Chapter 58: A Comb That Sparked War

  Two girls each held one side of the butterfly hairpin, sizing each other up. Xiao Ding was dressed in a lotus-patterned jacket and trousers, with her hair styled in three buns, and still had some childish innocence between her eyebrows and eyes. The woman was about two years older than her, wearing an angled crown on her head, a pale green dress, and a thin reddish-brown cape over it, holding a silk fan in her hand.

  Although she is only two years older, this girl has a pretty face and a charming demeanor. If Xiaodai is still an unripe fruit, this girl is a ripe peach that has just emitted its fragrance.

  Having seen each other's appearance and dress, a hint of disdain flashed in the eyes of the two girls at the same time, and they began to compare hands.

  "Hey, I saw it first." After a brief struggle with no clear winner, Xiao Qi couldn't help but say.

  "That girl smiled and said: 'You're such a domineering woman, what you see first is yours.'"

  The boss of the jewelry store, who was busy making excuses, said: "Two girls, why bother arguing? I have many styles here, you two can choose one, they all look very pretty."

  The little girl pouted her face and said seriously: "I want this one"

  The girl smiled faintly and said with a hint of mischief: "Unfortunately, I am too."

  Two hands exerted force simultaneously again, grasping the wings of that "butterfly" tightly, two pairs of eyes collided fiercely with each other, and a string of sparks burst out instantly.

  Xia Liu couldn't help but laugh, it was just a comb after all.

  Although Xia Yu had been in this era for over a year, there were still many things he didn't understand, such as the girl's attire. He only thought that the girl was beautiful and demure, but her clothes seemed a bit plain. However, he didn't know that this outfit was actually a uniform, which was what people from the brothel had to wear when they went out.

  According to the Ming Code, entertainers must wear a green headscarf and tie a red apron around their waist when going out. They are not allowed to walk in the middle of the street, only on the sides. When prostitutes go out, they are not allowed to wear gold or silver jewelry, only a simple hairpin, and they must wear a brown skirt to distinguish themselves from ordinary people. Because of this humiliating rule, few prostitutes venture out, which is why Xia Liu, this half-baked young master, couldn't tell the girl's identity from her clothes.

  Xia Fan shook his head disapprovingly and advised, "Xiao Qi, it's just a comb, don't argue with others over it. Why not choose another one? It doesn't matter if you pick several more, I'll buy them for you. Look, this pipa-shaped one is quite good."

  Xiao Qi didn't like the woman in front of her, no reason, just a kind of instinctive feeling. She didn't want to give in to this woman and stubbornly said: "I don't, I just like this one, I want this one."

  Peng Ziqi was also a woman, and women are not reasonable but affectionate. She didn't think twice, immediately walked between the two of them, stretched out her fingers and plucked it, that woman and Xiao Ding both felt their wrists shake, their fingers couldn't hold on, and the butterfly hairpin fell into Peng Ziqi's hands.

  Peng Ziqi smiled and said, "The black silk threads are tied in a knot on the forehead, at the age of fifteen, I can see that you have not married yet by looking at your face. The hairpins on both sides of the temples are still visible. This butterfly hairpin is bright and lively, just suitable for Xiao Qi, take it."

  Xiao Ding happily accepted the comb and smiled sweetly at Peng Ziqi, saying "Thank you, Brother Peng." Then she wrinkled her nose in a show of disdain towards the woman.

  The woman snorted, her expression somewhat displeased, but she glanced at Xia Yu and saw his handsome appearance. Her eyes lit up, and her angry expression dissipated. Those almond-shaped eyes, misty and hazy, took another close look at the extremely expensive top-grade jade on his waist, and her expression became even more gentle: "What do you have to say, young master?"

  "Sorry, my maid is under my control, but this friend, I can't control. It's just a small trinket, miss, don't bother with her, why not choose another one, and I'll give it to you as an apology gift?"

  The woman's eyes flowed with a hint of sarcasm as she said, "Young master is really generous, using these few pieces of money to try to get rid of someone. Alright, I don't want to take advantage of you either. Since that's the case, please help me choose a comb that suits my taste."

  She said, as she lightly moved her lotus steps, walking towards Xiaoxiao. Suddenly, a small twig appeared under her feet and inserted itself between the two of them. With her hands on her hips, she puffed out her small chest and fiercely said: "Stay away from my young master."

  The woman chuckled and said, "Hey, from a distance, I can smell a sour taste. How old is the little girl? Her chest is flat, it's still an uncultivated field, and you're in a hurry to find a cow to plow?"

  Xiao Qi's face turned bright red with shame at her bold words, which she would never have dared to say out loud. She wanted to retort, but after glancing at the other person's impressive chest and then sneaking a peek at her own small breasts, Xiao Qi felt somewhat deflated. Peng Ziqi pulled her aside and said seriously, "Arguing with this kind of person will only tarnish our reputation, let's go."

  Xia Yu looked at the woman with a flirtatious gaze and speech, also feeling that she didn't seem like a decent housewife. He cupped his hands and turned to leave, but the woman wouldn't let him off the hook, saying: "Young master just said he wanted to give someone a comb, did you forget so quickly?"

  Xia Fu had no choice but to stop in his tracks, glance at the stall, and casually pick up a comb to hand over, saying: "How about this one?"

  The comb Xia Yu picked up was a "Magu offering longevity" comb made of cow horn. The comb was carved with the pattern of Magu offering longevity, with one hand holding a fairy stick and the other hand holding a jade plate, with delicate and elegant clothes, and the teeth of the comb were carved out from the skirt part, which was less lively than the butterfly comb but more elegant. Although it was picked up casually, it was very suitable for the woman's age and figure.

  The woman didn't mind his somewhat perfunctory attitude, and with a curtsy, she smiled brightly and said: "Thank you, sir, for the gift of the comb. My surname is Zi, and my full name is Ziyifueng; I don't dare ask your esteemed surname and given name."

  "What's with the surname Zi? It's quite a rare surname." Xia Jiao thought to herself, and casually replied: "I'm Yang Xu, Miss Zi. I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

  As soon as Xia Yu reported his name, the woman exclaimed: "Ah Yang Xu, is the young master Yang Wenyuan, Master Yang?"

  "Xia Xiuqi said: 'Do you know me?'"

  Zǐ yī téng xīn rán dào: "Nú jiā suī bù shí dé gōng zǐ, què shì jiǔ yǎng dà míng, xiǎng bù dào jìng shì Yáng gōng zǐ dāng miàn, nú jiā yǒu yǎn bù shí tài shān, hái qǐng gōng zǐ shù zuì. Chéng méng Yáng gōng zǐ huì cì, xiǎo nǚ rén yī dìng……"

  She hadn't finished speaking when a sarcastic voice said: "Oh, isn't this Yang Wenxuan, Master Yang?"

  The voice came from behind Zigu Niang, and Xia Xun looked up to see two young masters walking towards him with a swaggering gait. The two men were dressed in the same style of cloud-patterned robes with crossed collars and right-fastened sleeves, their feet clad in

  Boots, holding a handle of white jade fan with lotus flowers in full court, hair tied back in a Dao knot, horizontally inserted with a jade hairpin.

  The one who spoke was about twenty-five or six years old, with a long face, light eyebrows, and a dark mole on his right cheek. The other man seemed to be several years older than him, but looked much worse, with a square face, an eight-character beard, thick eyebrows, narrow eyes, a large mouth, and although he was dressed in scholarly attire, there were several horizontal wrinkles on his cheeks, looking somewhat rough, yet his expression showed a very obvious air of arrogance.

  "Violet Girl"

  The man speaking put away his fan and bowed slightly towards Ziyu: "Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss. This is my cousin."

  He nodded slightly with a proud expression and said, "My humble surname is Cao, Cao Yu Guang."

  The young scholar with a long face smiled and said: "Cousin, this is the purple-robed Tzu-yu, the 'Mirror Flower Water Moon'."

  That person had just seen the appearance of Purple Robe Teng, and his eyes were already shining brightly. At this time, he smiled slightly and nodded: "Not bad, indeed not bad. In Jinan Prefecture, she is also considered one of the top red girls."

  "Haha, didn't little brother say it correctly? As long as big brother likes it, that's all that matters."

  He said that, the long-faced bookworm disdainfully stared at Xia Yu with a glance, and spoke in an ambiguous tone: "Young Master Yang is very well-informed, it turns out you've also heard about Miss Purple Robe's recent engagement to the Crown Prince. What's going on? Are you starting to make private contact, wanting to get close to her through the water tower, and be the first to take advantage of the situation? Sorry, my cousin also likes Miss Purple Robe very much, Young Master Yang is likely to leave disappointed this time."

  Xia Liu had been watching him with narrowed eyes since he appeared, vaguely feeling that this person seemed familiar. He immediately became vigilant and realized that this person must be the one Zhang Thirteen had painted for himself. However, Yang Wenxuan had already passed some time, and his memory of that period had weakened somewhat. It wasn't until now that he vaguely recalled the identity of the man in front of him, and he couldn't help but exclaim: "You are Jiang Zhigong?"

  "It's really true that noble people often forget things, you're only recognizing Jiang now?"

  Jiang Zhiqing just said he was pretending to be disdainful, and somewhat embarrassedly said: "Last time at the Xiao Xiang Pavilion, Yiyi girl hung up her plaque and combed her hair, this young master was temporarily invited by friends to go, so I didn't bring enough money, and was beaten by you Yang Wenxuan. This time it can't be as you wish, my cousin has taken a liking to the purple-clothed girl, you'd better leave early."

  Xia Liu heard him mention the hanging plate ceremony, and he already knew the identity of this purple girl in front of him. The so-called hanging plate ceremony is a ritual for the young girls in the brothel to officially hang their plaques and receive guests when they come of age. Because it was her first time, the pleasure-seeking customers flocked to her, each bidding against each other, and the winner would become this girl's first patron.

  Xia Xian had heard Zhang Thirteen say that Yang Wenyuan and Jiang Zhigong, the manager of Zhuo's Silk Store, had competed for the right to comb Yiyi's hair at the Xiao Xiang Pavilion, each lavishing large sums of money. In the end, Yang Wenyuan emerged victorious and ridiculed Jiang Zhigong severely. The two men had been enemies ever since, and Xia Xian had even suspected him of being an assassin. Who would have thought that it wasn't until today that they met for the first time?

  Having understood the identity of this purple girl, after listening to Jiang Zhiqiang's words, Xia Xun had already guessed a few points of truth: It was likely that this purple girl would be marrying soon, and Jiang Zhiqiang's elder cousin came from Jinan as a guest, heard the news, and wanted to take a look at her first to decide whether to contend for her first night. On the day of the brothel's debut, there wouldn't be only one girl, but a group of newly grown beauties appearing together, competing with each other, and the men participating in the competition were also diverse, with complex backgrounds, so it was normal that there would be some shady dealings involved.

  As soon as Xia Yu understood the situation, he wanted to leave, but before he could speak, Cao Gongzi withdrew his shoulder and pointed at the tip of his nose: "This woman, I want her, you can go. If you also fancy her, hehe, wait until I'm tired of playing with her, then you can come and drink my hot pot water, it's not too late."

  Zigouniang's pretty face suddenly turned red, although she was a girl who grew up in the brothel, destined to be familiar with men and entertain them with her body, there was nothing shameful to say, but being treated like a commodity by the man in front of her, arguing over her like that, it was even more unbearable than the comb that had just been fought over, how could she bear such humiliation, but this shame she could only hide in her heart.

  Xia Jiong furrowed his brow and said: "Cao Gongzi, I didn't think...".

  Cao Yu Guang impatiently interrupted him, saying lightly: "I don't want to know what you think, just remember that in terms of wealth, I have more than you. In terms of power, I am greater than you. If you compete with me for women, you will die a terrible death. Know your place and get out."

  Xia Liu was originally going to leave, but after hearing his words, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Cao Yu Guang with a cold gaze. Zi Yi, who was standing beside him, watched the scene unfold with a detached expression, but suddenly felt a spark of inspiration. The men before her, although they had never stirred any emotions in her heart, now seemed to be presenting her with an excellent opportunity amidst this humiliating scene that filled her with joy.

  "Yang Gongzi..." Zi Niang called out to Xia Jiang, her back still turned to him. She didn't say another word, but her eyes had already spoken volumes. Her eyes were filled with pleading, longing, resentment, and adoration. This gaze was enough to stir a man's chivalry, enough to awaken a man's desire to protect her.

  At this moment, Purple Girl was simply the best actress, using the most vivid body language to portray a helpless woman who was forced by others and needed to be pitied and protected. Xia Yu rarely felt moved when watching movies, and he wasn't impressed by performances, so Purple Girl's outstanding performance didn't move him, but Cao Yuguang's expression, with his eyes looking up at the sky and his chin raised, seemed to interest him greatly.

  He gazed at Cao Yu Guang's two nostrils, where his nasal hair curled up, and suddenly didn't want to leave.

  Cao Yu Guang opened his narrow eyes and shouted: "Still not leaving?"

  Xia Chuo smiled and said with great pleasure: "So, Duke Cao also likes Zi Gu Niang? Ah ha, it's really 'great minds think alike'. Originally, as a guest from afar, I should have yielded to Duke Cao, but unfortunately, I too have fallen in love with Zi Gu Niang at first sight. Even if you are a mighty dragon, can you suppress this humble snake of the earth? Therefore... it is you who should leave."

  As soon as Xia Yu finished speaking, two deadly glares shot over from the side, despite the fact that those two girls seemed to have no right to interfere with his business.

  Cao Yu Guang seemed to have heard the most absurd joke, pointing at Xia Jun and holding his belly in laughter: "Haha, Zhi Qing, did you hear that? He wants to compete with me? Haha, haha, it's killing me..."

  Jiang Zhiqing accompanied him with a smile, but Cao Yugang suddenly turned his face cold and said in a cold voice: "You are so arrogant and ignorant of the heights of heaven and earth. Do you think you can compete with me, Cao, for a woman? Be careful or you will lose everything."

  A hint of slyness flashed across Xia Yu's eyes, and he smiled warmly, saying: "Since Young Master Cao is so confident, why don't we make a bet?"

  PS: There's an activity on YY tonight, starting at 7:30. Those without a number can download the YY software and search for "YY" in the search engine to find it. After installation, just register a number and enter channel 28540. I'll sing a song too ^_^