Chapter 954: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 954: A Match Made in Heaven, Abducted (3)
Seeing that the maid ignored her, the old woman pouted angrily but, fearing the maid’s status as a trusted servant of her mistress, dared not press further.
Knock, knock, knock—
Not long after, a series of knocks sounded at the door. The maid immediately straightened up and hurriedly stepped forward to open it. By the glow of the lantern hanging above the door, she could clearly see the middle-aged man standing outside—the very person she had been waiting for.
"How did it go? Is the job done?" She quickly ushered him inside and closed the door behind him, then eagerly asked.
The middle-aged man had shifty eyes and a sly expression, looking like anything but a decent person. His gaze swept lasciviously over the maid’s chest before he smugly patted his own. "With me, Master Huang, handling things, what job wouldn't get done?"
The maid didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried. Uneasy, she asked, "You… you made sure they didn’t see your real face, right?"
Master Huang reached out, attempting to stroke her delicate face. When she quickly dodged, his expression darkened with displeasure. "I went in disguise, so they don’t know who I am. But those guys think the risk is too high and the payment too low. They’re refusing to hand over the goods unless they get another five hundred taels of silver."
As he spoke, his gaze flickered evasively, clearly feeling guilty.
Fan Meijiao had spent a fortune on this job, giving the maid five hundred taels of silver to find reliable people to carry it out. But Master Huang had pocketed three hundred taels for himself, leaving only two hundred taels for the thieves hired to raid the Mo family.
He hadn’t expected them to suddenly raise the price, but as a middleman, this was an opportunity for him to make even more. So he decided to inflate their demand, turning two hundred into five hundred, hoping to skim off another three hundred taels.
Hearing the new demand, the maid’s face darkened with anger. "They agreed on five hundred taels, and now they suddenly want more? They’re clearly not taking the Zhao family seriously!"
If her mistress found out that the job still wasn’t done after spending five hundred taels, she would surely blame the maid for incompetence. Who knew what kind of punishment she would face then? From start to finish, she had gained nothing from this scheme—only risk. Worse, if this matter got out, she might even be implicated in a legal case. Asking her mistress for more silver now would only make her suspicious, thinking she had stolen from the original sum. There was no way she would agree.
Master Huang shrugged helplessly. "Those guys aren’t afraid of anything. And now that they have the goods, they know they hold the advantage. If they don’t get the money, they won’t hand them over. I can’t be expected to pay out of my own pocket, can I?"
The maid looked troubled. After gritting her teeth for a moment, she said, "What about three days? Come back in three days, and I’ll have the silver for you."
Once her mistress returned from the temple in a good mood, maybe she would be more willing to hand over the five hundred taels.
Master Huang’s eyes gleamed as he leered at the maid. "If you’re really out of silver, I suppose I could cover it for now… but of course, you’d have to give me something in return."
The maid knew exactly what he was implying. Disgusted, she frowned and snapped, "Hmph! Don’t worry, in three days, you’ll get your five hundred taels—every last coin. Just keep your hands to yourself!"
Master Huang was about to push his luck when the maid suddenly shoved him out the door and slammed it shut behind him with a loud bang.
Furious, he kicked the door hard and spat on the ground before leaving reluctantly. He still had to pacify the thieves, lest they, in their greed, expose everything and ruin him as well.
…
Early the next morning, two carriages departed from the Zhao estate—one plain, the other lavishly adorned. Several maids and old servant women followed on foot, while over twenty strong guards rode behind them in an impressive display of grandeur.
(End of Chapter)
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