Chapter 70: Waterloo
There were two well-known dens of illicit sex in the capital of Sheng State, one named Wanfang Tower and the other Chunmanyuan.
The girls in Wanfanglou are of all shapes and sizes, and are appreciated by both the elite and the masses.
The girls can chat with you about everything from poetry and songs to the philosophy of life, and can also accompany you to drink, play finger-guessing games and throw dice. The guests they receive range from scholars and literati to porters and hawkers. As long as they can afford a cup of tea, they can come in and sit down.
Of course, the price for ordering flowers is different.
For a cup of tea costing two taels of silver, you can only watch the free singing and dancing in the lobby, and you can only stay there for a quarter of an hour. If you don't make any other purchases by the time the time comes, someone will ask you to leave.
The girls in the Spring Garden are as beautiful as peaches and willows, good at singing and dancing, and proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Their personalities are either lively, enthusiastic or cold, each with their own charm.
However, Chunmanyuan only welcomes elegant guests, and only those who match the couplets hanging at the door are eligible to enter and sit down.
It is a favorite place for many literati and scholars.
If you want Hua Niang to accompany you, you have to answer the questions they ask, otherwise you won’t even be able to see them.
The two businesses are right across from each other, and there seems to be a sense of competition between them.
Just walking along this street, you can smell the mixed fragrance of cosmetics, the pleasant sound of stringed instruments and the soft laughter of women all make people unable to help but take a look inside.
Tonight these two places are as lively as ever.
In the lobby of Wanfang Building, there was a fragrance of wind and a bustling crowd, but it did not affect the guests on the third floor.
In the most secluded box on the third floor, the windows were open and the cold night wind blew in, diluting the pungent fragrance and making the bead curtains rustle.
Behind the bead curtain, the dishes on the round table were steaming hot, and the copper pot in the middle was bubbling non-stop.
The two men sat opposite each other.
"I heard that the ambassador likes to eat copper pot hot pot meat, so I specially ordered this dish. Please ask the ambassador to try it and see how it compares to the one in Gaochang Kingdom?" The person who spoke was wearing a black mask that covered the upper half of his face, so his specific appearance could not be seen clearly.
Aniwar, the envoy from Gaochang, pointed at his face and said, "Take off the mask, or we can't have business."
He was about thirty years old, with short dark brown hair, high eyebrows, deep eyes, and a straight nose. He was a handsome young man.
His loose robe was embroidered with lotus patterns in silver thread, and it shone brightly in the candlelight in the room, looking extremely gorgeous.
The masked man smiled and said, "Don't worry, Ambassador. Once the deal is done, I will take off the mask and let you see my true face."
Eniwal was obviously very dissatisfied with this answer. He crossed his arms and said, "I am sincere, but you are not. I don't do business with people who are not sincere."
He stood up to leave, but the masked man didn't react at all. He even reached out his chopsticks to pick up the mutton that was being boiled in the copper pot.
Seeing Eniwal walk to the door at a snail's pace that was inconsistent with his height, he slowly swallowed the delicious mutton hotpot in his mouth and said:
"The Ambassador wants something that only I can provide. Once you leave this door, you'll never have another chance to do so. Isn't the Ambassador worried that a momentary impulse might deprive the entire Gaochang Kingdom of its valuable weapon, firearms?"
Eniwal paused.
The masked man continued, "I've heard that the Tatars have been constantly invading and plundering the border in recent years, causing great trouble for the King of Gaochang. Why don't you come back and sit down with me while we eat?"
Eniwal clenched his fists, cursed Shengren for being cunning, and turned back to sit down unwillingly.
The masked man picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a piece of mutton in hot pot on the dry sauce plate. "Ambassador, please try it."
Eniwal didn't want to eat it, but judging from the masked man's attitude, if he didn't eat the mutton hotpot with chopsticks, he probably wouldn't be able to make the deal.
After thinking it over, Ainiwal picked up the chopsticks, put the mutton into his mouth, chewed it a few times and swallowed it, then opened his mouth to show the masked man, "I've eaten it, let's talk business."
"Don't be anxious, Ambassador. Business should be discussed slowly. Try this fish sashimi." The masked man wanted to suppress the arrogance of the Gaochang envoy. Once he made the envoy impatient, the price would be discussed.
Eniwal frowned and stared at the fish sashimi in the bowl, feeling very dissatisfied with the masked man's dilatory attitude.
He suppressed his anger and picked up the fish sashimi and put it into his mouth.
Seeing him eating, the masked man's smile deepened, and he introduced him to the roast duck next to it.
Eniwal...keep eating.
After tasting all the dishes on the table, Eniwal was completely out of temper.
Seeing that the time was right, the masked man put down his chopsticks, took out a folded list from his arms, and pushed it in front of Eniwal.
"This is something in someone's hand. Ambassador, take a look first."
Eniwal sucked the soup from his thumb, picked up the paper and opened it.
I thought it was difficult-to-recognize Chinese characters, but I didn't expect it to be Uighur.
He immediately looked up to the masked man, and his dissatisfaction with being delayed for so long also subsided a little.
The masked man turned over two teacups, picked up the teapot and poured two cups of fragrant tea.
"What does the Ambassador think?"
"Do you really have everything on the paper?" Eniwal waved the paper in his hand towards him, obviously still having doubts about it.
Firearms are so important that if used properly they can even determine the outcome of a war. Why are they sold so easily?
If anyone in Gaochang dared to do this, he would definitely chop off that guy's head and hang it on the city wall for public display.
"Of course we have them. Don't worry, Ambassador." The masked man pushed one of the cups of fragrant tea to Eniwal's hand.
Eniwal stared at the mask on his face, as if he wanted to poke a hole in it. "Who are you? Why do you have these things?"
"I'm sorry I can't tell you." The masked man took a sip of tea to cool down his stomach, and raised the corner of his mouth. "As long as the ambassador knows and can afford the price, I can supply the ambassador."
Eniwal looked at the paper and then at him. "Your mask."
The masked man said, "Once the deal is concluded, the ambassador signs the documents, and a portion of the deposit is paid, I will take off the mask."
"You'd better not lie to me." Eniwal narrowed his eyes and stroked the dagger at his waist with his big hands. The threat was self-evident.
The masked man glanced at his waist and said, "I am a business man of integrity. Ambassador, you can rest assured."
Eniwal looked away doubtfully and slammed the paper on the table. "Too expensive! Cheaper! A little!"
For the next half hour, the two engaged in fierce bargaining.
The general process is:
Eniwal: I buy more, so it’s cheaper!
Masked Man: Dismissed.
Eniwal: If you buy this time, you can get it next time, it will be cheaper!
Masked Man: Dismissed.
…
Eniwal used all the bargaining skills he learned at Shengguo Vegetable Market, but unfortunately he suffered a disastrous defeat on his first practice.
The masked man has only one attitude: the goods are limited, you can buy it if you want or not.
Eniwal: "..."
Oh, those ladies at Caishikou lied to me!
"I'll buy it!" Eniwal took out a stack of gold leaves from his arms and slammed them on the table with great generosity.
He is indeed rich.
The masked man immediately took out the document he had prepared long ago and said, "Please sign and seal it, Ambassador."
Eniwal had read the document and was about to stamp it when he heard a loud "bang" and the tightly closed door was suddenly kicked open.
(End of this chapter)
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