Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Reason He Asked for Money
The cockfighting arena in the east of the city was filled with smoke and shouts.
As soon as Song Yiqiu appeared, she immediately attracted the attention of many spoiled young men. Some of them recognized her as the formidable younger sister who had brought out the War God Fighting Cock a few days ago, allowing Song Tianhan to win a lot of their money.
Song Tianhan, still seething with anger from his defeat, squatted in a corner with a sullen face. Upon seeing Song Yiqiu, he snorted irritably, his tone sharp:
"Song Yiqiu, you've got quite the airs! I couldn't even get in the door when I went looking for you a few days ago, so what are you doing here now? Did Mother send you to persuade me to take that damn official position? Let me tell you, give up on that idea as soon as possible!"
A hurt expression appeared on Song Yiqiu's face as she clutched her chest.
"Brother, how could you think of me like that? I was too badly injured to get up a few days ago, which is why I had to decline your offer. But even though I was lying in bed, my heart was constantly with you!"
Just then, a burly man with a fierce face walked over and impatiently shoved Song Tianhan:
"Song Tianhan! Do you have any money left? If not, get out of here! Don't just occupy this position without doing anything!"
Song Yiqiu immediately stepped forward, blocking her elder brother's path, her tone gentle:
"Brother, let's talk this out. How much do you owe? I'll pay it."
As she spoke, she directly pulled out two hundred-tael silver notes from her purse and handed them over.
The dealer took the silver note, weighed it in his hand, and his expression instantly brightened. He clicked his tongue at Song Tianhan and said:
"Wow! Your sister's a really straightforward person! Much better than you!"
After saying that, he walked away triumphantly.
Seeing the two hundred taels of silver gone, Song Tianhan's face turned even more ashen. He was both ashamed and furious, and he lashed out:
"Get lost! Who asked you to meddle in my business! If your damn chicken hadn't turned into chicken meat, would I have been so unlucky and lost so badly?"
Although the chicken puree is indeed too delicious!
Song Yiqiu wasn't angry. She pulled him to a relatively quiet corner and patiently guided him:
"Brother, calm down. Think about it, why are you looked down upon by such a despicable person? Isn't it because you have neither power nor money?"
Song Tianhan turned his face away in annoyance.
Song Yiqiu continued:
"My mother asked me to help you get an official position, and I naturally took it to heart. But do you know what that position would mean for you if you actually got it?"
Song Tianhan snorted but didn't say anything.
A glint of seduction flashed in Song Yiqiu's eyes:
"That means... you now have a perfect excuse to ask your mother for money!"
Song Tianhan was taken aback and looked at her in confusion.
"Brother, think about it, in officialdom, which place doesn't require greasing palms?"
"Colleague gatherings, boss's birthday celebrations, government social events... which one doesn't cost money?"
"As long as you hold this official position, even if you ask your mother for money every day, would she dare to refuse you for the sake of your future and the reputation of the Song family?"
"She not only has to give, but she has to give willingly and give enough!"
Song Tianhan's eyes gradually brightened, and the irritation on his face was replaced by greed and excitement:
"you mean……"
Song Yiqiu smiled slightly, her tone resolute:
"It means that with this official position, you'll have a money tree. Then, you can do whatever you want with cockfighting and cricket fighting, right? Why bother like this now, having to put up with other people's attitudes for a few hundred taels of silver, and even getting kicked out?"
Song Tianhan was completely smitten; he slapped his thigh suddenly:
"That's right! How come I didn't think of that? You're so smart, little sister. Alright! I'll take the job, you go and get it done for me right away!"
Song Yiqiu sneered inwardly, but outwardly appeared to be thinking of her brother:
"Don't worry, brother, I've got your back. Just stay home and wait for good news."
After dealing with Song Tianhan, Song Yiqiu walked out of the noisy cockfighting arena. Just as she took a breath of fresh air, everything went black before her eyes as someone covered her head from behind with something.
She was startled and instinctively wanted to retaliate, but then she smelled a familiar scent of incense.
Immediately afterwards, a smug laugh rang in my ears.
At the same time, Qingzhu's panicked voice came:
“Young Miss! I’m so sorry! I… I couldn’t stop Lieutenant Zhang…”
Song Yiqiu pulled off the black cloth covering her head and discovered it was Zhang Heze's purple robe. She glared at the grinning Zhang Heze and said gently to Qingzhu:
"It's nothing, I don't blame you."
She looked at Zhang Heze, who had a nonchalant expression:
"How's the matter going?"
Zhang Heze immediately clutched his chest, feigning a great loss:
"General Song! How can you be so fickle, only seeking favors like Zhong Wuyan and neglecting Xia Yingchun? Do you know how much I've sacrificed for this?"
Song Yiqiu raised an eyebrow and asked cooperatively:
"Oh? How much will it cost?"
Zhang Heze stretched out his hand with a pitiful expression, as if he couldn't accept it anymore:
"That old and ugly doctor Wu Dayong from the Ministry of War's Performance Evaluation Department... touched my hand! I'm no longer clean! I feel I'm no longer worthy of you, General!"
It turned out that while Song Yiqiu was at the cockfighting arena, she had already arranged for Qingzhu to deliver a letter to Zhang Heze, instructing him to contact Wu Dayong, a notorious corrupt official in the Ministry of War, to help Song Tianhan obtain an official position.
Zhang Heze put away his joke and said seriously:
"But it's done. That old lecher agreed and arranged a sinecure for your elder brother as the Grand Canal Treasurer. He can report for duty tomorrow. But..."
He paused, a look of disgust on his face.
"He has one condition: you have to accompany him to play a game of polo on his day off."
Bai Mei immediately bristled:
"Pah! That old toad is dreaming. He's probably just trying to take advantage of our young lady. Don't go, young lady. Or I'll go with you. If he dares to lay a hand on me, I'll twist his head off and use it as a polo ball!"
Zhang Heze looked at Bai Mei and exaggeratedly patted his chest:
"Oh dear! How could I forget about you, my 'protector of beauties'! With you here, I should be worried about that old lecher's life!"
Bai Mei clenched her fist, then turned and smiled.
"Zhang Heze, do you want to die?"
Zhang Heze quickly hid behind Song Yiqiu:
"I was wrong! I was wrong! Spare me, heroine!"
Watching the two playfully fighting, Song Yiqiu said to Zhang Heze:
"Thank you. I know what I'm doing, you don't need to come with me."
Zhang Heze shrugged, reverting to his former suave demeanor.
"Alright, you have General Bai to protect you anyway."
At this moment, Qingzhu, who had been quiet all along, finally asked the question that had been bothering her:
“Young Miss… I don’t understand why we went to such great lengths, even having Lieutenant Zhang… buy an official position for the young master? He’s never treated us well…”
Song Yiqiu looked at the green bamboo and revealed a mysterious smile:
“We need to give our eldest brother a reason to ask our mother for money in a continuous and legitimate way.”
Qingzhu was even more confused:
"But... relying solely on the eldest young master's demands for money, the Song family is a large and wealthy family, especially with huge expenses and complicated accounts before the master's birthday banquet. It might not be easy to empty the treasury or find the problems in a short period of time, right?"
Song Yiqiu smiled slyly and said softly:
“It’s too late for my eldest brother to do it alone, and it would easily arouse suspicion. But… Qingzhu, don’t forget, I have four ‘good brothers’.”
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