Therefore, when Gu Minglang thought of borrowing money, the first person he thought of was Qin Kou'er.
Moreover, the two of them usually interacted, so they could be considered half chess friends.
Seeing Gu Minglang's conflicted expression, Qin Kou'er couldn't help but smile slightly and reached out her hand to him: "My lord, there's no need to be anxious! Have some tea and tell me slowly!"
Gu Minglang picked up the tea, but put it down after intending to drink it. He looked directly at Qin Kou'er and said, "Sect Leader, you must already know that the Crown Prince wants us to raise one million taels of silver, right?"
Qin Kou'er nodded slightly, "This matter is probably known to everyone in Yangzhou now!"
Gu Minglang looked somewhat ashamed. "I'm truly ashamed! The collapse of the river embankment has actually enraged the Crown Prince so much. In truth, it's all our fault as officials for our incompetence! But one million taels is no small sum; where are we supposed to raise that much in a single day?!"
As he spoke, Gu Minglang let out another long sigh.
Qin Kou'er looked at Gu Minglang with concern and asked, "This million taels isn't something you can pay all by yourself, so why are you so worried?"
"I don't need to pay one million taels, but I can't come up with three hundred thousand taels!"
As he spoke, Gu Minglang slapped his knee with a worried expression.
Qin Kou'er frowned slightly. There were twenty or thirty officials in Yangzhou, from top to bottom, so how could Gu Minglang alone take three-tenths of the prize? It was obvious that Jiang Ming was deliberately making things difficult for him.
"My lord, the number of officials in Yangzhou, from top to bottom, is neither too many nor too few. Why do you insist on taking so much?"
Gu Minglang looked up at Qin Kou'er and gave a bitter smile: "Sect Master, you're asking a question you already know the answer to. Alas, I'm a useless official, yet I occupy such a lucrative position. Do you think those salt merchants and the higher-ups would tolerate me? If it weren't for my ancestors' legacy, I would have been removed from my post long ago, and I wouldn't be in this situation today!"
At this point, Gu Minglang sighed even more sadly, "If I had known this would happen, I would never have wanted to be the prefect of Yangzhou!"
Qin Kou'er nodded, indicating that she understood.
Qin Kou'er had a pretty good impression of Gu Minglang!
Although he was a pedantic scholar who was incapable of being an official, he was kind-hearted. He was not good at scheming and intrigue, but he was still hardworking and down-to-earth.
Qin Kou'er smiled, gently lowered her head and swayed the hem of her skirt, and said calmly, "You came here to see me, sir, is it because you want me to help you through this difficult time?"
Gu Minglang felt his ears burning; he had never felt so embarrassed and awkward in his life.
He lowered his head, feeling helpless and ashamed, and said, "At this point, besides the Pavilion Master, I really don't know who else to turn to! I just don't know if the Pavilion Master wants to help me through this difficult time?"
Qin Kou'er turned to look at Gu Minglang, then deliberately hesitated for a moment, "Actually, helping the adults isn't entirely out of the question!..."
Gu Minglang looked at Qin Kou'er with great joy.
However, when she saw Qin Kou'er's eyes, the joy on her face slowly faded.
"Does the Pavilion Master have any other conditions he hasn't mentioned? I know the Pavilion Master never suffers a loss in business!"
Qin Kou'er chuckled, lightly covering her mouth with her fair hand, and said with sparkling eyes, "Lord Gu, why does your honesty make me feel so ashamed? It's as if I'm some kind of wicked villain!"
Gu Minglang immediately laughed awkwardly and quickly waved his hand, "What are you saying, Pavilion Master? I was being presumptuous!"
Qin Kou'er raised her hand and refilled her teacup: "Actually, what you said is not abrupt at all. Kou'er is a businesswoman, of course she won't do anything without a profit! Kou'er can come up with 300,000 taels of silver, but she needs Lord Gu to provide something as collateral. When you have the money in hand in the future, you can take it back from Kou'er at any time."
Gu Minglang looked at Qin Kou'er and said without thinking, "Then this business deal of the Pavilion Master is going to lose money! Minglang will never be able to get 300,000 taels of silver in his entire life!"
Gu Minglang's words left Qin Kou'er speechless.
This Lord Gu really doesn't even think before he speaks!
Gu Minglang looked at Qin Kou'er, his bitterness undisguised, and said, "To be honest, Pavilion Master Qin, if I weren't afraid of tarnishing the Gu family's reputation, I would never have come to you for a loan. If the Crown Prince wants to confiscate our property, then so be it! I have nothing to lose anyway. At worst, our whole family can just go out and beg for food! That way, we'll avoid making a fool of ourselves!"
Qin Kou'er was speechless. She looked at Gu Minglang with a wry smile and said, "Lord Gu, you're really too stubborn. What's so shameful about borrowing money! If your family is really raided, where will your wife and children go to live? You'd better not say things like that in the future, lest even I can't stand it!"
Gu Minglang was rebuffed by Qin Kou'er, and he realized that he might have said something wrong, so he smiled and remained silent.
Seeing that Gu Minglang had calmed down, Qin Kou'er smiled and said, "Lord Gu, what Kou'er wants is nothing more than your family heirloom, nor is it for you to do anything that disregards human ethics."
"What is that?" Gu Minglang asked simply.
Qin Kou'er smiled and said, "It's just a copy of 'Spring in the Thatched Cottage' by your Third Master!"
Gu Minglang immediately frowned. "Isn't that a family heirloom? I begged my third uncle to give me that painting. If he finds out I pawned it to you, he'll drag me to the ancestral hall for a family punishment!"
Qin Kou'er looked at Gu Minglang and couldn't help but laugh more and more: "Lord Gu, why are you so inconsiderate! Haven't you heard that a true man should be able to bend and stretch? Besides, let me say something unpleasant and disobedient. Third Master Gu is still alive and well. That painting wouldn't be worth much money, no matter how much you ask for it. Do you think I could sell it? Third Master Gu just casually painted a few strokes, so mine would be even less valuable! I want this painting because I admire your character and have long admired Third Master Gu. I just want to take this opportunity to get to know him! Why don't you understand my good intentions?"
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