Chapter Eighty-Nine: Relationship

"You're the younger fellow who came with the county constable last night, aren't you?" the proprietress asked, resting her cheek on one hand as she looked at him.

Qi Jun shook his head lightly. He lifted the wine bowl and, with one hand, drew aside the veil before him, preparing to drink.

"That doesn't count," she said with a giggle, her almond-shaped eyes curving as she reached out to stop him. Teasingly, she added, "Are you thirsty, little brother? Why are you being so honest? That covering on your head looks rather troublesome. Why not take it off and let your sister have a proper look at you?"

Qi Jun thought of the burn scars on his face and kept shaking his head, even as her words made his face burn hot.

"Do wealthy women in ancient times all behave this openly?" He glanced at the proprietress and instinctively turned his head away, thinking to himself, "Could this rich beauty have taken a liking to me?"

"I have injuries on my face, so I use this to cover my ugly appearance," Qi Jun said, steadying himself and answering truthfully.

"Oh? Did you get into a fight?" The proprietress still seemed deeply interested in his face. "A man with scars is more handsome..."

"Cough, cough. Proprietress, I really did come to discuss something with you..." Qi Jun felt a fine sheen of sweat break out on his face, making his wounds itch unbearably.

"All right, all right, I won't tease you anymore. What you want to discuss with me is about those girls, isn't it?" she said, looking at him with a意味深长 expression.

Qi Jun froze. He had not expected her to read his thoughts so thoroughly before he had even spoken. He nodded and drained the bowl in one gulp.

The proprietress gave a slight nod and even clapped her hands once in approval. Leaning forward, she asked, "So you have taken a fancy to them and want to buy them out of servitude, is that it?"

Qi Jun nodded helplessly, refilled the bowl from the wine jar, and threw back another mouthful.

After two bowls of wine, his head had begun to swim and his thoughts to blur.

At his answer, a trace of loneliness seemed to flash through the proprietress's eyes. Then she asked, "And if I refuse?"

Qi Jun set down the cup and stared at her in surprise, puzzled and reproachful.

"Name your price. Just say how much," he thought. The proprietress must have heard about this from the serving boy and believed he valued the two girls deeply, so she meant to drive up the price.

"Do I look like someone short of silver?" The proprietress shook her head slightly and said to Qi Jun with solemn emphasis, "I already said it: I will not agree to this. If the young master wishes to spend the night, he may pay and take their tokens. If there is nothing else, please leave."

With that, she picked up two wine jars and headed toward the counter without looking back.

Qi Jun felt a bitterness in his heart. It was hard enough to negotiate with women; it was even harder to negotiate with a wealthy woman.

A woman's heart was as deep as the sea; he had no idea what he had said to offend her, and she had suddenly changed her face without warning.

With ordinary women, silver might still be used to persuade them to change their minds, but against a woman who clearly lacked no money at all, Qi Jun was at a loss.

"Sir, you see, this is..." The serving boy walked over to the table with some difficulty, glanced back at the proprietress behind the counter, then looked at Qi Jun.

"I'll stay the night. Bring me the tokens for Chen Xia'er and Chen Dong'er!" Qi Jun said, glaring at the proprietress. The wine had gone to his head, and stubbornness rose in him as well.

He took out the only five taels of silver on him and slapped it onto the table. It was enough to cover two nights here.

Seeing the silver, the serving boy grinned and was just about to reach for it when the proprietress's cold voice rang out behind him.

"The silver has gone up. It's ten taels now. Not enough money," she said, head lowered as she flipped through the account ledger.

Qi Jun paused at the sound and saw at once that she was deliberately making things difficult for him.

"Then I'll pay ten taels!" he said, fixing her with a displeased look.

"Still not enough. It's gone up again. Twenty taels," she replied, her hand on the ledger trembling ever so slightly as her tone grew even colder.

"You..." he began.

"This inn is mine. I can raise the price whenever I like. What can you do about it?"

"Fine! Twenty taels it is! Do you think I can't afford it?" Qi Jun was genuinely angered now. Why was this woman making life difficult for him for no reason? He had come to give her silver, and yet it felt as though he were the one in her debt.

"Very well. Then take out the silver," the proprietress said this time without raising the price further. She set down the brush in her hand and looked at him with a cold smile.

Qi Jun was dumbfounded. This woman was not playing by any ordinary rules. There was no logic to her demands at all. He had intended to turn and leave if she kept raising the price, but instead he had been firmly trapped by her.

"Little brother, silver is not something that appears just because you say so," the proprietress said, taking pleasure in his embarrassment. She walked up to him, placed a hand lightly on his shoulder, and pressed him gently back down onto the stool.

"I asked the two of them. You didn't lay a hand on either of them that night. So why are you spending so much to buy them out?" The coldness on her face gave way once more to a seductive, amused smile. "Little brother, don't tell me... you're lacking in that department?"

Qi Jun, who had been momentarily stunned, felt a nameless surge of wicked fire rise at those words.

Provoked by her teasing, he looked at the mature, captivating beauty beside him. At such close range, with the intoxicating scent of her body drifting into his nose and the haze of alcohol lending him courage, he was suddenly seized by the urge to throw this enchantress onto the table and show off his manhood in full force.

He slapped both hands down and nearly lost control, almost springing to his feet. But in that instant, he abruptly realized something and forced his reason to overcome his animal instincts.

Qi Jun shook his head sharply and considered the matter quickly. Chen Xia'er and Chen Dong'er had clearly concealed something from the proprietress; they had not told her about asking him for help in taking revenge.

He also now understood that the proprietress's drinking, her repeated teasing, and her probing questions had all been a veiled interrogation.

For her to have made such a large inn thrive in the county city, she could not possibly be an ordinary woman. Until he knew what power stood behind her, even a single careless word from him could invite disaster.

The Count of Ding'an... could she be one of his people?

The county of Ding'an was the fief of the Count of Ding'an. To have such a first-rate inn operating on his territory, and to think she had no connection whatsoever to the Count of Ding'an, seemed impossible.

A chill ran down Qi Jun's back. He had nearly had his defenses broken by this woman. Thinking of the many possibilities he could not rule out, he lifted his head and looked at her coldly.

"What's this? Looking at me like that, are you trying to devour me?" The sudden change in his gaze made the proprietress uneasy, and she quickly stepped back with a joking remark.

"Heh. Nothing much. Our game isn't over yet," Qi Jun said. He walked to the counter, poured a full bowl of wine, and carried it back to the table, setting it down heavily before her.

"Little brother, what is this..."

"You don't need to speak. I'll guess, and you answer. Just nod or shake your head." Looking at her, he repeated the rules. "You and the Count of Ding'an have some kind of relationship, don't you?"

As soon as Qi Jun's question fell, the proprietress visibly froze for a moment. After a brief hesitation, she picked up the wine on the table and poured it into her mouth.

Qi Jun's heart lurched. It seemed his guess had been right after all. Watching her drink it all in one go, he could not help feeling fortunate that he had reacted in time.

When the proprietress set down the empty bowl, her face had already returned completely to its earlier calm and composure.

"Little brother, please go back. This inn is closed. Come again tomorrow," she said, not waiting for him to ask another question. She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then gave him his dismissal.

"Rest assured. Those two women won't have any trouble," she added with a faint smile. After leaving those words behind, she turned and went upstairs without once looking back.