That evening.
It was around seven or eight o'clock.
Xu Qing left his home. He was heading to Chunfeng Tower tonight. As Du Luan had told him, Chunfeng Tower was now under his management and protection.
Starting today.
Of all of Chunfeng Tower's profits—the net income—seventy percent was to be handed over to the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. The remaining thirty percent belonged to Xu Qing to distribute as he saw fit.
Xu Qing's job was to oversee Chunfeng Tower and deal with anyone who tried to cause trouble.
In front of Chunfeng Tower.
Xu Qing saw the building ablaze with candlelight, filled with the cheerful chatter of women. He sighed to himself. 'Just a few days ago I was here, and now I'm the big boss of Chunfeng Tower. Life truly is unpredictable.'
「At that moment.」
On the top floor of Chunfeng Tower.
Inside a room.
Ever since Chunfeng Tower had come under the protection of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall and become one of its properties, it had been managed by the shopkeeper, Hu Gongquan.
"All of you, pay attention. Tonight, the Cangying Martial Arts Hall is sending someone to oversee our Chunfeng Tower. You'd better be sharp and on your best behavior. Whatever you do, don't offend him."
Hu Gongquan was a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache. He glanced at his trusted subordinates: the Chunfeng Tower's Madam, Sister Chunlan; its head Pimp, Lu Xiao'Er; and the leader of its enforcers, Wang Dali.
There were three of them in total.
These three, along with Hu Gongquan, held the highest positions in Chunfeng Tower.
Besides them,
the top courtesan of Chunfeng Tower, Lan Xin, also had a bit of influence.
But that was about it.
"Shopkeeper."
Lu Xiao'Er sneered, his tone dismissive. "Some disciple from the Cangying Martial Arts Hall? Who does he think he is? As far as I'm concerned, you're the only boss of Chunfeng Tower."
"Lu Xiao'Er is right," Sister Chunlan nodded.
"Shopkeeper, just say the word, and I'll take my men to beat him up tonight. We'll show him who really calls the shots at Chunfeng Tower."
At 1.8 meters tall, Wang Dali was indeed an imposing figure.
"Shut up!"
Hu Gongquan jumped in fright, his face turning pale. "You reckless fools! That's a disciple from the Cangying Martial Arts Hall! If you dare to offend him, I'll be collecting your corpses tomorrow!"
"All of you, pull your heads in! And get the bookkeeper over here. Have him cook the books for us. You know as well as I do that we've been skimming quite a bit."
"If we get caught, we'll be skinned alive, if not killed outright."
"Yes, yes, of course."
"..."
Wang Dali and the others jumped in fright as well.
「On the first floor of Chunfeng Tower.」
"This way, my lord, please come in."
As soon as Xu Qing arrived, a scantily clad courtesan approached with a fawning smile. She took his arm and spoke in a sweet voice.
"Mm."
Xu Qing nodded and followed her inside. It was a familiar scene. "Where is your Shopkeeper? Have him come see me."
"Huh?!"
The scantily clad courtesan froze for a moment, looking at Xu Qing with a stunned expression. "My lord, what business do you have with our Shopkeeper?"
"Go find someone to inform your Shopkeeper that the man from the Cangying Martial Arts Hall has arrived."
Xu Qing glanced around and casually sat down in a nearby chair. "Tell him to come see me immediately."
"But..."
The courtesan was inwardly alarmed. She didn't dare say or ask anything more, simply stating at once, "I'll go inform the Shopkeeper right away."
"Mm."
Xu Qing gave a slight nod.
Around them, a few patrons glanced over. Those who were close enough to overhear the conversation between Xu Qing and the courtesan sized him up.
At the same time, a low murmur of discussion began to spread.
Before long,
"My lord! You've finally arrived! Ever since we received the orders yesterday, this humble one has been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
Hu Gongquan's face was a mask of sycophantic flattery.
"You're the Shopkeeper of Chunfeng Tower?"
Xu Qing smiled.
"Yes, yes."
Hu Gongquan nodded. "This humble one is Hu Gongquan, the Shopkeeper of Chunfeng Tower. But of course, starting today, you are the master of Chunfeng Tower. Whatever you say, goes. In your eyes, this humble one is less than a fart—nothing at all."
"Heh."
Xu Qing just chuckled.
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, the Madam, Sister Chunlan, gasped. Her eyes widened as she stared blankly at Xu Qing. She remembered him now; no wonder he looked so familiar.
"It's... it's you!!!"
Sister Chunlan was utterly shocked.
Just a few days ago, Xu Qing had come to Chunfeng Tower, and Sister Chunlan herself had received him. But he hadn't spent a single coin, which had infuriated her for quite some time, making the memory particularly sharp.
Because of this, Sister Chunlan recognized Xu Qing.
And that was why she was so shocked.
She thought to herself,
'Just a few days ago, this man was a penniless bum who couldn't even afford to spend a single coin at a brothel. How utterly humiliating.'
'Now, only a few days have passed, and this penniless bum she'd scorned has suddenly transformed into an Official Disciple of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. Not only that, but he's climbed right over their heads to become their direct superior.'
Shock.
Utter shock.
Disbelief.
Utter disbelief.
For a moment, Sister Chunlan couldn't process it.
"Chunlan, what are you gawking at?"
Hu Gongquan glared at Sister Chunlan. "Hurry up and get Lan Xin and the others over here to properly entertain our lord tonight."
"For them to be able to serve him is a blessing they've earned over several lifetimes."
GULP.
Sister Chunlan swallowed hard. Snapped out of her daze by Hu Gongquan's reprimand, she quickly recovered. "My lord, the first floor is too crowded and noisy. Shall we move to a private room upstairs?"
"Fine."
Xu Qing stood up.
"This way, my lord."
Hu Gongquan respectfully led the way for Xu Qing.
「In the blink of an eye.」
Inside a private room on the top floor of Chunfeng Tower.
In the room, Xu Qing sat on the edge of the bed. Beside him were two stunning beauties—sexy, enchanting, and possessing a natural, fragrant scent.
The beauty with a vixen-like face on his left was Chunfeng Tower's top courtesan, Lan Xin. She was exceptionally beautiful with an alluring figure, and she possessed a special talent for playing the flute.
On Xu Qing's right was a beauty with an oval face. She had a sweet and gentle demeanor, exuding the refined air of a well-bred lady with a Confucian upbringing.
This oval-faced beauty was named Ziyan.
She was just a step below the top courtesan.
Lan Xin peeled grapes for Xu Qing, while Ziyan massaged his feet and shoulders.
This was true indulgence.
"My lord,"
Hu Gongquan gave a signal, and the bookkeeper waiting outside came in. Beside Hu Gongquan, Sister Chunlan, Lu Xiao'Er, and Wang Dali all stood with their heads bowed respectfully.
"These are the account books for Chunfeng Tower. Please, look them over when you have a moment."
Hu Gongquan said, "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"Mm."
Xu Qing glanced at Lan Xin. She hesitated for a second before understanding. After a quick look at Hu Gongquan, she obediently took the ledgers and brought them to Xu Qing.
It had to be said, the ledgers were quite thick, detailing Chunfeng Tower's daily expenses and income. At a cursory glance, nothing seemed out of place.
However,
in his previous life on Earth, Xu Qing had been the chairman of a publicly traded company. He had weathered all sorts of storms and seen countless doctored accounting books.
Therefore, after just a quick look, Xu Qing could already tell that these ledgers were fake—and hastily fabricated at that.
"Interesting."
Xu Qing chuckled and sat up straight. He casually tossed the ledgers onto the floor, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Hu Gongquan, you've got some nerve, daring to cook the books."
"How many lives do you think you have?!"
THUD!
Hu Gongquan dropped to his knees.
"My lord! My dear lord! You can't just say things like that! I've been diligent and conscientious! How could I possibly do something like faking the accounts?!"
Hu Gongquan wailed, proclaiming his innocence.
"Heh."
Xu Qing shook his head. He picked up a ledger and said calmly, "Chunfeng Tower's expenses last month should have been three thousand five hundred eighty-two silver taels and eight wen. You changed it to four thousand one hundred thirty-seven silver taels and five wen."
"Last month's total net profit should have been two thousand five hundred eighty-seven silver taels and seven wen, but you changed it to two thousand silver taels and five wen."
"And,"
"the month before that..."
"and the month before that..."
In that moment, speaking word by word, Xu Qing explained. Because the fake ledger had been fabricated in such a hurry, it was full of clues. By analyzing those clues and the data within, Xu Qing was actually able to deduce Chunfeng Tower's true monthly expenses and income.
Most importantly,
his deductions matched the records in the real ledgers exactly.
Down to the last coin.
"This... this... this..."
At this, the bookkeeper's eyes went wide. He stared at Xu Qing in utter shock, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the floor with a THUD.
Besides him, Sister Chunlan, Wang Dali, Lu Xiao'Er, as well as Lan Xin and Ziyan, were all stunned. They looked at Xu Qing with expressions full of awe and reverence.
"Hu Gongquan, do you have anything else to say?"
Xu Qing asked with a smirk.
"My lord! My dear lord! I was wrong! I was truly wrong!!!"
Hu Gongquan didn't dare entertain any more clever tricks.
"Talk,"
Xu Qing said calmly. "How much have you skimmed in total over the past year?"
Immediately, Hu Gongquan and the others confessed everything honestly.
Chunfeng Tower had been open for a total of three years.
For the first two years, Hu Gongquan and his group had been relatively honest, not daring to skim much. Any kickbacks they took were a drop in the bucket. But starting in the third year, their appetites grew, and they began skimming more and more.
All told, Hu Gongquan and the others had skimmed a total of 10,080 taels of silver.
As for how it was divided, Hu Gongquan took the lion's share—half of the silver. Sister Chunlan, Lu Xiao'Er, and Wang Dali split the other half equally among themselves.
"You will spit out every last coin you swallowed."
Xu Qing's tone was calm. "Otherwise, your corpses can be dumped in the river tomorrow. As it happens, there's a river twenty li west of Qingbei Town."