Ji Lingtian almost died with a spit of blood. Eighty million taels of silver, isn't that enough? Princess Ji'an was very generous.
But looking at the Jingzhao Yin in the hall and the people watching outside the hall, they all acted as if it was a matter of course, and did not think that such a compensation request was unreasonable or excessive. Or, in other words, 80 million taels of silver was simply not a concept to these people? Was it the same as 8 taels of silver?
Ji Lingtian was puzzled and couldn't help but ask the question in his mind: "Do you know what 80 million taels of silver means?"
Xu Jingyuan was the first to answer: "Of course I know. That is a salary that I can never earn in my lifetime."
There were also brave people outside the hall shouting: "It can buy half of the city!"
People were talking about their understanding of the 80 million taels of silver, and each of them had their own reasons. Ji Lingtian heard that they all knew it! But if they knew it, why didn't they question Princess Ji'an's request for compensation?
Seeing that Ji Lingtian remained silent for a long time, someone in the crowd outside the hall could not help but shout, "The prefect of Lanzhou, you don't want to pay, do you? Or do you think the compensation is too much? That's not right! Your wife can afford 80 million taels to buy jade, so I think your family is not short of money. Why don't you recognize the compensation from Princess Ji'an?"
Ji Lingtian understood, so he was waiting here. He was feeling disgusted but had nowhere to vent. He really wanted to see with his own eyes what Princess Ji An looked like, and how such a powerful woman could please everyone in the capital.
While he was complaining, Qingyu's voice came again, reminding him: "I forgot to say that this compensation was not the idea of my princess alone. After all, His Royal Highness was also present yesterday. I will tell Lord Ji that your wife and maid spoke rudely to His Highness the Ninth Prince yesterday, and even said such words as shamelessness. Lord Ji should feel fortunate. If it were not for the fear of polluting the Nirvana Pavilion, your wife would have turned into a wisp of soul under the whip of His Highness the Ninth Prince, and she was not wronged at all. If you don't want to recognize this compensation, that's fine. His Highness said that since he is an official, it should be solved in an official way. Please follow me to the Prince's Mansion after leaving the court, and then go to the palace with His Highness the Ninth Prince to see the emperor. Please ask the emperor to decide the crime of insulting the prince and the princess in public, and see whether 80 million taels of silver notes are more valuable or your wife's head is more valuable."
Qingyu was not polite at all when she spoke, and she made Ji Lingtian's face turn pale and he dared not say anything more.
Insulting the prince is a serious crime, not to mention that the one being insulted is the Ninth Prince. It is not just a matter of crime, but a matter of life. He stared at Jiang and Jixiang, and seeing that they both lowered their heads, he knew that what Qingyu said was probably true. He sighed in his heart, blaming himself for spoiling his wife too much when he was in the Southern Territory, letting her do whatever she wanted. But the Southern Territory was his own territory, and no one dared to say no to the wife of the prefect. This not only spoiled his wife, but also spoiled the maids around her to be lawless.
Unfortunately, it is too late to regret now. Ji Lingtian kept thinking about what the Eighth Prince said before he left. Even the Eighth Prince was a little afraid of the Ninth Prince and Princess Ji'an. Even if he was dissatisfied, what could he do?
That’s all!
"Okay!" He nodded. "We acknowledge you. Sir Xu, please allow my followers to go back and get the banknotes."
Xu Jingyuan naturally would not stop them, so he temporarily adjourned the court. After Ji Lingtian's followers handed a stack of banknotes to Qingyu, he announced that Jiang was released on the spot and reminded Ji Lingtian: "Remember to say thank you to Princess Ji'an."
Ji Lingtian was so furious that he didn't care about greetings. He pulled Jiang up and left without looking back. Jixiang followed behind, but he didn't expect that as soon as he walked out of the court door, Jixiang was kicked to the street by Ji Lingtian. The kick was so powerful that Jixiang vomited blood. Some people frowned, but others said that it was what she deserved. It would be best to beat such a girl to death. Even Xu Jingyuan turned a deaf ear to this. Slaves have no human rights, and the master has the power to decide their life and death. He only said to Qingyu, "Take the jade and send it back to the princess quickly!"
Qingyu smiled and thanked him, then walked closer and said to him, "My princess said that she and His Royal Highness Prince Yu will remember the many times that Lord Xu has helped us."
Xu Jingyuan thanked him repeatedly and personally sent Qingyu away.
It was already noon when Qingyu returned to the Princess's Mansion. Feng Yuheng was having lunch. When he saw her coming, he said directly: "Keep 6,000 taels of silver in the account, and send the other 2,000 taels to Baicaotang for Wang Lin to use for opening a branch."
Qingyu smiled and said, "Miss, why are you so sure that you will win this lawsuit?"
Feng Yuheng shrugged: "If I can't win this lawsuit, Xu Jingyuan's position as Jingzhao Yin will be in vain."
Huang Quan even laughed at her and said, "Qingyu, you still have the wooden box in your hand, do you still need to ask how the young lady knew it?"
Qingyu looked at the wooden box in her hand and said with a bitter smile, "I was really confused." After that, she put the box on the table and opened the lid. "I have checked it. Nothing is missing and nothing is broken."
This was the first time Huang Quan had seen these beautiful jades, and she was amazed for a moment. But she was a girl who practiced martial arts, and she was not as sensitive to such things as Qingyu. She only thought they were beautiful, but she still couldn't understand why they were worth so much money.
Feng Yuheng nodded and said, "Leave it there, I'll put it away myself later. By the way, have you seen the prefect of Lanzhou?"
Qingyu replied: "I have seen him. He is a very domineering and violent person. He was angry many times during the trial and expressed some dissatisfaction with the young lady. I think if the Ninth Prince is not brought in to calm him down, I am afraid he will not be able to be subdued."
Feng Yuheng snorted coldly, "The Southern Realm now has the support of the Eighth Prince, and even a small prefect has such momentum. I really don't know what the situation will be like when the Eighth Prince returns during the New Year."
Qingyu asked worriedly, "Miss, are you worried about the Eighth Prince?"
Feng Yuheng let out a long sigh, and asked Huang Quan to have someone scatter the food, and then he said: "Princes, most of them are not honest. In the current Dashun, apart from the eldest prince who is devoted to business and the second prince who does not care about political affairs, who else can make people worry? Even the seemingly unreliable Old Five, no one knows what he is thinking in his mind. The Eighth Prince has governed the Biannan area for many years and has established a firm foothold there. He has even established a small court. Although it is still under the jurisdiction of Dashun, you also know that people in the Biannan area are very wild. It is easy to submit to the Eighth Prince who relies on military tyranny, but it is too difficult to ask them to submit to the Dashun court far away."
Huang Quan frowned when he heard this: "Miss, are you saying that the Eighth Prince wants to use the forces of Biannan to rebel?"
Qingyu covered Huang Quan's mouth with her hand: "Don't say such things!"
Feng Yuheng waved his hand, "It's okay, just talking, it's better if no one hears it. Even if it is spread by someone with ulterior motives, it will only be a reminder to those far away in the south. The emperor summoned so many officials from other provinces to gather in Kyoto for the Yuexi Palace Banquet. His Highness the Ninth Prince said that he wanted to take this opportunity to see the reactions of the provinces, whether it is towards Biannan or Qianzhou, we have to see the attitude of the officials. The most important thing is that we have to pick out those who have ulterior motives, especially the officials in the south, we have to have an idea in mind."
Both of them understood what Feng Yuheng meant, and no one said anything for a while. Things in the court changed rapidly, and no one could tell what tomorrow would be like. As servants, they only had to take care of their masters, but there were some uncertain crises, and they still felt worried when they thought about them.
However, Feng Yuheng was not worried at all, and quickly turned the page. When he spoke again, he said cheerfully: "The governor of Lanzhou is very rich! Eighty million taels of silver, he took it out as soon as he said it, which shows that he has made some plans for this trip to the capital. This princess has always liked to deal with rich people. Since he is so generous, why don't we give him a big gift in return."
Huang Quan was puzzled: "Miss, what you mean is..."
The Second Prince has been in charge of investigating and punishing officials for corruption. I think he seems to be quite idle these days. Last time when the Yao family held a wedding, Feiyu said that his father was going to take him to Jiangnan after Yuexi. Why don't we find him something to do and let him investigate where a mere prefect got so much silver and what he brought it to the capital for.
Everyone knows that offending Princess Ji'an will not end well, but the people of the Ji Mansion far to the south did not take it too seriously. Even though the Eighth Prince had warned them, they still went against the wind. When Ji Lingtian realized that he was wrong, it was too late to regret.
Of course, this is a later story. Right now, there are only a few days until the Moonlit Palace Banquet. It is not urgent to tell the Second Prince to investigate Ji Lingtian. Feng Yuheng plans to talk to him in person when they meet at the palace banquet. However, she remembered another thing, so she told Qingyu: "When you go to Baicaotang to deliver the silver, ask my grandfather to come here and tell him that I have something to talk to him about."
Qingyu agreed and immediately got up and left.
Yao Xian arrived at the Princess's Mansion in the afternoon. Feng Yuheng immediately told him about Concubine Yun's request to see him. Yao Xian did not resist much and just said, "It's not a good idea to keep guessing in our hearts. I might as well meet her and see what the connection is between her and Yao Xian."
Feng Yuheng heaved a sigh of relief when he saw him agree, and then said, "Then let's do it on the day of the moonlit night. We all have to enter the palace, so we can save ourselves the trouble of going through it all over again."
After the two of them decided on this matter, they went to see Bai Furong again. Bai Furong's condition had improved significantly since she vomited blood last time, and now she could be awake for several hours a day. Yao Xian changed another medicine and told Feng Yuheng: "She will be well in less than three months. By the New Year, she will be able to move freely without any problems, not to mention recovering as before."
Feng Yuheng finally felt relieved.
A case involving a beautiful jade had been going on in Beijing for two days. On the day when the Jingzhao Yin closed the case, it had become a topic of discussion in teahouses and on the streets of Beijing. Some storytellers even made a story out of it and told it to teagoers, which was well received by everyone.
Feng Yuheng always ignored these things. People could spread them if they wanted to. She didn't care. Moreover, there was one thing that was giving her the most headache right now.
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