Royal Gold Magistrate

After half an hour of trampling and pressing, the session finally ended with Hong Yao collapsing on the bed.

Moreover, the room was starting to smell quite unpleasant…

Fang Zheng put on his clothes and stretched, saying, “Alright, you two can go back to your rooms and rest.”

The two girls felt as if they’d been granted amnesty. They staggered to their feet and slowly shuffled out of the room.

Fang Zheng cast a disgusted glance at Zhou Dahai, who was curled up in the corner, and shook his head helplessly.

This room was uninhabitable now. He’d have to change to another one tomorrow.

Then he walked out of the residence alone, hands clasped behind his back, strolling leisurely.

Once outside, Fang Zheng made a gesture towards the sky, and Bai Rui appeared out of nowhere.

“Master, what do you need?”

“Go and call the others. We’re having a meeting on the pleasure boat.”

With that, he mounted a horse and rode towards the pleasure boat on Cheng Lake.

The pleasure boat was usually moored at the shore, only moving to the center of the lake when there were matters to discuss.

Entering the boat, Fang Zheng saw that many people were already there. They immediately greeted him upon seeing him.

Xie Xian stepped forward and said, “Master, why have you come?”

“Mm, I have some instructions to give. Gather everyone on the boat. Don’t wait for the latecomers; you can brief them after the meeting.”

Xie Xian nodded in agreement.

Soon, the people on the boat had gathered.

When about half had arrived, Fang Zheng stood up and said, “I’ve called you here today to inform everyone of something.”

“I’ve more or less investigated the situation in Jianjiang Prefecture. When the time is right, I’ll send someone to notify you to go to the yamen and make arrests!”

“Do you know which families in the city own the Four Directions, Tongda, and Guanglai rice shops?”

Xie Xian flipped open a small notebook, looked at it, and said, “These three rice shops belong to the Sun and Wang families, two major local households.”

“Master, the tunnel has already reached the vicinity of their granaries. Should we start moving the grain out now?”

Fang Zheng smiled slightly, “Move it! Go ahead, it’s all the people’s flesh and blood, don’t be polite.”

“If these people are cunning enough to move the grain, wouldn’t we lose a lot for nothing?”

“But try to keep your movements as small as possible. Once things are settled, we’ll go straight for a raid on their homes!”

Xie Xian thought for a moment, then hesitantly said, “Master, if we really bring people to the yamen to make arrests, what about the garrison…”

Fang Zheng was silent for a moment: “Indeed, the garrison is a problem. If we rush in rashly, we might be treated as rebels and attacked.”

“So, I need to confirm the relationship between the garrison commander and the prefect before we can act.”

“You all should make preparations in advance.”

“Has anything been happening on your end recently?”

Xie Xian flipped through his notebook again: “Yes, there’s been a bit of trouble on Old Shen’s side. Now there are only two sects left in the whole city. Apart from ours, there’s one called the Iron Robe Sect.”

“Their leader is called Chen Dasheng. They have an unusually large number of followers. Old Shen says there might be eight thousand people already, and they’re constantly recruiting more.”

“The friction has been intense recently. Old Shen’s side doesn’t dare to disband rashly and is waiting for your decision, Master.”

Fang Zheng sneered, “Iron Robe Sect? What a lousy name. Why not just have Zhang Biao go and kill this Chen Dasheng?”

Xie Xian laughed awkwardly, “Master, with you and Xiao Tao not around, no one can command him…”

Fang Zheng said impatiently, “Then why not send Zhou Tie? Is a mere street charlatan so troublesome?”

“Zhou Tie was beaten by Zhang Biao last time and still can’t get out of bed.”

“…………”

Seeing Fang Zheng silent, Xie Xian continued, “Master, this Chen Dasheng is no ordinary charlatan. The two sides have clashed a few times, and Chen Dasheng’s body-hardening kung fu is formidable. He’s impervious to blades and spears, and one of him can fight ten men.”

“Moreover… I feel something’s amiss. The two sides have always coexisted peacefully, but the friction has been increasing only recently.”

“The people on Shen Zhaoxuan’s side have always been fed by the government. I fear that Chen Dasheng’s side…”

Fang Zheng immediately became alert and pondered for a moment: “Alright, I understand. Tell Shen Zhaoxuan not to act rashly. If the other side provokes trouble, try to avoid it as much as possible.”

“Is there anything else to report?”

Old Qi quietly walked over, holding a small box, which he placed in front of Fang Zheng.

“Master, the item you requested is ready. The silver foil is inside as well.”

“However… the effect isn’t very good, but it should be sufficient for use.”

Fang Zheng took the box and opened it for a look. Inside was a miniature version of the phonograph.

Its volume was about half that of the one in the county yamen, about the size of a book when held in hand.

Fang Zheng closed the box and smiled, “Not bad. How’s the construction of the building coming along?”

“It’s finished! We’re decorating it now.”

Fang Zheng looked at Old Qi in surprise.

When he first arrived, he had asked Old Qi to build a luxurious brothel within a month to attract the city’s wealthy merchants. How had it been completed in just a few days?

Even a month was an underestimate; he had only said that to push for progress. Normally, it would take several months to build an ordinary three-story house.

A brothel, and you’ve finished it in just a few days?

Seeing Fang Zheng’s doubtful gaze, Old Qi smiled sheepishly.

“There wasn’t time to build from scratch, so we bought an existing brothel along with the adjacent tavern.”

“We just need to do some simple exterior renovations. With our many workers, progress is very fast!”

“The interior is being reconfigured according to your layout.”

Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow. He had overlooked the possibility of acquisition, forgetting about this approach.

Then he changed the subject: “Old Qi, I remember you know how to make looms, right? When you have time, make a few looms and train some apprentices.”

Old Qi was taken aback: “I can make them, but is it alright to teach outsiders?”

“What’s wrong with that? Don’t make the latest ones, use the previous generation’s technology! We’re spreading technology, you see. Let others handle the market, while we eat the cake.”

“Once I’ve dealt with those rats, we’ll recruit more people and set up several textile factories in Jianjiang, with finished products for export.”

Old Qi thought about it and found it reasonable, so he nodded and quietly stepped back.

Then Fang Zheng said to Wu Sheng, “Master Wu, before the brothel is ready, please gather a group of beauties from across the city. The future management will depend on you.”

“The people you recruit should come of their own free will. You can also recruit from other brothels. Don’t worry about the cost; you have full authority.”

Wu Sheng smiled and nodded in agreement.

His professional skills had been officially recognized by the master, entrusting him with an important task!

He then asked, “Master… I don’t quite understand the layout of our brothel. How should it be arranged in the end?”

At this, Fang Zheng became animated!

Since his transmigration, setting up a brothel had been his most enthusiastic project.

Seeing the curious gazes of everyone present, Fang Zheng said proudly, “This brothel, you see, will be divided into more than ten large rooms.”

“I call them theme rooms!”

“As the name suggests, each room has its own theme! For example, when a guest enters one of the rooms, the woman might be wearing a short skirt and cat ears.”

Cat ears? What on earth?

Everyone’s eyes were filled with question marks… But Wu Sheng tilted his head, thought for a moment, and suddenly clapped his hands excitedly, “Ah! This is brilliant! Master, you’re a genius. I, Sheng, am far from your equal!”

Fang Zheng looked at Wu Sheng in confusion: “I haven’t finished explaining yet. What have you thought of?”

Wu Sheng stroked his beard proudly and said, “Isn’t this just like the ‘Water Overflowing Golden Mountain’ at Xueyue Tower? The cat ear outfit can give people a novel experience. In my opinion, we should add two cat feet, cat paw gloves, and a cat tail as well.”

“When serving tea to guests dressed like this, it will surely be a fresh experience! Add some storyline, and isn’t this just like the cat demon from folklore?”

“I think this theme could be called ‘Cat Maid Teahouse.'”

Fang Zheng: “………..”