Bai Shicheng honestly gave the money and put Jiang Yichen on the spot. Now everyone in the capital is wondering whether Jiang Yichen will give the money or not.
If he gives it to him, he has no money, and the Jiang family has to pay for it, but the Jiang family may not be willing to do so.
If he doesn't give it to him, Jiang Yichen's reputation will be ruined, among other things.
"It is said that the Bai family was reluctant to pay the money at first, and it was only after Bai Shiyuan asked them to pay."
Wang Ziyao shared the information he had gathered, and said cheerfully, "I didn't realize that although Bai Shiyuan's character isn't very good, he's still okay in this aspect."
"Well enough?"
Zhao Lin smiled slightly and said, "It can't be that simple."
"Oh? Is there anything else?" Wang Ziyao asked in surprise.
Sudi also looked at Zhao Lin, wondering what Zhao Lin meant.
Zhao Lin didn't keep the secret and said, "Fifty thousand taels of silver is no small sum. They can just find an excuse to get rid of it. If all else fails, they can force me to publicly admit that they paid it. Who else can come to investigate?"
"He did this to build momentum for himself. Fifty thousand taels of silver in exchange for a good reputation wasn't a loss for him."
"On the other hand, this also forces the Jiang family into a corner. The Bai family has already fulfilled the same bet, so how can the Jiang family refuse to pay?"
"But with the Bai family in front, even if the Jiang family gave it, it would only be seen as being forced. Besides losing money in vain, there would be no benefit."
"I see."
After hearing Zhao Lin's analysis, Wang Ziyao suddenly realized something and said, "Isn't this a typical case of harming others and not benefiting yourself?"
"It harms both others and yourself," Sudi corrected.
Zhao Lin smiled and said, "Bai Shiyuan is currently a favorite of the Emperor. Although 50,000 taels of silver is a lot, it means nothing to him. On the contrary, his reputation is more important to him. If he refuses to pay, or pays a day late, do you think someone will impeach him?"
Wang Ziyao nodded, seemingly understanding. Su Di then continued, "To be frank, Bai Shiyuan was forced into this, but he has to give it anyway, so why not take this opportunity to disgust the Jiang family and make them suffer in silence?"
Zhao Lin smiled and said, "That's right."
Wang Ziyao looked at the two of them and said, "You two are young, but you have all sorts of evil intentions. I have to stay away from you from now on, or you'll sell me out one day without me noticing."
Sudi said leisurely, "It's just right to sell it from a distance."
Wang Ziyao thought about it and said quickly, "Forget it, let's just be good brothers. Our whole family is straightforward, and we just need you to come up with bad ideas."
Sudi rolled his eyes: "You are the one who comes up with bad ideas."
Zhao Lin smiled and said, "Are you going to the army soon?"
Wang Ziyao nodded: "I'm afraid we won't be able to celebrate the New Year in Beijing."
Zhao Lin said, "The Bai family's silver has been delivered. You can use it first and equip yourself with weapons and armor."
Wang Ziyao rubbed his hands and said, "Then I won't be polite with you. I've taken a fancy to a set of equipment, but unfortunately the price is too high, 1,000 taels of silver, so I haven't been willing to buy it yet."
"One thousand taels of silver?" Sudi asked in surprise. "A set of infantry armor is only over six thousand coins. How many sets of infantry armor did you need to buy for this set of equipment?"
Infantry armor is an excellent armor used by infantry, which provides protection from head to toe. The army equipped with infantry armor is already the elite among the elites, and is generally used as a personal guard.
A set of infantry armor cost only more than 6,000 coins, which is only 6 taels of silver if one tael of silver is equal to 1,000 copper coins.
Even if it is ten taels, Wang Ziyao's set of equipment can be exchanged for a hundred sets of infantry armor.
No wonder Sudi was surprised.
Wang Ziyao chuckled and said, "It's not that I'm extravagant, it's just that this equipment is excellent. Not only is there a full set of armor for both man and horse, but it's also made of refined iron, which provides good protection and is lightweight. The weapons are also excellent, with a spear, a waist knife, a head-splitting knife, and a two-stone hard bow, also made by a master, it's really excellent."
Sudi shook his head and said, "Even if what you said is the best, it is not worth a thousand taels. You have been deceived."
Wang Ziyao explained: "It's really not true. They are very familiar with my family and they would not lie to me."
Sudi sneered, "Isn't it rare these days to kill your acquaintances?"
Wang Ziyao couldn't argue with Sudi, so he could only look at Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin thought for a moment and said, "Write me a list of what you want to buy and I'll go check it out for you."
"That's a good idea."
Wang Ziyao quickly took out a pen and paper and wrote down what he wanted to buy. Zhao Lin did not waste any time and went out with Sudi and went straight to the blacksmith shop that Wang Ziyao mentioned.
Nowadays, blacksmith shops not only make farm tools, but more importantly, they make swords and other weapons.
Although the Great Qi Dynasty had suppressed military power and emphasized culture for many years, due to repeated defeats in war, martial arts became popular among the people, and more weapons were made in blacksmith shops.
Zhao Lin and Sudi came to a place called David Blacksmith Shop.
A waiter quickly came over and said, "Hello, gentlemen. What would you like to see?"
Zhao Lin said, "I heard you have some excellent armor and weapons. Let me show you some of them."
The waiter's face changed slightly and he said, "Sir, you are joking. It is illegal to buy and sell armor privately. How can we have armor here?"
The laws of the Great Qi Dynasty do not prohibit the sale of weapons, but they strictly prohibit the sale of armor. Once discovered, it will be treated as a rebellion.
This was not only the case in the Great Qi Dynasty, but also in all the dynasties in Zhao Lin's previous life. Weapons were okay, but armor was very dangerous.
For example, in a certain dynasty, thirteen sets of armor were used to start an army and eventually overthrew the previous dynasty and successfully established a new dynasty. Those thirteen sets of armor played an indispensable role.
Zhao Lin also knew this law, but he was not in a hurry. He said, "Let's take a look at the weapons first."
"Okay."
The clerk quickly led Zhao Lin and Sudi into the shop and pointed at the weapons hanging on the wall and on the shelves. He said, "You've come to the right place. Our David Blacksmith Shop is the best in the capital. No one can compare to the swords we forge. Look at this sword."
The man took down a long sword from the wall, pulled it out of the scabbard, and immediately felt a chill coming towards him.
"This was made by our boss himself. It's made of iron that has been tempered a hundred times. It can cut iron like mud and even break hair with a single blow. Take a look."
The man pulled out a hair from his head, put it on the sword, and blew on it, and it broke.
"Good sword." Sudi's eyes flashed with gold.
Zhao Lin nodded. "It's really good. How much is it?"
The waiter chuckled and said, "It's fate that you're here. I don't ask for much, just one hundred and twenty taels of silver."
"One hundred and twenty taels of silver? Are you robbing me?" Sudi said angrily.
A sword would cost at most a few taels of silver, with a good one costing more than ten taels, and only those famous ancient swords could cost more than three digits. How dare they charge one hundred and twenty taels for an ordinary sword from this small blacksmith shop?
The waiter, smiling, said, "Sir, you're joking. Our weapons are absolutely fair to all. Just tell me, isn't a sword like this worth the price?"
"Worth it." Zhang Fan said.
The guy was overjoyed and thought to himself that he had finally met a sucker.
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