Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were led by a maid and entered Jiaqing Courtyard from the side door. After many twists and turns, they came to a spacious flower hall to wait for a while.
The flower hall was filled with tables and chairs, divided into several rows. The two people's positions were in the last row, and the tables and chairs in the front row had notes on them, as if they had been reserved long ago.
After a while, a servant wearing a green turban served tea to the two of them, and then did not leave. He stood beside him with a tray and looked at the two of them without saying a word.
Qi Xuansu came here for the first time and had no experience. He also planned to have a banquet or find a woman to spend the night, so he could only ask: "How much will it cost?"
The servant was stunned for a moment. It was obvious that he rarely encountered such "straightforward" guests, but he still replied: "Ten peace coins for each person in the last row. For each row forward, ten more peace coins will be added."
Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu looked at each other, each took out ten peace coins and put them in the tray.
The servant then smiled and withdrew respectfully.
There was no one else in the flower hall at this time. Qi Xuansu looked sideways at Zhang Yuelu. Zhang Yuelu had a calm expression on his face. He patted his palms gently with a folding fan and looked around. He looked like a real rich man.
Qi Xuansu asked quietly: "Can you write poetry?"
Zhang Yuelu unfolded his folding fan and covered his mouth and replied: "I can recite poems."
Qi Xuansu said: "I have read three hundred ancient poems by heart. I can recite poems even if I don't know how to compose them. I can also write limericks."
"That won't happen either." Zhang Yuelu shook his head.
Qi Xuansu said: "Don't your Zhang family have clan studies? Don't you teach this?"
"Teaching is teaching, so I learned to recite poems." Zhang Yuelu said matter-of-factly, "Don't tell me, can you compose poems?"
Qi Xuansu also had something to say: "Whether you can successfully graduate from the Wanxiang Taoist Palace mainly depends on the use of firearms, concealed weapons, fists and kicks, astronomy and geography, Qi training and meditation, drawing and writing talismans, ancient Chinese reading and writing, identification of herbal medicine, and collection of classics and history.
Take the exam to write poems.”
Then Qi Xuansu came up with a bad idea: "Do you know an old man who likes to compose poetry? If there happen to be unpublished poems, it wouldn't be a bad idea for us to borrow them."
Zhang Yuelu said expressionlessly: "I don't know this kind of old-timer. Even if I did, I wouldn't use his poems to make up for it."
"It's such a pity that this kind of place in the storybook is just borrowing a poem, and then winning a lot of applause. The talented people were shocked and speechless, and the oiran was also secretly interested, wishing he could just throw himself into his arms."
Qi Xuansu said.
Zhang Yuelu said with a smile: "You also know that it is a storybook. How can such a good thing happen? Don't come up with hidden things again."
I’m so grateful to the demons of the Secret Society.”
Qi Xuansu sighed: "What are we doing here?"
Zhang Yuelu said: "Of course I met the oiran."
Qi Xuansu asked strangely: "Oiran? Isn't it very common?"
Zhang Yuelu explained: "You mistook the girl with the red card for the oiran. The so-called oiran is the leader of women in this industry, just like people in the world who judge the ranking. It doesn't mean that you are the best in the world if you say you are the best in the world.
It has to be recognized by the world. The same is true for brothel girls. It is not enough for any one of the brothels to compare themselves. The kind that can only be called the 'number one' at most can not be called an oiran. It requires the cooperation of many first-class brothels.
Get up and gather the top leaders of each family together, and select a woman with both talent and beauty, who can be called the 'Oiran'."
Only then did Qi Xuansu understand: "That Miss Li is the oiran."
Zhang Yuelu said: "I once heard my father talk about the grand occasion of selecting oirans in Jinling Prefecture. The top ladies from all the major courts are all dressed up and compete for beauty. They support their rich sons, gentry and talents, and they all have money and strength.
With all his efforts, many palaces were decorated with lights and decorations, I don’t know how much wine I drank, I don’t know how many poems I recited, I don’t know how much money I spent, and I didn’t know how much money I spent, all night long.”
Qi Xuansu somewhat understood why Zhang Yuelu was so curious about the court. His curiosity was also aroused and he couldn't help but ask: "How to select the oiran?"
Zhang Yuelu replied: "The specific method of selecting an oiran is actually very simple. No matter how famous an oiran is, after all, he wants to make money. Since ancient times, there has been no first in literature and no second in martial arts. The two of us have to distinguish ourselves and have a fight.
, but it is not possible to select an oiran. As the saying goes, each flower attracts different eyes. Some people like peonies, while others prefer lotus. They cannot be unified. The same is true for talents. It is difficult to distinguish between superior and inferior. Therefore, when selecting oirans, it depends on the methods of various patrons. There are poems
It says: "The young people in Wuling compete for their heads, and they can sing a red silk ribbon without counting." The girls show off their talents. In the end, which girl receives the most "heads" will be the oiran of this year. The loser
I have no choice but to admit defeat. After all, this is a competition of real money and it is difficult to play tricks behind your back."
"In addition, people are also asked to write lyrics and compose music for girls. If a girl sings a famous song, it can also play a role in publicity and momentum. In the final analysis, the competition for the oiran may seem like a fight between women, but in fact it is also a fight between men.
Look at the lovers behind each, benefactor or benefactor, who can be better, can make the woman he likes show up, and his own face will be shining. There is no shortage of gold.
The masters got really angry because of the quarrel of temperament, and resorted to fighting for wealth, forcing the woman they supported to be promoted to the position of oiran."
Qi Xuansu understood that whether she could become an oiran, a woman's own ability was only one of them. The key also depended on the financial backer. The Li family was crucial for Miss Li to become an oiran in the imperial capital.
Qi Xuansu asked: "Is the Li family very rich?"
Zhang Yuelu sighed: "Not only are they rich, they are as rich as any country. In terms of Taoist status, the Li family and the Zhang family are evenly matched. In terms of financial resources, the Zhang family is far behind. The Zhang family mainly relies on Jiangnan and Lingnan.
Several wealthy families in other places support it."
Qi Xuansu asked again: "Is the Li family's wealth related to Xuan Sheng?"
"No." Zhang Yuelu shook his head and said, "Before Xuansheng integrated the Taoist sect, the Li family had already controlled nearly half of the maritime trade business and was the well-deserved number one sea merchant. Xuansheng integrated the Taoist sect and relied on the family's strength. When the time came,
After Xuansheng completely integrated the Taoist sect, he deliberately suppressed the development of the Li family, and even split the Li family from the business side, handing over part of the maritime trade business and the mining, salt and iron business to the Taoist sect and the imperial court to prevent the Li family from becoming too powerful.
Damaging the foundation of the Taoist sect. If you ask me, the descendants of the Li family must be very dissatisfied with Xuansheng's move, but Xuansheng's reputation is too great. No matter what they think, the descendants of the Li family dare not openly oppose Xuansheng, and they also do not dare to openly oppose Xuansheng.
We need the banner of Xuan Sheng, so we simply don’t mention it.”
Zhang Yuelu thought for a moment and then added: "Master mentioned this specifically. She said that the Li family practices the human way, while Xuan Sheng practices the heavenly way."
Qi Xuansu asked: "What do you mean?"
Zhang Yuelu replied: "The Supreme Being said: 'The way of heaven is to make up for the deficiency by using the excess, and the way of man is to make up for the deficiency by using the excess.' The way of heaven is to use the excess to make up for the deficiency, but the way of humanity is to use the deficiency.
To support the superfluous, that is, to use the common people to support the nobles. The people are already poor, but they have to support the rich nobles, which will only make them poorer. This is humanity. Therefore, humanity cannot last long, but the way of heaven can last forever. Leave it to the Li family's affairs
If the Li family is allowed to develop, it will only make the Li family richer and richer, so Xuan Sheng simply decided to split up the Li family."
Qi Xuansu sighed: "It's amazing." ??
While the two were talking, more people came in one after another and sat in twos and threes throughout the flower hall.
Zhang Yuelu looked around and saw no powerful people. They were all scholars, so he felt a little bored: "It's a pity that we didn't catch up with the grand event of the oiran selection, it was just a poetry meeting."
Qi Xuansu said: "If it were really a grand event for oiran, I'm afraid it wouldn't be a matter of ten peace coins."
Zhang Yuelu thought about it and realized that this was also the case.
After a while, people of sufficient importance gradually appeared.
To Qi Xuansu's surprise, Zhang Yuelu was able to recognize him roughly. This was really strange.
The explanation given by Zhang Yuelu is that Beichen Hall specially compiled a file, which records in detail the general situation of court officials and their families and children, and is accompanied by photocopied portraits. It is revised and supplemented every year, ranging from cabinet ministers to local county magistrates.
, all included. When she was working at Beichen Hall, she used her position to read some of the files in her hometown of Wuzhou, and mainly remembered some of the leading figures.
As for why Taoism collects the files of court officials, the reason for making it public is to prevent Taoist priests from colluding with court officials. Take the Jiangnan case as an example, which did involve some court officials. Taoism did not exceed its authority and handed it over to the court.
It also facilitates the search and arrest of members of the Ziguang Society and prevents the Ziguang Society from infiltrating the imperial court. As for the real intention behind it, only the headmaster of Beichen Hall and other Taoist figures know it.
Most of these people are the nephews and grandsons of local officials, and no Taoist priests have shown up. Maybe there are, but they must have concealed their identities like Zhang Yuelu.
An hour later, the flower hall was already full of people. Those wealthy family members sat on the chairs that had been reserved for a long time, and the others followed one after another.
This flower hall is extremely spacious and can accommodate more than a hundred people without being crowded. Ten peace coins per person means one thousand peace coins. But the calculation is not that way. The prices for the seats in the front are more expensive. I am afraid that the first row will cost more.
One hundred Taiping money, so calculated, this poetry meeting can earn nearly ten thousand Taiping money.
If there is a follow-up, such as a banquet hosted by a certain sponsor, I'm afraid it will be a big expense.
Qi Xuansu has never seen so much money in his life.
No wonder Zhang Yuelu said that Miss Li was the money-spinner of the Li family.
From this, it can be seen that the Li family is indeed a wise man in making money and will never engage in loss-making business. No matter how much money they spend to make Miss Li famous, they will make back every penny from her.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the Li family's huge industry. In addition to maritime trade, the Li family is also involved in porcelain, tea, medicinal materials, gold, silk, pawnshops, banks, firearms, ships, timber, steel, coal, and dynasties.
Theaters and other industries. So much so that the world says that the three overseas mountains are not Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang, but the Jinshan, Yinshan, and Tongshan of the Li family.