The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

This marked the end of the tea party. Next, if Du Yuejiao took a fancy to someone, she would ask the maid to keep him/her and bring him/her into the house. If she did not like him/her, the maid would send the guest away.

As Du Yuejiao left, everyone waited expectantly and anxiously. A maid came over and said in a clear voice, "Miss is tired. Please go back, gentlemen!!!"

Hearing this, everyone shook their heads in regret and sighed. It seemed that this was not appreciated at all. They spent money and time but didn't even say a single serious word. It was a huge loss.

Chapter 25: Talking about business? The kind worth hundreds of millions?

Fengming Courtyard, inside the flower hall.

Shui Rong sat quietly on the yellow flower chair in the hall, looking at the furnishings in the hall with interest. The brocade windows and curtains were spotless, and the several couches and sacrificial vessels were all neatly positioned, looking elegant and clean.

Xiao Fuzi behind him looked a little indignant, and muttered in dissatisfaction: "What kind of status does our master have? He actually has to wait. It's really meaningless."

Shui Rong glanced at Xiao Fuzi but didn't say anything. According to Shui Rong's identity, it was indeed no trouble for him to meet a brothel girl. He could just summon her and they would not be allowed to refuse. However, since Shui Rong concealed his identity and came to the brothel, he naturally abided by the rules of the brothel and there was no need to use his power to pressure others.

In a moment, the maid came in, bowed gracefully, and said in a clear voice: "Sir, the young lady invites you in."

Shui Rong's mouth curled up slightly when he heard that. He understood the lyrics he wrote. The satire on her was just a further test of her character. Now it seems that Du Yuejiao is just as he thought. She will not offend people because of her temper and is a good communicator.

Soon, Shui Rong stood up and followed the maid until they reached the door of the secluded room. Shui Rong stopped, turned around and told Xiao Fuzi, "Wait outside the room."

Although Xiao Fuzi is loyal, he can easily ruin people's fun. It is better to let him wait outside the house to avoid any bad things.

After saying that, Shui Rong ignored Xiao Fuzi's resentful look and walked straight into the quiet room.

In the quiet room, a three-legged plum blossom copper stove on the table was burning with the finest sandalwood, with lingering smoke. Murals were hung all over the inner walls, giving off a sense of the elegant and scholarly atmosphere.

Behind the beauty's table, Du Yuejiao wore a pomegranate red chiffon long dress, and a hollow gold hairpin slanted into her Japanese bun on her head, which was adorned with purple jade and tassels scattered on her black hair. She looked delicate and fragrant, with a beautiful face more beautiful than flowers, and was truly bright and charming.

"Oh my, my young master is here. I have been looking forward to seeing you so much!!!" Du Yuejiao saw Shui Rong come in, gently stroking the phoenix-tail harp placed in front of the table and teasing him.

Shui Rong looked at the beauty, his eyes were filled with spring water, his gaze was clear and flowing, showing his charm, and he still had the same flavor as always.

"Miss Du, I'm sorry for the inconvenience of visiting you." Shui Rong bowed.

Du Yuejiao chuckled and said tenderly, "I am so happy that the young master is here to visit me, how could I mind? I am afraid that the young master is upset about my poor hospitality last time and is disgusted with me!!!"

Shui Rong chuckled when he heard this. Although Du Yuejiao was passionate, she was obviously still bothered by the fact that he had written lyrics to satirize her before. However, as a person who accompanied her drinking and making fun of her, he couldn't turn his face away, so he could only tease her with a few words.

"Miss Du is open-minded. I'm sure she won't mind my abruptness."

Generally speaking, the famous girls in brothels are knowledgeable and have come into contact with high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Even if they are in the secular world, they cannot hide their arrogance. This is especially true for those who have been elected as the most beautiful courtesan. If someone writes a poem to ridicule them, even though they know the other person's noble status, they will still turn a cold face, or at least not greet them with a smile.

However, Du Yuejiao is different. Having experienced the beatings of society, she clearly knows the reality of class hierarchy. Even when ridiculed, she will not offend others. The so-called "good at dancing with long sleeves" is not like this. It is not an exaggeration to praise her for being open-minded.

Moreover, Shui Rong lowered his eyes and looked towards the ravine. This was the fact and it was not an exaggeration.

Du Yuejiao smiled when she heard this, and said jokingly: "The ancients said: 'Only villains and women are difficult to raise', I am a woman, and a little woman at that."

The so-called "little woman" does not mean a little girl in the true sense, but refers to a petty person. Du Yuejiao has defamed herself and obviously does not intend to give up and blame Shui Rong.

Although he was questioning someone, his tone was joking, as if he was joking, which did not make people angry, but gave Shui Rong a headache.

"Whatever Miss Du wants, as long as I can do it, I will do my best."

Since he was mocking others, he had to apologize. But Shui Rong was not stupid. He would try his best to do what he could. If he couldn't do it, there was nothing he could do. But he apologized every time he came to the brothel, as if he was being controlled.

Seeing Shui Rong apologizing, Du Yuejiao's eyes flickered and she smiled, "My dear young master, you are too kind. I am so happy to have you come to my house. I don't mind. I was just joking before."

Shui Rong raised his eyes and looked at Du Yuejiao, who was smiling. If she didn't mind, why would she tease him as soon as she entered the door? Although Shui Rong knew that she was just being polite, he felt inexplicably happy. This was Du Yuejiao's ability.

He sat opposite Du Yuejiao quietly, with a maid serving him tea. However, her expression was indifferent, and it was obvious that she was complaining for her master. Shui Rong ignored her.

Du Yuejiao took a sip of the fragrant tea, looked at Shui Rong in front of her with her bright eyes, and said with her red lips slightly parted, "Young Master, you are not here to have fun, are you?"

She had never seen such a thing as visiting brothels and writing lyrics to ridicule young ladies.

Shui Rong nodded slightly when he heard this. He knew that Du Yuejiao was a smart person and would be able to guess that he had other intentions, so he did not hide it and said bluntly: "I came here to discuss business with Miss Du. I wonder if you are interested?"

"Business?" Du Yuejiao was surprised when she heard that. She guessed that Shui Rong had other purposes, but it was unexpected that he would come to the brothel to discuss business with the ladies.

"Young Master, you want to discuss business? Is it a sex deal? I'm willing to do so, but I'm afraid you won't want to spend the money."

Shui Rong's face darkened when he heard this. This little girl was hinting at him again. What the hell is this flesh trade? With Du Yuejiao's appearance, she must be very expensive!!!

Du Yuejiao smiled brightly upon seeing this. Although she had only met Shui Rong once, she could tell that Shui Rong was not a womanizer and her frivolous words were just a tease. Even if the other party offered money, she would not accept him.

Thinking of this, Du Yuejiao's eyes revealed a cunning look. She stood up and sat next to Shui Rong, saying coquettishly: "But my young master is so handsome, I would be happy to give him my own money."

As she spoke, Du Yuejiao's slender jade fingers pinched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand and gently stroked Shui Rong's cheek, looking extremely charming and beautiful.

Shui Rong dodged subconsciously, frowned, and looked at the beauty next to him. He was speechless. He had always been the one teasing others, so why was he teased by someone else this time? This little girl was really bold, she really was worthy of being called a woman of romance.

"Miss Du, I am going to talk to you about something serious, please respect yourself."

In the palace, Shui Rong flirted with Yu Keqing and Yingluo. That was because they were close friends and it was flirting, not teasing, so Shui Rong had no burden in his heart. Besides, they were all shy little girls and easy to control. On the other hand, it would be better to avoid provoking Du Yuejiao. One must know that Prince Beijing Shui Rong is a humble young man and his personality cannot collapse in front of outsiders.

Du Yuejiao curled her red lips when she heard this, and sat back in her original position, murmuring, "You come to an indecent place to talk about serious things. I think the young master is very indecent."

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows, wanting to refute, but he was speechless.

Seeing Shui Rong was frustrated again, Du Yuejiao covered her mouth and laughed again, and said in a clear voice: "Young Master, if you have anything serious to say, please tell me."

She wanted to hear what kind of business the young man in front of her came to the brothel to discuss? Something worth hundreds of millions?

Shui Rong heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. If he continued to argue, he would be the one who would suffer. He had no way to deal with this "fierce" girl like Du Yuejiao, so he said seriously, "Miss Du, I want to open a club to relax and have fun. I think Miss Du is good at dancing, so I specially come to hire Miss Du as the director. I wonder what Miss Du thinks."

Chapter 26 This little bitch definitely did it on purpose

"Guild?" Du Yuejiao frowned slightly when she heard the words, and her jade-like face gradually turned cold. She looked at Shui Rong with an unfriendly look. She knew in her heart, what kind of club is a place for relaxation and entertainment? It's nothing more than a brothel, and they even called her the director, but in fact she was just a brothel owner.

When men open brothels, they eventually turn them into places of filth and dirt.

"Looking at your demeanor, I know you are a man of high status. You must have money to spend. Why are you like this? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at and ridiculed?"

Shui Rong chuckled when he heard this. If you don't lack money, you can't make money? What a joke. No one would complain about having too much money. What's more, Beijing Palace is currently spending more than it earns. It's like a castle in the air. If things go on for a long time, there might be a disaster. Therefore, it is necessary to balance the income and expenditure of the palace as soon as possible.

Shui Rong had previously investigated what kind of business to do. It was not easy to get involved in salt and iron, and the others were too small to make a decision. The last time he went to a brothel, he spent several hundred taels just for a meal and a drink. This had a great impact on Shui Rong. He thought that the brothel business would become more and more profitable, so he planned to open a guild hall to earn money. After all, in this era, guild halls were legitimate industries and not illegal.

"Miss Du, the club I run is a place for pleasure. The so-called flesh trade is absolutely not allowed."

Running a guild hall is one thing, but Shui Rong still has a bottom line. He would never engage in the flesh trade. He has status and position, so why would he become a pimp? If he wants to make money, he must make clean money.

Du Yuejiao became a little interested after hearing this. A place that can relax one's nature is a good thing for a woman in the world, but the situation is pressing and many things are beyond one's control. Du Yuejiao understands this.

"If someone uses power to oppress others, what can you do, young master?"

Shui Rong understood what he said. He would sell his art but not his body, but how could he be independent when he met the powerful?

"Don't worry, Miss Du. Apart from the towering Jade Palace, I am not afraid of anything in the capital."

Shui Rong is a member of the royal family. Not only in the capital, but in the entire Daqian territory, except for a few people like the emperor in the imperial city, there is really no one he is afraid of. This is his confidence.

Du Yuejiao's bright eyes narrowed slightly, and her gaze towards Shui Rong became complicated. There were numerous powerful people under the feet of the emperor, and to be able to make such a boast, his status and position must be very high.

As for coaxing her, there is absolutely no need.

Pursing her lips, Du Yuejiao chuckled and said jokingly, "Young Master, you think too simply. Even if you open a club, if there is no beautiful and talented woman to take charge, how can the business be prosperous?"

Or does the young master have a way to buy those Yangzhou skinny horses?"

The most important thing in opening a club is to have girls who can attract customers. If not, what can attract people? However, such girls with both beauty and talent are extremely rare and need to be trained since childhood. The only ones who can meet the requirements are probably the skinny girls in Yangzhou who have been trained since childhood in the Jiangnan area.

Shui Rong had already made a plan for what Du Yuejiao said, so he said, "Don't worry about this, Miss Du. If there are any wives of criminal officials in the Jiaofang Bureau, as long as they are not guilty of heinous crimes, I can take them away."

Generally speaking, the wives of criminal officials would be sent to the Jiaofangsi, where they would be bullied and forced to do jobs such as drinking and selling joking. Moreover, those wives grew up in wealthy families and received an extraordinary education. They only needed a little training and could be brought up in a short period of time. As long as they had not committed heinous crimes, Shui Rong could easily capture them.

Du Yuejiao looked at Shui Rong in surprise. She didn't expect that the young man would set his sights on the Music Bureau. One has to know that the wives of the criminal officials are closely related. If one is not careful, he may be in trouble.

However, considering Shui Rong's lofty ambitions, it would not be a problem to suppress this matter.

According to Shui Rong, if they recruited the wives of convicted officials from the Jiaofangsi, they would have a group of beautiful and talented girls to support the guild hall in a short period of time. This would attract customers, and naturally the business would be booming.

After a pause, Du Yuejiao said meaningfully, "If that's the case, those ladies will have to set up a longevity tablet for the young master."

The wives of convicted officials were sent to the Jiaofangsi and became official prostitutes. Because they were criminals, it was difficult for them to redeem themselves. Basically, once they were sent to the Jiaofangsi, there was no chance for them to turn over, especially because those wives were from official families. Once they fell from the top of the cloud, the gap can be imagined. For this reason, most of the wives of convicted officials would rather die than be sent to the Jiaofangsi. Shui Rong's move was undoubtedly to save them from the water and fire, give them a new life, and it is not an exaggeration to establish a longevity tablet for them.

Shui Rong didn't take it seriously and said, "It doesn't have to be like this. It's just for the sake of profit."

The reason why the wives of convicted officials were taken into the guild hall was not only because they were well educated and easy to train, but also because they already had status and position, and the sense of gap when they fell into the mortal world was enough to attract people.

Fundamentally, Shui Rong needs them to make money, and all Shui Rong can do is to ensure that they will not be bullied by others. It's just an exchange of interests.

Du Yuejiao remained silent. Although this was a trivial matter in Shui Rong's eyes, for the young ladies who were sent to the Jiaofang Bureau, it was no less than a grace of rebirth.

After a moment's hesitation, Du Yuejiao removed the charm from her jade-like face and said seriously, "So what do you plan to do, young master?"

Upon hearing this, Shui Rong looked at the beauty in front of him with a smile on his face. The fact that Du Yuejiao asked this showed that she was already attracted to him.

"Miss Du, I will leave all matters concerning the guild hall to you, including its ownership. You, Miss Du, will be in charge of the operation. I will not be responsible for anything else. I will give you 10% of the total profit as compensation every year. The more profit you make, the more you will get."

Du Yuejiao looked at Shui Rong in surprise when she heard that. According to his behavior, wouldn't he be just a hands-off boss? But on second thought, Du Yuejiao also understood Shui Rong's behavior. With his identity, it would be difficult for him to get involved in the guild. The best choice was to push one person out and get himself out.

This remuneration, however, is relatively generous. Take Fengmingyuan as an example. The madam only gets a small dividend, which is far less than Shuirong's 10% interest remuneration. Her treatment can be said to be generous.

After a pause, Du Yuejiao asked, "I wonder how the young master plans to share the profits with the girls."

Sisters can't sell their art for free, the issue of profit distribution must be made clear.

Professional matters should be decided by professionals, so Shui Rong said, "I've said that Miss Du is in charge of the guild hall, and I won't take care of anything. However, the girls' daily food and drink expenses, jewelry silver, and personal expenses must be guaranteed. You should think about the details. In short, the girls in the guild hall are in a cooperative relationship with us, and we cannot treat them unfairly. But no matter what, I will take the lion's share."

From a business perspective, Shui Rong is here to make money, not to do charity. However, he does have modern ideas. In his opinion, business is about win-win cooperation. Only by giving the sisters hope will they be motivated, and Shui Rong will be able to make more money.

Treating people like animals is something that cannot be done unless the situation is right.

Du Yuejiao nodded slightly upon hearing this, obviously agreeing with Shui Rong's statement. Moreover, the conditions offered to Shui Rong were already extremely generous, which was something that prostitutes like them could only dream of.

Just listening to Shui Rong's words, she couldn't help but smile and said in a clear voice: "I haven't agreed to it yet, young master, why is it ours?"

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows. From the fact that Du Yuejiao asked so many detailed questions, he already knew that Du Yuejiao was willing in her heart. To say that she didn't agree at this time was purely a teasing.

However, to show his sincerity, Shui Rong still asked politely, "I wonder if Miss Du is willing."

Du Yuejiao stared at Shui Rong with her pretty eyes. Seeing his serious expression, she knew he was not joking, and immediately smiled and said, "Young Master, if you want my life, I will do it. Why would I not want to?"

As she spoke, Du Yuejiao's eyes moved and she said tenderly, "It's just that my bond is still with my mother."

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows upon hearing that, and looked up at Du Yuejiao, who was looking forward to him. This little girl has been serving wine and selling smiles for quite some time, and she must have her own money. She redeemed herself to accompany him when she was in her prime, so why is she thinking of eating for free now that she is here?

After pondering for a moment, Shui Rong understood that Du Yuejiao had suffered before and would not trust others easily, so he waved his hand and said, "It's okay, I will pay for the redemption, and the indenture will be handed over to Miss Du afterwards, and the dividends will be deducted from Miss Du's remuneration."

Shui Rong can pay the redemption money first, but it is definitely not given for free, as no one’s money can be blown by the wind.

Du Yuejiao smiled brightly upon hearing this, and her eyes softened as she looked at Shui Rong. She nodded and said, "Young Master, you redeemed me and gave me my body deed. Do you really trust me so much?"