Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

"What! He didn't come to redeem me!" Xiangnu's expression changed drastically, her face turning ashen, her eyes filled with shock and doubt.

The madam's face also looked rather grim, but she still tried to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, I ran into him this morning and even spoke to him for a bit. He seemed quite relaxed; he didn't seem like he was trying to scam you!"

"Then...where did he go?" Xiangnu quickly grabbed the madam's hand and asked anxiously, "Did he say what he went to do?"

The madam thought for a moment and hurriedly said, "He said he didn't bring any money with him and went back to get some... Yes, he went back to get some money!"

"So that's how it is!" Xiangnu breathed a sigh of relief, constantly reassuring herself that Fan Tong must have realized he hadn't brought his money when he arrived here, and then rushed back to get it!

Yes, that must be it!

Fan Tong was so infatuated with her that he wouldn't even leave her for a short while, so how could he possibly bear to leave her?

Moreover, his family is a wealthy and powerful family in Jiangning, owning countless fertile fields and shops. This amount of money is just a drop in the ocean for them!

Seeing that she had calmed down, the madam quickly pulled her hand away from his, which was gripping her sorely, and complained, "You! You just get a little too concerned and make things difficult for yourself. That boy surnamed Fan, you've trained him to practically want to be on top of you all day long. How could he bear to leave you?"

These words were exactly what Xiangnu wanted to hear. She found them reasonable and felt even more at ease. She glared at the madam and scolded, "What are you saying, Madam! It's so embarrassing!"

"You're afraid of being embarrassed?" The madam glared at her, annoyed, and pouted, "You were screaming all night last night! Your voice could be heard from two miles away!"

These words were so blunt that even Xiangnu, a woman experienced in the ways of the world, couldn't help but blush and scold, "Mother, don't talk nonsense! There are people coming and going; be careful someone doesn't overhear!"

"Go ahead and listen! I can get one more customer before you leave!" the madam said nonchalantly. "If you have some free time in the future, would you like to come back for a visit? We have a few regular customers who prefer married women!"

"Mother, don't joke!" Xiangnu's expression suddenly turned cold. She had designs on the mistress of the Fan family, so she naturally couldn't risk losing more than she gained. If Fan Tong found out, or even just became suspicious, everything she had planned would be ruined!

However, she didn't want to clash with the madam, so she said instead, "How long has Young Master Fan been gone? It's almost noon; he should be back by now, having made a round trip to the Imperial Academy!"

The madam could easily see through her thoughts. She sneered inwardly and said calmly, "Perhaps he was delayed on the way. Don't worry! Even if he doesn't come, you haven't lost anything; you've already taken advantage of a virgin!"

Xiangnu's heart skipped a beat. She had suffered a loss; she had given him all her savings from the past few years, including money she had borrowed from her other sisters, which she had promised to repay today!

Noticing her unusual expression, the madam frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I...I gave him seven hundred strings of cash..."

"What!" The madam exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening in disbelief as she stared at her. After a long pause, she pointed at her and scolded, "You're usually so shrewd, how could you do something so foolish!"

"I thought he was just bringing money to ransom me, and giving him the money would show that I trusted him..."

"Trust my ass!" the madam roared. "I think you're just blinded by greed!"

Xiangnu felt increasingly uncertain after being scolded, and quickly said, "He doesn't seem like a liar to me... and he's very kind to me..."

Xiangnu's voice grew weaker and weaker, all the confidence she had just mustered vanished, her eyes were red-rimmed, and her fingers nervously twisted the hem of her skirt.

The madam sighed in exasperation, "You've only met him a few times! Don't think I don't know what you're up to! You're overthinking things and losing your sense of propriety!"

"If you had made him obediently hand over two hundred strings of cash to redeem you in the first place, none of this would have happened!"

"Then... what do we do now?" Xiangnu was completely at a loss and panicked.

The madam pondered for a moment, then looked up at the sky and said, "Let's wait another half an hour. If he still hasn't come, we'll go to the Imperial Academy to find him!"

"But... but what if he's really delayed by something?" Xiangnu still held onto a sliver of hope, afraid that such distrustful behavior would anger Fan Tong.

"I'll go and say it for you!" The madam glared at her with exasperation.

……

When Gao Zhao woke up, he found that his roommates had all returned, and Qin Hui was sitting to the side, smiling at him.

"Did you handle things for me last night?"

Qin Hui nodded and whispered, "No one noticed!"

Gao Zhao glanced at the others in the dormitory with surprise. They were either flipping through books or wiping ink, and none of them seemed surprised by his sudden return. It was clear that Qin Hui had kept it a secret from them yesterday.

This... he really is a treacherous minister, he doesn't even trust his roommates!

He took out Qin Hui's documents, thought for a moment, and then slipped a pawn ticket into them!

Qin Hui was about to stop him when he saw this, but Gao Zhao raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Brother Huizhi, don't waste too much time on trivial matters. Studying and pursuing higher education is the right path!" Gao Zhao stuffed the documents into his arms and then patted his shoulder heavily.

Qin Hui opened his mouth but couldn't say anything, only cupping his hands in a gesture of respect with reddened eyes!

[Gratitude points from Qin Hui +1]

Gao Zhao stared at the pop-up window flashing before his eyes, his heart unmoved. Ever since he broke down Qin Hui's defenses, it had been incredibly easy to earn that guy's gratitude points!

The purpose of giving this money is very simple: it's hush money!

He, Gao Yanei, was not short of money and was skilled at making money. With just a few words, he got a woman to give him seven hundred strings of cash...

What does a few strings of cash matter?

But if you let Qin Hui earn this money, he couldn't earn it even if he ran his legs off!

This made him marvel at his own wisdom!

Even if you add up all of Gao Qiu's monthly salary, wages, grain allowance, and other allowances, it's still only this much!

He earned it with just a few words, and even got a few freebies along the way!

It's incredibly profitable!

As for the claim that the money was illicit...

Haha, this is all the hard-earned money of the working class!

If you put this money together with the money that the imperial court levies and exploits, tell me which is noble and which is filthy.

At least I earned this through my own labor... wait, something feels off!

It felt like I was being slept with by a prostitute...

Never mind! It's what I earned with my sweat and toil!

Just then, a scholar walked in with a stern face and coldly demanded, "Who is Fan Tong? From Jiangning!"

Fan Tong stood up, looking bewildered, and bowed, saying, "Student Fan Tong greets you, sir. What are your instructions?"

A flash of disgust crossed Naoki's eyes as he said coldly, "Someone's looking for you! As for what it is, come with me and you'll find out!"

Fan Tong felt a little uneasy upon hearing this, as if the scene was familiar. He turned his head to glance at Qin Hui, who was talking to Gao Zhao, and then silently followed.