Chapter 094: The Duke’s daughter has to rely on pawning to make a living?

Pei Chong's plan failed and he locked himself in his study all day.

The disaster in Lucheng should not be traced to him. But the private soldiers' affairs were not necessarily the same. Having been with the Second Prince for so many years, as the commander of the Southern Camp of the City Defense Army, he had been involved in many private soldiers' affairs.

Although the matter has now been concluded as the suppression of bandits, Pei Chong always feels that things are not that simple. On the one hand, the emperor seems not to want to investigate, but on the other hand, he is strictly investigating those who are mainly responsible for disaster relief and poor governance, and for the rampant bandits.

No matter how you look at it, this seems to be a strategy aimed at the Second Prince's followers.

Now the Ministry of Revenue has been investigated. If Qi Yuanchang falls, then he...

It turns out that He'an is a sharp sword in the emperor's hand and is highly valued. However, in this matter, the emperor seems to be deliberately suppressing He'an's influence and almost handing over most of the power to the Dali Temple Minister, which makes Pei Chong unable to understand.

Jiang Jie was originally an ordinary person, but he was promoted to the position of Chief Justice of the Dali Temple overnight.

Moreover, as soon as he came to power, he acted ruthlessly and violently, and even ignored He An. If he had not been instructed by the Emperor, could he be so arrogant?

Pei Chong took a deep breath. Jiang Jie's promotion was too sudden for him to understand for a while. However, Qi Yuanchang's purpose of wanting to get close to Jiang Jie at this time was obvious.

Could it be that Qi Yuanchang got some news?

Recently, the Prime Minister's Mansion has closed its doors to visitors, leaving those officials who wanted to come and ask for ways to save their lives unanswered, making the officials in the court feel that the situation is becoming increasingly unclear.

He An was the hero of Lucheng, but the task of investigating the case was handed over to Jiang Jie... But no matter which of them was in charge of the matter, they became the King Yan of the underworld and could not be seen at all.

Pei Chong stood up. It seemed that he had to go meet Jiang Jie. Jiang Jie was against He An, so maybe he could become friends with him.

Ruan Xiaoyue waited for the whole morning, but Pei Chong didn't come. She became even more irritated and angry. He didn't come back last night, and when he came back he didn't even give an explanation. It was really too much.

Although she was asked to admit her mistake first, Ruan Xiaoyue couldn't swallow this humiliation in her heart.

The door opened, and Pei Chong, dressed in casual clothes, walked in, holding an exquisite brocade box in his hand: "What happened last night was due to my inconsiderateness. Madam is magnanimous, please don't take it to heart."

Then he handed the brocade box to Ruan Xiaoyue and said, "This is a gift I prepared earlier. Do you like it?"

Ruan Xiaoyue: “…”

After receiving the brocade box, Ruan Xiaoyue felt better: "My husband is so thoughtful."

Pei Chong winked at Xiaoqing, and Xiaoqing retreated.

Ruan Xiaoyue opened the box and found a golden hairpin carved with a phoenix inside. It was exquisitely crafted and lifelike. She liked it very much.

Pei Chong pulled her up, held her in his arms, and said sincerely: "From now on, Madam will be the head of the Pei Mansion. Tomorrow I will ask my mother to hand over the reward from the mansion to Madam."

Ruan Xiaoyue was shocked. She looked up in delight, but she tried to make excuses: "I just got married, I'm really afraid..."

"Don't be afraid. Sooner or later, it will be handed over to you. Just let go and act like a mistress."

Ruan Xiaoyue was secretly happy.

Pei Chong kissed her forehead. Ruan Xiaoyue looked shy and said, "It's broad daylight, my husband, please don't make trouble...ah..."

With a soft cry, he picked her up and walked her to the bed. Pei Chong kissed her lips: "The wedding candles were delayed due to work, so let's make up for it now."

The room was filled with loveliness and after a while of silence, one could only hear Ruan Xiaoyue's gentle panting continuing.

Pei Chong held the person in his arms and let out an almost inaudible sigh.

"Why are you sighing, my husband?"

"There are a lot of things going on in the court recently, and there are many things that need to be taken care of. I will go to the residence of the Dali Temple Minister to inquire about some situations."

"What happened to make you so upset? Is it a difficult problem?"

"It's not a big deal, but the Supreme Court Justice has been very powerful recently and looks down on people. I wonder if he will meet me." Pei Chong sighed again in annoyance, "When I was working for the Second Prince, I was afraid that someone would make trouble for this. The words of the censors in the court are like knives that kill people without bloodshed. We have to be on guard."

Ruan Xiaoyue stood up, looking worried. This matter concerned the Second Prince. Even if she didn't understand the affairs of the court, she knew that serving the emperor was like serving a tiger. "How about I ask Xiaorou to ask Ruan Qinghuan?"

She absolutely could not see Ruan Qinghuan, but if Xiao Rouruo asked, it should be possible.

Pei Chong shook his head: "The emperor now thinks highly of the Dali Temple Minister, so he has been given full authority to handle this matter. Even the Prime Minister is only assisting in supervision."

Ruan Xiaoyue: "What should I do then?"

"We have to find a way to solve this matter from Jiang Jie. I will go to my mother later and spend two thousand taels of money from Duke Zhong as a gift for his promotion." Pei Chong stood up and said, "I'm afraid I can't accompany you. Two thousand taels of money is not a small amount. It will take three to five days to collect it. I may not be in the mansion these days..."

Pei Chong was about to go out when Ruan Xiaoyue called him, "Husband, wait a minute."

Pei Chong turned around and smiled to comfort her: "I'll be back when I'm done. This is related to the Pei family and my future, so I can't be careless at all."

Ruan Xiaoyue held him back and said, "My dear husband, listen to me. It will take time for the Duke to withdraw money. You can get it from me first."

Then he turned around and took out a two thousand tael banknote from the box in the cabinet and handed it over. Pei Chong hesitated: "You just got married, this..."

"You and I are already married, so what's the difference between you and me? I have a common kinship with the Pei family, so I should also contribute my part. Husband, don't say more, just go and get down to business."

Pei Chong's eyes were deep, and he was touched: "Thank you, ma'am."

As soon as Pei Chong left, Ruan Xiaoyue turned around and lazily lay back on the bed, recalling the tenderness and gentle look just now, the depression in her heart had long since disappeared.

He said that he would hand over the reward to her tomorrow. Ruan Xiaoyue twitched the corners of her lips proudly, her eyes full of pride.

I heard that Ruan Qinghuan hasn't taken charge of the prime minister's office yet, so what's the point of pretending to be affectionate on the surface?

**

East Street is particularly busy today. The pawnshop that Ruan Qinghuan has been preparing for for a long time has finally opened. Because he couldn't find a suitable candidate for the time being, the owner of the pawnshop is an old man found from the He family shop. He is over 50 years old, kind and shrewd, and he is very thorough in his work.

The activity plan that Ruan Qinghuan had prepared in advance was very effective under his arrangement.

Customers who come to pawn their items today can get an extra 1 or 2 taels of silver in addition to the price of the pawned items, and this extra 1 or 2 taels of silver will not be included in the ransom when the items are redeemed in the future.

As soon as the news came out, it caused a sensation.

Ruan Qinghuan stood by the second-floor window, looking at the bustling crowd below. Some had already begun to line up spontaneously, while some ran away as soon as they heard about the event, probably going home to see if there was anything they could pawn.

The event only lasts for three days, and only accepts gold and silver utensils, antiques, calligraphy and paintings. You can earn a few dollars just by reselling them, so why not do it?

Chu Li walked in through the path opened by the guards and took the jade-carved white horse from the maid's hand: "Today, I want to be this."

The crowd fell silent after these words were spoken. Is it true that the daughter of a duke has to rely on pawning to make a living?