IDWBE -Chapter 339 The Loss

As the Regent Prince said: if you don’t advance, you fall behind!

Still, just thinking about the Regent Prince made him secretly proud. Although now the prince held high office and the mansion was heavily guarded—places one couldn’t enter at will—he remembered the old days when he could sit and chat with the prince casually.

If the Regent Prince were to ascend the throne in the future, that would be even more to boast about!

How many people in the world had ever been taught by an emperor?

What he regretted most now was that he hadn’t kept a piece of calligraphy by the Regent Prince—something to glorify the family home, a true treasure for the household!

Calligraphy?

He might actually have one!

Back then, Sanhe lacked money. The Department of Finance borrowed everywhere, and among the merchants, some lent more, some less. Though he wasn’t as wealthy as the Liang or Wang families, seeing that the interest was good, he had lent five thousand taels.

To increase credibility, the Department repeatedly promised that every loan certificate would bear the Regent Prince’s seal and signature.

His certificate had one too, personally written by the Regent Prince.

He couldn’t resist taking the loan certificate out from his sleeve. Just as he opened it, Zhu Ruorong leaned in over his head.

Zhu Ruorong smiled. “So you brought it too. Now that the Regent Prince doesn’t lack money, in three days you can take it to the magistrate’s office to redeem it. They say it will be in the form of a Sanhe Bank silver note.”

Liu Duo shook his head. “I don’t intend to redeem it.”

Jiang Tu Hu snorted. “Are you stupid, or do you think I’m stupid? So easy to fool? That’s five thousand taels!”

Liu Duo laughed. “Five thousand taels to own a piece of the Regent Prince’s calligraphy? No matter how you look at it, it’s worth it.”

Everyone paused at his words.

Liang Qingshu took the debt note and couldn’t help glancing at the signature, sighing. “Indeed, it’s not a loss.”

After all, the Regent Prince’s status had risen!

Once he ascended the throne, obtaining his handwritten work again would be almost impossible—like reaching the heavens!

To put it plainly, it would be entirely impossible!

The True Dragon Emperor, high above, how could he still deal with merchants like them?
What a foolish dream!

“So… it really can be kept?”

Jiang Tu Hu still didn’t believe it.

The others just smiled silently. The atmosphere turned a little strange for a moment.

“Talk if you want, or not.”

Jiang Tu Hu snorted.

While they were sipping tea, a squad of soldiers came from south to north. Pedestrians hurriedly stepped aside, stopping to watch. The usually noisy teahouse fell silent, as if one could hear a pin drop.

Soon, all that could be heard were the soldiers’ uniform footsteps—clang, clang, clang—so crisp, so powerful.

It took the better part of a tea break for the soldiers to pass the teahouse.

Zhu Ruorong asked curiously, “These aren’t Sanhe soldiers, are they?”

“Of course not. They’re troops recruited in the southern provinces, trained for about half a year,”

Jiang Tu Hu said disdainfully. “Many have internal strength, but few are above third-rank. If they fought the Wadan, I doubt they’d manage.”

Liang Qingshu frowned. “Careful what you say. Spreading rumors and shaking morale could earn you a beating at the magistrate’s office.”

“Damn, even telling the truth is wrong,” Jiang Tu Hu muttered, but still acknowledged Liang Qingshu’s warning and said no more.

“The Wadan have hundreds of thousands. If we’re too few, it looks bad,” Zhu Ruorong said quietly. “According to Mazi, troops from Hongzhou, Jingzhou, and Yuezhou are arriving. That should make fifteen or sixteen thousand. If Yuan Qing and Shen Zhanao pledge to the prince, that’s another twenty thousand. Even against the Wadan, we won’t be intimidated.”

“Ah, you lot,” Liang Qingshu growled. “This is confidential. How dare you blabber! If the wrong person hears, it’ll be disaster!”

Zhu Ruorong laughed sheepishly. He had promised Mazi not to speak to outsiders.

“All right, enough,” Li Sanniang hurriedly intervened. “The army is being mobilized from the south. Surely this supply of provisions isn’t ours?”

At least the soldiers who just passed were wearing uniforms not made by her workshop.

Han Dongsheng sipped his tea. “Can we profit everywhere in this world? Of course, local merchants in Hongzhou and Yuezhou handle military supplies. Otherwise, even if we went, it’d be ages before anything happened.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

They could only blame themselves for being weak, having no branches in Hongzhou or Yuezhou, and thus unable to handle this line of military supplies.

As more and more soldiers poured into Ankang City, more merchants and vendors followed, making the city lively.

Yet the palace remained as cold and empty as ever.

Officials accustomed to seeing the emperor at morning court now faced the vacant dragon throne with unease.

Each day, they followed the Regent Prince’s edicts without ever seeing him in person.

As Lord He Jixiang had cryptically said, though they couldn’t see the Regent Prince, they still worked under his guiding ideology.

Lin Yi seldom entered the palace; when he did, it was just to stand atop the high walls and enjoy tea and the breeze.

In the heat of summer, only at the highest point could one feel a trace of cool wind.

“The Empress’s body… is lost?”

Lin Yi nearly spat out the tea he was drinking.

“My apologies, sir,” Xiao Xizi knelt on the ground, terrified.

“How long has it been since the Empress hanged herself, and why hasn’t she been buried?”

Lin Yi had no idea. He thought she had already been interred.

He hadn’t expected such a laughable scandal—the body had been stolen.

“Your Highness,” Xiao Xizi said bitterly, “I’ve only been in charge of the palace briefly. Recently, I’ve been sorting through case files. I just saw a report from the Directorate of Ceremonies. After the Empress hanged herself, her body went missing. Only now did I learn of it. The emperor has secretly ordered an investigation, but there’s been no news.”

“I see,” Lin Yi finally understood, frowning. “At that time, the Crown Prince was in the Dali Temple prison. He could have arranged to steal the body from the palace, but it would have been easier to escape from prison himself.”

“Your Highness is wise,” Xiao Xizi said cautiously, “I thought the same. Stealing someone out of the palace without anyone noticing is no ordinary feat. Moreover, Elder Wuxiang was still in the palace. Any slightest movement would not escape him.”

Lin Yi said, “Just speak plainly.”

Xiao Xizi said, “I believe the Empress’s body might still be in the palace.”

Lin Yi said, “By now, whether buried or not, there’s probably nothing left but bones. Even if found, it’s meaningless.”

“Your Highness,” Xiao Xizi glanced at Lin Yi, then quickly lowered his head. “There is a place in the palace where a body would not decay.”

“Ice storage,” Lin Yi blurted out.

Xiao Xizi hurriedly smiled. “Your Highness is wise. I will arrange for people to check immediately.”