Chapter 284: Profound
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Servant?
Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ping Yang scornfully as he snorted. He would never be a servant in Ping Yang’s residence.
"Okay then, I agree to being your servant!" After snorting, Fang Zhengzhi agreed to Ping Yang’s demands.
"What?!"
Ping Yang and the Ninth Prince both exclaimed in surprise.
Even Ping Yang could not believe what she just heard, much less the Ninth Prince. This shameless fella actually agreed to be a servant?
"You... agree?" Ping Yang asked doubtfully.
"Yes, I agree!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
"Hahaha... Fang Zhengzhi, I never expected this day to come, hahaha..." Ping Yang nearly fell over laughing when she heard this.
"Hahaha, yes indeed. I never thought this day would come." Fang Zhengzhi chuckled.
The Ninth Prince looked at Fang Zhengzhi, then back at Ping Yang. He felt that something was amiss. Why would Fang Zhengzhi agree to be a servant?
After laughing for some time, Ping Yang noticed that Fang Zhengzhi was laughing too. This dampened her spirits.
"What are you laughing about? You’re so happy being a servant?" Ping Yang’s eyes glimmered doubtfully.
"Of course! Not everyone can be a servant in Ping Yang’s residence." Fang Zhengzhi replied sincerely.
"Do you really think so?" Ping Yang did not believe him.
"Yes." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
"Hahaha... okay then, you can follow me back to my residence and start now!" Ping Yang could not help but chuckle.
However, Fang Zhengzhi did not move from his seat.
He continued to drink the tea.
"What’s happening? Are you going back on your word?" Ping Yang then added, "if you’re not my servant, I will never loan out the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion!"
"Would someone as trustworthy as me go back on my word?" Fang Zhengzhi replied with scorn.
"Then why aren’t you going back to my residence with me?" Ping Yang asked.
"No matter what, I am still the Sword Envoy, a rank four official. If I just go and be your servant right now, what would the public think?" Fang Zhengzhi queried.
"I will cut out the tongue of anyone who dares to say anything stupid!" Ping Yang replied haughtily, her arms akimbo.
"Sister, Official Fang raises a valid point. As a rank four official, it is not appropriate for him to be a servant at your place." Even though the Ninth Prince did not know what game Fang Zhengzhi was playing, he did not know what to say at this point.
"So what do you want?" Ping Yang pouted and looked at Fang Zhengzhi.
"We have to sign a statement that says that I am serving you voluntarily. That way, there will be evidence and no one will say anything unwarranted.
"Statement?" Ping Yang had thought that Fang Zhengzhi would use this opportunity to ask for some benefits. She did not expect Fang Zhengzhi to dig his own grave. "That’s a great idea, let’s sign that document!"
"Official Fang, you really want to sign this document?" The Ninth Prince was in disbelief.
He had thought that Fang Zhengzhi was just trying to get the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion for him. Then, he would simply walk off after that. Yet, Fang Zhengzhi had asked for an official document.
Isn’t that digging his own grave?
"Of course! Words are empty! We need evidence!" Fang Zhengzhi asserted.
"Hahaha... good! Get me someone!" Ping Yang leapt to her feet and rushed out.
Within moments, a servant rushed into the room with the necessary writing instruments. Then, she bowed to the three occupants and left.
Fang Zhengzhi immediately picked up the pen. However, after twirling it in his hands, he did not write anything.
"Now what?" Ping Yang asked suspiciously.
"I can be your servant, but, I need you to agree to a few conditions." Fang Zhengzhi put down the pen and sipped his tea.
"Tell me what they are!"
"First, I need a room to myself! I cannot stay with anyone else. This room must be spacious, clean, elegant..."
"Enough, I will give you your own courtyard!" Ping Yang interrupted.
"Okay then!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head in satisfaction. Then, he continued, "I need to be paid. My salary is not much, 1000 silvers a day, 10,000 silvers in total. This must be given each day."
"Okay! We will do as you say, 1000 silvers a day!" Ping Yang agreed.
The Ninth Prince was sweating profusely. Is Fang Zhengzhi really going to be a servant? Which servant was paid 1000 silvers a day and had their own courtyard?
However, seeing that Ping Yang had no objections, he did not raise any either.
Furthermore...
More importantly, Fang Zhengzhi was going to be a servant so that he could benefit. He would not destroy Fang Zhengzhi’s plan.
As for Ping Yang, did she ever care about silver?
Of course not. She was already thinking of how to torture Fang Zhengzhi. Will she have him clear the toilets? Or have him wash her legs?
If he dares to disobey...
She’ll have him whipped!
Once Fang Zhengzhi entered her residence, her wish was his command.
"Next, I need to have personal time. The court examinations are coming up, I need time to study."
"Okay, I promise you. I will give you four hours daily."
"Fourth, I..."
"Okay, I’ll give it to you!"
"Next..."
"I agree to all your terms! I will give you whatever you want. Do you have any other problems?" Ping Yang waved her hands in exasperation.
"No problems, but I need to write them all down. If not, if you don’t pay up then, who will I go to?" Fang Zhengzhi replied.
"Write it down then!" Ping Yang nodded. She thought to herself, "Even though you’ve written it down, you won’t be able to do anything once you enter my residence!"
"Okay, now that the terms are agreed upon, we need a witness." Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince heard this and nodded, "I will be the witness."
Ping Yang had no objections.
Everything fell into place.
Fang Zhengzhi began writing. Before long, he had a whole page, then a second one, and a third one... He was writing for so long Ping Yang was falling asleep.
"Okay, I’m done, do you want to take a look?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded satisfactorily. Then, he placed the stack in front of Ping Yang.
"I don’t have to look at it, just sign it!" Ping Yang signed her name without hesitation.
Then, the Ninth Prince signed his name beside the word ‘Witness’.
The stack of papers reached Fang Zhengzhi. Ping Yang looked on in anticipation. Once Fang Zhengzhi signed it, the document would take effect.
However, Fang Zhengzhi was in no hurry.
"So, I’m sure you won’t go back on your word?" Fang Zhengzhi hesitated as he glanced at Ping Yang.
"Why would I? Am I such a person?" Ping Yang pounded her chest and asserted.
"Then why aren’t you lending the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion to the Ninth Prince?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the Ninth Prince worriedly.
"That’s simple. Ninth Brother, take this token and you can retrieve the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion from my residence!" Ping Yang retrieved a golden token and passed it to the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince reached forward ecstatically.
However, he came up with nothing.
"Hang on, I nearly fell for your trick!" Ping Yang kept the token and pointed to the document. "You have to sign it first!"
"Okay!" Fang Zhengzhi signed on it without hesitation.
Ping Yang picked up the document and made sure that Fang Zhengzhi had signed his own name.
"Hahaha... Fang Zhengzhi, this day has finally come!" Ping Yang smiled happily as she passed the token to the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince looked at Fang Zhengzhi apologetically as he took the token.
"Official Fang, I am sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about. Please go collect your Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion." Fang Zhengzhi waved him off.
The Ninth Prince flew out of the room without a second word.
He was really afraid that Ping Yang would go back on her word.
...
Inside the room.
Ping Yang was beaming.
Fang Zhengzhi sat quietly by the side, drinking his tea. Then, he called for a waitress and ordered even more snacks. Since Ping Yang was paying, he did not need to be too conservative.
Ping Yang was not angry at all. "Eat up eat up, when you’re done, I will show you how ‘fun’ my residence is!"
15 minutes passed.
An hour passed.
Fang Zhengzhi still did not move.
Ping Yang was getting annoyed, "Aish, you’ve been eating for an hour already! Are you done?"
"Oh? Has it been that long? Okay then... I’m off." Fang Zhengzhi pat his bum and looked at the rising sun, smirking as he did so.
"Where are you going? Aren’t you going back with me?" Ping Yang was getting anxious when she saw Fang Zhengzhi getting up to leave.
"Why should I do that?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ping Yang with a confused expression.
"Are you trying to go back on your word? The document has been signed and the Ninth Prince is the witness. You are to be my servant, so you should go back with me!" Ping Yang held up the document and waved it in front of Fang Zhengzhi.
"Oh... yes, about the document. You now owe me a small courtyard, 10,000 silvers, two sets of superior writing instruments. Also..." Fang Zhengzhi began listing out the terms and conditions.
"Hold on, I will give them all to you. However, you have to be my servant first!" Ping Yang asserted.
"Why?" Fang Zhengzhi queried.
"Because you signed the document!"
"Yes I did."
"So why aren’t you going back with me?"
"Why should I?"
"You... because you signed the document!"
"And so?"
"It is clearly written that you are to be a servant at my residence for 10 days! Are you trying to go back on your word?"
"Why would I go back on my word?" Fang Zhengzhi waved her off. Then, he pointed at the document in Ping Yang’s hand. "Are you sure it says that I will be a servant at your residence for 10 days?"
Ping Yang’s expression changed as she stared intently at the document. It was written clearly that Fang Zhengzhi sincerely requested to go to Ping Yang’s residence to learn to be a glorified servant...
"There’s nothing wrong with it!" Ping Yang asserted.
"What does it say?"
"It says that you are going to learn how to be a glorified servant at my residence!"
"Is that so? Let me see." Fang Zhengzhi looked at the document. Then, he caressed the document before returning it to Ping Yang. It just says that I requested to learn at Ping Yang’s residence.
"How can that..." Ping Yang’s jaw dropped.
There was a full stop placed strategically to break up the sentence.
"I’m sorry, I changed my mind. I do not want to learn there anymore. I’ll be off now!" Fang Zhengzhi waved and ran away.
Ping Yang looked at the document, stunned.
"Fang Zhengzhi!"
Ping Yang’s furious screams echoed throughout the entire Fragrance Restaurant.
Fang Zhengzhi sauntered along the streets of the capital. "Just a simple matter of changing the punctuation. Everything else will fall into place easily."
Of course, Fang Zhengzhi had to plan the entire incident carefully. He needed to offer to draft the document and discuss the terms.
It was just like a bargain. He just had to make sure Ping Yang thought that she was getting a good deal.
If he didn’t go through all that...
It would have been quite the risk to scam Ping Yang.
"I hear that there’s a hunting competition tomorrow?" Fang Zhengzhi looked into the sky and felt the bow with his hand. "The perfect time to test out this bow!"