On the other side of the screen
Zhang Zhou accepted the silver and gradually grew familiar with the merchants. Since they flattered him in both manner and speech, the conversation was thoroughly pleasant.
Zhang Zhou could hold his liquor. Ordinarily, he drank only a little, but now that he had relaxed, and with the merchants taking turns flattering him and offering toasts, he drank somewhat more.
Still, he was only tipsy and a little more talkative.
He continued to leave unsaid what should not be said.
As a steward at the Prince's Residence, he always kept that boundary firmly in mind.
The higher the rank, the stricter the rules governing speech. Those who were reprimanded, exiled, or made to disappear for saying something they should not have said outnumbered even those who actually did something wrong.
Zhang Zhou took another sip of wine and listened as the merchant on his left said with a smile, "Have you heard of Yuzhou's 'slender horses'? They're beautiful, obedient, and talented. The celebrated Shen Xue herself actually came from their ranks!"
Zhang Zhou was a little surprised. "Even I've heard of her reputation. She was actually a 'slender horse'? Wait, aren't they supposed to be Yangzhou's slender horses?"
"Steward, you're a northerner, so you wouldn't know much about this. Everyone loves southern courtesans. Plenty of people buy girls from all over and send them to Yangzhou for further training, even teaching them the Yangzhou dialect."
"But in this business, refinement is everything."
"Yangzhou's slender horses were famous throughout the land, truly renowned, so a great many people entered the trade. Quality became uneven, the flesh trade gradually opened up, prices plummeted, and eventually the business declined."
"Yuzhou, however, pursued ever greater perfection. Under renowned teachers, the girls learned the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, wind