Brother Rong of Red Mansion

Chapter 34 Gu Paner

Because the banquet was held at the Taiping Tower, Jia Lian, Jia Rong, and Jia Qiang did not go out to the gate to greet the distinguished guests. They only waited outside the Yage.

When he saw someone coming up the stairs, he would say hello from afar and politely invite him into the hall.

Of course, the people who can enter the main hall are all the elders of each mansion. Or the head of each government. Most of them had official positions, and when they got out of the yamen, they heard the news that Jia Rong was going to treat guests and reserved a place, so they came in cars and sedans one after another.

Entering the main hall, Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen stood up to greet them with another polite greeting.

The younger brother went into the main hall to say hello as usual, and then left consciously. Walking into the pavilion next door, they called each other friends in twos and threes and began to have fun.

"Dang--dang!" "Dang--dang!" "Dang--dang!"

The curfew starts on the first watch of the week (1st quarter of the lunar month, 7 p.m.). As the sky darkened, people went home one after another and did not dare to wander in the streets. The card soldiers of the Wucheng Army and Horse Division and the watchmen in groups of two, carrying lanterns and gongs, began to patrol the streets and start the watch.

In the distance, I could only hear the crisp sound of "dangdang" three times in a row, one fast and one slow.

Then it was paired with the watchman shouting at the top of his voice: "The sky is dry and things are dry, be careful of the candle!"

In this situation, Jia Rong couldn't help but recite a poem. The atmosphere of the picture was simply amazing.

******
  After the watch, there were no more people walking on the street.

Only the glazed palace lanterns hung above the brackets of Taiping Tower, illuminating the bright lights upstairs and downstairs, and filled with laughter and laughter.

Jia Lian, Jia Rong, and Jia Qiang looked downstairs and found no one there anymore, so they turned and entered the main hall and called back to Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen.

"Master, it's late."

In the inner hall, Jia Lian took the lead, while Jia Rong and Jia Qiang stood on the left and right, bowing respectfully.

Jia She and Jia Zheng looked at Jia Zhen.

Jia Zhen said "hmm", looked at the old madam who was having fun in the hall, and said with a smile: "Mother Lin, get ready for the banquet."

"it is good."

Lin Siniang nodded with a smile and glanced at a maid in blue, who turned and retreated.

After a while, turtle slaves wearing swastika headscarves and wearing green came to the door carrying boxes with crosses and hearts. They brought out hot delicacies one after another and passed them to the maids in blue at the door. The maid in blue walked briskly into the hall again and arranged the items on the table in an orderly manner.

"Sir, would you like some flower cards?"

At this moment, Lin Siniang came forward with a tray in which the sisters' flower cards were neatly placed. Some are sapphire with gold characters, and some are sapphire with silver characters. It represents the different rankings of the ladies, and the expenses for escorting are also different.

Naturally, appearance, conduct, and talent also have their own differences.

At this time, Jia Rong had already taken his seat, sitting on the east side, behind Jia Lian and above Jia Qiang. The guests are allowed to choose the flower cards first, and when it is his turn, there are only two cards left.

They are all "second place" with silver letters.

One is called "Wu Lian'er" and the other is called "Gu Pan'er".

Yes.

In the brothel, the sisters also have a flower list. Gatherings were organized by dignitaries to describe or evaluate female actors' bodies, looks, and talents in poetry.

The rise of Huabang began in the Song Dynasty.

Volume 1 of Volume 1 "Fireworks Praise" and Volume 2 "Collection of Fireworks Poems" of "The Drunkard's Talk" written by Luo Ye (a novelist in the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty) are probably the earliest records about the taste of female actresses.

From the court system of the Jin and Yuan Dynasties to the brothel culture of the Ming and Zhou dynasties, scholar-bureaucrats played with the world and solved the problem of "infinity and finiteness". The evaluation activities of female actress groups became more and more specific and linked to the imperial examination system, forming a unique "Beauty Flower List".

"Gu Pan'er?"

Jia Rong couldn't help but be stunned when she saw the flower cards in the tray.

Because this name reminded him of a costume drama he watched before time travel. The heroine in that play is also named "Pan'er", and she was also a Jiaofang Siguan. She is also played by an actress he likes very much.

"Hey, this name makes me inexplicably excited."

Jia Rong breathed quickly, and subconsciously touched Gu Pan'er with her outstretched palm.

After Jia Rong finished choosing, the last flower card, "Wu Lian'er", fell to Jia Qiang.

At this point, the "flower card" link is over.

After a while, the door of the pavilion opened, and a group of courtesans dressed in costumes walked briskly with a gust of fragrant wind. They walked into the pavilion with charming smiles and glanced at the table. When he saw his name, he lifted up his skirt, twisted his waist and sat next to his benefactor.

Jia Rong naturally has a "mistress" beside her.

She was dressed up, with a nest of silk Lin'an tuan on her head, and her hair was combed in black and shiny black clouds, exposing her temples. They are all decorated with flying gold, with emerald plum blossoms, golden silk hairpins all around, half-undressed phoenix hairpins on the temples, and purple Ying stone pendants in their ears. Wearing a white lotus root silk double-breasted fairy dress, a purple-pinned skirt with green patterns, a pair of red mandarin duck and phoenix mouths at the feet, an exquisite jade on the chest, and three emerald-faced flowers on the front, which makes the hibiscus pink face more prominent. The fragrant breeze around is misty, which contrasts with the slender waist of the willows.

Exactly: If it weren't for Daozi Guanyin's painting, it would definitely be a painting of a beautiful woman that prolongs life.

Jia Rong's eyes lit up.

Although Gu Pan'er's appearance and appearance were not as elegant as he remembered. But she was "born with a graceful face, and her skin was as jade as snow, which made her both look good and smile." She was "slender and white as jade, graceful and graceful, and looked like a crystal screen."

Great kindness! I just like tall girls with long legs and fair skin.

Therefore, as soon as Gu Pan'er sat down with a sweet smile, Jia Rong smiled brightly and put her in his arms.

Then he reached out and grabbed a pair of white jade hands. After kneading them for a while, he quietly slid them along her waist and slid them under her skirt, and began to explore.

But on the surface, Jia Rong was serious, with a hint of frivolity in her eyebrows, and said, "Miss Gu, how old are you today?"

Gu Pan'er covered her mouth and smiled, twisting her waist, as if looking for a position on the futon, so that Jia Rong could use her skills to find water sources in the valley.

"Where's my father?"

Gu Pan'er smiled sweetly and asked a question.

"No more, no less, I am twenty-eight years old this year." Jia Rong winked and said teasingly.

Sure enough, Gu Pan'er cooperated and covered her mouth with a fan, gave her a charming look, and said with a smile: "My family is exactly one year younger than me."

"Sister, this year is fifteen?" Jia Rong held Gu Pan'er's delicate white hand and shook her head. "I don't believe it. Sister is just trying to coax me."

"Giggle." Gu Pan'er smiled, "How old do you think I am this year?"

"I think my sister, eighteen, is in her prime and is mature in all aspects." Jia Rong came close to Gu Pan'er's ear, blew a teasing breath, and thrust her big hand under her skirt. As expected, Gu Pan'er hummed, a blush rising on her cheeks.

Then his body temperature rose, and he leaned softly in Jia Rong's arms, seeming to have been subdued and became docile. Like a white jade cat.

At this moment, the gentlemen and courtesans in the hall got to know each other briefly, and Jia Zhen stroked her beard and smiled, and ordered the "parrots" to serve tea.

"Master, order some flower tea."

Gu Pan'er, who was nestled in Jia Rong's arms, seemed to be subdued by Jia Rong's methods. In fact, her long eyelashes were blinking, and her eyes were slightly squinted, showing a hint of sobriety.

When he saw the maids in green arranging tea, he quickly twisted his body and whispered to Jia Rong.

Hearing the sound, Jia Rong took her hands out from under her skirt and calmly approached Gu Pan'er. Gu Pan'er had no choice but to lower her head and "wipe" him clean.

Jia Rong smiled with satisfaction and suddenly turned to look up, with a hint of expectation in her eyes, preparing for a social banquet.

There are a lot of people here today, basically "radical" officials, or princes from various governments.

Although it is said that it is not appropriate to talk about serious business in a brothel, there are advantages to becoming familiar with them. Familiarize yourself with the personalities of the gentlemen in each house in advance, so that you can easily deal with them after you inherit the title. With this purpose in mind, Jia Rong took a deep breath and prepared to show his face in front of these "gentles".

At this moment, Jia Zhen, as the "host", suddenly raised a cup of scented tea and greeted the guests from a distance.

"Today, Quanzi was lucky enough to win the top prize in archery at the garden party held by Prince Mu. Therefore, we will hold a banquet at the Taiping Tower and invite Prince Mu and all the gentlemen to have a good time and express their gratitude. Everyone, please have a cup of this scented tea."

"Drink Sheng!"

All the guests, including Jia Rong, raised their glasses and drank together.

Ordering flower tea originated from the restaurant culture of the Song Dynasty. At that time, there were people offering tea from bottles, and even though a cup of tea cost thousands, they called it "flower tea." As soon as you get up the stairs, drink a glass of wine first, then drink it several times, which is called "branching wine". Then call for the sale and arrange a banquet at will.

In fact, it is a pseudonym for "whoring". It's just a false pretense.

However, the scholar-bureaucrats like this taste and elegance.

Is it too vulgar to still be a scholar-official?
  The more and more complicated the rules, the better. Only in this way can the scholar-bureaucrats be distinguished.

Ever since, this title has been retained in the restaurant and has become a link before the banquet. The Jiangnan area is also called "Dachawei". The price is not much. A cup of scented tea costs ten taels of silver! It is only equivalent to the total income of an ordinary family in the Zhou Dynasty for half a year.

After the flower tea was ordered, the banquet officially began.

"Dance!"

Jia Zhen took a sip of scented tea and gave an order excitedly. At the right time, the door of the pavilion was pushed open, and a group of dancers wearing plain gauze walked into the hall on the carpet with bare feet and started to play a dance.

The atmosphere in the pavilion gradually became lively.

(End of this chapter)