Chapter 453 How could I possibly know?
Xie Ning'an had thought that the Prince of Lingnan had a way to secretly leave the capital, but he hadn't expected to find out so easily from Zhu Junning. This made him doubt the truth of Zhu Junning's claims, so he asked, "And after leaving the city?"
Zhu Junning didn't answer him, but just looked at him leisurely. Xie Ning'an chuckled and said, "The princess really doesn't suffer any loss!"
Zhu Junning smiled but remained silent. Xie Ning'an continued, "After the reforms by the Duke of Chu, a large amount of silver did flow into the national treasury, but not 80 million taels. According to my estimate, it should be more than 30 million taels."
Zhu Junning frowned and pondered for a while before saying, "The entire amount of silver in Daqian was stored in the reformed money shops and then transported to the national treasury. How could there only be 30 million taels?"
Xie Ning'an: "Princess, if you were an ordinary citizen, would you have deposited your money in a bank when the court's reform policies were only being implemented on a trial basis?"
Zhu Junning remained silent, and Xie Ning'an continued, "If it were me, I wouldn't do it. The current situation is that many merchants and common people have exchanged their silver from the previous money shops, but they haven't continued to deposit it in the reformed money shops. They are waiting and seeing. But the Duke of Chu is keeping this very secret, and only a few people know about it."
"Does His Majesty know?" Zhu Junning asked.
Xie Ning'an shook her head, "I don't know about that."
Zhu Junning believed this. The Xie family's influence in the court had been completely wiped out, and Jiang Yu didn't particularly trust him, so how could he know about the relationship between the Emperor and Jiang Yu?
“30 million taels is not a small amount,” Zhu Junning murmured.
Xie Ning'an chuckled again, "If the princess tells me how to leave Da Gan after leaving the city, how about I reveal some top-secret information to the princess?"
Zhu Junning looked into his eyes and asked, "What secret?"
Xie Ning'an: "Regarding the extent of the imperial court's strength to attack Lingnan..."
Zhu Junning clenched his fists again, his eyes fixed on Xie Ning'an's beautiful eyes, and asked, "How can you guarantee that what you're saying is true or false, Young Master?"
Xie Ning'an shrugged. "If the princess doesn't believe me, then so be it."
Zhu Junning's fingertips unconsciously traced the rim of her teacup. The flickering candlelight in the tea shattered into tiny specks, only serving to highlight the turmoil in her mind. She trusted Xie Ning'an, fearing she would fall into his trap. Yet, she couldn't bear to abandon the crucial secret regarding the "imperial military strength."
Her knuckles curled slightly, her brows furrowed. Now was not the time for hesitation, but also the time for her to prove herself to her father. Having made her decision, she took a deep breath and looked at Xie Ning'an, saying:
"You will follow Shi Lie's escort agency to the Lantong River. Once there, someone will pick you up and take you by boat all the way to Lingnan. After arriving in Lingnan, the eldest young master can go wherever he wants. Mr. Chai should have given the eldest young master the land deed for the mansion in Nanyi. If you are willing, my father can also introduce you to the fifth prince of Nanyi."
"How about it? Have I shown enough sincerity?" Zhu Junning asked.
Xie Ning'an nodded and said, "Although about 30 million taels of silver have flowed into the national treasury in the past six months, Prince Rui's research on firearms is very expensive. As far as I know, Prince Rui has withdrawn more than 20 million taels of silver from the Ministry of Revenue in the past six months."
Zhu Junning looked incredulous. "Does researching firearms require so much silver?"
Xie Ning'an chuckled, "You must have heard about the power of those firearms, Princess. I've seen them for myself. When the Duke of Chu was assassinated, he brought out something this big..."
He gestured with his hand to indicate length and said, "Just throw it randomly where the assassins are gathered, and it will explode instantly. Two of the three assassins fell to the ground dead on the spot, and one had his arm and leg blown off."
He frowned as he spoke, seemingly particularly reluctant to recall that scene. He sighed and continued, "The commotion caused by Marquis Chengen's suppression of bandits must have reached the ears of the Princess in Lingnan."
"I ask you, could such a powerful firearm be researched and manufactured so easily? It must have required a vast amount of manpower and resources, as well as some valuable items unknown to outsiders; otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible to build."
Zhu Junning's expression was grave, while Xie Ning'an looked shaken, leaning back in her chair and remaining silent. Zhu Junning also kept her head down in silence. After a while, she asked, "Do you know how many of those firearms the imperial court possesses?"
Xie Ning'an shrugged. "How would I know?"
Zhu Junning pursed his lips tightly, just then hearing Xie Ning'an say again, "But I estimate there won't be many. How could something so powerful be easily manufactured? In just six months, from research to production, how many could they produce? If the imperial court has a large number of firearms..."
He looked at Zhu Junning and said with a smile, "Lingnan has now changed hands."
Zhu Junning's face was so dark it could drip ink, his fingertips almost dug into his palms, and the panic he had just suppressed resurfaced in his eyes; even his breathing became heavy and labored.
She hadn't expected to receive such information from Xie Ning'an today. She couldn't judge how much of Xie Ning'an's words were true or false. But she knew the power of the imperial court's devastating weapons. The key question now was how many such weapons the court actually possessed. If, as Xie Ning'an said, they weren't numerous, then she and her father had no reason to be overly afraid.
After sitting there in silence for a long time, she raised her head and looked at Xie Ning'an, saying, "My Lingnan Prince's Mansion has cooperated with the Xie family for many years, and I naturally believe everything the eldest young master says. If the eldest young master has any other information, I hope he can inform me."
Xie Ning'an toyed with the bronze token in her hand and said casually, "That depends on what the princess can offer in exchange for me."
Zhu Junning smiled and said, "Naturally, it will be something that will satisfy the eldest young master."
Xie Ning'an nodded, "I'll wait."
As he spoke, he stood up, looked down at Zhu Junning, and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Zhu Junning also stood up and gestured for him to leave: "Thank you, Young Master, goodbye!"
Xie Ning'an didn't respond to her and turned to leave. Zhu Junning watched his figure disappear through the doorway, then sat down by the window, watching Xie Ning'an get into the sedan chair and disappear down the quiet street. She withdrew her gaze, slumped into her chair, closed her eyes, and tried to recall every detail of her conversation with Xie Ning'an. Then, a cold sweat broke out all over her body.
Although she had invited Xie Ning'an to this meeting, the entire situation seemed to be under Xie Ning'an's control. She felt like she was being led by the nose by Xie Ning'an. What terrified and unsettled her even more was that Xie Ning'an had actually revealed a crucial trump card of their Lingnan Prince's Mansion.
Her fingertips were cold, her palms were damp with a thin layer of sweat, and when she opened her eyes, her eyes were filled with panic. Even a deep breath couldn't suppress the lingering fear in her heart. She had actually revealed Lingnan's trump card, even though there was a bit of a lie in it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
