Chapter 136: Girls Listen to the World

The girls of the Intoxication Pavilion disliked Wu Liniang and were easily swayed by Miss Zhao’s small favors, mainly because the Pleasure House had always used harsh and forceful management methods and did not treat the girls like human beings. As a result, none of the girls felt any sense of belonging or identity with the Pleasure House, let alone any feeling of being half-owners.

If there had been proper, systematic training and guidance, it would have been completely different. If they had been taught from the start to love the Intoxication Pavilion—that the Intoxication Pavilion was their home, and they should all love it—step by step, consistently, these thoughts would have slowly formed and become deeply rooted. That would have made them much easier to manage.

Just like when we were children: on the first day of school, there was a moral education class. As we grew older, we studied politics, this theory and that theory. On ordinary days, we were also influenced by the news broadcast, which told us every day what to love, what to firmly support, and what to know we must obey. Growing up in such an environment, everyone became well-behaved youths.

“Since you have ideas, I’ll leave this matter to you. All you need to do is make the girls feel a sense of identity and belonging with the Intoxication Pavilion. They don’t need to sacrifice their lives for the Intoxication Pavilion, but they also shouldn’t betray it over a little temptation. Actually, this is also to help you. If you can succeed in making everyone in the Intoxication Pavilion listen to you and obey you, it will also benefit your future actions. You already know how powerful women can be over men. Right now, with those five people following you as attendants, plus all the girls of the entire Intoxication Pavilion at your command, along with your own abilities and methods, won’t your endeavors be unstoppable?”

Wu Liniang smiled, a rare sight, and spoke in a calm, deliberate manner. Liu Liwa listened, but his heart was filled with alarm. It felt like an old leader was handing over power to a new leader, gradually transitioning bit by bit, helping him lay the foundation and slowly take real control. Liu Liwa quickly said, “What are you trying to do? Have me sideline you and take over the Intoxication Pavilion? Clearly, that’s a decision where you lose out!”

“Lose out?” Wu Liniang scoffed. “A little place like the Intoxication Pavilion isn’t even worth my attention. However, there are some matters I can’t discuss with you in detail. You just need to know that I greatly appreciate your abilities. As long as you calmly help me with my tasks, I will fully support you. Of course, I won’t let you work for nothing. Remember, in the Dongning Kingdom, you are still a person with a criminal record. Moreover, political struggles are endless. The case of your father, Chancellor Liu, could be brought up again at any time by those with ill intentions, and it could lead to your death at any moment. So, everything you do for me now is also for yourself. Once the task is accomplished, I will free you from all troubles and ensure you live a carefree life!”

After saying this, Wu Liniang turned around gracefully and left without giving Liu Liwa a chance to ask more questions. Liu Liwa himself didn’t want to ask anyway—just those few words had already been heart-stopping. Having been in this time for a while, and with things going smoothly recently, he had almost forgotten his origins. Just as Wu Liniang said, when do political struggles ever truly end? The other side had already successfully brought down Chancellor Liu and was now enjoying the joy of victory, with real power firmly in their hands. Once the thrill of that victory faded, they would surely look for new challenges, or perhaps seek the pleasure of new victories. Their attention would very likely turn to Liu Liwa again. Especially since, even though he had been demoted to slavery in a Pleasure House, he was still managing to thrive. It would be hard for them not to target him.

Facing such a powerful and terrifying enemy, Liu Liwa was truly too small. He really needed backing, something to ensure his survival.

Last time, he had already guessed at Wu Liniang’s motives, but this time she was even more direct. Yet, Liu Liwa didn’t dare to guess anymore. She said she could free him from all “comforts”—that alone spoke volumes. Because the ones targeting him were at the very least high-ranking officials in the court, maybe even involving the Imperial Family. Under such circumstances, Wu Liniang could still casually talk about protecting him. That meant the forces behind her…

Liu Liwa didn’t think about it, and he didn’t dare to. But he knew that even though Wu Liniang’s words might sound alarmist, he still had to be cautious. However, helping Wu Liniang also hid dangers; he could be silenced at any time. But things had reached this point, and Liu Liwa had no other choice. Still, nothing in the world is impossible for a determined heart. Even if the situation was chaotic and the future looked dark, as long as he was alive, there would always be a way to solve it.

Moreover, now that Wu Liniang was willing to delegate authority and let him use the resources of the Intoxication Pavilion to act as he saw fit, this was his most powerful asset at the moment. The Intoxication Pavilion was full of women—women who understood men extremely well. And most of the enemies Liu Liwa would face were men. Everything in the world has its counterbalance!

From where things stood now, whether for his own sake, for Wu Liniang’s, or for Qin Wan’er and Liuyun, Liu Liwa had to take action. The first thing he needed to do now was win over hearts, build a team, and use the Intoxication Pavilion as his stage to start his legendary life.

Liu Liwa entered the Intoxication Pavilion. Sure enough, Wu Liniang, Shen Zuijin, Wang Meng, and the other major figures were not there. It really seemed like they were handing management over to him. The girls on the first floor were gathered together, still discussing Xiuzhu’s marriage and Cuiping’s successful return to freedom. When you drink water, remember the one who dug the well—naturally, they hadn’t forgotten Liu Liwa’s contributions.

As soon as Liu Liwa appeared, the girls immediately sat him down and directly asked him if he had any more good ideas to help them quickly earn Silver Taels, so they wouldn’t end up starving on the streets. The best would be a way to successfully buy their freedom.

Liu Liwa’s answer was simple, the most straightforward and effective method: “Marry a rich man!”

The girls were familiar with him by now and didn’t hold back. They pressed him down and gave him a playful beating amid their scolding and powder-scented fists. Liu Liwa experienced the power of a “rouge battalion.” Actually, getting these girls to listen to your arrangements and follow your instructions was quite simple: sincerely help them.

However, although it didn’t need to be as severe as brainwashing, some necessary training was still required. At the very least, they needed to feel a sense of belonging to the Intoxication Pavilion, so they wouldn’t be easily poached. They needed to willingly obey their superiors, follow work assignments, be organized, and maintain discipline…

This matter looked complicated, but in practice, it was very simple. Most leaders cultivated their own teams and loyal followers by starting with meetings. The content of the meetings could imitate the Celestial Empire’s news broadcast. First, let them know that the leader is very busy and is working hard for their welfare and personal interests. Second, their lives are very happy; they should be content and know how to be grateful. Third, the outside world is chaotic; everyone else is living in misery. Grasp these three points, change the topics daily, but keep the core message the same—endlessly. Talk to them for half an hour every day, and they can’t even change the channel!

“Come, come, sisters! Since we have some free time now, everyone sit down properly and listen to me analyze the current situation and look ahead to the future,” Liu Liwa called out.

With Xiuzhu and Cuiping’s cases right there, the girls had already developed a deep trust in him. Hearing his call, over forty girls immediately found places to sit properly. Even girls from the second and third floors came down to join in. Liu Liwa naturally welcomed them all. He sat on the high platform where he usually told stories, humming the news broadcast’s opening tune in his mind. He took out a piece of toilet paper to use as a news script, sat up straight with a subtle smile on his face, and spoke in a low, magnetic voice: “Hello, everyone. Today is the eighth day of the tenth month, in the first year of Tianwu, approximately November 3, 555 AD, Thursday. Welcome to the first episode of Intoxication Pavilion’s ‘Girls Listen to the World’ program. This program is exclusively brought to you by Liu Xiaoqi. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited; violators will be prosecuted. The final interpretation rights of this program belong to Liu Xiaoqi. This program is sponsored by Sanlu Milk. Drink Sanlu, and you won’t need to rest even three times a night…”