As expected, Su Dongpo and Ouyang Xiu rushed over as soon as they heard of such a generous reward.
The two of them had been reciting poems in Bianliang, Tokyo, and were extremely poor. When they heard that a rich man wanted them to teach the women in the brothel poetry every day, they were stunned. Was there such a good thing in the world? Chasing girls would also cost money, but it would usually cost a lot of money to chat with the girls in the brothels.
Su Dongpo was even more so. Before this, he had already spent all his savings in the brothel in Tokyo and was about to rely on the singer to support him. When he heard such good news, he wrote a song on the spot to celebrate.
In Lion Restaurant, Su Dongpo and Ouyang Xiu sat in front of Ximen Qiao, looking at their young employer.
Ximen Qiao also studied them carefully. These two great scholars whose names had been passed down through the ages looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old. One was fat and the other was thin. Although their clothes were not luxurious, they had the temperament of scholars.
"You are Su Dongpo?" Ximen Qiao asked the slightly plump scholar on the right.
"I am." Su Dongpo replied.
He loved to eat meat and had even invented a dish called Dongpo Pork, so he became fat at a young age.
"Mr. Smith, tell me what you're good at.”
"Ahem, I know everything about poetry. I know astronomy and geography, and I know folk customs. I don't know what I'm best at, because I really don't know what I'm not good at.”Su Dongpo spat.
Ximen Qiao smiled slightly. He understood. Poets were all so wild and unruly, especially young talents who were wild poets.
"The Great River East has been swept away by waves, and the legendary figures of the ages are your works, right?”Ximen Qiao said. He only knew these two lines from his poem.
"Your Excellency is really knowledgeable and talented. I thought that the rich people in the countryside only knew how to earn money.”Su Dongpo had not even drunk it yet, but he had already started to act wildly.
"Brother Dong Po, you are too arrogant. Ximen Da Guan is a famous elegant person, how can he be a local rich man? You are the bumpkin. As the saying goes, if the mountain is not high, it will be famous; if the water is not deep, it will be spiritual. In my opinion, Lord Ximen is a dragon among men, a person among dragons.”Ouyang Xiu couldn't stand it anymore and started to retort.
Ximen Qiao chuckled and didn't mind. Scholars, after all, should be a little wild when they were young. It was better than being pedantic.
"Two scholars, from today onwards, you will be teaching the geisha, starting from poetry and songs, as well as music and musical instruments. How you teach them is up to you. I will take care of your food and accommodation, and I will give you five hundred silver every month.”Ximen Qiao said.
"Thank you, sir!" Ouyang Xiu stood up and cupped his hands in thanks.
Su Dongpo's eyes were already attracted by a woman from a brothel. Ximen Qiao coughed a few times before he came back to his senses. He didn't lose his composure and picked up his wine glass to drink. After drinking, he shouted the Four Treasures of the Study. He wanted to write lyrics on the spot.
Ouyang Xiu did not want to be outdone and began to recite poems on the spot. The two great scholars of the Great Song were indeed extraordinary. Whether it was calligraphy or lyrics, they represented the highest realm of their time.
Ximen Qiao was very satisfied with the performance of these two scholars, and he poured himself a glass of wine and began to watch.
When some of the young ladies heard that these two scholars were in Qinghe, they had already moved. There were even a few who came from good families who wanted to become singers.
When Ximen Qiao saw this, he decided not to renovate and opened the shop. He would teach while he opened the shop.
The value of the geisha who had been trained by the two great scholars instantly soared. Ximen Qiao instructed the singers who passed the examination to be able to live in their own boudoir. They would sell their skills and not sell their bodies. If they were to sell their bodies, the price would be sky-high.
The more so, the crazier those rich people became.
Not only Qinghe County, but even the rich people in Dongping Prefecture were also moved by the news. They rushed over to be cultured and spend thousands of gold. Tokyo also had a small reputation. From time to time, there would be dignitaries riding horses or sedan chairs.
Ximen Qiao was also very creative in his management. Although the restaurant and the brothel were only one building, the wine in the brothel was five times that of the restaurant. The composition of each wine was actually the same, but after Su Dongpo and Ouyang Xiu renamed it, its value suddenly soared.
The two brothels nearby were deserted and closed in less than a few days. The brothel madame brought a group of girls over to beg Ximen Qiao to take them in. Ximen Qiao naturally did not reject anyone and accepted them all.
Seeing that Ximen Qiao was too powerful, the brothel owners did not dare to take revenge. They only stomped their feet and gritted their teeth, cursing in private.
After ten days of business, Ximen Qiao looked at the account book happily. The restaurant's net profit was two thousand taels of silver.
As for the brothels, the net profit for ten days was thirty thousand taels of silver.
Adding on the profits from the other herb stores and silk stores, as well as the profits from the loan sharks, Ximen Qiao roughly calculated that he would earn more than 200,000 taels of silver a month.
Although he wasn't rich, he was still a millionaire.
However, Ximen Qiao was far from satisfied. He was waiting for someone, Xu Changxue, the newly appointed salt inspector. He was supposed to arrive in a few days, so he had to prepare in advance.
According to the information he had received, Xu Changxue was the new top scorer. He came from a poor family and was greedy for money and lecherous.
These were enough, so Ximen Qiao sent a servant to the official road.
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