Song Ziyu was somewhat surprised by the other party's strong reaction.
But then I thought, the tiger tally is no ordinary item. It would be strange if the other party calmly accepted it.
With the deal about to be finalized, they couldn't let the five thousand taels of silver slip away.
"It was my selfishness that led me to not disclose the contents of the transaction beforehand."
Song Ziyu lowered his voice.
“But I did not intentionally hide it. I have really encountered some difficulties recently and urgently need money. If you can understand, please sit down and we can talk things over.”
The person behind the screen did indeed stop.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and by the light, one could see that the man was carefully examining the tiger tally in his hand.
"General Song speaks frankly, and I am also a straightforward person who does not like beating around the bush."
"If the imperial court finds out about this... it's not a small matter that can be solved with money. But this purple marrow is extremely rare and it really tempts me. It's not unreasonable to take a risk."
The man considered for a moment and then said.
"Alright, I can take this item away today, but we can't sign a written agreement, and I want to keep it for twenty days."
Song Ziyu felt nervous and asked hesitantly.
"If you only intend to enjoy the scenery, ten days would be enough. Why take so long?"
The man smiled coldly: "The general need not worry about that."
"Of course, I won't take advantage of you for nothing. The amount of silver will be three times the original amount. If the general agrees, the silver can be withdrawn from the bank now."
Song Ziyu was taken aback.
Three times that amount would be fifteen thousand taels!
Not only would it solve his current crisis, but it would also leave him with a large sum of money, making him much more financially secure immediately.
What appealed to him most was that this money was free; he didn't have to pay anything for it.
Aside from a slight risk.
But whether it's ten days or twenty days, it's still a loan.
Since you've decided to take the risk, why not maximize the benefits?
As for the written agreement, I won't sign it if I don't want to. If Mr. Yun Que dares not to return it, I will sue the court, saying that he maliciously stole the tiger tally!
Since there's no written agreement, he has no way to prove his innocence.
After considering his options, Song Ziyu gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I agree."
"The general is straightforward."
The person behind the screen seemed to smile as well, and said to the attendant, "Follow the general to the bank to get the silver."
Song Ziyu took a closer look and found that the money shop was the famous Tongde Money Shop in the capital. Many wealthy families in the capital would conduct transactions there, and the accounts were clear and verifiable, so there was no way to fake them.
He felt a little relieved and turned to follow his attendants out the door.
Upon arriving at the money exchange, Song Ziyu successfully withdrew the silver notes and returned directly to the General's Mansion with his guards.
Before entering, he suddenly remembered something and asked Shen Ci, "Did you find Mr. Yun Que's voice sound somewhat familiar?"
Shen Ci shook his head: "I was outside the door and couldn't hear clearly."
“That’s true,” Song Ziyu said. “While you were guarding the door, did you spot anyone suspicious?”
"No one is approaching, General, please rest assured."
Song Ziyu nodded, relieved that a major matter had been resolved. In a good mood, he went to the main courtyard to find Zhu Qing and relax.
Meanwhile, inside the Moon Gazing Pavilion, the attendant returned to his private room and called out to the person behind the screen, "Master, everything has been taken care of."
Jiang Wan walked out with her hands behind her back.
She wore a moon-white long gown, her long, jet-black hair tied up on her head, and held a folding fan, exuding elegance and grace.
The silhouette reflected on the screen clearly belonged to a man of exceptionally refined taste.
In addition, she had secretly learned some voice-changing techniques, so when she lowered her voice, she truly had a somewhat androgynous quality.
"Did Song Ziyu sign a document at the money exchange?"
Shi Xu replied, "That's right. He lowered his guard as soon as he saw Tongde Money Shop, and he used his private seal when signing the document. I saw it very clearly."
Holding the purple jade military tally, her voice carried a hint of sarcasm: "How foolish."
Tongde Money Exchange is fine; the problem is with this money.
When things are calm, no one notices.
But what if, after the Donglai army launches its surprise attack on the capital, someone discovers that half a month ago, the leader of the Song family army had a large sum of money from an unknown source?
Song Ziyu couldn't explain it clearly, and he didn't have the guts to reveal that he had privately borrowed the military tally.
He will be speechless and unable to defend himself.
I wonder if he'll live long enough to accept this accusation of treason and collusion with the enemy.
In order to accomplish this task smoothly, she specifically sought out Li Duwei's wife, Lady Shang, and used the pretext of embroidery to elicit details of their meeting with Mr. Yun Que that day. She knew that since they were both from the Duwei's mansion, Song Ziyu must have heard the same story.
So she followed suit and, together with Shi Xu, impersonated Mr. Yun Que and his entourage, successfully deceiving Song Ziyu.
Jiang Wan handed the tiger tally to Shi Xu and instructed, "Give it to the master craftsmen in Linglong Pavilion and tell them to hurry up."
Shixu responded, "Yes."
She then asked, "Where is Mr. Yun Que now?"
"In the private room downstairs. He's a jade fanatic. My men brought him two pieces of fine Hetian jade from the pavilion, which easily caught his attention." Shi Xu glanced at the sky. "We finished early, and it's not yet time for the meeting between General Song and him."
"If Song Ziyu doesn't show up soon, he'll realize he's been tricked."
As Jiang Wan put on her veil and walked outside, she gave the instructions.
"He's not that easy to fool. Have someone wait on the road leading to the General's Mansion. If they spot him going to see Song Ziyu, make sure to stop him. Whether you threaten or bribe him, don't let him meet with Song Ziyu, lest he ruin my plans."
Shi Xu stepped forward and lifted the curtain for him: "Don't worry, Master, I understand."
The two walked out of the private room one after the other, and strolled along the connecting corridor with light steps.
Jiang Wan had clearly heard Song Ziyu instruct Shen Ci to clear out the private rooms next door before he entered.
She trusted Shen Ci to do things.
There was probably no one else around, so the two spoke without restraint, and Shi Xu addressed her as "Pavilion Master" as was his habit.
Only when Jiang Wan and Shi Xu's voices disappeared at the top of the stairs did the beaded curtain in the next private room sway slightly.
The curtain rustled softly as a folding fan gently lifted it from within.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com