The lanterns lit up as night fell.
At night, the liveliest place was surely Changle Lane. Located behind the main street of Citong Town, Changle Lane was a strip filled with entertainment, gambling, and fights.
This kind of entertainment street was legally operated in Dongling, and most men released their extra energy there. Ever since it was built, the number of street fights had dropped significantly.
Indigo stood coldly in the depths of Changle Lane after using his whip to drive away a few drunkards and settle some troublemakers. He stopped in front of a small building called Spring Breeze Court.
Compared to the rough style of society, this place looked more delicate and refined.
Red lanterns hung along with colorful silk. At the entrance, a few brightly dressed men leaned lazily. Their clothes were vivid, faces painted pale, and yet they had thick builds, making them appear out of place.
They were the young male courtesans here, also called little lords, all dressed in women's clothing to attract customers, since women had become the ultimate fantasy for most men in this era.
Suddenly spotting a tall, elegant, and striking man at the door, the courtesans' eyes lit up.
But the icy and untouchable air about him made them hesitate to approach.
After a while, seeing he still didn't move or enter, one of the courtesans cautiously stepped forward. "Young master, is it your first time here?"
Indigo gave him a glance from head to toe, pausing briefly at the waist-hugging dress.
Inside Spring Breeze Court, men danced wildly and dressed as women, thick with the scent of powder and perfume, and the sound of music and wine flowed everywhere.
If Aenwyn saw this, she would surely be shocked. This level of openness was even more outrageous than some unspeakable modern parties.
In a spacious and luxurious private room, Haozhou leaned comfortably against soft cushions, sipping wine and watching the ridiculous scenes below from a second-floor window.
"How can they be called women?" he sneered at the rough-bodied courtesans whose arms looked thicker than his.
Spring Breeze Court had different ranks of courtesans. The slimmer, more feminine ones were the highest class and only served special guests in private rooms. The bulky ones below had to serve many people.
"Haozhou, Cuicui wants to feed you some wine." A man with delicate features leaned in and poured wine into his mouth. His figure was small, his voice neither clearly male nor female. Cuddled into Haozhou's arms, his low and soft tone almost made him seem like a woman at a glance.
He was Haozhou's newest favorite, and they had been indulging in pleasure together these past few days.
Cuicui looked at the other courtesans nearby with a smug expression.
Vixen. The others bit their teeth in jealousy. Haozhou, though short-tempered, was generous and a nobleman too, unlike the usual rude clients. Everyone wanted a chance to serve him, but that fox had taken over.
Hmph, let's see how long he can stay in favor. Once that part of a man's body gets overused, it becomes useless. Let's see what else he can offer then.
Haozhou ignored the jealousy around him. After spotting a tall, slim figure walking with one of the courtesans into a room across the hall, he raised an eyebrow with a sly smile.
Was the sun rising from the west? He had actually seen Indigo here.
But what was that guy doing here? Tired of his new plaything? Or maybe his tool wasn't working anymore? He grinned darkly.
Haozhou leaned close and whispered something to Cuicui, who giggled and sashayed away.
Before half a cup of tea passed, Indigo walked out holding a bundle, as the courtesans bowed and thanked him.
Haozhou looked curious, brushing off the courtesans beside him.
"Haozhou, Cuicui found out that Indigo came to buy a few sets of women's clothing and hairpins. He didn't call for any service," Cuicui said with surprise and envy. Whoever got to wear what Indigo picked must be very lucky.
There were very few women in this world. Not just Citong Town, even the entire Danzhou barely had any. Women's clothes weren't sold openly on the market.
Only low-class people served others for looks. If their families weren't so poor and they weren't so weak, they wouldn't be courtesans.
They had to sew their own clothes.
But Indigo had personally come to Spring Breeze Court to buy clothes? That guy usually hated courtesans the most. Haozhou suddenly remembered that little secret kept in the Yue family.
Time to pay a visit, he thought, lips curling in a playful and wicked smile.
...
Aenwyn was busy learning the language. Her progress was impressive. She could already hold simple conversations.
She spent her days doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and learning to speak from Uncle Zhong or Indigo. Feeling a bit bored, she wondered when she could go outside. Just then, Indigo walked in carrying a bundle.
"What's that?" she asked. She was still wearing Indigo's robe, her long curly hair tied halfway with a ribbon. The wide robe made her look small and charming.
"It's for you," Indigo said gently. He opened the bundle to reveal several beautiful dresses, the smallest ones he could find at Spring Breeze Court.
"Heehee, thank you Indigo," Aenwyn said cheerfully. She was excited to change into new clothes. Dressing wasn't too hard in this era, and she had already gotten used to it.
One of the dresses had a tightly fitted waist and elegant light blue color. There was also a pair of shorts probably underpants.
What was this? Aenwyn picked up a small piece of fabric with straps.
The fabric was softer, and in the corner was a tiny embroidered flower. Was this a dudou? Her eyes widened.
Meanwhile, one of the courtesans at Spring Breeze Court was happily counting silver coins. Indigo was so generous. Giving him a little extra like an embroidered dudou was worth it. Men loved these after all. Ha.
Aenwyn twitched her face slightly. This little brother really knew what he was doing, even bought her underwear. But it still couldn't hold her little white rabbits in place. It was better than nothing though, so she still wore it neatly.
It fit perfectly and looked beautiful. Her slender waist could barely be held with one hand. Indigo's eyes carried a dangerous glint, full of intent. He grabbed her waist, lifted her up by the hips, and said hoarsely, "To the study, for writing lessons."
Sitting in his arms, Aenwyn smiled faintly. Whatever she was thinking, only she knew.
These past few days, the little brother had become increasingly assertive, like a volcano being held back. She didn't really care much about chastity, but she genuinely didn't want to change her relationship with Indigo.
Owing a life and paying it back with her own body felt too cheap.
This wasn't her first time in Indigo's study. She had gone there often these past few days. It had ink and brushes, which made learning easier.
But once, on the way to the study, they ran into a man. He was a servant from the Indigo household. When he saw her, he looked completely stunned, as if he had seen a goddess.
It was the first time she realized that, besides Uncle Zhong and Indigo, there were other people in the Indigo residence. From then on, she started paying more attention. The yard was cleaned daily, trees trimmed, her clothes were washed and folded, and fresh food was served every day. This made her guess that there were not just people here, but quite a few.
That day, when someone saw her, Indigo immediately became dangerously cold. Aenwyn saw it clearly. It lasted just a moment, but she wasn't mistaken.
That servant was later led away by Uncle Zhong, who smiled kindly. She never saw him again. The incident stayed in Aenwyn's mind for days. Why did that servant look at her like that? Why wasn't she allowed to see others in the house?
"What are you thinking about?" Indigo asked, holding her carefully. His fingers gently brushed her leg, like he was stroking it without meaning to.
"Nothing really. You can let me down now, my leg is fine," Aenwyn said lazily.
"No. I walk fast."
The unexpected refusal made Aenwyn not want to argue anymore. Fine, carry me. Once my leg's better, I'll run off in a few days. No matter how weird this house is, I won't stay.
Indigo's study was simple. A large desk, complete with ink, brushes, paper, and inkstone. There were lots of books. She knew how valuable books were in ancient times. Anyone with this many books probably had high status.
The books were made of soft white paper, not bamboo slips. They were surprisingly modern in quality.
What puzzled her was the contrast. The Indigo residence's decorations were very basic. The ceramics were crude, the food was simple, yet the clothes were luxurious and delicate. The silk weaving industry seemed advanced. The development of different things here was oddly uneven.
Even with her poor history skills, she could guess this was probably a made-up era. That was troubling. A made-up era meant the unknown. She desperately needed new knowledge.
After setting up the paper and ink, she was about to start studying. Indigo liked to guide her from behind, holding her hand to teach writing, pronouncing words while she wrote. His dedication was like that of a model worker.
Then Uncle Zhong knocked and came in. It was the first time in all these days that he had knocked before entering.
He whispered something in Indigo's ear. Indigo frowned and left in a hurry. "Look over what you've learned. I'll be back soon."
"Mm, okay," Aenwyn replied sweetly.
Once the door was closed and they had both left, she immediately dropped the brush in her hand.
Even though she didn't know the spoken language, she could actually recognize many of the characters. Thankfully, she wasn't illiterate. The characters here were similar to the traditional ones from ancient China. After a few days of study, she could guess the meaning of quite a few.
Of course, Indigo didn't know this. In his eyes, Aenwyn was clever, but only knew a few basic characters.
She had kept this from him. Not for any particular reason, just out of insecurity.
Now that she was finally alone, she jumped up and went to the bookshelf, looking for books about geography or culture. That would help her understand this world better.
There were many books. From what she had observed, Indigo was methodical. Books would definitely be placed in an orderly way.
Time was tight. Books on culture and geography were usually not popular, so they were likely kept near the bottom shelves.
She crouched down and quickly flipped through them one by one.
Yes! She found some. Aenwyn happily tucked them into her clothes, planning to read them back in her room.
Hmm, these few looked really old. The corners were worn, meaning they had been read often. Aenwyn grew curious. She pulled one out and opened it.
Her eyes burned. It was an ancient version of an erotic novel. Totally inappropriate for underage readers!
So this was what that guy was trying to sell to Indigo that day.
Experienced, huh? In the modern day, he would be a master of all kinds of classic techniques from around the world.
She flipped through it and found the art style unappealing. The eyes were too long, the bodies drawn out of proportion. Not aesthetically pleasing.
Too exaggerated. Tsk tsk. Didn't the artist know subtlety is more attractive? Overall, a bad job. Low grade.
Her own drawings would be more worth collecting. Why keep this kind of junk?
Maybe she got too into judging it, but Indigo returned silently. She only noticed when the door creaked.
"What are you doing?" Indigo's eyes, dark as ink, stared straight at her and the book in her hands.
"Uh, no, it's not what you think. I didn't mean to look at your precious stash," Aenwyn said awkwardly, standing up and trying to shove the book back.
Her slender wrist was grabbed. The book was taken from her hand. And she was forced back, pinned between the bookshelf and Indigo's chest.