Chu De had been a lecher since childhood. Before he could even walk properly, he was already fondling the chests of young girls. As he grew older, his behavior worsened. His gaze could practically peel the skin off any moderately attractive girl who passed by. He spent his days hanging around Shen Che, so Shen Yuan and Shen Qian were quite familiar with him.
Seeing Chu De staring intently at Ji Cheng, Shen Yuan quickly interrupted him, saying, “Cousin De, this is my cousin from the Ji family. She’s only recently arrived in the capital. You haven’t met her before, have you?”
Chu De smiled and responded to Ji Cheng, “Your sister looks so familiar. I must have seen her in a past life. Such a great beauty – if I’d seen her in a past life, I wouldn’t have forgotten her in this one.”
Shen Yuan was well aware of Chu De’s nature but also knew that he wouldn’t dare do anything beyond running his mouth. Otherwise, Shen Che would surely skin him alive. Among the young nobles of the capital, they all looked to Shen Che as their leader. They might flirt with others, but they wouldn’t dare touch anyone from the Shen family.
“Cousin, if you continue to be so impolite, I’ll have to report to your mother the next time I see her. I’ll also have to ask your wife to keep you in check,” Shen Yuan warned.
Chu De repeatedly begged for mercy, claiming he was “afraid of her,” but his shifty eyes kept darting towards Ji Cheng.
Ji Cheng was wearing a pale yellow robe that day. The yellow was so delicate it seemed to carry the glow of last night’s moon. The robe was clean and simple, without embroidery or patterns. Its only decoration was a black satin cord tied at the chest.
This was the first time Chu De had seen a woman’s clothing with such a color combination. The black cord, being glossy satin, made the pale yellow robe look dignified yet elegant.
Chu De, having seen countless women, knew well that women looked better clothed than unclothed, and those who knew how to dress well were rare. In his eyes, Miss Ji was definitely among the best.
Moreover, Miss Ji’s skin was so fair and delicate that it seemed a mere pinch would draw water, and the slightest press of a finger would leave a red mark. Imagining such a delightful person in bed made Chu De weak in the knees. Her neck and collarbone were also the most beautiful he had ever seen. Although Ji Cheng’s high-waisted robe concealed her figure, Chu De’s experience told him that the chest and legs hidden beneath must be exquisite. He almost wished he could transform into the golden lock on her necklace and stay close to her forever.
While Chu De’s thoughts ran wild, Chu Zhen’s heart was equally unsettled. He never expected to encounter Ji Cheng here by chance. Ever since he had glimpsed her at the polo field’s rest area, she had been on his mind. He had repeatedly tried to gather information from Shen Jing and Ji Yuan, but those two were tight-lipped, and he hadn’t learned anything useful. Young ladies were usually kept in seclusion, and rarely seen in public. At the time, Chu Zhen had wished for another polo match to be held immediately.
Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival. In previous years, Chu De would have been most impatient with such a feminine holiday and would never have come to the Matchmaker’s Temple area. But this year was different. He had come with the faint hope of encountering Ji Cheng, and to his surprise, he ran into her right here, next to the stone in the Previous Life Alley. It seemed their fate had been carved in stone in their previous life.
Young Chu’s heart was pounding with excitement. His attention was completely focused on Ji Cheng. Seeing her attire today, he found her even more beautiful than at the polo match. The more he looked, the more he loved her. They were both so beautiful; surely their future children would be even more handsome than Shen Che.
Once Chu Zhen’s heart was moved, it was like a flood breaking through a dam. He had already imagined having children with her. Since his thoughts were all on Ji Cheng, he naturally noticed Chu De’s offensive behavior towards her.
Both Chu Zhen and Chu De were members of the imperial clan and had some association. Naturally, he was aware of Fat Chu’s nature. Fearing that Chu De might harass Ji Cheng, he said coldly, “Are we going or not?”
Chu Zhen’s words were extremely impolite, but those who knew him were aware that the young prince had always been impatient and quick-tempered, often frowning and most annoyed by small talk with women.
Chu De was extremely reluctant to leave Ji Cheng, and looking at Su Yun, who was also strikingly beautiful, he felt that all the beauties in the world had gathered at the Shen family. How could he bear to move? However, he couldn’t resist Chu Zhen’s tyrannical temper. The young prince was the type to throw punches at the slightest disagreement, so he had no choice but to start walking unwillingly.
Seeing Chu Zhen leave after just one sentence, Shen Qian felt very disappointed. She wanted to say something but didn’t know what, so she could only watch their retreating figures.
“They’ve all gone, what are you still looking at? It’s all in the past life, can’t you let it go?” Shen Yuan waved her hand in front of Shen Qian’s eyes. This time she could see clearly that the little girl had developed feelings. She would have to mention it to the old madam when they got back, to see if Chu Zhen might be a good match for Shen Qian.
Shen Qian blushed and softly scolded Shen Yuan, “Sister Yuan is being improper, always teasing people.”
Regardless, everyone was relieved that the person they encountered in the Previous Life Alley was Chu Zhen. Being associated with someone like Chu Zhen in a past life wasn’t too bad. As for Chu De, he was naturally ignored by everyone.
Shen Cui smiled and asked Shen Qian, “Sister Qian, don’t you think this Three Lives Alley is quite magical?”
Shen Qian smiled and pinched Shen Cui’s face. The group then continued deeper into the alley, giggling. After the second turn, they would reach the “Present Life Alley,” which was the most breath-holding turn of the Three Lives Alley. Even Shen Yuan took a deep breath this time.
The Present Life Alley wasn’t an alley. It ran parallel to the main street in front of the Matchmaker’s Temple and was a wide road that could accommodate three carriages side by side. There were foot-wide water channels on both sides, and every ten meters there was a large vat carved from red stone with floral patterns to prevent fires. Behind the water channels were rows of shops. Due to the proximity to the Matchmaker’s Temple, the rent for these storefronts was much higher than in other areas. The alley had several century-old stores, so even when it wasn’t Mid-Autumn Festival, the business here was incomparable to other places.
When Ji Cheng and the other girls turned the corner, no men were coming towards them this time. The street was bustling, mostly with people buying things. Common folk were too busy with their livelihoods to have the leisure to treat this Three Lives Alley as three lives. In their hearts, this Present Life Alley was called Gold and Jade Street.
This street was originally called Gold and Jade Street, but the section near the Matchmaker’s Temple had been forcibly renamed Present Life Alley, and a stone had been erected.
The first thing that caught Ji Cheng and the others’ eyes were several men, both old and young, with their backs to them, buying things. Without even making eye contact, everyone collectively agreed that these men could be ignored – they were just passersby in this life.
Ji Cheng walked to the far right, her nose drawn to the fragrance of rose cakes from a nearby shop. Although she didn’t eat many sweets, she had a particular fondness for rose-flavored treats. Ji Cheng turned to look, and just as she did, a woman who had just bought some rose cakes was coming out onto the street. The two nearly collided, but fortunately, someone behind the woman pulled her back, saying “Be careful.”
“Second Brother.”
As Ji Cheng recognized the person in front of her, she heard Shen Qian’s surprised exclamation.
The person who had pulled the woman back and was still holding a package of rose cakes was none other than Shen Che.
Ji Cheng quickly sized up the woman. She wasn’t the young widow she had seen at the Dragon Boat Festival. This girl before her was even more beautiful than the previous one, stunningly so, but not in a dazzling way. Her beauty was more like that of serene mountains and clear waters.
Ji Cheng didn’t know that the girl before her was the famous courtesan Rui Yu from the Jiangnan Pavilion. Half of the Jiangnan Pavilion’s annual income came from Miss Rui Yu.
Courtesans like Rui Yu, who were famous far and wide, were not the common “pillow for a thousand men” that people imagined. They had a more respectable title – “da jia” (great courtesans). However, among all the courtesans in the north and south, there were only three to five true “da jia”. Rui Yu was currently considered half a “da jia”, but that was already quite impressive. In all of Great Qin, there were only twenty or thirty who could compare to her.
If you were to compare the famous talented ladies of the capital like Shen Yuan and Fourth Miss Wang with Rui Yu and her peers, the former’s talents would pale in comparison to the latter. As for those true “da jia”, they were figures that all women could only look up to.
At the Jiangnan Pavilion, Rui Yu was treated like an ancestor. Whether she saw anyone or not was entirely up to her. If Miss Rui was in a bad mood and didn’t show her face for ten days or half a month, it was a common occurrence. As for those who wanted to become her patron, even having a mountain of gold might not be enough.
Many wealthy gentlemen both loved and hated Rui Yu. They loved her coquettish manner but hated that she didn’t give face. Yet no one could do anything about it because too many people supported her. If anyone tried to force her, they would not only be drowned in spit but also gain a reputation as a brute, with the words “burning the zither to cook the crane” and “ruining the mood” forever attached to their name.
Scholars and famous figures frequented brothels for refined entertainment, not just for momentary bedroom pleasures. After all, if they just wanted to sleep with a woman, any woman would do. There were many courtesans with far superior bedroom skills than Rui Yu and her peers. What Rui Yu sold was charm and talent; her body was merely a reward for those who appreciated her.
Given Rui Yu’s extraordinary value, the clients she was willing to accompany were naturally exceptional.
No wonder the Second Young Master Shen was willing to carry rose cakes for Miss Rui Yu.
Shen Qian, of course, didn’t know Rui Yu’s identity. Although she looked quite proper, there were hardly any young ladies from the capital’s noble families that Shen Qian didn’t know. This woman before her was not of proper birth. She disliked these dirty women getting close to Shen Che the most, so she glared at Shen Che without saying a word.
Rui Yu glanced at the young ladies in front of her, then turned back to Shen Che with a gentle smile, “I’ll go look over there.” Despite having fallen into the world of courtesans for so many years, Rui Yu had grown up pampered due to her great talents. Over the years, her temper had been spoiled by those persistent men who couldn’t be driven away. Shen Qian and the others might look down on her, but she looked down on them even more. They were just born into good families; if they fell on hard times, who knows how low they might sink. A woman couldn’t rely on her face alone to make her way in the world.
Shen Che smiled apologetically at Rui Yu, “Alright, I’ll be over in a moment.”