Volume Two: Lords and Knaves Chapter Twenty: The Courtesan Ranking Known Throughout the City

In the blink of an eye, the Lantern Festival arrived.

On every major street of Beijing, elaborate mountains of lanterns had already been erected the day before, and strings of festooned lights were hanging in profusion. People had donned their finest new clothes, stepping out of their homes to take part in the vibrant festivities that continued without pause, day and night. Every now and then, the crackle of firecrackers punctuated the air, adding to the exuberance of the celebration.

Lu Renjia was strolling down a familiar avenue with several friends, admiring the sea of lanterns and the dazzling displays all around, yet he could not shake the feeling that something was missing.

"Do any of you feel like something's lacking this year?" he finally asked the friends beside him.

The three companions, all of similar age and temperament, paused at his words, glancing about before one replied, "Now that you mention it, it does feel a bit different. The scene is as splendid as ever, but the usual liveliness is missing. What could it be?"

"It's the girls," another said with sudden realization. "Every year around this time, the courtesans from the Spring Pavilion come out to promote themselves, rallying us to support their sisters in the competition for the title of Flower Queen."

That remark brought enlightenment to the whole group.

"That’s right!" Lu Renjia exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Just yesterday when I visited Tender Lane, even Miss Siyu didn’t mention it to me. No wonder I felt something was off… Could it be that this year’s Flower Queen Contest isn’t happening?"

"No, that can’t be. Just the day before, I was at Red Cloud Pavilion, and the girls there were begging me to cheer for their sisters when the time comes. I even agreed to it…"

"This is all so puzzling," Lu Renjia said, shaking his head. Suddenly, his gaze shifted toward the end of the street ahead. "What’s that?"

At that moment, a melodious, enchanting music drifted from that direction. Everyone on the street, including Lu Renjia and his friends, found their attention drawn to a peculiar, ornate float several dozen paces away.

The float was enormous, at least fifteen or twenty yards in length and five yards wide, pulled forward by five magnificent horses. Its sides were painted in vibrant colors, scenes of beauty and birds rendered with exquisite artistry—each image so lifelike that it was clear these were not the work of ordinary painters.

But at present, no one was paying attention to such details; what was inside the float was far more captivating than the painted panels.

The float’s canopy had been completely removed, revealing more than a dozen women inside, standing or sitting, all attired in splendid, dazzling garments. Their clothing was elegant and perfectly tailored, their charms so alluring that with every movement and every smile, they outshone the lanterns and lights around them.

Nor were they simply sitting idly—each woman was engaged in her own art: some played the zither, others blew flutes, a few danced gracefully, while some sang softly. The enchanting music that had first drawn the crowd was coming from this very scene.

In this grand, open float, the women performed as if in a hall filled with honored guests, displaying their talents and graces with natural ease, captivating everyone’s gaze along the street.

At the very center of the float, the most striking figure of all was a beautiful woman in a flowing crimson gown, her wide sleeves fluttering as she danced. With every sway of her waist, every flick of her slender fingers, matched to the rhythm of music and song, she seemed to enchant all the men around, ensnaring their very souls.

Yet she appeared entirely unaware of the many fiery gazes upon her, dancing as if in the privacy of her own home, each bend and sweep of her sleeves casting a spell over the onlookers, leaving them breathless and stunned.

Lu Renjia, for one, was completely mesmerized.

He followed the float almost without thinking, unable to resist, moving along as it advanced down the street.

After some distance, as they reached a crossroads, the crowd began to murmur and exclaim in recognition. "I've just remembered who they are! They’re the girls from Tender Lane, and the one in red dancing in the center is none other than Nie Chang, the famed beauty of Tender Lane!"

"So it’s Miss Nie Chang… No wonder! She’s known as the most exquisite dancer in all the city’s pavilions, and also the most aloof."

"That’s right, I’ve heard the same. Even though she only placed twelfth in last year’s Flower Queen rankings, her beauty and dancing easily outshine the ten flowers ahead of her."

"I also heard that aside from performing up to three dances a day at Tender Lane, she rarely entertains guests or drinks with them. There was even a wealthy patron who offered five hundred taels of gold for just one night in her company, and she politely declined."

Such gossip and revelations, shared by enthusiastic onlookers, left the crowd spellbound. Lu Renjia, looking again at the beauty in the float, began to feel she was no mortal woman, but a goddess descended to earth.

"If she could just… no, if she would merely meet me, smile at me, I’d die content right this instant," Lu Renjia thought, his infatuation igniting and burning brightly.

He pressed after the float, almost losing himself to the impulse to dash forward, seize Nie Chang’s delicate white ankle, and plant a kiss.

Plenty of others shared similar thoughts—some even less restrained than Lu Renjia. At least he came from a well-off family and had frequented these places of pleasure for years. Though he’d never managed to win the favor of any top courtesan, he was not without experience. The more innocent men in the crowd, however, were utterly bewitched, nearly ready to throw themselves at the float.

But flanking the float were dozens of burly men, ever vigilant. If anyone drew too close, they would swiftly brandish sticks and whips, driving people away.

These guards called out, "Our ladies are performing for the whole city in celebration of the new emperor’s coronation. If you truly wish to enjoy their songs and dances up close, the Twelve Pavilions of Beijing will soon be jointly hosting a new Flower Queen Contest. At that time, our Nie Chang will present even more splendid dances for everyone!"

At this, Lu Renjia and his friends were moved, and immediately began asking what this new Flower Queen Contest was about.

Soon, many helpful voices rose up around them, explaining everything they knew about the new contest. In no time at all, the news was spreading like wildfire throughout the district.

In truth, scenes like this were playing out all across the city. On every major thoroughfare, in all directions, more than a dozen such floats were parading dazzling beauties through the streets. With their talents and charms, these ladies captured the attention of countless onlookers, and at the same time, the news of the joint Flower Queen Contest by the Twelve Pavilions was swiftly carried to every corner of the capital.