I am the villain in the book

It's not unheard of for a young nobleman to suddenly want to redeem a courtesan he's only met once.

After all, "impulse spending" is a mistake anyone can make.

Therefore, the madam was only slightly stunned at first, followed by a burst of ecstasy in her heart.

She had originally planned to send this "hen that doesn't lay eggs" home tomorrow, but unexpectedly, she encountered a "willing sucker" at the last moment.

"Young master, this..."

"Alas, although Miss Mo'er has only been in our brothel for a few days, as you can see, young master, her appearance and figure are both outstanding. I was originally planning to promote her to become a top courtesan."

"Young master, it's not that I'm boasting, but we gave her parents two hundred taels of silver when Miss Mo'er sold herself to Zui Chun Lou. After entering the brothel, we taught her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting..."

"..."

In order to get a good price, the madam started talking nonsense, describing this woman named Mo'er as a rising star.

Chu Xianping simply listened for amusement, and after she finished speaking, he only asked one question.

"How much silver?"

"..."

The madam was stunned, then stretched out a palm with a "pained" expression: "Five hundred taels!"

"Young master, don't think it's expensive, this price is already..."

"Deal."

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Xianping immediately took out a five-hundred-tael silver note from his pocket.

Now, to him, there was no difference between five hundred taels and eight hundred taels, so he didn't bother to waste any more words.

Although the madam was now somewhat regretful that she had asked for too little, she couldn't go back on her word.

Besides, she had already made a lot of money, so she quickly took the silver note with a beaming smile, turned around and left for a moment, and when she returned, she had a deed of sale in her hand.

Taking the deed of sale, Chu Xianping placed it directly beside the still-sleeping woman, and also left an extra hundred-tael silver note.

"She won't wake up for a few more hours, and she'll need to pack her things before leaving, so she can stay here for another day."

Looking back at the madam, Chu Xianping chuckled: "You'd better not do anything you shouldn't."

"No, no! Young master, rest assured!"

At this time, the madam could already tell that Chu Xianping's identity was extraordinary, and she repeatedly assured him for a long time, then tentatively asked: "Young master, from what you're saying... you're not planning to take Miss Mo'er away?"

"Yes."

Chu Xianping nodded: "Tomorrow, after she wakes up, you only need to tell her that someone has redeemed her, and then let her leave on her own."

"Yes, I understand."

Although she found Chu Xianping's actions a bit strange, the madam simply assumed that he had too much money to burn, so she didn't ask any more questions and escorted him to the door.

Before leaving, Chu Xianping paused slightly and asked one last question.

"What's her real name?"

"Replying to young master, it's Song Li."

An hour later, when Chu Xianping returned to the Princess's mansion, Wei Changtian and the others, who had returned earlier, had already started a small meeting in the secret room.

However, the atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive.

Even Wei Changtian didn't joke after seeing him, but just nodded and then turned his gaze to Du Chang, who looked indignant.

"Brother Du, I've already made it very clear. I hope you don't act on your own accord."

"Young master! This humble one would never dare to act on my own accord! I just feel that..."

Turning his head to look at Chu Xianping, Du Chang said in a deep voice: "I just feel that today's opportunity should not be missed!"

"Even if that courtesan is not Yama, she must be related to Yama. If we can capture her, we will definitely be able to extract a lot of information!"

"I said, doing so might alert the enemy!"

Wei Changtian frowned: "Anyway, they can't escape. What's wrong with waiting a few more days?"

"Young master! But delay will breed complications!"

Du Chang replied loudly, stiffening his neck: "Regarding the matter of Yama, no matter how we plan, it's impossible to be 100% sure. If there's still no progress after a few days, then what should we do?"

"Young master, in my opinion, it's always better to do something than to do nothing. Otherwise, wouldn't all our previous efforts be in vain?!"

"Furthermore..."

The candlelight flickered slightly, reflecting Wei Changtian's unsightly face.

The more Du Chang said, the more energetic he became, but the more Wei Changtian listened, the more annoyed he became.

Objectively speaking, Du Chang's idea was not without some merit.

After all, in the matter of Yama, no matter how one plans, it is indeed impossible to achieve 100% success. Perhaps if we wait a few more days, the situation may be no different from tonight.

So, what Du Chang said was actually nothing. To go a step further, even if he was wrong, Wei Changtian could tolerate it.

But his attitude of "loyal minister's deathbed advice" made him very unhappy.

Wei Changtian was not the kind of person who couldn't listen to opposing opinions. In the past, he would often discuss many things with Chu Xianping.

However, Chu Xianping would never nag after he had already made a decision.

Damn it, could it be that he had been too polite to Du Chang before, making him think that he was a "benevolent ruler"?

"Enough!"

Suddenly, Wei Changtian finally interrupted Du Chang's incessant chatter in a deep voice.

"..."

The latter's voice stopped abruptly. He met Wei Changtian's gaze for only a moment, and then his back was soaked with cold sweat.

"Thump!"

Du Chang immediately knelt on the ground, and his heart was filled with remorse.

Wei Changtian guessed correctly. Du Chang had indeed misjudged his character before, and coupled with his eagerness to take credit, he dared to openly "challenge" just now.

Now that Du Chang had understood, he naturally dared not say any more. The secret room fell into a deathly silence for a time.

Until Chu Xianping, who had just returned not long ago, suddenly spoke.

"Young master, I wonder if I can say a few words to Brother Du Chang?"

"Yes."

Wei Changtian was originally worried about what to say to establish his authority, and now he could take advantage of the situation.

Moreover, he knew that Du Chang had always wanted to challenge Chu Xianping's position, so he also wanted to see how Chu Xianping would respond.

"Brother Du Chang, what you said just now is not without reason."

On the other side, Chu Xianping cupped his hands to Wei Changtian, and then slowly walked to Du Chang.

At this time, Wei Changtian had not let Du Chang get up, so he was still kneeling, naturally forming a height difference with Chu Xianping.

Fortunately, Chu Xianping quickly squatted down before continuing to speak.

"I know that most of what you said just now was meant for me, and I also understand what you are thinking."

"Perhaps you won't listen to anything I say at this moment, so why don't you and I simply make a bet."

"Make a bet?"

Du Chang narrowed his eyes: "Bet on what?"

"Heh heh."

Chu Xianping smiled: "Let's bet on whether the situation will change within three days."

"I think the real Yama will reappear within three days."

"Brother Du Chang, do you believe it?"