The maid, seeing the old woman’s indifference, pursed her lips indignantly. She feared the old woman, who was the favored maid of her master, and dared not press her any further.
Knock, knock, knock—
Before long, a series of knocks sounded, and the maid jolted upright, hurrying to the door. Through the lantern-light falling from above the door, she saw clearly the middle-aged man standing before her – the very person she had been waiting for.
"How did it go, is the matter taken care of?" the maid hastily let the man in and, after closing the door, asked impatiently.
The middle-aged man had a sly look about him, a visage that scread no good. His lecherous gaze swept over the maid’s bosom before he smugly patted his chest and boasted, "With Master Huang on the case, what could possibly go wrong?"
The maid, upon hearing this, didn’t know whether to feel relieved or afraid and hesitantly asked, "You, you didn’t let those people see your face, did you?"
The self-proclaid Master Huang reached out with his greasy hand toward the maid’s cheek. Seeing her dodge away, his pleasure turned to annoyance and he said coldly, "I disguised myself especially for this; they won’t know who I am. But, they complained about the risk being too high and the silver too ager, refusing to hand over the item. They demanded another five hundred taels of silver for the exchange."
At this, Master Huang’s gaze shifted evasively, clearly betraying his guilt.
Fan ijiao had hemorrhaged a large sum this ti, handing over five hundred taels of silver to the maid to ensure the matter was handled properly. However, the entire sum ended up in Master Huang’s pocket, with three hundred taels going to his greed and the remaining two hundred given to the thieves that carried out the job at the Mo Family.
This ti, he hadn’t anticipated the sudden price hike, but as a middleman, it ant a chance to make more profit. So, he had inflated the two hundred taels to five hundred, scheming to skim another three hundred taels for himself.
Hearing that another five hundred taels was needed, the maid’s complexion changed as she said angrily, "We had a clear deal for five hundred taels, and now they suddenly raise the price. They clearly have no respect for Zhao Mansion!"
Should the young miss learn that five hundred taels of silver had not sufficed, she would surely bla the maid for incompetence. Who knew how she would be punished then? Throughout this entire ordeal, the maid hadn’t gained a penny, and now she risked entanglent in a legal dispute. Asking the young miss for more silver was out of the question; suspicion of her pocketing the silver would surely not go unfounded.
Master Huang spread his hands as if to show there was nothing he could do and said, "Those people fear neither heaven nor earth, and now they hold what you seek in their grasp. Without the silver, they won’t surrender the item to ; surely I can’t be expected to pay out of my own pocket?"
The maid, looking troubled, clenched her teeth and proposed, "How about three days? Return in three days for the silver."
The young miss was likely to return in a good mood, and by then, the five hundred taels of silver should be obtainable.
Master Huang’s eyes glead with covetousness as he leered at the maid, suggesting, "If you truly have no silver, I could pay out of my pocket, but well, you’ll have to give sothing in return, won’t you?"
The maid, well aware of Master Huang’s intentions, scowled with disgust, "Hmph, rest assured, in three days’ ti, I will have the five hundred taels for you, undiminished. Keep your hands to yourself in the anti."
Unwilling to give up, Master Huang began to say sothing more but was promptly shoved outside by the maid. A loud thud followed as she slamd the door shut behind him.
Kicking the door fiercely, Master Huang spat disdainfully and left, reluctantly. He still had to placate those greedy ruffians; otherwise, a slip-up on their part could ruin him, too.
...
The next morning saw two carriages leave Zhao Mansion one after the other—a modest one followed by one that was lavishly decorated. Accompanied by nurous maids and crones and more than twenty robust guards, the procession was truly magnificent.
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