Dafeng Night Watchman
Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Tea Party

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Tea Party

Hearing the sound of the arrow hitting the pot, Xu Qi'an's mouth corners widened

uncontrollably. He pulled off the black cloth and pointed at the gold and silver ingots on the

stall:

"Haha, Taoist priest, these are all mine."

The Taoist priest glanced at him, calmly packed the gold and silver ingots, and then pointed to the Bodhi bracelet and the small jade mirror at the top, smiling:

"Sir, choose one of the two."

.....Xu Qi'an negotiated: "Taoist priest, I don't want these, I just want silver."

The Taoist priest ruthlessly refused: "Rules are rules."

After a pause, he added: "These two are rare treasures, how can they be compared with yellow and white vulgar things, don't be blinded by gold and silver."

No, I just want these vulgar things...Xu Qi'an asked: "Treasures? What's the use."

"I don't know, I only know that they are waiting for the destined person." The old Taoist priest looked like a bachelor.

Xu Qi'an suspected that the Taoist priest was deceiving him, but he had no evidence. Considering his inexplicable luck, he hesitated.

Who can say whether the treasure is a treasure or not? Silver is very practical.

At this time, a soldier came over and said, "Sir, my master asks you for a favor."

Xu Qi'an turned his head and looked at the luxurious carriage not far away, "What does your master want?"

"That string of Bodhi beads." The soldier looked away from the stall and looked at Xu Qi'an: "My master is willing to pay 60 taels of gold."

It turned out that my European emperor should be here... Xu Qi'an showed a warm smile on his face: "Thank you for not giving up, deal."

He asked the soldier to take out a penny of silver in exchange for three arrows.

The soldier said: "The master said that you can throw more times, and we will pay for the silver. If you fail, it doesn't matter..."

As soon as the voice fell, he saw Xu Qi'an, who was blindfolded, throwing arrows casually.

Dong, dong, dong... three arrows were accurately thrown into the pot.

The exclamation of passers-by was heard again.

The look of the soldier towards Xu Qiyan was full of respect.

If one time was lucky, two times meant that the other party was not an ordinary person. This young man who looked ordinary, dressed like a scholar, was definitely a master.

Sixty taels of gold were in hand... Xu Qiyan was in a very happy mood. He pulled off the black cloth and happened to see the curtain of the luxurious carriage in the distance fall down.

.... He didn't know who was sitting in the car... He didn't dare to look at it anymore, turned around, and clasped his fists to the soldier: "Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission."

The soldier clasped his fists in return respectfully, and then returned to the carriage. After a while, he came over with a bulging bag of money.

Xu Qiyan took the bag of money, took the jade mirror from the old Taoist, and watched the carriage leave.

He retracted his gaze, casually put the palm-sized jade mirror into his arms, and then happily weighed the bulging bag of money.

It was about three or four pounds, too heavy to be tied around the waist.

"No, I have to exchange it for silver notes. It's too stupid to carry such heavy gold with me..."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look back, but found that the old Taoist priest was gone, and the stall was cleaned up.

Xu Qian'an stood on the side of the road in silence for a long time.

....

He went to the bank again and exchanged the gold for four silver notes with a face value of 100 taels; one with a face value of 50 taels; and three with a face value of 10 taels.

Gold is not in the monetary system, so it needs to be exchanged for an equivalent amount of silver, and then the bank will issue a silver note.

The exchange rate between gold and silver is 1:8, and 60 taels of gold is 480 taels of silver.

Four hundred and eighty taels of silver would be more than enough to slap my aunt's pretty face... Why do I always think of using silver notes to slap my aunt every time I make money? The original owner's resentment towards my aunt is too strong... In addition, this silver can only buy a small courtyard in the inner city... If you want to buy a three-story mansion, don't think about it without ten thousand taels of silver... Xu Qian'an is a little distressed. Whether it is in the other world or the previous life, housing prices are a desperate thing.

"Four hundred and eighty taels should be enough to redeem a lower-grade brothel courtesan, but it's not cost-effective.

"Look, with four hundred and eighty taels, I can take turns to visit multiple courtesans for several months. And redeeming a courtesan will not only exhaust the family's wealth, but also require her food, clothing and expenses. If she gets pregnant by accident, it will be another big expense.

And my current salary is only enough to support a wife, and I can't afford the boring life of rich people with women on both sides. Besides, I would never redeem a prostitute. God will strike you down if you use a public bus for personal purposes."

.....

At dusk, Xu Qiyan came to the famous Jiaofangsi in the capital, which is located in an alley. The lights were on, and all kinds of carriages were parked outside the alley. The sound of stringed instruments and clear and moving singing came from the yard.

He knew that the beautiful nightlife had begun.

Walking on the alley with many roads, Xu Qiyan's mind emerged with the cultural essence he learned from Captain Wang.

A normal brothel is a two- or three-story building, and it is considered quite standard if it has one or two courtyards.

Jiaofangsi does not have such a high-rise building, because it is not needed. All the courtyards in this alley are Jiaofangsi.

State-owned enterprises are so rich.

Jiaofangsi has a threshold. Ordinary people cannot consume here. It is not a rule, but the minimum consumption of Jiaofangsi is five taels of silver.

This is not about sleeping with girls, but the table fee.

Five taels of silver is equivalent to several months' income for ordinary people, and it has to

be a wealthy family.

Therefore, there are three main types of guests in Jiaofangsi:

1. Rich and powerful businessmen.

This type of guests is most willing to spend money, because they have a low social status in daily life, and they have a fanatical obsession with sleeping with the wives of officials who

have been convicted.

2. Officials.

For them, Jiaofangsi is a place to drink tea and gather after get off work. Whenever there is a social event, they like to go to Jiaofangsi.

It is worth mentioning that officials from the Ministry of Rites can have sex for free. Because Jiaofangsi is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites.

3. Scholars.

This type of people is more gentle than rich and powerful businessmen, likes to recite poems and write couplets, and is not as difficult to serve as officials, so they are most popular with

the girls of Jiaofangsi.

The girls of Jiaofangsi are also divided into three types:

1. The wives of officials who have been convicted.

This type of women is the most miserable, forced to fall into the dust and be bullied.

2. Women captured in wars.

Let's not talk about the distant past. Let's take the Battle of Shanhaiguan 20 years ago. The Western countries and Dafeng were the victorious countries. They abducted countless women from the north and southern Xinjiang and filled them into the Jiaofangsi of various states and

prefectures.

3. Prostitutes recruited by the Jiaofangsi.

These women voluntarily became glorious seafood merchants and contributed to the abalone business of Dafeng. Their spirit is precious.

"It's true that you can learn until you die. Captain Wang is my teacher..." Xu Qian'an sighed

and finally found the purpose of this visit to the Jiaofangsi.

He stopped outside a courtyard. The plaque on the gate read: Yingmei Xiaoge

The gate was open, two bright red lanterns were hung, and there were plum trees in the

courtyard, with buds dotted on the branches.

A sixteen or seventeen-year-old gatekeeper was guarding the gate of the courtyard, looking

at Xu Qian'an with a scrutinizing look.

He also has another familiar name.

"I am Yang Ling, a scholar from Changle County. I have heard of Miss Fuxiang's great name

for a long time, so I came to visit her." Xu Qian'an imitated the way scholars bowed and spoke

politely to the doorman.

Yingmei Pavilion is the residence of the courtesan Fuxiang.

The table fee here is ten taels of silver, which is twice as expensive as ordinary courtyards.

There are a total of twelve courtesans in the Jiaofang Division, and they are divided into four

levels according to their rank, rhyme, talent, and beauty.

Miss Fuxiang belongs to the first level, and is known for her poetry and piano skills.

"Ten taels of silver. "The young concierge, who was used to seeing the master, was indifferent. After receiving Xu Qi'an's money, he let him into the yard.

Xu Qi'an was delighted. Laughter and string music could be heard from the yard. The tea party

had already begun, but since the young concierge let him in, it meant that the yard was not reserved for private guests, but for individual guests.

There are two modes for those who come out to play, one is for private guests, and the other

is for individual guests.

If it was the former, Xu Qi'an's efforts today would be in vain.