Chapter 151 Selling the Prince
When mentioning the Marquis of Yong'an, Yun Ji nodded, although there was some embarrassment in his eyes.
"Your father disapproved of this matter, and I did not fully inform him of it. He only knew what everyone else knew."
"That's good." Su Rui breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing her like this, Yun Ji was surprised for a moment and asked, "You won't speak for your father?"
"Why should I speak for him? Your Highness, don't get me wrong. I call him father now only because we can use him now. It doesn't mean that I consider him my father."
"But you don't hate him."
Yun Ji could clearly feel that Su Rui's hatred for Liang and Zhou Yao was no less than that for Su Ye, but not for Marquis Yong'an.
That's why he was in a dilemma as to whether or not to use the Marquis of Yong'an.
"I certainly don't hate him."
Su Rui couldn't say that he hated the Marquis of Yong'an.
Compared to what Liang and Zhou Yao brought to her, even compared to Su Ye, Marquis Yong'an did not do any substantial harm to her.
He just didn't like her, excluded her completely, and let everything happen.
He cleared himself of all charges, and Su Rui had no reason to resent him, but...
"I don't think he is my father either. He doesn't deserve it." Su Rui no longer pursued the fatherly love that she never had, and naturally, she didn't need this so-called father.
She didn't want to take revenge on him, she just wanted to take back everything she had and restore order. As for what would happen to Marquis Yong'an in the end, she didn't want to care.
"So, Your Highness, don't worry too much about me. The Marquis of Yong'an is a selfish old loach. Even if he has no other options now, he won't be loyal. Once in danger, he will definitely protect himself. Now that there is no one available, I can use him, but Your Highness must also be wary."
Yun Ji nodded, feeling relieved.
However, this was just a tiny piece, and his brows were already furrowed.
Seeing him like this, Su Rui leaned closer and asked, "Actually, that day I wanted to ask Your Majesty, why do you trust me?"
This question had been lingering in Su Rui's mind for a few days, but Yun Ji ran too fast that day and she couldn't catch him.
"The weather this year is indeed unusual. Even in the south, warm winters aren't always common. What you said is certainly worth considering. It's always better to be prepared."
It's not that he didn't consider it at all and just believed Su Rui's words.
Having spent many years in the Fahua Temple, he not only practiced Buddhism, but also learned about the laws of nature, medicine, farming, and other things. He had also read a lot of geographical records. Yanzhou had experienced a snow disaster sixty years ago, and now it has been exactly sixty years. Judging from the laws of nature and the heavy snow that kept falling, the snow disaster Su Rui mentioned was very likely.
"So that's how it is. I thought the prince only trusted me." Su Rui pretended to be disappointed and stood up, not noticing the guilty look that flashed across Yun Ji's eyes.
He did not just believe in Su Rui, but if she had not come all the way here, he would not have thought too much about it.
"How is the prince preparing now? I'm afraid the military silver in the Yanzhou military camp alone is not enough."
Su Rui's words hit the most difficult point right now.
Lack of money.
Yanzhou has a lot of military silver, but it cannot be fully paid for by Yunji, and even if it can, it is not enough.
There are 50,000 soldiers and generals in Yanzhou, and there are 200,000 civilians in the city. Although the people are under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, the Yanzhou military camp also has the responsibility to assist. Once a natural disaster occurs, rescue and disaster relief are of course required.
Relying solely on military silver is simply a drop in the bucket.
There weren't enough cotton-padded clothes and quilts, let alone charcoal and other things to make fire and keep warm.
This is also what Yun Ji is worried about.
Even if you are prepared in advance, you will still freeze to death if you are not prepared enough, and the result will be the same.
"It seems that we are not well prepared. Your Highness, please sign it." Su Rui said as he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve pocket and handed it to Yun Ji.
Looking closely, it was an IOU.
He was asked to borrow 50,000 silver coins from Su Rui.
"This is all the money you have." Yun Ji knew that Su Rui only had the money she got back from the Yong'an Marquis Mansion last time. She had spent a lot of it on opening the shop. These 50,000 must be what she had left now.
"Yes, so I just lent it to the prince. The prince has to pay it back. If he doesn't, I will sell him. I think I can make a profit."
Yun Ji understood that Su Rui's seemingly light-hearted words were just to comfort him.
But they also understood that if they wanted to get through this, there was no time to make excuses or to care about things.
Without refusing, Yun Ji took the IOU, wrote down his name, pressed his fingerprint, and solemnly handed it back to Su Rui. "I will definitely pay you back."
"I believe in you, Your Highness." Su Rui accepted the IOU and handed the banknote that had been prepared earlier to Yun Ji.
With the available money, Yun Ji became busy again.
Because the coal matter had to be kept secret, no one knew Yun Ji's whereabouts.
Su Rui did not stay in the military camp and set off alone to return to Shengjing.
Although Yun Ji was so busy that he could not see anyone, he still got her a carriage with a brocade and cotton lining from somewhere.
With a warm and comfortable carriage, she naturally wouldn't seek hardship.
It had been snowing for a few days, and the roads had become so covered with snow that they were difficult to travel. The journey that should have taken three days was now only halfway covered.
When they arrived at the intersection of several official roads, the snow was too thick, blocking the way. Su Rui had no choice but to stay in an inn beside the official road like other travelers who were blocked.
On weekdays, this inn was just a resting place for travelers. It was simply decorated and had few rooms. Su Rui had to pay extra money to get a separate room.
The room next door was small and had no windows, so it was really cramped to stay inside. So Su Rui, like Zhui Yue and the others, sat on the second-floor fence and looked down.
At this time, the lobby was already crowded with stranded people, each waving their wallets to ask the store to make a room for them.
Just as the noise was going on, the shop door that had been closed was pushed open again from the outside.
Several figures came in wrapped in wind and snow, and Zhuiyue and others immediately tensed up.
Su Rui stepped back, making sure she could see the people downstairs but not be seen by those downstairs.
When the shop door was closed again and the wind and snow were kept out, it was clear that there were more than a dozen people coming. The leader was very young, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, wrapped in a silver-gray cloak, with slender eyebrows and a hint of sinisterness. The corners of his naturally smiling lips were turned up, which made people even more shudder.
The young man looked up, and even though Su Rui was sure that he could not be seen from the direction downstairs, his heart trembled.
That look was like a poisonous snake, staring at me.
"Concubine, those people are all masters." Zhuiyue reminded in a low voice.
It is not easy to hire an expert. Just spending money is not enough. For example, secret guards like Zhuiyue have been trained since childhood.
The person downstairs must be either rich or noble, or even...
"Don't provoke them, be careful." After giving the instructions, Su Rui immediately stood up and went into the next room.
But downstairs, the young man did not withdraw his gaze. The corners of his mouth rose slightly and he whispered something in the ear of the person next to him.
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