Chapter 90

Wang Yang cried out in injustice: "What would I yearn for! I've been in Jingzhou for so long, and I've never been to the Reed Pavilion, Hibiscus Lane, Xitong West Alley, or the Thirteen Courtyards of Floating Clouds!"

Xie Xinghan and Seeing Xiao Ning were both stunned.

Xie Xinghan asked Seeing Xiao Ning: "Do you know the places he mentioned?"

Xiao Ning asked in confusion: "I've never heard of them. Where is Xitong West Alley? Could Floating Clouds refer to the Floating Clouds Ferry in the western suburbs? What Thirteen Courtyards could there be there?"

Xie Xinghan looked at Wang Yang, her gaze complex: "You really have done your research..."

Wang Yang quickly clarified: "No, no! It's all hearsay!"

Xie Xinghan smiled: "Young Master, don't be modest. Why not tell us which thirteen courtyards they are, so that we little women can broaden our horizons."

"Hey, there's really nothing to say. These Thirteen Courtyards started as thirteen private brothels, and later, houses and courtyards were built, connecting into alleys and streets, gradually becoming a prosperous place of pleasure, far more than thirteen houses now. It is said that the styles are extremely diverse: there are painted boats on the water with pipa music and dance; there are also deep courtyards that are quiet and gentle; people call it 'Little Qinhuai'! But the prices are much fairer than on the Qinhuai River. I heard that Hibiscus Lane is the worst for price-gouging; regardless of whether you order a girl or not when you enter, first—"

Wang Yang was speaking with great enthusiasm when he suddenly noticed Xie Xinghan's cold gaze and Seeing Xiao Ning's strange expression. He immediately realized he had said too much and coughed:

"I heard it all from others, just repeating what I've heard. I'm really not interested in this! It's just that I have a penchant for textual research. You know how people with a penchant for textual research are—they like to get to the bottom of everything..."

Xie Xinghan watched Wang Yang talking to himself and cast a look of disdain.

Wang Yang pretended not to see it and began to turn to the main business: "Let's not talk about this. Xie Xie Niangzi, your family's ships are arriving in three days, right?"

Xie Xinghan first said "Hmm" with displeasure, then suddenly thought of something. Her starry eyes widened instantly, and she blurted out: "So your family has no grain ships at all! You actually dared to lie to the Prince of Badong! You—"

"Xie Xie Niangzi is indeed exceptionally clever! I came here precisely to ask for your help!"

Xie Xinghan was anxious and angry: "I can't help you! My family's ships don't have a single grain of food, and even if we temporarily sent people to purchase some, how could—"

"No need, no need, Xie Xie Niangzi, you only need to help me do one thing." Wang Yang whispered his plan.

Xie Xinghan closed her eyes and thought carefully for a while, then suddenly opened them, looked at Wang Yang, and said firmly: "You are truly bold."

Wang Yang chuckled and cupped his hands: "Average, average, third in Langya."

Xie Xinghan was stunned: "Who are the first and second?"

"That's just for fun; there is no first or second, it's mainly for the rhyme. For example, if someone praises your beauty, you can say..."

"Average, average, third in Chen Jun?"

"No, it's very ugly, very ugly, ninth in Chen Jun."

"Who are you calling ugly?!" Xie Xinghan's eyebrows suddenly furrowed.

"I'm ugly, I'm ugly! This is a joke, don't be angry!" Wang Yang saw that Xie Xinghan was a bit anxious, and since he needed her help, he dared not tease her anymore.

"Still joking? Have you ever thought about what to do if things don't go as you expect? The Prince of Badong won't let you off, even if you bring up the Langya Wang clan, it won't be of any use!"

"Don't worry, as long as you do as I say, there will be no problem. Because this is not my expectation, but a principle of economics."

"What principle?"

"Uh... anyway, it's a natural law. You don't need to know what principle it is; you can read the Grand Historian's 'Biographies of the Money-Makers' a few more times, it contains the same logic."

Xie Xinghan's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly: "I have naturally read the 'Biographies of the Money-Makers,' you say it contains..." She stopped halfway, her starry eyes brightening slightly.

Wang Yang saw that Xie Xinghan had realized something and sighed with emotion:

"Sima Qian is truly remarkable. The history books we talk about now are concepts determined after the 'Classics, History, Philosophers, and Collections,' but the four branches of learning in the early Han had not yet been clearly distinguished. Therefore, unlike later history books that simply record events, the Grand Historian wrote history with the great spirit of integrating the learning of various schools to summarize the spirit of an era.

Thus, there are assassins, there are turtle-shell divination, there are wandering knights, all forming separate biographies, all of which are his understanding and summary of the ethos of an era. That is why it is called 'investigating the relationship between heaven and man, understanding the changes of the past and present, and forming a school of one's own.'

The so-called 'school of one's own' has the flavor of the philosophers' schools. Comparing him to the various philosophers, he can be said to have established a school of his own!

Looking at his 'Biographies of the Money-Makers' discussing merchant geography, 'Treatise on Rivers and Canals' discussing water conservancy, and 'Treatise on the Balanced Standard' discussing economic policy, this kind of breadth of mind and insight is not something that later historians who only specialized in one history could compare to... No, why are you looking at me like that?"

Wang Yang was halfway through speaking when he felt uncomfortable being watched by Xie Xinghan.

"I have never heard anyone else use the term 'Classics, History, Philosophers, and Collections'; we all use 'Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding' to represent the four branches of learning."

"Oh, it's the same meaning anyway." Wang Yang had never really paid attention to the question of when the term "Classics, History, Philosophers, and Collections" originated. However, using Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding to represent the four branches of learning was a convention of ancient literature, and people were still using it until the Qing Dynasty.

"You have mastered the 'Classic of History,' can engage in pure conversation, and know military strategy; you seem to have quite a bit of research into the 'Yi' branch of learning as well. Where exactly do you come from?" Xie Xinghan looked at Wang Yang, her bright little face full of confusion.

Wang Yang avoided the topic: "You knew that already, didn't you?"

Xie Xinghan stared at Wang Yang without speaking, her eyes shining with a scrutinizing light.

Wang Yang put on a posture of "No matter how you look at me, I remain unmoved": "What, do you think I'm very handsome?"

Xie Xinghan was bewildered: "Very *shuai*? What is very *shuai*? Which character?"

Wang Yang laughed: "Not important, anyway, you just need to know that I'm very handsome."

Xie Xinghan's expression was subtle: "Whether you are very *shuai* or not, I don't know, but if the grain price doesn't drop in three days, you will be in a very miserable state."

Wang Yang was full of confidence: "As long as you do as I say, it will definitely drop."

Xie Xinghan blinked her eyes and said in a very innocent tone: "However, I didn't promise to help you!"

Wang Yang quickly tried to get close: "Don't be like that! Based on our friendship—"

"Stop, we don't have any friendship. If you want to ask someone for help, of course, you have to treat them to a meal."

"Treating you to a meal is easy! Come to the County Academy tonight—"

"What kind of food is there? Besides, there are so many people, I'm not going. Let's go to the Fragrant Snow Tower; I want to eat the Flower-Folded Goose Cake and the Thousand-Gold Fragrant Cracker there."

Jingzhou restaurants have a saying of "three towers, two kitchens, and one shop," all of which are famous luxury hotels. Fragrant Snow Tower is the head of the "three towers." Wang Yang had once taken A-Wu to "visit" it from the outside: two towers with three stories each, connected by flying walkways, built in a magnificent, dazzling, and eye-catching way.

Although he didn't know the specific prices of the dishes, they would definitely not be cheap.

But no matter how expensive, Wang Yang had the confidence. With 100,000 in hand, plus the money from selling fans and books, could he not be able to leave after eating a meal there?

In order to ask Xie Xinghan for help, Wang Yang prepared to "bleed" and said heroically: "Easy! Let's go to Fragrant Snow Tower!"

Xie Xinghan's eyebrows curved: "Then thank you, Young Master Wang!"

"But I didn't bring any money, how about you pay for it first..."

Xie Xinghan imitated Wang Yang's manner and said heroically: "Easy! I'll lend it to you! Ten percent interest!"

Wang Yang gave a start: "Ten percent interest?!!! You must be joking!"

Interest ten times the principal—even robbers would shed tears hearing that!

"I'm not joking, you were the one who told me to study the 'Biographies of the Money-Makers.' The 'Biographies' say: 'Only the Wuyan family donated a thousand gold to lend, and the interest was ten times that,' which is why they later became the richest in Guanzhong. I naturally have to imitate that. It's settled, ten percent interest, not a single point less." Xie Xinghan said seriously.

You big rich second-generation, even scamming me, do you have any humanity left!

Although Wang Yang complained in his heart, he actually knew that Xie Xinghan was just joking, at most taking revenge for the poem, and if he really borrowed money from her, she might not necessarily want ten percent interest.

But one can't be too careful!

What if she really wants to make you bleed to vent her anger, and thinks this little money is no big deal, and scams you just because she can? What then?

Besides, he still has to buy a house; he can't always live in the County Academy. A-Wu and the Black Man have become his retainers and need to be settled. The business has just started, and the cash flow cannot be broken...

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Note: "Flower-Folded Goose Cake" and "Thousand-Gold Fragrant Cracker" are from Xie Feng's "Classic of Food."