Chapter 31: Bandits. Pei Ji is also very good at giving sweet dates after a slap in the face...

Pei Ji was particularly active in the previous dynasty.

He is now a favorite of His Majesty, working diligently every day to bring to His Majesty all the secrets hidden by the various departments.

For several days in a row, there was no official in the court who had not been reported by him. Even his own family and the Song and Yan families, with whom he was friends, had been reported by him for complaints of varying degrees.

It was really annoying, but most of the things that were exposed were gradually dealt with and resolved. Emperor An valued him even more, but there was a bit of trust in him, which was not something Pei Ji took into consideration.

Inside the meeting hall.

Emperor An summoned several important ministers to discuss important matters. Because of Pei Ji's special status, he could only stand at the back and listen silently.

"The Third Prince has sent a letter stating that the disaster in the East is severe and that additional food and herbs need to be sent there. What are your thoughts, my dear ministers?"

After Emperor An finished speaking in a deep voice, he slowly raised his eyes and scanned the court officials standing before him one by one.

He was still a little confused about what Pei Ji said that day. How did those assassins know so much? There must be someone in the court who leaked the information.

Silver and grain had to go through the Ministry of Revenue, and the Minister of Revenue started crying poor. "Your Majesty, the war has just ended, the treasury is tight, and we don't have any extra silver or grain for disaster relief! Your Majesty, please think twice!"

"Your Majesty, memorials submitted from various regions all indicate that there is no surplus grain available."

"Why not just open the dam and release the water? Drought is secondary. If the land the people depend on for their livelihoods suffers irreparable damage, that would be the real tragedy!"

Everyone has their own reasons, but in the final analysis, it all comes down to crying poor.

Everyone wanted to hold the money firmly in their own hands. For high-ranking officials and court officials, the death of a few civilians was nothing. As long as people did not die in front of their own homes, it was other people's business.

Emperor An naturally knew what they were thinking. He looked at them coldly and said in a deep voice with an expressionless face, "You're all crying poor, so how do you tell me how to solve this problem? Since you can't offer a solution, what use do I have for you?"

The officials were instantly terrified and knelt down to beg for mercy and admit their mistakes, but they were unable to solve the problem.

Pei Ji naturally didn't have any idea either. As for the drought, if God didn't rain, there would be really nothing that could be done.

"Tell the Ministry of Rites to arrange for a rain prayer. The imperial court and harem should all be frugal and save as much as possible, all out of a desire to help the victims." Emperor An couldn't ignore the people. "Pei Ji."

Pei Ji immediately stood up upon hearing the voice, frowning and answering, "Your humble servant is here."

Emperor An cast a calm gaze upon him, staring at him for a moment before issuing an order, "The Third Prince has requested disaster relief silver and food. You must complete this matter as quickly as possible and send someone to deliver it."

The officials present held their breath upon hearing this, fearing that the fire would burn them.

For a moment, I didn't know whether Pei Ji was really in favor. Such a difficult matter was given to him to do. If he failed to handle it properly, it would definitely anger the emperor.

Pei Ji accepted the order calmly. Wasn't it just to find some money for the third prince to spend?

When leaving the meeting hall, Pei Ji's handsome face was expressionless, and he looked particularly cold and sad, which caused the officials who were traveling with him to turn their heads to look at him, as if they were gloating. He also had such moments.

"Master Pei, this matter is difficult to handle. I'm sorry to trouble you." The Minister of Revenue chuckled at him. Even so, one could sense his pride and sarcasm.

"Your Excellency, you're joking. This isn't a difficult matter. I was just wondering, if I can really handle this, will it be my turn to take over your position as Shangshu?" Pei Ji said with a carefree laugh. "If you're free, why not meet at Songhexuan tomorrow?"

The Minister of Revenue's face changed slightly, and he wanted to say something else, but in the end he was too lazy to argue with him, so he flicked his sleeves and left quickly.

Pei Ji had already thought of a solution when His Majesty handed this matter to him, but it was really in line with his arrogant and domineering character to force him to cheat and deceive.

After that, Pei Ji invited everyone to Songhexuan for a drink. After all, he was the emperor's trusted henchman. Apart from this identity, he was also the son of the Pei family. Apart from the old ministers who were already honest, even several princes accepted the invitation. Naturally, those officials who were originally hesitant would no longer refuse.

Pei Ji had already openly set traps for each of them.

Pei family.

After Qin Yurong learned that the matter was handed over to Pei Ji, she became extremely worried.

【Don't worry, mother. I will help you.】

He Zhiliao quickly expressed his attitude. He certainly knew how difficult this task was. He still had a lot of dowry, and he thought he could get a lot of silver by selling it. Even if it was not enough for the Third Prince to use, it should be enough to sustain him.

Qin Yurong looked at him as if she had heard a joke, "Do you think I'm worried about Yun Zhou?"

He Zhiliao showed a few teeth and smiled awkwardly, wasn't it? This was a difficult task to do, and I'm afraid it would be difficult for anyone who did it.

"I'm worried about him? I'm worried about him, worried that he'll drain all the money from the court officials!" Qin Yurong laughed helplessly. "Do you know that he's going to host a banquet for the court officials?"

He Zhiliao nodded repeatedly, asking the officials to help donate some money.

Qin Yurong said, "He's not capable of such servile acts. Just wait and see. You'll know tomorrow."

Officials all have days off, and Pei Ji had calculated the dates when he invited them.

He secretly found Song Yu, the young master of Songhexuan Restaurant, in advance and booked the entire Songhexuan Restaurant. No one was allowed to enter except the guests he invited.

The officials he invited more or less guessed that it was the Hongmen Banquet, but even so, no one deserted. Didn’t they see that there were several princes in front of them?

Who dares to leave in front of the princes?

What's more, they were all seated in a private room, which made it convenient for them to talk to each other.

The private rooms arranged by Pei Ji were also very well-regulated. Almost all rooms of the same grade were in the same room, so that secrets would not be leaked.

After everyone was seated, Pei Ji and the guards behind him entered the private room where the princes were.

"Pei Si, is this really a Hongmen Banquet? You invited us here to drink, but there's not even a hint of wine?" The Second Prince chuckled. "Even though you're our uncle in name only, you can't really make fun of us, right?"

Pei Yueting was Emperor An's concubine, and the princes and princesses should respectfully call her their stepmother. Pei Ji was her biological brother, so it was not an exaggeration to call him her uncle.

However, the Second Prince's words were intended to remind him of his identity. If he went too far, he might implicate his eldest sister in the palace.

Pei Ji smiled softly and said humbly, "How dare I claim kinship with you? It's just that yesterday, Your Majesty gave me a task that was truly difficult for me to complete. I had no choice but to ask for your help."

Everyone in the court and the harem knew about this task.

The Fifth Prince couldn't help but sneer, "Are you asking us to ask Father to revoke his decision? Pei Si, are you being a little too fanciful?"

Pei Ji smiled and said, "Fifth Prince, you are joking. As a court official, it is natural for me to do my part to help the people in the disaster-stricken areas. I believe that the other princes and I share the same idea. Therefore, I invited you here today to help you fulfill your wishes."

"What does this mean?"

"I know that the princes care deeply about the people of the world. I imagine they are all very anxious about the lack of money in the disaster-stricken areas. Therefore, I will organize a fundraising for the princes. Every amount will be recorded in a book and submitted to Your Majesty for your review."

"Which prince will come first?"

Only after the box was lifted up in front of him did he explain the whole story clearly.

Pei Ji was obviously trying to rob money from their pockets, and he even said that he was doing it to help them fulfill their wishes. He got the money and did a good deed in public.

The princes were a little bit unbelievable. Not only did they set a trap right in front of them, but they also had to make them willingly fall into the whole trap...

It was obvious that Pei Si was eating and taking things at the same time, without any hesitation!

This is really too much!

Seeing that they didn't move, Pei Ji smiled and said, "It's been quite interesting working in the Censorate lately. I can learn secrets that others don't know..."

"As the eldest son, I should set an example," said the Second Prince. "Master Pei, what do you think is an appropriate donation for me?"

Pei Ji smiled and said, "Second Prince has set an example, so naturally no one else can give more than you, so you can just give five hundred taels!"

Before the Second Prince could say anything, the Fifth Prince was already annoyed. He looked at Pei Ji coldly, "Second Brother alone has 500 taels. Even if we don't want to surpass him, we should at least start with 100 taels. I don't believe that the disaster area actually needs this much money. Pei Ji, are you planning to embezzle it?"

"Fifth Prince should also pay attention to the livelihoods of the people. Food is precious to begin with, and this is a disaster-stricken area that needs food. There is more than just one city in the East, and there are tens of thousands of people who need to eat. If the Fifth Prince delays for a moment, several more people will die of starvation and thirst."

Pei Ji looked at him expressionlessly, as if he was reasoning with a fussing child.

He described the situation as so serious, how could the Fifth Prince dare to delay any further?

Seeing that he had eaten the leftovers, the other princes had nothing to say.

Furthermore, Pei Ji also made it clear that the amounts they donated would be compiled into a book and presented to His Majesty. They did not dare to leave a bad impression in front of His Majesty.

The Second Prince immediately said, "I will have someone send five hundred taels of silver over later."

"Yuanrong, the second prince donated 500 taels of silver!" Pei Ji said.

"Yes! The second prince donated five hundred miles of silver!" Yuan Rong repeated.

These shouts really made people feel proud, and inexplicably made the other princes feel competitive.

With the Second Prince setting an example, the other princes were much more willing to donate silver. Although none of them donated 500 taels, their donations were no less than 200 taels.

Pei Ji read out the amount while Yuan Rong recorded it in the book.

The princes' meal was quickly over, and Pei Ji then asked the restaurant's steward to serve them wine and food. They were all Songhexuan's signature dishes, and the wine was also aged.

Pei Ji is also very good at giving a sweet date after a slap in the face.

The officials in the other private rooms were getting a little anxious and were about to send someone to check it out when Pei Ji rushed into the private room with his guards.

"My Lords, I've been waiting for you."

"Master Pei, what exactly do you want us to do? We're here to drink, but we haven't seen any food or wine. Even if it's a Hongmen Banquet, we shouldn't be treated like this!"

Pei Ji raised his eyelids and looked at the person who was speaking, and slowly smiled, "Your Excellency is right. I was delayed by the princes just now, and I came here without stopping after finishing my business."

The official asked, "Master Pei, please speak frankly!"

Pei Ji raised his thick eyebrows and smiled, "Since that's the case, then I'll be frank. Several princes have donated hundreds of taels of silver just now. How much are you prepared to donate?"

"Uh... Master Pei, I have something else to do at home, so I'll take my leave now."

"My shrew said I'm not allowed to drink and should go home early. I actually forgot about it. Goodbye!"

"I'm leaving too, bye!"

“…”

Seeing them all getting up to leave, Yuan Rong actually became nervous. Donating silver should be voluntary, and only their master dared to talk about robbery in such a high-sounding way. Even if these officials left, there would be no way to blame them.

He subconsciously looked at his master and saw a playful look in Pei Ji's deep eyes and a slight smile on his rosy lips.

As an official was about to push the door open, he spoke slowly.

"Five years ago, an official accepted bribes of up to 100,000 taels of silver to buy and sell his official position."

"An official seized civilian land to build a mansion, claiming it was obtained through legitimate means. As a result, none of the six members of that family survived."

"There's another new thing. An official named Xige was abused—"

"Master Pei!" An official suddenly interrupted him, looking at him with a panicked and ferocious expression, "I wonder how much silver we should donate?"

Pei Ji smiled and said, "My princes, please set an example. Each of you can give 100 taels. I will register it and submit it to His Majesty. His Majesty will certainly reward you for loving your country and the people."

"We're just donating the silver. Why should Master Pei go through so much trouble? We'll deliver the silver to the Pei Mansion later!"

"Yes, Master Pei, you have worked hard. We are donating silver to fully support your mission. We do not ask for your kind words, but only ask that you do not forget our act of loyalty!"

Pei Ji's deep eyes narrowed into a smile, "Of course, thank you all for your expense. I will know how to report this to His Majesty."

By doing this, he took away a lot of silver from the officials, which made them convinced and they had to rush to him with the silver.

Pei Ji glanced at the list and amount on the booklet. It was already more than tens of thousands of taels, and he was satisfied.

"It's already this late, it's time to go home." Pei Ji said in a serious tone.

Yuan Rong said, "All the private rooms have been arranged. You can return to the mansion directly. I will send someone to keep an eye on it."

Pei Ji nodded, took the booklet and left without looking back.

When He Zhiliao learned that he had gone to Songhexuan to entertain his fellow officials, she was afraid that he would get dizzy from drinking like that day, but she did not dare to go there rashly, so she could only wander around in front of the mansion gate and wait.

【ah! 】

Back!

When Pei Ji saw him standing in front of the mansion with an umbrella, he immediately got off the carriage and ran over, hugged him in his arms, and pushed him inside.

"It's so hot, don't wait in front of the door." Pei Ji carefully took out a plain handkerchief from his chest with the word "了" embroidered on it, and wiped the sweat off He Zhile very deliberately.

Seeing the handkerchief he had snatched away placed on his chest, He Zhiliao pursed his lips and smiled. He liked that his thoughts were properly placed.

My mother mentioned in the letter that she hoped her future husband would be a good one.

He thought Pei Ji was a good person.

I will kiss away his tears and feel sorry for his pain.

[How's it going? If the money isn't enough, I still have a dowry. I'll give it all to you.]

Pei Ji looked down at him, and met those bright eyes as usual, so pure and clean, as if they could reflect all his shortcomings and concealments.

He had always disliked these eyes.

Thinking about it now, he was just afraid and avoiding it. He couldn't afford the heavy and unconditional love at that time.

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The author has something to say: Qin Yurong: "Worried." [covering face with laughter and tears]

Little Zhiliao: Don't worry, mother. I have money! [Laughing]

Qin Yurong: "I'm so afraid my son will be beaten outside..." [covering her face with laughter and tears]