Kill the sadistic male protagonist and become the emperor

Chapter 116 Lady Si's Home

Ren Baozhi checked the wall from the side. It was as thick as three layers of wall panels. Sound-absorbing cotton was sandwiched between the two walls, which was airtight and seamless. Not only was the sound insulation effect excellent, but it was also difficult for outsiders to detect the sound-absorbing cotton inside.

There is a counter in the front left corner with a high chair.

There is another small room on the right side of the counter, with more than ten benches and a long table at the front.

Ren Baozhi observed and found that the walls of this room were also three layers of wooden boards thick.

It seems that this is the place where Yundu told her to read newspaper yesterday.

Among the common people in Wu Zhou, illiteracy was the norm for most people. In order to sell newspapers to common people better, they needed to make sure that the people could understand the contents of the newspapers, so they set up this room specially.

The right side was divided into two areas. In the inner part, there were several rows of neatly arranged bookshelves. There were already many scrolls placed on the bookshelves. They were the types of books that the people of Wu Zhou loved and read, which she and Chen Lanyue had inquired about before.

Confucian classics, Buddhist works, poetry, history, and medicine.

Ren Baozhi casually opened a scroll and sighed softly. These were all bought with the money from the pawning of the jade bracelet by Yundu, and she felt quite unhappy.

There are still two bookshelves that are currently empty. Yundu said that they were specially reserved for herself and Jiang Jingfeng.

One bookshelf is used to store books whose ideas he wants to spread, and the other bookshelf is used to store books that Jiang Jingfeng will write in the future.

Outside are rows of tables and chairs.

The high-legged chair is similar to a modern ergonomic chair, with a footrest and a headrest, as well as adjustment knobs on the side, which can freely adjust the height and angle.

Yundu said that these tables and chairs were all specially customized by Gui Muxin and others according to the average height of women in the Wu Zhou Dynasty. Soft cushions were also added to the seats and pillows to increase the comfort.

Each window is equipped with two curtains, one is a translucent gauze curtain and the other is a blackout curtain, and customers can choose according to their needs.

Lush and fresh green plants are planted in pots and dotted throughout the shop. They can not only purify the air but also relieve fatigue.

Ren Baozhi looked around the shop outside and felt very satisfied, so she walked towards the inner room.

The layout of the inner room is not much different from that of a modern office area.

On the left are long tables where everyone works on weekdays.

On the right side is a row of lead type used for printing newspapers.

The room was divided into four small rooms, from left to right they were her own office, finance office, editorial office, and tea room.

Although small, it has everything and everything is very satisfactory.

The renovation of this shop, including labor costs, material costs and other miscellaneous expenses, cost a total of thirty taels of gold.

This business hasn’t opened yet. If it opens, I don’t know if I can make a profit.

I don’t know how the people of Wu Zhou would accept this new thing called newspapers. Maybe they would lose money in the early stage of the business, and a hundred taels of gold would not last long.

Li Qixi only agreed to let them stay in the princess's mansion for three months. They have already exceeded the deadline. Although the princess did not say anything, Ren Baozhi is not going to continue to live in the princess's mansion with her whole family. Therefore, getting Chen Gongzheng's property is not only very important, but also the top priority at the moment.

In this way, they not only have a place to stay, but also can obtain additional start-up capital.

Thinking of this, the carriage drove all the way to Pingkangfang.

Yesterday she specifically asked Yundu about Chen Gaojie's whereabouts. Yundu said that Chen Gaojie stayed at Lady Si's house all day and never came out.

The house of Lady Si here is naturally not the real residence of Si Jiangchou. The brothels in Wu Zhou were not called "Yihongyuan" or "Chunxianglou" but were called "so-and-so's house".

The "someone" here can be the name of the fake mother, the stage name of a famous courtesan, or something else.

Yunjia tried several times to bring Chen Gaojie out, but unfortunately, Lady Si's family did not allow women to enter, and the guards were all tall and strong. Yunjia tried many times to bring people out but failed.

In order to get Chen Gongzheng's assets as soon as possible, Ren Baozhi had to tie Chen Gaojie to her side as a "hostage". Only in this way could she feel completely at ease.

What if Yunjia abandoned the house and ran away with Chen Gaojie taking the money? This was not the result he wanted to see.

Pingkangfang, also known as "Beili", is located in the north of Chang'an City, across the street from the imperial city.

The buildings here are different from the vermilion high-rise buildings that Ren Baozhi has seen in movies and TV dramas before. Most of the houses have black and gray roofs, vermilion pillars, and white or ochre walls.

The east part of the district is divided into three sections, among which the famous courtesans are generally in the middle section and the south section.

The carriage stopped in front of a house in Nanqu, which was Madam Si's home.

Ren Baozhi didn't rush to get out of the car. She lifted the curtain and observed the situation here.

There was a strong guard on each side of the gate, and a woman stood by the door, about forty years old. She also had an exotic appearance, covered with gauze, and was very charming.

Just at this moment, a group of scholars and literati came into Lady Si's house with loud noises and laughter.

The woman who had just come forward came forward with a smile and led everyone to their seats and start the feast.

It seems that this woman is the "fake mother" here.

The fake mother was once a prostitute. As she grew older and saved some money, she bought a house and opened her own shop. She also bought several women and trained them to serve customers.

Ren Baozhi got off the carriage and was about to step into Lady Si's house when she happened to meet her fake mother who had just returned after welcoming the guests.

The fake mother smiled proudly and said, "Young Master, are you alone?"

Ren Baozhi lowered her voice and nodded: "Yeah."

The fake mother's silk handkerchief swept across her face, bringing with it a gust of fragrant air. "Being alone is good; one can be free and at ease. What kind of beauty do you like, young master? Just tell me. Although we only have a dozen or so courtesans here, each has their own merits."

Ren Baozhi was looking for someone. She asked, "Can you take me to see the woman in this courtyard?"

The fake mother said, "Please follow me."

Ren Baozhi followed her fake mother into the gate. The corridors of the wing rooms in front were winding. Although there were no tall buildings or gorgeous tents, it was still a large house with several entrances and exits.

Two men are playing chess around a table, with two girls serving respectfully on their left.

Sometimes the man didn't know where to place the piece, and the girl would raise her hand lightly and point to a random spot.

The man took a closer look and realized that the deadlock had been broken. He laughed heartily and stuffed some gold into the woman's hand.

The inner courtyard is divided into two courtyards, front and back. In the front courtyard, a woman in a skirt is standing alone among the flowers, reciting poems impromptu, looking gracefully; in the back courtyard, three women in formal clothes are sitting in the courtyard, one is composing music, one is dancing, and one is practicing calligraphy.

Walking through the hall and the courtyard, you will see spacious and quiet halls, colorful flowers in the courtyard, and strange rock basins and pools placed on the left and right. The small hall has low-hanging pearl curtains and the carpeted beds have curtains, all showing luxury.

Apart from the guests, there are no other men here. Whether it is serving tea or guarding the house, they are all women.