A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 39 To be honest, listening to music in a brothel has always been my dream.
Li Weizhou ordered a hot pot with spicy broth and asked the waiter to bring a few extra pounds of mutton. Then he heard footsteps coming from behind the screen, and soon two figures walked over one after the other.

Both were dressed as scholars, wearing scholar's caps and pale white robes, their skin so fair it was almost unbelievable...

"I just overheard that the owner of Zuixianlou is here. I apologize for the intrusion and hope you will forgive me!"

The leading scholar bowed and said.

Well, even a fool could tell that this is a girl, and a stunningly beautiful one at that.

Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, like spring mountains veiled in mist. Her bright eyes, like autumn waters, held the brilliance of a thousand stars, and her nose was delicate and straight.

Li Weizhou was somewhat moved, not by the man's self-deception, but by the immense profits of the horse market, which brought together such beauties, as well as exceptionally beautiful women like Qi Erniang and Feng Biwu, in a small city like Qingzhou Prefecture.

Li Weizhou had been working hard carrying the grain and was reluctant to get up, so he slightly raised his chin, gesturing for the two to sit down, and said, "Please sit down, young lady."

The leader was taken aback, not because he hadn't expected Li Weizhou to recognize her as a woman, but because he hadn't expected Li Weizhou to be so clueless...

The younger girl behind her was even more angry and let out a soft snort.

Li Weizhou was also surprised. He glanced at her and said, "Is it inconvenient for you to sit? You can go about your business. It's okay."

"..."

The woman at the head of the group, however, was no longer in a hurry. She smiled and sat down opposite Li Weizhou, saying, "A man of few words, indeed a hero! I am Chu Mengjun, greetings to the master of Zuixianlou."

Tsk tsk, Chu Mengjun, the famous top courtesan of Qimeng Pavilion!
Upon hearing this, Li Weizhou said, "So it's Miss Mengjun... You also like hot pot?"

Although the question was directed at him, his tone showed neither surprise nor joy.

Chu Mengjun narrowed her eyes slightly, her smile not at all coy or shy, and said in a very gentle tone, "My ancestral home is in Hunan, and I love it dearly. I've had the chefs from the pavilion come here to eat several times, but they just can't recreate the taste. The spiciness in the hot pot is completely different from that of the dogwood. Dogwood is strongly spicy and fragrant, slightly hot, and a little bitter; it's really hard to replicate the refreshing taste of Zuixianlou."

As far as I know, many people have spent a lot of money trying to find out the secret behind it.

Unfortunately, they gained nothing. If I'm not mistaken, even the chef at Zuixianlou might not know the secret.

Li Weizhou nodded and said, "Let's not talk about that. Did Miss Mengjun need something from me?"

"..."

Chu Mengjun bit her lip slightly and smiled, "I would like to invite you, young master, to sit in the Qimeng Pavilion. I wonder if you would have the honor?"

Li Weizhou shook his head without the slightest hesitation and said, "I don't have time."

Unsolicited kindness always has a hidden agenda, and it's all trouble.

It's simply a matter of whether the trouble is overt or covert.

Chu Mengjun's smile faltered somewhat, and the girl beside her, who was probably a maid, said angrily, "Don't be ungrateful! Do you know how many high-ranking officials and nobles want to see our young lady?"

Li Weizhou asked curiously, "Does your young lady like this kind of meeting?"

"you!!"

The maid was furious, but she couldn't say anything to refute it.

After all, in truth, such a meeting wasn't exactly a good thing...

But what this person said was so infuriating!

The pot was brought out, charcoal was placed in, and plates of sliced ​​mutton, tripe, and other meats were served. Li Weizhou nodded slightly, said "thank you for your hard work" to the shopkeeper and the waiter, and waited for the pot to boil.

The shopkeeper and the waiter responded with "We dare not," and then withdrew.

Now, Chu Mengjun and her maidservant fell silent, staring at Li Weizhou in astonishment.

Li Weizhou didn't understand what he meant and warned the two of them with his eyes: Don't look at your dad like that!

Perhaps understanding Li Weizhou's meaning, Chu Mengjun first chuckled, then covered her mouth and burst into laughter.

That's the advantage of being beautiful; you look good no matter how you smile. Ugly people can't be so carefree; it easily makes their already unattractive faces look even more distorted…

Even the maid's tone softened considerably as she said to Li Weizhou, "You're really strange; you even tell your servants how hard they work?"

Li Weizhou didn't want to explain anything, he just shook his head and said, "I respect those who work."

It's actually a habitual form of respect—respecting others and respecting one's own character.

After looking at him for a while, the maid said irritably, "Why don't you give him more wages?"

"This girl is so innocent," Li Weizhou smiled at her and nodded, "That's right. Their monthly bonuses are no less than their wages."

It wasn't about being unconventional; it was just about giving the subordinates hope: if they worked for five years, they would definitely be able to save enough money to buy their freedom.

Five years later, those who are still willing to stay and work are considered loyal servants. They will continue to be observed and tested before being entrusted with important responsibilities.

Upon hearing this, the maid's gaze toward Li Weizhou grew increasingly warm.

She hadn't expected Li Weizhou to be so kind to his servants, nor had she expected him to say so much to her.

"You are a good person," the maid praised softly.

Li Weizhou felt a little embarrassed by her gaze, after all, even the most ruthless capitalists on Earth wouldn't dare to employ people like that.

This is equivalent to making someone work for free for five years. After the job is done, the person not only has to return the money paid for the employment, but also all the taxes, food, and other expenses, and even kowtow in gratitude...

What's the point of giving out more rewards at this point? In the end, they'll all be taken back.

So ruthless and heartless, yet praised as a good person...

Chu Mengjun glanced at her maid and sighed softly, "Now I finally understand why that Zhu Yeqing liked you so much. There aren't many courtesans in this world who can escape a man like you."

The maid was Chu Mengjun's confidante, so she naturally understood the meaning behind Chu Mengjun's words. She glanced at Li Weizhou somewhat embarrassedly before whispering to her mistress, "I didn't!"

This unsolicited confession made Chu Mengjun laugh in exasperation. She then invited Li Weizhou again, saying, "Why don't we go inside and sit down? I have something to discuss with you, young master." Before Li Weizhou could refuse, she smiled and gave her reason: "I heard that the Zhou family's Xinyi Silver Shop has been transferred to you, young master. Many of the girls in our shop need to change their jewelry and headdresses."

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "May I ask which side you work for? I know who is behind Second Sister, but I forgot to ask which side you are on."

Chu Mengjun narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, "What is your guess, young master?"

Li Weizhou shook his head and said, "What can a small merchant like me from a cold and desolate place guess? I'm asking these questions only because I don't want to get involved in the disputes of you big shots and die without knowing why."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of tripe with his chopsticks, dipped it in the red broth, and after a few quick dips, put it in a bowl of oil before eating it.

hiss~~
happy!

"Gudu!"

The maid swallowed hard.

Li Weizhou gestured to her with his eyes to take the chopsticks: "Don't be shy." Then he looked at Chu Mengjun, signaling her to respond.

Chu Mengjun laughed and said, "I didn't expect that Qi Erniang hadn't told you about this Bamboo Leaf Green poison. Well, that's what I admire about her. Although it's poisonous, it's poisonous with morality. She has never used the Crown Prince's Palace to pressure me. I'm from the Jiangyou Merchant Guild, or you could say I'm from the Tiannan Prince's Mansion."

One of the Eight Kings, the King of Tiannan!

Li Weizhou exclaimed in surprise, "Is the horse market really that important?"

According to the information he learned from books, Tiannan was several thousand miles away from Qingzhou City.

In this era before high-speed rail and airplanes, traveling such a long distance would take at least six months...

Chu Mengjun smiled and said, "The horse market is certainly important. The imperial court and the Eight Kings and Eight Sects will not miss it. Only the Demonic Sect will bypass the horse market and go directly to Donghu to trade with the Shaman Temple. However, the entire border is controlled by the Great Qian Dynasty, so the amount that the Demonic Sect smuggles back is insignificant. With so many forces, although not every group of people will pass through Qingzhou City, as long as two or three groups do, this place is a treasure trove with great potential."

Li Weizhou nodded and said, "That makes sense." After a pause, he swallowed a mouthful of mutton and asked, "There's something I've been hesitant to ask Sister Qi... We've hit it off today, may I ask you something..."

Chu Mengjun was interested and said, "Please."

Li Weizhou then became quite blunt and asked, "People like you, with your talent, knowledge, character, and perhaps even martial arts skills, should be able to do anything very well. Why a brothel? You don't necessarily need a brothel to cover up your actions, do you?"

Chu Mengjun didn't feel offended. Her eyes held a hint of melancholy before she smiled and said, "Because our talent, knowledge, character, and martial arts skills were all learned in brothels."

Li Weizhou suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "Indeed, life is full of disappointments... I also worked as a waiter in a brothel, so I guess I'm half a fellow sufferer."

"Pfft! Giggle!"

The maid, who had just been feeling uncomfortable because of Li Weizhou's blunt question, was now laughing at Li Weizhou's self-deprecating humor.

Oh, right, they're all on our side!

Chu Mengjun also smiled. She had discovered the difference between chatting with Li Weizhou and it was that it was relaxed and straightforward, without the burden of being a courtesan and a talented woman.

Because Li Weizhou clearly didn't take those two titles seriously either...

Chu Mengjun smiled and said, "There is another reason: brothels have always been the places where news spreads the fastest."

Li Weizhou thought about it and felt it made sense.

Men, you know, will say anything, as if they're afraid their words won't be provocative enough to attract the courtesan's attention...

Men like this aren't just found in Daqian; they're everywhere on the other side of the world too.

"Alright, after we finish eating, I'll come over to your place for a bit. To be honest, listening to music in a brothel has always been my dream."

Li Weizhou was indeed sincere, which made the master and servant laugh again.

Li Weizhou was also laughing, not because he was so popular, but because he felt so good about having a cousin who was in "protagonist mode"!
He didn't believe Chu Mengjun cared about his reputation; he had no reputation whatsoever.

They do have that much self-awareness.

The one who has face is Li Changning, or rather, Li Changning's mentor, girlfriend, and rumored girlfriend...

But no matter what, being related to someone like that must be really great.

Not only will they not have to face the various hardships that the protagonist must go through, they probably won't even have to pay to listen to music in brothels!
Happy!
Fourth brother, you must study hard and strive for excellence!
……

(End of this chapter)