"I'm offering one-hundred thousand taels to redeem you! Leave with me now," declared Jin Wangsun, as he threw down a stack of cheques that landed loudly. "Since you are offering yourself up for a price, your new master can afford you!"
Jin Wangsun sneaked out for the day in order to find Huo Qing'er and clear the air with her. However, he didn't find her at Heavenly Fragrance Garden. Then, he heard of Ming Suwen offering herself up, which had caused an uproar. Among the intelligence he had collected, there was a mention of the mysterious woman, Juese. Apparently, it was her who took Huo Qing'er to Heavenly Fragrance Garden. Suspecting that the bitch, Juese, may have been the instigator who caused Huo Qing'er's change of heart, Jin Wangsun aggressively barged onto Ethereal Beauty Boat.
His declaration sounded imposing. The stack of cheques he threw down was positively authentic. There were one-hundred thousand taels there. At brothels and similar places, such an exorbitant amount should've earned countless looks of admiration and voices of praise. Master Jin would then take off with Juese with everyone watching on. He would then use tactics such as bribery and force to get her to reveal Huo Qing'er's whereabouts. Worse came to worse, he would violate the beauty to pry the answer out of her.
Owing to being placed under house arrest for days, listening to the slanderous songs, dealing with Princess Jingan, who might've ended her support for him at the drop of a hat, and even having the offices' men supervising his abode, too, Jin Wangsun had been enraged for some time.
Despite seeing Ming Suwen with a face veil, he could faintly see her smooth and white skin, long and slender legs and mountain peaks that stood tall, he couldn't resist his urge to let off some steam on the peerless beauty. Nevertheless, nobody reacted after he made his bold declaration. The people's attitudes were indiscernible. Some even displayed smiles hiding ill will, while some showed pity for a retard. Even the maid hiding behind the flower vase cackled due to how comical she felt Jin Wangsun was.
Jin Wangsun had no idea where he went wrong. With a cold expression, he fumed, "Since when did maids have the right to stick their noses into their master's conversations? You sick of living?!"
Ming Suwen giggled, "Not all maids are equal; it depends on whose maid it is. My maid has a right to speak. Master Jin, this is not your home. Your imposing act was performed on the wrong stage. Same goes for your money."
Jin Wangsun raged, "What, you complaining that it's too little?"
"Hahaha, silly boy, you want me, Miss Juese, with that meagre amount? One-hundred thousand taels?"
A young flower boy, who was oblivious of Jin Wangsun's background, sitting at the front of the hall, slapped his table as he laughed, "You look to be one who's willing to spend money, but you're late, dipshit. Take a look at Miss Juese's supreme beauty. Who are intimating with your spare change? Forget one-hundred thousand tails, even one-hundred and fifty thousand taels is a joke. On the first day Miss Juese became a courtesan, there was someone who offered one-hundred and thirty thousand taels. After two days, the highest offer is now one-hundred and eighty thousand taels!"
Jin Wangsun finally learnt that the woman's worth was a mind-shattering price. He came to the capital with a very big plot in mind. He aimed to win the imperial court's support. As such, he brought a decent amount of money to pave his way into people's graces. Having been placed under house arrest within just days, however, he never got to spend the money. Subsequently, he had a huge amount on him.
Jin Wangsun had run into roadblock after roadblock and faced setback after setback ever since setting foot in the capital. Now he was being mocked by strangers. Unsurprisingly, he was irate. He gritted his teeth and took out another thick stack of cheques.
"This is two-hundred thousand taels!" announced Jin Wangsun, as he threw the stack of cheques down, emitting a loud smack upon contact. This time, he silenced everyone on board.
The offers for Ming Suwen may never reach that price, but, at present, Jin Wangsun had made the highest offer. Most of the offers were made by second generation rich children from families with power. Sure, jeering Jin Wangsun was fun, but asking them to suddenly pull out hundreds of thousands to ridicule Jin Wangsun? They'd rather die.
Just a brief moment after, the crowd began to gossip amongst themselves. After some discussion, a middle-aged man came forth, appearing to have something to say. He wasted no time with unnecessary words. What exited his mouth was a bland tone, "Two-hundred and twenty thousand taels."
Now, that offer literally blew the top off the boat!
The official date for bids had yet to arrive, yet the bid had already reached a startling amount! But nevertheless, the patrons felt something was odd; the man who made the offer was quite familiar. Apparently, he was the general manager of Assistant Minister Lu's manor. He couldn't possibly have money. His master was Young Master Lu. It was impossible for him to have that huge sum. It would be even more impossible for Assistant Minister Lu to make the offer, for he was caught "picking flowers" by his wife a few days ago in front of the Heavenly Fragrance Garden. Everybody present saw him get caught. It wasn't until they saw the Young Master Lu's prankster smile that they figured out what was going on.
"Ah," they realised. He was planning to raise the price to play Jin Wangsun.
Jin Wangsun went along with it just as Young Master Lu desired. Voice aggressive, he exclaimed, "Two-hundred and forty thousand!"
"Well, since we know that everyone except Jin Wangsun is making random offers, why not dump more misfortunes on the unfortunate man?" they figured. Hence, someone in the corner immediately made another offer, "Two-hundred and forty thousand and one!"
Immediately afterwards, a barrage of offers were made.
"And twenty!"
"And eighteen!"
Jin Wangsun thundered, "Two-hundred and fifty thousand!"
The owner of Heavenly Fragrance Garden, who stood in the centre of the place, felt a chill up her spine. Sweat condensed on her forehead. She was one step from passing out. She thought, "Is this a dream…? I'm… so blissful!"
She immediately picked up her abacus and paper to record every offer made. She smiled brightly.
Ming Suwen was the only one who maintained a composed expression. The soaring price and enthusiasm meant nothing to her. The owner of Heavenly Fragrance Garden ran back and forth. She was so happy that she was barely able to walk straight, eventually leading to her bumping into a man by accident.
"Oh my, sorry, sorry. You look quite hasty. Are you here for the courtesan?'
The hasty customer laughed helplessly, "Most certainly."
The owner's nose was ready to fire a shot of blood from her nose. She was on cloud nine. She rubbed her hands together, "How much are you willing to offer, Dear Customer?'
The customer's laughter gradually ceased. Voice stern, he replied, "I don't have… a single tael."
Ming Suwen's body juddered upon hearing the new customer's voice. She shifted her gaze to the door with disbelief. Jin Wangsun looked over with a suspicion. The others were puzzled at first, and then their expressions slowly froze stiff as if they were actually frozen in ice.
The man at the door was tall enough to block out the sunlight behind him. He was akin to a dark cloud that had drifted over. His dark demeanour induced a stifling atmosphere. The guards outside never saw him arrive. When they did see him, he was already at the front of the hall.
Every step he took felt as though he was stomping on their hearts. He couldn't have looked any more ordinary from the side, but his back exuded an unmatched heroic aura. Like an ordinary dark cloud, yet hiding a frightening lightning strike behind it, would be how one would describe him. His slow, but powerful steps shook their hearts. However, when they looked at him from in front, it felt as though their blood froze.
His facial features were hidden behind a terrifying green mask made from copper with fangs. Only his eyes were visible. His gaze was set dead straight on the courtesan wearing the face veil.
Word by word, he enunciated himself with authoritative clarity, "I will never put a price on you. For as long as I am alive… I will not let any other put a price on her, either."
His words were comparable to boulders crushing their hearts. The last thing they noticed, however, was his hair behind him that reflected the sunlight.
The sun on Qinhuai River sets. His hair was white as snow.
Glossary
*Young Master Lu - "Lu" is pronounced "Loo," in an American accent.
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