Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"The old man agreed that fast?" A flicker of surprise crossed Zhu Qinghou's eyes. He'd originally thought Li Zhen held little influence in Yejing, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

The long winds of the grassland whistled, stirring the vast expanse of wild grass, making the tumbleweeds undulate like waves. Occasionally, a few blades of grass would drift onto Zhu Qinghou's face, which he would casually brush away.

"Hmm." Li Zhen offered no explanation, his tone neutral. "Yejing sent someone to discuss the matter."

Calling it a 'discussion' was generous; it was more like supervision.

Having been in the bureaucracy for years, Zhu Qinghou saw the court's intentions clearly. He asked casually, "Who did they send?"

No surprise, it was probably someone from the Crown Prince's faction.

After all, given Li Jue's temperament, the moment he heard Yongzhou was establishing trade, he was probably beside himself, worried sick that Li Zhen might get a chance to turn things around.

His guess was correct.

Li Zhen said calmly, "The Lanling Xiao family."

Speak of the devil. Zhu Qinghou narrowed his eyes slightly, squinting against the daylight as he looked towards that splash of goose-yellow and green, racing wildly under the vast sky.

"...Where are they now?" Zhu Qinghou asked softly.

"They've already reached Yongzhou."

The convoy reined in, the horses slowly coming to a halt on the boundless grassland. An attendant looked back at the main carriage and reported respectfully.

Inside rode the eldest son of the Lanling Xiao clan, the current Supervising Censor, Xiao Shengjue.

He had volunteered for this mission to inspect Yongzhou. First, to supervise Prince Su, and second, for personal reasons.

"Our young master is truly devoted. For the sake of a mere slave, he's willing to travel thousands of miles to Yongzhou, ready to overlook her past and take her as a concubine," two attendants whispered among themselves.

The only daughter of the Zhu family, once the celebrated Zhu Liujun of Yejing, sought after by countless suitors, was now just a person of base status. Being able to become their young master's concubine was a blessing cultivated in a past life.

Sitting inside the carriage, Xiao Shengjue recalled Zhu Liujun's face.

Strangely enough, he'd planned to have her quietly brought to his residence in a sedan chair after the Zhu family's downfall, to protect her. Who knew that scoundrel Zhu Qinghou had a contingency plan? Many in Yejing seemed to have drunk some bewitching potion, all protecting Zhu Liujun for him, leaving him no opportunity to act.

Now that Zhu Qinghou had fallen into Prince Su's hands, he was probably already dead and gone. This trip would serve two purposes—he could both keep an eye on Prince Su for the Crown Prince and claim the beauty.

Thinking of this, Xiao Shengjue grew almost impatient. "After entering the city, first present ourselves to Prince Su."

"They will certainly come to see you first. Have you thought about how to host them?"

Zhu Qinghou still wore his usual lazy, casual demeanor, but a hint of cunning tinged his tone.

Li Zhen pushed a volume of documents in his direction, not answering but asking instead, "What do you think we should do?"

Zhu Qinghou reached out and took them. Only upon looking did he realize these documents recorded the identities and backgrounds of Xiao Shengjue's party, every detail without omission.

"You had scouts planted among them long ago?" A trace of surprise laced Zhu Qinghou's tone. He examined the documents carefully from top to bottom, an idea forming in his mind. Closing the dossier, he smiled. "I was just worried about the money for the trade market, and here comes our cash delivery."

Li Zhen lifted his gaze to "look" at him and asked calmly, "You want money?"

"Naturally. The Xiao family, backed by the Empress Dowager and the Eastern Palace, must have amassed a fortune. If I don't squeeze some out of them, what a waste that'd be!" Zhu Qinghou was full of enthusiasm, not pondering Li Zhen's words at all.

Li Zhen was silent for a moment, his fingertips subtly rubbing the hem of his robe. "...Are they the only ones with deep pockets?"

The comment jolted Zhu Qinghou into an epiphany. "Right! The Eastern Palace must also have plenty of silver. I should really extort a good sum from them too!"

Li Zhen: "..."

Zhu Qinghou didn't notice his silence. He suddenly clapped his hands, a plan brewing in his mind in an instant, and chuckled softly with delight.

*Ding-ding-dang-dang*, the water flowed in a winding stream.

Porcelain-white cups wobbled as they floated down the winding water channel. Crude palace lanterns cast shimmering, scale-like reflections on the water's surface.

Xiao Shengjue and his party sat upright on the mats, looking at the simple fare before them, their expressions darkening. Could the esteemed Prince Su truly be this impoverished? Or was this intentional disrespect?

Zhu Qinghou leaned against the railing of a high pavilion, looking down at their barely concealed expressions, almost unable to suppress a laugh.

Looking again at Li Zhen in the seat of honor, his expression was calm, his movements unhurried, composed.

—as if he were already accustomed to such meals.

This made Xiao Shengjue and the others exchange glances, wondering if they were judging a gentleman with a petty mind, and that Prince Su's actions weren't meant as disrespect.

The meal tasted like wax to everyone, almost impossible to swallow.

Zhu Qinghou watched with great relish, leisurely enjoying the exquisite dishes before him.

Since they were pretending to be poor, they had to commit to the act.

Over the next few days, Xiao Shengjue and the others, representing the court, discussed the trade matter with Li Zhen in the study. Mentioning opening trade markets beyond the pass and contacting the Wei people—each item required substantial funds.

Li Zhen remained silent. Gradually, everyone understood, catching the underlying meaning.

So Prince Su was genuinely poor.

Regarding the ownership rights of the trade market, Xiao Shengjue felt a stirring ambition, wanting to get involved to secure merit in front of the Crown Prince.

But this was, after all, Li Zhen's fiefdom, far from the emperor's reach. Even with vast sums of silver, the Crown Prince couldn't intervene here.

Looking at the details, trading with the Wei people wasn't just a small profit; it was like immense wealth falling from the sky.

Even so, Xiao Shengjue still hesitated.

It wasn't until he learned that Prince Su had begun sending people to raise funds externally, amassing tens of thousands in just a few days, that he finally couldn't sit still.

Inside the study.

Zhu Qinghou sat beside Li Zhen, casually flipping through the documents on the desk.

During this period, Li Zhen had been very compliant with his suggestions—compiling documents when asked, raising funds when requested—which somewhat surprised him.

Could it be that the Child Gu could also control the Mother Gu in reverse, making Li Zhen obey his every word?

Zhu Qinghou was accustomed to others obeying him without question all his life. Even with a sliver of doubt, he didn't pay it much mind.

After all, from any angle, this matter benefited the Prince Su estate. As long as Li Zhen wasn't a fool, he should know to follow his lead.

At that moment.

A guard came to report: "Your Highness, the Supervising Censor requests an audience."

Xiao Shengjue had arrived.

Having received permission, he had just stepped into the study and settled on the stool when he faintly sensed something unusual.

It seemed someone else had been in this study recently, leaving behind a lingering trace of a faint, elusive fragrance, drifting ethereally in the air, half-visible and half-hidden, tantalizing the senses.

Looking again at the armchair beside Prince Su, a purple fox fur robe was draped over it. He wondered who that person could be, to sit so boldly by the prince's side.

Without dwelling on it further, Xiao Shengjue respectfully stated his business.

Somehow, despite knowing Prince Su was "very poor," sitting before him made Xiao Shengjue feel inexplicably inferior. Not only that, he also felt a strange sensation of being watched by a predator, sending chills down his spine and making him deeply uncomfortable. His instinct for danger made him want to flee immediately.

Prince Su remained silent for a while, not agreeing immediately. "Silver? This prince is not lacking."

Xiao Shengjue stared at his own toes, not daring to look at the prince's eyes, which were covered by a white silk band. He thought to himself, *Not lacking? Clearly, he thinks it's too little.*

Indeed, securing the trading post wouldn't be easy. Good things were meant to be fought for. If it were obtained too easily, he would suspect the other party had ulterior motives.

"Thirty thousand taels, plus we will personally oversee the construction of the trading post, so Your Highness won't have to lift a finger," Xiao Shengjue said. "What does Your Highness think?"

Thirty thousand taels was the maximum amount of silver he could mobilize.

But compared to the profits from the trading post, this sum was merely a drop in the bucket.

Prince Su sat perfectly still. To his left, behind the screen, a faint shadow seemed to stir. Before Xiao Shengjue could get a clear look, Prince Su suddenly spoke: "Thirty thousand taels?"

His voice was extremely faint, his tone low, making it difficult to discern his emotions. It seemed like a question, yet also like a simple, flat repetition.

Was it that he thought it too little, or was he simply incredulous that such an offer could be made?

Xiao Shengjue was momentarily at a loss. Several possibilities flashed through his mind. After pondering for a moment, he quieted down, wanting to observe Prince Su's reaction.

However.

After uttering those three words, Prince Su fell silent.

For a moment, the vast study fell into dead silence, making even the muffled sound of bells from behind the screen clearly audible.

Behind the screen, Zhu Qinghou clamped his hand over the bell in his hair, preventing it from making any sound.

Xiao Shengjue glanced suspiciously a few times, but then heard the sound of bells coming from the other side. Turning his head to follow the sound, he saw Prince Su holding a purple jade bell in his hand, toying with it idly.

The bell sound was coming from there.

...Could it be that he had misheard earlier?

Xiao Shengjue put the thought aside. After waiting another two breaths and seeing that Prince Su still showed no intention of responding, fine beads of sweat began to form on the back of his neck. He grew increasingly tense, feeling as if, in some unseen way, he was already at a disadvantage.

He hesitated for a moment, looking at the jade bell in Prince Su's hand. For some reason, it reminded him of a certain beautiful and arrogant figure. Gritting his teeth, he continued to raise the offer, trying to persuade the prince.

Since the silver would come from them, naturally all matters would also be managed by them. Every single detail of the trading post would be under their control.

Once the trading post opened and trade commenced between the three dynasties, wouldn't acquiring silver be as easy as pie?

Zhu Qinghou released his grip and casually shook the bell in his hair.

Xiao Shengjue, already on edge, instinctively glanced toward the screen, his suspicions growing heavier. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was behind it.

...And that person was Zhu Qinghou.

Another bell sound rang out. Xiao Shengjue started, and he looked toward the source again. Seeing the swaying bell in Prince Su's hand, his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled.

He must have misheard.

After his exhaustive persuasion, Prince Su finally gave a slight nod. His voice was very faint, but upon careful listening, it carried a hint of helplessness. "Very well."

Xiao Shengjue inwardly sighed in relief. It was strange to say, but after the Zhu family fell, the confiscation of their property yielded surprisingly little silver. The entire Zhu residence was demolished, and the ground was dug up three feet deep, yet all the fragments and pieces added together didn't even amount to a thousand taels.

After Zhu Qingping was executed by dismemberment, the account books from the Department of State Affairs were handled by the Eastern Palace. The advisors worked day and night for three days and nights on the abacuses, only to discover that the national treasury was now cleaned out.

Outsiders all believed they had seized a huge sum of silver from the Zhu family, but only they themselves knew the truth—there was no such silver to be found.

The urgent task at hand now was to earn some silver back for the Eastern Palace.