Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 1200 - 509: Suzhou (Part 2)

Xiang Wei cheerfully said: "Today, not only the Four Great Courtesans are here, but two of the Four Great Talents have also arrived. It seems that your plan to cruise with the courtesans tonight has already spread, even the street vendors in Suzhou know about it." Seeing everyone’s unsurprised expressions, it was clear that the news had been leaked long ago.

Yueyao stood inside the cabin, saying nothing.

Xiang Wei, knowing she was annoyed, smiled and said: "We’ll investigate after this is over. Today’s competition cannot be missed. It’s a rare festivity."

Their lantern boat was close to the large boat, allowing them a clear view of the happenings on board. After everyone announced themselves, there was a long silence on the large boat, and a young man emerged from inside, saying to the crowd: "Gentlemen, you are mistaken, this is a boat we have chartered."

Xiang Wei looked at the young man: "We don’t know this person!" Since Niu Yanghui had already chartered this boat, he certainly wouldn’t transfer it to someone else today. Who was this young man? How did he end up here?

A man wearing a silver-white Hangzhou brocade robe, with a dark green belt around his waist and holding a folding fan, dressed lavishly, loudly asked: "This is clearly Lady Lian’s lantern boat; how could she not be here? Does Lady Lian disdain meeting us?"

Soon after, a young man aged twenty-seven or twenty-eight came out from inside and cupped his fists toward the crowd, saying: "My apologies, Lady Lian is indeed unwell today, so her journey was canceled at the last minute. We apologize for the inconvenience."

No one present believed it, and a fleshy man, seemingly wealthy, loudly shouted: "I rushed all the way from Hangzhou just to see Lady Lian. How could she not see us?"

Xiang Wei saw Gu Zhe and roughly understood the situation. Surely, Gu Zhe saw the lantern boat vacant and thought it a waste to leave it idle, so he invited some friends to take it out for a ride.

Yueyao’s face turned terribly somber; what was this talk? It sounded as if she were a brothel woman! Yueyao was furious, thinking about the person who leaked the information.

Seeing the crowd clamoring, Gu Zhe finally had no choice but to say: "If you don’t believe us, two of you can board our lantern boat. That way, you’ll know we are not lying." He regretted listening to his brother’s suggestion to invite friends on the lantern boat; if his aunt found out, she’d be furious.

As soon as Gu Zhe finished speaking, a sweet voice rang: "Since the young master said so, Lady Lian must not be on board. Since she’s not here, there’s no need for us to stay either."

Things unfolded as Xiang Wei anticipated; though the Four Great Courtesans seldom gathered, today was an exception, and the surrounding literati and scholars could not let them leave so easily.

The legend of the Four Great Courtesans’ exceptional talent was well-known, but they were, after all, brothel women. They had fame, so people supported them. Without fame, they were no different from ordinary brothel women. None dared to leave, as doing so would mean conceding defeat and admitting inferiority.

The plump man from before stepped forward: "I am offering a prize today; whoever takes the top spot, I’ll reward them with ten thousand taels of silver." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Xiang Wei chuckled: "Many would spend a fortune for a glance at the Four Great Courtesans, and they wouldn’t value ten thousand taels of silver. However, for the top spot, these people might fight fiercely today."

In no time, the opulently dressed man announced: "Alright, whoever wins the top spot today, I shall gift him this folding fan inscribed by Master Du."

Yueyao, observing the man’s attire, turned and asked Xiang Wei: "Who is this man?"

Xiang Wei shook her head, indicating she did not know. She only knew celebrities; she hadn’t heard of unknown mouths like this one.

The boat owner, standing beside them, laughed and said: "This is the Fifth Young Master He of the Qinhuai, the young son of the Governor-General. Hearing your Capital City accents, I knew from the start that you two were not Jiangnan locals."

Yueyao snorted: "The Governor-General Office produced a romantic young master, while the Provincial Governor’s Office has a foppish nephew. Hmph, this is the character of Jiangnan officials’ heirs?"

The literary atmosphere was rich in Jiangnan, and literati and scholars often commented on current affairs, sometimes even criticizing current court officials. Thus, the boat owner was not scared by Yueyao’s words. Yet, hearing Yueyao’s tone, the boat owner sensed that today’s clients might not be ordinary people.