One by one, the idols on stage came and went, while Wei Changtian watched and listened to Yang Liu’s explanations about the rules and regulations.
For instance, the distribution of rewards, and the rights and obligations after being crowned as the top idol.
Overall, it was similar to the live streaming industry in his previous life.
After earning money, it was equivalent to the platform officials taking a portion, and the various brothels taking another portion, leaving only a small fraction for the “anchors”.
Wei Changtian roughly calculated that the rewards he had seen so far, including the flowers given to the girls, had already exceeded 200, which was equivalent to over 10,000 silver coins.
At this rate, the officials would likely earn tens of thousands of silver coins in just one night.
Thinking of the poor county magistrate in Zhongling County who couldn’t even afford to pay his troops, Wei Changtian couldn’t help but sigh.
It was indeed a vast world, with different skies every ten miles.
……
The flower ranking continued.
After being told by Yang Liu that even if he got multiple embroidered handkerchiefs, he couldn’t sleep with multiple girls at the same time, Wei Changtian lost all interest in giving rewards and just sat there watching the excitement.
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Although the girls were all charming and lovely, one would eventually get tired of their beauty after seeing too much of it.
After all, these women were far inferior to Yang Liu in every aspect.
This feeling could be described as – the jade is in front, but the pottery cannot compare.
Or, in a more poetic way – the sea was once difficult to navigate, but now it’s not even a cloud.
Or, in simpler terms – is that all?
This was why Yang Liu couldn’t go on stage, or she would directly sweep the competition.
“…Xianglian girl, with a total of 37 flowers! Ranked 22nd on the flower chart!”
Another girl came down from the stage, and the turtle official loudly announced the score, placing a small wooden plaque with the words “Xianglian” on the corresponding position on the flower chart, while those ranked below her collectively dropped one place.
For example, the Yuwen girl was now ranked 54th, down from 53rd.
And there was even real-time ranking…
Wei Changtian listlessly took a sip of tea, turned his head, and looked at Liang Zhen.
The two men exchanged a glance, and it was clear that the latter was getting anxious.
These girls were not bad, but it was obvious that they couldn’t enter Liang Zhen’s eyes.
Wei Changtian had seen Liang Zhen’s wife, Liang Qingsheng’s mother.
To say the least, her figure was enough to overshadow all the others.
The two men looked at each other with increasing boredom, when suddenly, a loud and enthusiastic cheer erupted from the audience below.
“Suyu girl has arrived!”
“Suyu, the fairy, with elegant branches and beautiful leaves!”
“Those legs, that waist… rewarding!!”
In just an instant, dozens of peony flowers were thrown onto the stage, and the audience’s cheers and applause filled the air.
“Yonglong Bank, Liu the manager, rewards Suyu girl with three peony flowers!”
“Duan family, Duan Long, rewards Suyu girl with two peony flowers!”
“Lushan residence, Song Zhengming, rewards Suyu girl with one peony flower!”
“…”
This was the first time Wei Changtian had seen someone receive rewards as soon as they stepped onto the stage, and he couldn’t help but look at Suyu girl.
Her scattered flower-like water-green skirt, her light blue smoke-like veil, and the gold hairpin on her head, adorned with red jade.
Her appearance and temperament were indeed top-notch, especially her slender waist, which easily made people wonder if she could withstand certain intense movements.
However, the truth was that Wei Changtian didn’t have the same stunned feeling as when he first saw Yang Liu.
Because this person wasn’t as good as Yang Liu Shi, at most on the same level as Lu Jing Yao, barely surpassing Liang Qin.
“I, your humble servant, thank you, gentlemen.”
Standing amidst the flowers, Su Yu lightly curtsied, her gentle gaze sweeping over the crowd: “But there are still sisters waiting behind, so I’ll just draw a lot to perform first.”
“Let them wait! We want to see you!”
Someone shouted loudly, immediately triggering a chorus of agreement.
“That’s right! The position of the flower queen belongs to Miss Su Yu alone! It doesn’t matter if others compare or not!”
“Don’t argue with me! I’ve even brought the deed to my house and land! Miss Su Yu will be mine tonight!”
“Hmph! Peng Gongzi has a big mouth!”
“……”
Listening to the chaotic voices, Su Yu didn’t pay attention, only smiling as she reached into the wooden box to draw a lot. She quickly pulled out a small paper slip.
Turtle Officer took the slip, glanced at it, and loudly announced:
“Miss Su Yu drew… painting! A portrait!”
As the name suggests, the requirement for this topic was to paint on the spot.
Compared to other examination projects, “painting” should be the most difficult, but Su Yu didn’t show any signs of worry or anxiety, clearly confident in her painting skills.
The stagehands had already prepared brushes, ink, paper, and other materials, and since it was a portrait, a model was naturally needed.
The audience all vied to strike the most elegant and refined poses, hoping to be chosen by Su Yu and become the subject of her painting.
However, after Su Yu’s beautiful eyes swept over the crowd, she fixed her gaze on Wei Chang Tian, who was sitting with his legs crossed, drinking tea.
“This gentleman…”
Her red lips parted, and her sweet voice entered the ears: “May I have the honor of painting you?”
Why beat around the bush and say it in such a roundabout way?…
Wei Chang Tian thought to himself that being too handsome made it hard to be low-key, then shook his head seriously.
“Cannot.”
“……”
The pavilion fell silent, with countless eyes fixed on Wei Chang Tian, as if looking at a huge fool.
Some people thought he was brainless, some thought he was blind, and others thought his move was a terrible attempt at playing hard to get.
However, Wei Chang Tian didn’t care what others thought, and after refusing, he continued to drink tea, seemingly unaffected by the matter.
Fortunately, Su Yu was experienced and only slightly startled before immediately apologizing: “I, your humble servant, was too forward, please don’t blame me, sir.”
“No harm done.”
Wei Chang Tian waved his hand, dismissing her, and Su Yu knew that finding another man at this point might be inappropriate, giving the impression of using others as substitutes.
She thought for a moment before ordering someone to bring a copper mirror, softly saying to the audience: “Since it’s a portrait, why not have me paint myself?”
Paint herself?
The crowd’s eyes lit up, and they loudly agreed:
“This is a great idea!”
“A beauty painting a beauty! Marvelous!”
“Hahaha, if this gets out, it’ll be a famous story!”
“……”
Seeing the majority’s approval, plus the fact that painting herself didn’t violate the rules, Su Yu smiled softly and began to paint while facing the mirror.
This “beauty painting herself” scene was indeed novel, and soon, countless flowers rained down on the stage.
However, no matter how many flowers others threw, it was destined to be in vain, because Su Yu had already been secretly chosen by Liang Zhen tonight.
“Governor Liang, you can throw as many peonies as you want, and the cost of buying flowers will be covered by me!”
The plump county magistrate saw that the timing was almost right, so he summoned a few servants carrying flower baskets, their faces filled with flattering smiles.
Of course, as the host of the flower evaluation event, throwing a few peonies wouldn’t require Governor Liang to pay a single penny. He only said that to make Governor Liang feel a little more obligated.
“I don’t understand these things, Governor Chen.”
Governor Liang’s heart was as clear as a mirror, but he still had to pretend to be confused.
“However, this Miss Su Yu’s painting skills are indeed exceptional, worthy of praise. As for how many……”
He glanced at the servants and asked, “How many flowers do you have in these baskets?”
“There are over a hundred, sir.”
“Alright…”
Governor Liang nodded: “In that case, let’s throw them all up there!”
“What…?”
The servants were stunned, but the plump county magistrate reacted quickly, urging them: “Didn’t you hear what Governor Liang said? What are you waiting for?”
“Yes, yes…”
The servants didn’t dare disobey, and immediately ran to the edge of the stage. Under the gaze of everyone, they lifted the flower baskets and shook them…
Over a hundred gorgeous peonies scattered everywhere, as if a flower rain had fallen.
Everyone in the decorated hall was stunned, even Miss Su Yu stopped painting, her small mouth agape in surprise as she turned her head back.
“In Chengdu, Governor Liang rewards Miss Su Yu with 108 peonies!”
…
According to the previous flower evaluation event, one person rewarding five flowers was already considered a lot.
Even though Miss Su Yu was the strongest contender for the flower queen title, the most anyone had rewarded her was twenty flowers, divided into four times.
After all, rewarding once meant reporting one’s name once, equivalent to showing off one’s face once.
But now, Governor Liang had directly broken this record by five times!
108 peonies, equivalent to 5,000 silver taels!
Many people present had this kind of wealth, but no one would spend so much money to sleep with a woman.
Moreover, it was only for one night.
After a brief silence, the decorated hall erupted into a mixture of shocked and discussing voices, mostly speculating about the background of this important person who needed to be accompanied by the county magistrate.
Governor Liang didn’t care about this, still sitting there with a calm and composed expression.
As long as the plump county magistrate didn’t say anything, no one could recognize him as the Chengdu general.
Even if this news spread in the future, it wouldn’t be a big deal, at most, it would just be ridiculed by the wives in the capital.
Wei Changtian looked at Governor Liang’s calm expression and thought that this must be an “internal number” from the live broadcast platform, wondering if someone would jump out to “brush” against him.
As if to prove that there were always people who would risk their lives for face-saving, before he could even think about it, he saw several servants carrying flower baskets rushing to the stage, almost identical to the previous scene, scattering all the peonies.
“An Yi County, Peng Family, Peng Gongzi rewards Miss Su Yu with 120 peonies!”
“Wow!”
The audience below erupted into another wave of shock, with everyone’s gaze fixed on a young man in white clothing.
However, compared to Governor Liang’s calmness, this young master Peng was clearly forcing a smile, his face even a little pale.
Wei Changtian wasn’t clear about the Peng Family’s power, but there were people in the decorated hall who knew.
“The Peng Family? Isn’t that the one that does textile business? I remember their business isn’t that big…”
“Hey, didn’t you hear what Peng Gongzi said? He brought all the house deeds and land deeds from his family, vowing to enter Miss Su Yu’s pavilion tonight.”
“This… If the Peng Family patriarch finds out about this, won’t he be furious to death?”
“Who knows…”
The crowd whispered to each other, their eyes fixed on Peng Benzhi without a hint of admiration, even with a tinge of disdain.
However, Peng Benzhi had long since stopped caring about what others thought of him. His eyes were fixed on Liang Zhen, seemingly angry yet pleading.
He had already exhausted all means, not only using the money from his business, but even mortgaging several rooms in his house.
If Liang Zhen raised the price again…
“Lord Liang, won’t you grant a few more?”
The plump county magistrate glanced at Peng Benzhi, then turned to Liang Zhen with a flattering tone: “In my humble opinion, it’s better to directly add up to 200…”
“Alright, let’s follow County Magistrate Chen’s suggestion.”
Liang Zhen nodded indifferently, and soon several servants scattered a few baskets of peonies on the stage under Peng Benzhi’s desperate gaze.
The crowd had already become numb to this, and Su Yu was stunned, holding her brush, unsure of what to say.
“Shu State, Lord Liang, grant Su Yu 92 peonies!”
Two hundred, ten thousand silver, one thousand gold!
“Boom!”
As the shout echoed, the elegant white-clothed young master suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Someone kindly helped him up, and only when they drew close did they hear Peng Benzhi muttering to himself, his voice trembling.
“Money, money…! I can still afford it…”
“Su Yu will definitely be mine tonight… definitely be mine…”
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…
The flower evaluation continued in an eerie atmosphere.
Although Peng Benzhi said he could still afford it, in reality, he didn’t take any action, sitting listlessly at the table, his expression pitiful.
Perhaps due to the influence of the “competition storm,” the second half of Su Yu’s self-portrait showed a clear decline in quality, but overall, it was still an exceptional work, revealing her true skills.
As for how many peonies she ultimately received… 476, ranking first.
“Thank you, everyone, for the flowers.”
“Thank you, Lord Liang, thank you… Lord Peng.”
Su Yu glanced at Peng Benzhi, who was still in a daze, let out a soft sigh, and stepped down from the stage.
The subsequent girls knew they had no chance, so they all shortened their stage time, completing the entire “main competition” in less than an hour.
The title of flower queen had become clear, and with only one procedure left to complete the “flower evaluation” – the flower-picking ceremony.
A large bouquet of a hundred flowers was sent to the stage, with the highest spot reserved for the revered peony.
Su Yu needed to choose a man to come on stage and pick the peony for her, symbolizing her acquisition of the flower queen title and her selection of her “first night” partner.
The old madam, acting as the host, chattered on about “the beauty of the flowers, with the peony as the first,” and the beauties, re-dressed, reappeared on stage.
Su Yu wore a red dress with a wide, intricately embroidered hem, her long hair styled in a bun, adorned with a jade hairpin, and a golden step-in inserted.
Compared to her simple attire earlier, Su Yu now looked almost like a bride-to-be.
“Swoon~”
The sound of collective gasps echoed in the embroidered building, and the old madam deliberately waited for everyone to take a look before laughing and saying: “Su Yu, hurry up and point out your chosen one!”
“Yes.”
Su Yu lowered her head, slowly turning her body towards Liang Zhen’s direction.
This outcome was expected by everyone.
Although there was no explicit rule stating that she had to choose the one who spent the most, if someone had spent the most money, it would be unreasonable not to let them have their way.
“Lord Liang…”
Su Yu on the stage had already spoken, and Liang Zhen straightened up slightly.
But at this moment, someone suddenly appeared beside Peng Benzhi, who was about to faint, and shouted loudly:
“Su Yu, wait a minute!”
“Huh?”
The sudden change of events instantly caught everyone’s attention, and soon someone recognized the speaker.
“Song Zhengming? Song Dajia?”
“What? Is that the renowned Song Zhengming from Lushan?”
“Absolutely not mistaken! I saw him lecturing in Luzhou City a few months ago!”
“What is he trying to do?”
“……”
This Song Zhengming seemed to have a great reputation in Luzhou, but everyone was unsure why he suddenly interrupted Su Yu.
“Peng Gongzi……”
Song Zhengming looked at Peng Benzhi, sighed softly, and said, “Ah, although we’ve never met, I received a great favor from your father over a decade ago.”
“……Forget it, today I’ll help you out, and consider it as repaying that debt.”
After Song Zhengming finished speaking, everyone thought he was going to pay for Peng Benzhi.
But for a literary person, mentioning money was too mundane.
He suddenly pulled out a piece of paper from his bosom and, facing Su Yu, recited in a clear voice:
“I’ll dedicate this poem to the young lady on behalf of Peng Gongzi……”
“Equivalent to a thousand gold coins!”