The hall of Tiantang had the nickname of a big room that never had a small sound. During the day, Tiantang courtesans would practice in the hall from morning to evening. There were no guests during the day, but the diligent courtesans continued to train to prepare for their performances at night.
When night fell, after one by one the guests began to enter the great hall, talented and beautiful girls would start performing on the stage within the hall. Some would perform in groups, while others would perform individually.
The hall would not sleep even after dawn, and the activity in the hall was like a circle that kept on rolling every day.
That was why Duan Shuchun needed to apologize to the guests as she had to close the hall even if the night was still quite young. The guests still didn't have enough fun, but they were forced to leave the hall with heavy hearts.
The boss might need to deal with those disgruntled guests tomorrow, but for tonight, she had to deal with the annoyed Yi Xue first.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back tonight, Ah Xue? I thought you would only return next week," the boss wearing yellow hanfu asked a question to another woman sitting on one of the chairs previously used by the guests.
There were only three people in the Tiantang hall at the moment. One was sitting calmly on a chair, one was standing in front of the person sitting on a chair, and the other was standing a few meters behind the person who was also in a standing position.
"The Lantern Festival is drawing near, and I plan to celebrate it in Chang City instead of in my boring hometown," the person sitting on the chair, Yi Xue, answered the question uttered by Duan Shuchun who was standing in front of her. "I just didn't expect there would be an interesting show here when I just arrived in Chang City. I don't even have time to rest, but I already have to sell my body to that old rat."
The cold woman with the surname Yi looked tired, and she even massaged her temple with her left hand while closing her eyes.
Standing behind Duan Shuchun was the quiet Xia Qiao, and the young girl could only listen to their conversation without daring to make a sound.
Outsiders might mistake the relationship between the two people who were talking if they only saw their interaction tonight. Duan Shuchun was the boss of Tiantang House, but she looked very obedient when she faced Yi Xue.
Such a sight might be strange in the eyes of outsiders, and even Xia Qiao was confused when she just came to Tiantang House a month ago. The fierce Duan Shuchun who kept saying no to her when she insisted on joining Tiantang suddenly surrendered when Yi Xue spoke for her, and Xia Qiao was shocked by the change.
The one who recommended her to work at Tiantang was Yi Xue, and that woman also helped her when Tiantang's boss kept turning her down. It was quite surprising since Yi Xue was actually just another courtesan in the Tiantang House.
Yi Xue was one of the seniors in Tiantang, and she was only four years away from thirty. However, she was the main star in Tiantang for many years, and she also had the nickname "The Star in Paradise."
The reason behind that was that she was the best in terms of talent, face, as well as body. No one could be a brighter star than her even after several fresher flowers joined Tiantang.
So many rich men came to Tiantang just for Yi Xue, and even that perverted man named Fang Delun continued to chase after her even if she continued to reject him.
Yi Xue knew her worth, and that was why she didn't easily accept clients even if those people were willing to pay her until their pockets were empty.
Instead of taking men carelessly, Yi Xue often left Tiantang House and returned to her hometown, and her absence at Tiantang often brought disappointment in the hearts of guests.
Her return to Tiantang tonight was unexpected, and even Duan Shuchun did not know that the younger lady would return tonight.
"Aiyah! I think Master Fang is just frustrated that his wife has an incurable disease right now," Duan Shuchun sighed after answering Yi Xue's cold statement. "You still remember when Tiantang was almost forcibly shut down by one of the officials in the Imperial Palace a few years ago, right? At that time, Master Fang helped me to talk to that person so that the palace wouldn't close this place down. I just didn't dare offend Master Fang because of the debt."
Duan Shuchun wasn't actually afraid of Fang Delun, but she felt indebted to the man, and that was why she didn't want to offend the man even if the man purposely caused trouble in Tiantang.
"You care so much about the past, huh?" Yi Xue casually asked the question. "I think that nasty rat will only be a hindrance to Tiantang. Should I teach him a lesson tonight?"
Duan Shuchun looked surprised, while Xia Qiao looked confused when she heard the question coming from Yi Xue.
"Are you going to Master Fang's house for real, Ah Xue? I know you're not a virgin anymore, but you wouldn't want to give yourself to the man you despise, would you? You've been resisting him for years, but you want to give up tonight? Are you serious?" The boss of Tiantang House once again asked the younger woman, and she looked worried for some reason.
"Yes, I will go to that rat's house after this, and you can see it as my way to reward him for his perseverance all these years," Yi Xue replied calmly, but her narrow eyes suddenly peeked at Xia Qiao who remained silent behind Duan Shuchun. "For now, I'd like to have a private chat with Ah Qiao, so can you leave us alone, old lady?"