When Qingyuan and the others first arrived at Great Python Slope, they still felt some fear in their hearts, worried that Jin Feng might throw them to the soldiers to win favour.
Such things were very common in Great Kang.
Many generals, after finishing a battle, would fetch a group of girls from brothels to the camp.
But what Qingyuan feared did not happen. Not only did Jin Feng strictly forbid the soldiers from harassing them, he himself did not touch these dancing girls.
He only arranged for them to train in dance.
This made Qingyuan feel respected for the first time.
She also felt a small sense of loss in her heart.
Previously, for survival, she had prepared herself to give her body to Jin Feng, but now, she genuinely admired this refined general.
Unfortunately, Jin Feng had hardly looked at her properly.
Staring at her like this, without blinking, was the first time.
Her heart began to beat faster.
Jin Feng noticed Qingyuan’s face turning red and realised he had been somewhat rude.
He quickly suppressed his stray thoughts. “Miss Qingyuan, there is something I need your help with.”
“Please give your orders, sir!” Qingyuan also raised her head.
“It is like this…”
Jin Feng explained the matter of the enlisting girls to Qingyuan, then said, “I want to find a few scholars who can write storybooks to help me write some short stories. You can also rehearse them on your side. Later, we might need you to perform.”
“No problem!” Qingyuan agreed immediately. “Scholars who write storybooks love going to brothels the most. Although I do not know any, the sisters at Hanxiang Tower definitely do.”
“Alright, I will have Da Liu send someone to go with you to Hanxiang Tower.” Jin Feng nodded.
Regarding comforting the refugee girls, among the people Jin Feng knew, Xiao Yu was the most suitable and skilled.
Unfortunately, she was now in charge at Xihe Bay, and Jin Feng did not want to transfer her over for this matter.
Besides Xiao Yu, among those he knew, only Qingyuan was the most suitable.
She came from a brothel and was also a person with a bitter fate, making it easier for her to approach the refugee girls.
Hanxiang Tower was the largest brothel in Xichuan city besides the Jiaofang Si, and also the most famous place for spending money in Xichuan.
The Jiaofang Si was government-run. Although many girls there came from official families and were of higher quality, there were also many rules.
Hanxiang Tower was privately owned, with no rules at all.
As long as you had money, you could enjoy treatment like an emperor here.
So Hanxiang Tower’s business had always surpassed the Jiaofang Si.
Hanxiang Tower covered a large area, with four courtyards in total.
The east courtyard and south courtyard were for normal business, where most guests were wealthy merchants.
The west courtyard was the VIP entrance, accessible only to high officials and nobles.
Qingyuan’s destination was the north courtyard.
The north courtyard had the worst conditions and the largest space. Hanxiang Tower’s training base was also here.
Girls who were bought would receive uniform training here. The most outstanding ones were sent to the west courtyard to serve dignitaries, ordinary ones went to the east and south courtyards to serve general merchants.
Those with the worst performance would be sent to the north courtyard.
Besides the training base, the north courtyard also received guests.
However, the north courtyard was for lower-spending customers. The girls there were mostly of average appearance, unable to enter the other three courtyards.
Or they were girls who had passed their prime in the other three courtyards, sent by the madam to the north courtyard to squeeze out the last bit of value.
Guests coming to the north courtyard were mainly ordinary citizens or down-and-out scholars.
After all, it was Hanxiang Tower. Even in the north courtyard, the girls’ standards were higher than in ordinary brothels, so the north courtyard was actually the liveliest of the four.
When Qingyuan arrived at Hanxiang Tower with the escorts, it was only noon, but guests were already coming and going endlessly.
Qingyuan had always been training in the back before, so the gate guards did not recognise her.
Seeing a girl wanting to enter, accompanied by several burly men, the guards thought it was some young lady coming to catch her husband and quickly reached out to stop Qingyuan. “Miss, we do not serve female guests here!”
“I am here to find Mama Feng!” Qingyuan said.
Mama Feng was the person in charge of Hanxiang Tower’s training camp. When Qingyuan and the others were at Hanxiang Tower, they were under her.
Compared to other madams, Mama Feng was relatively kind, and Qingyuan had a good impression of her.
“Mama Feng?” The guard sized up Qingyuan. “How should I address you, miss? So I can go announce you.”
Qingyuan was about to speak when she saw a middle-aged woman with heavy makeup coming out from inside, heading towards the stairs.
“Mama Feng!” Qingyuan called out.
The woman heard someone calling her and turned to look at the door.
When she saw Qingyuan, she was stunned for a moment, then twisted her plump body and hurried over.
“Oh my dear, is this not Qingyuan?”
Mama Feng circled around Qingyuan. “Why are you dressed like this? I did not recognise you just now. I thought some young master had come!”
“Mama, have you heard of Zhenyuan Escort Bureau? This is the escort uniform of Zhenyuan Escort Bureau.”
Qingyuan explained with a smile.
“Zhenyuan Escort Bureau?” Mama Feng was shocked. “Mr Jin of Guangyuan’s Zhenyuan Escort Bureau?”
“Yes!” Qingyuan nodded with a smile.
“Were you and Caiyi and the others not sent to the Qing residence together?” Mama Feng asked.
“Mr Jin was a guest at the Qing residence, and Lord Qing gave us to Mr Jin.”
“Mr Jin has taken you?” Mama Feng was shocked, and her attitude immediately became much more respectful.
The reason she was kind to the girls in the training camp, besides her personality, was that these girls could be sent to great households at any time.
If some noble took a fancy to them and made them a concubine, Mama Feng would have made a good connection.
See, now Qingyuan had something to ask and came to her?
Not only Mama Feng, but the several guards at the door also immediately became subservient.
The stories of Zhenyuan Escort Bureau and the black-armoured team had recently been circulating in Xichuan city, and the guards had heard them many times.
It was just that the escorts had been stationed outside the city and had not come in, so they had not seen them.
Just now, the guards had felt that the several men following Qingyuan were not ordinary. They had a kind of majesty that ordinary guards lacked, as if they were ready to kill at any moment.
Now they knew they were from the famous Zhenyuan Escort Bureau!
“Mama Feng, what are you saying?” Qingyuan’s face turned red from Mama Feng’s words. “The sir and I are innocent!”
“Innocent?” Mama Feng secretly raised her eyebrows at the escorts following behind.
Meaning, if you two were innocent, would Mr Jin send so many escorts to protect you?
“The sir and I are truly innocent,” Qingyuan said with a helpless laugh. “After the sir took me… no, after the sir brought us back to the camp, he did not touch us. He let us become escorts too, so I am wearing these clothes.”
“You are now an escort of Zhenyuan Escort Bureau?”
Mama Feng was even more surprised than before.
Qingyuan had been with her since being sold to Hanxiang Tower. No one knew Qingyuan better than Mama Feng.
This girl’s dancing was first-class, but asking her to fight? Was that not a joke?
