Merchants are the lowest existence, even if you are the richest man in Longdu, compared to the officials of the DPRK and China, even if it is a nine-grade sesame official, these so-called richest men have to be afraid of three points, if you want to mix well under the noses of officials, you have to smash it with silver.

But the human heart is a bottomless pit, no matter how much silver can fill the ravine of desire, hope, rather than being manipulated, it is better to control it yourself.

As the saying goes, there are people in the DPRK who are easy to do things, and if they have power, they are afraid that they will not be able to earn more silver?

And, most importantly, joining the company is the most direct and effective way to change your status.

No matter how rich the Xue family is, it is just a low-level merchant, but once someone is an official in the court, the status will be different, and he will directly reach the middle and upper class.

In the face of Xue Yu's not very deliberate currying, Qin Mingxuan was very useful.

The Xue family is rich, but in Shengjing, the Xue family is just an outsider, with no foundation, and they are still the lowest businessmen, so they naturally have to try their best to get close to them.

Qin Mingxuan nodded slightly and smiled politely.

A meal, everyone eats to the fullest, and the most important thing is that everyone has been holding back for a long time, and it is difficult to come out to be happy.

The big family, as early as the sister-in-law when he was a teenager, arranged a maid to have a room, and the hairy boy after opening the meat didn't know moderation at all, and he was easy to be impulsive, as long as he thought about it, he didn't want to be satisfied with it.

Now, when you are full of wine and food, it is the time to think about lust and lust, but because of the occasion, everyone tacitly looks at each other, but they don't say anything.

Xue Yu is a new member, and he has a purpose to curry favor with these people, so he naturally pays the bill for this meal, and when he comes up from downstairs, he looks at the people in the room, his eyes roll, and he says tentatively: "It's still early, why don't we change places?" ”

"Where to go?" One of them sharpened his voice and said boredly: "It's so hot outside, it's not as comfortable as in the house, but it's just us here, and there's nothing fun to do." Poetry and painting? That's not for me, for the sake of autumn, I've been locked up at home for a month, and now I'm out to relax. ”

Xue Yu immediately said: "Also, everyone is exhausted for the sake of Qiuqiu, and there are still a few days before the big exam, we can't keep holding the book, it's useless to hold Buddha's feet temporarily, since it's easy to come out today, we naturally have to find a good place." ”

As he spoke, he turned to his side, looked at Qin Mingxuan as if unintentionally, and said, "Since everyone has come out, let's go to the 'Hundred Gardens' to sit down." ”

"A brothel?" Qin Mingxuan frowned dissatisfiedly.

It's not that he is clean, it's just that kind of place, in his current cognition, is unacceptable.

Qin Mingxuan is conceited to Qinggao, that kind of place is not where literati and bachelors should go, there, there is no place that can be related to elegance.

The people present were a little embarrassed, drank a little wine, everyone was a little uneasy, they didn't say anything, but they wanted to go very much in their hearts, just waiting for who would propose it first, and everyone went with it, so when Xue Yu proposed, many people's eyes were shining. Anyway, today's expenses are all Xue Yu's affairs, they just have to enjoy it, but Qin Mingxuan's rhetorical question was disdainful, listening to that tone, if they went there today, it would be too embarrassing.

Xue Yu explained with a smile: "Xuan Shao, there are many kinds of brothels, not necessarily all of them are in the skin and meat business, there are Qing people in Baihuayuan, although they are not as good as the daughters of large families, but they are also pampered and raised. Xue also wants to invite everyone to sit together, the autumn is coming, and Xue is also one of the people who went to the exam, how can he be out of proportion at this critical juncture? Just thinking about it, adding fragrance to the red sleeves in the past can also relieve everyone's anxious mood. If Xuan Shao finds it inconvenient, then it's nothing, we will have a chance next time. ”

"Xuan Shao, this is your mistake," the person who spoke, with obvious eagerness in his tone, "I have said it, everyone is happy to come out today, you shirk it like this, but it will ruin everyone's interest." Now, Young Master Ben doesn't care, he said that he came out to relax today, Xuan Shao, you have to go with us! ”

If he encountered this kind of thing in the past, Qin Mingxuan would say "don't go", and everyone would not embarrass him, but everyone present today has more or less that kind of thought, if Qin Mingxuan doesn't go, he will be too unsociable, and he will still slap them in the face in public.

Although Qin Mingxuan is the one who has the best chance of winning the champion among them, everyone's status is not low, and they really don't look at it in their eyes. In recent years, the Prime Minister's Mansion has not been as good as before, and there is no need for them to curry favor. If it weren't for Qin Mingxuan's sister who was the crown princess, they wouldn't have deigned to cater to a pretentious scholar.

Yes, in the eyes of the sons and daughters of these families, Qin Mingxuan is a scholar, Qin Dongshan started from nothing, the prime minister has no background, no backstage, how can he compare with these century-old families?

It's just that the Prime Minister's Mansion is lucky and has a princess, otherwise who would take it seriously?

Therefore, the person who choked the voice before deliberately said those words to stimulate Qin Mingxuan.

As soon as his words fell, another person immediately said: "Xuan Shao, you have to join us today, everyone is measured, just go to the 'Hundred Gardens' to sit down, and discuss the matter of this autumn festival by the way." ”

The far-fetched reason, but the tone is unquestionable.

Qin Mingxuan frowned, he couldn't say anything in this situation.

In this way, under the half-invitation and half-threat of everyone, Qin Mingxuan and his party arrived at the "Hundred Gardens".

Although the day is not the best time for the business of Qinglou, but in the end, it is an all-day business, and there are still prostitutes standing at the door to solicit customers, and when they saw Qin Mingxuan and others, they immediately stuck up softly.

Qin Mingxuan frowned, he stiffened his face, suppressed the impulse somewhere in his heart, and walked in expressionlessly.

A group of people skillfully asked for a private room, in the bustard's diligent introduction, asked for a few, it is said that the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting are very good Qing people, everyone flirts and sings poetry together, but also happy.

It's just that the Qing people are a little reserved after all, and they won't be too unrestrained in their actions and words, and the yellow-haired boy in his teens is the age when he is impulsive, so he quickly took his pants to a separate room.

Only Qin Mingxuan and Xue Yu were left in the room, and the two took this opportunity to drink tea and talk a lot.

It was only at this time that Qin Mingxuan had a somewhat different view of Xue Yu.

Xue Yu has a good knowledge, and because he often follows his father in business, he has more knowledge than his peers, and he is also an old man who does not meet his age.

The two chatted on a wide range of topics, and even Qin Mingxuan, who has always been pretentious and has low eyes, has a feeling of hating each other.

However, Qin Mingxuan is a member of the Prime Minister's Mansion in the end, so the official frame is full, and Xue Yu has the sleek and forbearance of a businessman, and the atmosphere between the two is very harmonious. But in the time of two teas, the two became so-called friends.

Seeing that the time was not early, Qin Mingxuan hesitated to go back.

Xue Yu said regretfully: "It's rare to meet someone like Xuan Shao who can talk to and is so knowledgeable, and I talked to Xuan Shao today, which benefited Xue a lot." ”

"Xue Gongzi is polite, he can have a long talk with Xue Gongzi, and Ben Shao has also learned a lot."

"Today, Xue replaced wine with tea, and Jing Xuan had one less glass, and in the future, I hope Xuan Shao will take care of it more." Picking up the teacup, Xue Yu looked towards Qin Mingxuan.

Qin Mingxuan smiled slightly, lifted the teacup in his hand upwards, and drank it all in one gulp.

"It's not early today, if I have a chance next time, I hope to talk to Xuan Shao again."

The two walked slowly downstairs, and before they reached the hall, they heard the noise of people, as if they were bidding.

Qin Mingxuan's footsteps paused.

Xue Yu immediately explained: "Xuan Shao doesn't know yet, today is the day when Ruyan strokes the qin." ”

"Fuqin?" Qin Mingxuan wondered, a prostitute strokes the qin, do you still need these people to scramble?

Xue Yu chuckled, "Xuan Shao doesn't know, Ruyan is the top Qing person in the 'Hundred Gardens', and her piano, chess, calligraphy and painting are comparable to many ladies, and in addition, Ruyan's knowledge is not comparable to ordinary women." ”

"That's just her way of making a living." Qin Mingxuan said disdainfully.

Xue Yu disagreed, "That being said, Ke Xuan Shao, we are all scholars, so we naturally know that it is not easy to do knowledge." Ruyan is a Qinglou woman, it is not easy to achieve this point, even if it is her means of making a living, she has spent a lot of effort to learn. ”

Qin Mingxuan no longer argued, and the sarcasm in the corners of his eyes obviously didn't take Xue Yu's words seriously.

Xue Yu only smiled slightly, "If Xuan Shao is free, it is better to sit down and listen to a little song together, it won't delay you much." ”

Without waiting for Qin Mingxuan to answer, he went straight to the front row.

The old bustard is already standing on the stage, and on this occasion she naturally wants to go out in person, as the person who can make her the most money, Ru Yan's treatment is the best among all the girls in the building, that is, she, who is a mother, has to bring a little flattery in front of Ru Yan.

Every month, Ruyan will stroke the piano twice, each time the highest bidder wins, and whoever bids the highest will be taken upstairs to listen to her play a song in Ruyan's room, and then sit for a while and talk about life or something.

It's just an hour or two, Ruyan can earn her hundreds, or even thousands of silver.

Therefore, the more intense the bidding in the audience, the more enthusiastic the smile on the bustard's face.

When one of the visitors opened his mouth and shouted out a thousand taels of silver, the bustard only felt that there was a myriad of gold glittering in front of him.

There was a faint smile on the corner of Xue Yu's mouth, and it was not until the old bustard shouted twice whether he had bid more than one thousand taels of silver, and then he said gently: "Three thousand taels." ”