Han Anguo, Defender of the City

During the year-end and beginning of the new year, most businesses in the industry will close down, but brothels are an exception.

The more leisurely the days, the busier the brothels became.

Some people come to listen to elegant music, others appreciate refined tastes, while the more vulgar come to see pretty women. The wealthy come to treat themselves at the end of the year and spend a lot of money to take one or two women home.

Zhang Xuezhou is undoubtedly a representative of vulgarity.

He got a white deer coin from the new emperor and then went to the brothel to spend it.

Regardless of whether this White Deer coin could be exchanged for 400,000 or 200,000 coins, Zhang Xuezhou felt it was worth it as long as he could get it sold.

Zhang Xuezhou brazenly squeezed into the crowd, paid the entrance fee, and finally entered the main gate of Silanfang.

On the pavilion, a woman wearing a veil was playing the zither. The mournful sound of the zither was drowned out by the clamor of the crowd, and only a few occasional accented notes could be clearly heard.

People would occasionally engage in lively discussions, while others would stroke their beards in a state of blissful intoxication. Still others would toss a few coins onto the pavilion as a reward.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't quite understand what these people were listening to either; perhaps they just sensed the atmosphere. At least he didn't hear any pleasant melodies.

As Zhang Xuezhou's eyes darted around, scanning the woman who had appeared at Silanfang, he heard someone calling out to him from not far away.

"Hey, Lord Han!"

Zhang Xuezhou followed the sound and saw Imperial Censor Han Anguo sitting at the highest point of the brothel, looking down and waving at him.

"I can't contain my heat; I need to find a wife I like right away so I can drink and chat with Lord Han again next time!"

Before becoming an official, Han Anguo was only involved in financial dealings. However, after becoming one of the Three Dukes of the court, Han Anguo's interactions became involved in political disputes. The conservative and aggressive factions in the court constantly clashed and debated, and Zhang Xuezhou clearly did not want to get involved and take sides.

If I'm not mistaken, Han Anguo must have wanted to explain his reasoning and have Zhang Xuezhou persuade the new emperor.

"I've heard that Lord Dongfang is interested in women with a naturally yin constitution, and coincidentally, I know of one in Silanfang," Han Anguo called out. "Come over here first, and we'll admire this woman together later!"

"You've already heard about my little matter?"

Zhang Xuezhou grumbled and had no choice but to put down the identification method and squeeze onto the platform again.

The crowd was surging both on and off the stage. When they reached the third floor of the brothel where Han Anguo and his group were, the crowd thinned out, with many people sitting in small groups at two or three tables, occasionally raising their glasses to drink with each other.

"After Mayi, it was as if Lord Dongfang had vanished. I only met him today," Han Anguo said quietly.

"After Mayi, it was as if Lord Han had vanished. I only saw him today!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a polite reply, which left Han Anguo speechless for a moment. It was essentially a case of "I didn't see you, you didn't see me," so there was little difference between their statements.

"I still spend my days in the imperial court," Han Anguo said.

"I'm building a tomb in Maoling!"

Zhang Xuezhou's reply was very formulaic, and Han Anguo knew immediately that things were about to go wrong; continuing to communicate like this would easily lead to estrangement.

"At Mayi, although I had no military achievements, I compared our Great Han cavalry with the Xiong State cavalry. Our cavalry was a beat slower. Does Lord Dongfang know what this beat slower means?"

Han Anguo didn't dwell on their relationship; instead, he went straight to the point.

"This means that our Great Han cavalry cannot catch up with the Xiong State cavalry, and any ambush or encirclement will be in vain!"

Without waiting for Zhang Xuezhou to answer, Han Anguo directly stated the result.

"The danger of a horse being a step ahead is greater than that of a sword; it can deliver a fatal blow before you can even make a move," Han Anguo said. "We already face difficulties in our own territory, and if we were to venture into the territory of the Xiong State, we would undoubtedly be exhausted. A single moment of carelessness could lead to our being surrounded and killed by the Xiong State's cavalry, not to mention the difference in our cultivator levels!"

"Lord Han is right!"

"Defending against the city walls is different. We can wait in comfort and attack with our greatest advantage. We can easily take on three, if not ten!"

"Right!"

"The enemy's initial momentum falters, their second weakens, and their third exhausts them. But as long as we engage in repeated battles, our Great Han will surely hold out until the very end!"

"That makes sense!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded repeatedly.

Theory is theory, but action is action.

What the new emperor needs is not a defensive counterattack to prolong the dynasty's existence, but rather to reorganize the entire Great Han Dynasty, break down the separatist forces previously held by princes and marquises, and implement unified educational reforms.

Han Anguo was right, but the reform of the government will not be halted just because one side is right; it may even come at a cost if necessary.

"You should spend more time advising His Majesty when you're by his side," Han Anguo said.

"I will certainly try to persuade His Majesty!"

Zhang Xuezhou readily agreed, which made Han Anguo extremely happy. He found that discussing official matters with Zhang Xuezhou was not as difficult as he had imagined.

Compared to Wei Qing and Gongsun Ao, Zhang Xuezhou was far too reasonable, offering not a single word of rebuttal.

"Come, come, Lord Dongfang, look at that woman. Her Xi Shi, the top courtesan of this Silan Brothel, and she perfectly suits your needs. If you like her, I'll put in a good word for you, and I guarantee you can buy her right away!"

Han Anguo was pleased and even pointed to a woman in red queuing on the fifth floor of Silanfang.

The woman's face was covered by a veil, making it difficult to see her features, but she had a good figure and her looks, as a top courtesan, wouldn't be bad.

Just thinking about Ji Wuyan made Zhang Xuezhou realize how good it was that money could solve problems.

"Please, just say what you need to say!"

Zhang Xuezhou readily agreed, saying a few words that were neither painful nor meaningful to him; what mattered most was resolving his physical ailments as soon as possible.

If there were one more person to help, Yi Shuo would be spared the strain of ruining her health.

If his health issues could be resolved before pregnancy, Zhang Xuezhou would be spared the trouble of being picky about marriage.

He pondered various things, and then repeatedly responded to Han Anguo's polite words.

"You don't accept Bailu coins?"

When the negotiations were halfway through and Zhang Xuezhou was satisfied with the amount of 350,000 coins, the Zhang Xuezhou madam's demands chilled him to the bone.

"I'll let you off the hook. This White Deer Coin, worth 400,000, is worth 350,000 to you. Consider the 50,000 as a gift!"

"Sir, you can't do that! We only accept gold, silver, and half-ounce coins. We have a large group of people who make a living from that. This kind of White Deer Coin is indivisible; we simply can't accept it!"

"How could you not accept it? This is certified by the imperial seal, and it's a white deer coin personally designated by His Majesty the Emperor. How dare you refuse to accept the money?"

"Master Dongfang..."

Zhang Xuezhou knew long ago that the Bailu coins were problematic, but he couldn't use them even though he had them in his hands.

After some back and forth, even with his eloquence, he couldn't force the other party to accept this commemorative currency.

In the end, it was the wealthy and powerful Han Anguo who came to his rescue, taking the white deer coin and converting it into half a tael of silver.

"I can refine some pills. If Lord Han needs them in the future, just bring the ingredients to me, and I'll refine them for you free of charge!"

Zhang Xuezhou did not meddle in politics and neither supported nor opposed Han Anguo's stance.

But having benefited from Han Anguo, he could only reciprocate.

Han Anguo, however, didn't seem to care. He only made a few polite remarks, mentioning that his cultivation had already reached the pinnacle and he no longer needed any additional pills.

When Han Anguo finally sought the elixir, he felt he was nearing death himself.