Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian was quite pleased that Shen Pan'er, a woman of exceptional beauty and talent, was so devoted to following him, so he told her about his plans.

In fact, back when Jia Lian was at the Prince of Beijing's mansion, he saw Shui Rong's group of concubines and had already entertained the thought that when he had free time in the future, he would also form a group of singing and dancing girls. This way, he could not only enjoy the beauties and the songs and dances whenever he was bored, but also enrich the cultural and entertainment activities in the mansion.

By sheer coincidence, these salt merchants, in an attempt to curry favor with him, suddenly sent him so many top-tier geishas, ​​which immediately piqued his interest.

Fortunately, he was now a marquis, and had the qualifications and ability to support a large number of beautiful concubines. If he missed this opportunity, it would not be easy for him to find so many talented and beautiful geishas in the future.

Although there were many beauties in the household, they were all from respectable families. It would be difficult to get them to lower their standards and learn these ways of pleasing men, not to mention that the quality and skill level would be hard to achieve. After all, according to Zhou Boru and others, these beauties were all trained at great expense by the major brothels and music halls in Jiangnan, and were courtesans provided for the amusement of the vast number of wealthy gentlemen in Jiangnan.

Each of them was quite expensive. Take the top dancer in Yangzhou, for example; just hiring her for one performance would cost over a hundred taels of silver...

This amount is enough for all the masters and young ladies of the Rongguo Mansion to hold banquets and literary gatherings and have fun for two or three days!

It can be said that with her youthful vigor and hard work, Shen Pan'er could easily support the entire Duke's mansion...

It is an absurd claim that a single outstanding courtesan could support an entire duke's mansion. This explains why famous brothels in Jiangnan strive to cultivate top courtesans and why they are known as dens of iniquity.

Therefore, these famous courtesans were a form of wealth in themselves. Although Jia Lian didn't know how these salt merchants managed to bring so many courtesans to him, he liked some of them and, on a whim, accepted them.

Unfortunately, it's not convenient for him to openly form a troupe of dancers right now. Firstly, he's still in mourning, and secondly, he doesn't want Feng Jie, Daiyu, and others to suspect his motives for doing these things.

Therefore, Jia Lian thought that in order to add entertainment to the family’s celebration of Yuan Chun’s visit home, he specially purchased twelve girls from Suzhou and other places to learn opera.

Why not temporarily arrange for Shen Pan'er and the others to work at Pear Fragrance Courtyard as music teachers for the girls?

With the level of Shen Pan'er and others, they are definitely better teachers than those old instructors.

Once everyone in the household accepts their presence, he can then naturally establish an entertainment troupe for the household.

This was a strategy Jia Lian devised that would both easily achieve his goals and minimize trouble. Everything can be accomplished strategically, without necessarily relying on brute force and coercion.

Shen Pan'er's demands were not high to begin with; she only wanted to be able to follow Jia Lian. Upon hearing Jia Lian's arrangement, she was overjoyed: "So, after I arrive at the Duke's mansion, I can... continue practicing dancing?"

Shen Pan'er knew that wealthy families had many rules, and people of her background were already not well-regarded. If she dared to be labeled a seductress, she might be beaten to death.

Therefore, she thought that after following Jia Lian, she could only behave as a concubine in the mansion and could no longer pursue her former career.

Now that Jia Lian intends to have them teach the young actors, it naturally means that she can also resume her old profession. After all, actors and courtesans are essentially the same, and what they learn is largely the same.

"Of course, you really enjoy dancing, don't you?"

"Not really... it's just that I don't know how to do anything else besides this."

Shen Pan'er spoke with a shy blush. Firstly, she lied; she did indeed love dancing, otherwise she wouldn't have earned the title of Yangzhou's number one dancer. However, she disliked dancing for those vulgar old men, but sometimes she had no choice but to deal with such situations in the music academy.

Another reason that embarrassed her was that Jia Lian held her in his arms, and his hands, which were already restless, took his right hand off her body and gently stroked her face, laughing, "Nonsense, besides dancing, you can also play the flute, can't you?"

Shen Pan'er was, after all, a geisha, and didn't have many concerns. Moreover, she was currently trying to consolidate her position, so she wasn't overly shy. She simply raised her alluring eyes to look at Jia Lian, and when Jia Lian's fingers teased her red lips, she took a sip and smacked her lips a few times in a provocative manner.

Noticing the change in Jia Lian's expression and the dangerous glint in his eyes, she shyly pulled away, but without fear. Instead, she pressed herself even closer to Jia Lian, then whispered in his ear with a smile, "My lord, you flatter me. I know my own limitations; my flute skills are far from good, at least not as good as Sister Qingyi's. Would you like to try Sister Qingyi's flute playing? Hehehe, Sister Qingyi's flute playing is universally praised as exceptional."

The beautiful woman whispered sweet nothings in his ear, which was already alluring, but the content of her words was so suggestive that even Jia Lian couldn't resist.

He raised his hand and slapped the beauty's buttocks, but not hard, and then the slap became gentle.

He did not answer the beauty's question. Gu Qingyi was beautiful, but he feared that she was too proud of being the top courtesan. If he summoned her, she might not be willing to serve him, which would easily spoil his good mood tonight.

Shen Pan'er seemed to have sensed some of Jia Lian's thoughts, but said nothing. She quietly slipped out of Jia Lian's embrace. Under Jia Lian's gaze, she knelt down in front of him, straightened the robes and trousers she had sat on in his lap, and then lay on Jia Lian's lap, laughing and saying, "Does my lord know that all the sisters who were invited here received promises from the salt merchants before they came?"

If we can please the master tonight, in addition to the expenses for inviting us to perform, Master Zhou will also reward each of us with a thousand taels of silver.

He also said that if any of us could gain the master's favor, even if we were to become unhealthy, they would compensate us with eight thousand taels of silver as a wedding gift. The master may not know that even those sisters who won the title of the most beautiful courtesan in previous years often did not receive eight thousand taels of silver when they got married.

Furthermore, if we are fortunate enough to be taken away by the lord, there is no need to worry about any trouble. Everything will be handled by the salt merchants.

Jia Lian initially thought Shen Pan'er had rested enough and was going to continue working, but who knew she would suddenly bring this up.

Thinking about what she said, one can't help but feel that these salt merchants really went to great lengths to please him.

It should be noted that Jia She was a first-rank general, and his funeral was specially requested by his grandmother to be grand, but in the entire month, it only cost a little over ten thousand taels of silver.

Eight thousand taels is enough to buy a large house with three or four courtyards.

Such wealth can now only buy a geisha's virginity? That makes sense. Without a sufficient price, even with the immense power of these salt merchants, the owners behind these geishas would not easily agree to release them.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian couldn't help but lean down and pinch Shen Pan'er's cheek, teasingly saying, "In that case, why don't we cooperate and swindle those salt merchants out of a fortune?"

"What does Your Excellency mean?"

"Here's the deal: when you leave tomorrow, just say that I've already taken your body. Then you'll receive compensation, and we'll split it fifty-fifty, how about that?"

"Giggle giggle..."

Shen Pan'er laughed sweetly, "I'm afraid that won't work. Pan'er was redeemed from the brothel before you even arrived in Yangzhou and placed in the temporary residence they prepared for you, waiting for your favor."

Therefore, among the twelve of us, only Pan'er will not receive this compensation.

Furthermore, in the eyes of those salt merchants, Pan'er is already considered an adult, so naturally, aside from her appearance fee, they won't give her any other compensation.

Seeing the disappointment on Jia Lian's face, Shen Pan'er found it amusing, but still said, "Does Your Excellency lack money? If Your Excellency does, Pan'er has saved quite a bit over the years. If Your Excellency doesn't mind, Pan'er's money is available for Your Excellency to use."

"Oh, you're willing to part with it?"

"What's there to be reluctant about? They're adults now, so naturally their money belongs to them too."

Hearing Shen Pan'er's matter-of-fact words, Jia Lian couldn't help but curl his lip.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian also had this ability, to the point of living off a famous courtesan.

Jia Lian had no doubt that this woman had saved a lot of money!

If it were before he went to Yangzhou, he might have felt that he didn't have enough money, but this time, he felt that he had too much money, to the point that he was a little worried.

Therefore, Jia Lian is now at the point where he cares least about money. But he is still comforted by Shen Pan'er's words; at least this woman doesn't worry that he's cheating her out of money and sex, and trusts him completely.

"Forget it, you should keep your money for yourself. Once you get to the capital, you can start your own businesses. That will be something to rely on."

Hearing Jia Lian say this, Shen Pan'er was happy and didn't say anything more. She guessed that Jia Lian was definitely not short of money. Just look at the attitude of those extremely wealthy salt merchants towards Jia Lian. If Jia Lian wanted money, how much would they dare not give him?

Therefore, she shook her head and continued to look up at Jia Lian, saying, "What I meant when I said those things to you just now was that all of us sisters here, as long as you take a liking to us, you can bring us here to serve you without any worries."

"Sir, you should know that people like us, born into prostitution, will eventually be sold. If we are fortunate enough to be chosen by you, even if we can only serve you once, it would be a great blessing for us."

Shen Pan'er spoke sincerely, having silently stroked the flying shuttle through her boots for a while. She quietly let go, supported Jia Lian as he stood up, and whispered in his ear, "Besides, doesn't Your Excellency want to know who among us is most worthy of the title 'Teacher of Jade Beauty' in Master Du's poem?"

Jia Lian was startled and looked at Shen Pan'er in disbelief, seemingly realizing how formidable this woman was.

Shen Pan'er simply smiled, glanced at the two ladies beside her who seemed much more at ease with her, who were already sitting and drinking tea, and then gracefully turned and went into the inner cabin.

The inner cabin was separated from the ship's hall by only a wooden lattice frame and a few screens, where the other courtesans gathered.

Most of them were not familiar with each other.

Previously, with Shen Pan'er acting as the coordinator, things were a bit better, and everyone could rehearse a few programs according to their strengths.

Since Shen Pan'er wasn't around, he simply changed his clothes, practiced briefly according to his own strengths, and then found it uninteresting.

They wanted to find someone else to co-star with, but they were too embarrassed to ask, and besides, the others seemed distracted. So, slowly, everyone sat together, initially pretending to chat, but gradually some couldn't hold back and began to discuss and speculate about what Jia Lian and Shen Pan'er were doing in the hall, since they hadn't been called for so long…

It's obvious what a handsome man and a beautiful woman would do when they're alone together, having sent everyone else away.

But since I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I was curious and even itchy.

At first, they pretended to be reserved, but gradually some couldn't resist and, when no one was looking, crept forward to peek. Because the front hall and the rear cabin were connected, there were many places that could be seen.

Moreover, the other party didn't seem afraid of them peeping, as they didn't close the door, which emboldened them even more.

However, the voyeur quickly returned, her cheeks flushed, and no matter how curiously others questioned her, she did not answer, only saying that they could see for themselves.

As they grew increasingly noisy, even Gu Qingyi, who was quietly practicing her zither behind a screen, found her mind in turmoil.

A feeling related to jealousy, which she shouldn't have been experiencing, quietly appeared in her heart, damaging her mood and making her lose a few syllables.

Fortunately, at this moment, none of the sisters who understood music paid attention to her, otherwise her reputation as a "master of the zither" would probably be questioned.

Forcibly banishing distracting thoughts and refocusing my attention on my beloved guqin "Crescent Moon," I slowly rediscovered its serene and aloof charm.

Others, however, did not share her composure. Many of those who had gone to peek gathered in small groups, whispering amongst themselves.

They all stopped talking when they saw Shen Pan'er enter, and looked at her with strange eyes.

Shen Pan'er was taken aback at first, but after glancing back at the corridor she had come from, she suddenly realized that these people must have gone over there to peek.

A sense of unease washed over him, but he suppressed it with sheer willpower.

She had originally intended to come and find two people to dance with her in order to seduce Jia Lian, but she immediately changed her mind.

He glanced at everyone, hesitated for a moment on Gu Qingyi behind the screen, then turned to another pretty girl with an oval face: "Sister Shishi, the master wants to see you."

The courtesans, if they weren't familiar with each other, would address each other as "elder sister." In fact, this woman named Wei Shishi was even younger than her.

However, in terms of looks and cuteness, she is the most outstanding person here.

"Do, do what..."

Seeing the little beauty in front of her suddenly blush and look flustered, Shen Pan'er became even more certain that she must have spied on the scene of her serving Jia Lian!

So she said calmly, "What else can I do? Of course, I'll perform for the master. The master heard that you are quite good at playing the xiao (a type of vertical bamboo flute), and specially asked you to play a piece. Sister Shishi, are you unwilling?"

If he is unwilling, then I will truthfully report this to the lord and let him choose someone else.

"No, no, I'll go, I'm willing..."

Shen Pan'er smiled slightly, knowing that no matter how you looked at it, none of them would refuse Jia Lian.

So she led the woman back to the front hall. Just as Jia Lian's eyes lit up and he was about to speak, she interrupted him, describing how beautiful the woman's flute playing was. She then took the jade flute from Wei Shishi's hand, placed her in Jia Lian's arms, and said with a smile, "Sister Shishi, you must have peeked at how I 'play the flute,' so I probably don't need to teach you anymore..."

Sister, don't worry, I won't peek like you. I'll play this jade flute for you, so the ladies inside won't suspect you, and you can serve the adults in peace."

Shen Pan'er smiled, turned her back, held the jade flute in her hands, casually wiped it with her sleeve, and began to play softly.

Jia Lian knew perfectly well that Shen Pan'er was a scapegoat for his own mistakes.

He saw that the little beauty was in his arms with her head down and not speaking, but he could tell from her profile that her features were very delicate.

Unable to resist lifting up the other person's small face for a closer look, he secretly praised them in his heart.

If the graceful Shen Pan'er's dance is like a swallow flying in the Han Palace, then this oval-faced beauty can be said to have some of the charm of Yang Guifei in the Tang Palace.

She had fair skin, a round face, and was extremely beautiful.

He even remembered the beauty's name, because he had noticed her during her previous performances. Among these twelve stunningly beautiful geishas, ​​she was among the most beautiful.

Seeing the fear on her little face, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then asked with a smile, "If you don't want to, you don't have to force yourself. Go down and play the zither with your sister Pan'er, and you can play a duet on the zither and flute."

Jia Lian's smile has always been incredibly effective at charming women, and this geisha named Wei Shishi was no exception.

She almost immediately felt relieved. With a quick glance, she shook her head, stood up, and bowed slightly to Jia Lian, saying, "It is my honor to serve you, sir..."

After saying that, he followed the scene he had seen in his mind and prostrated himself in front of Jia Lian.

Taking advantage of the beauty's inattention, Shen Pan'er turned around and glanced back while holding the jade flute. She found that Jia Lian was indeed enjoying this romantic affair. She smiled to herself. Since that's the case, then none of those who want to laugh at her tonight will be able to escape.

The river flows on and on, and who knows how many romantic encounters this night will bring.