Although he suffered some grievances here, Ye Cang gained so many benefits that he was all smiles when he returned.

He dared not bring the money home; if his wife knew he had so much money, she would surely make him give it to her.

She's always been ambitious and competitive; who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause once she has money? This money is for my retirement; I can't let anyone know about it.

If he can endure a few more years and the Crown Prince gains a foothold in the court, he can take the opportunity to submit his resignation, return to his hometown, buy a thousand acres of land, hire hundreds of servants, and enjoy his old age in peace!

He took the receipt and headed to the pawnshop; this kind of bribery was commonplace. For example, a painting or calligraphy worth a thousand taels of silver could be pawned for only one tael, and someone would come to redeem it with the receipt.

Or perhaps, a child's doodle that is worthless can sell for a thousand taels of silver.

These tricks are incomprehensible to outsiders, but those in the know understand them perfectly well.

Song Yaozhu considered herself a worldly person and never imagined there was such a way to play. After hearing Xie Liwei's explanation, she was so angry that she laughed.

This must be the kind of country that Yuwen Wuji wanted. These parasites he raised with his own hands might be richer than him, the emperor.

“He does trust these money exchanges,” Song Yaozhu sneered.

At this moment, the Thousand-Faced Jade Gentleman had already disguised himself as Ye Cang and gone to the bank to withdraw silver.

They weren't worried about the Thousand-Faced Jade Gentleman being exposed; what they were more concerned about was that the money shop wouldn't be able to come up with that much silver.

Many money shops would use this silver for business purposes; otherwise, how would they earn interest to pay depositors?

"It doesn't matter if you can't come up with that much silver. The money shop where Ye Cang deposits his money deals in cloth. They transport brocade from Shu to the capital to sell. It's a long and arduous journey, so Shu brocade is never this expensive. I'll have him write an IOU. If he doesn't have enough money, he can use brocade from Shu as collateral."

Song Yaozhu looked at him, puzzled: "Wouldn't that expose the Thousand-Faced Jade Gentleman? Ye Cang could take this document to the Jingzhao Prefecture to file a lawsuit and make the bank pay compensation."

Xie Liwei looked at her with a half-smile, and Song Yaozhu suddenly realized something.

"The Thousand-Faced Jade Gentleman wouldn't even know how to make fingerprints, would he?!"

Xie Liwei nodded. "No one cares about leaving fingerprints in daily life, but Qianmian Yulang loves to do this kind of thing. When the document is taken to the government and the fingerprints are compared, Ye Cang will have no choice but to accept defeat. It won't affect the bank."

It would be terrible if their plans caused a family to go bankrupt.

Although those who colluded with Ye Cang were hardly good people.

"It's almost dinner time, and they still haven't come back." Song Yaozhu looked at the sky outside and couldn't help but worry.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen," Xie Liwei reassured her, but he himself was a little unsure.

At that time, many streets in the capital were bustling and lively as the lanterns were lit and people sang and danced.

The disaster in Yunzhou seemed to have nothing to do with them; they continued to eat, drink, and have fun, oblivious to their plight.

King Xuan was having dinner with several aristocratic colleagues at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion. After a few rounds of drinks, everyone started to lose control of their mouths.

"Do you think the Emperor will agree to digging the canal when he returns to the palace?"

"It's hard to say. After all, this matter is more beneficial than harmful to him, but it could make him famous in history!" one person said.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

The man surnamed Wang said, "What real benefit would it bring us? We don't want the Ministry of Revenue to run out of money and ask us for a loan later."

Everyone thought of Xie Liwei's request for money from the Ministry of Revenue. In their eyes, Xie Liwei was the late Empress's younger brother. The Emperor loved the Empress deeply and did not give the money to Xie Liwei. What good ending could these aristocratic scions, who were feared by the Emperor, possibly have except to be exploited to the bone?

“Brother Wang is right. If construction really starts, we will be the ones who suffer.” After saying this, they all looked at King Xuan in unison.

"Brother, your son-in-law has already taken advantage of us once, he can't take advantage of us again!"

Some time ago, Shen Qingque and Cao Zhi wrote a "Yunzhou Donation Order". The article described the life of the people of Yunzhou as very difficult, and also talked about the various extravagant lives of the powerful and wealthy in the capital. They hoped that the prominent families in the capital would help the people of Yunzhou when they were "successful".

The article quickly spread among the literary circles of the capital, and then these people went from house to house, knocking on people's doors with gongs and drums, and reading the article aloud at their doorsteps.

They loudly announced to the people how much silver they had donated, and many prominent families, for the sake of face, gritted their teeth and donated a large sum.

In reality, many aristocratic families were not given important positions under Yuwen Wuji's rule, and thus their families became mere shells. However, in order to maintain a semblance of prestige, they still gritted their teeth and donated a considerable amount.

If this happens again, they'll really be starving!

King Xuan chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, yes, my son-in-law is still young and doesn't understand social etiquette. Please forgive him."

Tonight's game was orchestrated by Prince Xuan. Firstly, it was to save face for Shen Qingque and repair his connections; secondly, it was to incite the heads of these aristocratic families to oppose the canal construction.

After a hearty meal and drinks, and with everyone in high spirits, the guests and hosts dispersed. Each head of household's servant carried a gift prepared by Princess Xuan, each one quite valuable.

Although it wasn't as much as the money they donated, at least they recovered some of their losses, and the resentment towards Shen Qingque lessened somewhat.

It also depends on the father-in-law!

"Shen Qingque must have accumulated a lot of good karma in his past life, otherwise how could he have married such a good wife and had such a good father-in-law!"

The group dispersed, babbling incoherently, completely unaware that someone behind them had overheard their conversation.

Cui Yan's eyes flashed with intense jealousy and hatred. Such a good marriage should have been his! If it weren't for Shen Qingque's interference and seduction of the princess, he would be the prince consort now!

He should have been a successful young man, but because of Shen Qingque, he was suppressed at every turn. After the Cui family's downfall, it seemed that he, a graduate of the imperial examination, had been forgotten by the Ministry of Personnel. No one offered him an official position, and no one was willing to associate with him.

His former friends all declined his invitations, citing their official duties as reasons for not being able to meet. He felt like a pariah, and could only drown his sorrows in alcohol every day.

All of this is because Shen Qingque stole the marriage that was originally his!

He painstakingly plotted and finally won the princess's heart. Why should someone else, with just a pretty face, easily steal everything he had schemed for?

And Princess Yongle, how could she be so heartless to herself!

They're all despicable people!

He wants them to pay the price for their actions!