Chapter 64 Chapter 64 [VIP]

Chapter 64

The first lady knew what kind of person the third lady was.

The assassination of Shi Le and Qian Qinniang Le was something that the Third Lady could do. It also made sense that she went to the prefectural government to silence them afterwards. According to Qinniang Le, the whole incident was caused by the sudden appearance of the bandit Duan Yuanjin.

It's a joke that the third wife of the Pu family fell into the hands of a bandit.

The eldest lady had no doubt that Qian Tong would fabricate facts. She would know the whole story sooner or later as to why the third lady was imprisoned.

This is how things happened. As for the details, there must be something fishy. The first lady did not completely believe Qian Tong. When the third lady came to Haizhou, she told her again and again that Qian's seventh daughter was very powerful and should not be underestimated.

The eldest lady had a rough idea in her mind. After calming down, she pretended to be concerned and asked, "How is Qi Niang's injury?"

"I'm lucky. I finally recovered after five days of lying in bed." Qian Tong put aside past grudges and refused to pin Third Madam's schemes on First Madam. He continued enthusiastically, "We've learned a lesson this time. Third Madam may be impetuous, but she's also honest and has devoted herself to the Pu family all these years. Even if she's gone to the prefectural government, she'll take responsibility for her own actions and will never implicate the Pu family. But First Madam may not understand this person. I've been around him for some time. He's stubborn and obstinate, and he can't tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes. He's also very suspicious. He might not believe this matter has nothing to do with the Pu family."

The eldest lady was secretly sarcastic, of course she understood.

The former seventh uncle.

Qian Tong didn't know what she was thinking, so he asked with concern, "Madam, have you thought about how to deal with Song Shiliao since you came back this time?"

Who the hell is she? The eldest lady thought she was a little ignorant.

I'm afraid their relationship is not yet close enough to the point where they need to share such secrets.

The eldest lady forced a smile and said, "My Pu family is upright and honest. The world is very discerning. How can you embarrass my Pu family?"

"Madam, there's no need to be so formal with me. Song Shile, despite incomplete evidence, convicted Second Lord of a crime and publicly issued a wanted order for him. It's clear he's not one to leave anyone a way out." Qian Tong seemed to see through her guard and moved back. "I came here tonight simply to remind you, Madam, that if the Park family plans to settle the matter with money, it probably won't work."

Qian Tong said, "Madam, you don't know yet. After Madam Pu San's accident, Master Pu Er came to visit the next day, but was turned away by Song Shi Liao. It wasn't until this morning that he sent out an invitation. However, the invitation didn't extend to the Pu family alone, but to all the merchants in Yangzhou, more than a dozen of them. What's the purpose? Has Madam thought about it?"

Mrs. Park was indeed thinking about this matter on the boat when she came here.

The imperial court came to Yangzhou to investigate the four families, not because they wanted money. Her Pu family gave him enough money, so that he could return with something to report, and the matter was over.

Mrs. Park had a rough idea in her mind, but what she didn't know was that the third lady had failed in her assassination attempt and then failed in her prison break and was captured on the spot.

If they clash with Zhengbai again and again, the life of the Third Madam will be in danger, and the Park family will also be hard to escape punishment. If Song Shiliao reports this to the capital, the Princess and His Majesty will be furious and send troops to suppress it, which will be a tough battle.

Although the Pu family occupies a position in Yangzhou, their influence is small outside Yangzhou. If a real fight breaks out, the Pu family's business will be severely damaged.

There is no guarantee that neighboring countries outside the strait will take the opportunity to cause trouble for the Park family.

If war can be avoided, resolving the issue with money is the best option.

After listening to Qian Tong's words, she had to increase the amount in her mind. She planned to decide the specific amount after meeting Song Shi and then decide accordingly.

However, Qian Tong guessed her thoughts and asked, "It's good to spend money to ward off disasters, but has Madam thought about how much is appropriate to spend?"

The eldest lady looked at her.

Qian Tong said, "The four great merchants rejected your majesty's requests for aid, citing the war as an excuse for lack of funds. Over the past five years, they have repeatedly lamented their poverty to the court. The eldest lady's original intention was to sincerely apologize, but what would Song Shile think? What would the court think? They would only believe that nothing the Park family said over the years was credible, and who knows how much wealth they have hidden from the court."

The eldest lady's expression changed.

"It's even more inappropriate to give less. Song Shile is a person of such status. He is the eldest princess, the only one in the marquis's mansion, and the current Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. When he arrived in Yangzhou, he was assassinated twice by the Third Madam. If she said that the Third Madam didn't know his identity, no one in the court would believe it. According to the law, the nine generations of the family should be executed for killing an official appointed by the court. For such a crime, if the First Madam gave less, it would not be an apology, but a humiliation."

Even though the eldest lady didn't have a good impression of her, she was still amazed in her heart. This woman was too meticulous.

She said, "According to Qi Niang, what does the world want?"

Qian Tong said, "I once heard him mention the canal in Yangzhou. It seems that he wants to open a canal directly from Yangzhou to the inland."

Mrs. Park's eyelids jumped.

A canal? An inland connection? That wouldn't be the same as building a road from the imperial court to his own doorstep. If the imperial court's troops could march in, would Yangzhou still belong to his Pu family?

, teasing her, Madam Park's face was extremely ugly. Before she could vent her anger, Qian Tong continued: "Open the canal,

The Madam didn't want to hear her anymore, but suddenly she said, "Madam, have you forgotten that the two salt fields in Lianghuai are now owned by the Prince of Pingchang?"

After the canal was opened, King Pyeongchang was guarding the checkpoint, so people from the imperial court were still unable to enter and had to go inland.

Seeing her expression relax, Qian Tong continued, "After the canal is opened, the amount of goods shipped out of Yangzhou each year will at least triple what it is now, and we won't have to worry about being robbed along the way. In the past few years, the people who have settled here have taken advantage of the terrain and treated our four families like pigs. When we switch to water transportation in the future, the Duan family will starve to death on the mountaintop."

Seeing her words gritting her teeth, the eldest lady couldn't help but wonder, "Seventh Lady, are you trying to use my Pu family to vent your personal grievances?"

It makes sense, but the matter of the canal is of great importance and she cannot make the decision alone.

Qian Tong did not bring up the matter again. "What I said is not for Madam's consideration. If Madam finds it inappropriate, just pretend you didn't hear it. After all, I am still young and inexperienced. Perhaps Madam already has a perfect plan in mind. I apologize for my humble opinion."

Qian Tong didn't mention the matter again. The eldest lady also needed a quiet space to think carefully about how to appease Song Shi.

——

The two men arrived at the prefectural government, and the other merchants who had received the notice arrived early.

The banquet was scheduled to begin at 11:00 p.m., and Song Yunzhi sat down at his seat at 3:15 p.m. The merchants who had arrived early were extremely grateful that they had come early. They came forward to greet and introduce themselves. After they were seated one by one, only the two major merchants from the Pu family and the Qian family had not arrived.

The fact that Mrs. Park San broke into the prefectural government and assassinated Shi Liao had long been known throughout the city.

On the second day after Mrs. Park San was captured, the cavalry of the prefectural government took over Hongyuetian's gambling house. As for other industries, they were not touched for the time being. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that they were waiting for an explanation from the Park family.

Every minute the people present waited, the more worried they were about the Park and Qian families.

Mrs. Pu San came to kill herself, and Qian Qi Niang kidnapped the man and made him the seventh brother-in-law of the Qian family as soon as he set foot in Yangzhou.

No matter which one it is, it is enough to make both families anxious.

Some of these merchants had seen Song Shile, then known as the "Seventh Brother-in-law," on the streets before. At that time, they only thought he was of extraordinary bearing and good looks. But tonight, after Shile had regained his identity, he wore a crimson official uniform and sat upright at a table, flipping through the accounts of an unknown company page by page. Without saying a word, he made people sweat on their backs.

Someone in the audience couldn't help but turn their head and whisper to the person next to them, "Why haven't the Pu and Qian families arrived yet?"

The other party hurriedly glanced at the person in the upper position, and seeing that Song Shile didn't seem to hear, he leaned over and shook his head, whispering: "Could it be that he is not coming?"

"impossible..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the voice of the servant came from outside the door: "Madam Pu, Mr. Park has arrived...Mrs. Qian has arrived."

No one said anything anymore. Compared to the four great merchants of the past, these small independent traders were not even worthy of being on the stage. To receive the invitation from Song Shile tonight was already a great honor. It was like their ancestors had appeared to them.

Everyone secretly looked towards the door.

A moment later, a group of people came in from outside the door. The eldest lady of the Park family walked in front, followed by the third master of the Park family and the seventh lady of the Qian family. The three of them had similar gaits, as if they were a family.

Wang Zhao glanced at Song Yunzhi.

He continued to flip through the accounts without looking up.

The status of officials and businessmen has always been worlds apart. No matter how glorious Madam Park was in Yangzhou, she had to step forward, kneel on both knees, and say, "The old lady of the Pu family greets Song Shi."

The third son knelt behind her and said, "The third grandson of the Park family, named Chengzhi, greets Song Shiliao."

Qian Tong and the three dukes knelt in a row, kneeling in a very proper manner, with their heads bowed to the ground. "Bang!" A loud clatter of the head fell, and the movement was particularly loud. "The humble daughter Qian Tong pays homage to Lord Song."

Song Yunzhi finally raised his head.

She lay on her stomach behind the Park family, with her head buried so low that only the back of her head was visible from above. This posture made everyone present smell a hint of begging for mercy.

She should kneel.

Wang Zhao had to be extremely alert wherever she was, especially tonight, when the Park family came.

"Please take a seat." Song Yunzhi glanced at her and then looked away. Everyone was already there, so he no longer looked at the accounts in his hand and turned to signal Wang Zhao to start.

Wang Zhao nodded, took two steps forward, and said to the crowd, "Shi Liao has invited you all here tonight to learn about the people's livelihood in Yangzhou. Everyone here is a well-known merchant in Yangzhou. Shi Liao is new here and has many questions that I need to answer. Anyone asked must not lie or deceive. Whatever you know, you must explain it in detail, and what you don't know must not be fabricated..."

As he spoke, Qian Tong had already taken his seat.

Each family has only one main seat, and the accompanying people are additional seats behind him.

Qian Tong's seat was next to Madam Park.

The third son of the Park family said something to her from behind. She didn't hear clearly, so she moved the cushion she was sitting on back and leaned over to hear what the third son said: "Sister Tong's skirt..."

Qian Tong looked down and saw a footprint on the hem of her skirt. It was not someone else's, but her own. She had been too absorbed in her worship and stepped on herself.

"It's okay." She patted her hands and turned her head to meet Song Shile's gaze.

His gaze was cold and indifferent, without hatred or love, without any emotion at all. When Qian Tong hurriedly bowed his head to salute, he had already calmly moved away, as if their eyes had just met accidentally.

Song Yunzhi took out the first account book from the wooden table and pointed out the name of the merchant, "Li's Butcher Shop."

The merchant who was named hurriedly stood up, knelt in the hall, and said in a trembling voice: "I beg for your guidance."

Song Yunzhi didn't even open the account book and asked directly, "Did you buy or sell gunpowder or crossbows privately?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone held their breath.

The eldest lady's eyes moved slightly, and the five fingers in her sleeves couldn't help but clench.

The individual merchant who was named was already nervous. Hearing this, his legs went limp. He collapsed on the ground and stumbled back, "Go back to the world! My Li family has been selling pork in Yangzhou for over five years. We abide by the law. How dare we buy or sell these things? Please investigate!"

Song Yunzhi called on a few more people to answer.

None of them.

In the end, only the Qian family and the Park family were still sitting in their seats. Song Yunzhi stopped shouting and asked, "Anyone who has secretly stored gunpowder or crossbows, please step forward."

Song Shile was quite skilled in manipulating people's hearts.

Although Madam Park managed to keep steady, she felt as if she were being pricked by needles. She did not move, and neither did Qi Niang beside her.

After a while, Song Yunzhi said, "Since there is nothing, please take a seat."

The merchants who were singled out had a false alarm and a thin layer of sweat appeared on their foreheads. They returned to their seats one after another, gradually realizing that tonight might not be as easy as they had imagined.

This banquet is more like the Hongmen Banquet.

As for who it was intended for, Song Yunzhi quickly gave the answer, naming: "Qian Qinniang."

Everyone's breathing tightened and then relaxed.

Qian Tong was about to come out.

"No need to come forward, just answer this official." Song Yunzhi asked, "When I was the seventh uncle of the Qian family, I went to Fuzhou on your behalf and robbed the Pu family of a batch of Jian tea in Fuzhou. Where is the tea?"

Qian Tong: ...

Everyone gasped.

It's amazing that the Pu and Qian families seem to have a harmonious relationship today, but such a thing happened.

No one expected that today Song Shile would openly admit in front of everyone his humiliating past with Qian Qinnan.

Mrs. Park's face changed slightly. The two guards of the Qian family came to threaten her with Jiancha and clamored to destroy her Park family. It seemed that she had found such a big backer.

Qian Tong said nothing.

I had no idea how to answer. Didn’t he know where the tea was?

Is he still angry?

One kowtow is not enough, how about a few more?

The long silence was a test of human nature. Just when Qian Tong was about to give it a try, Song Yunzhi spoke again, "Qiniang, let me tell you. The tea is in the hands of the third wife of the Pu family. Five days ago, the third wife transported it to Mingzhu Lane, your Qian family, intending to smuggle it by sea. Did you know about this or not?"

Qian Tong was stunned.

Only a fool would admit it. She immediately cried out in injustice, "I was not aware of it."

Song Yunzhi remained calm and didn't look at her face. Instead, he turned his gaze to the eldest lady of the Park family beside her and asked, "Where is the eldest lady of the Park family? Do you know?"

The eldest lady was still wondering why Song Shile suddenly brought up this matter, when she suddenly heard that in addition to assassinating Shile, the third lady was also charged with smuggling tea. She was stunned for a moment.

Her gaze drifted towards Qian Tong beside her. She hadn't told her about the tea.

What he saw was Qian Tong's panicked face.

What's the use of relying on her!

The eldest lady took a deep breath and quickly calmed down. She had come tonight to apologize, but now she knew that the third lady could not be saved. No longer harboring any hope, she apologized, "The world is wise. My Pu family is loyal to the court. The head of the family often teaches his subordinates not to disobey the court's laws and regulations. I am grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and good treatment of the people. What the third lady has done this time has truly chilled the hearts of our Pu family. Everyone in the Pu family regrets it. The head of the family, fearing that the trust with the court has been damaged, sent a letter overnight, sending this woman to apologize to the world. The people..."

Before she could finish her words, two teams of cavalry suddenly came in from outside, holding sharp spears and wearing iron armor, and they all stood guard at the door.

Then the two doors slammed shut amid everyone's panic.

A sense of oppression instantly fell on everyone's head.

Even if Song Shiluo took the lives of everyone here tonight, he would not have to explain to anyone. The eldest lady often dealt with officialdom and knew what power was. The more she knew, the more she yearned for and feared power in her heart.

The eldest lady's composure finally crumbled under the sheer power. She took two steps back, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed, apologizing: "I have come here today to implore Shi Liao to enforce the law impartially. The third lady committed treason and attempted to assassinate Shi Liao. She deserves death. My Pu family will show no mercy and will leave it to Shi Liao to deal with."

After making amends, you must offer a gift.

The eldest lady said, "My Pu family cannot escape blame for this matter. We raised such an ambitious person. The Pu family has no words to say to Your Majesty. We can only apologize to the court and to the world to atone for our sins."

She asked for negotiations.

Song Yunzhi didn't say anything, just waiting for her apology.

If Song Shile had given her the opportunity to use her bargaining chips at the beginning, the eldest lady could have calmed down and made conditions with him alone, but he came up and accused her of something, without giving her a chance to breathe.

And I have no intention of avoiding the crowd.

If I tell you the amount of money at this moment, I will fall into the trap of what Qinnan said before.

Giving too much or too little is not right.

As for the other chips, before she could think about them, what Qi Niang said to her in the carriage was like a spell occupying her mind, making her unable to think about other choices.

As she said, opening the canal would not be without benefits to the Park family.

After San Gongle called out "Mother" softly from behind her, Madam Pu hardened her heart and said, "My Pu family is willing to open the Yangzhou Canal to benefit the people of Dayu, to make amends to the people of the world, and to beg for forgiveness from the world."

After she finished speaking, her ears became quiet.

Opening the canal would create a link of communication with the imperial court. For the imperial court, there was no reason to refuse, either militarily or commercially.

In the early years, in order to prevent the imperial army from raiding Yangzhou, the Park family deliberately blocked several sections of the river. Today, Mrs. Park wants to open the canal to protect the Park family, which really shows her sincerity.

After a moment's silence, Song Shiliao said, "I appreciate the Park family's intention to benefit the people. As for the Third Madam, I will deal with her impartially."

The Park family set an example and opened up the canal with a stroke of the pen. It seems that the merchants who came today would find it difficult to leave this door without giving something as a gift.

In the deadly silence, the butcher stood up tremblingly and said, "Tomorrow I will make meat soup in the east of the city for seven days."

"Common people donated 1,000 kilograms of cotton."

"I, a commoner, donated one hundred pieces of cloth."

"I, a commoner, donated two hundred taels of silver."

......

Everyone had made their wishes, and finally it was the Qian family's turn.

The eldest lady had not yet recovered from the impulse, her face was a little pale, and now she also wanted to hear what sincerity Qian Qi Niang, who had given her such a bad idea, would show.

The head of the Qian family was unequivocal, "The Qian family is willing to donate a salt well to the imperial court."

Due to the terrain, the Qian family's several wells near the top of the mountain have long been unable to produce salt. The only profitable product is sea salt. Qian Tong plans to point out a salt well to him at random.

Although the salt merchants in Yangzhou were inseparable from salt permits, it was also very difficult for people from the imperial court to occupy a salt field of their own in Yangzhou because the people who managed the salt field were originally from the imperial court.

King of Pyeongchang.

If the Qian family gave Song Shi a salt well alone, it would be a good start regardless of whether salt could be boiled out.

Before Qian Tong could even say which salt well it was, Song Shilexian said, "I, on behalf of the court, would like to thank Qi Niang for her generosity. I heard that the eldest son of the Pu family previously owned a salt field in Lianxiang, and it's now under Qian Niang's name."

Qian Tong's heart suddenly felt cold.