Song Ming narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a hint of anger: "You are too close to Song Chi."

"I..." Gu Rongshan asked doubtfully, "I don't even know Song Chi, how could I be so close to him?"

"Why are you pretending?"

Song Ming stood up and looked down at Gu Rongshan. "It's common knowledge that your brother recognizes Song Chi as his elder brother. He has booked three restaurants for a buffet. Anyone who can recite any of Song Chi's poems can eat and drink for free."

"What does this mean? Are you deliberately going against me?"

"There's such a thing." Gu Rongshan said deliberately, "Then I'll ask in detail later."

"Why are you pretending?"

Seeing Gu Rongshan pretending not to know, Song Ming was furious. She actually pretended in front of him.

"Your brother always listens to you. How could he get close to Song Chi without your consent? You even taught him all these things. Do you know what my father's attitude towards him is? This will bring disaster to your Gu family!"

"Also, before the literary gathering, you placed a heavy bet on Song Chi, a total of 400,000 taels. On the fifth floor of Wangjiang Tower, you even spoke up for Song Chi."

Song Ming's face became even angrier.

He didn't embarrass himself many times, but the most embarrassing moment was on the fifth floor of Wangjiang Tower.

At that time, Gu Rongshan spoke up for Song Chi, which made Song Ming resentful.

The words had been made clear, and Gu Rongshan knew she could no longer pretend, so she said, "I have no control over who Ronghua gets close to, and besides, how can his closeness to Song Chi affect you, the Prime Minister?"

What she meant was that Song Ming was too narrow-minded.

He was angry just because he was close to Song Chi. This was not the behavior of a son of the Prime Minister.

Gu Rongshan continued, "As for my betting on Song Chi, it was also to make some money. You know that my Gu family is having a hard time surviving."

She called him "you" because she wanted to draw a clear line between herself and Song Ming.

Gu Rongshan also knew that Song Ming had placed a heavy bet on him, and there were no secrets between the major gambling houses.

The three hundred thousand taels were given by her to Song Ming as a donation to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but he took it to the gambling house and lost it.

"Enough of the small talk."

Song Ming didn't want to hear these embarrassing things, so he said directly: "You made a lot of money by betting 400,000 taels on Song Chi, right? Now give me 800,000 taels, and I won't pursue your usurpation. Otherwise, the Gu family will be in trouble."

"What?"

Gu Rongshan stood up subconsciously, her chest heaving with air.

This is not coercion, this is robbery.

He knew that Song Ming came to her to ask for money. He had lost 300,000 taels and had no money left to take back to the capital, so he would naturally ask for more. However, he didn't expect that Song Ming would ask for such a huge sum.

They actually want another 800,000 taels. Do they think the Gu family’s money came from the wind?

Gu Rongshan took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Ming, stop joking."

"I'm not kidding. I want 800,000 taels. This is a donation to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. As a businessman, you should understand how to do business. How can you gain without putting in the effort? You are spending money now, but when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Gu family will prosper, and it is not impossible for them to become imperial merchants!"

Seeing that Gu Rongshan was a little angry, Song Ming changed his words.

Gu Rongshan sneered, "Mr. Ming, I gave you three hundred thousand taels two days ago."

As she spoke, she took out a receipt from her sleeve.

"This is the receipt for the payment of silver from the account. Now you want another 800,000 taels. Where does my Gu family get so much money?"

"You have."

Song Ming said calmly, "You bet 400,000 taels on Song Chi. Changle Casino gave you 800,000 taels today, and wrote an IOU for the remaining money. In this literary gathering, your Gu's Casino also made the most money."

He came prepared.

He lost the 300,000 taels he had already obtained, so he had to raise more money to take back to report.

Three hundred thousand taels is not a small amount, but after telling Song Chi about it, he felt a strong sense of crisis. His father might not be reliable. What if his father really accepted Song Chi and excluded him?

The only way is to get closer to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Therefore, if Song Ming wanted to raise more money to win the prince's appreciation, he had to ask the Gu family to pay.

Gu Rongshan laughed in anger. She asked, "Do you think I can give you as much money as my Gu family has?"

"That's not the case. Right now, I must get 800,000 taels." Song Ming's tone did not allow for refusal.

Gu Rongshan took a deep breath.

"My Gu family is known as the chief minister of Jiangzhou, but in reality, we are just a facade. At least 80% of our annual income goes to filial piety, and the remaining money is not enough to cover our expenses."

“I made some money from the bet, but I have to make up for the loss, and…”

"I don't want to hear that."

Song Ming said impatiently: "I want 800,000 taels."

"This is eight hundred thousand taels, not eight!" Gu Rongshan stood up again and gritted her teeth, "I gave you three hundred thousand taels two days ago. You bet on yourself and lost. My Gu family supports His Royal Highness the Crown Prince enough, but we won't be taken advantage of!"

"What did you say?"

Song Ming narrowed his eyes slightly and was already angry.

"I said my Gu family is not a sucker, I can't come up with 800,000 taels!"

Seeing his resolute attitude, Song Ming took a deep breath and said, "It was my fault for not considering it carefully. Then I'll take 600,000 taels."

"No."

"It's your business if you don't have it. Sell your land and shop and get the money for me. Give it to me within two days at the latest. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences!"

Song Ming picked up the teacup and took a sip. He was very dissatisfied with Gu Rongshan's attitude.

Gu Rongshan had a blank expression on her face and said calmly, "I think what I said wasn't clear enough. Let me say it again, I said no, not a single cent!"

"Bang!"

Song Ming threw the teacup in his hand directly to the ground, and the fragments flew everywhere, splashing onto Gu Rongshan's white legs and cutting a gash.

However, Gu Rongshan did not hide, and there was not even any expression of fear on her face.

This surprised Song Ming.

He asked, "Aren't you afraid that the Gu family will suffer?"

"To be honest, the Gu family has been a piece of fat meat for these years. Everyone wants to take a bite, but there are too many wolves and too little meat. I don't know how much money I give as tribute every year, and these wolves' appetites are getting bigger and bigger. I can't hold on any longer."

Gu Rongshan said calmly, "My Gu family has already suffered, what else is there to be afraid of?"

Song Ming took a deep breath. "I was impulsive just now. Miss Gu, please sit down. Don't mind me. I'm just a bit impatient. So, how about this? You take 500,000 taels."

"No."

"Four hundred thousand taels."

Gu Rongshan said in a low voice: "I haven't given a cent. I have already given it, and I won't give it again!"

She met Song Ming's gaze, her beautiful face full of determination.

Song Ming was slightly startled and said angrily, "Gu Rongshan, please don't be so shameless. Although your Gu family is the richest in Jiangzhou, I can easily confiscate your property and exterminate your clan!"

"Yeah?"

Gu Rongshan said calmly, "Then I also want to tell you something. Don't force me to the other side. It's not just His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who needs money right now, but also His Royal Highness Prince Qing..."

PS: It’s so hard to stay at home during the Spring Festival and make a living by writing.