Chapter 64: Almost Let You Enjoy It, You

For the next two days, Pei Shaoqing's life followed a routine.

It consisted of slacking off at work, slacking off after work, feeding the Saintess of Yaoguang, and occasionally whipping her when she spoke insolently or looked at him with contempt and disrespect.

This afternoon, after finishing his shift and returning home, he immediately brought food and tea to feed the Saintess of Yaoguang.

"Your Highness the Saintess, today's dishes are quite good."

Pei Shaoqing said with a smile.

The Saintess of Yaoguang said expressionlessly, "What of mountain delicacies and sea treasures? Right now, I only want to eat your flesh!"

"You're asking for a beating again." Pei Shaoqing's expression suddenly turned cold as he grabbed the horsewhip resting to the side.

With her hands, feet, and body bound, the Saintess of Yaoguang, who was lying on the floor, trembled. She closed her eyes, lifted her head, and said, "Hit me, then! Hit me! Go on!"

Did you think this would make me fear you?

Ridiculous! It is merely a bit of physical pain.

But after waiting for a good while, she realized the whip had not fallen as it usually did. She cautiously opened her eyes, only to see that Pei Shaoqing had already lowered his hand.

A look of bewilderment and confusion immediately appeared in her eyes.

"That was close, I almost let you enjoy it." Pei Shaoqing suspected this woman was deliberately provoking him to trick him into giving her a reward.

Upon hearing this, the Saintess of Yaoguang was stunned. It took her a good while to fully grasp the meaning of his words. Shamed and furious, she gritted her teeth and said, "Only you could be so base!"

"Smack!" The whip landed on her buttocks.

"Ah!" Caught off guard, the Saintess of Yaoguang let out a miserable shriek. She glared at him with wide, angry eyes, her face flushed red as she shouted, "You are despicable! Don't hit me there!"

"Since when does a captive being beaten have the right to choose?" Pei Shaoqing gave a contemptuous smile, tossed the whip aside, and stepped forward to help her sit up. "It is time to eat, Your Highness the Saintess."

When it came to eating and drinking, the Saintess of Yaoguang was now incredibly cooperative; a strong desire for revenge sustained her will to live, and she needed to keep her body sufficiently nourished.

After finishing the feeding, Pei Shaoqing stood up, intending to leave.

"Wait!" The Saintess of Yaoguang called out to stop him.

Pei Shaoqing paused and looked back. "What is it?"

"Have you forgotten something?" The Saintess of Yaoguang bit her lip slightly, her cheeks flushed with a faint red hue as she spoke.

Pei Shaoqing frowned. "What thing?"

"You have me tied up, how am I supposed to use the latrine?" The Saintess of Yaoguang took a deep breath and said, finding it hard to speak of.

Having held it for two days, she truly could not hold her urine any longer.

A hint of a smile curled the corners of Pei Shaoqing's mouth.

Of course he hadn't forgotten; he was doing it on purpose.

He set down the tray, stepped forward, pinched the Saintess of Yaoguang's chin, and said, "If you want to use the latrine, then beg me!"

"You!" The Saintess of Yaoguang was furious, but knowing that one must bow their head when under another's roof, she could only say in a low voice, filled with humiliation, "I beg you to let me go relieve myself."

"Who am I?" Pei Shaoqing asked again.

The Saintess of Yaoguang said softly, "Pei Shaoqing."

"Call me Young Master." Pei Shaoqing smiled slightly.

"You... you go too far!" The Saintess of Yaoguang widened her beautiful eyes, her lips nearly bitten through. With a face pale and livid, she gritted her teeth and said, "Pei Shaoqing, I am not a servant of your Pei family; I am the Saintess of the Holy Sect!"

Pei Shaoqing shook his head and stood up, making a move to leave.

"Wait! You... Young Master." Seeing that he was truly about to leave, the Saintess of Yaoguang, in her desperation and filled with shame, called out. Then, closing her eyes, she said loudly with a voice choked with tears, "Young Master, this servant begs you."

If she held it any longer, she would lose control, and that would be even more shameful than calling the other party 'Young Master' verbally.

"Very good. Wait here, I will have someone bring a chamber pot in for you." Pei Shaoqing left with satisfied, long strides.

He found Liu Yuheng.

He had her guard the Saintess of Yaoguang while she used the latrine.

"Master!" A manservant ran up to Pei Shaoqing, covered in sweat, and reported, "Master, a great many people have arrived outside, clamoring that they must see you."

"What kind of people are they?" Pei Shaoqing asked.

The manservant replied respectfully, "My eyes are dull and I don't recognize them all, but I recognize a few: there are the shopkeepers from the grain store and the cloth store, and also Mother Wang from Qunfang Yuan..."

"Invite them to the main hall and serve them tea. Tell them I will be there shortly." Pei Shaoqing interrupted the manservant.

These people were all those who had paid him protection money.

…………………………

A quarter of an hour later, Pei Shaoqing changed his clothes and walked into the main hall, which was already filled with people.

"Lord Pei has arrived."

"Lord Pei, you must uphold justice for us!"

Seeing Pei Shaoqing appear, everyone stood up to welcome him, each one of them wearing a mournful face as they cried out their grievances.

"Everyone, everyone!" Pei Shaoqing raised his hand to signal for calm. After the scene quieted down, he walked to the head seat, sat down, and asked unhurriedly, "What exactly has happened to bring you all here together?"

"Let me speak!" Shopkeeper Qian, the largest cloth merchant in Tongzhou City, stepped forward and said indignantly, "Lord Pei, you may not know this, but Centurion Zhou has sent people to demand bribes from each of our businesses. The amount is so large it is staggering. We are all honest, law-abiding businessmen, and you, my Lord, have always been fair; you must uphold justice for us!"

"That's right, Lord Pei. It is one thing for us to pay tribute to you, but what kind of thing is Centurion Zhou? He actually dares to demand more than you do; he has no regard for you at all!"

"My Lord, that Centurion Zhou is not just bullying us, he is clearly slapping you in the face!"

The others chimed in, one after another.

Although they looked down on Centurion Zhou, they held to the businessman's philosophy of valuing harmony and not opposing the authorities, so they didn't mind spending a little money to send him away.

But they hadn't expected Centurion Zhou's butler to open his mouth so wide, which was why they had no choice but to come to Pei Shaoqing.

Pei Shaoqing held a share of their business dividends.

He couldn't just sit by and do nothing, could he?

"Outrageous!" Pei Shaoqing was furious. He slammed the table and stood up, saying with a resonant voice, "I have always hated corrupt officials who take bribes and exploit the local people. Everyone, rest assured, you don't have to pay a single cent; I will handle Centurion Zhou myself."

Damn it all, he had been prepared to give Centurion Zhou a share of the money to keep him appeased, but he hadn't expected this bastard to want to be self-reliant and snatch money from his own pocket.

To cut off a person's path to wealth is like killing their parents.

He observed that Zhou Xiangyang was already on a path that invited death!

"Lord Pei is wise! We all knew that you are incorruptible and would never tolerate any wrongdoing."

"Yes, yes, yes! It is only because of Lord Pei that Tongzhou has such a fine business environment today!"

Seeing Pei Shaoqing agree so readily, the crowd was overjoyed.

They all scrambled to flatter him.

"You all flatter me too much. To serve as an official in a place, one must naturally benefit the people there, so as not to fail the Emperor's grace." Pei Shaoqing cupped his hands toward the direction of the Capital and said, "Everyone, please return first. Oh, right, Shopkeeper Qian, stay behind."

The crowd looked at Shopkeeper Qian; though curious as to why Pei Shaoqing had kept him behind, they could only bid farewell one after another.

"Lord, you kept me behind alone—is there some instruction?" Shopkeeper Qian was also filled with doubt.

Pei Shaoqing sat back down and asked, "You are in the fabric business; can you acquire Ice Silkworm Silk?"

"If you desire it, Lord, I can naturally acquire it." Shopkeeper Qian replied while pondering.

Pei Shaoqing got straight to the point: "Purchase some Ice Silkworm Silk as raw material, then hire a few craftsmen skilled in this craft at a high price; I will grant you a fortune."

The production of erotic lingerie should be put on the agenda.

One reason is to add some color to his own life.

The second is to earn a sum of money through this.

"Lord, you may not know this, but Ice Silkworm Silk itself is extremely expensive, the production techniques require a very high level of skill, and such craftsmen are worth their weight in gold. Furthermore, those who can afford to consume it are few and far between. I only fear that once the clothes are made, there will be no one to sell them to!" Shopkeeper Qian expressed his concerns.

For this kind of high-end product, materials and craftsmanship are one threshold, but sales channels are the greatest threshold of all.

Pei Shaoqing said with full confidence: "With me here, are you still afraid of having no sales channels? As long as it is managed well, becoming a tribute item is not impossible."

"Just go and do it first. I will lower myself to take a fifty percent share of this business; you should be at ease now, right? Even if I were willing to let you lose money, would I let myself lose money?"

The two words "tribute item" made Shopkeeper Qian's heart tremble.

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to take a gamble, gritted his teeth, and said, "Since you have the heart to support me, Lord, I cannot let you down. I will arrange this matter as soon as I return."

"Shopkeeper Qian has the look of someone destined for wealth." Pei Shaoqing smiled. After he left, the smile on his face vanished instantly. "Lan'er, go call Flag Sergeant Chen here."

(End of chapter)