Tang Jiu, dressed in blue and wearing a black crown, presented the appearance of a noble young master, though a hint of merchant cunning flickered in his eyes.
He rushed over, blocking Su Sizhuo, and berated them loudly, "Are all your ears for show? Who gave you permission to lay hands on guests?"
He had arrived just in time. If a real fight had broken out, that esteemed person would have burned him and the entire Yuqin Tower to the ground.
The head shopkeeper explained, "Sir, they were the ones who started smashing things."
"It's clearly your fault. You promised us a room, then privately gave it to someone else, and told us there were no other private rooms and to leave," Su Siyuan pointed at the head shopkeeper's nose.
Tang Jiu's expression immediately darkened, "Is what he said true?"
With that young lady around, even if these children were in the wrong, they would still be given three points of consideration. What's more, they were in the right.
The head shopkeeper's face flushed red, and his voice lowered considerably, "The Princess of Lian is not an ordinary person. Since she spoke, we cannot afford to be too disrespectful."
"What nonsense is that! Yuqin Tower's business is built on integrity. Who cares if she's a princess or not? If everyone could bully others with power, Yuqin Tower would have gone bankrupt long ago!" Tang Jiu wanted to curse.
These scoundrels were causing trouble for him.
Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
Tang Jiu turned back and cupped his hands towards Su Sizhuo, "This young master was startled just now. I apologize on behalf of these unruly servants."
Su Sizhuo glanced sideways, "They are the ones who took the trouble to discipline your servants for you."
Tang Jiu, being a shrewd individual, immediately understood Su Sizhuo's displeasure and quickly bowed apologetically to Su Siqi and the others, "I take full responsibility for today's matter. I beg you all to calm your anger."
Su Siyuan threw the stool in his hand and grunted, "That's more like it."
Tang Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and shifted his gaze to Su Yunmo. He sized her up for a moment, "This young lady looks young. Were you frightened by the commotion just now?"
Su Yunmo tilted her head and caught sight of the expensive jade pendant on his waist, "I was frightened."
Cold sweat immediately broke out on Tang Jiu's forehead, and his limbs stiffened.
The little dumpling then curved her lips and said, "But if there was a room for Momo to rest, Momo would feel much better."
Tang Jiu felt his heart, which had been lodged in his throat, plummet back down. He wiped the sweat from his palms, "That is a certainty. We will prepare it for you immediately."
Su Yunmo shook her head and pointed to the private room where Lin Yuning was, "No need to prepare. I want that one."
Su Sizhuo patted the little dumpling's head with satisfaction.
Knowing how to treat others as they treated you was good.
The head shopkeeper whispered in Tang Jiu's ear, "We cannot afford to offend the Princess of Lian."
The Princess of Lian was someone they couldn't afford to offend, but the Prince of Yu was even more so!
Tang Jiu didn't respond to the head shopkeeper's remark and called out to two nearby attendants, "You two, go and invite the Princess of Lian out, right now!"
No matter what, the priority was to satisfy this little ancestor.
The window of the private room was closed.
The attendants went up, and it seemed a dispute arose inside, with considerable noise.
A moment later, Lin Yuning came down with Linlang, her eyes filled with annoyance as she looked at Su Yunmo, her gaze seeming as if she wanted to tear Su Yunmo to shreds.
The little dumpling yawned, "Can we go in now?"
"Of course," Tang Jiu instructed the people on both sides to make way, and then ordered, "Replace all the tables, chairs, and benches inside, and serve the best tea and pastries."
The attendants responded and went to carry out the task.
Chen Xiucheng crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "This person in charge is acting a bit strange."
What kind of place was Yuqin Tower? Even if the servants had been neglectful earlier, to compensate would not be to be so compliant, it was practically fawning.
Su Siyuan said carelessly, "Who cares, as long as we got our anger out. Right, second brother?"
Su Siqi didn't speak, but his gaze swept over Tang Jiu and then looked up towards the sixth floor.
That person seemed to have come from the main chamber earlier.
"All you young guests, please come upstairs," Tang Jiu led the way.
Su Sizhuo, holding the little dumpling in his arms, followed closely. As they passed Lin Yuning, she shot them a resentful glance.
Su Siqi and the others passed her one by one, each with their heads held high, as if they had won a victory.
Only Su Yinyin still kept her head down, following behind and desperately minimizing her presence.
As they disappeared from sight, Lin Yuning looked coldly at the head shopkeeper, her eyes full of rage, "You took my money but didn't do my bidding. Are you trying to fool me or play me?"
The head shopkeeper's legs went weak, "Your Highness, please calm your anger. This humble one truly did not expect the master to come out personally today."
It was common for wealthy and influential people who hadn't booked a room to pay extra to occupy one. He had done it so many times without being discovered.
Today, it was just a group of children causing trouble, so why did the master come out to resolve it himself?
"I don't want to hear that. What I want now is the room!" Lin Yuning snapped her sleeve.
The final dose of medicine was crucial. Su Yunmo could be dealt with later. The most important thing now was the scar on her face.
"This..." the head shopkeeper pondered for a moment, then stepped forward, bowed, and advised, "The fourth floor is a VIP room. With your status, you can naturally apply for it, but it will require some additional payment."
Lin Yuning rebuked, "Do you think I'm stupid? A VIP room doesn't just cost a little extra!"
If she had that kind of money, she would have bought a VIP room long ago and wouldn't have had to argue with a bunch of children.
The head shopkeeper dared not speak.
Linlang whispered, "Your Highness, the auction is about to begin."
Lin Yuning gritted her teeth and made a firm decision, "Go and apply for a VIP room. If you delay my auction, I will have this Yuqin Tower torn down!"
The head shopkeeper repeatedly said "Yes" and went to prepare.
Lin Yuning looked back at the open window on the third floor. Su Yunmo was standing by the window looking out. When their eyes met, she raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Lin Yuning gnashed her teeth in hatred.
Although she didn't know how Su Yunmo had managed to get Tang Jiu to intervene, the auction house was a place where whoever had money was right. Once she bought the medicine, she would make Su Yunmo pay!
Su Yunmo watched her go to the opposite staircase and asked curiously, "Didn't you say there were no rooms?"
Su Sizhuo wiped her hands with a damp towel, "Except for the sixth floor, the third, fourth, and fifth floors have ordinary areas, VIP areas, and premium areas. The higher you go, the more expensive it is."
The third floor served as a connecting point. Guests from the second floor who bought and sold would usually come up to book private rooms for auctions. Guests in the VIP area, if they didn't want to spend so much money, could also move down to the third floor.
Generally, when they said 'no rooms,' they were referring to this floor.
Su Siqi casually picked up a pastry and handed it over, looking at Tang Jiu as if he were a gold nugget, "Your master is making a fortune, aren't they?"
"Not at all, not at all. It's just a small business, a small business," Tang Jiu said humbly. He took a牌 (pái - token/card) from a servant and placed it in front of Su Yunmo.
This牌 was made of pure gold, with the character '免' (miǎn - exempt/free) engraved on it.
Su Yunmo took the pastry, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed with bulging cheeks, looking confused.
Tang Jiu said, "This is an 'Exemption Auction Token.' It is a token of our apology. Today, whatever Miss fancies, you may freely acquire, regardless of the number of times or the value."