Nie Yunzhu and Yuan Jin'er had indeed come to sell preserved eggs.

Only a few days had passed since Yuan Jin'er jumped into the water and left Golden Wind Tower, but rumors about her mysterious disappearance were still spreading wildly outside. Aunt Yang from Golden Wind Tower was currently furious about the whole affair. However, Yuan Jin'er was naturally someone who couldn't sit still, and after investing all her money as shares, she decided to come out with Nie Yunzhu to drum up some business and enjoy the feeling of being a successful businesswoman.

The business itself was actually based on existing connections—Yuan Jin'er knew Aunt Chen from Smoke and Emerald Tower, and she'd brought Nie Yunzhu along to expand their market. For a venue like Smoke and Emerald Tower, the preserved egg business was relatively small compared to their scale and income, but since they were acquaintances, a simple conversation was enough to make it work. The other matters that came with it were more troublesome though.

"...Where were we just now? Everyone in the business knows what kind of person Yang Xiuhong is. You crazy girl, you don't know how good you have it. The preserved eggs are just small matters—Jin'er, you should go back and apologize to her properly, humble yourself a bit. If you stay away too long, you'll hurt her feelings, and that woman has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, tsk... Speaking of which, I don't care what the girls do after they buy out their contracts¹, but cases like yours really give me headaches..."

Walking into the room, Aunt Chen sat down at the bronze mirror and began touching up her makeup while continuing to chatter endlessly. Of course, she spoke so casually because she and Yuan Jin'er had known each other well for a long time. Jin'er narrowed her eyes.

"I know, I know. You're such a nag. And you talk too much for someone so ugly—don't you know how annoying that is?"

"Oh, so this is your attitude for doing business!"

"That's my attitude."

Aunt Chen was in her thirties and quite beautiful. She'd only taken over Smoke and Emerald Tower's business a few years ago, with some official "godfather" backing her up. Her temperament was rather straightforward. At this moment, she and Yuan Jin'er glared at each other in confrontation while Nie Yunzhu smiled wryly and tried to mediate between them: "Alright, alright, you two."

"Hmph, if it weren't for Yunzhu standing between us, I'd tear that mouth of yours apart today."

"Come and try it." Yuan Jin'er stuck out her tongue, then turned her head and asked, "By the way, what was that commotion outside just now?"

"What else could it be? The Xue family cloth merchants ran into the Su family cloth merchants—sworn enemies. But the people who came today are really impressive: Liu Qingdi, Li Pin, and that most low-key one who never visits brothels, Ning Liheng. Haha, if he actually writes a poem at Smoke and Emerald Tower today, we'll really be famous... By the way, I heard you're quite familiar with that Liu Qingdi. What's he like?"

Jin'er blinked. "He writes poetry casually and writes it well. Li Pin often leaves poems behind too. As for that Ning Liheng..." She glanced at Nie Yunzhu. "There's no hope for that."

Aunt Chen shrugged while applying powder to her face. "Whatever. Having poems from Liu Qingdi and Li Dexin would be good enough. As for Ning Liheng, tomorrow I'll have people spread word that he came to support Smoke and Emerald Tower tonight... I should remind Ah Xia and the others to perform well later, heat up the atmosphere, and ideally create some real tension that makes that Ning Yi unable to hold back..."

"Cunning."

"What's cunning about it? Your Aunt Yang does the same thing. You think all those times great talents competed for your affections, there wasn't your Aunt Yang pulling strings behind the scenes?"

"I'm naturally stunning."

"Just a little brat."

The two continued their confrontation in the room. Since it used bronze mirrors, the reflections weren't very clear. When Aunt Chen squinted while drawing her eyebrows, Yuan Jin'er impatiently went over and took the brush to help her, though they kept verbally sparring with each other. Nie Yunzhu listened with amusement from behind, then spoke up: "If that Ning Yi really writes a poem to support her, will Ah Xia go up to him?"

Aunt Chen paused in silence for a moment, then smiled lightly and glanced over. "It's not that simple. Supporting someone still depends on how much silver is involved."

"The Su family probably won't be stingy with money either."

"If that's really the case, then I'll be the one in a difficult position..." Aunt Chen laughed softly.

"What's wrong?"

"Yunzhu, you don't know—Ah Xia and that Xue Yan from the Xue family have had some private feelings for a while now, and this time Liu Qingdi is with them too. If the Su family side only offers a good poem plus money, we'd naturally say Ah Xia prefers the Xue family's support. But if Ning Liheng is added to the mix, the weight is completely different. But Ah Xia is our Smoke and Emerald Tower's star performer—I can't force her to embarrass Young Master Xue at a time like this and ruin their romantic prospects..."

Aunt Chen sighed. "But then again, if the Su family side has even the top talent writing poetry for her, and she still toasts Xue Yan in the end, what will people say about our Smoke and Emerald Tower when word gets out? What will they say about Ah Xia? They'll say she doesn't know good from bad, doesn't appreciate being honored, that she's putting on airs. That would be trouble... Of course, if Liu Qingdi could write an absolutely excellent poem that completely overshadows Li Pin and Ning Yi's work, just like when Ning Yi composed those two ci poems², then there'd be no problem... Yunzhu, your poetry is the best—do you think that's possible?"

Yunzhu thought for a moment, then wrinkled her nose slightly and shook her head with small but extremely firm movements. "Of course not." You could tell she considered even thinking about it somewhat unnecessary.

"There you have it." Aunt Chen finished her makeup and stood up to leave. "It's a good thing Ning Liheng generally doesn't write poetry. Well, I should go out first. You two... do as you please. If you have any old friends here, go ahead and catch up, but don't steal any of my girls away. Yunzhu, I understand what you're thinking, but women... this is just our fate. Better to become a young mistress anyway..."

"Blabbermouth..." Yuan Jin'er muttered.

"Fine! I'm ugly and talk too much and annoy people—I won't say another word! You dead little brat... Actually, you're so familiar with that Liu Qingdi, and he's right outside. Don't you want to go out and see him?"

"Not seeing him! We're not familiar!"

"Then just hide here properly..."

After Aunt Chen finished speaking, she shook her head and left. Yuan Jin'er quietly opened the window to peek outside—the main hall was filled with a bustling scene...

Most of the people who frequented Smoke and Emerald Tower had merchant backgrounds—well-off traders loved coming here to relax and have fun. Not only were the performances in the main hall excellent, but the girls' service in the inner chambers was also quite attentive. The venue was actually well-equipped in every aspect, just lacking in reputation and fame.

Jiangning might seem large, but the upper-class social circle was actually quite narrow. The merchants who regularly came to Smoke and Emerald Tower knew each other to some degree, so many people in the main hall were greeting each other, and people in the second-floor boxes overlooking the performances also occasionally visited each other for casual conversations. Various snacks and dishes had been served, and some girls came over to pour wine and keep company. Soon after, the lights gradually dimmed and various performances began on the stage below, causing the hall's noise to quiet down somewhat.

The event at Smoke and Emerald Tower was modeled after a courtesan competition³. The venue's top performers had prepared a small, evening-long showcase where each would perform twice. Afterward, patrons would show their support in various ways, and the performers would choose who to accompany based on the patronage they received. This choice determined not only their company for the evening's banquet but also granted priority for future visits.

This competitive bidding model was actually a very good business approach, though it required the performing girls to have decent artistic skills. For the men, it was mainly about excitement and face. Both the Su family people upstairs and the Xue family people downstairs had come in considerable numbers today, plus three great talents were present, making this their main event. There were also two or three other business owners whose family fortunes weren't inferior to the Xue and Su families present, but given today's atmosphere, they might not compete to the end.

Music played leisurely throughout the building, and the dance performances that went with it created a genuinely pleasant atmosphere. People upstairs and downstairs occasionally called out greetings to each other, and some moved around to chat about business or discuss the performances. There seemed to be people gossiping about the Xue and Su families planning to compete for Lü Xia's company tonight.

Lü Xia's first performance was a dance, scheduled fifth to appear. She went with a relatively seductive and charming style, dressed in Tang court attire with flowing silk scarves and captivating glances and body language that stirred hearts. For Nie Yunzhu and Yuan Jin'er, this kind of dance might be too direct, but in this performance it was truly outstanding. After she finished, Liu Qingdi immediately presented a poem and had someone recite it on stage: "Flower shadows dancing double across jade screens..."

"Li Pin is also writing poetry upstairs..." The entire evening's level was somewhat low for Nie Yunzhu and Yuan Jin'er, but they kept watching anyway, mainly observing the Xue family's movements below and the activities of Li Pin and Ning Yi in the Su family group upstairs. Throughout the process, Li Pin and Ning Yi had actually been discussing various things, and aside from seriously watching Lü Xia's performance for a while, they didn't pay much attention to the other acts. In the not-very-bright lighting upstairs, they could see Li Pin having a nearby woman bring paper and brush, apparently about to write a poem to present to Lü Xia. Meanwhile, Liu Qingdi downstairs occasionally looked up at the scene above and smiled at Li Pin's reaction.

After Li Pin finished writing his poem, he continued discussing things with Ning Yi.

"Sister Yunzhu, what if that Ning Yi also writes poetry later?"

"Hmm?"

"Since Li Pin wrote one, and Liu Qingdi is clearly trying to provoke him, he might write one too. If he writes poorly, it'll damage his reputation. If he writes well, but that Ah Xia doesn't give him face and goes to toast Xue Yan instead, wouldn't that be very embarrassing? If word spreads later, his reputation won't be good—people will say that in Lü Xia's heart, Ning Yi doesn't compare to Liu Qingdi."

Nie Yunzhu smiled and glanced at her. "Jin'er, don't you really dislike him? How come you're suddenly so worried about him?"

She was naturally teasing. Yuan Jin'er's principle had always been to side with her own people over outsiders⁴, so she naturally felt Ning Yi was more deserving of her support than the Xue family. She glared at Nie Yunzhu irritably and pouted, too lazy to explain. After a moment, she saw Ning Yi get up from upstairs, apparently leaving the box to use the restroom. Jin'er raised an eyebrow and turned to head outside: "I'm going to warn him not to write poetry—he'll lose face if he does!"

"Hey..." Nie Yunzhu called out with a smile, but Yuan Jin'er had already rushed out the door in a hurry. After Yuan Jin'er left, Liu Qingdi seemed to notice Ning Yi leaving and thought for a moment before also standing up and walking toward one end of the main hall. Nie Yunzhu glanced sideways at the performances still continuing on stage, her gaze wandering as she thought for quite a while.

She closed the window and walked to the dressing table that Aunt Chen had used earlier. She stood there frowning slightly for a moment, then sat down and looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She was still dressed like a village girl today. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she reached out to touch her cheek and smoothed her temples. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and pulled out the wooden hairpin that held her hair up.

Her black hair suddenly flowed down and spread out. She sat there quietly watching. In the bronze mirror was an oval face that was gentle, mature, and alluring. Then the woman in the mirror's lips moved slightly, smiling somewhat stiffly but also naturally—like a child smiling for the first time in their life...