"Nowadays, there are more and more customers who like to come to the brothel to listen to the opera. The old place is a bit small. I plan to rent the surrounding land as well. This way, each place can be expanded by 50%. Otherwise, I'm afraid it won't be long before it can't accommodate so many customers."
As they walked into the brothel again, Ruoqing pointed at the neatly arranged tents and said to Li Yi.
Li Yi nodded and said, "You can make the decision on these matters. If you want to rent more land, I'm afraid you'll have to go through the government. I'll let County Magistrate Liu know."
As soon as he finished speaking, a strange sound came from beside him. Li Yi turned to look at her and asked, "You haven't eaten?"
Wan Ruoqing blushed slightly and said, "I ate a little this morning."
Li Yi raised his head and looked at the sky. The sun was about to set. He frowned and said, "No matter how busy you are, you can't skip meals. There are many things that you don't need to do by yourself. Just leave it to the people below … Let's go out and eat something."
Wan Ruoqing shook her head and said, "No need. The brothel is about to close today …"
"Let's go. I'm hungry too." Li Yi didn't wait for her to continue and walked out first.
Wan Ruoqing was startled and could only follow him helplessly.
The capital was not like Qing 'an Prefecture. The curfew system was very strict. Except for a few days every year, people were not allowed to walk on the streets after eight o' clock. If there was a violation, the punishment would be detention, and the punishment would be execution on the spot. Even if the offender died, there was no way to redress the grievances.
Therefore, when the sky gradually darkened, the customers in the brothel all reluctantly left and waited to come back the next day.
"Recently, the new 'Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai' came out. I don't know who wrote it. I almost cried just now!"
"That's nothing. I'm 40 years old this year. Didn't I cry like a four-year-old just now …"
"If it wasn't for someone stopping me, I would have rushed up and beaten that Ma guy!"
…
…
Judging from the audience's reaction, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai was another successful play after the Legend of the White Snake. Thinking about it, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai was one of the four great love stories among the common people. It had been passed down for nearly two thousand years, and it was still talked about enthusiastically by people. His maids hid in a corner and cried. Then he deducted a month's salary.
It was only the beginning of the month, but the monthly allowance of the maidservants had already increased by five times. If this continued, it would be too wasteful.
"What's going on? Why has it always been Liangshan Bo, Zhu Ying Tai, these past few days? Where did the White Mistress go? Why hasn't Lady Qing come out …" A dissatisfied voice came from behind, and one could hear the strong resentment in the voice.
Li Yi turned around and saw a luxuriously dressed middle-aged man walking towards him.
A man behind the middle-aged man immediately said, "Fifth Master, I just went to ask. They said that there was no White Concubine during this period of time. If you want to see her, you have to book the whole place, but the price is too high …"
"Price? Does Fifth Master care about that little bit of money? " The middle-aged man walked past Li Yi and Wan Ruoqing and said, "You go and arrange it tomorrow. In short, I want to see the White Mistress tomorrow …"
"Fifth Master, don't worry. Leave it to me …"
The man hurriedly followed. When he passed by Li Yi, he paused, slightly tilted his head, and nodded. Then he strode forward again.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Li Yi standing there, Wan Ruoqing asked in confusion.
Li Yi looked away from the man and said with a smile, "Nothing. It seems that the Legend of the White Snake is quite popular. These days, there will be two more shows every day. After all, everyone has their own preferences. Some customers like those strange things."
Wan Ruoqing nodded her head. To her, it was just a simple sentence.
The places where the brothels were located were not in the prosperous areas of the capital. There were not many places to eat around. In addition, it was almost evening, and many shops were closed. It was not easy to find a bun shop that was about to close. Li Yi looked at her and asked, "Do you want to eat two buns to fill your stomach?"
Wan Ruoqing nodded. She had lived a poor life since she was young. For a long time, buns were considered a luxury.
Seeing someone walk in, the waiter looked up and said, "There are only four buns left. Eight copper coins."
Four was four. Fortunately, it was still warm. Li Yi did not bring any money with him. He was about to ask the guard not far away to come over when the waiter saw Wan Ruoqing standing outside. After a moment of shock, he waved his hand and said, "Forget it. There are only four left. You can take them all. It's free!"
Li Yi was stunned. He immediately realized that he had been crushed by Wan Ruoqing in terms of appearance.
"Eight copper coins is also money. You don't need anything. Does your boss know that you are so generous?" Li Yi asked the guard to take out his money bag. He carefully counted a few coins and slammed them on the table beside him. He glared at the waiter and said coldly, "Do you think I need eight copper coins?"
The waiter stood there in a daze. He looked at the copper coins on the table and then at the strange customer who had disappeared. He muttered, "Two copper coins are missing …"
…
…
The buns were not big. Li Yi quickly finished one. Wan Ruoqing only took two small bites of the bun in her hand.
Recalling the scene that had just happened in the bun shop, the corners of her mouth curled into a slight smile.
After finishing the second bun, Li Yi turned his head and asked, "You should know about the Martial Arts Circle Conference, right?"
Wan Ruoqing nodded and said, "I've already asked them to spread the news. The other prefectures have also sent fast horses to spread the news. The people going to Qing 'an Prefecture are going by water. They will arrive tomorrow. They will only need a month to spread the news."
Miss.Liu's side and the brothel complemented each other. The Chivalry Ranking needed the help of the brothel to spread the news. They would also send people to help maintain the security of the brothel. The people in the martial arts circle were more active than them in the matter of the Martial Arts Circle Conference. The purpose of the brothel was to spread the news among the common people.
The sky grew darker. Li Yi looked at her and said, "It's getting late. Leave the brothel to them. I'll take you home."
Wan Ruoqing nodded and handed the last bun in her hand to him. She said, "There's still one bun left. I can't eat it. Do you want to eat it?"
Seeing Li Yi shake his head, Wan Ruoqing looked around. She suddenly took a few quick steps to the side and placed the bun in a beggar's bowl in the corner.
"Let's go." She walked over and said to Li Yi with a smile.
… …
… …
At a certain moment, a figure in ragged clothes curled up in the corner of the wall suddenly trembled. He took a few deep breaths and saw the bun in the bowl in front of him. His breathing immediately became hurried. He immediately picked up the bun and took a big bite …
To him, who hadn't eaten anything for three days, a bun that could save his life had an extraordinary meaning.
He raised his head and only saw the side of the woman's face reflected in the sunset. His hand paused and the bun fell to the ground.
"Heavenly Empress!"
Li Yi and Wan Ruoqing's figures gradually faded away. A guard following behind them saw the beggar suddenly kneel on the ground and crazily kowtow in a certain direction. He muttered, "It's just a bun … is there a need to do this?"
He shook his head and walked forward several steps. Then, he looked back and sighed. He slowly walked over and took out a piece of silver from his waist and placed it in the broken bowl in front of the beggar.
After an unknown period of time, the beggar's forehead was dripping with blood. He finally stopped and picked up the dirty bun. He looked in the direction that the Heavenly Empress had left in, his face full of sincerity.
After a long time, he looked away from the distance and inadvertently glanced at the broken bowl in front of him …
The bun in his hand fell to the ground once more.
"Thank you, Heavenly Empress!"
"Thank you, Heavenly Empress!"
"Thank you, Heavenly Empress!"
… …
Around them, people walked out of their houses. They looked at the beggar in the corner and sighed as they shook their heads.
"This beggar, I'm afraid he's gone crazy …"
"I think he's already been lying there for three days. He's quite pitiful."
"Give him something to eat. If he really died here, it would be troublesome …"
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