Two days later, the white sugar tasting event, orchestrated by Shen Jing behind the scenes, was held as scheduled at Luochuan Prefecture's largest brothel, the Hundred Flowers Building.
Almost all the prominent families in Luochuan Prefecture received invitations.
While many didn't know what this so-called tasting event was all about, quite a few clever individuals had already guessed some things.
White sugar!
Those two simple words already explained a lot.
Combined with the soaring price of brown sugar recently, some astute people had already surmised that this white sugar must be related to brown sugar.
Shen Jing handed over all matters concerning the white sugar tasting event to Fang Liuqi and his team.
As for himself, he was merely an observer.
In an upper room of the Hundred Flowers Building, Shen Jing lay like a lord, while Jin'er poured him wine and Chi Chi massaged his shoulders and legs.
Looking at the utterly relaxed Shen Jing, Su Yourong couldn't help but feel a little annoyed: "I think you just wanted to use this opportunity to visit a brothel!"
This scoundrel, of all places, why did he have to choose a brothel!
She had never been to a brothel before in her life.
She never imagined that her first visit to a brothel would be with her own husband!
"It's all for business."
Shen Jing chuckled, secretly sighing with emotion.
No wonder so many people loved visiting brothels!
The air here was filled with fragrance.
"Pfft!"
Su Yourong lightly spat, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you want me to call a few more beauties to perform a dance for you?"
"This... sounds good!"
Shen Jing's spirits instantly lifted.
"Really?"
Su Yourong smiled, slowly extended her fair hand, and pinched the soft flesh at Shen Jing's waist.
"Look at you!"
Shen Jing turned his head and smiled, "How about you dance for me?"
Suddenly, Shen Jing felt a little anticipation.
With Su Yourong's figure and beauty, she would surely look stunning when dancing, right?
"No!"
Su Yourong refused without a second thought.
"Liar!"
Shen Jing pouted, then winked at Su Yourong, "How about this: if you dance for me, I'll tell you my plan to deal with the Song family, what do you say?"
Su Yourong's eyes narrowed slightly, staring at Shen Jing with a half-smile: "You're using that to bargain with me? Aren't you afraid I'll tie you up and whip you while you're asleep?"
"It's fine!"
Shen Jing said nonchalantly, "A beating is affection, a scolding is love; without them, it's not comfortable."
"Pfft..."
Hearing Shen Jing's words, Jin'er couldn't help but laugh out loud, secretly admiring him.
Young Master's thick skin was truly beyond compare!
Hmm, it was quite interesting to watch Young Master and Young Mistress bicker.
Su Yourong was slightly annoyed, increasing the force in her hand and twisting Shen Jing's flesh hard.
"Hiss..."
This time, before Shen Jing could let out his strange cry, Su Yourong, who was already prepared, covered his mouth.
"If you dare to make such a strange sound again, I'll sew your mouth shut!"
Su Yourong glared fiercely at Shen Jing, then lowered her gaze in thought.
It seemed she was making a difficult decision.
A moment later, Su Yourong looked up, glaring at Shen Jing with puffed cheeks: "Just this once!"
Huh?
Shen Jing hadn't quite understood the situation when Su Yourong released the soft flesh at his waist and stood up.
After a brief moment of preparation, Su Yourong stretched her body and began to dance gracefully.
Shen Jing was astonished.
He just said it casually, and she actually danced?
Su Yourong glared at Shen Jing in embarrassment and annoyance, silently cursing him as a scoundrel again.
Although she would know Shen Jing's plan to deal with the Song family sooner or later, her curiosity was getting the better of her, making her eager to know his plan immediately.
If Shen Jing's plan was unsuitable, she could also stop him or offer suggestions in time.
After glaring at Shen Jing one more time, Su Yourong finally began to dance gracefully.
Her footsteps were light, like a dancing butterfly.
Shen Jing had been with Su Yourong for some time, but he rarely saw charm in her.
Most of the time, Su Yourong was a standard young lady from a good family: gentle, proper, and shy.
But when she danced gracefully, Shen Jing saw an indescribable charm in her.
Every gesture, every smile, was filled with captivating charm.
Unknowingly, Shen Jing became somewhat lost in her, constantly sighing with emotion.
Was this the joy of a capitalist?
Indeed, one could question a capitalist's character, but not a capitalist's hobbies!
While Su Yourong was dancing gracefully, outside, a group of brothel girls were also dancing elegantly.
After the dance finished, Fang Liuqi officially made his appearance.
Encountering such a grand occasion for the first time, Fang Liuqi was inevitably a bit nervous.
Even as he tried to calm himself, his heart kept pounding "thump, thump."
"Don't panic, stay steady..."
Fang Liuqi constantly encouraged himself, taking deep breaths while bowing to the crowd, then announced loudly: "I am Fang Liuqi, and I thank all of you for coming to support us! I have prepared a small gift for everyone, and I hope you will not despise it..."
With that, Fang Liuqi immediately clapped his hands.
Soon, several brothel girls emerged, carrying trays.
On each tray was a small paper packet.
The packets were tiny, about the size of a baby's palm.
Seeing that some people had already received the paper packets, Fang Liuqi spoke again: "This is white sugar! You can taste it first, and then we'll talk about the rest!"
White sugar?
Hearing Fang Liuqi's words, some people immediately opened their paper packets impatiently.
Looking at the crystal-clear granules, many people marveled inwardly, immediately pouring a tiny bit of white sugar into their mouths.
"So sweet!"
"It really is white sugar!"
"Is this the white sugar that only royalty and nobles can enjoy?"
"Other than looking a bit nicer, it doesn't seem all that special..."
Suddenly, the people present began to chatter animatedly.
While some expressed disdain, most were full of exclamations of surprise.
After all, it was a rare delicacy reserved for royalty and nobles.
Not praising it a bit would make one seem uncultured.
Listening to the exclamations of admiration, Fang Liuqi's heart settled slightly, and he smiled: "I believe you all know how precious this white sugar is! One catty of white sugar costs two hundred taels of silver, and because quantities are limited, each person is restricted to buying three catties..."
Two hundred taels of silver per catty?
Hearing Fang Liuqi's words, the scene instantly erupted in an uproar.
"Why don't you just rob us?"
"Exactly, no matter how precious this stuff is, can it be more precious than gold?"
"You're treating us like fat sheep to be slaughtered!"
Everyone started to complain, cursing Fang Liuqi for being greedy.
However, Fang Liuqi remained unhurried, smiling as he said: "This is white sugar that only royalty and nobles are worthy of enjoying!"
"If this were in the past, people like us wouldn't even have the chance to see this white sugar, let alone buy it to taste!"
"Think about it, if a distinguished guest comes to your home, and you bring out this white sugar to entertain them, which guest wouldn't think highly of you?"
"To put it bluntly, even if you yourselves are reluctant to eat it, taking it out as a gift to smooth over relationships will bring you prestige..."
Fang Liuqi spoke eloquently, and the crowd actually found themselves agreeing more and more.
If that's the case, this white sugar... doesn't seem that expensive!
Take, for example, gifting silver to government officials; for officials with a bit more power, if you give three to five hundred taels of silver, he might still feel you're looking down on him!
But if you give one or two catties of white sugar that only royalty and nobles are worthy of enjoying, that's a different story!
Who wouldn't want to taste something that only royalty and nobles are worthy of enjoying?
A few hundred taels of silver isn't a small amount, but if you visit brothels a few less times, it's already accounted for!
Just as everyone was secretly calculating, Wu Xiong, the shill, was the first to stand up and declare boldly: "Give me three catties!"
"Give me three catties too!"
Another shill followed suit.
With the two of them speaking up, the atmosphere in the room was instantly ignited.
"Give me two catties!"
"I want three catties!"
"..."
Everyone scrambled to buy, afraid that if they bought too late, they wouldn't be able to get any...