I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 54 Zhao Ji Visits a Prostitute
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In fact, not many people care about Zhao Mao's illness.

After all, not everyone was as worried about Zhao Mao as Zhao Xu and Liu Qingjing, and not everyone knew that Zhao Mao's life was coming to an end as Zhao Ya, Zhang Chun, and Empress Dowager Xiang did.

For most people, Zhao Mao’s illness had nothing to do with them. Of course, they would continue to sing and dance.

And Zhao Ji was one of these majority of people.

After the morning court session that day, Zhao Ji quickly put the gloomy Zhao Xu behind him and walked home with Gao Qiu and other servants, ready to go home for food, drink and fun.

To be honest, it’s no wonder that Zhao Ji didn’t take Zhao Xu’s worries to heart.

Since he took power, Zhao Xu has often been in deep sorrow and depressed. Zhao Ji has long been accustomed to it and did not feel that this time was any different.

Besides, Zhao Ji was just an idle prince. Emperor Zhao Xu and his ministers only let him enjoy wealth and glory and did not let him do anything meaningful. Therefore, even if Zhao Xu really had something troubled, he could not help and the ministers would not let him help.

So, all Zhao Ji had in his mind was, what fun things should he find to have fun after returning home?
When passing by the Beijing Tailor House, Zhao Ji saw Cai Jing's eldest son Cai You again.

Cai You dismounted and stood by the road with his hands clasped in front of his chest. He was humble, well-mannered, with delicate features and a very approachable appearance.

This was not the first time Zhao Ji and Cai You met.

In fact, Cai You frequently took advantage of his position, calculated the time when court officials would leave the court, and deliberately met Zhao Ji on his way back home, hoping to gain political support for himself.

This frequent and regular "encounter" quickly attracted Zhao Ji's attention.

Zhao Ji had long been curious about Cai You, who had good looks and good manners. He asked his followers about his identity, and after learning that he was the son of Cai Jing, he was even more impressed by him.

The two had been in spiritual communication for such a long time, Zhao Ji felt that it was time for him to formally meet Cai You and become friends.

So Zhao Ji asked Gao Qiu to invite Cai You over.

Zhao Ji and Cai You hit it off right away and had a great conversation. Zhao Ji immediately invited Cai You to his home to eat, drink and have fun together.

Skillful.

Soon, Li Bangyan also arrived at Prince Duan's Mansion.

A few people with similar interests recited poems and composed couplets, and adapted street sayings into lyrics and sang them aloud.

Cai You even wore a short shirt and narrow pants, painted himself in green and red, and mingled with singing and dancing artists and dwarfs, saying many joking and frivolous words about street scoundrels and adulterers to win Zhao Ji's favor.

After a while, they talked about Nie Shengqiong, a famous prostitute in Fanlou.

After listening to Nie Shengqiong's "Quail Sky: Sent to Li Zhiwen", Zhao Ji praised Nie Shengqiong's talent. He also heard the story of Nie Shengqiong and Li Zhiwen and praised this love relationship.

Gao Qiu, Li Bangyan and Cai You praised Nie Shengqiong's beauty. Li Bangyan even said that no woman in Prince Duan's mansion could surpass Nie Shengqiong.

Li Bangyan stepped on the beauties in Prince Duan's mansion to promote Nie Shengqiong, but Zhao Ji was not angry at all. Instead, he became curious about Nie Shengqiong.

Cai You asked, "Is this Madam Nie really so stunningly beautiful?"

"It's even better than before," said Li Bangyan.

"Why don't we go and pay a visit to Madam Nie before she becomes a good woman, so as to avoid any regrets?" Gao Qiu suggested.

"How can it be so easy to meet Madam Nie?"

"If you want to win the favor of a courtesan like Madam Nie, all the talented people in Fanlou will have to compete for it. There can only be one winner, and it is impossible without unparalleled talent."

"Not to mention you two, even I have no chance of winning."

At this point, Li Bangyan looked at Zhao Ji and said, "Only if Your Majesty goes there in person, perhaps he can see Lady Nie."

Upon hearing this, Cai You boldly suggested, "In that case, let Your Majesty give it a try, what do you think?" Nie Shengqiong was the most famous courtesan of the time, with a widespread reputation. She was the object of pursuit by scholars, nobles, and nobles, and she was quite famous among officials.

Zhao Ji was so tempted by what Gao Qiu and the other two said that he wanted to see her beauty.

Gao Qiu and the other two naturally encouraged Zhao Ji and vowed not to leak the news.

Zhao Ji couldn't resist the temptation, so he disguised himself and hid his identity, and came to Fanlou accompanied by Gao Qiu and two others.

Zhao Ji's literary talent was truly extraordinary. His thoughts flowed like a spring, and he wrote several good poems in a row. He also had unparalleled calligraphy. Most importantly, he spent money lavishly, so he was soon received by Nie Shengqiong, who wanted to make a final dowry before retiring.

However, just as Zhao Ji was listening to music comfortably in Nie Shengqiong's room, Cai You, the playboy, became jealous and started arguing with someone.

The official prostitute system of the Song Dynasty explicitly prohibited prostitutes from entertaining officials, but this regulation mainly targeted prostitutes rather than guests.

Therefore, officials or royal family members who travel in a private capacity are not subject to direct constraints.

It was precisely because of this that, although they guessed that Liang Shicheng might want to teach Zhao Ji a lesson, they took into account that even if Zhao Ji was caught visiting a brothel, he would not be severely punished. If they did not help Liang Shicheng, not only would their daily source of income be gone, but they might also offend the man behind Liang Shicheng who dared to deal with even the prince. Therefore, Gao Qiu and Li Bangyan chose to betray their master for fame and fortune.

In fact, many powerful officials of this era would enter and exit brothels under pseudonyms or in secret. Zhao Ji was not the first royal family member to visit a brothel, and he would definitely not be the last.

The literati and scholars of this era also considered visiting brothels as an elegant activity. Poets such as Liu Yong and Zhou Bangyan had close contacts with brothel girls and even wrote a large number of related poems.

This cultural atmosphere also provided legitimacy for Zhao Ji's visits to brothels.

That's why Zhao Ji couldn't resist the temptation and followed Gao Qiu and the other two to Fanlou to see for himself.

But then again, although society at that time was relatively tolerant of brothel culture, if members of the royal family openly visited brothels, it would still likely spark public criticism.

What's more, if a member of the royal family was caught visiting a brothel, it would not only affect the personal image of the royal member, but also have a negative impact on the image of the royal family.

Let’s put it this way, the artistic attributes of high-end brothels provided a cover of “elegance” for Zhao Ji’s behavior of visiting brothels, making it easier for society to condone it, but it was necessary to avoid public pressure.

To put it bluntly, everyone knew that Zhao Ji could not be caught visiting brothels, but if he was caught, it might violate official norms and moral bottom lines, and trigger political risks.

Zhao Ji knew all this very well and certainly didn't want the matter to get out of hand.

So, when he saw Cai You arguing with someone, Zhao Ji hurried out, wanting to calm things down and avoid the situation escalating and causing adverse effects.

Unexpectedly, the other party had no martial ethics. When Zhao Ji appeared, a strong young master went up and punched Zhao Ji, hitting him in the left eye.

Gao Qiu and Li Bangyan, fearing that something might happen to Zhao Ji, quickly went forward to protect him.

The two sides immediately started fighting each other.

Not to mention, Zhao Ji, who had really good physical fitness, was also quite brave. In the chaos of the battle, he even kicked over a yamen official.

This made Zhao Ji, who had never had such an experience before, feel very excited and even eager to try it.

But at this moment, someone shouted: "The thin and delicate one is Prince Duan. You guys are courting death. You even dare to hit Prince Duan. Why don't you run away!!!"

When they heard that the other side had a prince, a group of yamen officials shouted, "Aye!" and immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

Zhao Ji reacted quickly. He quickly covered his face with his sleeves and ran away.

But no matter how fast Zhao Ji ran, he could not spread as fast as the rumors.

The next day, the story of Zhao Ji having a prostitute and being beaten black and blue in the eye because of jealousy spread like wildfire, and a children's song was even published:
His Royal Highness Prince Duan loves to seek pleasure, sneaking out of the palace to play with prostitutes. He roams around the red-light districts, living a leisurely life...

……

(End of this chapter)