Yinzhen had actually seen this kind of scene quite often. In his eyes, this was just a small scene. When his father went to Jiangnan in his previous life, the local officials went to curry favor with him. That scene was truly luxurious and decadent.

Furthermore, his son, Emperor Qianlong, was also destined for ruin. Even in the palace, he was extremely extravagant. Although we haven't seen how he behaved in Jiangnan, every time he returned, there were several gentle and considerate women from Jiangnan in the palace. It is evident that Qianlong probably indulged in Jiangnan even more than his grandfather.

Yinzhen was initially angry, but as time went on, hatred for his family and country replaced his anger at his son's lack of ambition.

Before long, Yinzhen and Yunrong discovered that all the boats were heading into the lake.

Upon seeing this, Liang Jiugong immediately sent someone to investigate the situation. Even when the emperor was traveling, his safety had to be ensured, and there were many guard ships around.

Therefore, it was not difficult for Liang Jiugong to inquire, even though it was on the lake, it was just a little trouble.

Not long after, Liang Jiugong received the news and returned.

"Your Majesty, every April, a flower banquet is held on Daming Lake, where the most beautiful courtesan is selected from various brothels and then auctioned off."

Liang Jiugong spoke very casually, which shows that this kind of thing is indeed very common in the Jiangnan region. Or rather, it's probably common wherever there's money.

Yinzhen didn't feel anything special listening to this. He wanted to govern the country well, but he knew that the exchange of money for sex had existed since ancient times. Some people were forced into it, and some were willing. He could only try his best to govern a more stable society and reduce the number of people who were forced into it.

Yinzhen understood things clearly simply because he had seen a lot, and his fundamental vision was focused on the nation and its people.

However, Yunrong felt quite uncomfortable after hearing Liang Jiugong's words. She knew that this was just how the world was, and even in modern times, such things could happen in secret.

But when it actually happens in front of you, it really doesn't feel good.

"Today, the guide told me that there are a lot of brothels around here. Although Jiangnan is a place that nurtures people, it's impossible that so many high-quality women are all locals. Where did they all come from?"

Yinzhen actually knew a bit about this, but to manage it would still require a lot of effort.

"Some are daughters from poor families who can't afford to eat. They are good-looking and are sold into brothels by their parents and relatives. Others are trafficked. Many daughters from wealthy families are generally well-raised because of their wealth and good genes. However, there are many troubles in the inner quarters of a household. If a family has many daughters, they are bound to be schemed against and lose a few."

"If you happen to meet a girl who is exceptionally beautiful, one girl can be enough to support a poor family for half a lifetime. There are always some with bad intentions, which is why there are so many kidnappers, because of the lure of money."

Upon hearing Yinzhen's words, Yunrong understood that ancient times were ultimately underdeveloped, and with such primitive investigative methods, finding her lost daughter would likely be very difficult.

Furthermore, some families who have lost their daughters are unwilling to reunite with them, fearing that their daughters might not be innocent and would bring shame to the family.

It was only then that Yunrong realized how good her living environment was, and she felt genuinely happy for herself.

Yunrong knew that since Yinzhen had noticed this problem, it meant that he had considered how to deal with it. She didn't know much about this aspect, so she didn't offer any suggestions.

The two chatted for a while, and the boat soon reached the vicinity of the middle of the lake. When they arrived, there were countless boats moored around them. Yunrong could only sigh in her heart, "There are so many rich people."

It at least looks much wealthier than the capital.

There are probably no fewer wealthy people in the capital than that, but under the emperor's watchful eye, they have to learn to be more restrained, so such a "magnificent scene" would never actually occur in the capital.

Yunrong was truly amazed by this.

At this moment, in the middle of the lake, there is a boat that looks very "expensive," larger than the average pleasure boat.

This ship was commissioned by the behind-the-scenes boss of the courtesan selection event. Although it seems a bit wasteful to use it for the selection of the courtesan, it's such a big ship, and with proper maintenance, it won't be used only once.

This boat also has other uses on ordinary days.

At this moment, a stage was set up at the bow of the boat. There were ten people participating in the competition for the title of courtesan. These ten people only needed to show their special skills, and then the young men around could spend money to buy flowers to support their favorite girls.

These flowers aren't cheap; one flower costs one tael of silver, which is typical for this season.

Yunrong and the others arrived not too late, and were able to see what was going on on that big ship. Yunrong treated it as a variety show.

After a while, the boats on the lake gradually moved to the center of the lake, and then the entire selection process officially began.

The courtesan election was quite interesting. At the beginning, there was a host-like figure who was quite eloquent. He first praised the flowers and then lauded all the girls who were about to appear.

It makes you think the girl who's about to appear is of high quality, so you'll want to buy more later when you're done spending the money.

Everything is for money.

A girl who appeared performed a dance. The girl was said to be named Mo Yu. She was so beautiful that many men were made weak in the knees by her.

Then many small boats appeared, each only able to hold one person. These small boats shuttled among the flower boats, selling flowers for one or two taels of silver per flower. After the girl finished her dance, the "host" would come up and announce how many gifts a young master had given. Yunrong roughly estimated that the amount of silver she read out was ten thousand taels, and there were still some miscellaneous gifts she hadn't read out.

Yunrong thought, "This is really a lot of money."

Yinzhen initially thought he could remain calm, but seeing the actual scene made him feel uneasy.

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