When Ye Qi came into this world, Guardian told him, "Your role is Miss Ye, the top courtesan of Tianxiang Tower in Jiangzhou. She is a singer who sells her art but not her body. She is skilled in instruments such as the guzheng, pipa, and flute. Her singing voice is beautiful and melodious. Countless rich young men spend lavishly on you. Please play your role well and wait for the case to unfold."
Ye Qi looked at her own women's dress and almost dropped the pipa she was holding.
Is Red Heart A out of his mind?! Although he's a student at the Music Conservatory and likes to sing, there were men who could sing in ancient times too. Why make him dress up as a woman and even play a courtesan in a brothel who only sells her art and not her body?!
If Ye Qi hadn't been facing elimination for failing the challenge, he would have simply given up on the mission...
For the past two days in Jiangzhou, he had been under the control of " Aunt Qing, " the owner of Tianxiang Tower, and had not been allowed to leave the tower. Aunt Qing told him that there was a performance tonight, and he needed to personally play a few pieces and sing a few songs to thank his patrons.
Ye Qi could only grit his teeth and stay in his room to practice his music.
Fortunately, he already had a musical background, and with the physical memory that the Guardian forcibly instilled when he entered the secret room, he practiced for two days and had mastered the traditional Chinese instruments such as the pipa, guzheng, and flute. He had also prepared the songs he was going to sing.
He hadn't seen a single teammate in the past two days, and he thought the case would happen in a brothel.
Tonight was supposed to be a performance, but instead, Captain Yu, Lao Mo, and CEO Shao were sitting in the audience. Next to Captain Yu was a woman dressed in drag, but the lighting was too dim to see her face clearly. Ye Qi looked down at the audience and met Shao Qingge's eyes. CEO Shao, quite rudely, spat out a mouthful of tea. Ye Qi was so embarrassed that his face turned red, and he wanted to smash his pipa on the spot and quit!
Just then, Aunt Qing leaned close to his ear and said, "Xiao Ye, you can start now."
Ye Qi had no choice but to bite the bullet and start playing the pipa.
The clear and melodious sound of the pipa filled the air, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, and the entire Tianxiang Tower fell silent instantly. It must be said, Ye Qi was quite skilled; the music he played was melodious and lingering, quickly drawing the guests into the atmosphere.
The initial melody was gentle and beautiful, captivating everyone. Suddenly, the style of the music changed abruptly, like a thousand troops marching across the land, with smoke and fire everywhere. The stirring melody made everyone's spirits tense. Ye Qi remained calm, his slender fingers plucking the strings rapidly, almost breaking them.
The second half of the piece was tense throughout. Until the very end, the resounding sound suddenly stopped, and the melody was breathtaking, as if it had taken the audience through a thrilling battle.
Tianxiang Tower was silent for a moment, then erupted in deafening applause: "Bravo!" "As expected of the top performer, her pipa playing was absolutely superb!" "I heard Miss Ye sings very well too..."
Aunt Qing arranged for people to carry plates among the guests, and many wealthy young men took out large sums of silver and threw them in. The plates were almost overflowing, which shows that Ye Qi's performance will definitely make the owner of Tianxiang Tower a fortune.
The performance included a pipa, a guzheng, and several other songs sung and played on the piano, drawing continuous applause from Tianxiang Tower.
After the performance, Ye Qi stood up and bowed to the audience.
Just then, a clear voice suddenly came from the crowd: "Well played! No wonder you are the top performer of Tianxiang Tower. Seeing is believing." A rich young master walked out. He was wearing a dark red robe and had a ribbon of the same color tied in his hair. He was quite handsome, but unfortunately, he was full of the smell of alcohol. Ye Qi could smell the alcohol on him from a long distance.
People nearby whispered among themselves: "Isn't that Young Master Lin?" "That Lin Shaobo who's engaged to the eldest daughter of the royal family?" "Yes, yes, I heard he frequents brothels and has ambiguous relationships with famous courtesans. I didn't expect him to change his tastes today, actually coming to Tianxiang Tower to listen to music..." "He's really bold. He's getting married next month, and he's still drinking and carousing every day..."
Hearing the surrounding discussions, Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and said, "He's the fiancé of that young lady from the royal family."
Xiao Lou stared thoughtfully in Young Master Lin's direction: "It seems he really is as rumored, a womanizer."
Old Mo lowered his voice: "The people all say that Young Master Lin's engagement to the eldest daughter of the royal family was arranged by his parents. He doesn't like the old-fashioned young lady at all, and his constant wandering among women is an expression of his dissatisfaction with the marriage. Some people even gossip that he keeps several lovers outside."
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "No matter how much he dislikes it, his fiancée is the prince's daughter after all. If he doesn't give the young lady any face, does he not even give the prince any face? This kind of debauchery is not reasonable."
Old Mo said, "Although he is the eldest son in the Lin family, he is also born out of wedlock. His mother was a concubine and passed away long ago. His marriage was arranged by his father. Before the engagement, he had never met the eldest daughter of the Wang family. He was probably unhappy and used this method to vent his frustration."
Shao Qingge said with great interest, "I've heard some gossip about the Lin family in Qingcheng. Our Shao family has business dealings with the Lin family. The Lin family is the wealthiest salt merchant in the Great Qi State Dynasty. This eldest young master, Lin Shaobo, doesn't have any real power. It's said he's just a figurehead. The second and third young masters are better than him. The second young master works in the Ministry of Personnel in the capital, and the third young master is the heir to the Lin family's business."
Xiao Lou said, "So, he and the eldest daughter of the Prince's mansion are actually a good match in terms of social status? They are both the eldest sons, but neither of them were born to the principal wife, and they don't have much status in their families."
Mo Xuemin said, "The problem is that this Young Master Lin has not curbed his extravagant lifestyle after getting engaged, and the Prince's Mansion doesn't seem to care much about him."
Xiao Lou also had some doubts. Logically speaking, where was the prince's daughter?
She's probably a concubine's daughter, but she's still a noble royal relative. A bunch of wealthy merchants and ministers would be vying to marry her. The prince shouldn't be short of money, so why would he be interested in such a son-in-law? He's indulging in debauchery and ruining his reputation. Doesn't he, as the future father-in-law, care at all?
Either the prince doesn't care about his eldest daughter, or the Lin family has reached some kind of agreement with the prince's mansion.
Xiao Lou was frowning in thought when he suddenly heard a commotion in the crowd.
It turned out that Lin Shaobo directly took out a silver ingot from his money bag and stuffed it into Ye Qi's hand with a smile: " Miss Ye is a beauty of unparalleled grace and talent. It's a real pity that she stays in Tianxiang Tower. How about I redeem you tonight? You can come with me and become my concubine. I will never mistreat you. What do you say?"
Ye Qi: "..."
Damn it! I'll smash you to death with my pipa, you believe me?
Ye Qi suppressed the urge to swear, quickly took a step back, and said, "Young master is joking. This humble woman sells her art, not her body."
Lin Shaobo took out two silver ingots from his purse and handed them to the shopkeeper, saying with a smile, " Aunt Qing, I rarely come to your Tianxiang Tower. I didn't know your daughter was so special. I'd like to help Miss Ye redeem herself. I wonder if Aunt Qing would grant me this favor?"
The shopkeeper took the money and said, "Our rule at Tianxiang Tower is that we sell our art, not our bodies. However, you could become a VIP of Miss Ye and have her play a few pieces for you privately."
"Alright, then please." Lin Shaobo was about to step forward and take Ye Qi's hand when suddenly a fan blocked his way. Lin Shaobo looked up in confusion and met a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes.
The man was tall and had exceptionally handsome features. He had a faint smile on his face, but when he looked at him, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and a chilling sharpness flashed in his gaze.
Lin Shaobo was taken aback: "And who is this young master?"
Shao Qingge laughed and said, " Miss Ye is my friend. I'll save the chance to be alone with her tonight."
After saying that, he took out a gold ingot directly from his money bag.
One ingot of gold is equivalent to ten ingots of silver; it's obvious who is richer.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he immediately smiled at Shao Qingge, "What is your name, young master?"
Shao Qingge said in a low voice, "My surname is Shao. I have something I want to say to Miss Ye. Could you please make arrangements, Aunt Qing?"
Aunt Qing led Shao Qingge and Ye Qi upstairs, where a murmur of gossip arose. They never expected that coming to Tianxiang Tower tonight to watch the drama would lead to a soap opera-like scene of two rich young masters vying for the top courtesan—and Young Master Lin even lost the contest! What a show!
Lin Shaobo, surrounded by onlookers, looked rather unpleasant, so he pretended to be drunk and ran away.
Ye Qi followed Shao Qingge to a private room on the second floor with a complicated expression. The owner left with the words, "Take good care of Young Master Shao."
Ye Qi closed the door, let out a long sigh of relief, plopped down on the stool, tossed the pipa aside, picked up a cup of tea and started drinking—his throat was a little dry and he needed to moisten it before speaking.
Shao Qingge chuckled and joked, " Miss Ye, won't you pour me a cup of tea?"
Ye Qi almost spat out his tea: "You're still in the mood for jokes? I'm supposed to be playing the role of a songstress, and I've been stuck in this godforsaken place, Tianxiang Tower, for two days now. I can't get out at all, and I'm going crazy with worry!"
Just then, Aunt Qing suddenly passed by the door. Ye Qi stood up as if electrocuted, picked up the teapot, and poured tea for Shao Qing with a smile. His voice was so gentle that it could melt your bones: "Young Master Shao, please have some tea. If I have not taken good care of you, please forgive me."
Shao Qingge was both amused and exasperated—this little guy is quite the drama queen!
After the boss left, Ye Qi's smile faded, and he sat down helplessly, lowering his voice to ask, "I just saw Captain Yu and Lao Mo in the audience. What's going on?"
Shao Qingge said, "And Professor Xiao, didn't you see him?"
Ye Qi was taken aback for a moment, then subconsciously said, "No, there are only the three of you guys."
Shao Qingge suppressed a laugh and said, "The beautiful woman sitting next to Lord Yu is Professor Xiao in disguise. Like you, he is also dressed as a woman in this world's setting."
Ye Qi finally couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of tea, almost spraying Shao Qingge's face.
Fortunately, Shao Qingge was quick-witted and dodged quickly.
Ye Qi coughed a few times and said in disbelief, " Professor Xiao is going to dress up as a woman too?" He simply couldn't imagine it.
Shao Qingge said, "Moreover, she's dressed as Yu Hanjiang's wife."
Ye Qi: "......"
This is even more unimaginable, okay?
Shao Qingge smiled at him and asked, "Do you feel any better now?"
After thinking about it carefully, Ye Qi said indignantly, "Isn't I the one who's worse off? He pretends to be Captain Yu's wife, at least Captain Yu will protect him, but I was directly thrown into a brothel! I'm completely stunned, I really want to quit!"
Seeing his furious expression, as if he wanted to chop the Guardian a hundred times over, Shao Qingge couldn't help but chuckle.
Ye Qi's expression is so vivid. She is obviously dressed as a lady, wearing a goose-yellow gauze skirt, with a pretty and cute face, but when she is angry and about to hit someone, she looks like a vicious cat showing its teeth and claws.
Shao Qingge suppressed a laugh and comforted him in a low voice: "Alright, it's just role-playing. Just bear with it for a few days. Captain Yu's point is that since we've assigned you to Tianxiang Tower, the case might be related to Tianxiang Tower. So, you can focus on investigating the clues. We'll all protect you secretly."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qi calmed down and said, "Yes, I understand."
Shao Qingge said, "I am the eldest son of a wealthy family in Qingcheng. Coming to a brothel to drink and meet you won't arouse suspicion, which is why they sent me here alone to see you."
I'll give the boss enough money to book you for myself. I'll come see you every night from now on, so you won't have to deal with other customers.
Ye Qi's face suddenly turned red: "This...sounds a little strange?"
Shao Qingge said seriously, "It's not surprising, that's how it's set up. The rule at Tianxiang Tower is that the top courtesan gets to chat with whoever pays the most. If I don't book you, you can't exactly play the piano and sing for those strange men, can you?"
Ye Qi felt a chill run down his spine and immediately said, "Alright, then I'd rather chat with you!" He took a sip of tea to calm himself down before asking curiously, "What are the identities of the others?"
Shao Qingge said, " Yu Hanjiang is the new Prefect of Jiangzhou, Xiao Lou is his wife, Lao Mo is his advisor, and Long Sen is the Prince's guard. We haven't found Teacher Qu and Liu Qiao yet. Captain Yu asked me to ask you, is Teacher Qu, who is good at dancing, also at Tianxiang Tower?"
Ye Qi immediately shook his head: "She's not here. When I first found out I had become a songstress, I wondered if Teacher Qu might be a dancer. I went to the dance studio several times to look for her, but I didn't see her. Moreover, I asked the boss, and there's no girl with the surname Qu in the entire Tianxiang Tower."
Shao Qingge frowned and said, "It seems we have to continue looking for her. Yu Hanjiang is the prefect, so it's not appropriate for him to meet with you directly. I will be responsible for relaying messages from now on. We speculate that the case will likely occur at the Prince's residence."
Ye Qi paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "The Prince's Mansion? On the fifteenth, it was the Prince's birthday, and we rehearsed a program to perform at the Prince's Mansion."
Shao Qingge smiled and said, "That's right. We're all going to the Prince's Mansion for different reasons. The fifteenth of the month should be a crucial date. You should prepare in advance."
Ye Qi nodded seriously: "Understood."
Shao Qingge continued, "Also, please be careful while you're here alone. Can I use a teleportation card?"
Ye Qi said, "Okay, all the instrument control cards are banned, and the eavesdropping cards can't be used either. I only have the teleportation card in my card holder right now. I can pretend to have the Lightness Skill, so I can still escape if something happens."
Shao Qingge was relieved. He thought for a moment and said, "In that case, the [ Rich and Willful ] card I drew can be copied. All attack and control cards are banned in this world. It will be very convenient for you to use your Teleportation card as a Lightness Skill. I will make a copy and give it to Captain Yu for him to arrange."
Ye Qi said with a pained expression, "Copying one card costs 5 million gold coins..."
Shao Qingge rubbed his temples helplessly: "There's nothing I can do, the cards I drew are just that wasteful."
Ye Qi said dejectedly, "Did you slip the boss a gold ingot just now so you could meet me?"
Shao Qingge smiled and said, "Don't worry, I brought several chests of gold with me to Jiangzhou this time, enough to live on."
Ye Qi: "..."
Wherever the sugar daddy goes, he's the sugar daddy.