He wanted to argue further, but he was afraid that saying too much would cause other disputes. Before leaving, his superiors had repeatedly told him that money was a small matter, and the most important thing was to bring the people back. With this in mind, Captain Zou said, "Then please calculate how much it costs, sir. We will settle the money and take the brothers who have mistakenly wandered into your territory back with us."
The accountant nodded, took out an abacus, and after a few quick clicks, gave a number, saying, "The storyteller is already on his way, so I won't charge you the full amount; this will be half the price."
Captain Zou took out some silver and said, "Keep the change. Consider the extra money as my treat for tea. My brothers have been very kind to you all here, so it's only right that I treat you to a couple of drinks. I have to take my brothers back to report, but there will be plenty of time in the future. I'll come back to treat you to drinks again next time."
After settling the debt and giving Ma Ming 150,000 silver notes, Colonel Zou, with a somber face, led his men away from Ganzhou Prefecture.
Ma Ming took the silver notes and went to the general's mansion. Wei Lang and Xu Di were both waiting for him. When Xu Di saw the silver notes he had taken, he said in surprise, "So many?"
Ma Ming said, "I started by bargaining at 20,000 taels each, and the price kept being reduced to 15,000 taels each."
Xu Di said, "Brother Ma is a really shrewd person."
Wei Lang laughed and said, "Brother Xu's idea is the best. I'll leave the money for you."
Xu Di smiled and said, "I can't keep all this money for myself. Here's what we'll do: take this 50,000 taels back with you as a token of our brothers' hard work. Brother Wei, please share it with us. As for this 100,000 taels, I'll leave 60,000 taels for Xiao Yuan, and let Eunuch Dou take the remaining 40,000 taels back with us to share with the guards. I'll also write a letter to Eunuch Chen to explain what happened. In the future, we'll need Brother Wei's help to look after us more."
Ever since Wei Lang learned that the twelfth prince had been secretly sent to the Xu family in Ganzhou, and that Xu Rao was to teach the twelfth prince as a nephew of the Zhang family, he knew that the twelfth prince was most likely the heir favored by Emperor Liang Cheng. Naturally, he began to have his own plans. The future emperor, of course, it would only bring benefits and no harm to build a good relationship with him.
Wei Lang nodded in agreement. Seeing that there was nothing else going on here, he instructed Ma Ming to take several of the best special forces soldiers and the guards who remained by Xiao Yuan's side to stay at the Xu family's residence. As for the arrangements afterward, they would have to wait for the latest instructions from the capital before making any plans.
With 100,000 taels of silver in his pocket, Xu Di returned home. Xiao Yuan had already woken up and was eating under the care of Eunuch Dou. Xiao Yuan had grown up in the Cold Palace since childhood. After being sent out of the palace, he and Eunuch Dou depended on each other for survival, and their relationship was quite precious.
After Dou Gonggong and the others jumped into the boundary river, they floated downstream for a while before being pulled out and taken to the Xu family in Ganzhou. Dou Gonggong was terrified the whole way, and it wasn't until he returned to the Xu family and saw his little bamboo that he finally calmed down.
Xiao Yuan is quite dependent on Eunuch Dou now, but his past life experiences have made him a very quiet child. Even if he has an extreme desire for something, he will not take the initiative to bring it up with others.
After Grandpa Dou left that day, Xiao Yuan didn't sleep. He just stared longingly at the door. Zhang Zhaoci felt sorry for him and asked, "Child, what do you want? Why don't you tell your aunt?"
After arriving at the Xu family from Xiao Yuan, his identity became Zhang Zhaoci's nephew. When Zhang Zhaoci and Xu Rao spoke to him, they always referred to themselves as his aunt and uncle.
Xiao Yuan looked embarrassed and shyly at Zhang Zhaoci, still staring intently at the door. Zhang Zhaoci touched Xiao Yuan's back; it was sweaty, a sign that his fever had subsided. She then pulled him out of bed and held him in her arms, saying, "From now on, you'll be living with your aunt and uncle. In this family, you have an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother. Your sister and brother went back to the capital with your nanny, and they'll be back soon. As for your brother, you've already met him. In a little while, your aunt's brother will bring many more older brothers and sisters, and then you'll have lots of people to play with. Is that alright?"
Xiao Yuan was not used to being held like this, so he shifted slightly and whispered, "Thank you."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "No need to thank me. Auntie loves taking care of children the most. When Xiao Yuan is going to study and learn to read with Uncle, Auntie will have my sister cook delicious food for you, okay?"
After talking for a while, Eunuch Dou and the others returned. Xiao Yuan's eyes lit up when he saw them return, and Eunuch Dou was also very excited, knowing that the danger had passed, and he was finally relieved.
These past few days, Eunuch Dou has been accompanying Xiao Yuan morning and night, taking the child on a journey of thousands of miles. Eunuch Dou naturally has a deep affection for him. Thinking that he will be returning to the capital to report for duty in a few days and will have to leave Xiao Yuan, Eunuch Dou feels quite sad.
When Xu Di returned, he saw Xiao Yuan sitting at the table, eating noodles with Eunuch Dou. Xu Di sat down as well, took out a thick stack of silver notes, and Eunuch Dou entered, his eyes widening in surprise.
Xiao Yuan, who had been following Eunuch Dou, had naturally seen silver notes before, but he was still quite surprised by this many. He asked, "Brother, how come there are so many silver notes?"
Xu Di said proudly, "These are the justice that your brother helped you get. Here's what I'm thinking: there are a total of 100,000 taels of silver notes here. 60,000 taels will be given to Xiao Yuan, and it will be his private money from now on. The remaining 40,000 taels will be given to Eunuch Dou. Please have Eunuch Dou share some with the guards. It hasn't been easy for you all along the way, so this is just some hard-earned money."
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