The Pleasure Palace was the most elite Tea Pavilions of all the entertainment pleasure houses in Huangluo the Capital City of Great Bei, Empire of the East. It was visited by the richest and most influential names in the entire empire.Nobles,officials,rich foreign merchants, scholars, warriors and mystics visited the Pleasure Palace because of the large variety it offered. The pleasure palace rose like a mirage—domed ceilings painted with celestial scenes, walls inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and corridors that whispered secrets with every step.Golden chandeliers dripped with crystal, casting beautiful lights in the day and shimmering moonlight at night . Each room and hall was thick with imported incense—oud, myrrh, and crushed rose petals. At every hour there was a low hum of stringed instruments performing fine music in rooms.
Every year on the Night of the Golden Phoenix, Pleasure Palace does an annual auction.The event was always attended by the rich,famous and powerful to collect rare, iconic and beautiful treasures, medicinal herbs and new technologies.This year there was an added item a Courtesan Auction where celestially beautiful,talented and extraordinary courtesans were to be auctioned.
Tonight in the clandestine and opulently decorated grand hall was a curated gathering of the Empire's most powerful men and women.
Tiered balconies lined in velvet and gold overlooked the central atrium. Each private box was enclosed by sheer curtains, allowing its occupant to see without being seen
Each guest was attended by a silent valet, trained to anticipate needs before they were spoken.
Discreet but ever-present, guards in tailored black stood at attention, their eyes scanning for the slightest breach of protocol.
It was the beginning of the Courtesan Auction as each maiden came out and were sold off to new masters then the Auctioneer announced the last Courtesan of the night, as the saying goes the best for last
At the stroke of midnight, the music shifted. A raised dais of black lacquer rose slowly from beneath the marble floor, revealing her seated on a throne of obsidian and silk, bathed in a single shaft of golden light
She wore a gown spun from starlight—barely there, yet impossibly elegant. Jewels traced the curve of her collarbone like constellations. Her face half covered in an ethereal silver veil. Her eyes the color of emerald stones with streaks of blue. Her hair fell like water waves in a stunning new color platinum blonde with streaks of chestnut brown.
She did not smile. She did not need to. Her gaze swept the room like a monarch surveying her court. Around her the Empire's Elite and nobles were instantly captivated. She was a foreign woman with such breathtaking beauty and celestial look like none seen before.Dressed in midnight blue, the auctioneer stood at a gilded podium, his voice smooth as aged wine. He was both master of ceremonies and keeper of secrets.
There were no paddles. Bidders signaled with subtle gestures—a raised ringed finger, a tilt of the glass, a flick of the fan. The auctioneer saw all,he began the bid.
“We begin at one silver yuanbao.”
A fan flicked open in the eastern balcony. The first bid.
“Two,” came the whisper from the north—no voice, just a servant’s nod.
A gloved hand lifted a jade token. “Three.”
The bidding climbed like a slow-burning fire. Four. Five. Six. Each gesture more subtle than the last. But the Elites were eccentric and no one was willing to back down it continued going and at Thirty silver yuanbao the bidding stopped there was tension in the atmosphere and the bidders were talking to aids and servants for what to do. In that span a voice like silk sounded from one of the VVIP Chambers.
" Two gold yuanbao"
It didn't need to be shouted the velvety voice cut through the event like lightening as heads turned and mouths dropped. The courtesans gaze that had been uncaring flickered and looked towards the direction of the voice.
The voice continued
"As for her own possession and dowry"
" A vineyard in the southern hills for her lips"
" A silk plantation in the east for her fair skin"
" A stable of Rome's horses for her breasts"
" A collection of Jade and precious stones for her fertility"
" And a white peony for the day she chooses to forget me" he added lastly
When the final bid was cast, the room fell silent. The auctioneer bowed.
Everyone present was visibly shaken. Her price was equal to that of the current Empress and her price could build two luxurious estates.After a nod from the Auctioneer the female attendants led the courtesan like a precious jewel to the winner.She walked like a goddess and bowed at the chamber. A beautiful hand holding a red lacquer reached out towards her she kissed his jade ring and stepped inside the private chamber.
She had been taught to never look at the master but curiosity was gnawing at her to take a look at the man who dared to spend such a fortune on a mere courtesan like her. She might be a maiden but still
Dreame-Editor's pick
Tis The Season For My Revenge, Dear Ex
The abandoned wife and her secret son
Burning Saints Motorcycle Club Stories
Owned by My Husband's Boss
Mistletoe Miracle
Road to Forever: Dogs of Fire MC Next Generation Stories
