Cheng Sheng told them that there was no curfew in Red Candle Town. There was also a street market on the west side of town, and even though it was small, it still contained everything that one would need. All kinds of goods and trinkets could be found there. After learning that Chen Ping'an and the others needed to buy necessities for their journey to the academy, Cheng Sheng volunteered to act as their guide and show them around. He said that this would save them a lot of trouble. At the very least, the merchants wouldn't dare to raise their prices to extortionate levels. 

Chen Ping'an looked toward A'Liang who had been here once, and the man with the bamboo hat responded with a nod. He said that he was only familiar with the area around the two banks, and that he had never been to this street market before.

Cheng Sheng looked at A'Liang, and the two experienced men shared a knowing smile.

There were close to 100 decorated boats in Fu Inlet, and they were all of varying shapes and sizes. They would row out from the inlet each night, and they would follow the river and enter Red Candle Town. After making a trip around the town, the decorated boats would then return to Fu Inlet. During this time, men would continuously board these decorated boats to buy both wine and women.

Even though the boat hostesses and prostitutes in Red Candle Town were all lowly citizens of the Great Li Empire, the former were directly managed by the capital's Imperial Music Office[1]. In fact, even the local county magistrates didn't have the right to raise the status of these boat hostesses and elevate them to ordinary citizens. Thus, there was a widespread rumor in Red Candle Town that the ancestors of...