Fragrance Fills the Building: The Brassiere is Born ( Part 2 )

The two women giggled and said, "Does Mommy need to give orders?" They took Mu Linfeng by the hand and headed to the second floor.

In the middle of the first-floor lobby, there was a staircase leading directly to the second floor. At the halfway point of the staircase, there was a platform of over ten square meters. The platform was covered with a thick layer of red carpet and a large red lantern hung above it. Three staircases extended from the platform, one in the front and one on each side, all leading to the second floor.

Spring Peach and Spring Apricot led Mu Linfeng to the second floor and into a private room. As soon as they opened the door, Mu Linfeng smelled a fragrant aroma and couldn't help but laugh. He quickly walked into the room and sat down at the table. He looked around the room, and behind him was a tightly closed window.

In front of the window was a desk with several pots of flowers on it. To the right was a large bed with colorful embroidery on the back, depicting various floral patterns. On the left was a fragrant pavilion, with a bead curtain hanging in front of it. Behind the curtain was a low table with a guzheng on it.

As soon as Mu Linfeng sat down, he heard Spring Peach and Spring Apricot busy ordering the servants to serve food and wine.

Mu Linfeng was not pleased with the two women's plain looks, which didn't even measure up to the Five Beauties in his family. He said, "Call the madam."

Spring Peach and Spring Apricot saw Mu Linfeng's displeased expression and hurried downstairs to summon the madam.

The madam's laughter was heard before she even entered the room. As soon as she stepped in, she said, "Master Mu, is there anything I can do to make your visit more enjoyable?"

Mu Linfeng smiled faintly and didn't answer. He looked at Spring Peach and Spring Apricot before turning his attention to the madam. She immediately understood and asked Spring Peach and Spring Apricot to go downstairs first. With reluctance on their faces, Spring Peach and Spring Apricot gave Mu Linfeng a few affectionate glances before finally leaving.

After closing the door, the madam asked Mu Linfeng, "Master Mu, what can I do for you?" Mu Linfeng gestured for her to sit down and asked, "Madam, what is your surname?"

The madam smiled and said, "I'm a woman named Xu, known as Xu Erniang. If you don't mind, you can call me Erniang." Mu Linfeng nodded and continued, "Erniang, I'm a southern merchant. I plan to stay and develop in Nanjing in the future, so I will naturally be a frequent guest of Chunxianglou."

Erniang said repeatedly, "Of course, of course."

Mu Linfeng continued, "There's no need for you to push me to Spring Peach and Spring Apricot. They're not to my taste."

Xu Erniang quickly smiled and said, "No way, if you, Master Mu, are not satisfied, just tell Erniang, and we'll keep changing until you are."

Mu Linfeng smiled and said, "I'll be straight with you. Can you bring out the top courtesan of your Chunxiang Tower?"

Xu Erniang smiled and said, "We have several top courtesans in our Chunxiang Tower. I wonder which one Master Mu would like to meet?"

Mu Linfeng was surprised and asked, "Several top courtesans? Can you introduce them to me?"

Xu Erniang smiled and said, "Master Mu must have just arrived in Nanjing. You don't even know which courtesans are the top ones in our Chunxiang Tower? Our most popular ones are Miss Kou Mei and Miss Gu Mei, known as the 'Twin Charms of Chunxiang'."

Mu Linfeng was shocked in his heart, "Kou Mei is Kou Baimen, and Gu Mei is Gu Meisheng. Wasn't Gu Meisheng supposed to marry Gong Ding Shan, one of the 'Three Great Families of Jiangnan' who surrendered to the Qing dynasty later in history? Why is she still in a brothel now? And Kou Baimen is supposed to marry the renowned patriot, Duke Zhu Guobi, in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, which is 1642. According to history, she was only seventeen years old when she got married. So, isn't she only fifteen years old now?" Mu Linfeng was puzzled.

Seeing Mu Linfeng lost in thought, Xu Erniang didn't understand and asked, "Master Mu, are you okay?"

Mu Linfeng came back to his senses and smiled, "I have long admired the names of Miss Kou and Miss Gu. If I can meet them today, it would fulfill my lifelong wish."

Xu Erniang looked hesitant and said, "But both of these young ladies are entertaining guests now, it's not convenient for them to come and greet you, Master Mu."

Mu Linfeng asked curiously, "Who are they entertaining?"

Xu Erniang said, "It's Zhu Yousong, the eldest son of Prince Fu. Little Prince Zhu."

Mu Linfeng's heart skipped a beat and he thought, "I was just thinking of getting to know him better, but I didn't expect him to be here at Chunxiang Tower."

Mu Linfeng wanted to take the opportunity to ask Xu Erniang about Zhu Yousong's preferences, but he heard someone outside the room say, "Mom, a guest has arrived."

Xu Erniang immediately stood up and shouted, "Coming!" She turned to Mu Linfeng and said, "Mr. Mu, it's possible that Miss Kou and Miss Gu won't be able to come today. How about I introduce you to a young lady instead?"

Mu Linfeng thought to himself, "I came here today to talk business, not to compete with other men over women. Although these two ladies are famous, and I'm eager to see them, with Zhu Yousong already holding the top position, what right do I have to compete?" With this in mind, he quickly smiled and said, "I trust your judgment, Xu Erniang, but please don't introduce me to someone like Chun Tao or Chun Xing."

Xu Erniang quickly replied, "Mr. Mu can trust me, I will never let you down. Just wait and see." She then opened the door and went out.

Mu Linfeng sat alone in the room, drinking wine and waiting for over half an hour, but no one came to greet him. Feeling bored, he walked into the fragrance pavilion and sat down in front of the guzheng.

He had a wide range of interests and had even learned to play the guitar when he was bored in his club, but he had never played the guzheng before.

Mu Linfeng looked at the guzheng and thought, "This instrument is probably no different from the guitar, except that it has a few more strings."

Thinking this, he absent-mindedly began to play the guzheng. At first, the sound was not quite right, but after playing a few more times, he gradually became familiar with it.

While Mu Linfeng was playing the guzheng, he heard a knock on the door and a faint sound of footsteps approaching. Mu Linfeng quickly stopped playing and walked out of the fragrant pavilion to see a woman standing in front of his table. She was dressed in white, with long black hair hanging straight down her waist.

Mu Linfeng slowly raised his head and took a closer look at the woman's appearance. He saw her delicate eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a sharp nose and a small mouth, and her fair skin as white as snow, like a fairy in a painting. However, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Mu Linfeng thought to himself, "Such a beautiful woman, could she not be the top courtesan in Chunxianglou?"

Mu Linfeng was lost in thought, but he heard the woman say, "Sir, I have never heard the melody you just played, what was it?"

Mu Linfeng thought to himself, "I played a popular song, of course you haven't heard it." But he said, "Oh, I just played some folk tunes from my hometown, which you naturally wouldn't have heard of." He then bowed to the woman, who returned the gesture.

Mu Linfeng gestured for the woman to sit down and asked her name. The woman replied softly, "My name is not worth mentioning."

Feeling pity for her sad expression, Mu Linfeng said, "It's okay if you don't want to say it, but I am grateful to have met you today, it's a worthwhile experience for me."

The woman coldly smiled and said, "A worthwhile experience? You exaggerate, sir."

Mu Linfeng noticed that she didn't seem to want to talk, so he asked, "If you don't like me, why did you sit down?"

The woman said, "I heard my sisters say that the young master has extraordinary eloquence and looks that are different from ordinary people, which is why I agreed to come and see, but it's still not as good as hearing about it."

Mu Linfeng, hearing her insult him, smiled and said, "That's because they praised me too highly."

The woman didn't respond, just looked at the guzheng in the fragrant pavilion.

Mu Linfeng had been in battles for a long time and didn't know what she meant, so he smiled and said, "If the young lady knows how to play the zither, why not give a song to Mu Linfeng?"

The woman shook her head and said, "I've given up playing the zither." Mu Linfeng was surprised and asked, "Given up the zither?"