northernbook Chapter 254 tells a joke.
Chapter 254 tells a joke.
One hundred thousand taels of silver! The Flower Water Moon Pavilion really dares to ask for that!
What's even worse is that they all have clearly marked prices!
Renting an entire regular inn for one night would only cost two or three hundred taels of silver, while renting an entire floor in Huashuiyuefang would cost two hundred taels of silver per night. So, four hundred taels for two nights would be reasonable.
The banquet was really expensive! And the food was really good!
A banquet costs two hundred taels of silver, haha...
When I was eating it, I only thought it tasted good and didn't pay any attention to what ingredients were used!
King Qi questioned the innkeeper about why such an expensive banquet was prepared. The innkeeper pointed directly to one of his subordinates and said that he had relayed the message: "We need the best banquet!"
The dances and music are also charged by quantity. A few dozen taels doesn't seem like much when you say it, but the whole set can be overwhelming.
The most expensive are Dan Niang and Ming Li!
Dan Niang was once a famous courtesan in the neighboring city, and her virginity was auctioned off for a full 30,000!
The reason was that the person who took the picture of Dan Niang's first time was a local bully. The owner of Hua Shui Yue Fang couldn't stand it and bought Dan Niang, taking her to Anshun and carefully training her to become a leading lady.
A pillar of a ward is naturally quite valuable, not to mention that the King of Qi slept with her...
When the incident occurred, King Qi was afraid of being framed, so he sent people to investigate Dan Niang's background and knew that what the shopkeeper said was true.
As a servant, Mingli wasn't particularly expensive, but her exceptional musical skills meant that her death caused considerable losses to Huashuiyuefang, all of which had to be factored into the price...
There were also miscellaneous expenses, such as funeral expenses, the cost of drinks for cooking, and even the cost of firewood for the woodshed...
The King of Qi couldn't deny it! He could only let the shopkeeper keep calculating...
In the end, it came to 100,001 taels!
The owner had instructed that since the King of Qi was a major customer, a discount could be offered, so the shopkeeper rounded it down to one tael!
King Qi was furious, but there was nothing he could do. He had brought 50,000 taels of silver with him on this trip, but after spending some on the journey, it was far from enough to cover the expenses of Huashuiyuefang.
They temporarily sent people to borrow silver from various officials' residences, promising to send someone to deliver it before the new year to settle old debts.
The officials were unaware of what happened later and assumed that King Qi was just drunk and putting on a show of wealth!
They had praised Prince Qi highly, but in the end they ended up chipping in for a meal. If only they had eaten more!
King Qi accepted the large stack of IOUs handed to him by his guard, and his expression was priceless...
What's worse, he wanted to borrow even more money for his return journey!
Isn't that embarrassing?!
Yang Jianwu listened to Luo Li's vivid report inside the carriage, and her stomach ached from trying to suppress her laughter, so she simply lay down and rolled around in the carriage.
"Oh dear, my tummy, you've suffered so much."
Mu Jin pulled the person up, her smile unchanged, "Take it easy, be careful not to bump into anything."
"It's okay, I'm wearing thick clothes for winter!"
"There's a heater here, be careful not to get burned."
Yang Jianwu sat back down, imagining the King of Qi's expression, and couldn't help but laugh again.
King Qi had been in a gloomy mood since the start of the journey, and only the occasional laughter coming from inside the carriage brought him some relief.
"Miss Yang, what are you talking about? You seem to be having a lot of fun."
He must not forget the purpose of this trip. Those who do great things do not concern themselves with trifles. As long as the tens of thousands of taels of silver are returned on time, that's all that matters!
Yang Jianwu didn't want to pay attention to Prince Qi, but he was a prince after all. If she ignored him, it would be too rude. If he really used his status as a prince to suppress her, it would be difficult to confront him openly.
Yang Jianwu lifted a corner of the curtain, revealing his face, and respectfully replied, "Your Highness, it was just a casual conversation about a joke. It was so funny that I couldn't control my laughter and disturbed Your Highness."
"What joke is so funny? Tell me so I can have a laugh with you all."
"Yes, Your Highness! The joke was about... Achoo!"
Yang Jianwu covered her face with her sleeve and bowed to King Qi.
"I am so sorry, Your Highness, I have been impolite! The joke was... Achoo! Achoo!"
King Qi wanted to take the opportunity to communicate more with Yang Jianwu on the road so that they could get to know each other better. Right now, she had caught a cold, so her health should be the priority!
"Miss Yang, quickly lower the curtain, be careful not to catch a cold from the draft."
Yang Jianwu pretended to be in pain and gently rubbed her nose a few times. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'll lower the curtain now... Achoo!"
"Put it down now. There's no need for such formalities in front of me!"
"Thank you, Your Highness..."
Yang Jianwu slowly lowered the curtain. It was inconvenient for the King of Qi to stay by the carriage any longer, so he spurred his horse and galloped forward.
At noon, we ate some dry food on the road. In the evening, we arrived at the post station, where the caravan stopped to spend the night and replenish our supplies.
Yang Jianwu wrapped a face towel around her neck and entered the post station. To put on a good show, she had to go all the way. Feigning illness was a timeless and effective tactic!
She didn't want to see that big, fat piece of meat, the King of Qi, dangling in front of her every day...
King Qi had been keeping an eye on Yang Jianwu's movements, and now that he saw her enter the room veiled, his brow furrowed slightly...
In the gentlest of voices I could muster, I asked, "Miss Yang, are you feeling unwell?"
Yang Jianwu coughed weakly a few times, "Your Highness Prince Qi, I have lived in Anshun since I was a child. I have never been to the north when the weather is cold, so my body may be a little unaccustomed to it."
"Should we send a doctor to take a look?"
"Ahem~ Your Highness Prince Qi, have you forgotten? I am also a doctor..."