Chapter 1123: Middle Ground
Lust became a blade that hung above Zhao Changlao's head.
A thousand Taiping coins was no small amount. Back then, Qi Xuansu had struggled greatly over this sum. Even now, as a Sage, he could not produce 1,000 Taiping coins in cash because he had used up his money to buy a house.
Due to this debt, Zhao Changlao had even considered stealing items from home to sell. However, he feared Sun Yaozhen would notice. She might be wealthy, but that did not mean she did not care about money. The slightest slip would expose him.
After all, such items could only be pawned, but most pawnshops in Lion City were owned by the Nanyang United Trading Company, making it very easy for Sun Yaozhen to trace.
He wanted to flee, yet could not bear to leave behind the pleasures of Lion City.
There were better places in the world, but not within Nanyang. After all, he was not some Immortal who could roam freely across oceans. If he fled without a word, Sun Yaozhen would never let him go. With the Sun family’s influence, they could easily discover which ship he boarded, and he would likely be caught before reaching the Old Port.
At this point, Zhao Changlao couldn’t help regretting—why hadn’t he used Sun Yaozhen’s name to befriend capable people? He spent his days seducing married women, and now, when trouble came, he had no one to advise him.
For two nights in a row, Zhao Changlao barely slept. Whenever he closed his eyes, he dreamed of Sun Yaozhen in a fury, whipping him with a thorned lash.
That promissory note detailing his adultery was a ticking time bomb. Once placed before Sun Yaozhen, he would probably be murdered.
After two days of this, Zhao Changlao had dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot pupils.
Fortunately, Sun Yaozhen had recently become obsessed with opera and hired a famous performer to teach her singing. She had not visited Zhao Changlao in days, which prevented her from discovering anything amiss.
On the third day, the debt collectors arrived. Zhao Changlao had no choice but to kneel and beg for more time.