The system of entertaining households was strict. The law decreed, "Men become slaves, women become courtesans," and their descendants could not leave their registered status for three generations.
Still, a few people were lucky enough to be exceptions.
Everyone in the Imperial Music Bureau envied Li Wan, who bought her freedom for a huge sum, and Dong Qingqing, who married a soldier and was freed from her registered status.
Li Xing'er thought nothing of them.
What did it matter if she was of low status? What mattered was living comfortably and in luxury.
Xing'er was breathtakingly beautiful, and exceptionally skilled at both music and dance.
She wanted to become a top courtesan, not to live at the Yichun House, but to perform at more banquets and catch the eye of the powerful.
Xing'er knew exactly what kind of man she wanted.
She might still be of low status, but what was wrong with that if the powerful man she chose was foolish and easy to fool?
Wei Si Lang, the man the sisters at the Imperial Music Bureau were always talking about, was naturally crossed off her list.
-
The founding ancestor of the Wei family had earned great merit alongside Emperor Taizong and was made Duke of Wei, a first-rank duke. The family stood among the highest nobility of the dynasty.
The Wei family's standards were strict. Its sons conducted themselves with propriety and had impeccable character, with Wei Qinghe the finest of them all.
Wei Qinghe was bright and eager to learn, and had achieved success at a young age. More remarkable still, he was blessed with an exceptionally handsome face.
He had spent years stationed on the frontier with his father, but, unexpectedly, did not pursue a military career. In 976, he passed the imperial examinations and continued to bring glory to his family as a scholar-official.
Xing'er only had to look at Wei Qinghe from a distance to know that a man like him would be impossible to manipulate. He was not the best choice for a long-term meal ticket.
-
One-line summary: Find your own meal ticket!
Theme: Women should look at themselves with clear eyes.
