Chapter 24
Pang Yu had originally thought that this so-called Courtesan Belle Competition was something only brothels cared about, and that these silkpants were only here to watch for fun. Only later did he realize that this Courtesan Belle Competition was not a simple competition.
Because the Courtesan Belle Competition would be officially held in the middle of the day, there was also an opening ceremony. The main point was that there would be someone coming to give a speech at the opening ceremony. Who is it?
Pang Yu was a little surprised that a big shot of the literary world would come. He didn't expect that the Courtesan Belle Competition would invite a big shot of the literary world to hold an opening ceremony.
However, it was still morning. This was the time when the courtesans and the profligate sons of the rich entered the river. The opening ceremony hadn't started yet, and the Courtesan Belle Competition hadn't started yet, but it had already begun.
Boats from various brothels would run back and forth along the river, and the top courtesans of various brothels would also play the zither and music on the deck of the ship. To put it bluntly, this was to increase popularity.
For example, if you wanted to hold an election and go to get votes in advance, that was roughly what it meant.
"Tsk, what a pity. Why are you looking so far away? Gao Baoshen, think of a way to send me onto these boats.”
Pang Yu said to Gao Baoshen as he felt that it was too far away and too boring.
"Lord Marquis, don't be anxious ~ This ship hasn't arrived yet. It won't arrive until later. At that time, the Courtesan Belle Competition would be held on the platform ship. When the time comes, this boat will stop in the middle of the Bian River, and we can all board it.”
Gao Baoshen said.
"A ship? What the hell?"
Pang Yu was confused. Gao Baoshen only said that he would know when the time came, so Pang Yu was not in a hurry and waited slowly.
At noon, there was a chef on the boat who specially cooked for them. Gao Baoshen and the others had used their wallets to get these ships. They were all luxurious ships.
The merchants were also smart people. They knew that those who could book the ship were either rich or noble. Not only were there chefs on the ship to cook for them, but they were also very sumptuous and had everything. Afternoon tea, pastries, and dried fruits were served after the meal.
Around two o'clock in the afternoon, a ship entered Pang Yu's sight. The bow and stern of the ship were two-story buildings, but in the middle of the ship was a platform that looked like a stage.
"This is the platform boat. Every year, the Courtesan Belle Competition uses this boat. This thing was even organized by the imperial court to hold the Courtesan Belle Competition."
Gao Baoshen chuckled.
"What the hell? The Imperial Court? The imperial court was doing this? F * ck, isn't this a little too open?"
Pang Yu had no choice but to admit that brothels were legal in ancient times. Damn it, wasn't this Courtesan Belle Competition just a group of brothel girls? The imperial court had not even done anything for them. Then, four more ships like this came.
The center of these four ships had almost no side, and the deck was as high as the side. The four ships were placed side by side. Then, someone connected the four ships together with iron chains and used wooden boards to connect the gaps between the ships.
This was not the end. After the four ships were connected, someone quickly used these four ships to build a real stage. After that, a group of maids cleaned the deck of the ship and laid out a red carpet. They picked up a praying mat and placed it on the carpet before Pang Yu and the others began to approach the ship.
"The Courtesan Belle Competition will last for two days. During this period, the competition would continue. To compete in zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, and dancing, all the courtesans would take turns.”
Gao Baoshen explained the Courtesan Belle Competition to Pang Yu. Pang Yu couldn't help but nod.
"It's quite formal. Those who don't know might think that the Imperial Court is holding a talent selection ceremony.”
Pang Yu curled his lips. Then, he saw a scene.
They, the hedonistic sons of rich families, actually had to pay to board the ship. One person asking for a hundred silver taels, this made Pang Yu's veins stand out.
"Motherf * cker, one person costs a hundred taels of silver? This is a f * cking robbery! I was wondering why these brothels are so keen on this Courtesan Belle Competition. Just the entrance fee alone is enough for them to make a lot of money.”
Pang Yu felt his balls ache. Of course, Gao Baoshen had already paid the money, but he was not willing to pay it. He had not done anything, and a hundred taels of silver was gone. Wasn't this a robbery?
There were quite a number of youths on the ship. Pang Yu estimated that there were at least seven to eight hundred people.
Even if it was a little less, 700 people, 100 taels of silver per person, that would be 70,000 taels of silver.
"Er ~ Lord Marquis, this money isn't for the brothel. This money is for the Imperial Court. Not only the boarding fee, but also the expenses of our food, drink, and toilet on this ship are all for the Imperial Court. The imperial court will also take half of the money we give to Courtesan Belle later ~"
Pang Yu's eyes widened. Imperial court? It seemed that the imperial court was supporting this Courtesan Belle Competition for money? Pang Yu finally experienced it.
After boarding the boat, Pang Yu finally understood why the Song Dynasty was said to be the most enjoyable dynasty in the past few thousand years. It was really fun.
The four ships had now become a whole. Each ship had a bow, a stern, two two-story buildings, and a building under the cabin. There were two floors on the deck, and each floor had two private rooms. The upper and lower floors had four private rooms. Each ship had a bow and stern, so there were a total of eight private rooms.
The four ships had thirty-two private rooms. These thirty-two private rooms were prepared for the rich playboys in the capital. These thirty-two private rooms sounded like a lot, but how many rich playboys were there in the capital?
The children of high officials, nobles, and members of the imperial clan added up to thirty-two private rooms.
Therefore, not everyone could enter these thirty-two private rooms. Only people with status could enter. Coincidentally, Pang Yu was the current Imperial Uncle, the son of the Grand Preceptor, so he had a private room.
Although Gao Baoshen was the son of a Grand Commandant, he was not qualified to do so. There was no need to mention Qian Kai. His family was rich, but money was useless. However, these were no longer a big deal. A few silkpants who were close to Pang Yu entered Pang Yu's private room.
As for the others, they were naturally outside. There were already many praying mats on the ground on both sides of the central stage. These were prepared for those who did not have enough status.
"Lord Marquis, wait here. I'm going out for a while."
Gao Baoshen went out. After a while, a group of women came in. Two of the women sat down beside Pang Yu. A few more women came in with trays of fruits and placed them beside them.
"Damn it, the things on this list are still as expensive as before.”
Gao Baoshen's heart ached a little as he spoke. Qian Kai, who was beside him, took out a bunch of silver notes and threw them to him."Isn't it just money? What I have is…"
Pang Yu was speechless.
Just as he was about to discuss the art of the human body with the two women beside him, an old man slowly walked onto the stage. Pang Yu took a glance. Good heavens, isn't this Ouyang Xiu!
This old fool is here too? Could it be that this old fellow wanted to perform poetry?
Of course, Ouyang Xiu was not here to perform poetry, but to host the opening ceremony. This old fellow was talking about things like 'the one who is in a trance' and 'the one who is'. Hearing this made Pang Yu dizzy, so he simply ignored him.
After the opening ceremony ended, it was time for the main event. A woman with a face veil and a graceful figure appeared in front of Pang Yu. She was wearing a white veil and appeared faintly discernible.
"Shaohua Pavilion presents the first song of this Courtesan Belle Competition to all the young masters. I hope that all the young masters can support us ~"
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