An Astronomical Ransom

Behind the bed curtains in the inner room, Bai Ruoli sat on the bed, hugging a quilt, listening to every word of the conversation in the outer room.

From Madam Liu demanding compensation to the two haggling over the price, all they talked about was "money for losing her virginity," without mentioning redemption at all. Her fingertips slowly tightened around the fabric of her undergarment, her heart grew colder and colder, and her eyes unknowingly welled up with tears.

It turned out that he only intended to pay a sum of money to settle the matter. Well, they were just strangers who met by chance, and it was nothing more than a drunken affair. Why should she expect him to take on a lifetime of responsibility? She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out loud, silently picked up the clothes scattered by the bed, and slowly put them on, one by one, but tears kept falling onto her clothes.

The price for the outer room has been negotiated down to a very reasonable level.

"One thousand taels, not a penny more."

Zhou Tong slammed his hand on the table:

"This is already the maximum price we can offer; one thousand taels is an astronomical sum in the Great Qian Kingdom. If you agree, we can settle the transaction on the spot; if you don't, then let's take this to the authorities. I want to see whether the government will side with you or with us."

After a quick mental calculation, Madam Liu realized that a thousand taels was far beyond her expectations; it was already unexpected wealth, and making a scene wouldn't do her any good. Just as she was about to nod in agreement, Shen Jingchuan suddenly spoke up, reaching out to grab Zhou Tong's arm. "Brother Zhou, come here for a moment."

The two walked to the window, Shen Jingchuan lowered his voice. "Wait a minute, are we just going to talk about compensation? She's in this state, shouldn't we bail her out?"

Zhou Tong gave him a wink and lowered his voice:

"I know you're a responsible person, do you think I don't understand? But this has to be done step by step. First, settle this matter, get her to take the money and agree, then we can negotiate a lower price for her release. If you come up with the idea of releasing her right away, she'll know you're determined to get her, and she'll try to rip you off."

Shen Jingchuan was stunned for a moment before realizing the intricacies of the matter, and nodded:

"I oversimplified things."

Zhou Tong turned around, and before Madam Liu could speak, he slowly added:

"Don't rush to answer. What we just discussed was compensation for losing one's virginity. Now let me ask you another question—if we want to completely redeem her, what price will you name?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Ruoli, who was getting dressed in the inner room, suddenly stopped.

Redeem?

Her ears perked up instantly, her heart pounded so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, and her heart, which had just felt cold, suddenly came back to life, her fingertips trembling. She didn't bother to straighten her clothes, she held her breath and listened intently, forgetting even to wipe away her tears.

Madam Liu in the outer room immediately changed her expression. The greedy look she had just had vanished in an instant. She sat back down, her face long and drawn.

"Ran them out? Don't even think about it!"

She snorted coldly, her tone hardening:

"Let me tell you, Ruoli is the star performer I brought from the Capital. I'll be relying on her for the rest of my life. You can settle this with some money, but don't even think about taking her away."

Don't think you're all that just because you have some money. I'm not someone who can't get by in Capital; I have connections. I advise you two not to even consider it, lest it make things awkward for everyone."

Shen Jingchuan was fed up and too lazy to argue with her anymore. He stepped forward and said, "Five thousand taels to ransom the person."

The room fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

According to the unwritten rules of the brothels in the Great Qian Kingdom, the redemption fee for top courtesans was usually about three times the usual fee for a full-time stay (even Dong Xiaowan, the most famous courtesan in the late Ming Dynasty, was only redeemed for three thousand taels of silver), which was already the recognized ceiling of the industry. Five thousand taels had already broken the record for the highest redemption fee for a courtesan since the founding of the Great Qian Kingdom, and it was no exaggeration to call it an astronomical price.

Madam Liu's pupils contracted sharply, a sudden thought flashing through her mind—five thousand taels of silver was enough to support three more top courtesans. But she remained defiant, wanting to earn even more, and stubbornly snorted:

"No way. I said, you can't ransom a person. You think you can take my cash cow for this little bit of money? No way."

The bed curtains were pulled open with a "whoosh," and Bai Ruoli, already dressed, came out.

Her eyes were still red, but her face held a resolute look as she walked straight up to Madam Liu.

"Madam Liu, you raised me single-handedly, and I remember your kindness. But all these years, I've been entertaining at banquets, performing, and accepting tips—hasn't every single one of that made you a fortune?"

"Young Master Shen offered five thousand taels. Looking at the entire Great Qian Kingdom, even the most beautiful courtesan in Jiangnan only commanded three thousand taels back then. Five thousand taels is already an astronomical price. You can't expect Young Master Shen to offer that much; three thousand taels is fine. What more do you want?"

"You've gone too far! Who gave you the right to speak here?"

Madam Liu was so angry her face twisted in anger:

"Your indenture is still in my hands, your life belongs to me! I'd rather beat you to death and drown you than sell you! You treacherous little hussy, you dare to help outsiders bargain with me?"

He raised his hand, intending to slap Bai Ruoli.

Before her hand could even touch Bai Ruoli's face, a sharp "slap" rang out as Shen Jingchuan delivered a solid slap to her cheek.

The blow knocked Madam Liu's head to the side, and half of her face swelled up instantly. She was completely stunned.

She'd been in this business for years and had been beaten before, but the person who dared to hit her wasn't just anyone; she was momentarily stunned.

You dare touch a single hair on her head?

Shen Jingchuan's voice was as cold as ice. "You still want to drown her in the river? I'll drown you first and feed you to the fish. You think I'm being too kind?"

Zhou Tong quickly stepped forward to try and pull, shouting:

"Young Master Shen, don't be impulsive!"

Shen Jingchuan raised his hand to stop him, not even looking at him, but staring at Madam Liu was covering her face, and said, word by word:

"Five thousand taels. Now, take the indenture, sign the document, and release him."

Zhou Tong gasped. Five thousand taels? That price could buy not only a courtesan, but also half of Phoenix Perching Tower's entire fortune.

Bai Ruoli also became anxious, reaching out to tug at Shen Jingchuan's sleeve, her voice trembling:

"That's too much, it's really not worth it..."

Shen Jingchuan turned his head and shook his head slightly at her, signaling her not to speak, his eyes very determined.

Madam Liu covered her face, her mind racing. Five thousand taels—this was a sum she never dared to dream of. Selling Bai Ruoli would be enough to buy two more top-tier courtesans of the same rank.

Looking at this young man in front of me, not only was he generous, but he also acted decisively without any hesitation.

Considering that he was a brilliant scholar who had passed the poetry competition three times in a row, and had also become a disciple of the Great Confucian Yan, he had really offended Yan to the core. It was hard to say whether Yan's connections would be able to help him.

The pros and cons were only briefly considered in her mind before she immediately changed her expression, forcing a smile and taking half a step back.

"Oh dear, young master, why are you so upset? I was just reluctant to part with the young lady... Since you are so sincere towards Ruoli and have offered such a high price, how could I possibly disagree?"

I'll go get the indenture right now, and we'll sign the contract on the spot, settling the payment immediately!

After she finished speaking, she ran out quickly, afraid that Shen Jingchuan would change his mind.

Xu Mo and Su Yan, who were sitting next to each other, exchanged a glance and both saw shock in each other's eyes.

Five thousand taels to redeem a courtesan? I've never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen one.

Both of them nodded inwardly. This Young Master Shen looked gentle and refined, not only talented but also generous and responsible. If it were anyone else, they might have already packed up and left after hearing about such an exorbitant price.

Zhou Tong also gave Shen Jingchuan a thumbs up and gave a wry smile:

"Young Master Shen, I'm truly impressed by your generosity. It's just... a bit too expensive."

Shen Jingchuan didn't reply, but turned to look at Bai Ruoli beside him.

She stood there, tears welling up again, but this time, her eyes were bright, and she bit her lip hard to keep from crying out loud.

From feeling utterly dejected to feeling utterly hopeless, and then suddenly being elevated to the highest level, it all happened in just a quarter of an hour. Looking at the man before her, she knew she had made the right gamble.