Wanqingsi

Chapter 22 Idea
"Super oiran?" Yueniang was startled, with a look of disapproval on her face, "Young lady, this idea is not uncommon. There is an oiran contest in Beijing every two years. We rely on the red mansion to redeem Zi Furong girl last year. He is the No. [-] Oiran Scholar for two consecutive terms."

"Oh? Mother Yue, can you tell me how your oiran is elected?" I don't care about her disapproval, let's listen to how their oiran contest is played.

"This oiran contest is jointly organized by the four most famous brothels in the whole capital." Yue Niang continued, "Every two years, all brothels in the capital that have registered with the government select a girl to compete. Girls participating in the competition can show their special skills. We will invite famous adults in the capital to be judges, and they will select the top three oirans. The winning top three will not only be worth a hundred times, but also the brothel that promoted her to compete. She became very famous and went up to the third level. Miss Zi Furong was redeemed by Mr. Qi from the 'Yufu Jewelry Shop' in the capital after she won the second oiran last year."

But that's all.I smiled: "That is to say, all your oirans are selected by those famous and promising adults?"

"Not bad." Seeing my indifferent smile, Yueniang asked, "Is there anything wrong?"

"Basically, there are several aspects of this competition system that are very bad." I picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and said unhurriedly, "First, girls are selected by major brothels, that is to say, If the pearl is released, it is the pearl, and if it is sand, it is sand. The judges and the audience have no right to choose, but can only passively choose among the girls you put out. The advantage of this is that the brothel selects the best girls in advance, saving It wastes the time of the judges. The disadvantage is that it may attract the dissatisfaction of other girls in the building who cannot participate. Since all the girls in the brothel are both talented and beautiful, there are actually very few things that can be used to distinguish their pros and cons. It is held once every two years. In the Oiran Contest, only recommending one is tantamount to killing other girls' chances of becoming famous. A woman's youth is very short and cannot withstand the wait of several or two years. Because of losing a chance, the treatment will be very different from that of the selected girl, and the selected girl In the eyes of girls who can't participate in the Oiran Contest, girls may feel that they may not be as good as themselves, and they feel uncomfortable, and it must be a lot of trouble to manage. Thinking about it, it turns out that there are girls with almost the same quality, and some are just like clouds every day Come on, some of them can only receive some low-level guests because they don’t have the name of the oiran, and the resentment accumulated for a long time is enough for Yueniang to give you a headache. This, I wonder if Yueniang has any feelings?”

Yueniang was startled, with a slight look of surprise on her face: "Young lady, continue."

"What's worse is that the judges who select the oiran are all famous adults. That is to say, the beauty and ugliness of these girls are still determined by those adults' own aesthetic views. In other words , these adults will become the supporters of the selected girls in the future. Other people who are not judges will lose the right to choose and the opportunity to speak, and among these people who are not judges, there should be some high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen. We all know that everyone The level of appreciation and preference are different. Every year, those few respected adults select their private confinement there. Others can see but not eat, even if they can eat, eat this brothel oiran for face, but not necessarily It’s what suits them best.” I continued, “If the brothel’s usual publicity is done well, and the characteristics of other girls are also exaggerated, maybe this part of the customers will not be lost, otherwise, in the long run, it will be like Yueniang said it herself, she just needs to rely on some regular customers to make ends meet."

"I didn't expect that the Oiran Competition, which our capital's four brothels have always been proud of, would have so many drawbacks." Yueniang's eyes flashed a hint of admiration.In fact, I don't believe that Yueniang would never think that I said these things. She has been a procuress for so many years. I'm afraid she has already known these disadvantages, right?The reason why this competition system is tolerated to continue in this way may be to be concerned about the balance in many aspects, the balance between the brothel and the respected officials, the balance between the brothel and the brothel, so it seems that sacrificing a few girls and neglecting a few A guest is also a choice that has to be made.After all, between fish and bear's paw, most people will choose bear's paw.

"What kind of play does the girl call 'Super Oiran'?" Yue Niang looked at me with sparkling eyes, "I do know what 'Oiran' is. How to explain?"

super?how to explain?Literally speaking, it is a bit like exceeding the level.In the 21st century, this word has been overused. Others know what it means when they say it, so there is no need to explain it, but I can't tell Yueniang that it can only be understood but not conveyed in words, right?I frowned, and I just wanted to bluff her literally. I took a few chess pieces from Go, and laid them in a straight line one by one. The most popular girl is the first level, the popular girl is the second level, and the oiran girl is the third level, each interval is the gap between them, so is this super oiran..." I put the last chess piece "ba" He placed it at the farthest corner from the three straight chess pieces, and said with a smile, "The distance between this super oiran and the oiran is not even a star and a half away, which is beyond imagination."

"That's kind of interesting." Yueniang smiled slightly, and said, "Go on, Miss."

"To put it simply, it is the participation of all the people." I smiled lightly, trying to avoid modern vocabulary that Yueniang could not understand, "Let the selection of the oiran no longer be a matter between a few masters and a few girls, but a Would it be much more fun to turn it into an entertainment activity for all the people in the capital? If it is done well, I believe it will play a very good role in promoting the promotion and operation of Yihonglou, and may even extend to other related business."

Yueniang wondered, "All the people participate?"

"That's right." I nodded and continued, "Participation by the whole people means that anyone can participate. There are two aspects. Be famous or not, even if she is a girl with a girl, if you want, you can come to participate in the selection of 'Super Oiran', break your previous rules and procedures for selecting oirans, as long as you are a girl who leans on the red building, you have the opportunity to participate , This is the so-called 'no threshold' way of participation. And those girls who are not yet talented can quickly grow and exercise in the cruel competition."

Yueniang's eyes lit up, and she urged, "What about the other side?"

"On the other hand, the way of judging whether or not the contestants will be determined by the votes of the common people fully integrates the common people into the competition and increases the influence of the 'super oiran'." I continued, thinking that the media in this era is not Developed, the game of "Super Oiran" can only be played in the capital at most. I don't know how the common people lived at night in ancient times. Compared with the dignitaries and dignitaries, they can enter and exit the Goulan courtyard, and ordinary people can only go to bed after dark. Go to sleep?What a boring life.I shook my head, comrades in ancient times, let me save you: "Whether it is the oiran contest you used to choose, or the 'Super Oiran' contest we hold today, the purpose is to expand the popularity and influence of brothels, and It is an excellent way to increase influence by letting the common people vote and determine the judging method of whether the participating girls will stay or not. You say, the oiran is chosen by the common people themselves, will they not support it? Don't always focus on those high-ranking officials The word-of-mouth of ordinary people is also very important, if you can get the support of the people, maybe you can slightly change everyone's deep-rooted stereotypes about women in brothels."

Hearing my last sentence, Yueniang's eyes lit up, and her expression became a little excited: "Girl..."

I smiled, and continued: "Although the purpose of our selection of 'Super Oiran' is to make Yihonglou earn more money, this purpose cannot be explained clearly to the common people. A high-sounding slogan, based on its spiritual positioning as a 'super oiran', for example, the 'super oiran' entry method with no threshold and the elimination method in which the people vote to decide whether the participating girls will stay or not, and it publicizes a feeling of 'universal happiness' This unique form of expression combined with the cruel elimination of the qualifiers, semi-finals, and finals is an important guarantee for the success of the 'Super Oiran' competition, and has become a popular event in the capital, attracting widespread attention."

"Preliminaries? Semi-finals? Finals? Will there be more than one competition?" Yueniang looked excited, "Then what is the competition system?"

"Of course not one game. Since the whole people participate, how can one game be enough for everyone?" I laughed, "Before the competition, you have to do your homework first, and post the notice on the street that the 'Super Oiran' contest will be held in Yihonglou." Including the portraits and resumes of the participating girls, the competition system of this event, the rules of the people's voting, etc. Then set a date for the girls to perform in the open air for several consecutive days, no matter what piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, playing, You can do as many tricks as you can, and perform free performances for the common people to enjoy, so that the common people can get acquainted with these girls first, so that they can vote. Yihonglou is closed for a month for rectification, which just gives Mother Yue enough time to build momentum.'Super oiran "The competition is not considered a business. You can explain it to the government as a publicity event. Anyway, the competition is not held in Yihonglou, so it is not a violation of the government's prohibition. In order to expand its influence, it is necessary to choose an open venue that can accommodate thousands of people. More people participate. Depending on the number of applicants, the number of qualifiers and the number of people in each game can be determined. A game can be played every three days. If the number of applicants is small, fewer people will be eliminated in each game Some people, keep the people's attention and enthusiasm."

Yueniang nodded excitedly, and let me continue. I took a sip of tea and continued: "After the momentum is built up, we can start the preliminaries. According to the items of the competition, invite relevant people to be judges, such as girls competing for piano skills." You can invite well-known musicians to comment when it is better than calligraphy, painting, poetry and poetry, and invite well-known literati to comment. Those literati and inkmen love to hang out in romantic places, and Mother Yue should also know a lot of talents. But the opinions of the judges are not The sole criterion for deciding whether the contestants will stay or not is that the judges have the right to select the contestants who performed poorly on the spot and compete with the contestants with the lowest number of votes from the audience. 31 public judges voluntarily recruited from all walks of life in advance voted on it. The side with the fewest votes will be eliminated on the spot, and the side with the most votes can continue to the next stage of the competition. That is to say, the result of this competition is determined by It was decided jointly by the judges, the common people outside the venue and 31 public judges, and no single party can play a decisive role, unlike before when a few lords decided the outcome of several oirans." I deliberately ignored the shrouded "Super Girl" is a shady show with a lot of talk, try to express the simplest meaning to Yueniang, for the ancient people who are exposed to the rules of this game for the first time, digesting such complicated rules of the game is enough to be nerve-wracking , and probably won't make too many shady things.

Yueniang looked at me short of breath, with excitement and disbelief in her eyes, I don't know if she understood, and then said: "Besides, there are a few points that should be paid attention to in holding this competition. The first is voting. How to reflect the fairness and openness of voting, so that the people believe that the votes are authentic.” In ancient times, there were no mobile phones, so how to vote?I frowned and thought about it, I still don't need votes, cash transaction is the most convenient: "You can prepare a pottery for each girl, a group of three, one counter, one manager, and one supervisor, vote for the pottery It will be placed where it is advertised on weekdays, and it will be placed on the scene on the day of the competition. One copper plate represents one vote. After a game, votes are counted on the spot. If the money in the pottery matches the number of votes recorded, it is valid. , whoever has the least money will report it to the person in charge of the competition immediately. This relatively transparent game rule will make the people full of confidence in their voting results, and it will be easier for them to get involved in a carnival of choice and voting. This link operates Well done, there will be a lot of income, maybe before the oiran competition is over, Mother Yue has already started to make money."

Yueniang squinted her eyes with a smile, nodded again and again, and I continued to say: "The second thing to pay attention to is the duel to eliminate the participating girls. It is very likely that there will be dilemmas in every competition. Therefore, in order to improve the common people The degree of participation and the adjustment of the atmosphere of the scene, when the "Super Oiran" competition is duel, the voting process of the public judges will be displayed in front of the masses of people watching the competition by voting one by one, and at the same time they will be named "Dueling" or "Decisive Battle". In this session, try to tell some sensational stories, such as the pitiful life experience of the participating girls, how to make progress and work hard, etc. The most sensational things made many participating girls and the "relatives and friends" present teary and even tearful. Wept bitterly."

There was a strange expression on Yueniang's face, she looked at me strangely, and I ignored him, and then said: "The third thing to pay attention to is the powerful 'friends and relatives' group at the competition site. 'Friends and relatives' as the name suggests, They are relatives and friends of the participating girls. If there are no relatives and friends, there must be one or two good friends. You can invite them to be the team leader. Come on, you can even bring suona, gongs and drums, and pull up a banner with cheering slogans. Sometimes, the strong slogan of "friends and relatives" can bring the disadvantaged girls back to life. In order to support the girls they like, these supporters will deify them. , will gradually transform under such an atmosphere. In order to facilitate the spread, each participating girl's support group can also have its own name. It can be called 'seaweed', and so on..."

"Laver?" Yueniang burst out laughing, and said angrily, "Miss, you can really figure it out, you're so ridiculous, Zi Furong has already recovered..."

"It's just an analogy, so it's easy to spread. You can't let the emcee on the stage say 'the supporter of so-and-so girl'? Don't you think it's long and convoluted?" I said indifferently, "Fourth What you need to pay attention to is the extended benefits of this 'Super Oiran' competition. I bet that as soon as your competition starts, there will be hawkers selling goods and food at the competition venue. Be careful of the excited people throwing food on the stage. There is a problem with things. Hawkers come here to make money, and you can do nothing with them, but you must take the initiative and let them become the best and most sensitive news disseminator. And those next game notices that are posted one after another, you can also put some thought into it. The name of the business that attracts the attention of others on these occasions, of course, it is necessary to negotiate with the business in advance on the price of publicity for them, how much will be charged for each additional item on the notice, and how much more can the emcee give them at the competition site during the competition For publicity. If this matter is done well, Yueniang will receive another sum of money. This 'Super Oiran' contest is a multi-win model. The profit is guaranteed but not lost. When the time comes, Yueniang will have both face and sympathy. He Le Don't do it. The above are just a few ideas I gave to 'Super Oiran', and Mother Yue is still satisfied."

"I really can't believe it. How could the girl come up with so many novel things? I'm afraid those merchants who do big business can't come up with such ideas. This is what the girl learned from the book." Yueniang's expression remained the same. With undigested shock, he asked me suspiciously.

"Reading is just one aspect. Of course, you have to use your own brain." I smiled and said, "For example, the 'Super Oiran' contest held by Ruoyue's mother this time was very successful, and I definitely want to continue it next year, but there are so many brothels in Beijing. , won’t you follow suit next year? So Yueniang will apply to the government for the exclusive right to hold the ‘Super Oiran’ from the beginning of this year. It’s not so easy anymore. In this way, next year those brothels want to do it, they have to discuss it with Yue’s mother first, let them each set up their own sub-fields, and select the top three in their brothels, and Yue’s mother will let them Come on, they also donate money to make a contribution. In the end, Yihonglou will set up a general arena and make a fortune. This Yihonglou still sits firmly on the chair of "No. [-] in the capital."

Yueniang looked at me blankly, and sighed: "No wonder Aunt Jin admires the girl so much. After hearing what the girl said today, Yueniang can't accept it even if she wants to."

"Since Mother Yue thinks that Carmen's idea is not bad, there shouldn't be any problem with her promise to Carmen, right?" I looked at her with a smile and said obediently.

"Miss, I still have to think hard about these ideas." Yueniang stood up and looked at me with a smile, "My Yueniang is not an untrustworthy person. From today on, the girl can walk around in Yihong Building at will. If she wants to go out, Please let me know in advance to make arrangements for the girl."

The arrangement for going out must be monitored by someone, right?But I am very satisfied, and being able to move freely is already a big step for me.Seeing me, Yueniang smiled and asked, "Miss, will you participate in the 'Super Oiran' contest?"

I was stunned, and laughed loudly: "I don't have the spare time to join in the fun. Mother Yue should find good seedlings in the competition and cultivate them. Besides, if the contestants didn't play this game voluntarily, they wouldn't be able to play it." down."

Yueniang looked at my nonchalant expression, hesitated to speak, I smiled and glanced at her: "If mom still has something to say, just say it, don't hesitate."

Yueniang looked at me fixedly, with a bit of sadness on her face, and her eyes turned from the excitement just now to a hint of melancholy: "Girl, Chu Shang..." My expression suddenly turned cold, and Yueniang looked at me anxiously. Glancing at me, he gritted his teeth and said, "He feels very bitter, you..., please let Chu Shang go..."

(End of this chapter)