The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 634 A strange combination of circumstances
dusk.

Xia Shouzhong trotted into the imperial study.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Great joy, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Wanlong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was immediately cheered up when he heard Xia Shouzhong's good news. He looked at him with a sharp gaze and asked, "How is it? Is there a result?"

"Your Majesty is wise! I asked my nephew to take the pill and pretend to sell it in a brothel in the west of the city called Jinxiangyuan. I also gave them a pill to try..."

Xia Shouzhong explained every detail of the places he had passed, and then continued, "After noon today, I wanted to ask my nephew about the efficacy of the medicine. Your Majesty, guess what happened?"

Emperor Wanlong was just listening with great interest, but when he saw Xia Shouzhong was keeping him in suspense, he immediately said angrily, "If you have anything to say, please say it now!"

"The madam of Jinxiang Courtyard begged my nephew to come and said she wanted as much as she wanted and the price was negotiable. She was also afraid that my nephew would run away, so she insisted on following him to get to know his family. It was hard to get rid of him."

Although Xia Shouzhong was very confident, Emperor Wanlong was still a little worried and asked, "What about the efficacy of the medicine?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured. The madam of the brothel is well-informed. The man who tried the medicine is naturally used to it and has plenty of money. In order to buy the medicine, the madam told me everything she knew. I heard that the man yesterday changed three or four prostitutes in a row that night, and they were all tortured!"

"What did the clinic say?"

"The doctors only sighed that the use of drugs in this elixir was extremely bold... However, among the tiger and wolf medicines, it is rare and precious..."

All medicines are poisonous. After all, he is not an imperial physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau, and the medicine is so strong that ordinary doctors naturally won't care about the side effects.

But Emperor Wanlong didn't know the truth. After confirming that it was non-toxic, he finally put his worries to rest.

"Quick! Tell the Imperial Household Department that I want to turn over the nameplates of Madam Miaoyin... and Concubine Wu tonight."

"This..." Xia Shouzhong looked embarrassed and hesitated, "Your Majesty, this is probably..."

"What? Could it be that you, uncle and nephew, are cheating? Exaggerating the efficacy of this elixir?"

"I don't dare!"

"Hurry up and tell the imperial kitchen to serve the meal immediately!"

……

Emperor Wanlong was excited and waited for the night to fall, ready to do something big.

In a wing room of Jinxiang Courtyard, Xue Pan, who had slept until dusk, was listless and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his head with a dejected look on his face.

"What time is it?"

"It's just the evening hour!" A girl with messy hairpins stretched lazily, lying on Xue Pan's back, and said in a coquettish manner, "Master Xue made us suffer a lot last night, but we can't turn our backs on him. It's getting dark now, so I think Master should not go back."

Xue Pan hung his legs on the edge of the bed, stretched them down, put on his shoes, and was about to stand up, but he felt his legs trembling and weak, so he had no choice but to sit back down and asked, "What delicious food did my mother give me yesterday? Why do I feel like I have endless energy?"

Just like the high-end clubs in the previous life, they were often of high quality.

The same was true of ancient brothels. Most of the courtesans were proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs, and they also had a certain degree of choice over their patrons.

After all, ancient society was based on officialdom.

Although the courtesans cannot be said to sell their art without selling their bodies, they are not solely concerned with money.

Otherwise, you are lowering your own value.

There is a sense of waiting for a good price and raising one's own value here, and at the same time, it is also a way to screen customers.

Of course, if Xue Pan was willing to be a sucker and spend a lot of money, he could become the lady's lover.

However, although he was a victim, he was always straightforward, and he knew nothing about poetry and songs, so he was not interested in those roundabout ways. Therefore, he chose Jinxiangyuan, which was relatively direct and of decent quality.

Xia Shouzhong was also very clear that the customers in ordinary brothels might not be able to afford those expensive and dangerous drugs.

Most of the top brothels have deep backgrounds.

After all, these days, how could girls from ordinary families have the opportunity to learn poetry and songs?
As for the women bought by brothels, even if they are young and educated from a young age, girls change a lot when they grow up, so the investment is often great but the results are few.

There are even precedents of losing everything.

The most direct way is to select from the wives of convicted officials in the Jiaofangsi.

The wives of these convicted officials were originally sent to the Jiaofangsi. Not only were they chosen for their appearance, but their temperament was also incomparable to those purchased.

As long as you are a little familiar with the business, you can make a big splash.

However, although the method is simple, not everyone can select people from the Jiaofangsi.

Anyone who can open such a high-end brothel and can also produce an Oiran must have an official background, and a very deep one.

Not to mention whether he would be recognized, it would be difficult to deal with if something went wrong, so Xia Shouzhong naturally would not take such a risk.

There are only a few inferior ones in Beijing, so it is not surprising that they chose Jinxiangyuan.

It just so happened that Xue Pan was the biggest financial backer of Jinxiangyuan. Based on the principle of maximizing profits, it was only natural for the madam to use the medicine on him.

However, these girls are the most knowledgeable about the ways of the world, so they were unwilling to admit that Xue Pan had taken medicine. They lied with their eyes wide open: "What good stuff is there? It's because you have a good foundation, Master Xue, and a strong body!"

Although Xue Pan knew that it was suspected of fraud, he enjoyed it very much. In addition, his legs were weak, so he was embarrassed to mention leaving.

"Haha! Really?" He said with a silly smile, "I'm sorry for making you tired last night. Go call mom and the others over. I'll reward them all!"

The reward was just an excuse. Even though his legs and feet were weak at the moment, he couldn't wait to try yesterday's medicine again.

But the madam only got one pill, how could she get any more?

Xue Pan thought she was just taking the opportunity to bargain, and said with displeasure: "Are you afraid that I can't afford the money? As long as you have the medicine, the price is negotiable!"

"How could that be possible?" The madam hurriedly patted her chest and assured, "This medicine is not easy to refine. There is indeed only one pill. I gave it to you yesterday. But, don't worry, Master Xue, we will have more in a few days."

She wasn't just boasting. How could she be an easy-going person working as a madam in a brothel?
Moreover, these people from all walks of life are always on guard when doing things.

Although Xia Shouzhong's nephew vowed that he would come to sell the product after it was refined, the brothel owner was wary and had someone follow him and find the address.

Xue Pan was greatly disappointed when he heard this.

However, although it was a disappointment, the madam had made a solemn promise, so since she had made up her mind, she could only give up.

Thinking that he had not returned home for a day and a night, he was afraid that Aunt Xue would worry again, so he struggled to go home.

However, his steps were so weak that even standing became a problem.

The madam and the girls nearby dragged and tugged at her, and she had no choice but to reluctantly stay in Jinxiangyuan again.

However, because I had exhausted myself yesterday and was afraid that I would not be home for two days, I was worried that I would be scolded when I returned tomorrow, so I had no interest in singing and fell asleep in a daze.

……

(End of this chapter)