Chapter 256 It’s better to leave the courage behind
The "Ancient Blowing Stage" outing and the reputation of "Ruxuefang" caused a sensation in Tokyo. Although Wu Wa'er could barely support it with the extensive contacts accumulated over the years, Liu Duo'er has officially determined her relationship with Wu Wa'er by virtue of this battle.
The status of being in the same court.
Taking advantage of this east wind, Cui Dalang, who seemed to have a gold mountain in his family, participated in the investment. Yang Hao began to build a large-scale construction project in Shazhu Lane. A banner was erected on the construction site near the river: "Qianjin Yixiao Building." Five huge buildings are in the name of the building.
He rose from the ground at a rapid speed and
With the slightly renovated "Ruxuefang" as the core and connected in mid-air, it has the potential to compete with Fan Tower. All the merchants who come and go on the Bianhe River every day sit in business, and all the officials who go to and leave Beijing are all here.
As you can see, there is even a specially built pier for berthing boats near the river.
Even during such a busy construction period, there was an endless stream of dignitaries and dignitaries coming and going to have banquets at "Ruxuefang". The social trend at that time was that no matter whether it was an official or private banquet or a wealthy family's banquet, some pink-headed singers had to be present.
Come and accompany me. Upgrade
Those who have status want to hire popular famous prostitutes, but because there are so many people and so few people, the easiest way is to have friendship and contact with the real big boss behind the industry. Through this, Yang Hao begins to get acquainted with more and more people.
The more officials, gentry and celebrities there are.
Cui Dalang hired enough craftsmen, and there were pigs on the wharf. Those workers who sailed ships and transported goods, whenever they had nothing to do, would come to the construction site to work as strongmen and were paid by the hour. Therefore, the manpower was very abundant. Five tall buildings were built.
Although they were built at the same time, the progress was not affected at all.
News about "Ruxuefang" is spread every day in Bianliang City. "Ruxuefang" has invented a new way of Guanpu. I heard that there are mahjong, cards, billiards, and roulette. This style of Guanpu has penetrated deeply into society.
It is a rare thing for Bianliang people from all walks of life, but now the only people who have learned this way of gambling are those who have been to Ruxuefang
Guests, this invisibly enhances their status. Many people who are fond of gambling but suffer from a single gambling method can either learn these Guanpu methods from people they know well, or simply come to "Ruxuefang" in person.
Try these new things. Soon, they are fascinated by these exciting new ways to play.
But this time, "Ruxuefang" was crowded, but the manpower to entertain was greatly lacking, so "Ruxuefang" posted advertisements all over the city, recruiting servants, boys, cooks and girls. Several temporary settings were set up at one time.
The recruitment office was overcrowded and noisy.
The five tall buildings surrounding the stamen of "Ruxuefang" in the shape of a plum blossom each have their own functions. Among them, the east building will be a special casino in the future. Yang Hao first taught many new entertainment methods to the people of Ruxuefang, and then they taught them
The purpose of giving it to guests is to train these people who are fond of Guan Po to master new gambling methods in advance and prepare for the opening of the East Building.
Yang Hao and Cui Dalang came to a recruitment office and saw a long queue of people, men, women, old and young. These people came to apply for jobs in the catering industry. At this time, the restaurant did not offer outside dishes.
In fact, the owners of many large restaurants were just landlords, such as Shi En and Jiang Menshen later, who all operated hotels in this way, and the people who dealt in wine and catering were their customers.
This method is also an effective method for the future "Qian Jin Yi Xiao Lou". It is too difficult to train and establish their own exclusive catering team, so they only recruit those who have unique skills and unique tastes.
Once the restaurant operators with a good reputation among the people have determined the candidates, they can recruit many experienced chefs, bartenders, tea doctors, small brokers and waiters to attract customers, which is the most trouble-free.
When I arrived at another recruitment office, I saw warblers and swallows, and a group of females porridge. It seemed that all the beauties in Bianliang City had gathered here. Among the long queues of people, there were enchanting women in colorful clothes and jade ornaments.
There are also innocent girls in common clothes and hairpin skirts, all of whom come to apply for jobs. This recruitment office is much more complicated than recruiting restaurant owners. There are three checkpoints, and the last one is carried out in a densely surrounded curtain.
So the speed is much slower.
Yang Hao and Cui Dalang rushed over in confusion. One of the mothers in charge of selecting people saw their big boss coming and rushed to greet her. Yang Hao couldn't remember her name for a while, but Cui Dalang had a photographic memory, so he
She smiled and said, "Mama Liu, the recruitment here is too slow. Why are there so many people?"
Mother Liu explained with a smile: "You two high-ranking officials, you don't know this. Once these people are recruited, they will be the girls of our Qian Jin Yi Xiao Lou. They will directly serve the guests, how can we not be cautious?"
Woolen cloth."
Yang Hao looked at the women who had passed the first level and headed towards the second and third levels, and asked curiously: "Then what did Mother Liu test?"
Mother Liu said: "Actually, there is nothing special. It is the usual practice of other high-quality yards to recruit girls. It's just that there were too many people here at once, so it seemed a bit busy. This first level is mainly
It is to check some things. The women applying for the job cannot be over seventeen years old, cannot have any entanglements with officialdom, cannot have committed adultery, and so on.
The second level is appearance. You need to have clear eyebrows, red lips and white teeth, and a pretty body. Qingmei means clear eyebrows, and the tail of the eyebrows cannot be downward, so as not to give birth to a crying look and the guests will not be happy. Good eyes are not necessarily necessary.
No matter how big and charming their eyes are, it doesn't matter as long as they are thin, smooth, and attractive. We definitely don't want purple or black lips. Such women are 'life-threatening' and are very taboo for customers."
Yang Hao and Cui Dalang didn't understand the knowledge involved, and they didn't expect that there were so many things to pay attention to when recruiting a girl in a brothel. No wonder when they entered the courtyard, they were all pretty girls who were both happy and angry. It was rare to see an ugly one. The two looked at each other, and then
Asked: "What else will be tested in the third level?"
Mother Liu laughed and said, "Do you really want the two senior officials to hear about those women? I'm afraid the two senior officials won't like to hear about it."
Cui Dalang's curiosity was also aroused, and he hurriedly said: "It doesn't matter, you can just say that the building courtyard we built should have some understanding of these things."
Mother Liu said: "Yes, this third level is mainly to determine the grade of the selected girls. Please look over there, two senior officials. Isn't it covered with a curtain? The girls who have passed the first two levels,
There is also an undressing test. First of all, it is necessary to see whether the figure is moderately fat and thin. For example, the shoulder width is one foot and six inches, and the buttocks are three inches less than the shoulder width. From the shoulders to the fingers, each length is two feet and seven inches, and the fingers are four inches away from the palm.
The smaller it is, the more people like it.
In addition, you should also observe the hair. It should be soft but not sparse, and should not be red or yellowish brown. Guests will think that such a woman is 'damaging the Yang and harming the body' and may even bring disaster. If such a girl is forced to stay, she can only do a few things.
They are not allowed to serve guests, serve tea, serve water, and wait at tables. Only after they pass them can they be taught music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, dancing, poetry, conversation, and behavior..."
Yang Hao sweated profusely and said: "Mother Liu, don't be so cautious. You... seem to be recruiting the card dealer girl from the east building. As long as she is clever and pretty, that's all."
Mother Liu said with a smile: "Not only that, after we build this building, we have to recruit many girls. Miss Liu told me to take advantage of the large number of applicants to screen them out and train them early. From now on, our place will be cleared and the meat market will be closed."
Yes, it requires a lot of manpower, and even those girls who know poetry, music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and have some foundation, need to be re-taught."
Yang Hao looked at the girls in common clothes and hairdresses in the team, and remembered the movie "The Deer and the Cauldron" in which Wei Xiaobao went to the palace to recruit servants but ended up in the eunuch recruitment team because he was illiterate, and almost got cut off. He couldn't help but frown.
He raised his eyebrows and said solemnly: "Mother Liu, then you must make it clear to them. I think some of the applicants should come from good families. What they do after being hired must be done voluntarily. They must not do anything evil.
Things are coming."
Liu's mother smiled and said: "Don't worry, senior official, I will save it of course. I will not force girls who are unwilling to do so. I will make it clear to them. Even those girls who are not from other courtyards, in fact, I also hope that
Those who are chosen will not cry or be reluctant."
What Liu's mother told was the truth, but Yang Hao's impression was wrong. In his original impression, all landlords were people like Nan Batian and Zhou Papi. However, when he reached this era, he discovered that there were many small landlords.
, like the tenants and long-term workers, the large and powerful landowners were frugal, hard-working and powerful, and most of them were gentry who built bridges, paved roads, and maintained the local area. There are still a few short-sighted people who are extremely vicious and exploit them to the point of doing anything. This concept has of course changed.
.
However, because he had little actual contact with brothels and was mostly exposed to propaganda from later generations, he still had many bad impressions. He thought that this industry was of low status and that the women who engaged in this despicable industry were either promiscuous or promiscuous, or they were indolent and indolent.
Otherwise, she must be a woman who was trafficked, pushed into a pit of fire, and tortured. In fact, in ancient times, women in the brothel industry had a relatively stable income and had close contact with the upper class. In addition to being able to quickly reverse the family's poverty situation, many
Women still have the opportunity to climb high and completely change their lives, so the majority still work voluntarily.
Yang Hao was still uneasy, so he rushed forward and warned him again and again. Several mothers kept saying "no" to each other. The girls standing in line didn't know his identity, so they didn't care when they saw that he was wasting their time in Momojiji.
Urging patiently, dozens or hundreds of warblers opened their mouths at the same time. Yang Hao had never seen such a scene before, and he immediately ran away with Cui Dalang.
"These girls are really amazing." Yang Haocai shook his head and smiled bitterly after escaping all the way: "I have to go back to the Yamen to check on the progress of the demolition and start building fire stations in various alleys. I'll leave the matters here to you.
Well, on the day when the 'Qianjin Yixiao Tower' is built, there will be rumors of 'Oiran selection' in Bianliang. You should publicize it when the building is almost completed. As for the membership card, wait until the dust of 'Oiran selection' has settled before starting to implement it.
.”
Cui Dalang blinked and asked in confusion: "Why? There are so many distinguished guests now, why not introduce it at the right time? The gold and silver cards you came up with are symbols of status. Those who receive this card will It must be a great honor, and our momentum can be further improved."
Yang Hao laughed and said: "Don't be in a hurry, you have to do the stunts one by one, and keep the news at all times, so that you can get attention. This is the only way to stay popular."
Yang Hao did not take any guards with him, so he walked to Kaifeng Mansion alone.
Turn out of Killing Pig Lane and go up to Zhouqiao.
Zhouqiao is the common name of the people in Bianliang, and its official name is Tianhan Bridge. It faces the Imperial Street in D Nei. Its pillars are made of bluestone, its stone beams and mortise-and-tenon railings, and the Hague, water beasts, and flying clouds are carved on both sides of the bridge. The Bian River flows under the bridge, people come and go on the bridge, and shops and restaurants on both sides of the bridge are prosperous. Standing at the head of the bridge, you can look at the Zhuque Gate in the south and Xuande Tower in the north. There is a spacious imperial street in the middle.
This bridge is the most spectacular of the thirteen bridges on the Bianhe River. Every moonlit night, there are singing towers on both sides of the bank, and the music and singing are endless. The silvery moon waves are spreading, and the bright moon is sinking. It is a scene in Bianliang, which is called "zhou" "Bridge Bright Moon". When Yang Hao first arrived in Bianliang City, he once went to Zhouqiao Mingyue at night. For a while, future generations had a bad taste, and he used a stone to mark "Yang Hao came here" on the bridge at an inconspicuous place on the north side of the bridge. The words "you" actually subconsciously hope that traces of one's own survival will be passed down to one's original mind of that era.
But after getting used to it, the initial feeling of breeze, moonlight, and poetry was gone. As he hurriedly walked on the bridge, Yang Hao never looked aside.
When he walked to the middle of the bridge, a flat boat had just disappeared under the bridge. Tianhan Bridge and Xiangguosi Bridge were both relatively low bridges. It was difficult for large boats to pass below, but flat boats were fine. At this time, the flat boat was There was a girl in a black shirt sitting with her head hugging her knees. When the shadow of the bridge reflected on the bow of the boat, the girl who was sitting hugging her knees subconsciously raised her face to look at the bridge. Yang Hao was walking in a hurry on the Zhouqiao. central.
The boat disappeared under the bridge, and the girl in black clothes on the bow put her fair and delicate chin on her knees and sighed softly. She did not expect that the Emperor Li Yu of the Southern Tang Dynasty was such a short-sighted person with no ambitions. So what if the lord of a country is good at poetry and singing and dancing? For the lord of a country and the emperor who is connected to all the people, it is just a small detail. You eat and drink, the people care and the people anoint you. As a king, do you only know that in this small world? Enjoy your own wealth?
She thought hard and went through many twists and turns before she contacted Lin Huzi, gained his trust, and persuaded him to accept her plan. Song's ambitions towards the Tang Dynasty had long been obvious, and this plan was of no benefit to the Tang State. Even if the Song Dynasty cannot be completely eliminated, it will at least severely damage its vitality. It will no longer be able to launch a major war for at least ten years, but who knows that Li Yu is so afraid of Song Dynasty.
Once the Song Dynasty has solved the Southern Han Dynasty, the next one will be the Tang Kingdom. Once the Tang Kingdom is destroyed, Chen Hongjin and the Wuyue Qian family will have no choice but to surrender to the Song Dynasty. By then, where will the Northwest go? If my brother’s ambition is just to be a rich man, That would be easy to handle, but my brother obviously doesn't want to hand over the foundation that her ancestors have worked hard for nearly two hundred years to others. As the daughter of the Zhe family, how can she watch the family be destroyed?
She is not a man and has no ambition to dominate the world. She just wants to protect herself and her family, but what should she do now?
The boat sailed out from under the bridge, and the sun shone on her body again one day, but her heart felt gloomy.
Her lover had already said goodbye, and her family was in many crises. She was just a daughter, so why should she bear so many burdens? She really wanted to find someone to cry to and tell her tiredness and grievances, but she couldn't find anyone to rely on. The warm embrace of...
A fork of water came in, and the boat bumped for a while. Looking up, I saw a large ship coming on the fork of the current. The ship was heavy and had a deep draft. It was a ship transporting grain to the city. Jiang, Huai, Lakes, millions of stone rice from Zhejiang, as well as Southeast products, hundreds of thousands of gold, Tokyo's grain and various materials used are continuously transported into Tokyo through this waterway...
Zhe Ziyu glanced at it unintentionally, but suddenly turned back, his eyes suddenly lit up!
"Meihu Cave", Wu Wa'er's fragrant boudoir.
Wu Wa'er, Shen Rao and Wen Xijun were sitting on their knees at the table.
Wen Xijun sighed softly: "Sister, there used to be a lot of guests here during the day, but now there are many fewer people."
Wu Wa'er smiled bitterly and said: "I still underestimated the impact of her youth tour. Those scholars wrote wonderful pens one after another and boasted about her. Liu Duo'er is rare in the world and has many familiar guests here. They all left after hearing the news. Such a huge daily expense, if it continues like this, ugh..."
Shen Rao said bitterly: "You can stay at Meihu Cave. Some sisters still linger on their benefactors. My sister can still keep up the facade. You also know that my sister only entertains people with music." Ruxuefang became a blockbuster, but my sister's place is now depleted. I can no longer afford to support the many yard gatekeepers, coachmen, boys, and wine servers. If this continues, I will have no choice but to close down. That Liu Duo'er is so shameless. She hooked up with Yang Hao to work for her, but she kept a close eye on him and didn't allow anyone to get involved."
"Huh?" Wu Wa'er and Wen Xijun looked at her together. Wen Xijun couldn't hold it back and blurted out, "Has Sister Rao gone to see Yang Hao in private?"
Shen Rao's fair face suddenly turned red with anger, and he spat: "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I do such a thing of changing jobs?"
The term "job hopping" originally originated from the brothel, which means that the prostitute is moved to another brothel, just like a horse eating, and moved to another brothel. Later, it can also refer to the prostitute who is tired of the old love and looking for a new one. Now the extended meaning is wider, Shen Rao was originally on good terms with Wu Wa'er and Wen Xijun. If he had an affair with Yang Hao and betrayed them, it would be a job-hopping.
Unwilling to give up, Wen Xijun asked again: "Then how do you know these things?"
Shen Rao said: "Liu Duoer's poems, songs and dances made her famous in Tokyo. Someone paid a lot of money to bribe the maidservant of 'Ruxuefang' and found out that 'Ruxuefang' had hired a talented poet. A poet monk from the Western Regions who can sing and dance, but this person was found by Yang Hao. In order to become famous with a song, they all wanted to find this extraordinary monk, but they could only have thoughts about Yang Hao, but Liu Duoer took Yang Hao away. Hao watched her closely and made her his forbidden wife.
Miss Xiang Fei from Miao Yue Tower once had an idea for Yang Hao, but Liu Duoer deliberately bought the guards and maids around Yang Hao. They were not even close to Yang Hao's house or Ruxuefang. I only found out about him after hearing Concubine Xiang complain. How could I hide it from you and do such a shameful thing? Sister Wa'er said she wanted to win him over, but how to do it? Is it possible to go to the street? Robbing someone?"
"Just grab someone, no matter what." Wu Wa'er raised her charming eyebrows and said, "If this continues, we will have to close down. I will go to the street... and snatch him away!"