Chapter 138: Never Issued

“Yes!”

Cheng Chuliang said, “Every time we hold an event, the club makes a handsome profit!”

…

Before long, the long-awaited event began.

A beautiful woman carrying a qin appeared and knelt before the stage. Slowly, she began to play a captivating melody.

Anyone with an ear for music could tell that her performance was nothing special.

Many of the notes were off-key.

Her rhythm was unsteady as well.

But so what?

The audience simply enjoyed listening. It did not matter whether she played well—as long as she was beautiful.

“Lady Diaochan’s Rival… splendid playing!” A fat, wealthy-looking man tossed two strings of cash onto the stage.

Diaochan’s Rival did not even glance at them.

She continued playing.

“Her name is Diaochan’s Rival?” Li Zhi asked.

“Yes! She used to be the star performer at the Spring Welcome Pavilion. Whether it was playing the qin or dancing, she was extraordinarily skilled!”

“She is absolutely dreadful…” Li Zhi rolled his eyes.

With such ability, she could still be worshiped by the crowd. It was truly baffling.

“I don’t think she is anything special either!” Although Cheng Yaojin was a rough man, he still understood the principles of music.

The piece Diaochan’s Rival was playing was a complete mess.

It was hardly fit for a proper stage.

“Your Highness, Father… You cannot expect too much from a courtesan. As long as she can make money for the club, is that not enough? Whether she plays well or not is not important, in my opinion!”

“That makes sense!”

The young gentlemen attending the event did not care in the slightest whether the music was good or bad.

They had come here to admire beautiful women.

Many had been drawn here by the star performers from the various pleasure houses.

…

The event continued.

After Diaochan’s Rival, the dance troupe took the stage.

Row after row of breathtakingly beautiful women walked across the elevated platform.

Their skirts fluttered in the breeze, creating a scene of alluring splendor.

“As expected of the star performers from the finest pleasure houses! This trip was well worth it!” The spectators below began passing judgment on each woman.

Those with money in their hands tossed it directly onto the stage.

Even those without money shouted and cheered at the top of their lungs.

Before long, the area before the stage was buried beneath piles of cash.

There were Kaiyuan copper coins and silver ingots.

There were even dozens of gold ingots!

Taken together, it amounted to a considerable fortune.

Cheng Yaojin clicked his tongue in secret admiration. “The club truly is an excellent place to make money!”

“In this short while, we must have made several hundred thousand coins, right?”

“More or less!”

Gold was extremely valuable, and when exchanged for copper coins, it amounted to a vast sum.

Added to the mountains of silver, the total had to be several hundred thousand coins at least.

Li Zhi laughed heartily. “Not bad, not bad… Though the profit is still a little low. If only we could double it again…”

“Uh!”

Cheng Chuliang’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Your Highness is still dissatisfied? This event alone can earn us a million coins. Even the First Restaurant and the First Merchant Association could not make money this quickly, could they?”

Li Zhi said, “That may be enough for you, but it is still too little for me.”

“Chuliang…”

“Yes!”

“Give the orders. Three days from now, we will hold another event. This time, an unparalleled beauty—one capable of causing fish to sink and geese to fall, and of making the moon hide and flowers blush—will appear onstage. Moreover, she will sing a song unaccompanied. I guarantee it will be a heavenly melody no one has ever heard before!”

…

Cheng Chuliang thought about it.

Did the club even have a woman like that?

Was His Highness exaggerating?

“What are you thinking about?” Seeing Cheng Chuliang staring blankly into space, Li Zhi gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Yes. I will have it arranged at once!”

Cheng Chuliang turned and left.

Night fell.

The singing and dancing performances came to an end.

Li Zhi led his men in counting the day’s earnings.

The singing and dancing event alone had brought in a full 1.3 million coins!

The other attractions—the gambling hall, swimming grounds, acrobatics arena, and the rest—had earned more than 700,000 coins combined!

“My heavens!” Cheng Yaojin remained thoroughly stunned. “If Your Highness keeps making money at this rate, will all the wealth in the world not eventually flow into the club?”

“Would that be a bad thing? Heh heh…” Li Zhi chuckled, then furrowed his brow.

Although they were already earning large sums at remarkable speed, it was clearly not enough to complete the task assigned by the system.

Cheng Chuliang returned.

Li Zhi asked him, “Did you make the arrangements?”

“I did! Just as the event ended, I announced to everyone that we would hold another similar event three days from now, featuring an unparalleled beauty. The announcement immediately struck a chord, and everyone said they would be sure to attend!”

“Good!”

Li Zhi handed the money on the table to the accountants for counting.

Then he took the Cheng father and son to the Fragrant Reserve Courtyard at the rear.

The Fragrant Reserve Courtyard had been built with exceptional luxury.

It stood directly beside the club.

Only the finest songstresses were allowed to live there.

“How did these songstresses come to work at our club? How much do we pay them each month?” Li Zhi asked when they reached the entrance.

“Fifty thousand coins.”

“No wonder they are all willing to come here. They do not have to worry about losing their jobs, their wages, or being bullied…”

Li Zhi’s guess had been exactly right.

Cheng Chuliang replied, “Yes. When I invited them, I told them that our entertainment club belonged to the Prince of Jin. No one would dare come here looking for trouble! Even the government offices would have to show us some respect!”

“Huh?” Li Zhi exclaimed. “You really said that?”

“Of course! Otherwise, why would they have been willing to come?”

There was nothing particularly wrong with Cheng Chuliang’s boast. The entertainment club was, in essence, a government-backed establishment. Whether it was the central ministries or the local magistrate’s office, everyone had to show it a certain degree of deference.

“Let us go inside and take a look.”

They entered through the gates of the Fragrant Reserve Courtyard.

An older matron came forward to greet them. “Young Lord Cheng, what are your orders? The girls performed reasonably well today, did they not?”

“They performed well. I commend them verbally.”

“Humph!” The matron curled her lips. “You only ever give verbal praise. Could you not offer them something tangible for once? Perhaps some pretty new clothes for our girls?”

Cheng Chuliang looked toward Li Zhi.

Li Zhi said, “Why are you looking at me? They have rendered meritorious service. Should they not be rewarded?”

“With Your Highness here, how would I dare make such a decision on my own?”

“And who might this be?” Only then did the matron notice the half-grown child standing below them. He was dressed in fine clothes and possessed an extraordinary bearing. Could he be the son of some wealthy family?

No.

Suddenly, she remembered someone.

Cheng Chuliang said, “This is His Highness, the Prince of Jin! The club was founded by him!”

“So it is…” The matron’s face changed dramatically. She hurriedly performed a deep bow and apologized for her earlier disrespect.

“There is no need for that. Please rise!” Li Zhi helped her to her feet. “You just asked Chuliang for a reward, but he did not give you one. This prince will reward you personally. You truly rendered meritorious service today. Each of you shall receive five thousand coins. Buy whatever you need yourselves!”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Five thousand coins was a mere trifle to the club.

But as a temporary reward for the songstresses, it was an enormous sum.

In the past, Cheng Chuliang had rewarded them only with cosmetics and beautiful clothes. He had never given them money directly.

Their monthly wages were recorded in the accounts and were never actually paid out.

This time, they were finally receiving a real benefit.

The matron called out, “Girls, come out quickly! His Highness has come to see you!”

“Ahem, ahem…”

Li Zhi’s face flushed crimson. He sat down beside the tea table in the middle of the courtyard.