In no time at all, the madam returned and placed the final result on a tray.
"Gentlemen, although the result is already in, I would like to ask, do you really want to wait and see the result?"
Xu Sanguan asked, somewhat puzzled, "What do you mean by that? Everything will be clear once the results are in. Don't tell me you don't intend to keep your word?"
Huang He also frowned slightly, because the madam had just glanced at him, and the meaning in her eyes was quite clear: he might be the one to lose this time.
The madam coughed twice. "It's like this, whether this poem is good or bad is a matter of personal opinion, but ultimately it depends on the person. What if the final result is that Miss Qiushui doesn't like it?"
Huang He immediately understood what the madam meant. That's right, the right to choose in all of this still rested with Qiu Shui.
“Miss Qiushui, my Huang family is a prominent family in Qingyuan County. I can’t guarantee anything else, but if you are with me, I will definitely marry you and make you my first concubine.”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Shui was immediately tempted. After all, the Huang family was indeed a large and powerful family, and for a courtesan like her, such treatment was already quite good.
Huang He also took off the jade pendant from his waist. "This jade pendant was given to me by my father when I came of age. Now I am willing to give it to Miss Qiushui. I swear with this jade pendant that even if I have a wife in the future, I will never mistreat Miss Qiushui in the slightest."
The Yellow River itself is quite good-looking, and with that sincere and earnest gaze, its impact is even greater.
Even Qiu Shui, who had seen it all before, couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart.
But Xu Sanguan said directly, "I am willing to marry Miss Qiushui as my legal wife. If there is any falsehood in this statement, may I, Xu, be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."
Ning Ye was quite surprised; this Master Xu was truly deeply devoted.
Xu Sanguan was not only an official, but also a proper scholar. If word got out that he had married a courtesan, people would probably gossip about him behind his back.
Throughout history, although scholars and writers have considered visiting brothels to be an elegant affair, how many of them would actually bring a brothel woman home to marry as their principal wife?
If he didn't truly like her, if he wasn't deeply in love, Master Xu would never have said such a thing.
The madam sighed and said, "Qiushui, the two of them have already expressed their feelings. If you don't say anything now, it will be going too far. The future depends on your words."
Ning Ye also chimed in at the opportune moment, "Miss Qiushui, according to the laws of the court, once a wife is married, she cannot be divorced at will. For you, stability is probably the most important thing."
These words struck a chord with Qiu Shui. She was already twenty-four years old, and in two more years she would probably be old and faded. Would she really be able to hold onto Huang He's heart then?
When Qiu Shui's expression changed, Huang He knew he had lost. Instinctively, his fierce gaze fixed on Ning Ye.
"You have quite the nerve, sir, to dare to ruin my plans like this."
Master Xu was no pushover either. "What? Young Master Huang is clearly competing with me for someone, yet you dare not challenge me, but instead you're going to argue with an outsider?"
Huang He smiled calmly, "Everyone knows Master Xu's name. How could I possibly oppose you? I have lost today. So, I will not stay any longer."
Xu Sanguan said with a refreshed expression, "You're smart enough to know what's good for you. Now get lost."
With both matters settled, the madam said directly, "Since it was Master Xu who won the beauty's heart, the total redemption fee is three thousand taels. Shouldn't you also contribute?"
Ning Ye was quite surprised when he heard the price. After all, this was just a remote small county town, yet the price of a courtesan could reach three thousand taels, which was really too high.
However, this amount of money was nothing to Ning Ye. Even though he took out a full three thousand taels of silver notes and handed them to the madam, the madam also took out the indenture.
Master Xu originally intended to take Qiu Shui home for a proper and intimate time, but Ning Ye stopped him for the time being.
Having just received a favor, Master Xu's expression was naturally very good. "You must have something to do in the county town this time. Since you stopped me, I should be able to help with this matter. Just say it directly and don't waste my time."
Ning Ye chuckled, "Nothing can be hidden from Master Xu. I've been thinking of getting a batch of stuff back to my mansion, but I don't want anyone to know. I don't know that Master Xu has no way to find out."
Xu Sanguan stroked his chin and thought for a moment before saying, "Since you've asked, I'll help you with this. In a couple of days, I'll arrange for someone to go out and transport a batch of corpses. They'll also bring some other things back, so your car can come back with them."
"Master Xu, nothing major has happened in Qingyuan County regarding the transportation of corpses. What exactly is going on?"
"Many of those refugees have contracted diseases, and it's still unclear whether it's the plague or not, but some have already died. You didn't know that, did you?"
Ning Ye's expression immediately turned serious. In ancient times, plagues were always the most terrifying nightmares, and it was very possible that a single plague could wipe out the entire population of several places.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that people are terrified of it. Even if Xu Sanguan didn't say it explicitly, Ning Ye could clearly confirm that this was definitely a plague.
"Master Xu, tell me about this matter. Does Lord Wang know about it?"
"Originally, I was going to keep this a secret, but since you asked, I'll tell you. Lord Wang naturally knows, so don't ask any more questions."
Ning Ye nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'm not one to gossip. I just don't know exactly what time it will be in two days, and whether you will arrange a convoy."
"You don't need to worry about this. I will let you know when the time comes. You just need to prepare the manpower."
After saying that, Xu Sanguan went to his beautiful bride. Ning Ye was too lazy to interrupt this Master Xu, after all, he seemed to be eager for more.
Now that he knew about this, Ning Ye naturally wanted to take a look. After wandering around Qingyuan County, he found that there were indeed far fewer refugees, both inside and outside the city, probably because they had been gathered together.
Keeping it a secret was the right thing to do; otherwise, if the news of the plague got out, people would be in a panic and the world would be in chaos.
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