After selling Xie Chenyan to Nanfeng House for five taels of silver, Su Niao’s mood immediately improved. She was simply too clever!
Establishments like that usually had powerful backers behind them. Even if Xie Chenyan could fight, two fists could not defeat four hands. The guards employed by such houses were numerous and fierce, certainly not being fed for nothing. Even if he won, he would undoubtedly suffer quite a bit in the process. If he lost, he could stay there obediently and become their star attraction. Hahahaha…
Lichun was thoroughly shocked.
“Miss, Chen Yan never sold himself into servitude. How could you sell him?”
Su Niao grinned. “Who cares? Sell him first and worry about the rest later.”
The people at Nanfeng House naturally knew the paperwork was improper. But the moment they saw Xie Chenyan’s face, they stopped caring about technicalities. Once they dragged him through the door, he’d become their very own money tree.
Lichun still could not understand. “Then why did you only sell him for five taels of silver?”
With Chen Yan’s looks and physique, there was no way he was worth only five taels.
Su Niao sneered. “That’s all he’s worth.”
The moment she imagined Xie Chenyan, who in her previous life had remained cold and aloof no matter how severely she humiliated and tormented him, being sold into Nanfeng House, her mood instantly brightened.
By the time the carriage returned to Ping’an Alley, she was in such high spirits that when she saw the Chen family’s dark-skinned little girl, she even considered giving the child a piece of candy. Poor little thing. Her big brother’s been sold into Nanfeng House. Hehe…
Oh, Chen Xu was here too. He can have a piece of candy as well! No more big brother. Hehe…
Still smiling, Su Niao lifted the carriage curtain, about to hand candy to the siblings, when she saw a stout little boy shove the dark-skinned girl to the ground and snatch away the object hanging from her neck.
Only then did Su Niao remember what it was. A few days earlier, after traffickers had nearly abducted the little girl, she had clung to Su Niao so persistently that Su Niao had become annoyed. To get rid of her, she had casually given the child a small gold lock to play with.
The thing the chubby boy had snatched away was that very gold lock. Chen Xu had no idea that a small gold lock had appeared around his sister’s neck over the past couple of days. All he saw was the chubby boy snatch something and run off while his little sister was shoved to the ground, crying her eyes out. He immediately rushed after him and grabbed the fat boy by the collar.
“What did you take? Give it back!”
The boy spun around, kicking and flailing wildly as he cursed. Frowning, Chen Xu shoved him to the ground, and the boy instantly burst into loud sobs.
Very quickly, a plump woman came running over at the commotion and began yelling.
“What are you doing, hitting my son? Huh? Chen Xu, you’re a grown man bullying a child. Did all those Confucian classics you studied get eaten by dogs?” As she spoke, she rushed forward and started trying to hit him.
While dodging and blocking her attacks, Chen Xu explained, “Your son stole something from my sister.”
“What thing? What thing are you talking about?”
“I didn’t steal it! It’s mine!” the chubby boy cried as he shouted. As he waved his hands around, the gold lock he was holding became visible.
The moment Chen Xu saw it, he froze. His family did not own a gold lock.
The plump woman was briefly stunned as well. But when she noticed the change in Chen Xu’s expression, her eyes rolled, and she immediately began shouting even louder.
“What do you mean he stole your property? That’s clearly my family’s! Is there no justice anymore? Trying to rob us in broad daylight! I’m reporting this to the authorities. I’m going to the yamen!”
At the mention of reporting the matter to the authorities, Chen Xu’s expression changed at once.
The provincial autumn examinations would begin before long. If any trouble arose and delayed his participation in the imperial examinations, it would be a devastating blow to him. He stepped forward and repeatedly apologized, insisting it was all a misunderstanding.
But the moment he backed down, the plump woman became even more convinced that the gold lock did not belong to the Chen family either. Growing increasingly brazen, she lunged forward, grabbed Chen Xu, and tried to beat him.
Chen Xu’s mother, whose eyesight was poor, felt her way over and anxiously asked what had happened. Before anyone could explain, the plump woman shoved her hard, knocking her to the ground.
Chen Xu’s expression immediately changed. He pushed the plump woman away with a sweep of his arm. But that was exactly what she had been waiting for. The moment she hit the ground, she began wailing at the top of her lungs.
Meanwhile, one of the onlookers who enjoyed stirring up trouble ran off to report the matter to the authorities.
Watching from a short distance away, Su Niao found the entire spectacle immensely entertaining. Before long, court runners arrived and escorted both parties to the county yamen.
Chen Xu’s mother, nearly blind and frantic with worry, wept as she asked someone to go to the Su residence and fetch Chen Yan.
From where she stood, Su Niao inwardly mused: Fetch Chen Yan? Well, Chen Yan has already been sold to Nanfeng House.
When she saw the constables leading Chen Xu, his sister, the chubby boy, and his family toward the yamen, Su Niao immediately instructed the guards to turn the carriage around. Taking Lichun with her, she followed behind.
Chen Xu and the plump woman were soon brought before the court.
During the journey, Chen Xu had already questioned his sister and learned that the gold lock was a gift from Miss Su. The moment he learned that, he stopped feeling nervous. In that case, the fault naturally lay with the other side.
Unexpectedly, however, after hearing the testimony, the county magistrate declared that Chen Xu and the plump woman had been involved in a public brawl and ordered that both be detained in the county jail pending further handling.
The matter was hardly serious, yet the magistrate intended to imprison both parties first and sort it out later. It was clearly a disproportionately harsh punishment.
The problem was that the provincial examinations would begin the day after tomorrow.
Chen Xu was supposed to set out for Yunzhou the very next morning. If he were imprisoned now, he would certainly miss the autumn examinations.
Chen Xu immediately raised his voice and explained the situation, stating that the plump woman had allowed her son to steal someone else’s property and that he had merely acted in self-defense.
However, the chubby boy and his mother both stubbornly insisted that the gold lock belonged to their family.
The woman loudly declared, “They support Chen Xu’s studies and take care of his blind mother. Their whole family depends on the eldest Chen son. They can barely afford food and clothing as it is. Where would they get the spare money to buy a gold lock like that?”
People in the crowd quietly voiced their agreement.
“That’s true. I heard the eldest Chen son even sold himself to the Su estate as a servant for a few months just to earn money for his mother’s medicine. How could they possibly afford a gold lock?”
The magistrate let out a cold snort.
“Unless you can produce evidence proving that the gold lock belongs to the Chen family, then you are guilty of unlawfully seizing another person’s property. With character such as this, I absolutely cannot permit you to participate in the imperial examinations!”
At those words, Chen Xu looked up abruptly. “My lord…”
The magistrate waved his hand. “Take him away!”
Little Chen Ning threw her arms around her second brother and burst into loud sobs.
Watching the plump woman and her son trying to claim as their own something she had given away, then looking at the pitiful Chen siblings and remembering that she had already sold off their eldest brother, a rare bout of kindness struck Su Niao. She instructed Lichun to get down from the carriage.
Pushing her way through the crowd, Lichun spoke loudly: “My lord, the gold lock belonging to the Chen family’s little girl was bestowed by my mistress. That is the proof.”
The magistrate had not expected anyone to step forward. Then he noticed that although the speaker was dressed as a maid, her bearing and confidence surpassed those of many noble young ladies. His expression immediately became more restrained. “May I ask who your mistress is?”
Lichun let out a cold laugh. “There’s no need for you to concern yourself with my mistress’s identity. You need only know that the gold lock bears the mark of our Su Jewelry House. Whether that is true or not can be verified with a single glance.”
The young maid stood there issuing instructions as though even a county magistrate was beneath her notice.
The magistrate hesitated. In the end, he could only order someone to bring the gold lock forward for inspection. When he saw the character ‘Su’ engraved inside it, he drew a deep breath. With so many witnesses, he had no choice but to handle the matter impartially.
“The gold lock does indeed bear the mark ‘Su.’ Li Youfang, do you still dare claim that it belongs to your family?”
The plump woman, so aggressive a moment earlier, fell silent, no longer daring to speak.
The magistrate gave a cold snort.
“Now that the truth has been established, both parties may return home. Neither side is to make any further trouble over this matter.”
Lichun frowned. “My lord, this woman Li encouraged her son to steal someone else’s property and then falsely accused others. Is that to go unpunished?”
The plump woman’s face turned pale, and she began trembling. Across from her, the magistrate saw that this maidservant was articulate, forceful, and increasingly difficult to dismiss. The more she spoke, the less he dared to treat the matter lightly. In the end, he ordered that Madam Li be given ten strokes of the board before being released.
The woman immediately began howling and begging for mercy. The chubby boy cried until tears and snot covered his face. In the crowd behind them, Madam Li’s dull and timid husband awkwardly retreated to the very back, not daring to show his face.
Inside the rear hall of the yamen, a scholar-clad man gritted his teeth in secret.
The man was Xue Yuan, Magistrate Liu’s brother-in-law and, like Chen Xu, a licentiate studying at the county academy.
Xue Yuan had always viewed Chen Xu as a rival. He knew Chen Xu was his greatest competitor for first place in the upcoming provincial examinations.
Moreover, Xue Yuan was fond of Jin Mingzhu, yet Jin Mingzhu paid him no attention at all. Instead, she devoted herself entirely to pursuing Chen Xu. So when he heard Chen Xu had gotten himself into trouble, Xue Yuan hurriedly begged his brother-in-law to handle the matter as severely as possible. Ideally, he wanted Chen Xu to miss the autumn examinations entirely.
Magistrate Liu likewise hoped that his wife’s younger brother would become the top candidate. Since the Chen family possessed neither power nor influence, he had gladly agreed. He had never expected a spoiler to emerge halfway through. Grinding his teeth in frustration, Xue Yuan could do nothing but give up.
While Chen Xu and Madam Li argued their case at the county yamen, Chen Yan had already beaten a path through a hall full of people at Nanfeng House.
Only then did he learn the truth: Su Niao had sold him. And not just sold him, but sold him to Nanfeng House. He lifted his eyes and swept a glance across the upper floor, where the heavily made-up young male entertainers watched the commotion with great interest.
Even someone as composed as Chen Yan was genuinely angered this time. This place could not hold him.
The moment he returned, he would no longer tolerate that spoiled young lady’s reckless behavior.
Just then, Ye Linlang entered with a group of soldiers. The moment she saw Chen Yan, she froze briefly, then laughed. “I heard there was a newly purchased courtesan causing trouble, so I came to have a look. Who would’ve thought it was you?”
Amusement filled her eyes.
“What, your young lady was so angry that she actually sold you to a place like this?”
Chen Yan lowered the club he had taken from one of the thugs. “This establishment belongs to you?”
“No, no, not me. A colleague asked me to drop by and look after things here a bit. But from what I can see, this is just a misunderstanding.”
Ye Linlang called over the madam and asked, “Is there a contract of sale?”
The madam shook her head awkwardly.
“I see.” Ye Linlang nodded. “If there’s no contract, then let him go. Be more careful with these matters in the future.”
The madam hurriedly protested. “But we paid five taels of silver to his master.”
Ye Linlang could not help laughing again. “How did your young lady only sell you for five taels? What a waste of good material.”
She looked Chen Yan up and down. “Your martial skills are impressive. Have you considered joining me? The pay under my command would be far more than that every month.”
Chen Yan tossed aside the club. “I have a three-month agreement with her.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Ye Linlang nodded. “In that case, I’ll come look for you again after those three months. That’ll also give you time to think it over.”
“The army offers plenty of opportunities, but there are risks as well. Consider it carefully and give me your answer then. How about it?”
Chen Yan nodded. “Alright.”
If given a chance, no one wished to waste their life away.
Over the past few years, he had been occupied with supporting his family. Occasionally, when he urgently needed money, he took on dangerous jobs under an assumed name. But that was never a long-term solution.
Now Chen Xu was about to sit for the provincial examinations. If all went well, after the autumn examinations he would prepare for the metropolitan examinations the following spring.
Chen Yan, too, needed to find a path for his own future.
Ye Linlang smiled and nodded at the man she thought highly of, then waved her hand and ordered that Chen Yan be allowed to leave.
After leaving Nanfeng House, Chen Yan headed toward Ping’an Alley in the western part of the city. The icy anger that had originally filled his heart gradually faded with every step. Although Su Niao was indeed spoiled, unreasonable, and reckless, she had given him the blood ginseng to save his aunt, and she had also rescued his little sister, Chen Ning… Those were acts of great kindness.
Today, when she had ordered him to hurt someone over the bracelet dispute and he had refused, he had clearly angered her. If selling him to Nanfeng House was enough to vent her frustration, then so be it.
After all, he was a grown man and had suffered no real loss. Why bother arguing with a young girl who had been spoiled since childhood? It would only waste more words.
He had assumed that after all that commotion, Su Niao would have returned home long ago. Yet when he returned to the Su estate and asked around, he learned she hadn’t come back yet.
Before Chen Yan could decide whether he should go into the county town to look for her, a neighbor suddenly ran over.
“Chen Yan, something’s happened to your family!”
Only then did he learn that Chen Xu and Chen Ning had been taken to the county yamen. His expression changed slightly. He immediately turned to rush there, but as soon as he reached the mouth of the alley, he saw Chen Xu carrying Chen Ning as they climbed down from the Su family’s carriage.
Chen Yan paused briefly, then quickly strode forward. Just then, he heard Chen Xu thanking the people inside the carriage.
“Today’s matter was all thanks to Miss Su helping my sister and me out of our predicament. If the autumn examinations had been delayed because of this, I truly don’t know what I would have done.”
At that moment, Su Niao also spotted Chen Yan. Seeing him standing there safe and sound, she immediately knew that even Nanfeng House had failed to keep him. Her previously sunny mood instantly darkened like a sky covered in storm clouds.
She no longer cared about dealing with Chen Xu and his sister. With a cold expression, she let down the carriage curtain and ordered the guards to drive on.
Naturally, Chen Xu had no idea why Miss Su, who had seemed perfectly fine just moments ago, had suddenly become unhappy. But there was no need to think about it. It must have been his fault.
A kind-hearted and compassionate young lady like Miss Su would never be unhappy without reason. If she was upset, then someone else must have done something wrong. Next time, he would certainly be even more careful not to anger her.
While Chen Xu was still lost in these thoughts, Chen Ning spotted her eldest brother and immediately called out, “Big Brother!”
Chen Yan stepped forward and took his little sister into his arms.
Only then did he learn the full story from Chen Xu. It turned out that Su Niao had helped their family once again.
Thinking about how the girl in the carriage had just ignored him completely as it passed by, clearly still angry, Chen Yan remained silent.
So, just as night was about to fall, Su Niao saw Chen Yan enter carrying a wooden footbath bucket. He had actually come on his own to bring her water for washing her feet. Hmph!
He had probably managed to escape from Nanfeng House today, but not without suffering a bit. Now he had finally learned his lesson. She still refused to acknowledge him.
Glancing at the cold expression on the young lady’s face, Chen Yan crouched down and set the bucket at her feet.
“Thank you, Miss, for helping my younger brother and sister. What happened on the street today was my fault. I’ve come to apologize.”
Su Niao let out a cold laugh. “You think bringing a bucket of foot-washing water is enough to both thank me and apologize? Do you think you’re that valuable?”
Chen Yan looked up at her. “Then what would you have me do? Please instruct me, Miss.”
Originally, Su Niao could not even be bothered to deal with him. But seeing him act so sincerely now unexpectedly reminded her of how he had been in her previous life. Back then, even when subjected to humiliation and torment so severe that life had been worse than death, he had never once yielded. Yet now he was putting on this act of gratitude and repayment.
A malicious smile curled her lips. She lifted one foot toward him. “I want you to help me take off my shoes and wash my feet.”
Wasn’t he supposed to be the sort who would rather die than submit?
Heh…