"Please come in, sir." As soon as Situ Yao and his friends stepped into Zuihonglou, they were dragged in by the woman welcoming guests outside.
Su Mengyan smelled the strong scent of powder and couldn't help but sneeze. For a moment, everyone looked at her, some with ill intentions.
She subconsciously hid behind Situ Yao, covering herself completely.
Situ Yao's starry eyes flashed as he swept over the men who were looking at them, his gaze filled with chilling coldness.
They instantly retracted their necks, looking a little regretful, because it turned out to be owned by someone.
The madam of Zuihonglou came over with a pink handkerchief in her hand, twisting her waist. She stared at Situ Yao intently and smiled enthusiastically, "Which girl would you two like to accompany you?"
Seeing that Situ Yao didn't say anything, she smiled with her hands covering her mouth and stepped forward, "If you are not satisfied with anything, I can accompany you."
Su Mengyan felt a chill, thinking that this Zuihonglou was so unique that even the madam had to come to accompany the guests?
Situ Yao took a step back, pushed the madam forward, and said coldly, "No need."
It was rare to see such a handsome man in Zuihonglou. The madam felt itchy and wanted to get closer to him.
At this moment, a man came down from upstairs, stared at Situ Yao for a while, then walked down and asked, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Si?"
Situ was the country's surname, and he used a pseudonym.
Situ Yao glanced at the man who looked like a servant and said nothing.
It's no wonder the servant doubted his identity. This man has a noble temperament. He doesn't look like the son of a wealthy businessman, but more like a prince or nobleman.
"Lord Wang and the others are upstairs. They sent me down to invite Mr. Si upstairs." After the servant said this, Situ Yao handed him the invitation, confirmed his identity, and stepped aside to let him go upstairs.
When the servant saw Su Mengyan behind Situ Yao, he raised his hand to stop them, "Lord Wang invited Mr. Si, no one else is allowed in."
"I'm his younger brother. Let me go and see what's going on." Su Mengyan plays the role of a naive younger brother who is ignorant of the world.
"I want to go and broaden my horizons. If Lord Wang doesn't agree, we two brothers will have to go back." Situ Yao turned around and was about to leave. After all, it was Wang Shouli who gave him the invitation, so the initiative was in his hands.
The servant stopped them anxiously, "Master Si, please wait a moment. I will go up and report."
Situ Yao didn't comment and found a chair to sit on. Su Mengyan also looked around and found that those sitting here were all wealthy businessmen dressed in silk or dandy young masters.
They were intoxicated with wine and women, forgetting everything else and not worrying at all about the plague outside.
Su Mengyan clenched her fists, bit her lower lip, and cursed in a low voice, "They are all a bunch of scum!"
Situ Yao felt her anger, held her hand, and comforted her silently.
The servant came down quickly, ran up to them with his head bowed, and said, "Master Wang, please ask the two young masters to come up."
"Master Si is finally here. We have been waiting for so long." Lord Zhang wanted to show off his official airs and give them a warning.
Situ Yao ignored him and looked directly at Wang Shouli, who was sitting in the first seat. He clasped his hands together and said, "I am a little late. I hope Master Wang will forgive my impoliteness."
Su Mengyan looked around curiously, actually sizing up the officials seated there. Situ Yao feigned anger and pulled her back, "You don't understand the rules at all, you're making a fool of yourself!"
"This is my younger brother. He likes to play around and makes you all laugh."
"It's normal for children to like to play." Wang Shouli thought Su Mengyan was just a playboy who relied on her brother's favor and didn't take it to heart at all. He smiled and said, "Sit down, don't be restrained."
After three rounds of drinks, Master Zhang pretended to be casual and asked, "Master Si, are you from another place? I wonder where you live?"
"We are from the capital, and our family runs a spice business. We are on our way to the Western Regions to purchase goods. We are exhausted from the journey, so we want to stay here and recuperate for a while." Situ Yao said half-truthfully. He did not hesitate to reveal all the family assets, which made Wang Shouli let down his guard.
"I see." Lord Zhang nodded and suddenly asked, "How many days does Master Si plan to stay in Chu City?"
"That depends on the situation." Situ Yao chuckled, "My father liked Chu City before, and I was influenced by him. I also want to witness the charm of the land of fish and rice."
"If you want to stay in Chu City for a while, I'm afraid it won't be that easy." Lord Zhang reminded him implicitly.
Wang Shouli just drank tea without saying a word.
"What do you mean?" Situ Yao asked in confusion.
"Mr. Si, you're staying in Chu City not just because you like him, right?" A gleam of light flashed in Lord Zhang's small eyes.
Situ Yao and Su Mengyan were both stunned. Could it be that they had discovered them?
The two suppressed the turbulent waves in their hearts and waited for what he would say next, intending to respond accordingly.
"There are many people in Chu City who love spices. Master Si, have you ever thought about opening a spice shop here?" Master Zhang's words made the two of them breathe a sigh of relief. Situ Yao nodded in agreement, "Indeed, I have such an idea. I didn't expect you to see through it."
Mr. Zhang laughed triumphantly and finally got to the topic of the day, "If you want to do business in Chu City, you can't do it without connections."
"When I saw Mr. Si, I felt that we were compatible, so I gave you some advice. If you think I'm meddling in your affairs, you don't have to listen." He was the one who got the upper hand, and he asked for money so naturally. I guess he did this kind of thing a lot in his daily life.
Su Mengyan sneered in her heart. It turned out that everyone in Chu City was a den of snakes and rats. They ignored the plague outside and even extorted money from outsiders here.
Situ Yao's expression showed no sign of anger at all, and he lightly blocked it, "This is natural."
"But when we entered the city, we found that all the shops were deserted and there were few customers." Situ Yao looked embarrassed. "I am a businessman. I have to consider how much profit opening a shop in Chu City can bring to my family. If there are no customers, I will have to give up on this matter."
Finally bringing the topic to this point, Su Mengyan sat upright and casually glanced at the expressions of each of them.
Their expressions varied, but without exception, there was an uneasy feeling hidden deep within their eyes. Only one official, dressed in a blue robe, had a blank expression on his face and had not participated in the discussion.
She kept her discovery in mind and continued to look around the house with pretended curiosity.
Situ Yao's sudden question caused the entire private room to fall silent. He seemed puzzled and asked doubtfully, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
Wang Shouli finally put down his teacup, glanced at him calmly and said, "Don't you want to continue your spice business?"
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