Starting from the Greyhound, seventy-two changes.

Chapter 57 Ballad
Xicheng District of Baojiao County is a prosperous place for entertainment, with wine shops, tea gardens, Cuju halls, chess clubs, opera theaters, and brothels.

If the inner city is a place where relatively rich people can afford to live, then people who live in the inner city have some wealth.

Those who can come to Xicheng District to enjoy the entertainment and prosperity of the rich are the inner city of the inner city, the big and powerful families, and the truly wealthy and free people who can afford it.

They don't have to worry about life, all they think about every day is how to have fun, which comes from the foundation accumulated by their ancestors.

The older generation has suffered all the hardships, and even if the younger generation lies on a mountain of gold and silver and spends money lavishly, they will never be able to spend it all in their lifetime.

Perfume Pavilion is the most luxurious place in Baojiao County.

This was the first time that Chen Ku had come to such a high-end club, either in his previous life or in this life. Needless to say, a seat inside would cost an ordinary person several years’ income from farming.

The Yaowangtang long gown, which was originally a sign of status in the outer city and the countryside, would not even make the guards at the door of the brothel look at him differently here.

Fortunately, Chen Ku asked someone to inform.

Not long after, Jiang Shaoyou came out to pick him up in person:

"Junior Brother Chen, I was worried that you wouldn't come."

"Am I late?"

Chen Ku bowed and asked:
"Has anything been delayed?"

"You're not late at all, it's still early. During these parties, few people can arrive on time."

Jiang Shaoyou said, pulling Chen Ku in:

"Go in and sit down first, and I'll introduce you to them later."

Entering this luxurious place, there was not the greasy smell of powder as Chen Ku had imagined. Instead, there was a fresh fragrance, like sandalwood, and a bit of the scent of books. The singing and dancing were not too noisy, and rather elegant.

Go to the second floor, there is a large compartment.

"This must be Brother Chen Kuchen from Yaowang Hall, right? Brother Shaoyou kept nagging me today, and you gave him a hard time."

After the two of them entered, a man in his thirties, dressed in silk and with an ordinary appearance but white and clean teeth and a noble temperament, came up with a wine glass and said:

"I am Chai Tiangui. Come, come, brother Chen Ku, let's drink a glass of wine first."

"I dare not. Today, Senior Brother Jiang showed me mercy." Since Chen Ku chose to come to this place, he did not pretend to be noble. He took the wine in the glass and drank it all: "I am honored to meet Brother Chai."

"Open-minded!" Chai Tiangui looked at Chen Ku drinking without saying a word, his eyes slightly bright, and said: "As expected, you are the person recommended by Brother Shaoyou, you are passionate and heroic. I heard that Brother Chen is short of a handy weapon. If you don't mind, Chai is willing to give you one. I just don't know what kind of weapon Brother Chen likes and how heavy it is?"

Chen Ku was slightly moved. This was not Little Master Chai, but Little Tornado Chai. What Jiang Shaoyou said was true. No wonder he was highly regarded. So he said shamelessly, "Then I will accept Brother Chai's kindness. I don't need any other requests. Just a stick, preferably one that weighs 1,800 jin!"

"One thousand eight hundred kilograms? Use something so heavy!"

Chai Tiangui was stunned for a moment, then laughed proudly:

"As expected, young men are heroes. Well, I will soon be able to make this weapon and give it to my brother. I am looking forward to seeing what will happen if your opponent is hit by a 1,800-jin stick. Just thinking about that scene, I, Chai, will also be proud of it."

"Thank you, Brother Chai!" Chen Ku bowed, feeling grateful in his heart. Although he didn't feel like a man who had met a great horse, he did admire Chai Tiangui's character.

Because after Chai Tiangui and him drank two glasses of wine, a few more people came not long after. Chai Tiangui treated them in the same way and even gave one of them a hundred taels of silver as a gift...

No matter how Chen Ku looked at it, he felt that this man had abandoned his love of making friends and actually found pleasure in spending money.

Jiang Shaoyou smiled secretly beside Chen Ku and said, "It's incredible, right? But in fact, you will slowly understand. In this world, life is nothing more than fame and fortune. Money is sometimes not the most important thing, especially for rich people. In most cases, the respect of others is the most difficult to get. But Brother Chai only needs to give out the most of himself to win the most difficult thing, and it comes from the heart."

Respect from others?

Chen Ku pondered over this sentence for a while, and finally, he looked at Chai Tiangui with awe and respect, and he lived a clear and transparent life.

Just at this time.

Suddenly, a sound came from outside.

"The son of Qi County Magistrate, the Qi people are coming to the young master!"

The son of the county magistrate!

Chen Ku couldn't help but look over.

The county magistrate is the second in command of a county.

"Ms. Shen from the Shen family has arrived!"

"Mr. Zhou San, the young master of Lan Kwai Fong, has arrived!"

"Mr. Zhang Xiucai has arrived!"

One after another, young men and women from wealthy families, as well as scholars and successful men, came to the second floor of the Perfume Pavilion.

Chen Ku looked at these people, who were either ladies from government offices or sons of wealthy merchants, and he sighed in admiration:

"The elders behind these people are the ones who can truly stand at the top of the pyramid of high-level people behind Baojiao County. It really fits the saying... Those who come here are all people of status."

In comparison, his previous identities as a retail investor and a clerk in a long gown made him look like a complete layman compared to these people.

He actually managed to get in.

Chen Ku looked at these people and saw that they were all treating each other as equals.

until,

"Master Sui's daughter Sui Qingfang is here!"

Chen Ku looked at everyone here, and they all stood up. He was forced to stand up as well and go to the door to greet them.

Chen Ku couldn't help but be curious.

The daughter of a legal advisor is actually more prestigious than the son of a county magistrate?
There were also people who were introduced nearby, and they quietly asked the same question to the people around them. Chen Ku had the hearing ability of a small dog, so he heard it clearly.

"Why is the daughter of a master so noble?"

"Brother, you are not from the county, right?"

"Well, I was introduced by Brother Zhang to come here to meet Mr. Chai. I don't know much about him, so I hope you can enlighten me."

"That makes sense. This is of course related to a folk song in our Baojiao County. If you ask who is in charge in Baojiao..."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Chen Ku looked over and saw that the person who was speaking was also a young man with clear eyes and white teeth, speaking eloquently:
"It's called: Shangguan City has no rivals... Yang in the north, Li in the south, Thirteenth Young Master... Master, Swift Knife, Dragon, Tiger, Leopard... Once the spear comes out, there is no other way."

"What does this ballad mean? It seems to refer to ten people?"

The young man said, "Yes, there are ten people, the ten most capable fighters in the county. The master among them is none other than Sui You, the master of Baojiao County Yamen. The ballads are arranged according to strength, so the one who came is not the daughter of Sui You, but the daughter of the fifth most powerful fighter in Baojiao County..."

"Hiss, if that's the case, then Shangguan City has no rivals, which means..."

When Chen Ku heard this, his heart moved.

Shangguan?

If I remember correctly, the magistrate of Baojiao County was Shangguan...

"That's right. The superior is referring to the county magistrate. He was sent from outside, but he was able to manage Baojiao County in an orderly manner within just five years. Do you really think he relied on the official seal? No! He relied on force!"

The best expert in Baojiao County is actually the county magistrate.

Chen Ku's heart moved.

In this Daji Dynasty, which values ​​military power over culture, it seems so reasonable.

After all, the reason for emphasizing civil officials over military officials is that civil officials can effectively serve the court and stabilize the rule. However, if the military officials' power is too transcendent and they are truly invincible after being cultivated to the extreme, then emphasizing military officials over civil officials and using military officials to stabilize the rule is inevitable.

"Then North Yang, South Li, and Thirteenth Young Master are the second, third, and fourth, right?"

"Yes, these three are exactly the three major giant forces in the county, each occupying one. Yaowang Hall is in the north, Yulong Society is in the south, and the remaining one is the Thirteenth Young Master, Xie Qingfeng, the Thirteenth Young Master of the Xie Family from the Firewood and Iron Shop."

Chen Ku listened, and his heart was moved:
"Medicine King Hall? Bei Yang? He is the one who practices the Violent Ape Thousand-pound Staff in the Jinshi Academy. He is actually the second best master of Baojiao, second only to County Magistrate Shangguan..."

(End of this chapter)