Xie Jin's eyes lit up when Yun Shu asked directly. With a beaming smile and anticipation, he said, "Not much, not much, a mere one hundred thousand taels should suffice!"
These days in the capital, there were very few people who could lend him money.
Only Yun Shu, standing before him, held some possibility.
Seeing Xie Jin's sincere demeanor, Yun Shu felt a sliver of doubt. Was the Marquis Wu'an's estate truly that poor? So much so?
Suddenly, she noticed a few small patches on the hem of Xie Jin's robe.
The last time she saw Xie Jin, both his hem and cuffs were adorned with gold thread embroidery. The fabric of his clothes, the jade pendants he carried, all were of the finest quality, showing no sign of hardship.
Yet today, he had changed into something else to meet her?
"One hundred thousand taels won't do? Then fifty thousand taels will also work. It can help me navigate this urgent situation," Xie Jin said, seeing Yun Shu's silence. He assumed she was weighing her options and hesitating, so he lowered his request proactively.
To his surprise, Yun Shu replied, "One hundred thousand taels is acceptable."
"What?!" Xie Jin thought he had misheard, that he had misunderstood. What did she say?
She actually said one hundred thousand taels was acceptable?
Yun Shu calmly took a sip of tea and then slowly continued, "However, you must write an IOU, and if the money is not returned within a certain period, you will have to agree to three requests of mine."
At first, Xie Jin thought he had struck a stroke of luck today, that he had found the right person.
But now, he was dumbfounded. "Three conditions?"
"Mhm," Yun Shu nodded.
Xie Jin secretly gritted his teeth. He never expected that the Night King was such a shrewd individual, and the princess he was marrying was even more so! xxs壹贰
"Young Master Xie, please consider. In the capital, there are likely very few people who could readily lend you one hundred thousand taels at once," Yun Shu said with an air of nonchalance.
The more Yun Shu appeared calm and composed, the more uncertain Xie Jin felt.
The marriage of the Night King and Yun Shu truly left no room for others to breathe!
Xie Jin weighed the pros and cons, and finally, with a hearty laugh, he nodded. "Alright! Second Miss Yun is truly straightforward. As expected of the person the Night King holds in his heart!"
"Yu Le, go fetch paper and brush, and have Young Master Xie draft a written agreement," Yun Shu instructed Yu Le directly.
Upon hearing the command, Yu Le immediately went to fetch the writing implements.
A moment later.
Xie Jin looked at the IOU he had written and suddenly felt a sense of unreality. Why did it feel like a deed of sale? It was as if, inadvertently, he had sold himself!
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He blinked and asked, "You're not going to sell this young master after you get the money, are you?"
"Don't worry, I won't sell you, nor will I make you do anything as heinous as murder or arson. As long as Young Master Xie repays the one hundred thousand taels within a month, you have absolutely nothing to worry about regarding my requests," Yun Shu said, looking at the "deed of sale" in her hand with satisfaction.
No, it wasn't a deed of sale, it was a loan agreement.
Seeing Yun Shu smile, Xie Jin felt a chill run down his spine, a shiver of coldness engulfing him.
This time, he truly felt as though he had sold himself!
...
By the time Xie Jin left the General's mansion and got into the carriage back to his own estate, he smacked his forehead hard.
"Borrowing money is easy, but returning it is not!"
"One wrong step leads to eternal regret!"
"Ah well, ah well, they are both my creditors anyway, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter! As long as I have the money, that's what matters!"
Within a few hours, everyone in the capital knew that Xie Jin had borrowed money from Yun Shu.
They all discussed the matter, saying that Second Miss Yun was foolish. Who else could she have lent money to, but specifically to Young Master Xie?
In the capital, even those who considered themselves brothers with Young Master Xie would not lend him money, because they all knew that once lent, Xie Jin might never repay it in this lifetime.
The news reached Zhan Ming.
Zhan Ming was reprimanding his hidden guards. After so many days, his guards still couldn't figure out why Yun Shu and Ruan Xi knew each other.
Moreover, Zhan Tianye seemed completely unconcerned.
"All useless! Continue investigating!" Zhan Ming raged.
The few hidden guards, terrified, retreated.
Then Zhan Ming turned to the servant who had brought the news. "Xie Jin actually borrowed money from Yun Shu?"
"Yes, the news was spread by Young Master Xie himself. He used the money he borrowed from Second Miss Yun to buy many precious decorative items for the Marquis Wu'an's estate, and even hired people to repair the house. It seems the one hundred thousand taels were squandered in no time!" the servant reported.
Hearing the servant's words, Zhan Ming narrowed his eyes. "Could Yun Shu have become foolish again?"
At that moment, the hidden guard who had just left ran back.
He rushed to Zhan Ming, panting as he reported, "Your Highness, we have found some information about Young Master Ruan!"
"Speak!"
"We just received a letter stating that Young Master Ruan has been on good terms with a divine doctor for the past few years. That divine doctor seems to be detoxifying him, and since finding that divine doctor, Young Master Ruan's poison appears to have been suppressed. The letter also said that this divine doctor is a woman! Your Highness, this divine doctor, barring any accidents, should be Second Miss Yun! Could it be..."
The hidden guard paused, then boldly speculated, "Could the legendary Divine Hand Physician be Second Miss Yun?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhan Ming, who had consistently dismissed this possibility, frowned deeply.
His expression turned exceptionally grim.
And then there was the incident that day when Zuo Yan was manipulated by Yun Shu, causing both himself and Jiang Luoxi to be poisoned. Zuo Yan had also mentioned that Yun Shu's medical skills should not be underestimated.
All this forced him to consider the possibility that Yun Shu was the Divine Hand Physician!
If Yun Shu was the Divine Hand Physician, then she must have been secretly laughing at him, seeing him so utterly fooled by a fake Divine Hand Physician!
"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly!" he immediately commanded.
"Yes!"
Soon, Zhan Ming sent the news to the palace.
When the Empress Dowager heard the news, she was utterly shocked, completely disbelieving. She even sent someone to find Zhan Ming, asking him to investigate further. She simply could not believe it.
She said to Jiang Luoxi, "Unreasonable! This news sounds untrue at first glance! It's absolutely impossible, how could Yun Shu be that Divine Hand Physician everyone in the world is searching for?"
Jiang Luoxi lowered her gaze, appearing to be deep in thought.
Seeing Jiang Luoxi remain silent, the Empress Dowager pressed again, "Luoxi, what do you think? Do you believe that wicked girl Yun Shu is the Divine Hand Physician?"
Jiang Luoxi gently shook her head and said, "This commoner is not entirely certain yet. Perhaps... she is the Divine Hand Physician."
This identity would shock everyone in the capital.
Dark glints flickered in Jiang Luoxi's lowered eyes. No wonder the Night King was so devoted to her; it turned out Yun Shu had another identity.
The Divine Hand Physician...
"You said the Night King wants to marry Yun Shu, and is even so good to her. Is it because he already knew Yun Shu was the Divine Hand Physician? Luoxi, you mentioned you had a decision in mind, and had thought about how to proceed. But in this current situation, how would you respond?" the Empress Dowager asked with a stern face.