Chapter 49

When Zhou Chong asked about the price to redeem Suniang, Qiuniang immediately put on a worldly smile, clicked her teeth, and after some consideration, finally looked up and said, "Since Young Master Zhou wants to redeem Suniang, I won't be polite. According to the rules of our courtesan house, the price to redeem a courtesan is ten times her annual maintenance fee. Suniang's annual maintenance fee is forty taels, so if you can pay four hundred taels, you can take her away!"

"Four hundred taels." Zhou Chong felt a bit relieved. Fortunately, he had borrowed three hundred taels from Xie Lingyun as insurance, otherwise, with just the three hundred taels from selling books, he wouldn't have been able to take her away today.

However, before Zhou Chong and Xu the steward could relax, Qiuniang revealed a cunning smile and took out a contract from her bosom. "But Suniang has lived in her courtyard for a long time, and some repairs are needed. Additionally, during her pregnancy, we provided her with good food and drink. All these miscellaneous expenses add up to at least another hundred taels, so the total is five hundred taels. As long as Young Master Zhou pays the full amount today, I will hand over Suniang's contract immediately!"

"Another hundred taels!" Zhou Chong's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Qiuniang coldly, but she remained unmoved.

"Nonsense! During my pregnancy, the food sent to me was always cold or leftover, and the treatment was worse than usual. How could it be considered special treatment?" Suniang, who was standing beside Xu the steward, could no longer hold back and spoke up in protest.

Qiuniang glanced at her indifferently and then put on a disgusting fake smile. "Suniang, you're being ungrateful. You at least call me mother. How could I mistreat my own daughter? I had good food and drink sent to your room, and you ate and drank it. Now you deny it, which breaks my heart!"

Qiuniang had been in the business since she was young, and her face was as tough as armor. She could even accuse Suniang of denying her actions, a skill not many could master. No wonder her boss entrusted her with the entire courtesan house.

Suniang was so angry at Qiuniang's shamelessness that her face turned red, but she couldn't find the words to refute her. Xu the steward knew that arguing with her was pointless, so he gently patted Suniang's back to calm her down.

"Qiuniang, are you sure it's five hundred taels, and you won't change your mind?" Zhou Chong remained calm. He didn't bother arguing with someone like Qiuniang, as it would only lower his status.

"Five hundred taels, I stand by my word!" Qiuniang blinked her wrinkled triangular eyes and even gave Zhou Chong a flirtatious look, which almost made him vomit.

Despite his disgust, Zhou Chong didn't forget his task. He took out the six hundred taels silver note he had just received, put one back in his pocket, and handed the rest to Qiuniang. "Here are five hundred taels. Give me Suniang's contract, and the silver note is yours!"

Qiuniang was surprised to see Zhou Chong take out five hundred taels at once. Given Suniang's situation, the initial price of four hundred taels was already high, and the additional hundred taels was meant to mock Zhou Chong and Xu the steward. She didn't expect Zhou Chong to immediately pay five hundred taels without hesitation, which was truly unexpected.

Seeing Qiuniang stunned and not responding, Zhou Chong frowned and asked again, "What, Qiuniang, are you going to renege on your word?"

Qiuniang quickly recovered and hurriedly smiled. "How could I renege? I just didn't expect Young Master Zhou to be so generous and pay five hundred taels at once."

As she spoke, Qiuniang glanced at the distant Second Master Song, but he was unaware of what was happening and didn't respond. Finally, Qiuniang awkwardly stepped forward and handed over the contract. "Young Master, please keep this. This is Suniang's contract!"

Zhou Chong verified the contract and then handed the silver note to Qiuniang. When Zhou Chong took the contract, Suniang and Xu the steward were overjoyed, their hands tightly clasped together, tears streaming down their faces.

At this moment, Second Master Song finally realized something was wrong and quickly ran over. He looked at the contract in Zhou Chong's hand and the silver note in Qiuniang's hand, then angrily shouted at Qiuniang, "What's going on? Why did you give him the contract?"

Qiuniang, afraid to offend Second Master Song, immediately smiled apologetically. "Second Master Song, please calm down. Young Master Zhou paid five hundred taels to redeem Suniang's contract. We are a legitimate business and cannot go back on our word. Please understand!"

"Five hundred taels?" Second Master Song was also surprised. Although the Song family was wealthy, the last donation of two thousand taels had caused the family a lot of pain. Now Zhou Chong had paid five hundred taels for an old and unattractive courtesan, which was enough to buy a top courtesan in Nanjing's Qinhuai River.

Seeing Second Master Song's angry face, Zhou Chong walked up with a smile and said slowly, "Second Master Song, there's no need to be angry. Originally, I didn't have the money to redeem Suniang, but just an hour ago, I went to see Xie Lingyun, and she gave me six hundred taels. I couldn't refuse, so I accepted it!"

Zhou Chong, aiming to infuriate him, took out the remaining silver note from his pocket, sniffed it, and wore a blissful expression, as if it still carried Xie Lingyun's fragrance.

"You're lying! How could Xie Lingyun give you money for no reason?" Hearing Zhou Chong mention his beloved Xie Lingyun and that she had given him money, plus Zhou Chong's flirtatious gesture, Second Master Song lost his composure and shouted at Zhou Chong.

"Thank you, Second Master Song. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have met Xie Lingyun at the teahouse. Later, she even visited me, and Prefect Xu's son and Minglun were there. You can ask them if you don't believe me. Xie Lingyun thought I was a decent person, and since the Xie family is so wealthy, she gave some money to a poor man like me. Didn't your family donate two thousand taels to the disaster victims recently?" Zhou Chong added fuel to the fire, maintaining an innocent expression.

Second Master Song was furious and frustrated. Although he had been trying to get close to Xie Lingyun, she seemed to be avoiding him, and he couldn't find her. Now, Zhou Chong had won her favor, which he couldn't bear.

"You... you... I... I..." Second Master Song trembled, pointing at Zhou Chong, unable to speak. Suddenly, a surge of anger rose in his chest, and he fainted.

"Ahh!" The beautiful woman beside Second Master Song screamed and quickly supported him. Qiuniang, worried about any trouble in the courtesan house, hurriedly called for her henchmen to help, causing chaos on the scene.

With Suniang's contract in hand, Zhou Chong and Xu the steward had achieved their goal and didn't need to stay longer. They were about to leave when Qiuniang, with a fawning smile, blocked their way. "Young Master Zhou, the Lingyun you mentioned, is she the Lingyun from the Xie family in Huating?"

"Yes, why do you ask, Qiuniang?" Zhou Chong replied coldly. These courtesan house madams were all money-grubbing and unfeeling, and he didn't want to deal with them.

"Oh, I must be getting old. I didn't recognize such a distinguished person. I apologize for any offense, Young Master Zhou!" Qiuniang's face changed dramatically, and she smiled like a pleated bun.

Zhou Chong didn't understand why Qiuniang's attitude had changed so much, but he knew it must be related to Xie Lingyun. Could this courtesan house be a Xie family property? But as far as Zhou Chong knew, the Xie family had a good reputation and was one of the first to donate the most to disaster victims. They only engaged in smuggling and never touched the yellow, gambling, or other vices, so that didn't make sense.

Although Zhou Chong couldn't figure out the reason, he had no reason to refuse the money. So he smiled and took the silver notes. "I see. I didn't know Qiuniang had such a deep bond with Suniang. I'll accept this on behalf of Suniang and Uncle Xu!"

Seeing Zhou Chong willing to take the money, Qiuniang's expression relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. She flattered Zhou Chong a few more times and personally escorted him out of the courtesan house.