Volume One, Chapter 20: Clear Mist (Part 2)
Page (1/3)
The instant Zhao Yuanzhuo called out “one hundred thousand taels,” everyone looked at one another, and the air once again seemed to freeze.
“Just as one would expect from a daughter of a distinguished family. Jinse, you’re truly worth a fortune!”
“Don’t worry. Your Mama Liu will never mistreat you in the future!”
Madam Liu clasped Zhao Qinglan’s hand, grinning as though she had gotten hold of a golden ingot that could walk and talk. “One hundred thousand taels!”
“The young master in Private Room Nine has bid one hundred thousand taels!”
“Does anyone wish to raise the bid?”
Seeing that the bidding was nearly over, Madam Liu called out, “One hundred thousand taels, once!”
“One hundred thousand taels, twice!”
“One hundred thousand taels, thr—”
Just as the word “three” was about to leave her lips, a shrill, piercing voice suddenly rang out.
“One hundred and fifty thousand taels!”
The entire hall erupted in astonishment.
Everyone turned toward the voice as one and saw a middle-aged man of around thirty-seven or thirty-eight.
His face was slightly flushed, and he was tall, powerful, and dressed in a remarkably practical manner. One glance was enough to tell that he was a trained fighter.
Three or four men followed behind him, each carrying a chest. Every chest was packed with thick stacks of banknotes, worth at least two or three hundred thousand taels in total.
Having spent so many years in Heaven on Earth, Madam Liu was naturally a woman who had seen the world.
At a glance, she could tell that the newcomer was either rich or powerful. She immediately smiled obsequiously. “This gentleman has raised the bid to one hundred and fifty thousand taels. May I ask whether anyone else wishes to bid higher?”
……
“Bang!”
Inside the private room, Zhao Yuanzhuo slammed his fist onto the table.
The sound was not particularly loud, but cracks spread across the marble surface, and blood instantly seeped from between his fingers.
Without saying a word to anyone, he strode toward the door.
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
Shen Ran exchanged a glance with Li Jiuxiao, who was standing nearby.
Li Jiuxiao immediately moved to block the doorway. His tall frame completely sealed off the exit. “You cannot leave.”
Zhao Yuanzhuo said nothing. He stood in the shadows beyond the reach of the light, his gaze dark and grim.
The murderous intensity of a blade sharpened and ready for battle sent even Li Jiuxiao into an involuntary shiver.
His hand once more drifted to his waist, where a weapon was concealed.
If he allowed this half-grown boy to escape from the room right under his nose, then even if Shen Ran did not blame him, he would have no face to continue serving as captain of the guards.
With that thought, Li Jiuxiao decided to strike first.
He stepped forward, seized Zhao Yuanzhuo by the arm, and forcefully pressed it down. “Go back!”
Before he could finish, Zhao Yuanzhuo jerked his arm and struggled to wrench it free.
In terms of sheer strength, Zhao Yuanzhuo was at a disadvantage due to his young age. He could not match Li Jiuxiao, who was in the prime of his physical strength.
Yet one possessed inborn, extraordinary power, while the other had lost all reason in his agitation. The two of them suddenly toppled to the floor.
The struggle became a close-quarters brawl. Li Jiuxiao still held both of Zhao Yuanzhuo’s hands down with all his strength, while Zhao Yuanzhuo clenched his teeth, raised a leg, and drove his knee into Li Jiuxiao’s lower abdomen. Then, bracing one hand against the floor, he tried to use the momentum to rise.
An expert needed only to make one move to reveal his true skill.
In those brief flashes of conflict, in those swift exchanges that rose and fell like a hare darting up and a falcon swooping down, Li Jiuxiao could not help but feel secretly alarmed.
As expected of the son of a military family, he thought. The only reason the boy had not yet gained the upper hand was that he was still young and had not fully grown into his frame. Given a few more years, the outcome of a fight between them would be impossible to predict.
Li Jiuxiao was becoming thoroughly caught up in the fight.
He reached out with a broad hand like a palm fan, seized Zhao Yuanzhuo by the collar, and dragged him toward himself. With his other hand, he locked the boy’s throat from behind, forcing his head back.
“Say it again. Go back!”
Li Jiuxiao thought he had the situation firmly under control.
But Zhao Yuanzhuo’s throat was caught, making it difficult for him to breathe. Instead of calming down, he grew even more furious. Lowering his head, he sank his teeth into Li Jiuxiao’s hand.
He bit down with such ferocity that Li Jiuxiao sucked in a sharp breath. Grabbing Zhao Yuanzhuo by the collar, he desperately tried to drag him away.
“Open your mouth!”
But Zhao Yuanzhuo seemed to have gone completely berserk. He clung to Li Jiuxiao’s hand with his teeth and refused to let go.
The pain was excruciating. Li Jiuxiao wished he could slap the boy away, but when his eyes met Zhao Yuanzhuo’s, he froze.
Those eyes were filled with the despair of a trapped beast. No boy of fourteen or fifteen should have possessed such a gaze.
Fortunately, several guards stationed outside heard the commotion and rushed in to investigate. Working together, they hoisted Zhao Yuanzhuo upright.
His mask had been knocked off during the struggle. One of the guards struck him viciously across the face, sending his head snapping to the side.
Then the guard said coldly, “How dare you behave so insolently in His Majesty’s presence!”
He raised his hand, intending to strike again.
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
One of Li Jiuxiao’s hands had been bitten until it was bloody and mangled, yet he still hurriedly shouted at the guard, “Stop!”
The guard, who had been preparing to strike, paused in surprise, then reluctantly stepped aside.
Li Jiuxiao looked toward Shen Ran, who was seated nearby, and said hesitantly, “Your Majesty, he acted on impulse. Could you perhaps be lenient in punishing him?”
Blood was still dripping steadily from his hand.
Zhao Yuanzhuo looked up at him in surprise.
Shen Ran neither agreed nor objected. He merely ordered the guards to force Zhao Yuanzhuo to kneel on the floor before saying, “Have you completed the task I assigned you just now?”
Li Jiuxiao nodded, then beckoned to a guard standing at the very back.
The guard drew a ledger from inside his robes and respectfully presented it to Shen Ran with both hands. “Your Majesty, this contains the names of everyone who participated in the bidding just now, along with the amounts they offered. As for the man who ultimately spent one hundred and fifty thousand taels to purchase Miss Zhao’s first night, I have also made discreet inquiries. It has been confirmed that he is one of Prince Cheng’s subordinates.”
Prince Cheng, Shen Jianheng, was Shen Ran’s paternal uncle.
He was nearly sixty years old and possessed neither ability nor ambition. His only interest was women. Thus, when Shen Ran’s father had still been on the throne, he had treated this useless brother with exceptional generosity in order to earn a reputation for benevolence, frequently bestowing rewards upon him.
He had even permitted Shen Jianheng to maintain a private army within his own residence.
Now that Shen Jianheng was willing to spend one hundred and fifty thousand taels to purchase Zhao Qinglan’s first night, was it merely for amusement—or did he harbor some ulterior motive?
The corners of Shen Ran’s lips curved upward.
He looked at the boy forced to kneel on the floor, raised a hand, and splashed the greater part of the tea remaining in his cup directly onto Zhao Yuanzhuo’s face.
Tea ran down his neck, and two tea leaves clung to his cheek. The boy looked especially wretched, yet he continued to keep his head bowed without uttering a word.
He looked like a man calmly awaiting execution.
Shen Ran suddenly found himself both exasperated and amused. “Have you calmed down?”
Zhao Yuanzhuo remained silent.
He was already doing everything in his power to suppress his temper. But she was his own elder sister. Being forced to watch someone take her away and violate her was a torment far worse than being cut apart by a thousand blades.
Shen Ran said indifferently, “I am going to pay a visit to my royal uncle at Prince Cheng’s residence. Will you come with me, or return to the palace to receive your punishment?”
Zhao Yuanzhuo: “……”
Page (3/3)