The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Don't wait for the east wind, don't wait for the tide, cross the river ten miles and nine stops.

I don't know which bridge the Qinhuai water will be sent to Yangzhou tonight.

Swinging forward on a lucky boat, looking at the lantern boats on both sides of the way, and the small Qinhuai River whose ripples are telling the romantic history of a century, Jia Lian can't help feeling that Yangzhou is worthy of a thousand-year-old city, rich and prosperous, in this small The two sides of the small Qinhuai River have been perfectly reflected.

Not long after, a rather magnificent five-story restaurant appeared on the bank of the river, which became more and more open in front of it. It was so tall and splendid that it completely surpassed all other buildings around it.The plaque hanging high above the gate, with the clear gold lacquer "Wangjiang Tower" in three large characters, surrounded by bright lanterns, looks extremely eye-catching.

This is the most famous restaurant in Yangzhou City, and it is also a place where wealthy businessmen and dignitaries who come from south to north almost always come to have fun after they come to Yangzhou.

It's a pity that tonight, this huge restaurant is no longer as lively as it used to be, and looks very quiet.

After disembarking at Buge, Jia Lian laughed when he saw Zhou Boru and others waiting on the porch in front of the gate of the restaurant, "I'm late, I'm impolite for making Zhou Hui wait for a long time."

Zhou Boru hastily bowed down and dared not. When leading Jia Lian into the restaurant, he introduced the history and history of Wangjiang Tower, as well as the characteristics of the place, and said that the building has been booked by them tonight, and no one will come to disturb it. , so that Jia Lian can enjoy Jiangnan delicacies and wine with peace of mind tonight, and listen to a few Wu Nong ditties.

Although Jia Lian felt that it was a waste to book the whole restaurant for him, he didn't say anything, since it wasn't his money that was wasted anyway.

For these salt merchants, if they don't spend more money on him now, they are afraid that they will feel uneasy, afraid that he will miss their family's treasury.

"Congratulations, Mr. Imperial Envoy!"

When I came to the third floor, I entered a private room that was a bit ridiculously large. Sure enough, all the remaining salt merchants in Yangzhou City were in it.

"You don't need to be too polite, please sit down."

Jia Lian's politeness and friendliness exceeded the expectations of the salt merchants.Looking at Jia Lian, who was smiling and casually sitting on the first seat, it was hard for the salt merchants to believe that the smiling young man in front of him was the former imperial envoy who acted decisively and was always ready to kill and ransack his home.

Is President Zhou's preparations these days effective, or is Jia Lian not a cool person at all?
The reason why Zhao's and Wang's were copied was actually because these two families sent people to assassinate him, which made him really angry?Then the Feng family really committed too many crimes, so they were punished?

If this is the case, then things tonight should be smoother than expected.

They really can't stand the days of being held to the neck with a knife and being killed by others at any time.So as long as the matter can be resolved, no matter how much the price has to be paid now.

It's not that I didn't think about resisting, but I was really powerless to resist.The Zhao and Wang families who tried to resist had disappeared.

It's not that they are too weak, but that Jia Lian is too strong.

On the ground, Jia Lian came to investigate their imperial envoy by order, and he had righteousness in hand.

Under my command, Jia Lian had already calmly controlled Yangzhou City with absolute force.Even the gates of their respective homes are strictly controlled by officers and soldiers, so their every move is under Jia Lian's surveillance.

Under such circumstances, the only result of resistance is to follow in the footsteps of the Zhao and Wang families.

Therefore, after the banquet, more than 20 middle-aged or elderly salt merchants were cautiously accompanying diners, only when Jia Lian raised his head and ordered them to do it, they dared to move their chopsticks a little.

Jia Lian himself was quite content. To be honest, it was also the first time for him to attend such a luxurious and standard banquet.

When he was in the middle of the capital, he was just a little stubborn kid before he became a prince.After winning the title, he was eligible to enter the palace to receive the state banquet, etc., but he missed it because of various errands.

In fact, in Jia Lian's view, even a state banquet in the palace may not be as luxurious as the banquet in front of him.

Not to mention the wine, but only the dishes, such as shark's fin and bird's nest, if you can't make a fancy one, you are not qualified to serve it.

All kinds of strange, delicate and expensive dishes were served in turn, and as long as the three dishes were passed after the introduction, and Jia Lian hadn't touched the chopsticks, the waiters would withdraw them under Zhou Boru's eyes. , so that new dishes will be served...

Seeing that in just half a stick of incense, dozens of dishes have been passed on, and they are still being delivered in a steady stream, and I don't know when it will be the first.At this time, even Jia Lian, who was somewhat anticipatory, couldn't help feeling that this was too extravagant, so he put down his chopsticks and asked with a smile, "How many dishes did you prepare tonight?"

"Not too many, not too many, there are only [-] famous dishes in the south of the Yangtze River... If the adults feel that it is not enough, I have prepared a list of famous dishes from all the provinces in the south of the Yangtze River. Please have a look, if you want to taste them The adults just hook it up, and the villain will go down and arrange the cabinet door of the restaurant to do it."

One of the five great salt merchants, the old man of the Xu family obsequiously got up and presented the brochure.

Zhou Boru also smiled and said: "Your Excellency, you don't have to worry that the cooks in Wangjiang Tower can't do it. This Wangjiang Tower receives wealthy people from all over the world every day, so it recruits famous chefs from all over the place.

This Wangjiang Tower even once said that in the entire Jiangnan, there are only dishes that others say, but there is nothing they can't cook. "

Jia Lian took the brochure, unfolded it and glanced at it, but didn't take the order seriously.Are you kidding, one hundred and eight dishes is already the standard of the legendary Manchu banquet, right?
To be honest, these salt merchants entertained him with such specifications, and they were already suspected of overstepping.

In this era, the crime of transgression is ubiquitous, and it is difficult to have a fixed standard no matter how it is defined.

But it can be summed up in one sentence: what the emperor did not enjoy, the ministers could not enjoy, and what the ministers could not enjoy, the common people could not enjoy.

At least Jia Lian was sure that Emperor Ningkang would definitely not eat more than 100 dishes for a meal!

Putting the booklet with countless dishes in his bosom, thinking that it might be useful in the future, Jia Lian ordered the following dishes not to be served.

Zhou Boru and the others didn't say anything, but they realized that Jia Lian should be somewhat satisfied with the dishes, so they clapped their hands calmly.

"clang clang~~"

Two maids pushed open the next door, revealing another world inside.

Jia Lian turned his head to look, and saw that in the compartment, which was smaller than the main hall, the light was much brighter than that of the main hall.

In that compartment, there is nothing else, only a dozen or so beauties.

It's not surprising that there are beauties in this kind of place, but Jia Lian's attention is that these ten or so beauties standing together and posing in dancing poses, each of them has such a graceful figure and a moving appearance.

Scanning them one by one, there is no one who is less beautiful.

Even Shen Pan'er, who disappeared after getting off the boat, changed into a dance skirt and joined them.When he saw Jia Lian's gaze, he remained motionless, but with his eyes, he quietly cast a wink over him.

Seeing the admiration in Jia Lian's eyes, the old man Xu quickly asked with a smile, "What do you think of these girls?"

"Good, all good."

Gathering all the best beauties together is a pleasing thing, even Jia Lian is embarrassed to say something against his will.

"Hehehe, as long as your lord thinks it's good. These women are all famous Huakui ladies in the south of the Yangtze River. Moreover, among them, each of them will play once, and the minimum fee is at least 20 taels of silver.

Adults may not know that among the brothels in various parts of the south of the Yangtze River, the general appearance fee can reach two taels of silver, which can be regarded as the top card of each brothel.Those who can reach 20 taels of silver are rare in every place, even in our Yangzhou city, there are only a few oiran ladies who dare to quote 20 taels of silver or more for their appearance fee..."

Naturally, Jia Lian also knew that in brothels, the appearance fee was the most important indicator to measure the worth of an oiran.

After all, only if there are so many dignitaries willing to pursue, can there be a higher appearance fee.

Although brothels are everywhere in the south of the Yangtze River, and there are countless oiran ladies, there are not many who can spread their reputation.

It is really rare to find a beauty with natural beauty, and it is even more rare to have a beauty with extraordinary beauty.Two taels of silver can be called the leading figure in the general Hualou, which is reasonable.

Regardless of the fact that two liang of silver is not much, the young lady of Jia's mansion, who is waiting for the Hou Men's mansion, only has this amount of money for a month.

And these top oirans, just come out in front of the guests, dance and sing a song, and get two taels of silver in their hands.Of course, if you go out to a banquet and perform specially for noble people, the appearance fee will naturally be higher.

From this, it can be seen how rare an oiran with a minimum appearance fee of 20 taels of silver is, and how confident he is in his own beauty.

Such an oiran lady, I am afraid that most of the brothels in the south of the Yangtze River will not be available, right?

This also made Jia Lian feel emotional, and he really deserved to be a rich and powerful salt merchant.This is to invite all the famous Huakui ladies in Jiangnan?
No wonder these salt merchants set the banquet for today.I'm afraid these few days will be used to give them time to prepare these tricks!

Of course, Jia Lian would not honestly think that an oiran with 20 taels of silver must be more beautiful than one with [-] taels of silver. Jia Lian still understands the principle of celebrity benefits.For example, the female stars of later generations do not mean that whoever has a higher appearance fee must be more beautiful.

At least as a measure.

Sure enough, Zhou Boru also added at this time: "Xu Yuanwai is right, these oiran ladies will not be able to invite them even if they are rich.

This time, if it weren't for the great reputation of the adults, I am afraid that even if the villain waits for a generous reward, they will not be able to invite them to perform for the adults. "

Jia Lian didn't believe it or not.

No matter how expensive the famous prostitutes are, they are just playthings after all.As long as you are willing to pay the price, it is hard to be unable to please.

Take the present as an example, they clearly stated that there are only a few people in Yangzhou who can meet the minimum appearance fee of 20 taels or more, but there are more than ten people here, and most of them are obviously invited from other state capitals.If it was because of his reputation that these pampered courtesans came all the way to perform for him, Jia Lian would not be so affectionate.

Of course, Jia Lian also believes that the oiran ladies who have reached this stage have a certain degree of freedom and a certain right to choose their clients.

Jia Lian didn't care too much about it, so Jia Lian just asked: "Dare to ask Chairman Zhou, how much was Miss Pan'er's appearance fee?"

Zhou Boru also thought that Shen Pan'er was already having an affair with Jia Lian, so he politely introduced: "Miss Pan'er used to pay 150 taels for an appearance. Of course, this refers to the price for Miss Pan'er to meet guests in Jiaofang, like tonight Generally invited to come out to perform, naturally more than this number.

You know, Miss Pan'er has the status of being the number one dancer in Yangzhou City, the number one dancer in the teaching workshop, so she can achieve this worth.In fact, the most famous oiran lady in Jiangnan, even if it is the top four oiran ladies in Jiangnan every year, this is the amount of money for appearances.

Of course, there is also an accident..."

Speaking of this, Zhou Boru deliberately turned his back and gave him a look.

Accompanied by the sudden sound of the piano, Shen Pan'er and the others who had been posing for a long time in the hall began to dance leisurely.

It was also because of this that Jia Lian noticed that in the hall, behind the dancing postures of Shen Pan'er and others, there was a gauze curtain hanging down from the beam.Behind the gauze curtain, a beauty can be seen faintly, plucking the strings gracefully.

The sound of the piano also came from behind the gauze curtain.

From Shen Pan'er and others dancing quietly to the sound of the piano, Jia Lian could understand that the protagonist of tonight's performance is the person behind the piano.

Reminiscent of the expressions of Zhou Boru and the others, as well as what happened on the Little Qinhuai River, Jia Lian has roughly guessed who the piano player is.

Xu was influenced by the discussions of the Confucian scholars on the blessing boat. Jia Lian, who originally only thought the sound of the qin was pleasant, felt that the sound of the qin was extraordinary after he calmed down and listened to it.

It is as quiet as the morning rain in the mountains and forests, and it is like the clear singing of a hundred birds.

Jia Lian laughed at himself, as expected, being arty is a human habit, and for a moment, when he listened to the sound of the other party's piano, he felt as if he had become the other party's bosom friend.

This is a disease that needs to be cured.

At the end of the song, the dancers retreated one by one, only dozens of eyes were left, staring straight at the hanging gauze curtain.

After a while, I heard the sound of the people inside getting up, and a tall and beautiful beauty walked out slowly from the inside.

It really was the beauty I saw on the boat.

At this time, under the bright light in the hall, Jia Lian could see the other party's appearance even though the other party was still covered with a scarf as thin as a cicada's wings.

Rao Jia Lian had been mentally prepared for a long time, and when he saw it suddenly, his heart was slightly shocked.

What a beautiful face, what a cool and orchid temperament.

The beauty of this woman was within Jia Lian's expectations. What is rare is that she is very similar to Miaoyu in terms of facial features and temperament.

The age is also similar.

Even in his every move, there is a natural and extremely elegant elegance that is difficult for women in the world to match.This point is incomparable to Miaoyu, who expresses "elegance" purely by high coldness.

In all fairness, this woman is three points more beautiful than Miaoyu when I first saw it.

It was really hard not to surprise Jia Lian.Because since he knew Miaoyu, Jia Lian has never felt that anyone can beat Miaoyu in terms of appearance and temperament.

Perhaps only the longer Baochai and the queen mother in the palace can be compared.It's just that Baochai has a plump body and is not following the same route as the two girls.

And the Queen Mother, after all, is in her thirties.The real age of the Empress Dowager was obtained by Jia Lian from Princess Zhaoyang.

"My slave Tsing Yi, I pay my respects to the Imperial Envoy and all the masters."

Beauty's voice is as clear and beautiful as her temperament, just like a nightingale singing softly, it makes one's ears and heart feel numb at first hearing.

At this moment, Jia Lian finally knew why those people on the Little Qinhuai River were so excited when they guessed that the person who played the flute was this woman.

Seeing that Jia Lian's eyes were all on this woman, Zhou Boru felt relieved, and it was not in vain that he rushed to invite her back from Suzhou.

For a person like Jia Lian, a truly stunning beauty is more useful than any other means!
So he laughed, and waved to the beauty, "Qing Yi, why don't you come over and pour wine for the imperial envoy, then sit next to him and serve him well."

"Yes."

When the beauty calmly took the jug and walked to Jia Lian, Xu Baoan on the other side couldn't help laughing anymore and asked, "Does your lord know the name of the girl in Tsing Yi?"

Jia Lian shook his head.

He was well aware of Xu Baoan's eager attitude.The Wang family has fallen. In terms of popularity among the big salt merchants, apart from the Zhou family, his Xu family must be counted.

He must want to win the position of vice president of the Wang family's original salt industry, and maybe he also wants to get more shares of Yanyin from him.

The three salt merchants have fallen, and the share of salt in their hands will naturally be divided up by others.

"This girl in Tsing Yi is the most well-deserved number one among the many brothels under President Zhou's name.

It can even be said that she is the number one among the entire Jiangnan Huakui ladies.

Your Excellency should have heard of the annual Jiangnan Oiran Competition, right?It was hosted by Nanjiaofang, and the girl in Tsing Yi was the first winner of the previous two oiran competitions, and also known as the number one oiran. "

Xu Baoan said, deliberately giving Jia Lian some time to digest.He was also a little surprised that the Zhou family took out this hole card, and he was happy to see it come true.

Jia Lian also showed surprise in cooperation.

"Hahaha, and what President Zhou said just now, all the oiran ladies in Jiangnan have the highest appearance fee, which is only 200 taels. Even if someone occasionally drives 200 taels or more, it is still rare, or it is not worthy of the name at all. Self-deception.

Only the girl in Tsing Yi, my lord, do you know how much the high-ranking officials and nobles in the various states in the south of the Yangtze River want to see her, how much do they have to pay? "

Xu Baoan wanted to wait for Jia Lian to answer the conversation, but saw that Jia Lian had already taken the wine glass handed over by the beauty sideways. He didn't pay attention to him at all, so he could only smile to himself: "Five hundred gold! It's five hundred gold, this is from the country. Since the Ding Ding was established in the dynasty, looking at the north and the south, there is no unique first case!
Moreover, this was not decided by the girl in Tsing Yi herself, but was spontaneously recommended by the countless suitors of the girl in Tsing Yi.

It can be said that in the south of the Yangtze River, even high-ranking officials and nobles are proud to see a girl in Tsing Yi.

Today, the villain has been honored by the adults, otherwise, we don't know when we will have to wait until we see the girl in Tsing Yi. "

As Xu Baoan said, he involuntarily took a peek at the side, unmoved by his praise, and just calmly refilled Jia Lian's wine in Tsing Yi.

What he said was not false. In fact, the biggest purpose of these wealthy merchants in the south of the Yangtze River was to open up brothels and cultivate outstanding geisha, and their biggest purpose was to win over real powerful people.

This Gu Qingyi is a seedling dug by the Zhou family with great difficulty, and he usually takes good care of it, and absolutely guards against those who are not worth investing in.

To others, these salt merchants have great fortune, but to the Zhou family, they are obviously not worth investing in, and they belong to the kind who give money and don't let them see.Otherwise, if they shamelessly defile someone forcibly, the Zhou family will suffer a great loss.

And when Jia Lian heard the words, she quietly glanced at the quiet beauty next to her, who was completely different from Shen Pan'er's eagerness.

What those people said is actually true, five hundred gold is 500 taels of silver, and it's still the minimum appearance fee?Really outrageous enough.

Because looking at the famous prostitutes of the past dynasties, the redemption of famous prostitutes ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand taels of silver.

Doesn't it mean that Gu Qingyi can earn the worth of a peerless famous courtesan just by playing a few times casually?
How much should her redemption silver be?

However, since a famous prostitute has reached the time of being sold, it probably means that the glory is no longer, that is, when the curtain is ending, but it cannot be completely compared with this.Just like the beauty in front of me, I'm afraid that Xu Baoan and others will offer 10 taels at this time, and the Zhou family will not let her go.

Such a beauty, when used well, is of inestimable value.