It’s not just dancing—there’s also playing instruments and singing.

This annual grand festival is a top priority for the Flower Houses. You might not make money tonight, but you have to make your name; best case, your Songstress gets noticed during the event, and after that is when the real silver starts rolling in.

In fact, for the flower houses here in Fengri City, Blue Moon Festival is their silent battleground—the pecking order for the whole next year could be decided tonight.

So from the very first dance, every act was a showcase for the tricks up each Flower House’s sleeve.

Some just went all in on pure sex appeal, like a little flower house called Xiangman Building. Their act: a set of quintuplet Songstresses, all with stunning figures and faces, and their Charm Skill wasn’t bad either. The moment they stepped on stage, the entire room was wowed. Quintuplets! What man wouldn’t be tempted?

The deafening whistles and cheers from the crowd were enough to get everyone’s blood pumping. Thanks to this debut, Xiangman Building’s fame skyrocketed on the spot—it was clear they’d be packed to the rafters after the Blue Moon Association.

Another little Flower House stood out too—Four Seasons Courtyard. Their main draw was music and song. Compared to the heady lustfulness of Xiangman Building, they played the "elegant and refined" card—at least on the surface.

One played the pipa, the other a bamboo flute. The two were known as "Pipa and Xiao Double Swallows": one green and tender as a fledgling, the other steady and rich like the mother swallow. They complemented each other, and their singing was so good that even Shen Hao couldn’t help but clap and cheer them on.

"Shen, the lyrics those two young ladies are singing next are yours, aren’t they! Want big brother here to go send over a token for you?"

To "send a token" actually meant to pay to have a Songstress come drink with you. But if you wanted to take her upstairs, that all depended on her Flower House’s policy. Typically, exceptional Songstresses weren’t allowed to be so easily bedded.

"If you’re interested, Brother Gan, you go ahead." Shen Hao clinked glasses with Gan Lin. To be honest, those two weren’t his type, and his interest was limited if all he could do was look and not touch.

Zhang Qian snickered, "Old Gan, you just don’t get it. Shen has high standards—tonight he’s totally here for Lian Xiang, right?"

"Lian Xiang? Tsk tsk, Shen, you’re aiming to pluck the brightest flower of Hong’en Hall, huh? Impressive! Your brothers are rooting for you!"

"Come on, you two—stop teasing, will you? Lian Xiang Songstress’s patron is Lord Liao. I’ll pass, thanks."

"What are you worried about? That Liao’s already been transferred away. Now it’s Lord Jiang who calls the shots in Jingxi, isn’t it? Don’t tell me you didn’t know Jiang and Liao can’t stand each other. If you manage to sleep with Lian Xiang, no one will dare mess with you. And let me tell you, Lian Xiang really is the real, untouched deal!"

Lian Xiang is still a virgin?

Shen Hao was a little shocked. He’d always figured that Lian Xiang would’ve been claimed by Liao long ago. Yet he didn’t really doubt Gan Lin’s word—the guy was a legendary lady’s man, dead-on when it came to these things. If he said she was untouched, that probably meant she was.

"But Shen, you gotta be careful tonight—you’re not the only one eyeing Lian Xiang. Look over there: that whole bunch is local wannabes. Heard they’ve brought in some serious hotshot scholars from the Imperial City just to compete for Lian Xiang’s token tonight."

"Heh, and let me tell you—your name echoes through these flower houses, Shen. Plenty of people don’t buy the hype. I bet someone will try to mess with you tonight!"

Shen Hao had already noticed the officials in long gowns sitting across the courtyard—practically every official from all the Government Offices in Fengri City was here, sitting in small groups, raising cups and exchanging drinks. Every now and then, they’d shoot him glances—none too friendly. In the middle were a few new faces, all with their noses in the air, sizing him up the most—those were the haughtiest by far.

"You mean those guys in the middle?"

"That’s right—those four. Called the four of the Seven Young Masters of the Imperial City."

Shen Hao smirked. Seven Young Masters of the Imperial City? The name was downright childish. And "Young Master"—could you really call a few guys clearly over fifty "Young Masters"?

Fifty-year-old playboys?!

Shen Hao genuinely wondered just how thick their skin had to be to call themselves "Young Masters" at their age.

Still, their name must really carry weight, because even people like Gan Lin and Zhang Qian—who never touched a book—had heard of them and could even stumble through two of their poems by rote.

"But Shen, don’t worry—those four might be famous, but if you’re not feeling confident, just have a drink and admit defeat. Who can blame you?"

Gan Lin was right. Shen Hao wasn’t even really a part of the scholars’ circle—he’d only become famous in the past year, had just three published works, and was only twenty-seven. Losing to old pros who’d made a living off poetry would hardly be a shock—most people would just find it normal.

And that brings us to one of Blue Moon Association’s highlights: Picking the Courtesan!

"Flowers" referred to the star Songstresses the Flower Houses sent out to attract attention at Blue Moon Association.

"Picking a flower" was a gimmick, a way for the audience to get involved. There were two ways: you could spend—one hundred taels silver for a White Flower Lantern, one thousand for a Red Flower Lantern, or ten thousand for a Blue Moon Flower Lantern.

The other way was by "offering a poem"—any piece of poetry or lyrics accepted by at least half the scholars present counted as much as a Blue Moon Flower Lantern! That’s why talented scholars and Flower Houses went hand in hand: the famous usually had no money, and the ones looking to fetch a high price needed a reputation. Win, win.

Of course, this tradition also tied into the Jingjiu Dynasty’s culture: after years of peace, a scholarly vibe had settled in at court, and especially here in Flower Houses, there was no better way to add a touch of class than by mingling with the scholarly crowd.

Hearing Gan Lin and Zhang Qian making it obvious they had no faith in his "talent," Shen Hao just smiled and clinked glasses without explanation.

It was true—Shen Hao wasn’t the most "cultured." But tucked in his head was the grand inheritance of millennia of Huaxia civilization. Even if he only remembered a tiny fraction, so what? Pulling one out at random would be enough to make it a classic passed down through the ages. But that sort of thing, of course, Shen Hao couldn’t tell anyone.

We’ll see.

After around ten programs, there was a break—a chance for everyone to hit the outhouse or chat about which Songstress was worth spending on, maybe check their wallets and have an attendant deliver a token while they could.

Gan Lin and Zhang Qian were all talk and no action—the standouts tonight were way overpriced. You probably wouldn’t even get to touch them, and just a few drinks cost a fortune. But they’d come prepared, each calling over a Songstress to hang on their arm, cuddling and having a blast.

"Is this Young Master Shen, author of ’A Cut of Plum’ and ’Boshi: You Live at the Head of the White River’?"

Suddenly a haughty voice spoke up behind Shen Hao.