Chapter 61: Willing to Take a Beating

"Alright, turn around. You’ve already paid for those things, so it would be a waste not to eat them!" Zhao Cheng called out, gesturing for Zhao Xin to sit next to him and pointing at the food still on the table.

"Little brother, what do you really want? You’re not going to kill us, are you? Do you want to keep us alive?"

"Don’t jump to conclusions. What use would I have for two useless people like you? Look at the big shot you killed, and you only got five thousand guan. Old Zhang spent hundreds of thousands of guan for that position. If he knew his life was only worth five thousand guan, he’d be furious!" Zhao Cheng waved a stack of banknotes he had found and shouted at them.

"Brother, we were wrong just now. You can keep the money, but please spare my junior sister!" Lu Xiaoyao smiled helplessly. This kid was something else, outsmarting even him, an old hand in the game. Yet, with the sharp weapon in his hand, they didn’t dare to make a move.

"I don’t like killing people; I just like money. Killing you would stink up my place, and no one would pay me for it. I don’t do losing deals!" Zhao Cheng shook his head. "Don’t just stand there, sit down and keep eating. You paid for it, so it’s yours!"

"Alright, we’re still hungry. Even if we die, we won’t die of hunger!" Lu Xiaoyao pulled Xiao Mei to sit down and tore off a chicken leg for her.

Zhao Cheng ignored him, divided the food on the table, and then counted out a few more banknotes. "Brother, Sister, this money is for the treatment and materials, a total of three hundred guan. You were threatening to kill us, so I’ll have nightmares tonight. Two hundred guan for mental distress. The rest is yours. I’ll keep these knives and darts for you to prevent you from accidentally throwing them and hurting me. Don’t worry, I won’t charge you for storage!" Zhao Cheng put the remaining banknotes and some loose gold and silver into their money pouches and threw them back.

"Do you mean you’re letting us go?" Lu Xiaoyao didn’t expect this outcome and asked hesitantly.

"Of course. What use would I have for you? If you leave, all those cats and dogs outside will leave too. You know, they’ve been causing chaos in our mansion, making it impossible for me to go out. The guards patrol day and night, and I have to pay them overtime, night meals, and shoe wear. If you leave, I’ll save all that!" Zhao Cheng counted the costs on his fingers, looking pained.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll come back to kill you?" Xiao Mei was both angry and resentful, but also a bit impressed. She asked curiously.

"Not at all. You’re assassins, right? I’m sure you’re professional assassins!" Xiao Mei nodded, acknowledging Zhao Cheng’s assessment. "There are laws and rules. You take money to eliminate problems. If no one pays you to kill me, you’d be breaking your own rules, and you wouldn’t be able to survive in the world of assassins!" Zhao Cheng said with a wicked smile.

"But you found out our secret. Aren’t you afraid our employer will pay us to kill you and silence us?" Xiao Mei added.

"Hmph, if I’m not mistaken, your employer is that old man Cai Jing, right? He wouldn’t dare to kill me, not even to insult me! Besides, my weapons aren’t just for show. If you’re not afraid of death, you can try again." Zhao Cheng said disdainfully.

"Who are you, really?" Xiao Mei was intimidated. He didn’t even fear the current prime minister, and she asked in surprise.

"You’re really useless. You’ve been in this mansion for days and don’t even know whose territory it is? Listen up, I am the second prince of the current emperor, Prince Yuncheng, Zhao Cheng!" Zhao Cheng said proudly.

"Ah?!" Lu Xiaoyao and Xiao Mei exchanged a bitter smile. No wonder this kid was so confident. With such a powerful backer, no one could touch him. But as people of the world, they weren’t easily intimidated.

"Prince, can we talk? I’m injured, and there are enemies outside. I want to stay in your mansion for a while. Of course, we’ll pay!" Lu Xiaoyao, being quick-witted, knew he couldn’t survive outside. Staying here was his only chance, so he quickly proposed.

"That’s a bit tricky, but not making money when there’s a chance is foolish. This is a prince’s mansion, and the expenses are high! Your accommodation, food, medicine, and security costs are not small. Can you afford it?" Zhao Cheng clicked his tongue, doubting their ability to pay.

"Prince, don’t worry. We have some savings!" Lu Xiaoyao quickly agreed, calculating that his money would last a few days at the current rate.

Then, Zhao Cheng, like a businessman, negotiated the details with Lu Xiaoyao, setting the price. Of course, precautions were necessary. Zhao Cheng made them each take a 'Nine Turn Life-Stealing Pill,' and the cost was, of course, on them. Lu Xiaoyao wasn’t stupid; he feared Zhao Cheng’s ulterior motives, using Zhao Xin as a hostage to prevent him from revealing anything.

"You’ll need a suitable identity while staying in the mansion. Will you be distant relatives of Zhao Xin, or his older brother and sister?" After settling everything, Zhao Cheng asked.

"I’m too old to be his sister. I’ll be his aunt!" Xiao Mei said quickly.

"Fine, but next time, remember to put something on your ears and hands. Who’s ever seen a thirty-year-old with twenty-year-old hands? We have people in the mansion who have been in the world, and if they notice, it won’t be good." Zhao Cheng said and turned to leave.

"I thought he was flattering me by calling me 'Sister.' It turns out he saw through me from the start!" Xiao Mei shivered, feeling a bone-chilling cold. She felt transparent in front of this kid, unable to hide anything.

This incident caused no ripples. The next day, everyone in the courtyard knew that Zhao Xin’s relatives had come to stay in the guest rooms. The man was simple and honest, and the woman was warm and polite, a good couple. The only issue was that the man seemed unwell and had to take medicine daily. Zhao Xin naturally took leave and stayed with them, reuniting with his long-lost relatives.

However, after a few days, the mansion’s people changed their views. They thought Zhao Xin’s relatives were not very considerate, not mentioning redeeming Zhao Xin and making him serve them constantly, causing him to take leave multiple times. A few more days passed, and people forgave them, learning that the couple had suffered a disaster, and the man was ill. They came to the mansion hoping to find work, and the prince, being 'kind,' arranged for them to be gardeners, giving them a way to earn a living.

"Zhao Xin, are those two still behaving?" Zhao Cheng was kneeling on a chair, drawing on a few sheets of paper.

"Second Master, they’re behaving. They’re learning gardening from Old Wang, and they haven’t had any bad thoughts!" Zhao Xin, tilting his head to see what Zhao Cheng was drawing, replied.

"Good, keep an eye on them and don’t let anyone notice anything unusual!"

"Alright, Second Master, when do you plan to let them go? I feel uneasy around them!" Zhao Xin said.

"When they pay off their debt to us, we’ll let them go. Didn’t we agree on that?"

"Second Master, they owe us over six thousand guan in high-interest loans. With their monthly salary of five guan, they’ll probably die in our mansion without paying it off!" Zhao Xin calculated.

"Hehe, this is called 'Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai—willing to take a beating.' I explained it to them clearly. Our mansion has high expenses, and they insisted on staying, eating well, and living in a suite, drinking liquor, and eating ginseng!" Zhao Cheng laughed. "By the way, did they give you the hush money? Don’t be soft-hearted and let them off!"

"No, they gave me an IOU!" Zhao Xin took out a piece of paper and handed it to Zhao Cheng.

"Good, they were boasting about their wealth, but even if they had a mountain of gold, I’d make it disappear. Keep it here, you’re young and might be swayed by their words. Don’t let them fool you!" Zhao Cheng put the IOU in a small box on the desk, where a stack of similar IOUs from the top assassins was already stored.

"Prince, who did you trick this time? Can I get a share?" The door curtain lifted, and Huang Jingchen entered, smiling.

"Uncle Huang, you’re back! I missed you so much!" Zhao Cheng jumped off the chair and greeted Huang Jingchen warmly. Zhao Xin poured tea for Huang Jingchen and tactfully left.

"Yes, I heard the mansion hasn’t been peaceful recently. I hurried back after finishing business in the capital. How’s your hand, Prince?" Huang Jingchen sat down and sipped the tea.

"Damn, that woman was too ruthless, she peeled off a layer of my skin!" Zhao Cheng showed his hand to Huang Jingchen. The swelling was gone, but the skin had died and peeled off, revealing fresh, red flesh.

"Yuzhu was too harsh. But I just saw her, and she’s lost a lot of weight in a few days. Did you do something to her?" Huang Jingchen asked.

"Uncle Huang, I didn’t touch her this time. She’s teaching me for the Empress, and hitting or scolding her would be disrespectful. I can’t take that blame. Maybe people are just tired of her arrogance and gave her a hard time!" Zhao Cheng said seriously. Disrespecting elders was a serious offense in ancient times, and despite his complaints, he didn’t dare to harm her.

"Alright, I believe you. The Empress has already sent a message through me, asking Yuzhu to return to the capital, so she won’t bother you anymore!" Huang Jingchen chuckled.

---

End of Chapter 61