Chapter 215 Hemorrhage
"It turns out to be His Royal Highness Prince An."
Qingwu nodded indifferently, and the joy on his face disappeared.
Prince An was not angry at her cold attitude, but found it amusing instead. She was exactly the same as when she ignored him. It was a pity that the sisters had different minds.
"Sister-in-law, have you just come out from father's place?" Prince An looked at the maid following behind her again, and instantly thought of what she was here for. Thinking that Xiao Ji also paid a lot of money this time, the corners of his mouth suddenly raised high.
"Hey, Sixth Brother just opened his own house. He must have spent a lot of money, right? Hey, Sixth Brother is the younger brother. He doesn't have to spend more than his elder brothers. Don't be so competitive."
In Prince An's heart, Xiao Ji was the legitimate son and had been deposed. Naturally, Xiao Yuancheng's birthday banquet had to be held with sufficient sincerity to be worthy of his status.
He said this to mock Xiao Ji. Qing Wu didn't want to pay attention to him, but seeing how smug he was, she thought it might be okay to agree with him. An expression of anger and pain immediately appeared on her face.
"Your Highness, please don't worry about that!" Qing Wu seemed to realize that his reaction was too intense. He took a deep breath and said with a forced smile, "We are all doing our best for our father. What's the harm in giving more?"
In Prince An's eyes, this look naturally meant that Xiao Ji had given too much, and the princess was heartbroken. Women just care too much about these external things, just like the one in his family. Prince An had no memory of how he insulted Prince Ning at home.
Qing Wu left quickly after saying this, her back revealing a sense of embarrassment. Prince An watched her hurriedly leave, and he became even more certain that Xiao Ji had spent a lot of money this time. He suddenly felt less distressed about the money he was about to lose.
"Go, quickly carry this king's 40,000 taels of silver, and don't pour it out."
Prince An deliberately raised his voice so that Qingwu could hear it, and Qingwu indeed heard it. A sly smile immediately appeared on her face. As soon as she turned around the palace wall, she suddenly stopped and laughed out loud. The maids following behind her couldn't help but laugh.
"I wonder how angry Prince An will be when he finds out how much we gave him?" Baozhu smiled, covering her lips.
"Yes, he thought we had spent a lot of money. If he knew we only paid 5,000 taels of silver, he would be furious."
A sly glint flashed in Qing Wu's eyes. "When he finds out that we didn't contribute much, and we even got the key to the East Palace's warehouse..." She deliberately dragged out her words. "That would be truly exciting."
Who made him such a mean-spirited person? He always likes to make fun of others and never learns his lesson even though he always gets humiliated.
Just as Qingwu had expected, Prince An walked into the Purple Palace with his men, his head held high and his chest puffed out. Xiao Yuancheng saw that he was smiling, his cheeks flushed with a rare rosy glow, and couldn't help but wonder, "What good news is going on today that makes him so happy?"
Prince An kowtowed to the emperor, stood up and said with a smile: "I am happy to be able to fulfill my filial duty to my father." Then he waved his hand and the eight people behind him put the big boxes in their hands on the ground.
"I heard that my third brother donated 50,000 taels of silver for our father's birthday. As the younger brother, I can't surpass him, so I donated 40,000 taels of silver, of which 10,000 taels was added by my mother."
Prince An naturally found out that the eldest and second sons had given 30,000 taels. He wanted to be the better of them, so he asked his mother to provide some financial support. He told his father about it now so that he would remember the favor.
When Xiao Yuancheng heard that 10,000 of the money was contributed by the Imperial Concubine, a hint of coldness flashed across his eyes, but he still looked very happy and said, "My child, you and your mother are very thoughtful."
"Since you are here, it's a good opportunity to go see your mother."
Prince An nodded, packed his luggage and left, but his steps were hesitant. After a while, he couldn't help asking, "I just saw your sixth brother's wife coming. I wonder if she is here to replace you..."
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Yuancheng already understood and asked how much silver he had given.
"That kid, Old Six... Alas, it's not easy to just start a new government, but he insists on showing off."
Upon hearing this, Prince An's eyes flashed with joy, but he also pretended to be concerned: "How much did Sixth Brother give? It's true. Sixth Brother is still under 20 years old, and his family is not well-off. He can't compare to us brothers..."
"Five thousand taels." The emperor said lightly, picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"What?" Prince An was stunned. "Five...five thousand taels?"
Xiao Yuancheng put down his teacup and looked at him with a half-smile. "Yes, she did bring two thousand taels of gold. Just as you said, the Sixth Sister is poor, and most of what she took was a wedding gift. As her father, I was embarrassed to accept it, so I only took a box and let her take the rest back."
How could he not understand what this little bastard was thinking? He deliberately said it out loud.
An old naughty boy, that's what an old naughty boy is like. When people get old, sometimes they become more naughty than when they were young.
Xiao Yuancheng paused deliberately, "Oh, by the way, I thought it was really difficult for the Sixth Prince to start his own government, so I returned the key to the East Palace storehouse to him."
He suspected that he had been tricked by others, so he decided to trick others as well.
Upon hearing this, Prince An's smile froze instantly. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He only felt a tightness in his chest.
Seeing this, Xiao Yuancheng's eyes flashed with mischief, and he added slowly, "Speaking of which, the Sixth Princess is quite good at talking. She said something like, 'The gift money carries the royal blessing, and it's just right to be used on my father's birthday.' ... Listening to that, I feel very comforted."
Prince An's expression was beginning to tighten, and he clenched his fists.
Forty thousand taels! He actually paid out forty thousand taels of silver! And not only did Old Six only pay a mere five thousand taels, but he also got back the key to the East Palace storehouse?
"Father..." Prince An suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his voice trembling, "Sixth brother..."
"What?" Xiao Yuancheng raised his eyebrows. "Do you have any objections?"
Prince An was choked by this question, and after a long while he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Your son dare not..."
He paused for a moment, then muttered, "Actually... I haven't been well off lately..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuancheng's face suddenly darkened. The sound of the teacup in his hand being placed on the table echoed in the hall: "What? You want to take back the silver you just offered?"
Prince An was frightened by the sudden pressure and knelt down hurriedly: "Your son dare not! But..."
"Just what?" Xiao Yuancheng sneered, "Your mother took the ten thousand taels so readily, why are you hesitant when it comes to you?"
Prince An's forehead was covered in sweat, and he realized that he had said the wrong thing. He kowtowed hurriedly: "Your Majesty, I have no such intention! The ten thousand taels..." In fact, it was collected by his maternal family, but he didn't dare to say it.
Xiao Yuancheng narrowed his eyes, his voice as cold as ice: "I think you have been flattered by those court officials and have lost your mind. Your mother is an imperial concubine, but she is also a woman of the highest rank in the palace. Where did she get ten thousand taels of silver? You are trying to save face for her, but that's too much!"
At this point, the emperor suddenly fell silent, but the deeper meaning of his words was self-evident. Prince An fell to the ground, not daring to even breathe.
"Go and pay your respects to your mother." Xiao Yuancheng lowered his head and opened the memorial, no longer looking at Prince An.
Prince An, as if he had been pardoned, kowtowed and left. After he left, Xiao Yuancheng stared at the boxes of silver, a gloomy look in his eyes.
Ever since the death of the empress, there has been a constant call in the court to appoint a queen. Now the fourth prince's move is also for his mother, but he does not want to appoint a crown prince yet. He can still live for a long time... Yes, he can still live for a long time.
With the money donated by his sons, he could not only celebrate his birthday, but also ask an immortal to make elixir for him.
The gloom on Xiao Yuancheng's face suddenly cleared away. He looked at Bai De'an and said excitedly, "Yes, go and invite Taoist Mingxu and tell him that I want him to give a lecture and make elixirs."
The Taoist priest's elixir was very effective, but it cost a huge amount. Before, he was constrained by court officials, but now that he had the money from his sons, others could not interfere.
At this time, in a Taoist temple in a mountain outside the capital, an old woman and an old Taoist priest were sitting opposite each other, with a chess game between them.
"When will the emperor come to invite you?"
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