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The private room in the teahouse was decorated in a fresh and elegant style. While waiting for the male courtesan, Shen Tang fiddled with the teacups on the tea table. As a child with mild fidgetiness, she wasn't quite accustomed to overly quiet environments.
Seeing the Shopkeeper also lost in thought, letting time drift by, she couldn't help but voice a question that had been bothering her for a while. "Shopkeeper, I have a question. I wonder if you could answer it?" The Shopkeeper, hearing her words, was immediately pulled back from his wandering thoughts. He joked, "What is there to answer or not? As long as young lady doesn't ask about this old man and his humble wife's affairs.
" Shen Tang: "..." She really didn't want to instantly get the innuendo.
Who wants to know about your bedroom antics with your wife! Seeing Shen Tang's strange and complex expression, the Shopkeeper suddenly
wants to know the interesting things that happened between you and your wife in the boudoir!
The shopkeeper saw Shen Tang's strange and complicated expression, and suddenly realized that the painter in front of him was still a young lady of eleven or twelve years old. No matter how skilled the painter was or how familiar she was with the secret play drawings, he shouldn't make such a dirty joke. He had to quickly skip the topic and asked, "What did the young lady say just now? You have questions, right? Just ask, I will tell you everything I know."
Shen Tang asked, "Why would the county government encourage this kind of business? Logically speaking, Shouldn't public officials avoid suspicion? "
To take the lead in developing this kind of industry is unheard of.
The shopkeeper thought it was a small problem.
When he heard it was a common sense issue, he was a little surprised at Shen Tang's "innocence". This is common sense known to everyone. Then he thought about it. This young lady is beautiful and has a good temperament. Her hands have no traces of rough work and she has good painting skills. She must have come from a wealthy family before she fell into poverty. It is normal for her family to protect her from knowing these dirty things.
Thinking of this, he looked at Shen Tang with a little more pity - —This young lady must be living in a very difficult situation, so she went out to look for a job in secret opera paintings. If this business cooperation goes smoothly, the bookshop can keep other painting orders for her in the future.
He took a sip of tea and sighed: "Well, this is a long story. There have been many natural disasters and wars in recent years, and the people can't make a living. Those who have land at home dare not plant it, for fear of being robbed by bandits, and those who don't have land will starve to death. You say, the adults can't eat enough and wear warm clothes, how can they afford to raise so many children?"
Shen Tang shook his head: "Of course not."
The shopkeeper said: "So, if you can't afford to keep them, you either throw them away or sell them. When the county government saw that this was not going to work, they said they would build more brothels and theaters, where people could perform singing, dancing and entertainment. Firstly, this would attract more foreign merchants and make money. Secondly, it would also be possible to settle these children. Thirdly, the taxes were so heavy, so they had to fill the gaps. Otherwise, if the higher-ups forced you to pay taxes, wouldn't the county government be unable to explain if it couldn't come up with them? This way, they said... killing two birds with one stone."
Shen Tang's face changed when she heard this.
She endured it again and again, but felt disgusted.
She asked: "Is the county government really like this? What does it mean?"
The shopkeeper pointed to the center of Xiaocheng.
He lowered his voice and leaned closer and said, "Of course it is, the notices are posted like this. What do these nobles think, and what can we common people say? To be honest - there is nothing to worry about if there is no war! Now that it has been messed up, selling their sons and daughters to brothels is actually a blessing to these nobles. "
Due to the special situation and the encouragement of the county government, other businesses in Xiaocheng are not doing well, but the brothels are making a lot of money, and business is booming every day.
Those who live The people who couldn't make ends meet were forced to sell their children. The money they earned was not enough to cover a family's monthly expenses, but instead it fed the traffickers and the brothels. With more children being sold, these people had more choices and could be more picky. They would work together to lower the price, and the parents of the children could only sell at a low price with tears in their eyes.
A good-looking child could be taken away for at most one or two hundred coins, and what would happen to him in the future was all up to fate.
The shopkeeper sighed in indignation after he finished speaking. He caught a glimpse of Shen Tang lost in thought and suddenly realized that he had said something he shouldn't have to a child. He immediately made amends: "Alas, all this is in the past. It's not easy to survive in this world nowadays."
As for whether to endure hunger and wandering, or to stay in the brothels and be sent here and there, the choice is not in the hands of the poor people. Life is cheaper than grass, there is no room for choice.
Staying in the brothels means you have a life - if God is kind enough to give you a beautiful face, become a top star and enjoy a good life, even if you die young, you can still be considered "blessed" - the only thing you have to worry about is being killed by mobs, dragged to the battlefield as cannon fodder, or serving as a slave in fear. Working a few acres of barren farmland, working year-round, relying on the weather for food, yet ultimately starving to death.
Shen Tang felt the weight of this burden was too much.
The shopkeeper, noticing her distress, tried to change the subject, asking, "Guess how many men's and women's brothels are there in these five long streets of brothels?"
Shen Tang had no idea.
She casually said, "Half and half?"
The shopkeeper shook his head. "Men's brothels make up that number!"
He gestured to the number seven,
meaning seventy percent.
Shen Tang: "..."
The shopkeeper began his own questioning.
"You must be curious why that is, right? The answer is easy. Did you know that the woman above you was once the 'favored concubine' of the King of Xin? Her nickname was 'Nüjiao.' From the moment she burst onto the scene, she attracted countless admirers. Private men's brothels proliferated, and business continued to grow. Look, now she's the ruler of an entire country." He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "How impressive!" He
was just about to award Zheng Qiao the "Most Inspiring Male Concubine in History" award. When a male favorite reaches this level, who can't say it's awesome!
Zheng Qiao also became the idol of the male prostitutes.
Shen Tang: "..."
Not long after, there was a rhythmic knock on the door outside the private room.
The shopkeeper got up and opened the door. There were three strangers standing outside the door, two tall and one short. The one in the middle was wearing a curtain and a black veil covering his face, and there were two tall and fierce-looking guards on his left and right.
Needless to say, the one in the middle was the real boss.
After entering the private room, he took off the curtain, revealing a fair and delicate face that was even a little mean. Rather than saying he was a man, it would be better to say he was a slightly immature teenager. He glanced at Shen Tang, and seeing no one else was around, he asked the shopkeeper, "Where's the painter?"
Shen Tang raised her hand, "Here!"
He didn't even glance at Shen Tang, only venting his anger at the shopkeeper, "Did you pay me too little? You're sending me off with such a naive girl? Do you know how important that painting is?"
The shopkeeper hadn't expected such a temper from the young man, but for the sake of business, he had to bend over backward and promise Shen Tang, "Don't be fooled by her young age, but her skills are as good as those of the old painters."
Shen Tang nodded in agreement.
After all, she'd made a living from this craft.
Trust her professional abilities!
Upon hearing this, the man examined Shen Tang carefully.
Shen Tang had already stood up, the Wenxin seal hanging from her waist lowering with her movement. The transparent seal, caught by the light, faintly glowed with rainbow colors. The young man was startled, and suddenly changed his tone: "Okay, let this person have a try. If he can't satisfy me, we'll change someone else! But I have a request!"
Shen Tang said confidently: "Just say it."
The young man: "You have to use the pen, ink, paper and inkstone I provide to paint."
Shen Tang thought it was a good thing and immediately agreed.
The sky was dark and the stars were boiling.
Qishan always felt that something was missing that day.
When he heard the footsteps next door again, he knew that Mr. Shen was back. He glanced at the new books collected on the desk, thought about it, and knocked on Shen Tang's door with them.
Shen Tang had just finished the draft and was about to start painting.
"Wait a minute, I'll be right there."
Shen Tang got up to open the door.
"Yuanliang, is there something wrong?"
He said, stepping aside to let Qishan in.
"I borrowed a few manuscripts from a friend. See if there's anything you need..." He had barely finished speaking, barely even putting the book down, when he saw the work spread out on Shen Tang's desk. He exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master Shen, which 'master' taught you this 'painting' of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?"
A figure was drawn on the paper, with a large, round, black head and a body distorted by a few strokes, resembling a twisted dough twist. Reclining on what might be a "chaise longue."
A bump on the head, perhaps a bun or a flower pinned in the hair, was unsure. The "right hand" grasped a round fan, the left hand drooping... It must be someone reclining on a chaise longue, posing with the right curves and the right indentations.
The scribbles were grotesque, yet an inexplicable aura of sensuality washed over him.
Crucially, there was more than one "person" on the white paper. The figures' movements, linked together, ranged from undressing to climbing onto the bed and posing. The unfinished scene must have been the arrival of a second, strange "person." He could sense an inexplicable atmosphere of anxiety.
Qishan...