Chapter 39: Doubts
They stood up to greet them. The officials who had originally planned to take a lunch break now held their breath, fearing that Prince Duan would not be able to collect the money owed and would vent his anger on them. Everyone immediately picked up what they had to do, and walked and talked in groups of three or two, leaving this ominous place.
Prince Duan came in without any courtesy, sat down directly and explained his purpose, and talked about the financial expenses related to the royal wedding.
Chen Yuanfang was polite and answered Prince Duan's questions one by one, saying that the Fourth Prince's borrowing money was in accordance with the system, but now it was the Ministry of Rites that stepped in.
Just talking about repayment, he started playing Tai Chi.
"Second Prince, my Ministry of Rites has always been a poor government agency, and we don't have much money throughout the year. These loans were all spent on the weddings of several princes and princesses. Now we have to prepare for the royal sacrificial ceremony. It's really difficult for me to take out so much money at once to pay off the previous debts." Chen Yuanlong said with a bitter face.
Prince Duan was also amused by these old foxes. "You can't pay it, so you're just going to leave it there. I checked some of the loans, and some of them have been owed for seven or eight years. Don't fool me, let's not talk about the Fourth Prince's marriage for now, and the gift money will be repaid by the Fourth Prince himself, just in the name of your Ministry of Rites. You can't say anything about this debt, I will go to the Fourth Prince in person to ask for it, as for the rest, I want to see part of the money back within seven days."
"You don't have to look so miserable here. Since the expenditures of the Ministry of Rites are all justified, then we should go to the borrowers and speak in a good voice. I want to see your Ministry of Rites make up the money from the previous years in seven days. During this time, I am working in the six ministries. If you have any questions or difficulties, you can come to me."
Having said that, he turned around and left the Ministry of Rites without further delay. He had originally thought that the debt could be paid off as long as he urged them on, but now the twists and turns involved were a bit annoying.
Prince Duan originally wanted to go directly to Prince Jing to ask him to return the money as soon as possible. After all, the prince had already paid off the debt, so who else would dare to owe it? But now he remembered what Wen Renyuan said, "When collecting the debt owed to the treasury, you must find the right time. Sometimes the reason for not paying it back is not because there is no money, but because of the interests involved."
He said to the guard, "Go back to the palace." He needed to think about the interests involved.
Wen Renyuan is now five months pregnant and rarely leaves the house. The last time her father wrote to her, he asked her to pay attention to the Second Prince's assignment. He was probably worried that Prince Duan would be reckless and offend some court officials.
This morning, Prince Duan went out early and she was called by the Queen. First, she was told to take care of herself, as this was His Majesty's first grandson and a blessing to the royal family; second, she was told to consult Prince Duan more to prevent him from acting on impulse.
Ever since she married Prince Duan, she knew that there was no turning back. Prince Duan must become the emperor, and the lives of all the people in her Wenren family depended on him.
As soon as Prince Duan came in, he saw his wife's worried eyes. Everyone in Jinxiao City said that his wife liked his third brother, and she married him because his third brother had no qualifications to succeed to the throne. He was a little bothered by this at first. Until she became pregnant with his child, she gave him all the rights of the Wenren family.
He couldn't help feeling a little ashamed, "Why are you sitting here? What's on your mind?"
Wen Renyuan turned around and saw Prince Duan who had finished his official duties, and expressed his worries, "Is there anything difficult about checking the national funds today?"
Prince Duan did not hesitate to tell about what happened today between the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Rites.
Wen Renyuan, "The debt owed by the Ministry of Rites is easy to recover, but don't touch the debt owed by the Ministry of Justice. I'm afraid that high-ranking officials are involved, and it's not just the debt owed by the Ministry of Justice."
Prince Duan, "I think so too. Now that you are pregnant, don't worry about these things. I understand what mother means, it's just that you should keep an eye on me and don't make any mistakes. At this critical moment, it's best not to make any mistakes. I also know that you can rest assured that I will recover the debt from the Ministry of Rites, and the other debts will be left alone, and His Majesty will not scold me. It's enough to have a reputation of being moderate."
Wen Renyuan originally disliked him for being too straightforward and not being tactful enough, but now after hearing what he said, she has changed her mind a lot, and it is also because of the support of their Wenren family. "It's okay if you can think this way. I will not care about you in the future, just do it according to your ideas. After another month, when the fourth brother's wedding is over, you can tell His Majesty that the debts that can be recovered have been recovered, and His Majesty will make his own decisions on the rest."
Prince Duan said, "Yuan'er is really thoughtful. This important matter has finally been resolved." He then ordered the servant to serve the meal, and personally brought some supplements to Wenren Yuan. The couple chatted and laughed before falling asleep.
The story of Prince Duan's pursuit of state funds eventually became a topic of conversation on the streets. Chu Sishui felt that the popular version was too exaggerated. It was rumored that Prince Duan took the imperial sword and kicked open the door of the official who owed money, and the guards directly searched the house. Some said that a huge amount of money was found in the wall of a certain official's house.
"This rumor is too outrageous." Chu Sishui shook her head at Rong Zhuo. Rong Zhuo put down the letter sent by Mr. Duan, pushed the wheelchair and recounted what had happened.
Chu Sishui said, "Then Prince Duan got a great bargain this time. He can get a good reputation by urging the Ministry of Rites to pay back some money."
Rong Zhuo hesitated for a moment and shook his head, "It's not that simple."
"Is there someone who wants to see him make a mistake? Your Highness?"
Rong Zhuo said, "It's still unknown now. We have to wait for some time. I think we will have a solution after my fourth brother gets married."
The Chitian Kingdom has an ancient precept that the prince's wedding concerns the royal family's reputation, and murder and arson are not allowed here.
Chu Sishui was just about to ask what gift they were giving to the Fourth Prince for his wedding when she heard Jin Pei say, "Young Master Xiao Jing is here again."
Speaking of Xiao Jing, he was originally a traveler. That day, he heard Rong Zhuo playing a tune under a willow tree. From then on, he wanted to worship Rong Zhuo as his teacher, saying that he had never heard such beautiful music.
Rong Zhuo declined, saying that it was just a leisurely interest and he could not be considered a teacher.
Xiao didn't bother to get involved. He just wanted to make friends and came over to learn from him every day. It has been more than half a month now.
Chu Sishui pushed Rong Zhuo out. Xiao Jing had already been sitting there washing his hands. When he saw them, he handed over the music scores he had collected from everywhere.
"Brother Rong, please take a look at this. This is the lost copy of "The Song of Folding Willows". According to legend, when a pair of lovers separated, they split the "The Song of Folding Willows" into two so that they could recognize each other in the future. My brother finally found it in Jiangzuo, and the servant brought it to you today."
Rong Zhuo took the music score and played a few tunes. "It is indeed true. The score has some Wei and Jin style. Young Master Xiao just said that your brother came from Jiangzuo. Who is Young Master Xiao's brother?"
Xiao Jing, "Alas, I still can't hide it from Brother Rong. My eldest brother is Jiangzuo Xiao Yuan, and my second brother is Jiangzuo Xiao Guan. One of them is greedy for worldly affairs, and the other wants to do something big. I am the only one left to travel around."
Only then did Chu Sishui remember who he was. The person who replaced Wang Jianwen's place was the Jiangzuo playboy Xiao Yuan, who was also his brother. She immediately lost her good impression of him.
Rong Zhuo realized that nothing was revealed. "Traveling around is not a bad thing. Maybe you can understand the people's sentiments and see things that others cannot see."
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