What does Gu Chang mean by looking at him like that?

Did you know that someone from the Peng family had been in contact with the Third Prince and was helping him with things, so you suspected that the two hundred thousand taels of silver were from the Peng family?

The Peng family won’t take the blame for this!

Master Peng coughed heavily and said solemnly, "Master Wu and Master Tao are both right. Two hundred thousand taels of silver is not a small amount. It would be a bit difficult for anyone present to come up with it, and how it was transported to the capital is also a mystery. If Master Sun has found out anything, please let Master Gu know. We are all in the same boat now. If the boat capsizes, it will not benefit anyone. As Master Song said, time is tight, and it is not the time for polite greetings. Let's just say whatever you want to say!"

Gu Chang has always been suspicious of the Peng family.

Because only the Peng family had the financial and material resources, but looking at the look on Mr. Peng's face, he felt that he had taken it for granted. Although two hundred thousand taels of silver was a lot, everyone present could really come up with it.

The main thing is how it was transported into the capital.

If it’s not the Wu family, nor the Peng family, then whose family is it?

Sun Gao found out clearly that the silver was brought to Beijing via the Grand Canal in Suzhou.

The Song family is not so generous, and the Pei family does not have such means.

Who is it then?

Gu Chang has a headache.

He said bluntly, "I just want a result for the Third Prince. As for what everyone thinks, I am young and cannot compare to those who have experienced many ups and downs. I don't have any good ideas at the moment. Wei Sanfu and I have the same idea. We plan to stay here until after the Dragon Boat Festival. If there is still no news after the Dragon Boat Festival, then we can only report whatever we find."

By then, no aristocratic family in Jiangnan will be left behind.

Especially the Song family.

They have both a boat and money.

Mr. Song Si couldn't stop breaking out in a cold sweat.

He stood up immediately, bowed to everyone present, and said in a hoarse voice: "Brothers, please save our Song family's life. This is a matter of exterminating nine generations of our clan!"

The relationships between the Jiangnan families are very complicated, so it is not necessary to exterminate all nine generations of the family. However, if the Song family falls, I am afraid that every household will be implicated.

Neither Mr. Peng nor Tao Qing said anything.

Although they also belong to the South, they are from the Minnan and Cantonese regions and can stay out of it.

However, Gu Chang remembered the Peng family's tyranny, so how could he let them off so easily?

He said calmly, "This money is either shipped by river or sea, so you should think carefully about how I will handle this. I can only help you up to this point, and I don't have the ability to do more."

Mr. Peng glanced at Gu Chang lightly and half-closed his eyes again.

With the Song family at the forefront, he was not afraid of this.

Tao Qing has always been dissatisfied with the Peng family's isolation. After thinking for a while, he asked Gu Chang: "If it is really found that this matter is related to the Jiangnan family, the Maritime Customs..."

Gu Chang couldn't help but give Tao Qing a thumbs up in his heart, thinking to himself, no wonder the Tao family could rise so quickly under Tao Qing's leadership, Tao Qing was indeed very capable, and he dragged the Peng family into the water with just one sentence.

He said, "The Jiangnan noble families can easily give the Third Prince two hundred thousand taels of silver, which shows how wealthy the Jiangnan noble families are. The Emperor just rebuilt the West Garden a few days ago, and the treasury is in urgent need of money, so he is forcing the Ministry of Revenue to find a solution! Lord Sun was complaining before that the people in the Jinyiwei and Dongxi Factory were becoming more and more derelict in their duties. They couldn't even investigate such a serious matter as the assassination of the Second Prince. Did they not take the Second Prince seriously? Or were they afraid of offending the two princes and were trying to smooth things over? After all, it has been two years since the incident, and such a serious matter was covered up during the investigation. Many court officials didn't know what happened."

The implication is that the emperor might be planning to use this incident to extort money from the Jiangnan families.

It is not impossible.

Otherwise, why was Wang Qibao sent out of the capital?

Wang Qibao was a person who could enter and leave the emperor's bedroom at will without informing anyone.

Everyone present looked at each other, except Pei Yan, who had his eyelids lowered and no expression could be seen.

Tao Qing has always thought that Pei Yan was very smart, but seeing him like this, he calmed down.

If the emperor wants to extort money from the Jiangnan families, the Fujian and Guangdong families can't escape either. They just need to follow the Pei family - if the Pei family donates money, they will also donate money, and if the Pei family doesn't donate, they won't donate either, on the premise that they follow the Pei family closely and don't fall behind.

He felt a little regretful.

The Tao family should have married the Pei family earlier.

If you can't marry a girl in, it would be nice to marry a wife.

Moreover, the Pei family has few daughters, so they pay special attention to girls.

The only two girls in their family who are not engaged now are the fourth and fifth daughters.

The fifth young lady is the daughter of Pei Yan's brother, and the Tao family must find someone who can read.

The eldest son in my second brother’s family or the third son in their family?

Tao Qing pondered in his heart.

Everyone had their own ideas, and the hall gradually became so noisy that you could hear a pin drop.

The faint sounds of laughter and talking from outside made the hall seem even quieter, but it also reminded them of what was happening outside.

Pei Yan called Ah Ming to question him: "Have someone watch over you and make sure no one bumps into the female members of the family. The lecture at Zhaoming Temple is hosted by our Pei family."

Pei Yan had already said this early in the morning.

Ah Ming said hurriedly, "Don't worry, Third Elder. Even if people from outside have a name card, they cannot enter the meditation room on the east side. We have sent several young masters from the Song and Peng families who know them to guard the door. They will not be allowed to leave without permission."

Most of the meditation rooms in Zhaoming Temple were booked by the Pei family, especially the meditation rooms on the east side, which were occupied by female family members.

Pei Yan nodded, but still felt a little uneasy.

He and Yu Tang parted on bad terms yesterday. Of course he knew that she was heartless. No matter how big the matter was, she would forget it after a night's rest. Just like before, when she was caught by him for using the Pei family's banner to bully others, she acted as if nothing had happened when they met again.

She should be happily visiting Zhaoming Temple with her nieces today, right?

A thought flashed through his mind, and he asked Ah Ming again: "Have the people from the Wei and Wu families gone up the mountain?"

Although the Bible seminar is tomorrow, the Wei and Wu families should have sent people to clean and decorate the room they are staying in advance and have someone guard it.

Ah Ming really doesn’t know about this.

He was slightly stunned, and immediately said: "I will go and ask for clarification now."

Then he ran away in a flash.

When he came back after finding out the truth, he saw a quarrel in the hall again for some unknown reason, and Pei Yan and Tao Qing were whispering something in each other's ears.

He thought about it and walked to Pei Yan's side quietly, but heard Pei Yan saying to Tao Qing: "Don't listen to Gu Chaoyang's alarmist words. Everything can be solved. Since the emperor is short of money, we can use money to solve this matter. I can still have a say in Wang Qibao. Since Yin Mingyuan asked his wife to bring me a letter to eat sweet and sour fish and Dongpo pork, we have to go to Suzhou. If the matter in Huai'an is urgent, you go to Huai'an first, and I will go to Suzhou alone."

While he was talking, he probably sensed Ah Ming coming over. He raised his head and immediately changed the subject, asking Ah Ming, "Have both families arrived?"

Tao Qing thought he had something urgent to do and was waiting by the side.

Ah Ming swallowed nervously, then whispered, "I'm here! I was cleaning the room, and when I saw me I came over to ask, thank you, and I gave you two red envelopes."

Pei Yan waved his hands, as if it was no big deal, and continued, "Did they go to greet Mrs. Yu?"

Ah Ming said, "They went. They said that Mrs. Yu and Miss Yu were copying Buddhist scriptures. Mrs. Yu talked to them for a few words and then served tea and sent them away. They planned to go and greet Mrs. Yu after they finished cleaning."

"Didn't you go out to play?" Pei Yan frowned and his face was tightly bound, as if it was June and it would rain at any time.

There will be a sutra lecture tomorrow, and vendors who have heard the news have already set up stalls outside Zhaoming Temple, and some are even performing juggling tricks.

Ah Ming scratched his head and didn't know what was going on.

Didn’t go out to play?

Do you mean Mrs. Yu?

Mrs. Yu looks quiet and gentle, so how could she go out and play like a little girl?

But if he asked such a question in front of Tao Qing, people would laugh at him for being the personal servant of the Third Master who couldn't even handle a small matter.

He could only bite the bullet and said in a daze, "Miss Yu is not feeling well, so Mrs. Yu will definitely not go out!"

"Miss Yu, are you feeling unwell?" Pei Yan stared at A Ming with a cold look in his eyes.

Ah Ming couldn't help but shudder.

He rarely saw Pei Yan like this.

Not only does he lose his temper in front of outsiders, but he can't even hide it.

Ah Ming said hurriedly, "I just heard about it from the elder sister in the old An's yard. I'll go ask if they have hired a doctor. What kind of medicine did they prescribe?"

Pei Yan then realized that he was too emotional.

If Miss Yu was really seriously ill, the steward would have reported it to him long ago and asked him to go back to the city to invite a doctor. He would not have just invited the doctor brought by the Pei family to see her.

He took a long breath, and felt that his chest was not as blocked as before. He said, "Then go to Miss Yu and tell me when you come back."

Pei Yan's tone was very calm, but he was secretly thinking, could it be that he was mad at me yesterday?

He thought of the back he saw when he left yesterday.

The little girl has always had a bad temper. After being scolded by him like that, she must have felt very upset and it is possible that she got sick from anger.

But she is a little too stingy.

I was just teasing her, but she took it seriously!

Pei Yan was unhappy, yet he inexplicably felt a little guilty.

Just go and take a look, to avoid causing any trouble.

After all, she is just a little girl. She is said to be lively, cheerful, open-minded and generous, but compared with a real boy, she is still very coquettish.

Thinking of this, Pei Yan snorted coldly and ordered Ah Ming: "Go quickly and come back soon!"

Ah Ming felt that he had hit the jackpot and didn't dare to ask any more questions or think too much. He ran out of the hall like a flash.

Pei Yan looked at this with dissatisfaction.

Ah Ming has been with me since he was a child, but he still behaves in a petty way.

He shook his head in his heart, and when he looked up he saw Tao Qing's playful eyes.

Pei Yan was stunned.

Tao Qingyi said, "Miss Yu? Who is it? Is she a relative of yours? We are both at the brink of life and death, and you are still worried about what kind of illness someone else has? Tell me, should I send someone to say hello to Mrs. Yu for your sake?"