Chapter 68: Fiance  

Pika

Even the soldiers from the Chu clan’s Red Cloak Army couldn’t help but stare at one another. Their young master was more than a little shameless.

“Where in the world do you see anyone collecting interest right after making a loan? At the very least, you should wait a year!”

You have successfully trolled Mei Chaofeng for 200 Rage points!

“Ah? There isn’t such a practice?” Zu An looked around in confusion, feigning ignorance of the rules of these financial practices.

Chu Chuyan wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Why in the world had she chosen such a shameless fellow as her husband?

“The usual practice is indeed to collect the first interest payment in a year’s time. However, based on what I know, Sect Master Mei does practice ‘90% for 130%’, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable for us to collect seven-hundred-and-fifty thousand silver taels in advance.”

The so-called 90% for 130%’ referred to a common practice of loan sharks. The loan shark would sanction a loan with a ten-percent interest rate, but only give the individual 90% of the agreed amount. He would then demand 130% back at the end of three months. Many individuals had been driven to bankruptcy by these loan sharks and their shady practices.

Chu Chuyan considered the ten-percent-per-annum interest rate to be extremely merciful, considering The Plum Blossom Sect’s typical rate of ten percent per month. If not for the fact that seven-and-a-half million silver taels was indeed a huge sum, she wouldn’t have accepted such terms.

Of course, she could tell that the Plum Blossom Sect had no intentions of paying off their debt in full. Thus, it was best to collect as much as they could before the Plum Blossom Sect tried anything.

Mei Chaofeng gritted his teeth. He had already realized that he wouldn’t be getting out of this without forking out a sum. He waved a hand impatiently and ordered, “Men, bring one hundred thousand silver taels’ worth of banknotes here!”

As his subordinates scurried off, he turned to Chu Chuyan and said, “Miss Chu, please pardon me. Even this sum is impossible for us at a moment’s notice. However, we’ll pay you one hundred thousand silver taels first as a show of sincerity. We’ll repay the rest at the end of the year. Is that acceptable to you?”

Mei Chaofeng didn’t even bother to consult Zu An on this matter. He did not dare take a chance on whatever bullshit that scoundrel might spew. In any case, he could tell that the real decision-maker here was Chu Chuyan.

Chu Chuyan hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. Based on her estimation, a hundred thousand silver taels was likely to be the maximum sum that the Plum Blossom Sect could raise on such short notice. It wouldn’t be good to force the Plum Blossom Sect into too tight of a bind.

One of Mei Chaofeng’s subordinates appeared with the banknotes. Mei Chaofeng's first intention had been to hand them over to Chu Chuyan, but after some thought, he decided to pass them to Zu An instead. “Young master Zu, would you like to count them?”

It would be hard for him to get those banknotes back if they landed in Chu Chuyan’s hands. However, if they were with Zu An... Hehehe, I have my means to make him spit it out!

“Yes, of course!” Zu An greedily took the banknotes and began counting them one by one. With each banknote worth a hundred silver taels, a sum of one hundred thousand silver taels meant that there were a thousand banknotes in total.

Mei Chaofeng nearly choked on his saliva. It was just a figure of speech! Who in the world counts out such a sum of money right in front of others?

You have successfully trolled Mei Chaofeng for 111 Rage points!

Watching Zu An counting out the banknotes one by one like a scrooge, Sang Qian frowned in incomprehension as he wondered why a woman as beautiful as Chu Chuyan would choose to marry such an unseemly man. It was like a fresh flower being covered in a pile of cow dung. I would have been a much better choice than him!

Many in the crowd shared the same thought, including the soldiers of the Red Cloak Army. Zu An watched his balance of Rage points rise steadily.

Zu An suddenly exclaimed in astonishment, which drew everyone’s attention. “Hm? Why is there a banknote missing?”

“How is that possible? There are so many witnesses, so how could there be money missing?” Mei Chaofeng asserted, his face growing dark.

Sensing the intent stares of the crowd, Zu An shrugged casually. “I’m just saying it to test if you are lying to me or not.”

Mei Chaofeng stared at him furiously.

So you’re just making fun of me?

You have successfully trolled Mei Chaofeng for 211 Rage points!

By the side, Sang Qian’s patience finally snapped. “Enough! Since this matter has been resolved, all of you should disperse now!”

He didn’t want to stay here and watch a wastrel prance around as if he owned the world. The fact that he was powerless to do anything to him only fueled his frustration.

Pang Chun laughed heartily and said, “Indeed. Since the matter has been resolved, you all should go back to do what you were doing. Let’s leave, everyone.”

All this while, his heart had been pounding in his throat, ready to leap out of his mouth at any moment. If the Chu clan had gotten into a conflict with the River Patrol Team here, or if the Plum Blossom Sect got desperate and attempted to break out of the casino, the situation could very well have escalated into a major incident. In the end, he would have had to be the one to take responsibility for the matter.

Following the orders of the two highest-ranking individuals present, the gamblers and spectators quickly dispersed. They had no wish to linger further and be embroiled in whatever followed.

Xie Xiu waved a hand and Zu An, saying, “Brother Zu, you have really refreshed my opinion of you today. I shall treat you to wine another day. I would honestly love to trade insights with you.”

Zu An laughed in response. “There are also many things that I would love to learn from Brother Xie too, such as your ability to tread freely amongst flowers without a single petal falling upon you.”

“Let’s talk about it another day~” Xie Xiu smiled sheepishly as he noticed the terrible look on Chu Chuyan’s face. You sure are an incredible man. To think that you would dare to say such words in front of your own wife.

Afraid of getting caught up in Chu Chuyan’s wrath, he bade a quick farewell and fled.

Zu An felt slightly dissatisfied by his haul this time around. The crowd had left before he could earn his fill of Rage points, and he felt as though something was missing inside. So, he turned to Mei Chaofeng and asked, “Sect Master Mei, are you still going to keep your casino open? Can I come here to gamble once more?”

Mei Chaofeng glared silent daggers at him.

If you dare come here once more, I shall rip off your skin!

You have successfully trolled Mei Chaofeng for 267 Rage points!

Chu Chuyan couldn’t stand to watch this anymore. “Let’s go.”

No matter how nonchalant she seemed, even she couldn’t stand all of the shocking words that constantly fell out of Zu An’s mouth.

Yue Shan marched right up to Zu An and personally escorted him out of the casino. As someone who had served the Chu clan for many years, he was used to the proper way in which nobles acted, and so Zu An’s shameless actions were hard for him to endure.

Mei Chaofeng watched coldly as Zu An and the others left, his fists clenched tightly in anger.

“Sect master, are we really going to pay that fellow seven-and-a-half million silver taels?” One of his dumber subordinates approached Mei Chaofeng and asked worriedly.

“Don’t be stupid!” Mei Chaofeng slapped the man hard, and he collapsed to the ground.

With a dreadful look on his face, he stalked off to the room that served as his private retreat in the casino. As he opened the door, he found someone already waiting for him inside.

“Miss Qiao, you’re the one who got me to write out that promissory note. How do you intend to resolve this matter?” Mei Chaofeng asked as he shut the door. His tone was no longer as amiable as before.

“You should have a good idea of just what kind of situation you were in earlier. Would you have gotten out of it if you hadn’t written out that note?” The sweet voice that confronted him belonged to none other than Snow. Seeing Mei Chaofeng’s cheeks twitching, she consoled him, “Don’t worry, the promissory note is in the hands of the wastrel Zu An. You should be able to get it back with ease.”

Mei Chaofeng frowned. “I’m just worried that he would hand the note over to the Chu clan.”

Snow shook her head and replied, “There’s no need to worry about that. Chu Chuyan is a proud woman, so she wouldn’t take Zu An’s money. As for Chu Zhongtian, he is upright to a fault, and the Chu clan strictly forbids gambling. He wouldn’t forsake his principles and accept money earned through gambling. In fact, the Chu clan will not approve of Zu An’s actions today; on the contrary, it’s likely that he would be severely punished. After all, his actions fly in the face of what the Chu clan stands for.”

“Will they chase Zu An out of the Chu clan over this?” Mei Chaofeng asked.

Snow sighed deeply. “I don’t know. Seven-and-a-half million silver taels is a huge sum of money, but if we could get Zu An chased out of the Chu clan over it, it’s still not too bad.”

Mei Chaofeng was at a loss for words.

It’s not your money, so of course you don’t feel anything about it! Do you even understand what seven-and-a-half million silver taels is worth? With this much money, I would be able to hire assassins to get rid of the patriarch of the Chu clan! And yet, you think it’s okay that I’ve spent this much money just to deal with a wastrel?

Fortunately, Snow’s next statement managed to placate him a little. “Rest assured, I’ll personally make a move tonight. Not only will I steal the promissory note, I’ll also get rid of that brat so as to resolve any future problems.”

Mei Chaofeng was overjoyed. “Thank you, Miss Qiao.”

With his strength, he could kill Zu An as easily as he could an ant. However, Zu An was usually either in the Chu Estate or Brightmoon Academy, leaving him with no chance to make a move. An insider like Snow had a much higher chance of getting the job done.

Meanwhile, in the Zheng Estate—located not too far away from the Silverhook Casino— a woman was staring at a man seated attentively before her. Her eyes were clear like refreshing spring water, and her skin was fair as snow. ‘Gorgeous’ would be an apt word to describe her.

“What’s wrong, young master Sang? You look rather agitated today.” The woman poured a cup of tea for the man before her. Her movements were incredibly graceful, and could be easily mistaken as part of some elaborate dance.

This man was none other than Sang Qian, who had just left the Silverhook Casino.

“Miss Zheng’s tea brewing skills are indeed a feast for the eyes.” The woman’s elegant voice and tender disposition calmed Sang Qian’s heart.

The woman smiled gently. “Once the period of our engagement is fulfilled, I’d be more than happy to brew tea for you every day.”

This woman was none other than the young miss of the Zheng Clan, Zheng Dan. The Zheng clan had entered into an alliance with the Sang clan through the promise of marriage, making her Sang Qian’s fiancée.

Even though this was not the first time they were meeting, Sang Qian’s eyes still shone with wonder. When Sang Qian first heard that his father had engaged him to the daughter of a businessman in Brightmoon City, he had been unsatisfied. He’d even fought with his father on several occasions over the matter.

However, as soon as he met Zheng Dan, all his opposition instantly vanished into thin air. The reason for that? The daughter of that businessman was simply too beautiful. It was not at all a harsh fate to be married to such a woman.

“Thank you, Miss Zheng.” Sang Qian reached out to take the teacup, secretly making use of this opportunity to brush Zheng Dan’s hand. However, Zheng Dan pulled it away gracefully.

“Young master Zheng, I’ll be yours once we marry one another. When we do, I’ll go along with whatever you wish to do with me. But now...” The meaning behind Zheng Dan’s words was crystal clear. She didn’t want to get intimate with him prior to their marriage.

A hint of rage flickered across Sang Qian’s eyes, but he swiftly concealed it. The more Zheng Dan acted shyly, the more enticed he was. It felt almost like someone was tickling his heart, stoking his desire for her. He even wondered if all men were born such desolate creatures, only desiring things that were out of their reach.

“Something happened earlier at the Silverhook Casino...” In order to conceal his awkwardness, Sang Qian quickly went through what happened earlier.

A tinge of astonishment colored Zheng Dan’s face as she remarked, “Hm? The Silverhook Casino actually allowed Zu An to walk away with winnings amounting to seven-and-a-half million silver taels? I’ve long heard that the young master of the Chu clan is a wastrel, but it looks like the rumors can’t be trusted.”

Her tone, which seemed to be complimenting another man, left Sang Qian feeling uncomfortable inside. “Hmph, he was just lucky. He just managed to get two bets right blindly.”

Zheng Dan chuckled softly as her crimson lips curled up into a beautiful smile. It wasn’t hard to decipher Sang Qian’s thoughts, so she intentionally avoided saying anything to trigger him.

Sang Qian continued, “Since we’re here, I have something that I could use your help with.”