Nightwatcher

Hearing the sound of arrows entering the pot, the corners of Xu Qi'an's mouth widened uncontrollably. He tore off the black cloth and pointed at the gold and silver ingots on the booth:

"Haha, old man, these are all mine now."

The old Taoist glanced at him, calmly put the gold and silver ingots into the package, then pointed to the bodhi bracelet and small jade mirror at the top, and said with a smile:

"Young master, choose one of the two."

Xu Qi'an's tone of discussion: "Old Taoist, I don't want these, I just want money."

The old man 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 objects, sir, 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 just know that they are waiting for someone who is destined." The old Taoist looked like a bachelor.

Xu Qi'an suspected that the old man was lying to him, but there was no evidence, considering his inexplicable luck, he hesitated.

Whether it is a treasure or not, who can say for sure, the money is more affordable.

At this time, a soldier came over and said, "Young master, my master asks you to do me a favor."

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

"That string of bodhi beads." The armored soldier looked away from the booth and looked at Xu Qi'an: "My master is willing to give sixty taels of gold."

It turns out that my European Emperor should be here. Xu Qi'an showed a warm smile on his face: "Thanks to you, we will make a deal."

He asked the soldier to pay a coin in exchange for three arrows.

The soldier said: "The master said, you can cast more times, and we will pay all the money. It doesn't matter if you fail."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xu Qi'an who was blindfolded casually throwing arrows.

Dongdongdong three arrows were thrown into the pot accurately.

The exclamation of passers-by came again.

The soldier looked at Xu Qi'an with respectful eyes.

If one time is lucky, two times means that the other party is not an ordinary person. This ordinary-looking young man is dressed as a scholar, but he is definitely a master.

After getting the gold sixty taels, Xu Qi'an was in a very happy mood. He tore off the black cloth, just in time to see the curtain of the luxurious carriage fall in the distance.

He didn't know what kind of person was sitting in the car. He didn't dare to look at it, turned around, and cupped his fists at the soldier: "Fortunately, I didn't disgrace my life."

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

Xu Qi'an took the money bag, took the jade mirror from the old Taoist, and watched the carriage leave.

He withdrew his gaze, casually put the palm-sized jade mirror into his bosom, and weighed it happily to inflate his wallet.

It weighs about three or four catties, and it's too heavy to tie around the waist.

"No, I have to go and exchange it into a bank note. It's too stupid to carry such a heavy gold with me."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look back, only to find that the old Taoist priest was gone, and the booth was also cleaned up.

Xu Qi'an stood by the side of the road in silence for a long time.

He went to the bank again and exchanged the gold into four bills worth one hundred taels; one bill worth fifty taels; and three silver bills worth ten taels.

Gold is not in the monetary system, so it needs to be exchanged for equivalent silver, and then the bank will issue silver notes.

The exchange ratio between gold and silver is 1:8, and sixty taels of gold equals four hundred and eighty taels of silver.

Four hundred and eighty taels of silver is more than enough to slap my aunt's pretty face. Why every time I make money, I can't help but think of using silver notes to slap my aunt. I can only buy a small yard and want to buy a big house with three entrances. If you don't have ten thousand taels of silver, you don't want to take it down. Xu Qi'an is a little distressed.

Regardless of whether it is a different world or a previous life, housing prices are a desperate thing.

"Four hundred and eighty taels, it should be enough to redeem a lower-level brothel oiran, but it's not worth it.

"You see, for four hundred and eighty taels, I can take turns to visit many oirans for several months. But to redeem one oiran, not to mention exhausting the family's wealth, I have to be responsible for her food and clothing. I accidentally got pregnant Cub, another big expense.

And my current salary is only enough to support a regular wife, and I can't afford the boring life of rich people hugging each other. Besides, I will not redeem the body of a brothel girl, use the bus for private use, and be struck by lightning. "

At dusk, Xu Qi'an came to the famous Jiaofangsi in the capital, which was located in an alley.

When the lights came on, all kinds of carriages were parked outside the alley, and the sound of silk and bamboo orchestras and clear and moving singing voices came from the yard.

He knew that the beautiful nightlife had begun.

Walking along the alleyway extending in all directions, the cultural essence learned from Wang Butou emerged in Xu Qi'an's mind.

A normal brothel is a two- or three-story building, with one or two other courtyards attached, it is quite standard.

Jiaofangsi does not have this kind of high-rise building, because it is not needed, and the courtyards in this part of the alley are all Jiaofangsi.

State-owned enterprises are so rich and powerful.

There is a threshold for the Jiaofang Division, and it is not a rule that ordinary people cannot consume here, but the basic consumption of the Jiaofang Division is five taels of silver.

It's not about sleeping girls, it's about opening tables.

Five taels of silver is equivalent to the income of ordinary people for several months, and it must be a wealthy family.

Therefore, there are mainly three types of guests of Jiaofang Division:

One, wealthy gentry.

This kind of guests are the most willing to spend money, because they are of low social status on weekdays, and they have a fanatical obsession with sleeping with the wives of prisoners and officials.

Two, officials.

For them, Jiaofangsi is a place for drinking tea and gathering after get off work. As long as they have entertainment, they like to go to Jiaofangsi.

It is worth mentioning that officials of the Ministry of Rites can prostitute themselves for nothing. Because the director of the teaching workshop is under the management of the Ministry of Rites.

Three, scholars.

This kind of person is more refined than the wealthy gentry, likes to recite poems, and is not as difficult to serve as an official, so they are most liked by Jiaofangsi girls.

There are three types of girls in Jiaofang Division:

One, the female relatives of criminal officials.

This kind of woman is the worst, forced to be reduced to prostitution and bullied by others.

two. A woman captured in war.

Not to mention far away, just take the Shanhaiguan Battle 20 years ago. The Western countries and Dafeng were the victorious countries, and they abducted countless women from the northern and southern borders, and filled them into the teaching workshops of various states and prefectures.

three. A prostitute recruited by the Jiaofang Division.

"It's true to live and learn, and Wang Butou is my teacher." Xu Qi'an sighed with emotion, and finally found the goal of this visit to the Jiaofang Division.

He stopped outside a courtyard, and the plaque on the gate read: Yingmei Xiaoge

The gate of the courtyard is open, and two bright red lanterns are hung. Inside the courtyard are plum trees with branches dotted with blooming flowers.

A sixteen or seventeen-year-old porter boy was guarding the gate of the courtyard, looking at Xu Qi'an with scrutiny.

He also has another name that everyone is familiar with.

"Yang Ling, a talented scholar in Changle County, has heard about Miss Fuxiang's name for a long time, so I came here to visit." Xu Qi'an imitated a scholar's bow and spoke politely to the porter.

Yingmei Xiaoge is the residence of Oiran Fuxiang.

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

There are a total of twelve oirans in Jiaofang Division, who are divided into four grades according to character, rhyme, talent and color.

Miss Fuxiang belongs to the first class, and she is known as the best poet and qin.

"Ten taels of silver." The doorman who was used to seeing the old man had a cold attitude, and after collecting Xu Qi'an's money, he let him enter the yard.

Xu Qi'an was overjoyed, laughter and the sound of silk and bamboo came from the yard, the tea play had already started, but since the concierge let him in, it meant that the yard was not reserved for private use, but individual visitors.

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

If it is the former, Xu Qi'an is destined to be in vain today.