At dusk, the pleasure boat docked, and Li Zhi and Pan Zhongzhan got on the boat and left, still a little drunk.

After watching them leave, Master Zhao was about to go back to the villa halfway up the mountain with Secretary Ma to rest when he heard a beautiful flute sound.

Following the sound, he saw Qi Jingyun on the Xiaoxiang Tower. She was wearing a blue satin cross-collared vest, a white embroidered waistcoat, a sky blue belt, and a moon-white round-necked robe. She looked smart and neat without losing the feminine charm. She was sitting alone on the balcony playing the flute and sending Zhao Hao a charming look.

In the hibiscus pond and along the flower paths beside the lake, many literati, poets, and playboys looked at Zhao Hao with unfriendly eyes.

Mr. Zhao did not know how to appreciate the flute and had difficulty understanding the meaning of the music, so he had to look to Secretary Ma, who was an expert in this field, for help.

"The music played by Master Qi is the second section of 'The Woodcutter Points the Way' from 'Escape from the World'," Ma Xianglan said quietly.

Seeing that Zhao Hao still had a confused look on his face, Secretary Ma had no choice but to open her red lips and whisper in his ear.

"The road is winding, and the clouds are rolling as I walk. I listen to the woodcutter's melodious singing, and his axe is light on his robe. He braves the mountains and goes through the forests, tracking and wandering around. He intends to build a hut to accompany him and have fun. He wishes to speak at ease, and the heart will be at ease when the obstacles are stopped. He sighs and lingers, and the monkeys are startled and the cranes are resentful. His feelings are lingering, and the Yuxue Yunmen and Jishan are not far away..."

"Is that so?" Zhao Hao wanted to give a rocket reward, but was worried that Lianli Company would settle the score with him later, so he pretended to be confused and said, "Not bad, not bad. Director Qi has really done his best to improve the cultural taste of Xiaocangshan."

"Sir, you're being invited. It would be unsociable if you don't go and have a chat." Secretary Ma said with a smile.

"Really?" Zhao Hao couldn't help but be tempted. He had never been to such a place before. But an invisible iron curtain stood in front of him, making him dare not take a step forward.

As a successful entrepreneur, you always have to calculate the cost-benefit ratio. After Lianli Company was established, the cost of having affairs was too high...

He had no choice but to stand at the foot of Xiaoxiang Tower, cupping his hands around his mouth, and shouted to Qi Jingyun: "Come down!"

The sound of the flute immediately became out of tune.

"Ah!" There was a burst of booing immediately, and the young masters and scholars were very angry. They thought that the Qi family was really blind. How could they fall for such a reckless person who was willing to burn the piano and cook the crane.

Secretary Ma seemed to cover her face in embarrassment, but the corners of her mouth were slightly raised. The young master really strictly abided by the red line and did not cross the line.

"Don't be delusional. What is the status of the Qi family? Don't think that you can humiliate her just because you have a few bucks!" A tall and thin young man in brocade clothes couldn't help but point at him with his folding fan and said, "If she is willing to come down the steps to greet her, I, Gu Shushi, will jump down from here..."

Before he finished speaking, the door of Xiaoxiang Tower creaked open, and Qi Jingyun appeared in front of everyone with a slightly flushed face, breathing lightly, and it seemed that he had jogged down.

"She came here to scold you..." Young Master Gu twitched his lips.

Qi Jingyun bowed to Zhao Hao, lowered his eyebrows and said submissively, "Sir, I am coming down."

"Plop..." Young Master Gu was a straightforward man. He jumped into the lotus pond without waiting for Zhao Hao to stop him.

"Hurry up and save him." Master Zhao gave the order helplessly. It didn't matter if a freeloader was drowned, the key was that it would affect Xiaocangshan's business.

"It's okay, I'm a good swimmer." Unexpectedly, the young Master Gu emerged from the water, swam back and breaststroke, swam to a nearby flower boat, and smiled at the prostitute on the boat: "Female Bodhisattva is merciful, can you take in the drowning person?"

"Do you know that monks do not save those who have no affinity with them?" The prostitute said with a smile while being supported by her maid.

"It takes a hundred years to be able to ride the same boat together. We are destined to be together." Young Master Gu treaded in the water. Although he was soaked like a drowned chicken, he still maintained his elegant demeanor.

"Then come on board." The prostitute asked the boatman to stretch out the bamboo pole, pull him onto the boat, and go into the cabin to undress... It was not what you thought, but the clothes were soaked and had to be taken off quickly, otherwise he would catch a cold.

Young Master Zhao watched from the shore and could not help but feel envious. Daming was great, Nanjing was great, being young was great, being single was great...

Alas, it’s a pity that I have become the subject of supervision by a certain company.

"This Gu Xiancheng always loves to show off. He still doesn't stop even after failing the exam." Just as he was sighing, he suddenly heard a scholar talking.

Master Zhao was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth. He didn't expect to meet the future founder of Donglin Academy, who was considered the culprit of the demise of the Ming Dynasty by many later generations.

No wonder I felt that the man calling himself "Gu Shushi" sounded familiar to me just now. Isn't Gu Xiancheng Zi Shushi?

It is not surprising if you think about it again. Gu Xiancheng is from Wuxi, born in the 29th year of Jiajing. He is 21 years old this year. Isn't he young and frivolous?

For a moment, Zhao Hao couldn't help but want to ask that person to quietly take this kid to the Western Hills to dig coal and make him disappear forever in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

But he quickly suppressed his impulse. The formation of the Donglin Party had its own historical reasons. Even without Gu Xiancheng, there were still Zhao Nanxing, Gao Panlong... and the 108 generals on the Donglin roll call. He couldn't send them all to dig coal, right?

Besides, even if Donglin is gone, there are still Fushe and Jishe... As long as the world remains the same, it will definitely be like "wildfire cannot be extinguished, spring breeze will blow and it will grow again."

Besides, is Donglin really that bad? But that's not entirely true. Since Mr. Zhao wants to give everyone a chance, of course this includes them...

After a flash of thought, he whispered a few words to Secretary Ma.

Ma Xianglan nodded slightly, apologized to Qi Jingyun beside her, then took her leave and did as she was told.

"No..." Zhao Hao was about to say that there was no need to be so anxious, only to realize that this was Sister Ma's intention not to be a light bulb.

He appreciated it, turned to Qi Jingyun who was standing quietly beside him, and said with a smile: "I just had a meal, I am afraid that I will have food stagnation, let's take a walk along the lake."

"All is up to you, young master." Qi Jingyun nodded obediently, and followed Zhao Hao along the winding stone path beside the lotus pond, keeping half a body length behind him in a very obedient manner.

Zhao Hao looked around and praised, "Big, really big. Xiaocangshan has changed a lot. You, as an art director, are really good."

Qi Jingyun is now the art director of Xiaocangshan Management Company. He is fully responsible for the landscape layout, event organization and access review of the Xiaocangshan commercial district, and is at the helm of the overall design, tone and style of the commercial district.

This is not an easy task. It requires extremely high artistic taste, a deep understanding of market demand, and deep connections in related industries in Jinling City. One must also be creative and have team organization and coordination skills... Not to mention today, even four hundred years later, such candidates will be hard to find.

But isn't it a coincidence that Qi Jingyun possesses all these qualities, as if they were specially designed for her.

As the saying goes, beauty fades with age, and the competition along the Qinhuai River was even more brutal. Qi Jingyun was actually only in her twenties, the best time for a woman, but she was already the most popular courtesan.

Although she was still one of the most popular girls, she was too embarrassed to call herself an oiran. Why did she move from Qinhuai River to Xiaocangshan? Wasn't it to make plans for the future?

In their profession, either the eldest daughter marries a merchant, or marries an official as a concubine, which is a good fate. But merchants are vulgar, and what status do concubines have? So many people would rather die alone. For example, Qi Jingyun.

She has accumulated a lot of savings, so she will have no problem living a comfortable life in the future. But she is used to a lively life with everyone watching over her. Who can stand the loneliness of having so few people coming and going at her door?

Qi Jingyun originally wanted to promote the Red Mansion Poetry Society to continue her status in the world, but she didn't expect that Master Zhao would solve her life problems with just one Ou Fu.

Therefore, Qi Jingyun gladly accepted the offer. After taking office for nearly a year, she enjoyed her new job immensely, gained an unprecedented sense of accomplishment, and achieved a true class transition...

That's why the arrogant Qi family would make Young Master Zhao so well behaved. She really couldn't help but feel grateful!

Of course, there were also some not-so-good rumors, saying that she was the forbidden lover of a certain unspeakable young master...

But who cares. At least she thinks it's good this way, so she doesn't have to stick those dog-skin plasters that covet her body.

~~

"I hope you don't blame me for my reckless behavior, young master." Qi Jingyun said with excitement in his voice after hearing Zhao Hao's praise.

"How can it be a mess? I think it's very methodical," Zhao Hao looked at the scene in front of him with appreciation. The original gaudy feeling of bright red and green and the atmosphere of the mountains with lush grass and water were gone. Instead, there was a picture of elegant mountains and forests, bright water and trees, and pavilions in the shade, which was almost a garden and extremely in line with the aesthetic style of literati.

"In fact, I don't have any rules. I just think of this landscape as a painting. According to the rules of landscape painting, such as 'a mountain of ten feet and a tree of one foot, a horse of one inch and a person of one inch', I adapt to the local conditions and simplify. Because it is high, I make it higher, and build pavilions and peaks on the steep slopes; because it is low, I make it lower, and dig ponds and wells in the wet areas, so that pavilions and towers can be harmoniously integrated into the painting."

"This is called having no rules..." Zhao Hao twitched his mouth, thinking that Director Qi was really Versailles.

"Walk faster, I can't eat you." Thinking of this, he turned around to look at Qi Jingyun and couldn't help but secretly praise him, he is really a disaster to the country and the people.

Although beauty alone cannot make one famous along the Qinhuai River, those who can become the most beautiful courtesan are all extremely beautiful and outshine all the other beauties.

Qi Jingyun then followed and thought to himself, you are probably afraid that I will eat you.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh secretly. Reading people's expressions was her specialty. Naturally, she could tell that Young Master Zhao had the intention but not the courage to do it, and was deliberately keeping a distance from her.

If she didn't know about the existence of President Jiang, the young county lady, and the daughter of Zhang Daxueshi, Qi Jingyun would be very happy to play a cat-and-mouse emotional game with this most popular young man in the Ming Dynasty. Qi Jingyun was 100% confident that he could take him down within three moves.

But ever since Ma Xianglan took advantage of her work to enlighten her once, Qi Jingyun has completely put herself in the right position and no longer dared to seduce her boss.

Otherwise, Sister Ma wouldn't dare to let the two of them be alone together...

An invisible but tangible iron curtain has descended forever.