After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Jiang Sixue blinked her almond-shaped eyes, somewhat dazed.

But Young Lady Ning had already snatched a purple invitation card, wrinkling her nose as she asked, "Is this for me?"

"Hmm!" Ning Nan nodded. "For the great scholar."

Young Master Ning glanced at Jiang Sixue, and seeing the latter smile at her, he nodded and accepted.

"Thanks." There was a hint of smugness in his voice.

Shangguan Xiu glanced at the two young ladies with curiosity.

Although he didn't know where Brother Ning had met these two young ladies, and that they were even dressed as men, since they were friends of the other party, he was naturally willing to give them face. He casually asked the manager of Yanchun Pavilion to prepare a private room on the third floor. The manager immediately smiled like a eunuch who had received a reward and hurriedly left.

As the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) passed and night completely enveloped the city, this section of the Qinhuai River remained brightly lit.

The melodious singing, accompanied by the sound of the pipa falling like pearls on a plate, came from Yanchun Pavilion. The sound was rich and full, and then cheers and applause rang out in the building.

Jiang Sixue took the remaining dragon and phoenix purple altar invitation from Ning Nan and said with a smile, "Thank you, Young Master Ning!"

Ning Nan gave a helpless look, and Jiang Sixue smiled and tapped his shoulder with her folding fan.

A courtesan led the way, and the group of four entered Yanchun Pavilion.

A burst of red and yellow lights greeted Ning Nan, who squinted.

In all these years, he had never seen such intense light at night, as bright as day, which was somewhat dazzling.

The building we entered was the main building of Yanchun Pavilion. It was a circular, openwork structure with a large stage in the center. A graceful woman in a blue dress was on the stage, waving her blue water sleeves and reciting classical Chinese poetry. Her singing was melodious and graceful.

On the left side of the stage sat a dozen or so artisans, like a theatrical troupe, who complemented each other perfectly by playing strings, drums, and zithers, producing rich and melodious sounds.

The music, the singing, and the movements were seamless, creating a natural and beautiful effect.

The servant explained that the woman was the former head courtesan of Yanchun Pavilion, and now the leading female role performer of Nanjing Opera. She had been invited by her former employer tonight to give the opening act, and the main performance was yet to come.

The first floor was surrounded by circles of casual patrons, who often held a glass in one hand and a wine cup in the other, watching the female lead on stage and shouting "Bravo!"

Some of the older folks even had tears in their eyes, saying that it had been so many years since they had seen this woman in green perform her "Water Cloud Sleeves" dance at Yanchun Pavilion.

Ning Nan also found it interesting.

Opera performances emphasize singing, recitation, acting, and acrobatics. The Qingyi role shines with its singing and rhythmic recitation. When this Qingyi actress stood on the stage, her posture was worlds apart from the operas I had seen in the countryside before, not to mention her singing.

The waiter led them to the second floor, where about half of the guests leaned against the railing, admiring the woman in blue standing in the center below, while the other half sat with friends in private booths, drinking and cheering, often with a beautiful woman sitting beside them.

Shangguan Xiu, quite adept at the task, smiled and spoke during the briefing of the servant leading the way.

Tonight, there are twelve courtesans from various regions, six from the north and six from the south, who will take turns performing.

The Qinhuai River, or rather, Nanjing City, was adorned with four courtesans, led by Miss Jin'er.

Miss Jin'er came from Yanchun Pavilion, while the other three girls came from three other brothels on the Qinhuai River.

The other two courtesans of the Southern Dynasties, one from Yangzhou and the other from West Lake, were both top-notch choices.

Shangguan Xiu stood with his hands behind his back, exuding a sense of ease and comfort, as if he were at home.

He pointed to Ning Nan and said that these six girls were skilled in dancing, pipa, and qin. In short, they could not become the most beautiful courtesan just by their looks. They were all first-rate talents. However, they were all around seventeen years old and had not yet been formally married.

Like a curious child, Miss Xiao Ning asked Jiang Sixue what the meaning of "combing" was.

Why aren't you combing your hair yet?

Jiang Sixue turned her head away, somewhat speechless, the colorful lanterns casting a blush on her face.

Ning Nan and Shangguan Xiu pretended not to hear the curious child's words and changed the subject to other topics, discussing which talented men would be there tonight.

Ning Nan sighed inwardly. This was the downside of bringing women to a brothel. With respectable women around, it was impossible to have in-depth discussions with Shangguan Xiuxiu about many issues.

Upon entering the third floor, Ning Nan and his three companions arrived at the elegant seating area prepared by the manager of Yanchun Pavilion. This seat was located on the east side. Looking down, they could see the leading lady in blue holding her head high, performing a poignant aria reminiscent of pear blossoms falling in the rain.

Ning Nan looked around and saw that the east side was mostly filled with high-ranking officials and nobles, as well as some noblewomen dressed as men, just like Doctor Jiang and Miss Ning, who were eating snacks.

Interestingly, on the west side of the third floor, ever since she came up, Miss Xiao Ning has been looking west.

On that side, dozens of elegantly dressed scholars were drinking and chatting.

There were older scholars with a neat beard, and young scholars who patted their folding fans in their palms with a carefree and unrestrained air. Every now and then, there would be a clapping sound and greetings such as "Brother So-and-so, wonderful, wonderful!"

According to Shangguan Xiuxiu, the talented men there are not the main force tonight; the real main force from the North and South is currently at Yaming Shuizhu.

With female companions around, Shangguan Xiuxiu reluctantly refused the two young ladies sent by Yanchun Pavilion to accompany her for drinks, and instead had a servant boy in green stand by her side.

As the waiter poured tea for them, he introduced it, saying, "Greetings, distinguished guests. This tea is called Junshan Tea..."

Ning Nan's gaze followed the two departing young women for a moment. Jiang Sixue, holding a folding fan, waved it in front of him. "What's wrong, Young Master Ning? Do you want some young ladies to keep you company while you drink?"

Ning Nan chuckled awkwardly, "No need, no need..."

Jiang Sixue raised her chin slightly and teased, "Heh, aren't you afraid I'll tell Qingmian?"

"Uh..." Ning Nan was stunned for a moment. What does this have to do with Miss Zhu Qingmian?

Jiang Sixue smiled but didn't say anything.

After introducing the tea and snacks, the young servant in green robes, as usual, introduced the North and South Flower Queen Competition for the evening.

The competition is divided into three rounds. In the first round, twelve courtesans will take turns performing, and the audience will cheer. This round is for performance only, and there will be no elimination.

The courtesans can play their favorite lyrics, but generally, in order to win the favor of the talented men, they will play the masterpiece of one of the talented men on stage.

After the performance, the talented men from both the North and South would compose a new poem on their respective purple invitation cards and present it to the beauty they supported.

In the second round, the courtesan would choose a song from the purple invitations submitted to her to perform. In order not to offend anyone, all the purple invitations were kept anonymous, and the selection of the lyrics was also carried out in full view of everyone. At this time, the casual guests holding red and gold invitations could vote.

Considering that the wealthy merchants and officials from the north were ultimately few in number, the competition invited three judges from both the north and the south to ensure fairness. All of them were renowned figures in the literary world. In addition, Grand Secretary Liu Zhenxi was also present, and the seven judges made the final decision.

After this round, only two courtesans remained in each of the North and South.

The third round then involves the beautiful woman offering a toast and inviting the speaker to speak.

Each of the four courtesans chooses a talented scholar and invites him to compose a new poem. The courtesan then presents her poem on stage, and the winner, along with the chosen scholar, will become famous throughout the land.

"It's not just about choosing beauties, it's also about choosing talented men."

Shangguan Xiu raised his wine cup and smiled at Ning Nan,

"Brother Ning, we are also from the Purple List... Before coming here, I asked a talented scholar to write a poem for me, which I will submit to Miss Jin'er later to try my luck... Brother Ning, would you be interested in writing one yourself later?"

Ning Nan picked up a piece of pastry, stuffed it into his mouth, shook his head, and said with his mouth bulging, "Not interested..."

"I'm interested!" Young Lady Ning flashed a bright white smile.