The three of them drank and listened to music until late at night. Feng Shaoying was so drunk that he passed out and was helped to the inner room where he fell into a deep sleep.
Xue Yuanchu pulled out a silver note worth two hundred taels from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and gently pushed it in front of Jiang Ren with his fingertips.
"That servant you mentioned last time, the one with the long, narrow eyebrows and the western accent, didn't you say I could exchange him for two hundred taels of silver?" He pointed to the banknotes on the table. "These are from the Tongbao Silver Bank. I'll take him away in a moment."
Jiang Ren's gaze fell on the banknote, and a shrewd look flashed in his eyes.
However, after a moment of thought, he returned the banknote.
"You actually took my joke that day seriously. I don't need any money from you. If you like that boy, I can give him to you. But now, even if you give me four hundred taels, I dare not give him to you."
Xue Yuanchu snorted deliberately when he heard this. "The banknotes are right in front of you, and you're doing this again. What kind of riddle are you playing?"
"The banknote is right here," he said firmly. "Call the man out. I must take him away today!"
Jiang Ren personally poured a glass of wine for Xue Yuanchu as an apology, with a slightly flattering look on his face.
"I didn't let you take him because he's too troublesome. You weren't here last night. It was Wang Ruotang, the son of the Marquis of Jingxiang, who came."
"He wanted this guy to accompany him tonight, but he suddenly went crazy and bit Wang Ruotang's arm so hard that the teeth marks were visible. How is Wang Ruotang going to explain this to his wife when he gets home? He's really stirred up a hornet's nest!"
"I immediately locked the brat in the woodshed at the back and gave him a good beating. If you bring him back and he injures you, how are you going to explain this to your wife?"
Hearing this, Xue Yuanchu couldn't help but be surprised: "Is this kid so wild? He's so undisciplined?"
Jiang Ren said indifferently, "Hmm," and then said bluntly, "If you don't believe me, why don't you condescend to follow me to the back room and see for yourself?"
Xue Yuanchu was a little tipsy after drinking and felt that the room was hot and stuffy. He wanted to go out for some fresh air and to cool down from the alcohol, so he left the room.
Guanqi caught a glimpse of this scene in the side room, hurriedly picked up the candlestick, and walked to the front to light the way for him.
After passing through the wing rooms, they came to the woodshed at the back.
As soon as the door was opened, I saw a half-burned candle on the table. Under the dim candlelight, the servant was curled up in the corner, and his exposed hands and legs were covered with scars from being beaten with fire tongs.
"You're being too harsh." Xue Yuanchu was shocked when he saw this.
Jiang Ren now displayed the disregard of a dandy who treated human life like dirt. "I didn't hang him up and whip him, which was already a light punishment. Didn't you come to my place to have some fun better than those places out there? If it's worse than the lowest of the low, and you send someone back injured, how am I going to explain it? I didn't beat him to death, which was already a mercy."
Xue Yuanchu could understand Jiang Ren's words. The money paid for entering the top brothels in the capital was enough to cover the expenses of an ordinary family for a month.
What is the basis for this?
Isn't it to make the guests feel comfortable? The prostitutes there are all docile and have no temper at all, so they can come out to serve the guests.
After all, if they encounter someone with a bad temper and scratch or hurt the guests, how can these guests explain to their wives when they go home?
What's more, if the face is injured, how can those who hold official positions go to court to meet the emperor?
Xue Yuanchu looked down at the scarred boy.
Jiang Ren had his own way of teaching his servants a lesson. Although the boy's wounds were not serious, he still suffered a lot. On the other hand, there was no skin broken on his face.
Xue Yuanchu said in a deep voice: "He's so noisy, if he stays with you, I'm afraid he will cause more trouble. I'd better take him away, and you can keep the money."
Jiang Ren saw that Xue Yuanchu was determined to keep this boy, so he felt there was no need to force him to stay. After all, as long as he had money, there would be no one better than him.
Just consider it as a favor to Xue Yuanchu, and you can get two hundred taels of silver for free.
So, Jiang Ren half-jokingly said, "You can't take him back to the Marquis' Mansion, right?"
Xue Yuanchu chuckled and responded, "Do you really think you two brothers are the only ones who can use the trick of having three burrows?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ren showed a meaningful smile on his face, as if he understood everything.
And just like that, the matter was settled easily.
After leaving the matter to Guanqi, Xue Yuanchu and Jiang Ren returned to their rooms. On the way, Xue Yuanchu casually asked, "Why didn't your brother Jiang Yi come tonight?"
On weekdays, Jiang Yi was witty and cheerful, and he was also well-versed in the romantic affairs of the major mansions in the capital. His presence always added a lot of color to drinking parties.
Jiang Ren explained, "My grandfather sent him to our hometown in Haining. They've just built a new summer garden there, and now is the time for inspection, so we sent him there."
In the woodshed, Guanqi looked at the young servant. When he served Xue Yuanchu, he was about the same age as him, but the young servant was thinner, which made him feel pity for him.
So he went back to the carriage, took out an old cloak that was no longer in use, and went back to the woodshed to put it on the servant.
"What's your name?" Guanqi asked gently.
However, the servant remained silent and did not respond.
Guanqi patiently persuaded him, "If you stay here, you'll probably die. Our prince is not a cold-blooded person. If you come with us, you won't have to endure this kind of physical pain in the future."
Seeing the servant's expressionless face, head lowered, and still silent, Guanqi paused and continued, "You are still young. Maybe the prince will hire someone to teach you how to read and write. Do you want to study? What can you do if you stay here? Is there any place worse than this?"
As he spoke, Guanqi nodded in the direction of the wing room and gestured.
Hearing this, the tension on the servant's face gradually subsided and he stopped resisting.
Guan Qi was good at reading people's expressions and knew that his words had touched the other person, so he gently helped him up and said, "Is there anyone else at home? When the prince is in a better mood, maybe he will help you find your family."
After hearing this, the servant completely gave up resistance. Although he was staggering, he still followed Guanqi to the yard obediently.
Guanqi was not a mean person. He fetched a basin of water and wiped the blood off the boy's body. Although the child was in unbearable pain, he gritted his teeth and did not cry out in pain.
"Ayan." The servant said softly with a thick western accent.
Guanqi was treating the wound on his hand and looked up and responded, "...Then you can be called Guanyan from now on."
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