Pawn Crossing the River

Qi Xuansu glanced at Zhang Yuelu in surprise: "You are really 'erudite and knowledgeable', awesome, awesome."

"Aren't you being sarcastic? Are you imitating the yin and yang of the Li family?" Zhang Yuelu didn't look kind and wanted to make a move, but Qi Xuansu dodged him in advance.

Qi Xuansu changed the topic and said, "Okay, let's go to the courtyard and see Miss Li's style. Each of us will pay half of the specific expenses."

Zhang Yuelu was a little surprised: "Aren't you not interested? When you heard about Miss Li, you changed your mind? You are still willing to pay half of the fee."

Qi Xuansu said: "I have no interest in Miss Li, but I think it is necessary to see what the upper class people like."

Zhang Yuelu clicked his tongue and agreed.

Qi Xuansu added: "But you can't go like this. Zhang Yuelu, the famous Taoist genius, is visiting the courtyard and spreading the word. It's a joke."

"I know." Zhang Yuelu said, "Get dressed first."

Qi Xuansu looked at her sideways: "Don't you want to find an inn to settle down first?"

Zhang Yuelu was speechless for the first time.

The two came to the Taiping Inn in the city and asked for a private courtyard. Qi Xuansu took off the gun, the shoulder bag and the outer belt that flew to the waist bag, and temporarily handed them over to Zhang Yuelu for safekeeping, leaving only the elegant-looking "green Yuan", after all, this dynasty also has the tradition of wearing swords.

Zhang Yuelu went to his room and closed the door. Then Qi Xuansu asked the waiter for a table of wine and food, including roasted lamb, roasted chicken, fried meat and fish. The dishes were extremely rich and he ate them leisurely.

When Qi Xuansu had almost finished eating, Zhang Yuelu opened the door and came out. There was already a new person.

I saw her wearing a moon-white robe with gold piping and patterns, square-headed cloud shoes with black patterns on a white background, a jade-inlaid belt, a white jade crown, and a folding fan with ivory as the fan bone in her hand. The fan is a landscape painting by a famous artist of the time. , standing in the wind, gently swaying the folding fan, his clothes and sleeves fluttering, he is really a good young man in a troubled world.

Qi Xuansu looked up and down.

Zhang Yuelu obviously wore a mask on his face, which changed his appearance. He did not look feminine at all, but looked heroic. Moreover, the clothes were well-cut. It was obvious that he did not buy them temporarily, nor did he borrow other people's clothes. He also carried them with him in Xumiwu. In other words, Zhang Yuelu often did things where women disguised themselves as men.

Zhang Yuelu opened his hands and asked with a smile: "How is it?"

Qi Xuansu said: "Should I call you Young Master Tantai?"

"Smart, from now on, I am Tantai Chu, not Zhang Yuelu, nor Zhang Xinyue." Zhang Yuelu said.

Qi Xuansu asked: "What about me? Do you want to give me a fake name too?"

Zhang Yuelu waved his hand and said: "Not many people probably know you, so I don't think it's necessary."

Qi Xuansu had no objection. This was not about sacrificing one's life for the Qingping Society, so it didn't matter if he used his real name.

Zhang Yuelu closed the folding fan in his hand and tapped his palm. He first looked down at his chest, then pressed it with his hand. There was nothing abnormal. Then he reached out and touched his Adam's apple.

Qi Xuansu continued to eat and said without raising his head: "Both men and women have Adam's apple, but men's Adam's apple is more obvious."

Zhang Yuelu took out a small object from the Sumeru object and placed it on his Adam's apple, making it look like a man. She took out something similar to a whistle, put it in her mouth, and cleared her throat, which turned into a man's voice.

Zhang Yuelu came prepared.

After Qi Xuansu finished eating, he wiped his mouth with the hand towel provided by the inn and motioned to Zhang Yuelu to wait for him outside. After all, it was hard to explain the sudden absence of a girl and the addition of a handsome young man in the courtyard.

After Zhang Yuelu left, Qi Xuansu waited for the waiter to come and clear away the dishes, and then asked, "Which is the largest hotel in our city?"

The waiter first looked around, and when he saw that the girl who came with him was not there, he showed a knowing smile that every man could understand: "The guest officer's accent is not local, but the guest officer is asking the right person. Our biggest business here is The institute is the Jiaqing Institute, where there are many girls with good looks and talents. They are proficient in singing, dancing, playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting. However, the cost is a bit high. Let’s not talk about the red-card girls, just ordinary girls. It costs ten peace to stay overnight. If you start with money, if you want to buy a banquet, the price there is not as expensive as that of an inn, and you can't afford it even for twenty or thirty peace dollars."

Qi Xuansu often saw the expression "making a cup of tea" in storybooks, and couldn't help but ask: "What if it's the price of making a cup of tea?"

As soon as the waiter heard Qi Xuansu's statement, he smiled and said, "This is your first time to go to the palace."

Qi Xuansu said in surprise: "How do you know?"

"Because the villain has just said that the cost of buying a banquet can't even be covered by twenty or thirty peace coins." The waiter explained, "Only in the upper class houses there is a saying of having a tea party. To put it bluntly, it is related to The girls in the hotel drink, drink tea, play chess, eat snacks, and chat for free. The hotel will naturally suffer financial losses, but the meaning of not charging is clear, that is, the guests drink tea several times. After the siege, a banquet will be held."

Only then did Qi Xuansu understand why the waiter had to mention a banquet. It turned out that there was such a talk.

Although the waiters work at the Taiping Inn, they also receive benefits from the hotel every month, so that they can introduce the guests of the inn to the hotel. Naturally, they know everything and talk about it: "Generally, the hotel will not chase guests. It requires money, but a guest who often goes to the tea party but doesn't hold a banquet will be ridiculed and looked down upon by the girls in the courtyard. Even if a guest who does a banquet is too diligent in the tea party, the madam will scold him for being stingy. "

Qi Xuansu said thoughtfully: "Brother, these tea tables and things you mentioned should all be regular customers of the hotel. What if they are first-time guests like us?"

The clerk smiled and said: "Then we need a 'stepping stone'. The general price is five peace coins."

Qi Xuansu nodded, placed the two small circles on the table, and asked, "Can you help me lead the way?"

The waiter stretched out his hand and put the two small balls into his bag, with a smile on his face: "Thank you for the reward."

The two of them left the inn through the side door. Outside was an alley. From a distance, they saw Zhang Yuelu standing at the entrance of the alley, waving a folding fan in the cold winter.

The waiter was a little surprised. He didn't expect that this guest officer had made an appointment with his companion early, but he didn't think deeply that this young man was the girl just now.

Jiaqingyuan is located in the southeast corner of Fucheng, not too far from Taiping Inn. After exiting this alley and two streets away, there is a side entrance of Jiaqingyuan. Different from the second-rate brothels, this first-class brothel is very quiet, and it actually seems to be free from mud and unstained. There are many houses around the courtyard, with no clear owner. Their main function is to hide the beauty in the golden house, and the residents inside are naturally canaries.

Jiaqing Yuan can be built here, and it occupies a vast area, which shows that its background is not small. However, it is unlikely that it is the business of the Zhang family. Even the Li family, which cares least about such things, has to find a foster daughter to take charge of the matter instead of doing it themselves. Then the Zhang family, which has always had a better reputation than the Li family, is even less likely to do so. May personally intervene in such a business.

Could it be a local official from the imperial court?

The waiter led the two of them towards the side door. Even if it was a side door, it was also very grand. There were also several women standing in front of the door responsible for welcoming guests.

The man stopped there, and Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu stepped forward.

A woman came forward. Qi Xuansu had already inquired about the market. He took out five yuan of peace money and threw it away. The five yuan of peace money fell accurately into the woman's hand, and then asked: "I heard that your hospital held a A poetry meeting?”

A smile immediately appeared on the woman's face: "It's better to come early than to come late. The poetry meeting will start soon."