Chapter 570
Gap
Noon.
The Qi family carriage remained quietly parked on Chang'an Avenue. The early autumn sun made the carriage scorching hot, but Qi Xianzhun inside simply closed his eyes to rest, seemingly unaffected.
Qi Zhenwu was sweating profusely from the heat and couldn't help but lift the carriage curtain to look out. The alleyway of Honglu Temple was still crowded with people.
He turned to Qi Xianzhun and said, "Second Uncle, it's past noon, Chen Ji won't be coming. Please have some snacks first, so as not to upset your stomach."
Qi Xianzhun sat upright with his eyes closed, his voice as still as an ancient well: "As Mencius said, even with wisdom, it is better to seize the opportunity; even with resources, it is better to wait for the right time. Let's wait and see where he goes after leaving the Duke of Cheng's mansion."
Just then, a servant of the Qi family dressed in a blue cloth robe hurried over and bowed outside the carriage, whispering: "Sir, I have found out that the Duke of Cheng beat up that Second Master Zhu Peide to vent Chen Ji's anger, and also gave Chen Ji 50,000 taels of silver."
"I understand, you may leave," Qi Zhenwu said, his tone seemingly puzzled. "Although the Duke of Cheng's mansion has declined, it is still a hereditary duke, a noble title personally conferred by the Emperor Taizu. To act in this way shows absolutely no backbone."
Qi Xianzhun opened his eyes: "The Duke of Cheng has kept a low profile for many years and has tolerated so many things, so one more won't make a difference."
Qi Zhenwu probed, "But the more he restrains himself, the more it shows that he has grand ambitions."
Qi Xianzhun shook his head: "He's just a caged bird, let's ignore him for now. How much silver has Chen Ji raised in total?"
Qi Zhenwu closed his eyes and pondered, "Searching Yang Zhong's house should yield about 70,000 to 80,000 taels of silver. This was originally intended as a tribute to my Qi family, but we refused it. It's a pity that he got to profit from this."
Qi Xianzhun said calmly, "What is there to regret about things that are not proper? The Yang family's ill-gotten gains were the root of all evil. My Qi family has a clean reputation for generations, how can we allow it to be tainted by ill-gotten wealth?"
Qi Zhenwu hurriedly said, "Second Uncle is right... The Chen family gave him 20,000 taels of silver in the past. Although the family has separated, Chen Ji should still have this money. After running his 'Capital Morning Post' for several months, after deducting expenses, he can probably raise about 10,000 taels in profit. The Qian family offered 50,000 taels today, and the Duke of Cheng also offered 50,000 taels... So, Chen Ji has about 200,000 taels in his hands. This kid really has a good skill in accumulating wealth; he raised so much silver in just two days."
Qi Xianzhun brushed the dust off his robes: "He and Zhang Zhuo are birds of a feather. Let's go back to the Censorate."
However, at that moment, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the carriage.
Da da da da.
A lone hoofbeat approached from afar. Qi Zhenwu lifted the carriage curtain and was startled to see a red figure darting past the carriage, heading straight for the Honglu Temple.
The clerks and coachmen who had been waiting in front of the Honglu Temple all morning stepped back to make way for Chen Ji.
Qi Zhenwu suddenly turned around and looked at Qi Xianzhun: "Second Uncle, how dare he come?"
Qi Xianzhun perked up and sat up abruptly: "Go!"
Qi Zhenwu hurriedly got out of the car and led the Qi family servants toward the Honglu Temple, but he did not get too close. He just mingled in the crowd and waited for Chen Ji to drag Feng Xi out of the Honglu Temple before he was about to take Chen Ji down.
But after an incense stick had burned, someone in the front row whispered, "Why isn't it out yet... Oh? It's out, it's out!"
Qi Zhenwu squinted and saw Chen Ji stepping out of the Honglu Temple wearing a Qilin robe, but strangely, he did not see Feng hope.
Where is Feng hope?
"Where is Lord Feng?"
A servant of the Qi family asked Qi Zhenwu, "Was he killed directly in the yamen? Should we arrest him?"
Qi Zhenwu immediately stopped him: "Don't be reckless, it's not that simple."
At this moment, Chen Ji stepped out, mounted his horse, and without paying any attention to the onlookers, he flicked the reins and galloped away.
Just as Qi Jiaxing was about to stop them, Qi Zhenwu suddenly called out to them, "He can't escape, let's find Feng hope first!"
Qi Zhenwu led his servants and rushed into the Honglu Temple, shouting loudly, "Feng hope!"
"Feng hope!"
"Feng hope!"
After calling out several times, there was no response.
Qi Zhenwu strode through the gate and saw a minor official. He angrily asked, "Where is Feng hope?"
The clerk from the Court of State Ceremonial pointed inside and said, "Lord Feng is in his study at the back."
Qi Zhenwu burst into the study and saw Feng Xi huddled in a corner. He grabbed Feng Xi by the collar and asked angrily, "How are you still alive? What did you say to Chen Ji? Why did he let you go?"
Feng hope said tremblingly, "I didn't say anything. He came in, sat down in the chair, and stared at me. After an incense stick had burned, he left on his own."
Qi Zhenwu was taken aback for a moment.
He threw off Feng hope's collar and walked out, passing through the crowd to Qi's carriage, where he told Qi Xianzhun what had just happened.
Qi Xianzhun was silent for a moment: "This boy doesn't really want to harm Feng hope, but he wants to plant a thorn between my Qi family and Feng hope... What a vicious thought."
He paused, tapping his knee lightly with his fingers: "Instead of thinking about how to rescue his beloved, he has the mind to provoke the Qi family. Arrogant! Does he really think the Qi family is made of clay or wood, that we can't do anything about him?" Qi Zhenwu lowered his voice and probed: "I'll have Li Bing allocate some silver from the accounts, and I'll go and buy Princess Baili in five days... He's overestimating himself by trying to compete with the Qi family in terms of wealth."
Qi Xianzhun glanced at him sideways: "Foolish! My Qi family is a noble family. Where would we get the money? If we really spent a fortune at the brothel to buy the daughter of a disgraced official, what would the scholars of the world think of my Qi family? Public opinion is like a knife, and the Qi family's centuries-old reputation would be ruined in an instant."
Qi Zhenwu lowered his head after being reprimanded: "This nephew did not think things through."
Qi Xianzhun's expression softened slightly: "However, we really can't let him raise money so easily anymore. We will naturally prepare the silver, but we don't need to handle the matter of going to the Jiaofangsi ourselves. Recently, I heard that a minor official named Cui Qinghe has been getting close to Zhaoning?"
Qi Zhenwu introduced, "I know this person. He was a second-class Jinshi in the twenty-seventh year of the Jianing era. He first served as a county magistrate in the capital, and then was transferred to Nanjing as a county magistrate. His performance in office was commendable. Now he has gone to great lengths to be transferred back to the capital and appointed as the principal of the Department of Ceremonies and Ceremonies of the Ministry of Rites... The Cui family of Qinghe has been struggling to rise through the ranks in recent years because they lack connections in the court, but their talents are top-notch. This person has always been close to Zhaoning because he wants to curry favor with my Qi family."
Qi Xianzhun nodded slightly: "Go and do two things. First, invite the son of Vice Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue and the son of the president of the Shanxi Merchants Association to stay at the Qi residence temporarily. These two men have previously made arrogant remarks, claiming that they want to bid for the white carp. So invite them to the residence in your name, saying that you admire young talents and invite them to the residence to discuss poetry and literature."
Qi Zhenwu suddenly realized: "Second Uncle means to protect them so that Chen Ji can't squeeze any money out of them."
Qi Xianzhun continued, "Secondly, have Li Bing allocate silver from the accounts, and be sure to do so carefully. Don't rush to give the silver to Cui Qinghe, and don't let him know about the Qi family's background. On the last day, if we haven't captured Chen Ji, give him this silver and let him go to the Jiaofangsi to buy Bai Li. After the matter is settled, give him the position of Assistant Minister of Rites, and Bai Li will also be under his control."
At this point, Qi Xianzhun sighed and said, "When that time comes, Chen Ji will lose the white carp, and we will lose hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Only His Majesty will be happy."
If he had to choose, it would be best to resolve the old issues before then, to avoid spending so much money that would all go into the imperial treasury and be burned into elixirs by His Majesty.
Qi Zhenwu pondered for a moment, then lifted the carriage curtain and said to the servant, "Stay away and guard the carriage to prevent anyone from getting close."
After saying that, he looked at Qi Xianzhun and asked, "Second Uncle, how much silver should Li Bing allocate?"
Qi Xianzhun's voice was solemn: "To ensure absolute safety, allocate 600,000 taels."
Qi Zhenwu asked in surprise, "So much? Second Uncle, Li Bing's money is all being lent out at exorbitant interest rates. It's probably not easy to collect this much in just a few days, and the accounts are short of working capital..."
Qi Xianzhun said calmly, "Business can be done anytime. Right now, this matter concerns the reputation of the Qi family. We can tell what is more important."
……
……
The third day, early morning.
As the rooster crowed, Xiaoman had already ironed her qilin-patterned robe. Chen Ji put on his robe and came out, handing her several strings of Buddhist coins: "Today I'm going to the Longevity Treasury at Longfu Temple to exchange these for a whole string. Wearing them loose is inconvenient."
There were over sixty temples in the capital, all of which were very popular with worshippers. Each temple had a "longevity treasury" (长生库), which was responsible for exchanging Buddhist coins and lending money at exorbitant interest rates.
Xiaoman's eyes lit up as she held out several strings of Buddhist coins: "Young master, this is two hundred thousand taels of silver. You're just giving it to me like this? Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"
Chen Ji, buttoning his shirt, didn't even look up: "You can run away, but you can't hide."
Xiaoman frowned, finding the question strange: "Whom does the young master intend to kill today?"
“I’m not that bloodthirsty,” Chen Ji chuckled. “Raising money is the priority.”
Xiaoman nervously clutched the hem of her clothes: "Young Master, you won't sell the property left by Aunt, will you? I've turned all those businesses around... You promised me before that if you left with the Princess, these properties would be left to me. If you have to sell, sell Baoxiang Bookstore. That manager is a stubborn mule; you can't reason with him."
Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "Fine, I'll keep my promises."
Xiaoman immediately beamed with joy: "How much silver do you still need, young master?"
Chen Ji pondered, "Although the merchants don't have much silver left in their shops, if the Qi family is determined to raise money, they can probably raise 400,000 within a few days."
Xiaoman's eyes widened: "Then there's still a shortfall of 200,000 taels? Where are we going to get such a huge amount of money?"
“This is still a conservative estimate,” Chen Ji said, putting on his official robe and buttoning it up. “It’s all up to us. There are still two places we haven’t visited. Maybe we can raise another 100,000 taels… I’m off.”
Fortunately, this wasn't his era, and there was no online transfer. The money from the various businesses under the Qi family's control was scattered across different places, and it would take at least ten days to transport it to the capital; otherwise, even a million taels wouldn't be enough.
Chen Ji spurred his horse straight to the residence of Vice Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue.
When he arrived at the gate of the Zhou residence, he found the gatekeeper waiting for him. The gatekeeper bowed and said, "Lord Chen, my young master has been invited by the Qi family and is staying at the Qi family residence on the right side of the mansion. If you want to find him, you can go to the Qi residence yourself."
After a moment of silence, Chen Ji turned his horse and rode off without stopping to the residence of the president of the Shanxi Merchants Association. However, when he arrived, the other party gave the same reason: he had been invited by the Qi family to stay at the Qi residence temporarily.
Chen Ji sat on his horse, saying nothing, but gently flicked the reins and turned the horse around. The sound of hooves echoed through the alley, much slower than when they had come.
Chen Ji breathed a long sigh of relief. In this way, the Qi family had blocked all other ways to raise funds.
His hand gripping the reins tightened slightly, his knuckles pressing deep dents into the leather.
Two hundred thousand taels of silver may be a lot, but it's not enough in front of the Qi family.
That's far from enough. (End of Chapter)