respectful and flattering look on her face. Smiling sweetly all the way, Jia Rong and others were welcomed into the largest Accord room on the third floor.

The furnishings in the Accord are simple and luxurious, with elegance everywhere.

Pushing open the pavilion door and walking in, I smelled the scent of sandalwood, and a maid came out with her makeup done and her beauty in hand. With low eyebrows and pleasing eyes, beautiful body and fair skin, wearing green clothes, he invited Jia Rong and others in.

The hall is clean and elegant, decorated with potted flowers and plants, and covered by a fish pond and rockery.

Tables and tables are all set up separately, with straw mats and futons.

In the middle hall, there is a Xuan copper stove, burning ambergris cakes. There is a maid in green clothes, called "Xiangpo", who is taking care of the incense burner.

When he saw Jia Rong and others coming in, he immediately saluted with a blessing, lowered his eyebrows and said, "Thank you, gentlemen."

Jia Rong and others nodded with smiles and swept to both sides of the central hall. There are some antiques on the desks on both sides, and many poems are posted on the walls. It's like entering the study room of a great scholar. Everywhere is filled with the aroma of books.

Finally, we entered the inner hall. There was a painting and calligraphy by a famous person hanging in the hall, and there was a table at the bottom of the hall. There was a bronze vase with a few magnolia flowers inserted in it.

The entire interior is elegant and clean, making people relaxed and happy, and feeling very satisfied.

Finally, the three elders Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen took off their clothes and sat down, and then told the three juniors Jia Lian, Jia Rong, and Jia Qiang: "You go outside to greet me."

"Yes."

Jia Rong and the others had no choice but to turn around and slowly exit the Accord to greet the guests.

(End of this chapter)