Chapter 49: The Great Ming’s Annual Revenue Is Enough to Buy More Than Twenty Slots

Lan Yu was made to blush slightly by the woman's words, completely overlooking the relatively intimate banter between the woman and Zhu Yunxi.

Led by the woman, the group entered the "Pavilion of Heaven and Earth." The very moment they stepped through the main entrance, Jiang Huan turned his head inadvertently and happened to catch sight of three people alighting from a carriage at the door, causing his pupils to contract slightly.

Although the three individuals also had their heads and faces concealed much like Zhu Yunxi, Jiang Huan recognized the man walking at the very front as Zhu Yuanzhang instantly, relying on his years of familiarity.

Naturally, Old Zhu also spotted Jiang Huan. He narrowed his eyes and immediately locked his gaze onto Zhu Yunxi.

"Hmph! That rebellious grandson of mine is not in the palace handling state affairs, yet he runs off to a den of pleasure to play around!" Zhu Yuanzhang let out a light huff, but he did not say much more.

In his heart, he figured that perhaps Zhu Yunxi had also heard rumors of someone boasting about having treasures even more precious than those in the imperial palace, and had specifically come here on an undercover investigation.

Suddenly, he felt both of his arms grow heavy, followed by the sensation of two soft, tingling mounds pressing against his arms.

After all, Old Zhu was a man of vast experience. Although his inner harem did not quite number three thousand, it was certainly sizable. He immediately understood what kind of people were clinging to his arms.

Yet, upon turning his head, his dragon-like eyes widened in sheer astonishment.

"This... this... this... Dressing like this, are you not afraid of people calling it scandalous and demoralizing?"

It truly was not that Old Zhu lacked worldly experience; rather, the two women holding onto him were wearing remarkably little. On their upper bodies were oddly shaped, wrap-like garments, while their lower bodies were clad in short wraps that barely covered their buttocks, with translucent, gossamer veils draped over their shoulders.

This constituted the entirety of the two women's attire. The crucial point was that Old Zhu actually felt this style of dress was not ugly at all; instead, it accentuated their figures to be exquisitely and delicately proportioned.

"Master, you've come for the auction, haven't you? Do you prefer a foot rub or a full-body massage? This humble servant will recommend a top-tier private room for you." The woman completely ignored Zhu Yuanzhang's question, her voice dripping with extreme coquettishness.

After his initial shock, Zhu Yuanzhang caught sight of that old fogey Fu Youde out of the corner of his eye already getting hands-on, which forced him to regain his composure. He asked, "Foot washing and full-body massages? Aren't you people a brothel?"

"Master! Look at what you're saying! Our Pavilion of Heaven and Earth is no mere brothel. In the words of our proprietor, this is an entertainment and commercial complex, absolutely not some filthy place like a brothel!"

"That's right! Master, we are innocent people who sell our talents, not our bodies. You must not slander us like this!"

The two women flanked him, left and right, leaving Zhu Yuanzhang momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

They pulled Zhu Yuanzhang along as they walked further inside. Upon crossing the threshold, Old Zhu was once again shocked to the point where his jaw almost dropped.

He saw that the interior of the Pavilion of Heaven and Earth was immensely spacious. Moreover, the center was hollowed out to form a colossal open atrium that soared directly up to the roof, creating a magnificent high-ceilinged structure.

Aside from numerous seats arranged in the center of the grand hall, the surrounding walls from the second floor upwards were lined with rooms featuring closed windows.

The interior decoration gave an impression of absolute, ultimate luxury. Every corner was resplendent with gold and jade, and in many places, precious colored glaze could even be seen inlaid into the walls.

"What is that object?"

Zhu Yuanzhang surveyed his surroundings and pointed to a structure on the left and right sides of the ground floor that protruded outward and extended all the way up to the roof.

"Hee hee!" The woman covered her mouth with a chuckle and explained, "Master, our proprietor calls that an elevator. It means you don't need to walk up the stairs; you just step inside, press a button, and you can go directly to the floor you want to reach."

Ugh...

What kind of sorcery was this?

Zhu Yuanzhang felt that as an emperor walking into this place, he had suddenly been reduced to an ignorant country bumpkin. At this point, he truly believed that the Pavilion of Heaven and Earth might actually possess treasures even the imperial palace lacked.

"Master! Let this servant introduce the place to you!" The woman's voice rang out again from both sides of Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Our Pavilion of Heaven and Earth is divided into four floors in total, featuring four different experience models. On the first floor, besides the auction arena, there are various snacks and delicacies from all over the country. If you love fine food, this servant suggests you stay on the first floor."

"The second floor is the live performance zone. If you enjoy watching different artistic talents and performances, you can go to the second floor. You don't need to spend extra money to summon specific people; you can freely enter any room. If you find the performer's act satisfactory and you like them, you can buy flowers, flower baskets, or floral wreaths to reward them, or you can purchase a 'Halls in Full Bloom' package to have the performer put on a private show exclusively for you."

"The third floor is the foot bath and massage zone. If you feel physically fatigued or have poor blood circulation, you can head to the third floor. There, specially trained personnel will take care of these issues for you."

"The fourth floor is the Supreme Zone, which we also refer to as the VIP area. Up there, you can experience every single activity offered in the Pavilion of Heaven and Earth, along with some very unique forms of entertainment. However, entry to the fourth floor requires being a depository member of our Pavilion of Heaven and Earth, and it is temporarily closed to the outside public today."

...

Having listened to the woman's introduction, Zhu Yuanzhang bit hard on the tip of his tongue. He genuinely never expected that a mere pleasure house could be transformed by the Pavilion of Heaven and Earth into something so dazzlingly elaborate.

Food, entertainment, and auctions—it really was the "entertainment complex" they spoke of.

Zhu Yuanzhang muttered inwardly that merchants were indeed adept at scheming and exploitation. Since they could conceive of such a business model, which man could possibly resist this kind of temptation?

In the future, would this place perhaps earn an annual revenue surpassing the entire imperial treasury of the Great Ming Dynasty in a single year?

"That... what did you call it? What does that mean?" Zhu Yuanzhang could not help asking out of curiosity.

"Giggle giggle~"

The two women covered their mouths in amusement. After a fit of trembling laughter, they explained, "Master, that is called a VIP. In the words of our proprietor, it means 'Super Very Important Person.' If Master is interested, this servant can take you to the front desk. You only need to deposit one hundred thousand taels of silver to acquire a Silver VIP status."

The woman's voice was laden with temptation, much like two wicked grandmothers luring Little Red Riding Hood—only in this case, the target was Old Zhu.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang was thoroughly shocked by what they had just uttered, stammering with a slack jaw, "H-How much?"

"Giggle giggle!" The woman burst into another fit of trembling laughter. "One hundred thousand taels of silver makes you a junior VIP of the Pavilion of Heaven and Earth, and thereafter you can go up to the fourth floor for consumption, though limited to yourself alone."

"If you deposit five hundred thousand taels of silver, you become a senior VIP, which allows you to bring two people to the fourth floor. One million taels makes you a super VIP, permitting you to bring five people to the fourth floor, and there is also..."

Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer hear the rest of the woman's words; his brain had simply short-circuited from sheer shock.

If his memory served him correctly, the imperial treasury's revenue for the Great Ming Dynasty last year was only around twenty-nought million taels of silver. This was the total tax revenue for an entire year of the grand and vast Ming Empire!

Yet here, that sum was apparently only enough to purchase a mere score or so of slots that permitted someone to bring five people up to the fourth floor.

Zhu Yuanzhang cursed inwardly, thinking the merchants must be out of their minds. Which prodigal son would spend so much money merely to purchase some sort of VIP quota? Wasn't that just having too much money with nowhere to spend it?

Yet right at that moment, a familiar and arrogant voice suddenly rang out beside his ear.

"Fifty thousand is just fifty thousand! If this young master can't cough up one million taels, surely I can cough up fifty thousand taels! Register me! Right now, immediately get this young master one of those senior VIP cards of yours. Today, I am going up to the fourth floor to see what kind of good treasures are up there."