Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 16 Change Batch 1

As the boatman rowed closer, the boatman lowered the ladder.

The boatman was clearly a frequent passenger on the painted boats, and his skills were superb. He rowed the small boat at the same speed as the large boat, and the ladder was laid down steadily.

"Brother Zhou, let's go upstairs," Kang He said with a smile.

"Brother Kang, please go first!" Zhou An nodded.

Upon hearing this, Kang He stepped onto a chair and went up, with Zhou An following behind.

Once Shi Tou and Kang He's entourage had come aboard, Kang He beckoned Zhou Anjin to enter the painted boat.

The woman on the bow of the boat was wearing a gauze dress. It was not obvious from a distance, but when viewed up close, her arms and collarbone were clearly visible.

Zhou An remained calm, which might have been considered extremely obvious in ancient times, but in later generations it would be considered child's play.

Just as he was about to follow Kang He into the painted boat, he saw Shi Tou blushing and lowering his head, and whispered, "Raise your head, don't embarrass me."

Upon hearing this, Shi Tou could only grit his teeth and look up, but he still dared not look around.

This situation was too much of a shock for him, a simple young man who had always lived on cargo ships.

Kang He was clearly a regular here. As soon as he entered the boat, a still charming woman in her thirties greeted him with a big smile.

"Young Master Kang, it's been so long since you've patronized my business," the woman said with a smile.

"Hong Gu, I have guests today, talk to you later!" Kang He said.

Hong Gu looked at Zhou An and smiled, "This young master looks unfamiliar. You must come often in the future."

Zhou An smiled but remained silent upon hearing this.

Hong Gu called over a maid and asked her to lead Kang and the others upstairs.

Upon arriving at the private room on the second floor, Kang He instructed his maid, "Go and call a few girls over!"

"Please wait a moment, honored guest!" The maid bowed and withdrew.

"Brother Zhou, the Red Boat is the best painted boat on the ten-mile Qinhuai River. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!" Kang He gave Zhou An an ambiguous smile.

Zhou An smiled and said, "Then I'll wait and see."

"rest assured!"

Kang He laughed and said, "The most beautiful courtesan in Jinling, Miss Su Jin, is on the Red Boat. However, it's not easy to see her. Miss Su Jin's talent is no less than that of men. She will give questions every night, and only those who answer them can see her true face."

When Su Jin was mentioned, Kang He's expression revealed admiration.

Zhou An smiled; this was just a routine used in ancient brothels.

In ancient times, brothels loved to cultivate talented women, and almost all the famous literati and scholars in history were frequent visitors to brothels.

But most of them weren't there to have fun.

The higher the class of the brothel, the higher the price. Scholars who could afford to come to such places were all well-off.

In ancient times, when people could have multiple wives and concubines, with beautiful wives and concubines and a large retinue of maids, they only needed to seek pleasure and had no need to go to brothels.

What attracted them were the "talented women" cultivated in brothels. Scholars loved the romance of having beautiful women by their side.

But the reality is that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent.

Many people misunderstand this statement, believing that women cannot read and write.

In fact, literacy was a must for women in wealthy families.

The male lead outside, the female lead inside.

The role of the matriarch in a wealthy family is not simply about bearing children and raising them.

Interacting with other officials' wives and managing the household accounts were all the duties of the matriarch.

How could someone who can't read possibly be like that?

The saying "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent" means that a woman who is talented does not flaunt or display it, and whose virtue outweighs her talent.

Therefore, women raised in wealthy families almost never show these things to their husbands.

The talented women in brothels could satisfy their needs in this regard.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door, and then the door was pushed open, and four graceful women filed in.

"Greetings, Your Excellencies!" The four women performed a curtsy.

"Brother Zhou, you choose first!" Kang He said with a smile.

Zhou An sized up the four women and had to admit that there was something special about brothels in ancient times.

These four women are of different heights and have different temperaments, some aloof and some cute.

"Change to another batch!" Zhou An waved his hand and said.

Kang He and the four women were stunned.

"Could it be that we can't change here?" Zhou An asked.

"Yes, of course you can!"

Kang He snapped out of his daze and waved his hand, saying, "Quick, change it!"

Upon hearing this, the four women could only bow and leave.

Four more arrived shortly after, but Zhou An waved his hand again, saying, "Change the batch!"

After the four women left, Kang He frowned and said, "Brother Zhou, these are all quite nice. They may not be as beautiful as celestial beings, but they are all rare beauties."

"Is this considered a beauty?"

Zhou An looked at Kang He with surprise: "Brother Kang, do you perhaps have a taste for these common, vulgar women?"

"Is this considered ordinary and common?"

Kang He looked at Zhou An suspiciously: "Any one of these women would be a top courtesan in Qinghe County, yet Brother Zhou calls them ordinary beauties?"

He felt that Zhou An was just playing him.

The book describes her as having a high, cloud-like hairstyle, delicate, arched eyebrows, bright red lips, white teeth, and bright, expressive eyes.

Zhou An said innocently, "None of them fit the description. Aren't they just ordinary, common women?"

Upon hearing this, Kang He almost spat out a curse.

They actually used the standards from "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" to select women for brothels. Cao Zhi would be furious if he knew.

"Brother Zhou, are you playing a trick on me?"

"Brother Kang, what makes you say that?"

Zhou An feigned displeasure and said, "This is my first time in a place like this, and I have no experience. I just followed the instructions in the book to select people. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Upon hearing this, Kang He believed it to some extent. He knew Zhou An's family situation and they really didn't have the money to send him to a brothel.

Just as he was about to explain to Zhou An, there was another knock on the door, and then Hong Gu walked in with a smile.

"Hong Gu, what brings you here?" Kang He stood up and asked.

Hong Gu smiled and said, "I see that Young Master Kang doesn't seem to be satisfied with any of the girls here. How about I keep Young Master Kang company for a few drinks?"

"no…"

"presumptuous!"

Kang He's expression changed, and he was about to explain when Zhou An slammed his hand on the table and stood up angrily, saying, "What kind of attitude is this? Brother Kang is the registrar of Jiangning Prefecture. If the girls here don't meet your standards, are you saying I can't even change them?"

"Young Master Kang is certainly not someone I can afford to offend, but I..."

"I don't have it, Hong Gu."

Kang He looked at Zhou An and said urgently, "Brother Zhou, don't talk nonsense. It's clearly you who doesn't like it and keeps wanting to change."

Upon hearing this, Hong Gu looked at Zhou An and smiled, "Young man, you certainly have guts."

She greets and sees off all sorts of people every day.

Kang He didn't have the guts to cause trouble on the Red Boat; it goes without saying who he trusted.

Zhou An pursed his lips and said, "Brother Kang told me that he was very popular in Jinling. He just said that he liked Miss Su Jin, but now he doesn't dare to admit it. What a disappointment."

I'm leaving now. I'll have Brother Hai show me around another day.

After hearing Zhou An's words, Hong Gu hesitated but did not stop him. Instead, she stepped aside and let Zhou An leave.

After Zhou An left, she looked at Kang He and said calmly, "Is that young master related to the Hai family?"

"He knows Hai Xuezheng's grandson, but I don't know the specifics of their relationship."

Kang He wanted to say no, but he didn't dare lie to Hong Gu, so he could only tell the truth.

"I don't care what kind of dirty secrets you have, but you'd better not cause trouble on the Red Boat. Otherwise, the Red Boat won't welcome Young Master Kang anymore," Hong Gu said calmly.

"Definitely, definitely!" Kang He nodded quickly.

…………

After Zhou An got ashore, he felt somewhat worried.

Judging from Kang He's reaction, the owner behind this painted boat must be someone important. I wonder if the Hai family can keep it under control.

However, upon careful consideration, he realized that he hadn't gone too far. The owner behind the painted boat knew about his connection to the Hai family and shouldn't cause him any trouble over such a small matter.