IDWBE -Chapter 550 A Common Language

Pan Duo bowed and said, “On the surface, Liu Gongfeng appears loyal only to His Majesty. But he is actually a disciple of Consort Wen. And He Jin was personally promoted by Liu Gongfeng. Without Liu Gongfeng’s indulgence, how could He Jin have dared to commit so many unspeakable crimes that defy all reason?”

“Damn it,” Lin Yi held his forehead.

“I forgot about the connection between those two. When I was in the palace, He Jin was indeed extremely respectful toward Liu Gongfeng.”

Pan Duo watched Lin Yi’s expression and said, “Your Highness, in my humble opinion, it would be best to invite Liu Gongfeng to leave the palace.”

“No need,” Lin Yi snorted. “I already promised him he could stay in the palace. There’s no reason to go back on my word. Besides, I’d like to see what tricks they can come up with together. If he leaves, where would the entertainment come from?”

“Your Highness is wise.” Seeing that Lin Yi had already made up his mind, Pan Duo said nothing further.

“Oh, right,” Lin Yi added. “Is He Jin actually dead or not?”

He said angrily, “You people are really disappointing. You can’t even kill a eunuch properly. To this day, none of you can give me a definite answer.”

Pan Duo hurriedly said, “I swear on my life and property, Your Highness. I personally inspected the body. There is absolutely no possibility of survival.”

Lin Yi frowned. “And how can you guarantee the corpse was really He Jin?”

After all, no matter how capable Pan Duo and the others were, very few people had actually seen He Jin’s true appearance.

Pan Duo replied, “I brought Hong Shilong from the Shadow Guards. He personally identified the body. There shouldn’t be any mistake.”

“Stop talking nonsense,” Lin Yi waved his hand impatiently. “Where’s that bastard Qi Peng? Tell him to drink less tea and do more work.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Pan Duo left with a bitter expression.

Prince He was clearly dissatisfied with his performance—he would have to get his superior involved.

Before Lin Yi could even lie down in his chair, Sun Cheng entered with Gan Mao.

“Why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night? What do you want?” Lin Yi said the moment he saw him.

Gan Mao forced a smile onto his wrinkled old face, though it looked more like crying.

“I cannot sleep.”

“If you can’t sleep, could you at least not come and ruin my night?”

Lin Yi sighed.

“Just seeing you makes me unable to sleep even more.”

“Your Highness…”

Gan Mao suddenly spoke loudly.

“I have something to—”

“Don’t speak. Seriously. We don’t share a common language,” Lin Yi quickly interrupted him.

Gan Mao smiled awkwardly.

“Your Highness… what do you mean by ‘common language’?”

Lin Yi snorted.

“It means when you come to ask me for money, I don’t want to give it.”

“Your Highness…”

Gan Mao laughed helplessly.

Lin Yi sighed.

“The palace tourism business has been booming lately. It’s making money every day. How can you still be short of funds?”

Gan Mao replied, “Your Highness, troops are being deployed simultaneously in Chuanzhou, Mobei, and Jinzhou. Just the daily rations alone cost tens of thousands of taels! And that doesn’t even include soldiers’ pay or the wear and tear of military equipment. Furthermore, Bian Jing is carrying out massive construction projects in Jizhou. The money there is flowing out like water.”

Lin Yi leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

“Can’t He Jixiang do anything?”

Gan Mao said, “If Lord He had a solution, how would I dare trouble Your Highness?”

“Then what do you expect me to do?” Lin Yi said, standing up and pacing back and forth.

Gan Mao said softly, “Lord He said Your Highness always has brilliant ideas… perhaps you might think of something.”

Lin Yi asked weakly, “What about borrowing from the Sanhe Bank?”

Gan Mao answered honestly, “Manager Bailin is already furious. If we keep borrowing, the bank will face a run.”

Sanhe Bank was Prince He’s own property.

If Gan Mao bankrupted it, Prince He would never forgive him.

He knew very well where the line was.

Lin Yi asked unwillingly, “Can’t you hold out until my father’s Emperor’s Lunch Auction?”

Gan Mao said cautiously, “The auction is next month. It won’t solve the urgent problem.”

Lin Yi gritted his teeth.

“Then wait a few days. I’ll figure something out. I’ll skin those natives alive first.”

Gan Mao added, “Your Highness… I need one million taels.”

“What?!”

Lin Yi jumped three feet into the air.

“Why do you need so much money? I can understand Jinzhou and Chuanzhou needing funds, but why does Mobei need our money too? Is Zhen Sanbei that incompetent? Didn’t we agree on this before he left?”

Gan Mao quickly explained, “Mobei does not require funds from the Ministry of Revenue. The urgent needs are only in Chuanzhou and Jinzhou. And for disaster relief through labor—building canals and official roads—more than a hundred thousand workers need food every day. In the past two days supplies have already started running short. If I cut off their food, they’ll riot. And Your Highness will probably cut off my head as a sacrifice to heaven.”

Lin Yi glanced at him.

“Not only will I cut off your head, I’ll make Bian Jing accompany you to the grave.”

Gan Mao could not bring himself to say “thank you.”

A scholar still had to keep a bit of dignity.

Lin Yi continued pacing around the garden. When the big yellow dog blocked his way, he kicked it aside. The dog whimpered and ran away, full of grievance.

After thinking for a long time, he said, “You want money, right?”

“Your Highness is wise!”

Gan Mao said this politely, but inwardly he looked at Lin Yi like he was an idiot.

Wasn’t that obvious?

Lin Yi sighed deeply. “I do have some private savings. Take it. I’ll give you five hundred thousand taels first. Don’t be greedy—there’s no more after this. But listen carefully: you have to pay it back. With interest!”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Gan Mao was overjoyed.

As for the last part, he simply ignored it.

Repay it?

With what?

In a few years he would retire anyway.

As Prince He often said—after he left office, let the floods wash away the world.

“Go with Sun Cheng and find Zixia,” Lin Yi said painfully.

“Ask her for the silver.”

Lin Yi almost cried from the pain.

Saving up private money wasn’t easy!

He even started resenting He Jixiang.

That old fox must have sent Gan Mao here specifically to target his private savings.

Sigh.

There wasn’t a single good person among them.

Feeling irritated, Lin Yi couldn’t sleep.

“Prepare the carriage. We’re going down the mountain to have some fun.”

Han Deqing hurried off to make preparations.

Soon Lin Yi rode down the mountain.

The streets were still bustling.

He got out of the carriage and wandered around casually.

Passing Chunxiang Tower, he heard laughter and singing girls inside.

Lin Yi couldn’t help sighing.

“Sure enough… human joys and sorrows are never shared.”

---

The moon rose higher and higher.

Wei Yishan sat holding a long saber, wiping it repeatedly with a dark cloth.

Wang Xiaoshuan set down his lantern and said, “Brother, listen to me. A gentleman can take revenge even after ten years. There’s no need to fall out with Chen Xinluo now.”

Wei Yishan snorted.

“So you’re telling me to endure it too?”

“You misunderstand,” Wang Xiaoshuan said quickly. “That’s not what I mean. You’ve fought him before—you saw the result yourself. You still can’t defeat him now. So why not wait? If you go now, won’t the result be the same? If things get out of hand, we won’t be able to explain ourselves to Prince He.”

Wei Yishan said expressionlessly, “Either he dies today, or I do. Only one of us can live.”

“Why bother?” Wang Xiaoshuan sighed. “You’ve always been a smart man. Why are you doing something foolish now? Even if you don’t think about yourself, think about your mother. If something happens to you, how will she survive alone?”

Wei Yishan turned his head and stared at him. “So you’re saying I can’t beat Chen Xinluo?”

Wang Xiaoshuan felt uneasy under his gaze but finally lost patience. “Then think about your mother’s reputation! If you keep going like this, won’t her reputation be ruined?”

Wei Yishan shouted angrily, “Did she ever care about my reputation?! Now I’m the laughingstock of everyone! How can a man like me stand in this world or command respect in the army again?!”

Wang Xiaoshuan gathered his courage and said, “To be honest… I don’t think marrying Chen Xinluo is such a bad thing.”

He truly didn’t understand Wei Yishan’s thinking.

Just like Wei Yishan, his own father had died early and his widowed mother had raised him alone.

If his mother remarried, he would be happy.

At least he wouldn’t worry about her all the time.

And if she married someone like Chen Xinluo—

Calling him “father” wouldn’t be a loss!

“What did you say?!”

With a loud crash—

Wei Yishan smashed the table with a palm strike, splintering it into pieces.

“I didn’t mean anything,” Wang Xiaoshuan said. “I just think you’re overthinking it. Your mother has had a hard life. She finally met someone. Why stop her?”

“Get out!”

Wei Yishan pointed his saber directly at Wang Xiaoshuan.

“Wei Yishan!” Wang Xiaoshuan finally got angry. “You don’t like hearing the truth? Fine! If you’ve got the guts, stab me right here!”

He stepped forward and pressed his chest against the blade.

With a metallic sound, Wei Yishan sheathed the saber.

“Leave. I want to be alone.”

“Then let’s go drink,” Wang Xiaoshuan said. “We’ll drink ourselves to death. One drunk night cures a thousand sorrows.”

“Someone!” Wei Yishan shouted. “Bring wine and food!”

Later, after drinking themselves senseless, Wang Xiaoshuan had servants carry Wei Yishan to bed.

Then he left the Wei residence.

Just as he stepped outside, someone called out to him.

He turned his head.

It was Old Dao from the broker’s guild.

“What are you waiting for me here for?” Wang Xiaoshuan asked.

Old Dao grinned. “Brother Xiaoshuan, I have something to discuss with you. How about we change locations? I’ve already reserved a private room at Chunxiang Tower.”

“I’m not going,” Wang Xiaoshuan waved his hand.

“I already drank too much tonight.”

Old Dao persisted.

“Then we’ll just talk—no drinking?”

Wang Xiaoshuan sighed.

“You’re already connected with Chief Constable Hong An. Why not ask her? Why bother pestering me?”

Old Dao replied, “You know Chief Hong is extremely strict and impartial. If I go to her, I won’t get any mercy.”

“So you think I can bend the law for you?” Wang Xiaoshuan glared.

“No, no!” Old Dao said hurriedly.

“I just mean that you’re righteous and understanding.”

Wang Xiaoshuan snorted.

“Say whatever you want—this time I won’t help. Some broker dared to offend Prince Heshun. Prince He is furious and has ordered the magistrate to investigate strictly. I’m not touching this mess.”

He was only a minor officer in the capital army thanks to Wei Yishan.

He could handle small matters for people who didn’t know better.

But anything bigger than that—he absolutely refused.

He wasn’t powerful enough.

It might ruin him.

Old Dao quickly said, “I’m not that stupid! Only a fool would offend Prince Heshun!”

Wang Xiaoshuan hesitated. “If it’s unrelated to Prince Heshun, then tell me. What is it?”

Old Dao grinned. “That Chunxiang Tower…”

“This seems rather extravagant,” Wang Xiaoshuan said with a smile.

“No, no—it’s nothing,” Old Dao waved.

He signaled toward the darkness.

A carriage slowly rolled forward.

“Please.”

“Just this once,” Wang Xiaoshuan said as he lightly jumped onto the carriage.

Old Dao followed him inside.

“Have some tea,” Old Dao offered.

“Looks like your broker guild really makes money,” Wang Xiaoshuan said, examining the carriage.

“Even the carriage is a new shock-absorbing model, and the tea is excellent.

Alright—what exactly do you want?”

Old Dao lifted the curtain slightly, looked around, and whispered,

“A few days ago I offended Guo Cong from Prince He’s residence. The brat won’t let it go. Brother, please mediate and arrange a meeting over tea.”

“Guo Cong?”

Wang Xiaoshuan thought for a moment before realizing.

“Oh! Guo Zhao’s son?”