Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 332: Targeted

The reason why the matchmaker did this was because a woman named Zha died a few days ago. It was because they had secretly opened a place specifically for the entertainment of wealthy people.

Unexpectedly, the audience went too far, betting too much money. The two female performers were left on stage until one was beaten to death. Fortunately, they made a lot of money from that performance, far exceeding the cost of supporting one of the performers.

"Grandma Jiang, are you still thinking about that matter?"

The manager and the matchmaker went into the house together. After taking a sip of tea, he sat down in the chair with an air of nonchalance, his face full of a comfortable expression. Since having a female matchmaker, his wrestling match was receiving more and more money every day.

It's just someone dying, what's the big deal?
Granny Jiang said with a forced smile, "This old woman has never seen this before, and I feel a little uncomfortable because I think that woman was sold by me."

The steward sneered, "If you're so upset, why don't you use all the money you got to buy paper money for that woman and burn it for her?"

Granny Jiang immediately said, "I don't even have any money to spend, how can I give it to her? Besides, this has nothing to do with me. It's all her husband's fault. He has no money and can only sell his wife to pay off his debts."

The manager had long seen through Granny Jiang's greedy nature. He knew that while she could live, he couldn't be short of money. As long as he grasped this point, he could use her to do whatever she wanted.

"Is the new venue all set up?" Granny Jiang asked the manager in a low voice. Nobody complains about having too much money, right? She was hoping to earn even more this time and get a bigger share.

The steward nodded: "That's about right, but there are quite a few guests this time, and even more female attendants."

Granny Jiang smiled and said, "Could the woman I brought yesterday use it?"

The manager, however, expressed some dissatisfaction: "They are better than those sent by others, but they are all thin and weak. It would cost a lot of money to raise them well enough for them to perform on stage."

He raised his voice at this point: "Not everyone can be a woman."

Granny Jiang continued to smile and agree, "You can't blame this old woman. There are some tall ones, but they're not good-looking. They look like men. Who would like them?" Before, when she was supposed to send them to the north, she was asked to find slender women. Now that the situation has suddenly changed, how can she immediately switch? Her people also need to adapt. Fortunately, the manager accepted them all. If they had been sold to brothels at a lower price, she would have lost money.

The steward, however, was not satisfied: "You need to pay more attention. In the future, female prostitutes will definitely become popular in Daliang. Right now, they are the daughters of wealthy families, but in the future, they will be high-ranking officials and nobles. At that time, they can earn as much as they want."

Granny Jiang repeatedly said, "Don't worry, sir. With such a lucrative business opportunity, how could I not do it well?"

The manager continued, "We still need to find more people to watch the wrestling at the manor. Our manor outside the city is large, and the more people who come, the more money we'll make."

Granny Jiang traveled around doing business, and many wealthy families bought female slaves from her. The ladies would also ask her to do other things, such as delivering medicine for those seeking children, or selling off disobedient servants. Based on this, she spread the word and invited the ladies of those families to watch wrestling.

Naturally, she chose families she felt were suitable. The women of these wealthy families rarely went to places like entertainment districts, so choosing a village for them to visit would be a good way to feast their eyes.

The women all came with guards and attendants, and they weren't afraid of causing trouble. Besides, the guests had been very satisfied with the two previous events, so they were willing to go again if invited.

This time, Granny Jiang found it much easier. The wealthy ladies readily agreed and inquired about the women's wrestling matches, preparing to place bets before they even began. Granny Jiang's eyes crinkled into slits at the thought. Her female acquaintances who won money would inevitably give her some, and she would also receive a share of the profits from the wrestling matches. She could profit from several families at once. If these wrestling matches were held more often, she could acquire more land for her family.

"Don't worry," Granny Jiang said in a low voice, "not only are there many people we've contacted, but they're all reliable."

The manager said, "It's just like playing Chuiwan. As more people watch, they'll naturally get used to it and eventually come to ask you when our wrestling arena will open."

Granny Jiang, however, did not want it to be like that. She had really gotten used to it, so why would she need to spread the word everywhere? Just like the entertainment district, she could just come directly to the manager and earn money from him.
Granny Jiang cautiously looked around: "It's best not to make it too big for now, lest we attract attention." The women involved had questionable backgrounds, and if someone investigated, it would inevitably cause trouble. She had to remind the manager of this.

After a moment's thought, the steward nodded and said, "Then let's take advantage of the fact that we haven't been targeted yet and do a few big ones to deal with all those women at once."

"As more people watch, our female performers will naturally have to come from more legitimate backgrounds and be more well-behaved on stage." But that's only on the surface. In reality, whatever the high-ranking officials and nobles want to see, they have to put on their shows.

Granny Jiang was shocked. What did the manager mean? Did he want those women to be beaten to death on the stage?

"What if those women refuse?" Granny Jiang asked. "If they won't fight on stage, what can we do?"

The manager gave Granny Jiang a meaningful look: "Let the trained female warriors go on stage with them. They can't just stand there and take the beating without fighting back, can they? Besides... just tell them that once we've earned enough money for them, we'll return their indentures. Why would they refuse?"

Granny Jiang also thought it was good: "The manager is really capable."

After the two finished speaking, Granny Jiang came out of the house and walked to the front yard. She saw Feng Erniang still kneeling in the corner. She smoothed the handkerchief in her hand and sighed, "Listen to the steward's words to avoid suffering. In the end, you were just born with bad luck. Just accept it!"

Granny Jiang left the village in her donkey cart, unaware that a man was following her from a distance. That man was none other than the idler who collected money from the brothel.

The idler watched as Granny Jiang returned home before turning to leave, making sure to give instructions to the people who had come with him before he left.

“If that old woman comes out again, do as I did and see where she goes. Be careful not to let anyone notice.”

The man responded.

The idler left with peace of mind, but instead of going straight back to his lodgings, he found an alley to change his clothes, rubbed the mud off his face, and immediately revealed his youthful face.

He was the man Yang Xiaoshan brought from Daming Prefecture. He had been staking out the place from the entertainment district and had finally found some clues. Now he was rushing back to report to his wife.

Thinking about what he had heard and seen along the way, Yang Dong felt a surge of hatred. No wonder these people made money while treating women like livestock, beating and scolding them at will.

Even families like the second branch of the Yang family, the Xie family, and the Liu family will eventually end up in jail. These people... will also be dealt with by someone.