Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Zhou Wei was a penniless wanderer of the jianghu. He had never bought a house in his life, and he did not understand all those twists and turns Sheng Zhaoning had explained to him on the way, such as first pretending the price was too high and turning to leave, then coming back after the seller stopped him… and so on.

The only thing he vaguely remembered was one sentence: “Bargain… drive the price down hard!”

And so, when the carriage stopped in front of a residence on Dongjie that Sheng Zhaoning had taken a liking to at first glance, the owner quoted a price of “one thousand five hundred taels.”

Zhou Wei glanced in Sheng Zhaoning’s direction. After receiving the hint in her eyes, he nodded with deep meaning.

Then he turned around, looked at the smiling owner, simply ignored the first thousand, and chopped the price down with one heavy blow. “Five hundred taels!”

Sheng Zhaoning: “…”

The owner: “…”

An eerie silence instantly filled the air.

Sheng Zhaoning’s face nearly turned green with anger.

Was this how anyone bargained for a house? Was he not afraid the owner would really chase him down with a knife and chop him instead?!

When the owner heard this, his face flushed a deep red from holding back. He pointed at Zhou Wei for a long while, unable to get a word out.

Zhou Wei was still constantly shooting Sheng Zhaoning looks. He leaned over and whispered, “Go on. Didn’t you say we had to pretend to leave first?”

Sheng Zhaoning clenched her teeth, a cold smile slipping from the corner of her mouth. “Where did you get the confidence that he would chase after us?”

He had cut off a thousand taels in one go. The fact that the two of them had not been beaten was already a blessing from heaven!

Zhou Wei awkwardly rubbed his nose and said no more.

Sheng Zhaoning glared fiercely at him, then turned to the owner and said, “My apologies. My younger brother was being improper and made a joke of it.”

She offered him a way down, and only then did the owner’s expression improve somewhat.

“Your younger brother truly has a tongue as clever as a reed pipe,” the owner said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

Zhou Wei could not hear the hidden meaning in those words. He even thought the man was praising him for being eloquent, and his chin unconsciously lifted a little higher.

Sheng Zhaoning, however, almost failed to hold back her laughter.

It seemed this owner was also a learned man.

The phrase came from the “Clever Words” poem in the Lesser Odes of the Book of Songs. The line after “a tongue as clever as a reed pipe” was “how thick is his face.”

He was quietly cursing Zhou Wei for having skin far too thick, practically calling him shameless. Unfortunately, this was a brute with barely a drop of ink in his belly, and he could not tell good words from bad at all.

Of the several houses they had selected, this residence on Dongjie suited her best. It had three layers of courtyards, a sufficiently large yard, a sensible interior layout, and all manner of scenery and garden features. It was also located in a relatively central part of Capital City.

If there was still room to negotiate the price, she was more inclined to buy this place.

“To be honest with you, my family is preparing to move here from Xuzhou in the near future. This residence is very much to my liking as well. It would be best if you could be a little more accommodating on the price.”

Her words could still be considered sincere enough.

The owner already had a measure of goodwill toward this handsome young gentleman before him. Just now, he had only been thoroughly angered by that blockheaded “younger brother” beside her, and his tone had been a bit harsh. By now, his expression had eased a little.

“I understand your considerations, Young Master. The price of one thousand five hundred taels may not be cheap, but it is not expensive either. After all, this residence occupies quite a large plot and is close to Mingxi Street. It could be said to be in the most prosperous area of the Capital City. This price… truly cannot be lowered any further.”

Sheng Zhaoning said, “This residence has already been on the market here for more than two months, yet it still has not sold. The reason is nothing more than that ordinary people cannot afford the price, while noble families find it beneath their notice. As a result, it can only sit here like this.”

The owner had clearly had his worries exposed. His expression changed at once, but before he could speak, she continued, “As things stand, this residence is necessary for my family. In every respect, it meets our requirements. The only obstacle is the price, which still needs some discussion. I hope you might make things a little easier for us.”

At that, a flicker of hesitation crossed the owner’s face.

The residence had indeed been sitting empty for more than two months. His whole family had already moved out of the Capital, leaving only him behind to handle the sale. With no buyer in sight after all this time, he had been burning with anxiety.

Now that someone was finally willing to buy it, and the only sticking point was the price, the owner wavered for a long while before finally giving in.

“Since you are sincere about buying it, young master, I cannot cling stubbornly to the original price.”

When Sheng Zhaoning heard there was room to negotiate, she immediately perked up.

The owner said, “One thousand three hundred taels. That is already the lowest I can go.”

Sheng Zhaoning’s brows shifted slightly. She knew he was telling the truth.

For a residence this large, in such a good location, one thousand five hundred taels was already the standard price. Even if he made a concession, it would not be by much.

Now that the owner had relented and dropped the price by two hundred taels in one go, Sheng Zhaoning could not press him any further no matter what.

“Very well. Since you are being so straightforward, I will say no more.”

Sheng Zhaoning turned and gave Zhou Wei a look, signaling for him to bring over the money pouch.

Zhou Wei curled his lip and handed the money to her.

Sheng Zhaoning took out two banknotes from inside. “This two hundred taels will serve as the deposit. In a few days, once my family arrives in the Capital, we will pay the remaining balance.”

The owner accepted the banknotes. Knowing the deal was as good as settled, he finally smiled. “Good, good.”

Once the two of them signed the contract and pressed their seals to it, the matter was fully settled.

On the way back, Zhou Wei chattered nonstop.

One moment, he was saying Sheng Zhaoning was amazing, that she had managed to cut two hundred taels off the price in just a few sentences. The next, he complained that she had not bargained hard enough and should have started at five hundred taels, just as he had suggested.

Sheng Zhaoning sat in the carriage with her eyes closed, resting her mind. She had no desire to respond.

The carriage arrived at the gates of Sheng Mansion.

Sheng Zhaoning lifted the curtain. Her foot had just touched the ground, and she was about to step inside, when someone called out to her from behind.

“Lord Sheng.”

Her step toward the threshold paused. She drew her foot back and turned to look, only to see a face she recognized but was not familiar with.

Sheng Zhaoning inclined her head. “Lord Li.”

The newcomer was none other than Li Ji, Director of the Court of Judicial Review.

Behind him followed a great crowd of people. Judging by their clothes, they should have been bailiffs from the Court of Judicial Review.

“Is Lord Li out on official business?” Sheng Zhaoning asked.

Li Ji glanced back at the people behind him, then nodded with a smile. “Yes. We are investigating a case, but we have run into a bit of trouble.”

“May I ask if there is any way this Sheng can be of assistance?”

Sheng Zhaoning had only asked out of courtesy, but she had not expected Li Ji to actually study her seriously after hearing it.

A bad premonition instantly settled over her heart.

“There is, as a matter of fact,” Li Ji said.

Sheng Zhaoning said, “…Please, go on.”

She had a strong feeling this would be nothing good.

“Has Lord Sheng ever been to a brothel?” Li Ji asked with remarkable bluntness.

Zhou Wei, standing at the side, heard this and his eyes went perfectly round.

Was that something he could just say out loud?

The corner of Sheng Zhaoning’s mouth twitched. Gritting her teeth, she forced two words out through them and smiled. “I have not.”