Chapter 162: The Vicious Eldest Daughter (27)
"Your Highness, aren't you afraid I'll have to pay compensation?"
"If you lose money, I'll make sure you can never get married."
Wang Yaozu: "..."
Looking at Little Peach standing next to the princess, he hardened his heart and said, "Alright, this humble subject will certainly live up to your expectations."
He's going to gamble big, isn't he? Didn't his dad say he'd just be a playboy all his life and wouldn't amount to anything? He's going to make something of himself and make everyone look at him with new respect.
"But Your Highness, would you like me to use this money for some kind of business?"
What business is the most profitable in this city?
"Salt is sold by official salt merchants, but the price is high, while private salt is cheap. Not to mention that merchants like to get involved, even several princes have a lot of private salt businesses behind them."
"Isn't that illegal?"
Wang Yaozu: "Yes, but this is all tacitly agreed upon in private. As long as it's not brought up in the open, no one will care."
"If you don't break the law, what other way is there?"
“Silk fabrics? That’s very profitable. In Mingzhou City alone, there are no fewer than three hundred fabric shops, one hundred and thirty of which are Ye family fabric shops.”
"The big ones have all been eaten, so we're not making any more."
"Porcelain and pottery?"
Is it very profitable?
Wang Yaozu nodded. "Besides the official kilns which occupy half of the market, the Ye family's private kilns occupy the other half, and there are others, most of which are controlled by other merchants."
Wen Wan: "..." How can I possibly make any money? Money really isn't easy to earn!
"And what about restaurants and teahouses?"
"It takes too long to see results."
"What are the Princess's thoughts?" Wang Yaozu realized that the Princess clearly had her own plans.
"I have some ideas, what do you think of the entertainment industry?"
What is the entertainment industry?
Wen Wan: "Eating, drinking, and having fun, such as brothels, nightclubs, and so on."
Wang Yaozu: "..."
Little Peach, standing to the side, also widened her eyes. Could the princess be planning to open a brothel? How could that be? This would be a disaster.
"Your Highness, you mustn't."
Wen Wan looked at Wang Yaozu and said, "You should know these places very well, right?"
Wang Yaozu glanced at Xiao Taozi out of the corner of his eye, "Your Highness has misunderstood me. Since I followed Your Highness, I have reformed and never gone to those places again."
"I want to hear the truth."
Wang Yaozu whispered, "I've only been there twice, but I assure you I only watched the dancers perform and drank some wine; I absolutely did nothing."
"Then tell me, is the girl beautiful? Tell the truth."
Wang Yaozu was covered in cold sweat, his face flushed red. "Beautiful."
"If I asked you to do this kind of business, could you do it?"
Wang Yaozu: "..."
Wang Yaozu shook his head. "No, Your Highness. Although I have done a lot of bad things in the past and like to tease cats and dogs, my family's rules are that we do not touch brothels or other harmful businesses, and I am not allowed to do so. If I did, my parents would definitely break both my legs." Just thinking about it made his legs hurt.
Wen Wan smiled. "You think I want you to open a brothel? To be a madam?"
Wang Yaozu: Isn't that right? You told me to do this kind of business.
Wen Wan said, "The entertainment industry I'm talking about doesn't mean you have to use men's and women's bodies to do sex work. Even if you wanted to, I wouldn't let you do it."
"What does the princess mean?"
"We are committed to developing the entertainment industry, but we reject all forms of prostitution. We sell beauty and talent, understand?"
"So you're saying you're selling your art but not your body? Then why bother running a brothel? Can't other businesses like restaurants do the same?"
Wen Wan: "Making money while doing good deeds."
Wang Yaozu: "..."
He felt that the princess was unreliable. Although there was a lot of money, could she really make money by doing things this way?
"So let's go scout out the location tonight."
Wang Yaozu: "!!!"
...
When Xiao Taozi heard that her princess was going to a brothel, she tried her best to stop her, saying, "Your Highness, how can you go to such a place? That's not a place for a young lady! Besides, if people find out about Your Highness's identity, it will cause a big problem."
If the prince finds out, he'll probably be angry.
"Then just don't let anyone know."
"But this is too outrageous! How can a woman go to brothels? How can she go like that?"
In the end, Xiao Taozi still couldn't stop Wen Wan, and Wen Wan still went with her face covered. Wang Yaozu was almost going crazy. The princess was actually going. He felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.
Soon the three arrived at Chunhua Courtyard, the largest brothel in Mingzhou City.
It was a brightly lit and bustling place, with more than a dozen beautiful women lined up at the entrance to attract customers, their perfumes and fragrances incredibly rich.
"Young Master, are you really going?" Wang Yaozu asked, seeing that the princess had already dressed in men's clothing, hoping to stop her.
"go."
Just as they were about to enter, they were stopped. The person was probably in charge. He glanced at Wen Wan and Xiao Taozi and said, "This is Chunhua Courtyard. Women dressed as men shouldn't come in."
Wen Wan glanced at Wang Yaozu, who immediately took out a hundred taels of silver notes. "We want to see the owner of Chunhua Courtyard."
The man took the silver note, verified its authenticity, went inside to announce it, and quickly led the three inside. His attitude was much better now: "Honored guests, please go upstairs. Mother is upstairs."
As soon as Wen Wan entered Chunhua Courtyard, she couldn't take it all in. On the surface, she remained noble and silent, but in her heart, she was already babbling wildly.
"Wow! This is an ancient brothel! Just like in novels and TV dramas, there are many beauties and it's very lively."
"Do you think there's some kind of shady business behind the scenes where people are forced into prostitution and girls are forced to sell their bodies? There must be, and there must be quite a lot of it."
"The more prosperous it is, the darker it is underneath. I understand, I understand everything."
system:【……】
You don't know anything.
Didn't you have Wang Yaozu investigate?
"The appearance and the reality are not necessarily the same, are they?"
They soon arrived at the private room, where Wen Wan and the others sat and waited. After a short while, a woman entered. She looked to be in her thirties, with exquisite makeup and few wrinkles, and dressed elegantly.
Her figure... Wen Wan swallowed hard; she was very voluptuous and beautiful with her breasts and buttocks in a curvy manner.
"I heard you have some distinguished guests looking for me? Quickly, serve tea and pastries."
Tea and pastries were served quickly. Wen Wan gestured for someone to sit down and asked, "May I ask your name?"
"Just call me Aunt Lin."
"You're so young, why are you calling me 'Mom'? Sister Lin, I'm here today because I have some business to discuss with you."
"This young lady has an extraordinary air about her; she's definitely not from an ordinary family. What kind of business could she possibly have with my brothel?"
"Sister Lin, I want to buy Chunhua Courtyard."
Lin's mother: "..."
"Is my guest joking with me?"
Wen Wan: "I'm not joking with you. I want to buy this brothel. Name your price."
Wen Wan spoke very seriously, and Lin's mother had to take a closer look at the mysterious guest in front of her.
"Why would a distinguished guest like yourself want to buy my brothel?"
“Not just yours, I may buy other brothels in Mingzhou City later. Yours is just the first one.”
Lin's mother: "..."
Wang Yaozu and Xiao Taozi, standing nearby, were both shocked. The princess had gone mad. If people found out that they had accompanied the princess to buy a brothel, they would be dead more than a few times over.
Wen Wan continued, "I've done my research. Chunhua Courtyard is the largest brothel in Mingzhou City, but in the last six months, several of its top courtesans have been poached by neighboring brothels. Its business competitiveness is declining day by day. Am I right?"
Even so, I might not be willing to sell, right?
"That's because I've also investigated and found that Sister Lin is kind-hearted. The girls who enter the brothel are all desperate to survive. Sister Lin is not like other brothels that specialize in forcing women into prostitution. That's why I wanted to cooperate with you."
Lin's mother: "..."
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