Chapter 105 The family business is too much to handle, and they dare not take it on.

Gongcheng Money Shop

Gongcheng Money Shop has not received any more counterfeit copper coins for more than ten days. According to Mei Shiyu's previous speculation, the counterfeit copper coins that reappeared in Rongdu should have disappeared from the market, or more precisely, disappeared from the world.

Counterfeit copper coins have disappeared, and the mysterious guests who patrolled the money shop for more than ten days have also vanished. The Gongcheng Money Shop has returned to its usual state, but Mei Shiyu's worries seem to have deepened.

The Eight Treasures Cake had been reheated several times. Mei Shiyu flipped through the bank's daily transaction records without even lifting his eyelids. Mei Xiaoqing rested her chin on her hand, flipping through the ledger, occasionally stealing glances at her cousin. He was already frail, but lately his complexion had worsened, his skin as pale as silk, revealing fine veins. His cough had also worsened; after a few breaths, he would cough dryly. Wrapped in a heavy blue fox fur coat, his body suddenly shivered, startling Mei Xiaoqing so much that she dropped the ledger she was holding.

"Those annoying guys are all gone, but why does my cousin still look so preoccupied?" Mei Xiaojing finally couldn't help but say. "He's getting sick from worrying too much. The doctor said he's thinking too much." As she spoke, she got up and took the account book from Mei Shiyu's hand. "I'll look at the rest. I won't go to sleep until I've finished. If I miss anything, I'll punish myself by not eating any fruit for three days, okay?"

Mei Shiyu shook off his cousin's hand, "Eat your fruit, if you bother me again, I really won't be able to stop watching."

As the brother and sister were talking, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. Mei Shiyu raised his eyebrows slightly and saw that it was the usually calm and composed Qian Rong. It seemed that something strange must have happened outside again. Mei Shiyu frowned and pressed the account book in his hand onto the table.

"It's so late already." Mei Shiyu said angrily, "What is the Salt and Iron Bureau up to now? Are they going to turn the Mei family's warehouse upside down and check every single copper coin before they count?"

"Master, please calm down," Qian Rong hurriedly said. "It's not the Salt and Iron Bureau."

Mei Xiaojing jumped up, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Who is it this time? I'll go and pluck him out."

"It's... Commander Luo of the Eagle Guard..."

"He still dares to come?" Mei Xiaojing looked incredulous. "I've kicked him out several times, and the money exchange has closed. He still comes? Come on, find me a stick." Mei Xiaojing looked around for something handy. "If I don't beat him to a pulp today, I'm not Mei."

“It’s not just Chief Luo.” Qian Rong spread his arms to stop Mei Xiaojing and looked at Mei Shiyu, saying, “Patriarch, Chief Luo has brought His Highness the Crown Prince.”

"Huh?" "Yes." The Mei siblings responded at the same time. The winter breeze was chilly, but Qian Rong broke out in a cold sweat.

Inside the main room, Mu Chenbi had been waiting for a while. Beside him, Luo Yichen kept glancing towards the entrance of the corridor, cursing inwardly why the Mei siblings were putting on airs at this time. They had already drunk half a cup of the Crown Prince's tea, but there was still no sign of the Mei family. They were going to die, they were really going to die. The Mei family was already small in number, and with what happened tonight, they were likely to be wiped out.

Approaching footsteps came from the direction of the corridor. Mu Chenbi put down his teacup, his phoenix eyelashes slowly lifting as he looked at Mei Shiyu, who was wearing a blue fox fur coat, and smiled slightly. "I hope Young Master Mei won't mind disturbing you at night."

"Even if I blame you, I can still kick you out?" Mei Xiaoqing raised her head and twisted her nose, her almond eyes blazing as if they were shooting sparks. "Knowing it's late, you're still so clueless." As she spoke, she glared at Luo Yichen, making the seven-foot-tall man's legs tremble.

“This must be Miss Mei Xiaojing, the eldest daughter of the Mei family.” Mu Chenbi was not annoyed by her complaints and nodded to Mei Xiaojing.

Mei Xiaoqing looked doubtful. "You...know me?" she asked, leaning close to Mei Shiyu's ear and whispering, "Cousin, the Crown Prince knows me."

How silly, so incredibly silly. Luo Yichen stared at Mei Xiaojing's naive expression, unable to look away, wishing he could plead for forgiveness for this outspoken, silly girl.

The girl before him was lively and bright, and completely innocent. Although it was their first meeting, Mu Chenbi had already developed a liking for her. "Luo Yichen always talks about you. It's hard for me not to know. What do you say, Chief Luo?"

"Huh?" Luo Yichen's body twitched, his Adam's apple bobbing as he couldn't utter a single word.

"You've even learned to complain to the emperor?" Mei Xiaojing exploded, ignoring the Crown Prince sitting in her own main room, she ran out and pointed at Luo Yichen's forehead, "So what if I don't want to do business with you? You dare to bring the Crown Prince into my house and come here to cause trouble, what do you want?"

"I didn't." Luo Yichen was so frightened that she hid behind Mu Chenbi, waving her hands hurriedly, "It was the Crown Prince who came... I... I didn't."

"The Crown Prince doesn't even know my home, wasn't it you who led the way?" Mei Xiaoqing was a fearless young man, and seeing Mu Chenbi sitting still, her arrogance grew even higher. "Luo Yichen, you're big and burly, but I didn't realize you were so shrewd."

"I really didn't." Luo Yichen clung to the back of Mu Chenbi's chair and sighed, "Your Highness, please say something. It really wasn't me who led you here. It was you... it was you who said you wanted to see Young Master Mei, so I led the way."

Upon hearing the sound, Mei Shiyu, who had already entered the main hall, looked up and gazed at Mu Chenbi with his deep-set, indifferent eyes. Mu Chenbi nodded slightly to him, his brows open and composed.

"Xiao Jing," Mei Shiyu called to his cousin, "The Crown Prince is here in person; you must not act rashly."

"Oh." Mei Xiaoqing stopped what she was doing, took small steps and ran to Mei Shiyu's side. Seeing Luo Yichen let out a sigh of relief, she glared at him with her big eyes again.

Mei Xiaoqing was raised in her hometown and was fearless since childhood. She only obeyed Mei Shiyu. Everyone said that only this cousin could keep the eldest daughter of the Mei family in check. Only Mei Xiaoqing knew that she was afraid that if anything went wrong, her sickly cousin would be angered to death by her.

Mei Xiaojing couldn't possibly accept the Mei family's immense wealth, which rivaled that of a nation.

"Mei Shiyu, head of the Mei family, along with his cousin Mei Xiaojing, greets His Highness the Crown Prince." Mei Shiyu clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Mu Chenbi, while Mei Xiaojing reluctantly followed suit.

When they met at the Eastern Palace last time, Mu Chenbi felt an instant connection with Young Master Mei, as if they had known each other for a long time. But today, when they met again, Mei Shiyu's expression was indifferent and his demeanor was reserved. Why did he seem so distant from him? Mu Chenbi was a little puzzled and gestured for the Mei siblings to get up and take their seats.

"No need for a seat." Mei Shiyu dusted off his sleeves. "The Crown Prince's visit at night must have something to discuss. Please speak frankly."

Mu Chenbi, always straightforward, saw Mei Shiyu's attitude and decided to speak frankly as well: "I have already mentioned the matter of the counterfeit copper coins to my father..."

"Oh?" Mei Shiyu smiled faintly. "What did the Emperor say?"

"My father was a witness to the Rongdu case more than ten years ago," Mu Chenbi continued. "He believed that Ma Yi, the head of the Ma family, had a grand scheme that was bound to cause a disaster. Fortunately, it was discovered early and reported to the government, thus nipping it in the bud. The amount of counterfeit copper coins circulating in Rongdu was not large; the vast majority were collected, recalled, and destroyed by the Salt and Iron Bureau, and never appeared again until..."

"Until Gongcheng Money House received all of this today?" Mei Shiyu interrupted.

They've gone mad, completely mad. Luo Yichen really wanted to mourn for the Mei siblings. The sister was spouting nonsense in front of the Crown Prince, and the brother even dared to question him? The woman is stupid and the man is insane; they're beyond saving.

"Father believes that the counterfeit copper coins from Mayi back then didn't cause much of a stir, and the amount currently in circulation must be limited as well. As long as your bank keeps an eye out and hands over any counterfeit copper coins you receive to the Salt and Iron Bureau for destruction," Mu Chenbi added.

"What does Your Majesty think?" Mei Shiyu chuckled, his voice as soft as a pin drop, yet it still sent shivers down Luo Yichen's spine. The Crown Prince was speaking to him politely, so why was he laughing? And that laughter... seemed to carry a hint of... sarcasm.

"What does the Crown Prince think?" Mei Shiyu pressed.

Mu Chenbi showed no displeasure. "What Father Emperor said makes sense. Your bank should not have received any counterfeit copper coins for many days."

“Of course,” Mei Xiaojing retorted. “The imperial henchmen roam around the money shops every day. Before anyone has even taken out their money bag, their eyes are already fixed on it. They want to touch each coin before they believe it. My cousin didn’t have any counterfeit coins to hand over. They would have snatched them away from him long ago.”

"There's more to this than meets the eye?" Mu Chenbi's face darkened. "Luo Yichen, how come I didn't know about this?"

Luo Yichen was taken aback by the question and scratched his head, saying, "Your Highness rarely inquires about the Salt and Iron Bureau. As for this action by the Salt and Iron Bureau, I... know nothing about it."

“Cousin, look, they’re still pretending.” Mei Xiaoqing crossed her arms and tilted her head to look at the two of them. “The court’s lackeys are of course at your beck and call. My cousin even said earlier that the Crown Prince was virtuous and that he had a very congenial conversation with him.”

Mu Chenbi stopped sitting and stood up, saying, "I only told the Salt and Iron Bureau to have Gongcheng Money Shop keep an eye out for counterfeit copper coins and hand them over when they are received. I never sent anyone to monitor your house."

Luo Yichen quickly said, "I can testify to this. How could the Crown Prince do such a thing? It's absolutely impossible."

Mei Xiaojing glared again, while Luo Yichen kept his lips tightly shut, wishing he could find a needle to sew his mouth shut.

Mei Shiyu glanced at Mu Chenbi, who was standing there in shock. In just one glance, he knew that Mu Chenbi was indeed unaware of the matter. If it really was him, why would he come to the Mei family in person? He wouldn't be here to gloat over the results and invite a few scoldings from Mei Xiaojing, would he?

As Mei Shiyu pondered, he walked around Mu Chenbi. After standing for a while, he got a little tired, so he simply sat down, his hands tucked into his sleeves as if he were thinking about something.

Seeing that Mei Shiyu had no intention of turning away the guests, Mu Chenbi knew that there was still room for discussion.

"Could it be that the Salt and Iron Bureau misunderstood His Highness's meaning?" The hall fell silent, and Luo Yichen couldn't help but break the silence.

"No," Mu Chenbi affirmed. "Gongcheng Money House is a major household in Jin State. No matter how much the Salt and Iron Bureau wants to show off, they won't overstep the rules with the Mei family. They wouldn't dare to do so without orders."

Mei Xiaoqing poured hot tea for her cousin and muttered, "The Crown Prince is already a person above all others, who would dare to tamper with his will?"

"Xiao Jing," Mei Shiyu said, unusually, "Don't speak."

Mei Xiaoqing's hand trembled, spilling hot tea all over the table. Luo Yichen rushed out, took Mei Xiaoqing's soft hand and examined it carefully, "Did you get burned? Are you alright?"

Mei Xiaojing slapped his wrist with one hand, "Mind your own business."

Luo Yichen realized his mistake and hurriedly let go, picking up his sleeve to wipe the tea on the table. Mei Xiaojing glanced at him a few times with a flushed face and snorted softly.

"So what if you're above ten thousand people? You're still... second only to one person." Mu Chenbi and Mei Shiyu looked at each other until they both thought the same thing.