Chapter 483: Just do it

After finishing the official document, Chen Wuji again got tangled with Qin Zhanhong and Xiao Yuji in the bathtub.

Under the pretense of washing clean, the three of them accidentally got themselves dirty again.

Fortunately, this time washing was very convenient.

In the evening, Chen Wuji could no longer resist Xiao Yuji's soft and hard persuasion, and finally decided to personally go to the brothel to look for his father-in-law who was addicted to the brothel's beauty.

No matter what Xiao Zong does, he has a spirit of research.

It seems if he doesn't figure things out thoroughly, he feels uneasy inside.

But when he arrived at Rongshu Jie, where brothels clustered, Chen Wuji felt a bit numb.

He didn't know which brothel Xiao Zong had gone to!

"I can't possibly go door to door looking for him, can I?" Chen Wuji said, feeling a headache.

On this street there are at least seven or eight large brothels, the small ones too many to count; anyway, a glance shows plenty of signs and flags, going door to door would be somewhat foolish.

"Wuyi, go back and rally the men!" Chen Wuji ordered Chen Wuyi.

This time going out he only brought Chen Li and Chen Wuyi.

Bringing twenty or thirty men in the city made the entourage too large and inconvenient.

But now he needs manpower.

Chen Wuyi stood still, just blew a whistle, and in an instant a large crowd poured out— not just twenty or thirty, but fifty or sixty people appeared.

This sudden movement and noise instantly turned the pedestrians strolling on the street into a chaotic mess, scattering in panic, afraid to get involved.

Even Chen Wuji, an insider, looked a bit dazed.

"Eleventh Uncle, is this your doing?"

Chen Li did not deny it, saying, "Family Head, your safety now outweighs everything; no amount of protective measures is excessive. After many officials in Hezhou and Guangyuan State were assassinated, I adjusted the personal guard, moving the elite veterans and some of our Chen family members from open to covert duty, tasked with secretly protecting the family head."

"Such strict protection makes me really feel like I've become a high official," Chen Wuji laughed, "Leave a dozen or so people, go to these brothels, door to door look for that old fool Xiao Zong, and the rest can disperse."

"Here!"

The personal guards came like the wind and dispersed like a shadow.

At Chen Wuji's order, these people quickly vanished into the crowd, as if they had never appeared.

The personal guards went door to door looking for Xiao Zong, while Chen Wuji bought a few strings of candied haws on the side and waited with Chen Li and Chen Wuyi by the roadside.

Looking at the bustling Rongshu Jie, Chen Wuji suddenly felt a very strange sensation.

In all of Hezhou, this street was the first to recover its vigor.

When he entered the city, there were already quite a few brothels open on this street; now it seems to have fully recovered its energy and is fully open.

On one side are ordinary people in need of relief; on the other side are the lantern-lit, wine-green, bustling pleasure quarters.

This contrast is indeed quite strong.

"Eleventh Uncle, what kind of people usually come to the brothel?" Chen Wuji asked while sucking on a candied haw.

"They must be at least somewhat well-off; this sort of thing has nothing to do with ordinary folks— at minimum they'd be accountants or clerks," Chen Li said.

"Yesterday I chatted with those senior cooks, and I heard them planning to come here after their shift to have a few drinks at a certain brothel, apparently because a certain girl had returned."

Chen Wuji laughed helplessly, "Those old guys are also passionate people."

Chen Li glanced at Chen Wuji and said, "Family Head, are you trying to say why ordinary people had their cooking utensils looted by Gu Wenjie, yet these people still have silver to visit brothels? And why can brothels reopen so quickly to receive guests?"

Chen Wuji shook his head, "I can still figure out the reason: ordinary people's savings are just a little; once looted, they're completely gone. But these people, even if they lose their cash, either have it hidden elsewhere or can obtain silver and grain, which doesn't affect their livelihood."

"As for the brothels, it's even easier to understand: they rely on opening their doors to serve guests for a living; after being looted, they must work even harder to serve customers."

Chen Li nodded thoughtfully, "Actually I didn't understand this either before. I learned it yesterday while chatting with those senior officials: their several households were all looted by Gu Wenjie, they serve in the county office, and Gu Wenjie forcibly demanded each of them pay twenty taels."

"These gentlemen have deep pockets— being looted twice and yet they're still cheerful every day!" Chen Wuji said, somewhat surprised; he really didn't know this.

Chen Li smiled lightly, "When you get older, you just let things go."

"Among those gentlemen, several have the habit of hiding silver, setting aside some each month; so even if Gu Wenjie looted their visible wealth, it doesn't affect their livelihood— it just means they lost a sum of silver."

"Moreover, one gentleman is interesting: his children are away, he lives alone; after his monthly salary arrives, he puts part in a tea shop, part in a brothel, and keeps only a few scattered cash coins on his person."

"Among those gentlemen, only one was truly completely looted; now he relies on the others and his children to get by. In short, people like them, when facing disaster, inherently have more room to maneuver than ordinary folks— even borrowing, they have ways."

"But for ordinary people, the very idea of borrowing is out of the question; they can only sell their property, even their children or themselves."

Chen Wuji felt a bit heavy-hearted, yet he laughed and said, "If I could make the people of Hezhou wealthy, this place would surely forever bear the Chen name— no one else could change that."

"Easier said than done," Chen Li thought Chen Wuji was being overly presumptuous.

"Letting the people become wealthy— the idea is absolutely good."

"But after all these years, when have the people of the world ever truly been wealthy?"

Chen Wuji bit off a hawthorn from the skewer, speaking vaguely: "Saying it's hard is hard, but as long as we act, things will gradually improve; at least we now have a direction."

Chen Li's heart trembled slightly; looking at Chen Wuji's back, he gave a faint smile.

Yes, just do it.

"Commandant, the person has been found, at Taohua Yuan."

A personal guard hurried over, clasped his fists before Chen Wuji, and said.

"Lead the way!" Chen Wuji waved the candied haw in his hand, followed that personal guard, winding through the second alley of Rongshu Jie, and saw the sign of Taohua Yuan.

This establishment looks like a completely remodeled residence; compared to other brothels on the main street, it appears plain and unremarkable, rather crude, with only a few large red lanterns hung on the wall indicating its business.

Chen Wuji entered while eating the candied haw.

Upon entering, he suddenly discovered this place was actually a case of hiding strength— the exterior was plain and low-key to the extreme, while the interior turned out to be a hidden paradise, exquisitely decorated, essentially a garden.