The Rise of a General's Daughter-in-Law Doctor

The madam gave a look to the girls surrounding Li Muxia, and although they were unwilling, they had no choice but to leave.

Cui'er and Hong'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The madam smiled at Li Muxia and his two companions, saying, "I am the madam here. You three gentlemen are unfamiliar faces. Is this your first time visiting this establishment?"

Seeing Li Muxia nod, the madam's smile deepened. These young men looked like inexperienced virgins, but their clothes suggested they were from wealthy families. They were probably out having fun behind their families' backs.

"May I ask how the three gentlemen are addressed?"

Li Muxia closed his folding fan and said, "My surname is Xia, and these two are my younger brothers."

Madam: "So it's the three of you, Young Master Xia. What kind of girls would you like to keep you company today? Would you like a private room?"

Li Muxia: "We don't need a private room. Just arrange a seat for us in the main hall and bring us some food and drinks first."

Madam: "That's it. Where's the girl?"

Li Muxia waved her hand: "Just arrange three good-looking ones for us."

The madam then happily said, "Alright!"

Then he led the three of them to a location on the east side.

Madam: "Young Master Xia, you've come at the right time. Our most beautiful courtesan is performing today, and this is a perfect spot."

After saying that, she swayed her slender waist and went to find girls for Li Muxia and the others.

Only after the madam had walked away did Cui'er dare to speak: "Big brother, with so many people here, which one is the eldest young master of the Wang family?"

Hong'er also looked around furtively.

Li Muxia picked up the teapot on the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and said, "Don't bother looking, there aren't any in the lobby."

Indeed, how could a wealthy young master possibly sit in the main hall?

Hong'er: "Then we came in for nothing, didn't we?"

Li Muxia: "Don't worry, you'll see him soon."

Hong'er and Cui'er, not understanding why Li Muxia was so certain, asked, "Big brother, how do you know we'll see each other soon?"

Li Muxia: "Didn't the madam just say that there's a courtesan performing today?"

The two of them then looked as if they had suddenly realized something.

Hong'er: "Still too young. Big brother is amazing."

The courtesan's performance was in the evening, and there were still more than two hours until then. During this time, Li Muxia was not idle; she chatted with the men in the brothel.

After all, those who can come here are either rich or powerful, familiar with the situation in Hailian Town, and should also know about the three major families.

Since ancient times, restaurants, teahouses, and other places of entertainment have been the best places to gather information.

That afternoon, they managed to extract quite a bit of information from this group of people.

Besides the Wang family, one of the three major families, the other two families, the Fu family and the Wu family, came to Hailian Town from other places thirty years ago. They were not famous families at first, but later, for some reason, their businesses grew bigger and bigger, and they became the three major business giants in Hailian Town. In the last two years, for some reason, the three families suddenly joined forces to monopolize the seafood industry.

Previously, the seafood business in Hailian Town was relatively harmonious. The three major families would eat meat, and at least let other small vendors have a sip of soup. However, in the past two years, the three major families have suddenly changed their ways and are no longer willing to give others even the soup.

Besides these, Li Muxia also found out some gossip about the three major families.

For example, the head of the Wu family is a glutton and loves to drink fine wine, while the head of the Fu family is a womanizer who will try to bring any pretty girl he sees on the street into his home.

As for the head of the Wang family, he didn't hear any useful news.

Li Muxia also found out about the division of labor among the three major families. The Wang family should be the largest shareholder among the three major families and have more say. Everything is ultimately decided by the Wang family.

The Fu family is mainly responsible for purchasing seafood, while the Wu family is responsible for export. Generally, the Wu family is the one who goes out to negotiate business.

However, he also heard some rumors that when encountering businessmen with whom he couldn't reach an agreement, or fishermen who wouldn't listen to his orders, the head of the Wang family would resort to violence.

It must be said that the division of labor among these three companies is quite clear.

Just as Li Muxia was having a pleasant chat with the man at the next table, the madam came on stage.

"Sir, next up is the performance that everyone has been eagerly anticipating, our most beautiful courtesan, Peony."

Before the madam could finish speaking, a chorus of jeers erupted from below.

The madam looked down at the men below, each one excited and eager to rush forward upon hearing the name Peony, and felt even happier.

The madam continued, "Gentlemen, please be patient and let me finish."

The noise from below subsided a bit, and the madam continued, "Today, Peony said that in addition to singing a little song for everyone on stage, she has also specially prepared a 'Rainbow Dance.' However, it will only be shown to those who are destined to see it, so everyone should seize the opportunity today."

After he finished speaking, urging voices rang out from below.

The madam didn't waste any time; she gave everyone a charming smile and then left the stage.

Li Muxia kept her gaze fixed on the direction of the stairs. Sure enough, after the madam finished speaking, a person appeared at the stairs.

However, the man's appearance made Li Muxia somewhat doubt whether he was the eldest young master of the Wang family.

The man looked very thin, unnaturally thin, as if he were malnourished. Logically speaking, even if he wasn't the eldest son of the Wang family, someone who would come to a place like this wouldn't starve himself like that.

At this moment, the courtesan had already taken her pipa onto the stage. The man next to her saw that Li Muxia was staring at the stairs, so he turned his head to look over and then turned to Li Muxia and said, "Hey, Brother Xia, why are you looking at Young Master Wang instead of the beautiful woman? What's so great about him? He looks like a skeleton."

Upon hearing this, Li Muxia asked uncertainly, "Is he the eldest young master of the Wang family, Wang Zuchong?"

Seeing the man nod, Li Muxia was still somewhat incredulous and asked, "Brother Zhang, could it be that this Young Master Wang has some kind of illness?"

The man said impatiently, "Never heard of that. Who cares if he's sick or not? I think you're the one who's sick. Why are you staring at men instead of looking at beautiful women?"

After saying that, he ignored Li Muxia and watched the stage with great interest.

Wang Zuchong's seat had been reserved by the madam long ago; it faced the center of the stage and was the best viewing spot in the entire venue.

Li Muxia was a few seats away from Wang Zuchong. The theater was packed, and she couldn't move, so she simply focused on watching the performance.

This courtesan is truly beautiful, with a lovely voice, and her singing is truly captivating.

This piece of music is truly avant-garde; at least in this conservative and feudal ancient world, it's the first time she's ever heard such an explicit piece.

Cui'er and Hong'er were too shy to look up, but the men were all excited, their eyes gleaming with barely concealed excitement.