"Ning Que being tricked into our brothel is an interesting thing in itself. That night, Miss Jane made it clear that no one should entertain him. Not to mention the ladies of the other brothels, none of us would dare disobey her orders here. But he still comes here often. What does this prove?

Something twinkled in Dewdrop's eyes, and she smiled softly. "It proves that this lad is just here to make small talk to us. People like us actually really enjoy having simple and innocent chats with people.

Situ Yilan propped up her chin with the palm of her hand and leaned on the armrest, as if she was in deep thought.

Dew smiled and continued, "We love chatting with him because we can't be ourselves in our usual conversations. We must constantly think about how we can strive to make our esteemed customers happy. Ning Que likes to chat with us because there is pressure buried in him, and only through these chats can he be relieved. It seems that he can only relax in this kind of person, chatting with people like us.

Situ Yilan frowned, her eyes full of curiosity. "What kind of pressure can he have?"

"I don't know what problems Ning Que is facing in life, but I know something is wrong." Dewdrop's smile faded, and she said sadly, "In your eyes, he is nothing more than a quiet and calm young man. Only a worldly and miserable person like us can see the melancholy hidden in his heart.

The popular prostitute in Chang'an said gently: "In addition, I am also an orphan like him.

Ning Que pushed open the red-lacquered door, lifted the bead curtain, and walked into the dimly lit and quiet room. He drank two large bowls of decanting soup and took a refreshing warm bath. He was also lying on a bamboo bed where someone had once died, receiving intense treatment from a masseuse. Most of his drunkenness had been sorted out, and he felt much clearer now.

Looking at the woman who was wrapped in inconspicuous clothes and hid her perfect body, with a wide and smooth forehead, and the lines at the corners of her eyes, he felt that he would rather be drunk at the moment. He could guess what he would go through next. Although he thinks that this woman is too strict with him, he must admit that there are concerns in her stern attitude. Therefore, he could not refuse, but could only endure painfully.

"Since I haven't seen you in a while, I thought you had finally entered the academy and learned to express yourself. I thought you finally understood the importance of seeking knowledge. Who knows how much your learning hasn't increased, but you've made great strides in the art of drinking.

Miss Jane looked at him calmly, without a trace of bitter hatred. However, it was her neutral tone that put a lot of pressure on him. He muttered, but was speechless. He forced himself to calm down to ease his embarrassment, but he suddenly hiccuped. The smell is unpleasant.

She frowned at the sour smell that permeated the room and glared at him. For a moment, she smiled self-deprecatingly, as she realized that her anger was completely irrational. How could she keep making this young man in front of her suffer for that man's sins? She tried to keep her voice as calm as she could, saying, "Tell me what you've learned at the academy lately."

Ning Que took a cup of strong tea from Xiaocao and took a few sips to calm himself down. He sincerely thanked him, cleared his throat, and then seriously explained his life in the academy.

"It sounds like you've been very diligent. Since you don't have a foundation in calligraphy and etiquette, you need to put more effort into it instead of giving them up. You need to know that after leaving the academy, you will need to live on these skills, whether you are an official or a shepherd.

Miss Jian smiled with relief, and when she heard Ning Que go to the old library every day, her crow's feet deepened. "Since you enter the library every day, you must know the mysteries of the second floor."

"Yes," he replied politely.

She pondered for a while before she asked seriously, "When do you think you will be able to enter the second floor?"

He lifted his sleeve to cover his mouth, forcibly suppressing the urge to burp and even vomit. "Only cultivation geniuses can enter that place, and my physical condition is not suitable for cultivation at all. I didn't even dare to enter the second floor.

"Son, can you be more ambitious? It's not easy to get accepted into such a good institution, so you have to take your chances. What is there to covet, what is there to covet......"

She looked at him with a frown, as if she wanted to lament that he had no ambitions. At that time, she saw with her own eyes how the man ostentatiously rode a donkey up to the second floor. Her mind was vaguely associated with Ning Que and that man, and she couldn't help but want to make up for her past regrets. She continued to convince him, saying, "The academy is a place where miracles are made. But if you yourself think it's impossible, who else can help you?

Ning Que didn't know the person who rode a little black donkey to Chang'an and finally made a name for himself. However, the man suddenly disappeared like duckweed in a rainstorm. Ning Que naturally didn't understand why Miss Jian cared so much about a poor kid like him. He knew there was a reason for it, but decided not to care about it. At the end of the day, he was grateful for the zealous teachings of this kind woman.

This is exactly what he lacked in his life. His experience in the back of a bicycle in his previous life may have been another form of worry, but he didn't like it. In this life, he also enjoyed such devotion, but at the age of four, everything was swallowed up by bloody things. He was really grateful to her and even touched, which made him answer her questions discreetly. This inevitably slowed him down, much to Miss Jane's annoyance.

"We are neither family nor friends. If it weren't for my impulse, I wouldn't have bothered to tell you this. So you don't have any ambivalent emotions. I'm not trying to hurt you and make you cherish the opportunity to study at the Academy.

She looked at him and continued quite seriously: "I told you that rich people like Zhu Youxian can have fun here, but poor children like you have no rights. It's the same today. Noble ladies like Miss Situ and the Kim sisters can play here, but you can't. The only reason they try to approach you is because they think you're funny. They're curious about you. Their interests are not malicious, but after all, they are not true respect.

"If you want to be true friends with them, you need to develop an ability and charisma that will earn their respect. If you can step into the second floor of the academy, I believe that everyone in the world would like to make friends with you.

She picked up the golden dew in the cup and took a sip to moisten her throat. She looked up and calmly continued, "You can come here to relax later, but not too often. You also can't drink too much alcohol. I'm a natural lady, and I wouldn't say it's degrading to indulge in a brothel, but I don't think it's classy or rewarding either. 30 years ago, the great poet Mr. Cao Cun spent the first half of his life in a brothel, but who would dare to disrespect him? He even ended up marrying the prime minister's daughter, but it wasn't because his time in brothels earned him a great reputation. After all, it's because of his incomparable talent!

"The Tang Dynasty valued talent. As long as you have talent and ability, they will not bury you, whether you are downstairs or upstairs, indoor or outdoor, a young man from a border city, or a nobleman from Chang'an.

After Miss Jane's class was over, Ning Que went downstairs with one hand covering her forehead. He found that the meeting was over and learned from the butler that it was Ms. Szeto who had paid the bill. He considered himself lucky that he was able to keep his 2 silver for a little longer.

Just as he was about to say goodbye to Dew Drop and the others, the maid Xiaocao, under the orders of Miss Jane, unceremoniously drove him into the carriage. She then told the driver to get the drunk lad back to Lin 47th Street as soon as possible.

Inside the carriage, Ning Que was so shocked that he wanted to vomit, but for some reason, he was still quite sober. He continued to ponder a serious question. He was willing to sacrifice his health and spirit to enter the old library and the second floor because of his interests, but also because of his desire to strengthen himself and seek revenge. Does he have another reason to add now? So he can be well received in a brothel?

While his mind was messing up in the carriage, another guest came to Dewdrop. As one of the most popular in the House of Red Sleeves, she has the right to choose and even refuse guests, except for some regulars, such as censor Zhang Yilu. However, she had to hide her exhaustion and pour tea for the late-night guest.

"Go wash your face. A beautiful woman like you shouldn't be as dirty as an old guy like me.