Spring has arrived, flowers are blooming, and the ice and snow have melted. Song Yaozhu, wearing a light jacket, walks around the house looking at account books and letters scattered everywhere.
After handing over his information network to her, Xie Liwei was busy socializing and rescuing people from outside.
She stretched and remembered that Xie Liwei had said he would take her to Wan Hua Lou, but now he was so busy he couldn't even stand still.
She thought for a moment, then told Caijin and Caiyin to prepare to go out, while she went to meet the owner of the Wan Hua Lou.
In broad daylight, no brothel would welcome guests. The main gate of Wan Hua Lou was tightly closed, but occasionally a few disheveled men, still hungover, would emerge from the side door.
Song Yaozhu had already sent a message to Bai Sanyuan. After seeing the carriage of the Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion, Bai Sanyuan put his hands in his sleeves and walked to the side gate.
There were two pimps guarding the side gate. Both of them looked listless, and when they saw Bai Sanyuan, the fat on their faces twitched.
"We're not open during the day, get out!"
Bai Sanyuan smiled and took out a packet of silver from his sleeve, handing it to them and saying, "My master heard that you can order any dish here, so he asked me to order first."
He wasn't sure if what he said was right, but he was used to dealing with people and knew the jargon of those shady businesses, except for those things he had no idea about, like tomb raiding.
The pimp scoffed, "Get lost! I told you we're not open during the day!"
Bai Sanyuan was rebuffed and went back to tell Song Yaozhu.
"It seems we'll need an intermediary to introduce us." This Wan Hua Lou is quite cautious; the person behind it isn't some mindless money-grubber. This makes Song Yaozhu even more curious about who this person is.
She wrote a few words, stuffed them into her purse, and sent Bai Sanyuan on another errand. This time, the pimp instructed them to drive the carriage to the back gate.
Then a maid opened the door and let Song Yaozhu in.
A moment later, a madam, swaying her hips and laughing hysterically, came over.
"May I ask what dishes you would like to order, sir?"
Song Yaozhu wore a veil, and a large hood covered half of her face. Her exposed eyes were as still as a deep pool, carefully scrutinizing the madam.
"Did the Wan Hua Lou change its mother?"
This person is different from the mother Shen Qingyu mentioned.
The madam's smile remained unchanged. "Customers come and go, but the Wan Hua Lou remains. It's our good fortune that such esteemed servants like us are remembered! The last madam made a mistake and let the dishes ordered by our esteemed guest go... Ah, esteemed guest, what would you like to eat?"
Song Yaozhu had anticipated this outcome. She lowered her eyelids and remained silent for a moment, as if she were mourning for the mother.
"Lu Qingyu".
The madam was taken aback upon hearing the name. "That one isn't cheap these days!"
"Oh? Other people also ordered him?"
The madam waved her handkerchief, her red lips resembling a bloody mouth.
"That's right! You weren't the only one who ordered him, Madam. Besides, you were only introduced by Madam Qian. If I may be so bold as to say something offensive, Madam Qian is still someone else's catch, you..."
She looked Song Yaozhu up and down with her eyes. Song Yaozhu was wearing the finest satin clothes today, and the carriage she was riding in didn't have a sign that read "Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion." The madam couldn't guess her identity for a while, but just felt that she was rich.
But there are plenty of wealthy families in the capital. Even a fifth-rank official can steal a little here and a little there and still afford to dress the women in his family in fine clothes.
But to spend money on entertainment, you need to have mountains of gold and silver at home.
Just tell me how much the deposit is.
The madam chuckled and held up one finger.
Song Yaozhu raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that one hundred taels was indeed too high.
"A deposit of one thousand taels. If the deal goes through, we'll collect another two thousand taels as the balance. If it doesn't, we'll refund you five hundred taels."
......
This is a rip-off! A rip-off!
She has to find a way to wipe out this awful place completely!
Song Yaozhu chuckled and tossed a jade hairpin from her hair to her.
"Do you think the items in the palace are worth a thousand taels?"
That madam didn't have the discernment to judge her quality; judging by her appearance alone, she was truly one in a hundred. And the fact that she dared to take the woman's attendant suggested she was a lady with a powerful background.
She chuckled and said, "Go back and wait. If peach blossoms appear on our signboard, it means things are done. You can come then."
Song Yaozhu glanced at her, sneered, and walked outside.
Seeing that the man had left, the madam stuffed the jade hairpin into her sleeve, and the smile on her face turned cold.
"Mom, should we do this business?"
"Of course we'll do it, why wouldn't we?" The madam touched the jade hairpin in her sleeve. The only difficult thing about Lu Qingyu was that he was always inside the madam's mansion, making it hard to make a move.
As long as he leaves the mansion, they will have plenty of opportunities.
"Should we report this to our master?" The old woman thought to herself. "Even if we fail, we can still earn five hundred taels of silver. Why bother?"
But in business, if you fail the first time, fewer people will come looking for you later. The madam knew this principle, and so did their master.
Moreover, since there were male concubines on either side, even if they died, the madam couldn't do anything about it. So the madam quickly received a reply that the job could be done.
Three days later, Xie Liwei finally had some free time at home and turned over the soil in the flower bed. Song Yaozhu helped him pull out the newly grown weeds.
"Your Highness, Scholar Bai has arrived."
Song Yaozhu was a little puzzled, "What's he doing here?"
"They say the Wan Hua Lou has hung up its flag." After saying this, Cai Jin suddenly realized what she had said, quickly covered her mouth, met her master's cold gaze in fear, and immediately ran away.
Xie Liwei looked at Song Yaozhu with a sneer, "The princess has such refined tastes, even visiting the Wan Hua Lou."
Song Yaozhu raised her muddy hand and touched Xie Liwei's cheek. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Your Highness, we all need to be willing to sacrifice!"
"Indeed, you've made a pretty happy sacrifice."
Song Yaozhu chuckled, stood up and stretched her numb legs, "Let's go take a look."
Xie Liwei called the gardener to finish the remaining chores, and he and Song Yaozhu washed up and prepared to go out.
The Wan Hua Lou sent an address and a key, and instructed Song Yaozhu to go there discreetly.
Song Yaozhu asked Bai Sanyuan to tell them that since the men in the house were at home today, it was inconvenient for her to go out, and asked them to reschedule her trip.
The madam rolled her eyes in anger upon hearing this news. But Bai Sanyuan gave her three hundred taels of silver to appease her, so she thought for a moment and said, "Didn't the wife of the Vice Minister of War mention last time that she liked this Lu Qingyu? Why don't you send someone to ask if she's free tonight?"
The old woman glanced at the madam with a troubled expression, thinking to herself, "My previous mother would never have done this."
But since she was just a gofer and had no say, she went immediately.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com