Chapter 71 Inside Story
Chapter 71: Inside Story

"My humble daughter Qiuyan, I am honored to meet you!"

The woman finally put down her round fan, revealing a pretty face with a charming smile, an oval face, a high nose, and fair skin, a typical beauty.

There were just a few barely noticeable wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and he looked probably around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

Ye Xuan suddenly realized that it was no wonder that this woman was so passionate...even a little too passionate.

Even ordinary prostitutes in Miaoyin Pavilion would be reserved when they first meet a customer.

Now the truth is out.

In the officialdom at that time, those Confucian scholars who always said "preserve the laws of nature and eliminate human desires" basically preferred young women who were as beautiful as eighteen crabapples. The woman in front of him was undoubtedly an old woman at the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and was naturally not welcomed.

Despite this, one can still tell from the face of the woman in front of him how stunning she was when she was young. I'm afraid she was not inferior to the several courtesans in Miaoyin Pavilion.

But Ye Xuan didn't mind. Although it was a trip on public funds, Ye Xuan always reminded himself to be careful in everything.

Besides, twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old is still considered young in later generations and not old. It’s just that the average life expectancy in this era is too short, which makes this age seem a bit awkward.

Seeing that Ye Xuan did not show any regret, Qiu Yan immediately smiled and took Ye Xuan's arm, saying, "Sir, do you want to drink first or find something to play with?"

As she spoke, her big, charming eyes glanced meaningfully at the area with a row of gauze screens, her eyes full of love.

Ye Xuan thought that this woman was a little too anxious and felt a little regretful for a moment.

However, Qiuyan had her own difficulties, just as Ye Xuan thought. On the one hand, she was too old and had to be left on the bench frequently. If it weren't for her great looks, most girls of this age would have been kicked out to fend for themselves. On the other hand, Qiuyan was being clever and wanted to let Ye Xuan see her "craftsmanship" as soon as possible, so that she wouldn't be afraid that Ye Xuan would despise her age.

But she never imagined that Ye Xuan was not here to have fun at all.

"Let the kitchen serve some side dishes first. My two brothers who have accompanied me all over the country haven't eaten yet." Ye Xuan said with a generous smile without showing any timidity.

Qiuyan was a little disappointed when she heard that, but she didn't want to force him, for fear of making Ye Xuan unhappy, which would be bad. So she eagerly led Ye Xuan and the other two to a seat by the window, and personally asked the waiter to order some famous dishes that were said to be from the Qinhuai River coast.

The seats in the cabin are modeled after the ancient style of the Qin and Han Dynasties, and everyone sits on the floor.

At this time, Ye Xuan came to the window, leaned against it, and looked at the scenery outside the window.

Qiuyan ordered the dishes and came over. She put her chest against Ye Xuan's back and sat down with her hands on Ye Xuan's shoulders.

Along with the river breeze, a fragrance drifted to Ye Xuan's nose.

However, Ye Xuan was not aroused at all, and continued to look at the scenery for a while before turning around and began to ask about the details of the flower boat. Qiu Yan did not suspect anything, and thought that Ye Xuan was a businessman who had just arrived in Lingnan, and she introduced all the rules and regulations of the flower boat to Ye Xuan.

After Ye Xuan generously rewarded her with a few pearls that were confiscated by the Jinyiwei during a house raid, Ye Xuan could clearly feel that Qiuyan's enthusiasm had increased significantly. She even took the initiative to remind Ye Xuan that she wanted to sell the pearls, and the best buyer was Pang Zhenkun, the prefect of Yangzhou Prefecture.

The prefect, fifth rank, had an annual salary of 192 dan, equivalent to a monthly salary of eight taels of silver.

A string of information quickly flashed through Ye Xuan's mind, and then he looked at Qiu Yan with interest and asked, "Oh, this Governor Pang likes pearls?"

"I like it, of course I don't like it!" Qiuyan squinted her eyes and said coquettishly, "I heard that Governor Pang got a health-preserving recipe from a high monk. It is said that taking it with the finest pearl powder every day can keep you young and strong. I heard that the effect is very good, so I have to buy a lot every month."

But Ye Xuan pretended to be hesitant and said, "But I heard that the prefect's salary is not high. How can he afford to buy my pearls? I'm afraid he will have to buy them on credit!"

Qiu Yan burst out laughing when she heard this, twisted her body softly in Ye Xuan's arms and said coquettishly: "My dear master, you are so cute!"

"Which official in the world relies on salary to make a living? Who is not rich? Even if he doesn't ask for money himself, there will always be people who give it to him!"

"Oh, you mean that Prefect Pang is corrupt?" Ye Xuan asked with pretended curiosity.

Qiuyan giggled, first covered her lips with her little hand, and then covered Ye Xuan's mouth.

Ye Xuan pretended to dodge instinctively, but Qiu Yan didn't care. She continued, "Take our flower boat for example. There are countless merchants like you who come on board to do business. Do you think they are also thinking of selling goods to these officials like you?"

Ye Xuan immediately became interested and asked, "How do they do their business?"

Qiu Yan smiled mysteriously, looked around to see if there was anyone around, then leaned close to Ye Xuan and whispered in his ear, "Take this Magistrate Pang for example. He is in charge of the Jiangnan Weaving Office. The silk merchants gave him money and asked him to put in a word with the Jiangnan Weaving Office so that they could sell the fine silk that was originally intended for the imperial palace to them at a low price. The merchants then resold it at a high price in the name of tribute."

"For example, if someone wants to do business in Yangzhou, he can bribe the prefect in advance, and then he can have smooth travel when he arrives in Yangzhou."

"I heard a while ago that a businessman who opened a restaurant, because he couldn't compete with a big restaurant in Yangzhou, bribed Governor Pang to frame a local restaurant with some crime, and then closed it down! Then the businessman took the opportunity to buy it at a low price, and in this way, he bought the prosperous old brand at a low price without bloodshed!"

At this point, Qiuyan asked with a look of seeking credit: "Sir, do you think this kind of business is easy to do?"

Ye Xuan understood immediately after hearing this. Isn't this collusion between officials and businessmen?

This flower boat provides an opportunity for these officials and businessmen to get acquainted and do business!

But a new question arises: why would the owner behind this flower boat do this? What benefits does it bring to him?
Is it just to earn money for prostitution?
Ye Xuan instinctively believed that the truth was definitely more than that. Allowing officials and businessmen to collude more easily would definitely bring greater benefits to the boss behind the scenes, otherwise he would never take such a big risk.

Thinking of this, Ye Xuan acted as if he was in love with Qiuyan. He put his arm around Qiuyan's slender waist and leaned close to her ear, laughing, "If the beauty hadn't told me, I wouldn't have thought of so many ways with my stupid head!"

(End of this chapter)