Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One
Chapter 369 - 255: Doing Business

Chapter 369: Chapter 255: Doing Business

It added a unique charm of a mature beautiful woman.

However,

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji was a notorious lecher, only interested in youthful women.

As a result, he had consistently neglected Madame Zheng over the years.

This deeply troubled Madame Zheng.

This neglect was not merely a matter of intimacy, but more importantly, a political signal.

If Madame Zheng was favored, her entire household would rise to heaven!

Her own son, the Crown Prince, would also be favored.

But now that she was no longer favored, even the Crown Prince was being neglected, while Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji increasingly favored the Third Prince, Zhao Kai.

For her and the Crown Prince’s future, today Madame Zheng specifically sought out Eunuch Yang Jian, who was close to Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji, to inquire about the matter.

It appeared that Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji stayed every night with the courtesan, Li Shishi, because of their trip to a place in Dongjing City called the Red Mansion.

Thus,

Madame Zheng could no longer sit still and immediately changed into casual clothes, taking her personal maid with her to leave the palace.

Whether or not she could secure the Crown Prince’s position might depend on this mysterious Red Mansion.

After walking for a while, Madame Zheng suddenly realized something was amiss.

"Ling’er, have you noticed? There are several shops on this street all starting with ’Lin’s’. They seem to be very popular."

"Lin’s Restaurant, Lin’s Cloth Shop, Lin’s Iron Shop..."

"I’ve never heard of them before, and yet their business looks extremely brisk."

Ling’er was equally puzzled and decided to ask someone about it.

"I found out, all these shops have opened just this year, and supposedly they’re all managed by the same person."

"I see..."

Madame Zheng nodded, uninterested.

In the Song Dynasty, merchants were not highly regarded, or to put it bluntly, they were low in status.

Among the four classes of scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant, the scholars had the highest status, with the ability to co-govern with the Emperor, whereas merchants ranked the lowest.

Madame Zheng was merely a bit curious about this Zhang family.

After this minor incident, the two of them arrived at the northeast corner of the city by the Bian River.

Staring at the building constructed by the river, she was spellbound.

Unlike the usual houses and shops, this building was not made of pounded earth and bricks, but entirely of blue bricks and white marble carvings.

Red and white contrasted throughout, especially the sloping roof, which was made of a slightly transparent dark green tile.

Under the sunlight, it refracted a shimmering light.

This alone indicated that the tiles were no ordinary items!

Moreover, the building was surrounded by lush bamboo, giving off a luxurious yet tranquil impression.

The main entrance had a plaque inscribed with a strange character, which Madame Zheng recognized upon closer inspection as a red character.

However, the style of writing seemed unusual.

"Just as Yang Jian mentioned, this place called the Red Mansion is extremely strange."

"Let’s go and see for ourselves."

Madame Zheng’s eyes glittered with curiosity, the mere facade of the Red Mansion enough to grab her attention.

As they approached the entrance, a graceful girl smilingly said:

"Ladies, please show your membership tokens."

Her voice was soft and mellow, captivating even Madame Zheng, a woman herself.

What surprised her even more was not only the gatekeeper’s extraordinary beauty but also her peculiar makeup.

The lipstick was not just a single red dot in the center of the lips but the entire lips painted red.

The clothing she wore was even more bizarre.

A form-fitting red satin long dress perfectly outlined her figure.

Slits had been cut above the knees on both sides, revealing glimpses of her pale skin.

[This... this...]

[This is outrageous!]

Madame Zheng blushed, as the Song Dynasty, where they were from, was quite open about gender related matters.

However, exposing one’s legs in public, up to the thigh roots, was indeed enough to make one feel embarrassed.

Yet...

Even she found such attire eye-catching.

Not to mention the men?

This made Madame Zheng realize she had come to the right place.

The hostess, accustomed to such gazes, smiled again and asked:

"Ladies, please show your membership tokens."

"Ah?"

Madame Zheng regained her composure and shook her head, "Ah... It’s our first time here, we don’t know what you’re talking about."

"I’m sorry, but this place is not open to the public."

The hostess politely said, her face still wearing a warm smile.

Madame Zheng, not understanding what a membership card meant, chuckled: "Miss, don’t worry, we have money."

"Sorry, you cannot enter without a membership."

"Even if I offer money?"

"That won’t work, oh~"

Before Madame Zheng could respond, Ling’er, unable to stand it any longer, snapped:

"Are you blind? Do you know who my mistress is?!"

The hostess replied calmly: "No matter who she is, without a membership token, entry is not permitted, not even for the Prime Minister."

Ling’er, accustomed to being with the Empress, immediately tried to assert their status.

"Ling’er!"

Madame Zheng chastised, "We came here seeking assistance; we should not be presumptuous."

Then she looked at the hostess and said, "May I know where this membership token comes from?"

"You only need to pay five thousand taels of Jiaozi (silver note)."

"How much?!"

Crazy!

This Red Mansion is crazy!

That was the only thought in Madame Zheng’s mind.

Even the Prime Minister’s salary wasn’t that much,

but to enter the door required many years’ worth of the Prime Minister’s salary?!

If not madness, what was it?

Or were they treating her like a fool?

Madame Zheng was furiously temperate, but then she thought of the courtesan, Li Shishi, and begrudgingly clenched her teeth.

For the Empress of the Great Song, five thousand taels was not a large amount.

[If this Red Mansion dares to deceive this palace, we can command troops to flatten this place.]

"Five thousand taels then."