Huaisang nods slightly and then turns back to the madame with a smile.
"Now, Madame Su, I absolutely understand the expense you've had to go through, but I do wonder if we might revisit some of these figures. Did Yuan bring the qin with him to Carp Tower? How many of his things did he bring?"
"...No he didn't," Madame admits, knowing they could confirm that "And he only had the robe he was wearing, Jin-zongzhu decided he should stay sooner than we thought, so he hadn't packed anything...."
"So the expense of the qin, and some of his robes, is one you can...recoup, somewhat? I wouldn't expect you to write it off completely, of course, but you still have those items."
"...yes." Madame admits begrudgingly.
"That is fortunate for you, it's nice to not be out of pocket," Huaisang smiles airily, as though she weren't trying her hardest not to glare at him.
He continues in much the same vein, cheerfully haggling her down by making her admit the way certain expenses were inflated, but throwing in flattery and praise along the way - he'll be sure to remember how helpful she was being, and how wonderfully she clearly treated the boys and girls in her care, and surely that made them excellent at their job. The general gist of it being; charge us a reasonable amount and we'll pay it, keep quiet about what you know and we'll continue to send custom your way - and allowing Jiang Cheng's glowering figure beside him to add cross us, and you will regret it.
Eventually they reach a total and Huaisang turns to his lover with a smile.
"Does that sound more agreeable to you, Jiang-zongzhu?"
Re: Haha perfect!
Huaisang nods slightly and then turns back to the madame with a smile.
"Now, Madame Su, I absolutely understand the expense you've had to go through, but I do wonder if we might revisit some of these figures. Did Yuan bring the qin with him to Carp Tower? How many of his things did he bring?"
"...No he didn't," Madame admits, knowing they could confirm that "And he only had the robe he was wearing, Jin-zongzhu decided he should stay sooner than we thought, so he hadn't packed anything...."
"So the expense of the qin, and some of his robes, is one you can...recoup, somewhat? I wouldn't expect you to write it off completely, of course, but you still have those items."
"...yes." Madame admits begrudgingly.
"That is fortunate for you, it's nice to not be out of pocket," Huaisang smiles airily, as though she weren't trying her hardest not to glare at him.
He continues in much the same vein, cheerfully haggling her down by making her admit the way certain expenses were inflated, but throwing in flattery and praise along the way - he'll be sure to remember how helpful she was being, and how wonderfully she clearly treated the boys and girls in her care, and surely that made them excellent at their job. The general gist of it being; charge us a reasonable amount and we'll pay it, keep quiet about what you know and we'll continue to send custom your way - and allowing Jiang Cheng's glowering figure beside him to add cross us, and you will regret it.
Eventually they reach a total and Huaisang turns to his lover with a smile.
"Does that sound more agreeable to you, Jiang-zongzhu?"