The pedestrians near the wharf had long since scattered completely clean, and even the boatmen on nearby vessels had hidden themselves. This place was so quiet that not even a bird could be seen.

Pang Xiao withdrew his gaze from surveying the surrounding environment, then carefully examined all the guards and servants the other party had brought, getting a clear sense of the situation. He cleared his throat and deliberately adopted a fierce but cowardly posture.

“Who are you people, and why do you stand before this young master’s pleasure boat!”

“May I ask this brother, did a young man named Lu Xi board your vessel today?”

Pang Xiao stiffened his neck, embracing Qin Yining’s waist while tilting up his chin: “What if he did, what if he didn’t? That dog dared to act wildly before this young master, so naturally this young master had him seized!”

Lu Zheng’s face darkened: “I am Lu Zheng, legitimate eldest son of the Lu family, and Lu Xi is my attendant. Since you admit to capturing Lu Xi, you should release him. This would save us both trouble, otherwise…”

Though his words remained unfinished, the threatening intent was already quite obvious.

Pang Xiao gestured with the hand behind his back toward Huzi.

Huzi and several Elite Tiger Guards, who had originally tensed their muscles and were ready to grab weapons and charge, understood the signal. Though unwilling in their hearts, they still acted like startled birds, trembling and exchanging fearful glances as if intimidated by the enemy’s superior numbers.

“What’s so impressive about being the Lu family’s legitimate eldest son?” Pang Xiao shouted loudly. “Do you know who I am? I’m the eldest young master of the Wan family of Guangtong Company! I represent our Wan family in conducting business with the Lu family! Since you’re a young master of the Lu family, that’s just perfect—I’m your major client! Your family’s servant came before me making a huge commotion and putting on airs like a young master. I showed him favor by not sending him directly to the authorities. If you want him back, shouldn’t you compensate me somewhat? Your family’s servant frightened my beauty terribly!” He displayed an attitude suggesting that if Lu Zheng didn’t yield, the business deal could forget about proceeding.

Lu Zheng was so angry he actually laughed.

So this fool was the one Guangtong Company had sent to negotiate? Had everyone at Guangtong Company died, that they would dispatch such a thing?

Lu Zheng couldn’t help but look Pang Xiao up and down—nothing but an embroidered pillow.

Having traveled extensively for so many years, this was the first time he’d seen someone dare to stand tall before the Lu family. Acting so completely without measure, he probably wouldn’t even know when or how he died.

Turning his head, he suddenly caught sight of the woman’s full face in that fool’s embrace, and Lu Zheng’s heart jumped, his mind seeming to blank for an instant.

That woman’s exquisite features seemed carved from the finest white jade—even the most skilled craftsman probably couldn’t carve such perfect beauty. Combined with her delicate and tender appearance, her misty eyes, and her shy, timid manner as she leaned into Young Master Wan’s embrace, her vulnerable appearance truly tickled one’s heartstrings.

In this instant, Lu Zheng felt as if something was growing wildly in his heart.

Such an absolute beauty was matched with such a fool? What a terrible waste!

Lu Zheng had already found the person before him disagreeable, but now found him even more so, with several additional points of jealousy. Why had heaven favored such a creature, letting him encounter this beauty first!

“Your beauty was frightened? What compensation do you say you want?” Lu Zheng’s voice was extremely cold.

Greedy light flashed opportunely in Pang Xiao’s eyes.

“You’ll give silver? Ha! I won’t ask for too much, lest it trouble you. How about just ten million taels of silver.”

Lu Zheng nearly couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. Such a mediocrity could actually represent the Wan family in negotiations?

Now he truly doubted Guangtong Company’s capabilities. Such a family—forget about buying an imperial inspector, even if all the local officials great and small belonged to them, their business would sooner or later lose everything.

Lu Zheng flicked his sleeve and placed both hands behind his back: “Ten million taels of silver isn’t much.”

“Exactly! I said your family has great wealth and extensive business—ten million taels is merely plucking a hair. My beauty was so frightened by that brute yesterday that she shed tears, crying until my heart ached. Ten million taels of silver to buy her a couple sets of jewelry, plus some tonics for this young master—it’s not excessive.”

Lu Zheng smiled slightly: “Such an absolute beauty would indeed be worth ten million taels of silver in jewelry, but you… hmph. Besides, that beauty isn’t mine—why should I pay silver?”

A middle-aged man had been standing beside Lu Zheng all along.

The man sported a small mustache and stared directly at Qin Yining with both eyes. Hearing these words, he seemed suddenly released from paralysis.

“Precisely so! My young master offers ten million taels of silver to buy that woman—you’d be making a huge profit. You return Lu Xi, and the accounts between our sides can be settled with one stroke. Young Master Wan, you should think carefully. Such good fortune doesn’t come every day. If you anger my young master, you might end up with neither person nor wealth!”

Pang Xiao immediately felt fire rise in his heart, but forcibly suppressed his anger, warning himself not to ruin the important matter. He barely refrained from directly charging up to kill someone.

“I won’t sell my beauty—I haven’t had enough fun with her yet.” Pang Xiao crossed his arms: “If you’re willing to pay ten million taels of silver as ransom, you can take back that worthless servant. Otherwise forget it—we can settle matters at the authorities.”

Huzi, Bingtang and the others, seeing someone covet the princess, had long been furious beyond measure and immediately stepped forward to support him.

“Exactly! When all’s said and done, our young master went drinking at pleasure houses and ransomed a girl—that’s our family’s business. But someone ran out claiming to be that girl’s fiancé, refused to pay money, and demanded we hand over the person. He even spoke viciously to our young master. Was our young master wrong to have him arrested and sent to the authorities?”

Pang Xiao performed the fool vividly and energetically, bouncing as he agreed: “Right! Was there anything wrong with that!”

Lu Zheng suddenly smiled charmingly: “Do you think this is some place for reasoning with you? Ask which way the yamen gates open.”

Having spoken, he seemed to lose patience and waved toward his followers.

The fifty or sixty servants and guards who had accompanied him swarmed directly onto the boat like a swarm of bees.

“Stand aside, all squat down!”

“All squat down, don’t move, or we’ll throw you all into Azure Lake!”

The crowd charged about roughly, causing the cooks and boatmen on the vessel to cry out in alarm. In the black night, the shouting from the wharf carried far, as if some great tragedy had occurred.

Behind them, Pang Xiao gestured to Huzi, signaling him to lead everyone in not fighting back.

Understanding, Huzi joined the Elite Tiger Guards in playing cowards, also loudly calling for mercy.

For a time, the pleasure boat was in complete chaos.

Pang Xiao only held Qin Yining tightly, putting on the appearance of being scared senseless, collapsing to sit on the ground while shouting: “What do you want to do? Are you trying to rob us! Does the Lu family get rich through robbery? You must be an imposter! Would a Lu family eldest young master actually engage in robbery? Is there no justice left? I paid silver to ransom someone, and you people all come to snatch her away one after another. Do you have no shame!”

Hearing Pang Xiao speak this way, Qin Yining nearly couldn’t maintain her act and almost burst out laughing.

With Pang Xiao’s excellent acting skills, had he also thrown such tantrums and played the fool at court? Had Li Qitian nearly been angered to the point of vomiting blood?

Qin Yining didn’t know about past events, but Lu Zheng’s face had certainly turned white with anger.

“Shut up! If you continue spouting nonsense, this young master will throw you in the lake to feed the fish!”

Pang Xiao immediately closed his mouth, displaying cowardice to perfection.

The pleasure boat was only so large, and soon someone found both Lu Xi and Fuxue from the cabin.

Lu Xi’s tear stains hadn’t dried, and though his body bore no obvious wounds, he appeared much more haggard. Seeing this, Lu Zheng frowned immediately and ordered: “Why haven’t you untied him?”

The middle-aged man who had previously spoken for Lu Zheng immediately stepped forward to loosen the ropes binding Lu Xi.

Lu Xi raised his head and said hazily: “Manager Yuan, thank you.”

“Get up quickly. When the eldest young master learned you’d gone out and hadn’t returned to the mansion, he worried terribly and brought people to search for you overnight.” Manager Yuan sighed.

Lu Xi straightened his body and, full of remorse and regret, kowtowed to Lu Zheng: “Eldest young master, this is my fault, I was ungrateful… it’s my mistake, I was wrong!”

After learning the truth, he had been deeply shaken. Now understanding Lu Zheng’s painstaking care, he also comprehended why Fuxue had toyed with and used him so.

Regret, self-reproach, anger, heartbreak—all these emotions mixed together. For a time, Lu Xi wept torrentially, prostrating himself on the ground and crying uncontrollably.

Lu Zheng momentarily didn’t understand what had happened, but seeing Lu Xi cry so heartbrokenly made his own heart ache. He quickly helped the man up with both hands and asked no superfluous questions, only saying: “Alright, whatever happened, we’ll discuss it after returning home. These people dared to imprison you—I must certainly teach them a lesson!”

Lu Zheng looked toward Pang Xiao, who still sat on the ground as if his legs were too weak to stand, and smiled mockingly: “Take all these people to the county jail and lock them up.”

“Yes.”

Manager Yuan immediately responded, hastily ordering his men to seize everyone on the pleasure boat, and personally went along.

Pang Xiao offered no resistance, appearing so frightened he might wet himself. Whether from extreme terror or something else, his arms holding Qin Yining simply wouldn’t loosen, like a drowning man clutching a life-saving log.

Manager Yuan tugged several times without success and cursed silently that this fool was truly a lecher—even at such a time, he wouldn’t forget to embrace the beauty.

The beauty had been frightened and buried her head while sobbing pitifully in a manner that truly aroused pity. Manager Yuan’s heart nearly broke from tenderness.

The servants and guards seized everyone from Pang Xiao’s pleasure boat and, without avoiding onlookers, marched in grand procession toward the county jail. This drew residents along the street who heard the commotion to cautiously push open small gaps in their windows to peek outside.

On the wharf, Fuxue knelt on the ground, shivering and kowtowing in the night wind: “Young master, please spare this servant! This servant knows her wrongs, this servant won’t dare again, never again!”

Lu Zheng didn’t even glance at her and called to Lu Xi: “Return to the mansion.”

“Yes.” Lu Xi followed Lu Zheng’s steps without sparing Fuxue another glance.

Fuxue knelt there in bewilderment, watching their retreating figures with confused eyes.

Had the eldest young master forgiven her?

Lu Zheng asked Lu Xi: “What exactly happened? How did you end up captured?”

Lu Xi’s face was full of shame as he objectively recounted the course of events. After pondering briefly, he added:

“Eldest young master, regarding that Young Master Wan—I feel he may not be as foolish as he appears on the surface.”