Chapter 169

Chapter 169

The Prefect of Yunzhou wanted to curse again. Who gives gifts so bluntly? Such matters demand a touch of elegance! If one doesn't know how to present a gift properly, forget about asking for favors—they'd be lucky not to offend anyone.

But seeing that Meng Shuping didn't outright refuse, he felt a slight relief. Could Meng Shuping's reaction mean there was a chance?

Meng Shuping asked curiously, "How much silver is this?"

The Prefect of Yunzhou's spirits lifted slightly, and he proudly held up a hand. "Five thousand taels."

In his estimation, though Meng Shuping was an imperial envoy sent by the emperor, he was only a seventh-rank official and merely accompanying the mission. Giving Meng Shuping five thousand taels was already a considerable sum.

No sooner had he spoken than he heard Meng Shuping's inner voice: "Only five thousand taels? Isn't it said that an honest prefect can amass a hundred thousand taels in three years? Is he trying to fob me off with just five thousand? Does he think too little of me? I'm the emperor's favored official! Prince Zhao's chief confidant! Is that all I'm worth? General Hong gave me fifty thousand taels when he sent gifts!"

A moment later, however, Meng Shuping quickly reflected, "Wait, am I getting too arrogant? No, no, this isn't good. Just because I'm rich now doesn't mean I should dismiss five thousand taels. Every little bit counts—five thousand taels is actually quite a lot!"

He asked the Prefect of Yunzhou sincerely, "Could you make it a little more?"

"Even though five thousand isn't a small amount, since he's already giving a gift, why be so stingy? What if he rubs me the wrong way and I end up reporting him? I might not be able to resist!"

The Prefect of Yunzhou was shocked. Five thousand taels still wasn't enough? Was Meng Shuping too greedy? Besides, he wasn't even asking Meng Shuping for any favors—he just didn't want to offend this petty official. How much more did Meng Shuping want?

But remembering the purpose of his visit, he had no choice but to endure. Stiffly, he said, "Lord Meng, I've already shown the utmost sincerity. I had a hard time scraping together these five thousand taels. Please don't put me in a difficult position."

Meng Shuping sounded a little disappointed. "Alright then."

"Given his lack of sincerity, I'll just have to report him. I don't believe he can only come up with this much. Who's he trying to fool?"

The Prefect of Yunzhou's eyes widened. Was this fellow a scoundrel? He had never encountered such a shameless official.

But this only reinforced his determination not to offend Meng Shuping. After all, it's better to offend a gentleman than a petty person. If this young man really went and reported him, wouldn't his efforts be in vain?

He took a deep breath to steady himself and forced another smile. "However, I've prepared one more thing. I hope Lord Meng will like it."

Meng Shuping's curiosity was piqued again. "What is it?"

"Antiques? Jewelry? Gold bars? I don't really need those. It couldn't be beautiful women or handsome men, could it? Haha, I've never actually received that kind of gift before."

The Prefect of Yunzhou paused for a moment but quickly composed himself. Smiling, he clapped his hands, and soon a simply dressed but beautiful woman entered the room. "Lord Meng, this is a musician from my residence. She is exceptionally skilled in playing the qin. You've been working hard on epidemic prevention lately—perhaps listening to her play before bed would be excellent for relaxation and sleep."

Meng Shuping was astonished. "Wow! He actually sent me a beautiful girl? Such a grand gesture?"

"But having her play the qin at night? Wouldn't that disturb the neighbors? Seriously, is he trying to get me into trouble? Who would've thought? It seems like he's apologizing, but he's actually trying to harm me! Good thing I was on my guard, or I would've fallen into his trap!"

The Prefect of Yunzhou choked back his frustration. Who would even think of something like that? Was this young man completely clueless about romance? Listening to the qin late at night was such an elegant pastime—how could he possibly associate it with disturbing the peace?

Struggling to keep his twitching lips under control, he forced himself to say patiently, "Of course, besides listening to the qin, you can have her do anything else you wish."

Meng Shuping was young and full of vigor. With such a beautiful woman by his side, how could he resist? Once her pillow talk did its work, perhaps any issue could be resolved.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Meng Shuping brightened. "She can do anything?"

The Prefect of Yunzhou said smugly, "Of course."

Just as he thought—a young man in his prime couldn't possibly resist such temptation.

But no sooner had he allowed himself a smug expression than Meng Shuping asked, "Then can I have her be an overworked laborer? The disaster relief efforts are short on manpower. One more person means one more pair of hands!"

A moment later, however, he changed his mind. "No, no, no. Wouldn't it be a waste to make someone with such skilled hands do manual labor? I think it'd be better to organize a thank-you performance to reward those who've worked hard on disaster relief and epidemic prevention. Yes, that's a great idea!"

"But if that's the case, one person isn't enough. We'd need several performances to put on a proper show. No offense to him, but why didn't he send more people? How am I supposed to manage with just one?"

The Prefect of Yunzhou was dumbfounded. What was wrong with Meng Shuping? Didn't he even consider the obvious implication? Was he even a young man?

And not only did he miss the point entirely, he even complained about not getting enough people?

After struggling to calm himself for a long moment, the Prefect of Yunzhou finally consoled himself: Whatever. As long as Meng Shuping no longer held a grudge, why bother what the kid did with the gift?

He ventured cautiously, "Does Lord Meng find just listening to the qin a bit monotonous? To be frank, I have other skilled performers in my residence. If Lord Meng requires them, I can have them sent over too."

Meng Shuping exclaimed delightedly, "Really? Can I have all of them?"

He already had an idea for how to arrange the musicians. If the Prefect of Yunzhou sent more, that would be even better.

A vein bulged on the Prefect of Yunzhou’s forehead, but at this point, he couldn't refuse. Suppressing his heartache, he said, "Of course."

Meng Shuping’s tone became much more sincere. "Then I'll leave this to you, Lord Wu."

The Prefect of Yunzhou finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to win Meng Shuping over. Even if it didn't go exactly as he'd imagined, what did it matter?

He said with a beaming smile, "Lord Meng, there's no need to be so formal with me!"

After an awkward extended chat, Meng Shuping finally saw the Prefect of Yunzhou off. Not long after the Prefect left, other musicians and performers were delivered.

When Jiang Cihe returned, he was surprised to see so many new faces around. Puzzled, he asked the person stationed there, "Who are these people?"

The attendant sneaked a glance at Jiang Cihe and replied, "Your Highness Prince Zhao, these were sent by the Prefect of Yunzhou for Lord Meng."

Jiang Cihe was taken aback. "For Meng Shuping?"

His face darkened as he hurried toward Meng Shuping’s quarters. What was the Prefect of Yunzhou up to, sending such people to Meng Shuping? What was he trying to do?

And Little Bold—how could he accept them? Didn't he know what these people were for?

Meng Shuping was just working out his idea when Jiang Cihe burst in. He stood up cheerfully. "Good timing. I have something to discuss with you."

Jiang Cihe took a deep breath. "We'll talk about that later. First, explain those musicians and dancers. What's going on?"

Meng Shuping said innocently, "The Prefect of Yunzhou sent them. He said I could have them do anything."

Jiang Cihe’s expression turned grim. "And what do you plan to have them do?"

If the Prefect of Yunzhou were here now, Jiang Cihe would've kicked him. The ways of bribery were truly varied!

Meng Shuping replied with a faint smile, "I was thinking of organizing a thank-you performance, so I accepted them."

"After all, they're free—might as well make use of them! No need to spend any money!"

Jiang Cihe was stunned. "A thank-you performance?"

Meng Shuping explained earnestly, "You could call it a benefit performance. I thought we could put on a show, sell tickets, and use the money for disaster relief and reconstruction, while also rewarding those who've worked hard on epidemic prevention. What do you think? I'll have you know, the people trained in the Prefect of Yunzhou’s residence are probably quite skilled. Plus, it's a good hook!"

Jiang Cihe’s expression softened. "You accepted them just to do this?"

"Of course," Meng Shuping replied with a smile. "What did you think I wanted them for?"

"He didn't think I had my eye on them, did he? Do I seem like a lecherous person? No, I'm getting angry! How could he not trust me at all?"

Jiang Cihe quickly said, "I didn't think you had any ulterior motives. I was just curious why you accepted them."

This Prefect of Yunzhou, instead of focusing on proper matters, only knows how to engage in these underhanded tactics. Sending so many beautiful girls over—does he think no one sees his ulterior motives? It's just that Meng Shuping didn't go there. If it were someone else, they might actually fall for it.

At this thought, Jiang Cihe’s expression turned cold again.

Just then, Meng Shuping’s voice interrupted Jiang Cihe’s thoughts. He asked Jiang Cihe, “What do you think of this idea?”

Jiang Cihe nodded, full of admiration. “This is an excellent idea. Go ahead and arrange it.”

With Jiang Cihe’s approval, Meng Shuping quickly got people preparing. Before long, the people of Yunzhou City learned that the imperial envoy from the court would hold a charity performance to reward those who had contributed to disaster relief and epidemic prevention. Surprisingly, the performers were actually donated by the Prefect of Yunzhou.

Some wealthy families who wanted for neither food nor clothes were very interested. “Doesn’t this mean we get to enjoy the same treatment as the Prefect?”

“Exactly! Those trained in the Prefect’s residence must be different from ordinary performers, right? I must go and see.”

When the news reached the Prefect of Yunzhou’s ears, he nearly choked on his tea. Using his name to attract audiences—had Meng Shuping actually pulled one over on him?