34: Chapter 33: Paying Off Debts, Sister’s Shock 34: Chapter 33: Paying Off Debts, Sister’s Shock At the same time, the owners of the other brothels in the royal city were extremely astonished, wondering why their business was so bleak tonight.
With a population of well over a million, the economy of the royal city was booming, and its nightlife was exceptionally rich.
Whenever the lanterns were first lit in the evening, those famous houses would be bustling and noisy with crowds.
After a little inquiry, they learned that many guests had actually run off to Yuhua Pavilion.
And those girls who had once attended Suo Lun’s gatherings but had declined to bid on Suo Lun’s plan for the Royal City’s Nineteen Hairpins, had gone to sleep after returning to their respective houses late last night.
They cherished their beauty so much that they had to sleep for more than eight or nine hours; by the time they woke up, it was already afternoon.
Then, they started to hear about Ye Xiaomao’s poster that was causing a sensation in the royal city, but they didn’t take it too seriously.
Wasn’t she just Ye Xiaoxian, with a value of three silver coins, someone who couldn’t raise her head in front of them, a mere young chick, leagues behind in status compared to them?
Moreover, they could tell at a glance that Ye Xiaomao was nothing but a shill brought in by Suo Lun and Yi Manman.
So, instinctively, they felt that the uproar caused by Ye Xiaomao’s poster that afternoon was also just a ploy involving shills hired by Suo Lun.
This profligate certainly had many fair-weather friends.
It wasn’t until tonight that they each discovered their brothels had lost more than half their clientele, and all these customers had run off to Yuhua Pavilion.
At once, they started to feel anxious and immediately sent servants to Yuhua Pavilion to scout out the enemy.
Of course, even at this point, they still didn’t believe that Suo Lun could be successful; relying on a painting to turn a girl worth three silver coins into a big sensation worth one gold coin seemed impossible, didn’t it?
After all, how much resources had each of them poured into their brothels to push the price to one gold coin, attracting so many influential and wealthy clients?
Suo Lun thought he could use a painting to increase a girl’s value by twenty or thirty times?
That was a complete fantasy.
Taohong was one of the women harboring this belief.
She too had been a sensation, her price also once reached one gold coin.
But now she was somewhat past her prime, and even though she still claimed a price of one gold coin, the reality was that it had dropped to merely ten silver coins, and even then, clients were scarce.
Therefore, she had her maid go to Yuhua Pavilion early on.
She had decided that if Ye Xiaoxian’s price could skyrocket to one gold coin, she would immediately seek out Suo Lun and join the plan for the Royal City’s Nineteen Hairpins.
However, fifty gold coins seemed a bit excessive; thirty gold coins would be more like it.
And so, Taohong waited impatiently in her room, and tonight, she had no clients.
Of course, she wasn’t lacking in clients, but in clients willing to spend a lot of money.
After what seemed like an eternity, her maid, who had gone to gather information, finally returned.
She immediately stood up and asked, “Has Ye Xiaomao’s price come out?
Is it one gold coin?”
The maid, gasping for breath, heard her mistress’s query and suddenly shrieked, “One gold coin?
How could that be possible?”
Taohong said, “I knew it, using a mere painting to bring a chick’s price up to one gold coin was nothing but a fanciful daydream.
Everyone has eyes to see, and they can’t be fooled by him.
Looks like Young Master Suo Lun’s plan has failed.”
The maid replied, “Miss, it’s three hundred ninety gold coins.
Ye Xiaomao’s price for her first night ended up being three hundred ninety gold coins.”
Upon hearing this, Taohong was completely stunned.
Then, her eyes rolling back, she nearly fainted.
Three hundred ninety gold coins?
Three hundred ninety gold coins!
(A gold coin is equivalent to over ten thousand RMB.
This price, simply converted to Earth currency, is already several million RMB.)
How, how is this possible?
Incomparable shock, incomparable jealousy.
After nearly ten years in the pleasure quarters, her total savings amounted to barely over five hundred gold coins.
In the entire royal city’s pleasure world, the highest debut price had never exceeded thirty gold coins.
“It must be a shill, it has to be a shill, a shill brought in by Suo Lun, Ye Xiaoxian’s place couldn’t possibly sell for three hundred ninety gold coins even if it was inlaid with gold,” Taohong shouted.
The maid said, “It’s not a shill, it’s not a shill.
Ye Xiaoxian has completely changed, transformed into a woman as if she came from another world.
Those men went mad, hundreds of them competing fiercely with their bids.
In the end, the last bid came from a Marquis, and no one dared to challenge him; otherwise, the price might have been even higher.”
Taohong still muttered to herself in disbelief, “How can this be possible?
Could Suo Lun really have the touch of Midas?”
They had originally intended for Ye Xiaomao’s value to increase by tenfold, with the highest target being just one or two gold coins.
And now it had reached into the hundreds?
Although the price for a girl’s first time tended to be much higher, this was still terrifyingly exorbitant.
Suddenly, as if jolted awake, she screamed, “Quick, prepare the carriage, take all the money, all the money, and go see Young Master Suo Lun at Yuhua Pavilion, before it’s too late, too late!”
As Taohong dashed out of her house clutching her money chest like a madwoman, other brothel girls were doing the same thing.
After the initial shock, they each took their savings and rushed to Yuhua Pavilion, bringing money to Suo Lun.
It wasn’t until the deep hours of the night that Yuhua Pavilion reluctantly closed its doors.
And those wishing for a taste of Ye Xiaomao’s charms had to make a reservation today before entering a lottery tomorrow.
Each day, only one client was received.