Chapter 560: Reception (V)

The grand blueprint in his plan had been scorned by the natives, and this left Li Dazui utterly baffled. After all, the results of later generations had already proven that if you wanted to develop a remote backwater, a gambling city was the best shortcut.

Macau was a tiny speck of land; it lacked all the necessary conditions for industrial development and had no port location advantage. If it was to avoid being abandoned and left to rot in the future, then the only way was to open a gambling city — just look at Las Vegas. What kind of city should be built in a desert? A gambling city!

Even more importantly, if it weren't for him, Li Dazui, holding the fort, anyone else wanting to do a gambling city project would first have to fight through countless hurdles within the Transmigrators themselves. How could it be so easy? Just the moralistic tearing at each other alone would drag on for half a year. Trolls are a profession that knows no ancient or modern, no era or plane of existence!

What a pity. These stupid native bastards couldn't recognize a treasure, treating Li Dazui's heartfelt devotion like donkey liver and lungs, which made City Lord Li so furious he nearly died.

However, the native masters were also feeling very wronged.

In fact, in ancient times, apart from those first-generation nouveaux riches who had no taboos, and the "low-class entertainers and nine base trades," the majority of people in traditional professions rarely set foot in the entertainment business.

To run an "entertainment business" in ancient times, the very first requirement for opening your doors was to have a powerful patron backing you. This one hard condition alone was enough to block the majority of those who had designs on it. After all, there were only so many big shots in a city, and many of the rotating officials simply refused to take on this kind of "business."

Secondly, there were moral considerations. Industries like pleasure houses and gambling dens usually carried the bad reputations of forcing women into prostitution, murdering for money, and luring the virtuous into ruin and squandering their family fortunes.

Gentry families who had truly risen through the Imperial Examinations, and even the traditional Landlord class, were extremely vigilant about their sons picking up the vices of whoring and gambling, let alone having these moralists open such establishments themselves. Although men of romantic inclinations often patronized the pleasure houses, one thing was one thing and another was another...

This was exactly where Li Dazui went wrong. Among the wealthy men he had summoned, only a minority had actually dabbled in the prostitution and gambling trades (drugs weren't popular yet in this era). Half of these people were traditional merchants honestly doing business, and the other half were homebody landlords living off their estates.

And these two types of people mostly ran family businesses passed down from generation to generation. Regarding the "brilliant idea" Li Dazui proposed, when these old landlords were still foolish sons, the education they received had instilled in them an extreme disgust for it — "It harms one's hidden virtue, it's not a proper trade, it disgraces the ancestors."

In the end, Li Dazui's grand plan failed shamefully. At least half of the guests left after the meeting without saying goodbye, and most of the remaining ones found excuses to slip away one after another, until only brainless diehards like Zong Ben were left.

And so Li Dazui became the target of open mockery.

Back when he was still in Taiwan, Li Dazui had seriously offended quite a few people on the forum — otherwise, how did he get the nickname Dazui? Now, when the news traveled back to Taiwan at the speed of light, the vast "masses of the people," having finally caught this bastard in a colossal screw-up, quickly flooded the forum with all kinds of mocking posts.

And that wasn't the end of it. After the forum was flooded, considering that in the 17th century there was no undersea fiber-optic cable connecting the two shores, the "kind-hearted people" even specially used imported A4 paper and imported Laser Printers to print out the entire forum thread, then sent it by Fast Ship on an overnight express to the Macau Municipal Hall, presented for Lord Li's personal perusal.

With no place to get online and fight back, Li Dazui was so furious he nearly died.

With things having gone this way, that bastard Li Dazui probably had nothing left to play for in Macau. Because if he couldn't attract local investment, relying solely on government fiscal allocations to fund construction — even if the applicant was Li Dazui — would still not gain the Cabinet's support. In the current age, there were far too many places needing resource investment, and a gambling city that couldn't gain the natives' approval would never make it into the top 30 of the government's work agenda.

However, as Zhou Shuren had said, when God locks the front door, he pries open a window in the back.

Just in the few days while Lord Li was sulking inside the Municipal Hall, the environment underwent some subtle changes: what had happened in Macau had spread out, already circulating through Guangzhou City and expanding to the surrounding areas.

That morning, two new-style, luxuriously appointed four-wheeled carriages, painted with gold tracing and embroidery and fitted with glass windows, docked at the entrance of the Macau Municipal Hall.

From the rear carriage, several male attendants stepped down first, dressed in glossy silk robes, wearing green headscarves and fashionable new Leather Shoes on their feet. Immediately after, the attendants stepped forward to open the door and assisted three slender figures out of the front carriage.

After stepping down, the woman in the lead threw back her cloak's hood.

This woman appeared to be thirty-three or thirty-four years old, with a full-figured face painted in the grand makeup for receiving guests, her head adorned with gold and jade, wearing a proper blue Yizhou cotton lined-jacket and a pale white pleated skirt. Her bearing was extraordinary, beautiful and mature — the very image of a top-quality 17th-century wealthy woman.

The two figures behind her, however, were both wrapped in large cloaks, covered tightly from head to toe.

Looking up at the entrance of the Municipal Hall guarded by soldiers, the mature lady undid the clasp of her cape at the neck and said coolly, "Beanpole, go deliver the visiting card."

Beanpole, the lean and wiry Chang Sui, upon hearing this, immediately went ahead to inquire. However, when the group arrived before the Municipal Hall's entrance and saw the duty officer — in Full Military Uniform, posture ramrod straight, his waist cinched tight by a Sam Browne belt — everyone inexplicably felt a little afraid.

Obediently presenting the visiting card, Beanpole temporarily changed his mind and pulled from his bosom a larger-than-usual ingot of Snowflake Silver meant as a door gift, handing it over: "I hope the Vice Lord will grant us this convenience."

Unexpectedly, the Snowflake Silver Beanpole offered was pushed to the ground by the officer with a face full of disgust. Ignoring Beanpole, who bent down to pick up the money, the officer unfolded the visiting card and read it carefully from the beginning: "From the Liangguang Governor's Office? Your master has quite the background."

At this, the officer raised his eyes and scrutinized the beautiful woman in detail: "Wait."

The visitors were thrown into uncertainty and suspicion by this string of actions. But seeing these soldiers before them, leaning on their guns with gleaming bayonets, no one dared to make a sound at this moment.

After a while, word came from inside: His Lordship requests your presence.

The visitors, who had breathed a huge sigh of relief, thought it was over, but to their surprise, after entering the Municipal Hall, they were stopped again at the second gate: a body search.

The Transmigrators, knowing full well they would become the rulers of the world, had long since become members of the death-fearing squad, no different from the rich of later generations. So the visitors were given the body-search treatment at the second gate. Fortunately, with policewomen present, the female guests did not express any dissatisfaction.

After this, the three female guests were granted an audience with the General Staff Office Advisor, the actual host of Macau City — Li Long, Li Dazui.

At this moment, Lord Li's appearance was not exactly proper. His checkered shirt collar was open, his body reclined in a folding chair, both feet propped up on the desk, a cigarette between the fingers of one hand, and an Iron can of whole-wheat light beer in the other, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling as if his soul were wandering outside his body.

"This common woman Qu Qingqing pays respects to Your Lordship."

Hearing the soft, sweet female voice, Li Dazui finally came back to his senses somewhat. Turning his head to look — well, now His Lordship was wide awake: "Oh? A pretty lady? Where from?"

At this point, Lord Li finally picked up the visiting card on the desk again and took a serious look: "Oh, a friend of the Governor's Office Young Master Xiong. Mm, all of you, rise. Seats. Serve tea."

The three women, hearing this, rose gracefully, thanked him again, and swayed their waists as they sat down on the large brown buffalo-leather sofa to the side.

By now, Li Dazui had also taken his feet off the desk, sitting upright and putting on the air of a fatherly official: "May I ask from where Miss Qu hails? And what matter brings you to see this official today?"

"To be frank with Your Lordship, this common woman comes from the Imperial Music Bureau. I now run a Flower Viewing Pavilion on Meihe Street, and also have two other Courtyards that often receive refined guests."

"Imperial Music Bureau? Flower Viewing Pavilion? Courtyards?"

Li Dazui chewed on these terms for a moment; as a Transmigrator without a deep understanding of Great Ming society, it was only then that he began to catch on: "A club? A brothel?"

Qu Qingqing gave a light laugh: "If Your Lordship says so, then so it is."

"Oh, heh heh, good, a club... I mean, a brothel is good. This official is quite fond of brothels." Li Dazui's face lit up, clearly recalling the days before Crossing Over, and he immediately grew interested: "May I ask what matter brings Madam Qu... oh, Madam Qu, to see this official today?"

"A few days ago, Your Lordship invited a group of moralists, intending to build a hundred or so pleasure houses in one go here in Haojing'ao. Is there truth to this?"

Qu Qingqing, Madam Qu, Mother Qu... this madam, whom industry insiders actually called Sister Qu, after just two exchanges with Lord Li, had already turned the tables, seen right through the man's heart and soul, and was now questioning His Lordship to his face.

But this kind of advanced technique wasn't something just anyone could use. As Sister Qu asked her question, her slender hand held an embroidered kerchief to cover her mouth, her beautiful eyes glancing about, accompanied by a tinkling, coquettish laugh, which instantly made this old otaku Li Dazui feel he had met a kindred spirit today.

In that moment, Lord Li no longer even felt the shame of his earlier embarrassment. He slapped his thigh: "Aiya, there was such a matter. Ai, this official was stood up... but it wasn't as exaggerated as a hundred or so. My planning, you see, definitely emphasizes quality over quantity. Of course, building one large-scale luxury comprehensive Hotel first is a must!"

"Lord Li!"

Qu Qingqing cried out coquettishly: "You truly are honest and sincere, unaware of the tricks of this trade! What use are those moralists? If you, venerable sir, want to build pleasure houses, you should properly be seeking out industry insiders!"

"Ah, industry insiders? How so?"

"Industry insiders are simply industry insiders!"

At this, Sister Qu laughed long and rose to her feet, waving her long sleeve: "You two, disrobe."

Right before the dumbstruck Lord Li's eyes, the two tightly wrapped figures unfastened their cloaks.

The two budding beauties that appeared before Li Dazui: the one on the left had long hair draped over her shoulders, a necktie, white blouse, vest, and short skirt — the image of a modern city girl; the one on the right was in a black low-cut spaghetti-strap evening dress, wearing bunny-girl accessories — the image of a seductive temptress.

"Th-this, this is just..."

"Isn't it just the female dealer from your picture?" Sister Qu took another step forward, standing beside Lord Li and asking with a coquettish laugh: "Your Lordship, do these two daughters of mine bear some resemblance to the figures in your drawing?"

"Resemblance, too much resemblance! Real-life cosplay, so high-class, I love it!"

"In that case, Your Lordship, might this woman, an industry insider, be allowed a share of the business of building these pleasure houses?"

"Yes, absolutely yes!" Li Dazui rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I'll give your establishment a loan, then a two-year exemption and three-year half-reduction, and then teach you a few exclusive secret techniques! Hmm, T-platform Vacuum Naked Selection, Dongguan-style One-stop Service, Passionate Pole Dance... this lord is something of an insider too!"

Although she Could Not Understand the professional jargon, Sister Qu had already sized up this fool Li as all bluster. After thinking it over and rolling her eyes once, Sister Qu was Determined To: "In that case, these two virgin entertainers shall stay here with you, my lord, today."

"Ah? Why is that?"

"Alas, they have the appearance but not the spirit, the form but not the essence. These two daughters of mine, most likely, cannot shake the dice cup or deal the cards, and will need you, my lord, to take pains instructing them."

"Hmph, do not think this lord does not know what wicked scheme you are plotting — you are already starting to corrupt a state cadre!"

"Then shall I take them back?"

"Oh... leaving them here first is also fine. After all, dealers need proper on-the-job training, and I was Intending to start a class on my side... it's a supporting service. If you come across any good prospects, bring them all over later."