Chapter 148: Chapter 148: As You Wish, What to Mortgage?
By the time Duan Mingfeng arrived, a full spread of dishes was already laid out before Ji Qingwu, personally cooked by the waiter.
The food was mediocre. Ji Qingwu set down her chopsticks after only a few bites.
Seeing Duan Mingfeng standing before the table, she smiled and greeted him. "Mr. Duan, it’s been a while. Why don’t you have a seat?"
He had no desire for small talk and asked directly, "Miss Ji, what did you need to see me about?"
Ji Qingwu didn’t beat around the bush either, getting straight to the point. "I happened to pass by today and saw this restaurant was looking for a buyer. I’d like to take it over and start a small business."
Upon hearing this, a great weight lifted from Duan Mingfeng’s chest. He let out a sigh of relief, and the tension in his back eased slightly.
On his way over, he had considered many reasons why this Miss Ji might have summoned him. He never expected it would be for this.
He replied without hesitation, "The restaurant’s Business Contract is stored at my department. I’ll have someone retrieve it immediately."
Seeing him so agreeable, Ji Qingwu couldn’t help but ask in surprise, "Aren’t we going to negotiate a price? Aren’t you afraid I’ll take advantage of you, Mr. Duan?"
Duan Mingfeng replied, "There’s no need to discuss the price. Whatever Miss Ji feels is fair."
The waiter and the black-robed subordinate standing nearby had a spectacular array of expressions on their faces.
’Since when is Mr. Duan so accommodating?’
The restaurant had been confiscated by the government and should have been categorized as the Royal Family’s private property. Was Duan Mingfeng acting on his own authority without reporting it?
Ji Qingwu was also taken aback by his "Whatever you feel is fair."
She said slowly, "Since you are being so sincere, Mr. Duan, I will pay the market price. However, I haven’t converted my assets to silver yet. At the moment, I only have the Business Contracts for a few other storefronts. I’ll need some time to sell them before I can purchase the restaurant."
’Even if Miss Ji wanted an entire street of shops, His Majesty would hand them over without batting an eye,’ Duan Mingfeng thought.
He said, "That won’t be a problem."
After a moment’s thought, Ji Qingwu said, "Mr. Duan, my words alone are not enough. I have something here I can offer as collateral for the time being."
She took a piece of jade from her robes and placed it on the table.
Duan Mingfeng’s somber gaze fell upon the jade, and a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes.
’This is...’
’Last time, on the day they met at the street corner, Miss Ji had displeased His Majesty in the teahouse. Afterward, in a fit of pique, His Majesty had spent a fortune at Yucui Building to buy their signature piece—the green jade ring.’
’He never imagined that this priceless jade ring would end up in her hands.’
Duan Mingfeng believed he understood the Emperor’s temperament to some extent. The woman before him was someone His Majesty would swallow his anger to appease, even in a rage.
Duan Mingfeng frowned, his expression souring as he took a step back, as if the piece of jade were a hot potato.
He said sternly, "Please, Miss Ji, take this jade back."
Ji Qingwu picked up the jade ring and held it in her delicate, fair palm. She could feel its fine, smooth texture and see its translucent luster and exquisite craftsmanship.
’To a layperson like me, it seems to be of exceptional quality,’ she thought. ’But Mr. Duan looks as if he can’t bear to even glance at it.’
’Could it really be, as Emperor Wu Su claimed, something he just picked up from a street stall?’
Only after seeing Ji Qingwu put it away did Duan Mingfeng step forward again.
He said, "If you are free, Miss Ji, you can accompany me to my department to retrieve the contract."
Seeing the jade ring was enough to guess the woman’s place in His Majesty’s heart. Duan Mingfeng instantly changed his plan. It would be best if he personally handled the transfer of the restaurant’s ownership to prevent any mishaps.
Ji Qingwu glanced at the sky outside. The sun was high; it was still quite early. There was still time to pick up Jiu Jiu.
It would be best to get the Business Contract directly. She nodded. "Then I’ll go with you, Mr. Duan."
They had just left the restaurant and walked a few dozen yards when Duan Mingfeng suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His gaze fell on a corner tower at the end of the alley.
Ji Qingwu looked over as well. The tower had a complex hip-and-gable roof, its multiple, intersecting corners and elegant eaves fanning out like stars around the moon.
The building’s design was quite intricate. She took a longer look, but the smile on her lips faded.
The street was teeming with people, yet the entrance to this tower was guarded by several burly men, forcing pedestrians to give it a wide berth.
She asked, "Mr. Duan, what is this place?"
Duan Mingfeng knew perfectly well what this place was. It was usually bustling with activity and had never been this quiet. Something must have happened inside.
When he didn’t answer, Ji Qingwu tilted her head and caught a flicker of worry in his eyes.
’Who is he worried about?’
Duan Mingfeng had gone out of his way to help her today; Ji Qingwu felt she ought to return the favor.
She said, "Mr. Duan, why don’t we go inside and see?"
At first, the burly men at the entrance blocked their path with menacing expressions. But the Imperial City Envoy’s face was even grimmer, and once one of the guards recognized Duan Mingfeng, they no longer dared to stop them.
As Ji Qingwu drew closer, she made out the characters on the plaque. So this was Lin’an’s famous Liangxiang Pavilion.
She had never been to a place like this and was intensely curious.
No one greeted them as they entered. The floor was paved with white jade and inlaid with golden beads; the main hall was the height of luxury.
Yet there wasn’t a soul in sight. The hall was eerily quiet. Only the crystal jade lamps were lit, and the pearl curtains hung in silence.
Then, from upstairs, came the sound of a woman’s voice, mingled with crying.
Duan Mingfeng shot upstairs, practically flying to the second floor.
When Ji Qingwu reached the second floor, she saw a group of graceful women huddled together fearfully on what looked like a performance stage. The sound of suppressed sobs, however, was coming from a storage room behind them.
Duan Mingfeng had already burst through the door.
Ji Qingwu crept to the doorway and heard voices from within.
The man’s voice was Duan Mingfeng’s, sounding relatively restrained.
"Princess, I beg you, show mercy."
Ji Qingwu frowned. ’No wonder Liangxiang Pavilion is so deserted. Princess Qingyun is here.’ Thinking about why the Princess had come, she sighed.
The voices from inside the room carried out clearly.
"Mercy?" Princess Qingyun spat angrily. "Duan Envoy, are you also involved with this courtesan from Liangxiang Pavilion? She shamelessly seduced my Prince Consort and is now carrying his child. And you ask me to show mercy? Don’t you think that’s going too far?!"
Before Duan Mingfeng could speak, Mo Lingling’s voice cut in.
Her once melodious voice was now raw and hoarse.
"Princess, Lord Li and I were childhood sweethearts. It is my misfortune that my family fell from grace and I am now worthless, no longer a match for him. But if you hadn’t been born into the Royal Family, would he ever have given a tyrannical woman like you a second glance?"
Hearing her taunt, Princess Qingyun clutched her chest in fury, her brows knitting together. "You audacious whore! You dare provoke me? Pour it in!"
A great SPLASH of water, mixed with the CLANG of something hard, echoed through the room.
’What in the world was that sound?’
Ji Qingwu peered through the crack in the door, and her heart clenched.
Mo Lingling was bound inside a large wooden tub. The rosy-cheeked beauty was gone, replaced by a woman with a deathly pale face and bruised, blue-black lips.
Two burly servant women were lifting an iron bucket...
