money player

Zuiyuelou opened in 1943 during the Japanese occupation. Its owner was Chen Shishi from Chen Shunji Tea Company. When it first opened, it was as popular as Jiangshanlou, the most popular restaurant in Taipei.

In 1919, Chiyo Kikuchi from the Hirosaki Sakuraya Geisha Okiya came to Taiwan to perform with the group celebrating the enthronement of Emperor Taisho. After the performance, she was hired by Jiangshanlou at a high price to stay in Taiwan. That year, she met Chen Shishi and became his lover.

In the winter of 1921, she gave birth to a daughter, Chen Aju. In 1923, for unknown reasons, she left Taiwan and returned to Japan, and there has been no news of her since then.

For several years, there was no news about Chen Aju until Zuiyuelou opened and she appeared as a female general. But in 1938, Chen Shunji Tea Company was "forced" to become the designated buyer of Mitsui Norin, responsible for the purchase and OEM of several tea varieties.

"Being forced" was the Chen family's external statement after 1945. In reality, it took only a few years for Chen Shun Kee Tea Shop to make a tiring profit, which allowed them to spare a large sum of money to open Zuiyuelou.

In 1943, after Tokyo suffered another air raid, another geisha named Bai Yuzi went to Keelung Naval Club to perform with the comfort group. After the performance, she was hired by Jiangshanlou at a high price and stayed in Taiwan.

In 1945, Jiangshanlou was hit hard by two Allied aerial bombs. Bai Yuzi, who had "nowhere to go", was kindly taken in by Chen Aju and became the top hottie in Zuiyuelou.

During the Japanese occupation period, there were many Japanese residents in Taiwan, so it was very normal for geishas to come here to perform and make money. Chiyo Kikuchi and Shiratamako were just colleagues and seemed to have no connection, but what was strange was that both of them stayed in Taiwan and both stayed at Jiangshanlou.

Jiangshanlou was founded by Wu Jiangshan, who was originally a tea farmer in Anxi. His uncle made a name for himself in Taiwan, and when he returned home with glory, he brought Wu Jiangshan to Taiwan to see the world. Wu Jiangshan worked as an apprentice in a tea shop in Dadaocheng for seven years. In 1912, he established his own Wu's Tea Store. On the surface, he was engaged in the wholesale business of Anxi oolong tea, but secretly he was smuggling opium from the mainland to Taiwan for sale.

In 1917, in order to obtain higher profits, Jiangshanlou was founded. It was involved in both pornography and drug sales. However, Jiangshanlou was relatively low-key about the sale of opium. With the eye-catching Wang Xiangchan, who was known as one of the three greatest beauties in Taiwan's history, Jiangshanlou had a strong literary and artistic atmosphere, attracting literati and poets to patronize it.

For example, Lian Heng, a great cultural figure who named his grandson "Zhan", not only often took care of Wang Xiangchan's business, but also accepted her as a female disciple. There was also Lin Xiantang of the Wufeng Lin family, who had been seeking ways for Taiwan's self-government and whose eyesight was not very good, and who sought advice from Liang Qichao.

Wu Jiangshan had opium in his left hand and beautiful women in his right hand. He made friends with the gentry of the province, overseas Chinese businessmen in southern Fujian, and the Governor-General's Office of Japan. In 1923, he obtained the agency rights for Mitsui & Co.'s tobacco and alcohol monopoly, and obtained the highest agency authority for Taiwanese businessmen during the Japanese occupation period.

In 1928, after the International Opium Convention came into effect, the opium business could no longer be conducted openly and had to go underground. However, Wu Jiangshan had connections and obtained the exclusive distribution rights for "medical opium", and his opium business grew bigger and bigger.

In 1943, under wartime control, it became a supplier to the Japanese army, supplying tea with opium to the devils so that farmers would dare to launch suicide charges on the battlefield.

In this way, even if Wu Jiangshan is not the white glove of the Japanese devils, he is undoubtedly a traitor. But the paradox is that Wu Jiangshan is the financial backer behind Fengyue Newspaper.

On the surface, Feng Yue Bao was a leisure and entertainment magazine that skirted the line between right and wrong, but secretly it was a medium for anti-Japanese writers to entertain themselves - it used subtle writing techniques to convey anti-Japanese sentiments, such as using brothel jargon to metaphorically represent current affairs, and using classical poetry to convey anti-Japanese consciousness.

Feng Yue Bao was founded in 1935 and ceased publication in 1944 after most of its members were arrested. The arrest of the members was a bit strange. It was said to be a self-entertainment magazine and used skirting the rules as a cover. Few people in Taiwan could understand the hidden secrets of the magazine. Their attention was focused on the words that needed to be asterisked. Most of the people who bought the magazine were not there for the "anti-Japanese" purpose.

The magazine is supposed to be very safe, so why were its members arrested?
In 1946, during the post-war purge, Wu Jiangshan became a target of purge. He escaped punishment by practicing the Falun Gong method of paying off his crimes with money, but died suddenly of an unexplained stroke during the February Incident the following year. It was rumored that there were unknown needle holes on the right chest of his body, and Military Control Commission personnel appeared at his funeral.

After Wu Jiangshan was buried, the tea business was inherited by his nephew, and the remains of Jiangshan Tower and its hidden assets were taken over by his "mistress" Chen Aju. In other words, Zuiyue Tower can be regarded as the continuation of Jiangshan Tower.

As the soul of Zuiyuelou, Chen Aju gave it the "Three No's" policy - no selling of body, no credit, and no asking about origins.

It's really interesting that he didn't ask about his background but exposed Xian Yaowen's identity to his face.

Chen Aju bowed again, "Mr. Xian's name is well-known in Taipei."

Xian Yaowen smiled faintly and said, "If the boss lady hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that I was so famous in Taipei. Since I'm a celebrity, shouldn't the boss lady give me special care?"

Chen Aju smiled and said, "Of course, Mr. Xian, please come in."

Xian Yaowen nodded and followed Chen Aju into the building. They walked through the Tang Dynasty-style door, passed the Minnan red brick wall, and came into the building. The layout of the geisha house came into view, and the decoration also had Minnan style.

Passing through the building and stepping onto the Beauty Corridor, there is mist on both sides, the air is filled with the smell of sulfur, and the unique tone of the shamisen lingers in your ears. The "Song of Alishan" went to Japan and was exported before being sold domestically. The integration of Japanese singing style gives this song a unique mood.

After walking along the corridor for a while and going down a spiral staircase, they arrived at a hot spring pool. Chen Aju bowed and walked away in small steps. A bath girl came forward to help Xian Yaowen undress, and another bath girl approached pushing a clothes hanger.

Xian Yaowen relaxed his body and followed the girl's instructions, looking into the pool, "When did Mr. Lu come?"

"I came here early on purpose, afraid I'd miss the 7 o'clock show."

"Was the performance wonderful?"

"Mr. Xian arrived just in time for the finale."

"Is Bai Yuzi performing now?"

"Mr. Xian knows her?"

"Have heard a little bit."

During the conversation, all the clothes on Xian Yaowen were taken off. Tang Nu protected him and went down into the pool. She then stepped back three meters and sat cross-legged on a cushion, ready to be called at any time.

As soon as Xian Yaowen sat down next to Lu Jingshi on the pool wall, Lu Jingshi asked, "Mr. Xian, did you find anything special about this corridor?"

"There are quite a few Americans." As he spoke, Xian Yaowen kept his eyes on the corridor.

"Today is not much, but on special days there are more."

"What do you mean by special day?"

"When the Nationalist government mobilized its military, the US aid arrived in Taiwan."

Xian Yaowen chuckled, "So the person behind Chen Aju is an American?"

"It's hard to say, but at least there is a connection."

"Mr. Lu comes here often?"

"To be honest, I am incompetent and cannot provide food and clothing for my brothers, so I have to do some sneaky things. You can get American antibiotics here. The price on the black market is twenty times that of the pharmacy."

"How much can Mr. Lu earn?"

"Two or three times."

“It’s a good profit.”

“The goods are not easy to get.”

"Isn't Zuiyuelou shipping the goods?"

"Chen Aju is just a broker."

"It's good to be a broker. There's no burden of overloading." Xian Yaowen stopped talking at this point. He saw Chen Aju appear on the corridor with a tray in her hand. "I heard that the hot spring eggs here are very famous?"

Lu Jingshi had also seen Chen Aju and naturally responded, "Mr. Xian, would you like to try it?"

"Next time, the dinner was very appetizing. I ate more, but my stomach is still bloated."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Aju came to the front of the pool and said, "Mr. Xian, Mr. Lu, please taste our best whiskey."

Lu Jingshi turned his head and looked at Chen Aju, pretending to be angry, "Zuiyuelou still looks at people carefully when serving dishes. Mr. Xian was given whiskey as soon as he arrived. I have been here so many times, but I have never seen him give anything."

Chen Aju was neither annoyed nor flustered, and said calmly: "Mr. Lu, Zuiyuelou never neglects any guest. It is I, Aju, who likes to serve dishes according to people's taste. Mr. Xian stands like a solitary crane, walks like a spring willow in the wind, and smiles with the air of Six Dynasties. I was originally a blank piece of paper, but when I saw Mr. Xian, I was filled with Shelley and Byron."

Amid Lu Jingshi's evil smile, Xian Yaowen replied calmly, "Aju, I am a responsible man. Before we elope, could you please help me pay back the money I owed for prostitution last night? It's not as much as 200 pounds."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Jingshi burst into laughter.

In the 1920s and 1930s, China was swept by the fashion of Shelley and Byron. To businessmen, the two were IPs with considerable profits. To leftists, the two were sugar-coated Marxism-Leninism. To moralists, the two were scapegoats for the collapse of social ethics and the decline of music. To literary and artistic youth, the two were beacons for breaking through social ethics and pursuing free love.

In fact, the two are no different from other celebrities. We can only admire their works, but not judge their character.

In 1813, Shelley owed London bookseller Thomas Hookham £200 for publishing his political poem Queen Mab at his own expense. The following year, Shelley lost interest in his first eloping object, Harriet Westbrook, and eloped again with Mary Godwin, regardless of his debt and daughter.

Chen Aju spat lightly, "Mr. Xian is really unromantic. I'm going to fine you a drink."

"She should be punished. She should be punished. I've never seen the boss lady be so attentive to anyone." Lu Jingshi started to cheer.

"I must drink the penalty wine, beauty." Xian Yaowen came ashore naked, and the girl in the bath immediately handed him a bath towel to cover his body.

Chen Aju opened the bottle cap and poured three glasses of wine. She handed the first glass to Xian Yaowen and winked at him. She handed the second glass to Lu Jingshi and raised her glass to greet him. "Mr. Xian, Mr. Lu, I toast to both of you."

"Madam boss, cheers."

"Aju, cheers."

After clinking glasses, Chen Aju drank a glass of wine in one gulp and then said, "I don't want to disturb you two. If you need anything, call me."

After Chen Aju left, Xian Yaowen asked, "Mr. Lu, how much does this bottle of whiskey cost?"

"One hundred and twenty dollars, three times the black market price. It seems that the boss lady is interested in Mr. Xian. Mr. Xian should be careful."

"One hundred and twenty dollars, not bad."

Now that they were on shore, the two did not go back into the pool. Instead, they changed into yukatas and went out for a walk.

"Mr. Xian, there is a private room for private conversations in Zuiyue Tower. The walls are filled with Beitou stone, which has a good soundproofing effect, but you need an acquaintance to introduce you."

"Mr. Lu, do you know about the soul-calling case during the Qianlong period?"

"Mr. Xian is saying that the deepest darkness comes from the bright lamp hanging high above, the case files with the imperial seal of Emperor Qianlong."

Xian Yaowen nodded, "The stonemason's chisel sounded the death knell, the braid took root in rumors, the cinnabar of the Qianqing Palace was executed, and the shaman's drums were deafening."

"It's not impossible that there is darkness under the lamp." Lu Jingshi thought thoughtfully.

"Last month, a trial was held in Hongkou Park, and Zhang Xinglang, the former land administration chief of the Nationalist government, was shot along with several Green Gang brothers."

"I don't know about this matter. Please tell me in detail, Mr. Xian."

"Mr. Lu should actually know the root of this matter. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhang Xinglang, under the care of Mao Sen, forged enemy real estate certificates, classified civilian properties as Japanese and puppet assets, confiscated them, and then transferred them to..."

Having said this, Xian Yaowen stopped talking.

Lu Jingshi nodded, "I know about this. The house was transferred to the shell company of the Qing Gang brothers."

"The trouble happened because of the follow-up of this incident. After Mao Sen left Shanghai, Zhang Xinglang did not stop. He took advantage of the fact that the other party had just entered Shanghai and was unfamiliar with the land registry, and married off a woman to five men with 30 mu of school land in JA District, defrauded the deposit equivalent to 800 taels of gold, and instructed the Qing Gang brothers to intimidate the original owner and forge a voluntary declaration of giving up the property rights.

In March, Li Zhiming, an employee of the Land Administration Bureau, was investigated. In order to protect himself, he exposed Zhang Xinglang. When the house opposite was searched, 217 land deeds, 42 gold bars, and 1.2 US dollars were found. It is said that this is not all. As the cunning rabbit has three burrows, there are still many that have not been found. "

"Alas." Lu Jingshi sighed, "I had already persuaded them to leave together, but they insisted on staying."

"Zhang Xinglang exchanged 1949 dan of rice for residential land in the JA district in 100, and this year he made a profit of 500 times." Xian Yaowen paused and continued, "In 1947, the Hong Kong government promulgated the New Territories (Village) Land Ordinance, and began to expropriate large-scale farmland in the New Territories for development, issuing land exchange rights certificates to indigenous residents, promising that they could be used to exchange for equivalent urban official land in the future.

In the past few years, Hong Kong's population has skyrocketed, and the demand for land has also skyrocketed. I think within two or three years, the land exchange rights certificate will become a speculative tool. The community will come forward to obtain the rights certificate from the farmers at a low price, and then resell it to the real estate developers at a higher price. "

"So, Mr. Xian will soon have a chance to make a fortune?"

Xian Yaowen waved his hand and said, "It's possible to make a little fortune, but it's impossible to make a fortune. I'm a serious businessman. It's too ugly to do business badly. If there is wealth, it will be shared by everyone."

Lu Jingshi figured out the trick after a little thought. The land exchange rights book business needs a group of people to work together to have a chance of success. If one person wants to take it all, he will only burst his belly.

That's why Xian Yaowen gave it to him as a sweet treat.

"It's not easy for Master to live in Hong Kong. Please take good care of me, Mr. Xian."

"Mr. Lu, I have done what I can do. To do more would be to overdo it. Although General Lian is old, he still eats well. However, when he sat with me, he dropped his feces three times."

Lu Jingshi gave a bitter smile, "A tiger in trouble, a tiger in trouble!"

"Wait till September 8th in autumn, my flower will bloom and all other flowers will die. The fragrance will penetrate Chang'an, and the whole city will be covered with golden armor. Mr. Lu, look at it more positively. After Huang Chao, there were only aristocratic families that lasted for a thousand years, but there are no more aristocratic families that lasted for a thousand years."

"Heh, the king's flag in the city can be changed, will the greed of the noble families change?"

"I have made some things clear thousands of years ago." Xian Yaowen stopped and said, "What can I do?"

"If you can't become a noble family, you will become a family slave."

"The world is so big, why not enjoy yourself?" Xian Yaowen said with a faint smile.

"Where is the Pure Land in the world?"

Xian Yaowen continued, "In history, there have been three countries that have made the greatest contributions to human civilization. In the classical period, it was ancient Greece. Today's world's philosophy and scientific systems were all established in ancient Greece. Today's world is essentially a pan-Hellenistic world.

The Arab Empire made the greatest contribution during the Middle Ages. The Abbasid Dynasty established the House of Wisdom and launched a century-long translation movement, translating masterpieces from all over the world and acting as a bridge of human civilization. It not only connected the East and the West, but also the ancient and the present. The ancient Greek classics were preserved thanks to the century-long translation movement.

Without Arabia, there might be no European Renaissance.

In modern times, Britain has made the greatest contribution. Britain was the first to establish the template for a modern country. Except for pure monarchies, other countries all imitated Britain, but the degree and focus of imitation varied.

The UK is actually a relatively conservative country, and all of its policy threads can be traced back. If you look back, you can find similar cases.

We can actually speculate now what kind of chaos will arise in the land exchange rights book in the future and how the Hong Kong government will respond. "

As he spoke, Xian Yaowen changed the subject.

"The Zuoying military port in Kaohsiung was taken back by the National Government from the Japanese invaders, and now the US Seventh Fleet is stationed there. I heard that the relatives of the navy generals have done a good business, occupying the Japanese officers' dormitories and turning them into a navy club, controlling the surrounding land to build bars and brothels, and monopolizing the alcohol supply to the US military, making a lot of money.

When they were still in the mainland, some people knew how to retreat while they were ahead of the curve, and they went to Taiwan a few years ago to buy farms. Now, no one knows where they are going, the United States, Australia, Brazil, it should all be possible. "

"Mr. Xian, your target is Taipei, right?"

Lu Jingshi figured it out. Xian Yaowen went through so much trouble just to say that now was a good time to hoard land in Taipei.

"Mr. Lu must know more about the tricks of the takeover than I do. They forged proof of enemy property, purchased at a low price and then resold it at a high price. Although several years have passed and the good houses have long been sold, there are still some houses left. Some people in the military still hold a lot of houses.

The former Governor-General's Office, Taipei High School, now the Provincial Normal College, has 87 Japanese-style buildings on Qingtian Street, Longquan Street, etc., which were distributed to officials after being taken over. The monthly rent for one building was only one catty of rice.

In 1949, officials sublet the land to Shanghai businessmen for US$5 a month. This year, businessmen began to forge documents to "purchase" surrounding residential land, earning 100 taels of gold for every 25 pings of land.

In addition, the military enclosed land in the name of resettling veterans. How much land was used to build military dependents' villages? Where did the rest go?
In December last year, the military posted a notice on the 14A farmland in Guting Village, citing the Martial Law to expropriate military land. The landlord Chen Shuimu refused to comply, and the two sides were deadlocked. In March this year, the tenant farmers protested, and people from the Joint Logistics Command and Political Warfare Department came forward to destroy the seedlings, claiming that planting rice would hinder air defense.

When the people fight against the officials, at the very least they will suffer bloodshed, and at the worst their families will be destroyed. The military has already targeted them. Mr. Lu, how long do you think Chen Shuimu can hold out?"

Lu Jingshi said without hesitation: "I guess we'll know the result in a month or two."

"Then why does the military insist on sticking to that piece of land instead of switching to a piece that is easier to control?"

“The buyer wants that piece of land.”

“How will the buyer pass on the benefits to the officers who contributed?”

"Gold bars, HSBC."

Xian Yaowen stopped again and said slowly, "Some time ago, I registered a Prince Enterprise and injected NT$3750 million into it, and injected another NT$4000 million in the name of borrowing. Prince Enterprise has a branch company, Prince Construction, and I will inject NT$2000 million into it soon.

If Mr. Lu is interested in my last proposal, I would like to invite you to serve as the deputy general manager of Prince Construction, with a monthly salary of NT$1000, 2% bonus shares, and an additional 3% purchase quota. "

"I can buy 60% of the shares for 3 yuan?"

"Yes, that's what it means."

“Can’t buy more?”

"It's not possible here. You can try to talk to another major shareholder."

"Who is this?"

"The eldest daughter of the family of HSBC's major shareholder."

Lu Jingshi's pupils suddenly grew larger, then returned to normal, and he said in a calm voice, "Where is Jin Tu?"

"Another cooperation model." Xian Yaowen smacked his lips, "Mr. Lu, Taizi Enterprise is a formal company, and it must be established as a legitimate company. As for whether it is a whore or not, it is better not to say."

Lu Jingshi laughed, "I know what's going on."

Xian Yaowen extended his right hand to Lu Jingshi, "Mr. Lu, Prince Construction welcomes you to join us."

Lu Jingshi held Xian Yaowen's hand and asked, "Who is the general manager of Prince Construction?"

"The position is vacant, but... Mr. Lu, I'll tell you the truth, don't think about this position. Your future direction is the board of directors. Professional matters should be left to professionals. If the house is not built well, people will die.

The purpose of Prince Construction is to make as much profit as possible, but we must stick to a bottom line and stand firm for a hundred years."

……

The next day.

Sun Shuying's vacation ended and she rushed to the airport to fly back to Paris.

Xian Yaowen did not see her off, nor was he in a hurry to go out. He sat in his study, reading the newspaper and thinking about the people he met in Taipei.

He wants to find the rules and string all the characters together into a spider web as much as possible.

He did not set a time for himself, as it involved industrial planning and there was no rush, but he still wanted to make arrangements and leave as soon as possible. His schedule was full and he couldn't waste time here.

Otherwise, he could just leave Taipei temporarily and leave the funds in the account for a few months. Naturally, someone would get impatient and come forward to talk to him.

Banknotes are printed, and if they are not circulated, they are just waste paper. If 500 million US dollars are consumed and more than 7000 million Taiwan dollars are not moved, the freezing effect will immediately take effect. According to Taiwan's current currency circulation, 7000 million Taiwan dollars is enough to cause a major economic shock. (End of this chapter)