Hasn’t this eldest young master grown up yet? What were the people at Guangtong Company thinking, arranging such a person for negotiations!
“All of you get up. If you want to report to someone, go report to my eldest young master first. The eldest young master is already waiting at the Lu mansion.”
Pang Xiao’s eyes lit up like a child receiving candy, exclaiming in delight: “Really?”
“Naturally true.”
“This young master doesn’t have to keep staying in this godforsaken place anymore?”
Manager Yuan couldn’t even be bothered to answer, turning instead to order the jailer to open the doors.
The sound of clanking chains echoed from within the cells as the doors to all three prison cells were opened.
Pang Xiao helped Qin Yining stand up, pounding his thighs that had gone sore from her sitting on them.
Qin Yining smiled apologetically: “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and followed Manager Yuan out of the prison.
The prisoners confined in the jail each shouted about being wronged, but they couldn’t get out even though they wanted to.
Outside the prison, the sky was azure blue and clear—it was the season of crisp autumn weather.
Qin Yining squinted, unaccustomed to the brightness. Pang Xiao also closed his eyes for a while before opening them.
Manager Yuan looked at the group with distaste and said: “Young Master Wan’s servants can return to your pleasure boat. Everything on the boat hasn’t been touched by our eldest young master. As for you, you can come with me.”
Pang Xiao acted unreasonably: “I won’t go! We’re all still hungry! Going with you—are we going to the Lu family to eat?”
Manager Yuan couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Was conducting business important or eating important? Even after being starved for three days, with business right before them, how could one not care about it!
Manager Yuan, acting under orders to escort these people, naturally had to endure it, accompanying Pang Xiao’s group back to the pleasure boat first.
Everyone washed up, and the cook barely managed to prepare some rice porridge. They all made do with eating some. Having been hungry too long, eating too much at once would actually be harmful, so Qin Yining and Pang Xiao only ate one bowl of rice porridge with small dishes.
After eating and drinking their fill, Pang Xiao brought Qin Yining, Huzi, Ji Yun, and Bingtang off the boat to find Manager Yuan.
Manager Yuan had already grown impatient waiting. Seeing that Pang Xiao was still embracing his beauty when going to conduct business, he felt truly jealous, envious, and contemptuous, snorting through his nose.
With his duty at hand, he still led the group to the Lu family.
The Lu family mansion occupied much more land than Qin Yining had imagined. The two stone lions in front of the main gate were polished to a bright sheen. When their group’s carriage passed by, the servants sitting on the steps in front of the gate, conversing in low voices, all looked in their direction.
Manager Yuan instructed the driver to take the carriage to the side gate.
The driver responded and drove the carriage directly past the main gate, turning right at the corner.
This street was narrower than the main street, but the road surface was the same as the main street—swept clean and tidy.
As soon as they saw the carriage arrive, the gatekeeper immediately came forward to pay respects.
“Manager Yuan has arrived.”
“Mm.” Manager Yuan nodded with a smile, stepping down from the carriage first. He stood by the carriage with his hands in his sleeves, expressionlessly watching “Lady Ning” alight.
After three days of hunger in prison, this beauty had become even more slender. Her small waist was so delicate it seemed two hands could encircle it, and when she lowered her gaze, her long lashes fluttered like trembling butterfly wings.
Manager Yuan sighed inwardly. He hadn’t seized the opportunity, and now it probably wouldn’t work out. As for what would happen in the future, he’d have to see what the eldest young master intended. If the eldest young master could succeed, he probably had no recourse. If the eldest young master couldn’t succeed, he’d eventually find a way to obtain the woman from Young Master Wan.
He didn’t believe that a dissolute libertine like Young Master Wan would exclusively favor one woman for long.
Pang Xiao helped Qin Yining stand steady, naturally not missing the calculation and greed in Manager Yuan’s eyes. The corner of his mouth curved slightly as he said without betraying emotion: “Manager Yuan, please lead the way.”
Manager Yuan came back to his senses and led the two into the mansion. They walked through long alleys to the outer courtyard study, passed through a connecting hall, went around covered walkways, and through a crabapple gate, finally arriving at a secluded courtyard.
The courtyard gate’s oil-green painted wooden door stood open, with a young maid standing quietly in front.
The courtyard had three main rooms, with a stone brick path leading straight to the main gate and side rooms with ear chambers on both sides. On the left side was a flourishing osmanthus tree, and on the right, a stone table was placed under a grape arbor. Close to the courtyard wall, several plots of bamboo were planted, and in the pond, lotus flowers had already faded while several golden carp swam leisurely.
Lu Zheng and Lu Xi were sitting at the stone table under the grape arbor, playing chess.
“Young master, the people have been brought over,” Manager Yuan said in a low, gentle voice, as if afraid of disturbing Lu Zheng’s chess-playing concentration.
Lu Zheng held a white piece, observing the chess position and methodically placing his piece. The chessboard made a soft “thock” sound.
He acted as if he hadn’t heard anything and paid no attention to those beside him.
Lu Xi wasn’t as composed as Lu Zheng. He looked up at Pang Xiao with a complex expression.
However, since Lu Zheng didn’t take a stance, he naturally wouldn’t either. He quietly accompanied Lu Zheng through two more moves.
Lu Zheng seemed to come to his senses only then, smiling: “I understand. Manager Yuan, go rest first. Thank you for making the trip.”
“I wouldn’t dare. This servant takes his leave.” Manager Yuan smiled apologetically and withdrew, leaving the courtyard, but feeling somewhat suspicious inside.
Could it be that the eldest young master knew about his private visit to the prison to proposition Lady Ning?
At this time, two beautiful senior maids came out from the house, carrying two folding stools and setting up a small rattan table. After arranging everything properly, they guided Pang Xiao and Qin Yining to take their seats.
Bingtang, Ji Yun, and Huzi all withdrew to stand in the corner by the courtyard gate.
Qin Yining and Pang Xiao didn’t drink tea, just quietly waited for Lu Zheng to finish his chess game.
Obviously, this was a show of force from the other party. Though this kind of show of force was neither painful nor damaging, while the humiliating intent was expressed quite directly, Qin Yining and Pang Xiao were both people who had weathered great storms. They wouldn’t take to heart such things that caused no substantial harm. What the couple cared about was whether the matter could be accomplished.
However, Pang Xiao was playing a useless dandy, so naturally he couldn’t appear too composed at this moment.
He acted as if he had bugs crawling on him, changing his sitting posture every few moments, slurping his tea loudly, and setting the teacup down with clattering sounds.
In short, he portrayed the image of someone willful, impatient, and ignorant of proper etiquette to perfection.
Watching from the side, Qin Yining couldn’t help but find it amusing.
Lu Zheng had originally wanted to continue deflating the Wan family eldest young master’s arrogance. But who would have thought that after three days in prison, this person showed no improvement and remained the same.
Hearing the various noises he created, no matter how good his mood had been, it was gone. Lu Zheng placed his chess piece and waved at Lu Xi.
Lu Xi nodded: “Yes.” He stood up and moved aside to attend.
“I’ve kept you both waiting. I was engrossed in the game and neglected my distinguished guests,” Lu Zheng said politely.
Normally, anyone seeking favors from the Lu family would smoothly respond with “not neglected at all” and exchange pleasantries to build rapport. But Pang Xiao said carelessly: “Exactly! We waited so long—how have you still not determined the winner?”
Lu Zheng took a deep breath, smiled, but his words were genuinely impolite: “You are the eldest young master of the Wan family from Guangtong Company?”
Qin Yining’s heart skipped a beat—after all, they were imposters.
Pang Xiao confidently raised his chin: “That’s right.”
Lu Zheng shook his head regretfully: “How could Guangtong Company send someone like you? Aren’t they afraid of ruining things and bringing shame to their trading house?”
“Hey, what do you mean by that! I’m the future master of Guangtong Company—how would I ruin things or bring shame to my family?”
Lu Zheng kept shaking his head with the helpless expression of a scholar meeting a soldier—having reason but unable to explain it clearly.
“Forget it, forget it. You’re here to discuss the business of buying an imperial inspector? Let’s hurry and finish the proper business so we won’t have to meet again in the future.”
Pang Xiao crossed his arms and rolled his eyes: “You think I want to discuss things with you? If the old master hadn’t instructed me, would I suffer here? When I return, I’ll definitely tell the old master how the Lu family treats its customers!”
“If your family’s old master weren’t begging and pleading, do you think you’d be qualified to sit here and speak with me now?” Lu Zheng was thoroughly disgusted by this person’s noisiness and got straight to the point.
“Alright, alright, speak up. What does Guangtong Company want to buy an imperial inspector for?”
Pang Xiao looked around, then glared warily at Lu Xi.
“Feel free to speak. No one here will spread what we say.” Then he smiled mockingly: “Even if it spread, there’s nothing to fear. My Lu family’s business hasn’t been conducted for just a day or two. This kind of business isn’t anything unusual. If anyone dares to criticize, my Lu family naturally has ways to deal with them.”
Such confident tone, such practiced ease—Qin Yining thought Lu Zheng was probably telling the truth. They had indeed conducted quite a bit of such business.
Speaking so casually about selling official positions and titles, the Lu family’s century-old foundation ran deeper and their capabilities were stronger than she had understood—truly immeasurable.
But was conducting business this way really good?
Qin Yining fell into contemplation.
Pang Xiao snorted and said: “I’ll tell you the truth. Our Guangtong Company wants to establish roots in the former capital of Great Yan. To expand business and extend connections, naturally many things are inconvenient. Without people in the court, we’re naturally constrained in our actions. The local officials there are inflexible, so we thought—could the court arrange for a temporary official to go there and support us?”
Lu Zheng sneered: “You think it’s quite easy. Appointing imperial inspectors requires the Son of Heaven’s personal word. If the Son of Heaven doesn’t speak of appointing an imperial inspector, do you think anyone can easily arrange for one?”
“That depends on your family’s capabilities. Otherwise, our silver wouldn’t be well spent, and wouldn’t you be ruining your own reputation?”
Lu Zheng found that rogue face of “Young Master Wan” annoying just looking at it—what a waste of such good looks. He simply shifted his gaze away and openly admired the beauty: “Since we let you come, we naturally have this capability. It’s just that the matter is genuinely difficult to handle, and moreover, we agreed on the tenth day of the tenth month—you’ve come somewhat early.”
“Isn’t it because I’m anxious? Besides, I’ve never been to Danzhou City before, so I came to look around.” Pang Xiao, somewhat afraid of being exposed, calmly provided reasonable excuses.
His roguish appearance made such words completely believable. Lu Zheng didn’t suspect anything and said: “How about this—let’s first discuss the conditions. If the conditions are suitable, this deal will be half completed.”