Chapter 195 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

The dining quality of Chunfeng Tower is undeniably superior to that of Yincheng, a place of elegance and charm rather than merely fulfilling the basic function of dining and wining. Chunfeng Tower's provision of beauty services not only satisfies the gentlemen's physical needs, but more importantly, fulfills their psychological desires. Imagine having a meal with two friends and a table of beautiful ladies. During the gathering, even a casual conversation would earn you various flattering looks from the ladies, such as admiration, curiosity, infatuation, and respect, among many other delightful gazes. Although it's known that these reactions may be insincere, a normal man at that moment would already feel immensely gratified, regardless of whether it's genuine or not. It's the feeling of that moment that truly matters. Some experienced players would even develop to the extent of having heartfelt conversations with the ladies all night, enjoying the admiration from others, or even pretending to be a moral savior and persuading them to choose the right path, regardless of their personal well-being. The expensive nature of Chunfeng Tower's services attracts visitors with certain economic prowess, aligning with He's ideal target users. Furthermore, the social nature of Chunfeng Tower perfectly fits the promotion of Yauhui's new porcelain and other luxurious products. Moreover, with He Yunxiao's connection to Jiang Jiejie, she can help pave relationships within Chunfeng Tower and utilize the beautiful ladies to promote the banknotes and porcelain, posing no problem at all. Having not seen Jiang Jiejie for a couple of days, He Yunxiao also finds himself missing her a bit. Now that he has established Dazi Bank, He Yunxiao has transformed from a leisurely young gentleman to an entrepreneur. With a formal job, He Yunxiao now has more confidence when discussing marriage with the main female characters. Considering the current state of Dazi Bank's operations, redeeming Jiang Jiejie from her situation should not be a problem when he goes there tomorrow. Even ignoring the profits from today and tomorrow, there were over ten thousand taels deposited in the bank by three individuals yesterday, more than enough to redeem Jiang Jiejie. Chunfeng Tower's operating hours are at night, and it is currently afternoon, so it is not too busy. He Yunxiao feels awkward to visit Jiang Jiejie empty-handed, so he goes to Yauhui's new porcelain and selects two pieces, enjoying the benefits of his own customized preferential policy. After buying the porcelain, he then visits a jewelry store that he recently agreed to collaborate with, using the banknotes to pick out some jewelry for Jiang Jiejie. Standing at the entrance of the jewelry store, He Yunxiao holds a wooden box containing a new set of Qing Dynasty porcelain teapots from Yauhui. It was purchased using the banknotes, for six hundred taels. In his other hand, he carries a cloth bag filled with small boxes of ornaments such as hairpins, earrings, and necklaces, all made of pure gold and genuine jade. It was inexpensive, and a large bag cost only five hundred taels, also purchased using the banknotes. He Yunxiao, with the wooden box in his left hand, the cloth bag in his right, and a stack of fifty tael banknotes in his arms, intends to use them to bribe the ladies of Chunfeng Tower. Once inside the carriage, He Yunxiao casually tosses the items, worth around five to six hundred taels, to the side and leans against the carriage wall, looking despondent. No one understands the banknotes better than He Yunxiao. These things are just paper, but using this "paper" he directly purchased intricately crafted, valuable porcelain and genuine gold and silver jewelry. The feeling of getting something for nothing is undeniably satisfying. If Dazi Bank continues to develop like this, first by infiltrating most of the businesses along the Northern Commercial Street, then expanding to all of Yincheng, He Yunxiao could even dare to negotiate with the court and attempt to purchase the palace! He dares to buy and sell! However, that's just a thought for now. The assets of Chunfeng Tower after so many years undoubtedly exceed the scale of Dazi Bank, so for now, he must remain low-key in Yincheng. Should there be any signs of overstepping, the Dazi court would surely clamp down immediately. He Yunxiao reset his original intentions and stabilized his values, subjected to manipulation by the banknotes. The direct purpose of establishing Dazi Bank was to raise enough money to redeem Jiang Jiejie from her predicament, followed by using it to gather influence and suppress the main female characters' chaos. He mustn't get ahead of himself. Playing the game of financial capitalism in a productivity-lacking agrarian society like Dazi, if the snowball grows too big, it could easily collapse the entire society. The future of Dazi Bank only has two paths: either to sell out to Chunfeng Tower or to the court. But those are concerns for the future, and it's still too early to dwell on them. The carriage from the Hou Mansion stops near Chunfeng Tower, and He Yunxiao discreetly enters from the back door with bags of goods on him. ... Chunfeng Tower is unlike the regular taverns and the common pleasure quarters. Behind Chunfeng Tower lies a women's academy situated at the border between Qi and Yan. This academy specifically admits underprivileged yet exceptionally gifted young girls who are unable to afford proper meals. Upon entering the academy, not only are they provided with food and warm clothing, but they also receive a superior education. The female instructors at the academy are proficient in arts, music, calligraphy, and other various skills. The downside, however, is that once admitted, these girls are bound for life. Entering the academy means they are pledged for lifelong service. The academy invests heavily in nurturing these girls, expecting them to work in return. Jiang Jiejie was thus sent from the academy to work as a first-class courtesan at Chunfeng Tower, but on her way to Yincheng, she was unwittingly appointed as a special envoy by the Yan Emperor. With the academy's support, Chunfeng Tower's courtesans include not only Jiang Wuwu but also a batch of others produced annually with exceptional qualities. Their careers as courtesans typically span from two to three years, maximum four to five. In the latter stage of their tenure, their popularity usually falters upon the arrival of new courtesans. At this point, whether it's the courtesan herself, Chunfeng Tower, or the women's academy, it's difficult to keep them around, as their value as courtesans diminishes. The future prospects for Chunfeng Tower's courtesans usually involve being favored by distinguished Yan officials or wealthy individuals. The best case scenario would be to find a promising commoner from a poor family to marry. With luck, they could become a wife, but even if not, they might still become a concubine. Regardless of their origins as courtesans, their future lives could be much better. Even after the courtesans leave Chunfeng Tower, they are not entirely free; they are still under the control of the academy and are compelled to provide intelligence to the Yan Emperor. Due to these influences, the courtesans' potential marriage partners must first pass Chunfeng Tower's scrutiny. Generally, it favors court officials over local officials and junior military officers, followed by merchants and martial artists. As for destitute scholars who cannot gain official positions, they are strictly prohibited from marrying the courtesans. Rather be a sparrow in a noble family than a phoenix in the grass. The reason is simple. Commoners hold little intelligence value, while the nobility and royals do. In Jiang Jiejie's chamber, a beautiful girl sobs, her delicate face and tearful expression making it hard for anyone not to want to embrace and comfort her. However, Jiang Wuwu remains stern, showing no sympathy towards the girl. After taking a sip of tea to moisten her throat, Jiang Wuwu speaks sternly, "Stop playing these tricks on men." Chapter 196 Tricks Tl. Soothsayer.io