“Ten thousand taels of silver is no small sum. The cash in the mansion is certainly not enough. If we sell our land and shops, we may not be able to find a suitable buyer in a day or two.”
Jiang Wan thought for a moment.
"You come from a military family, so it wouldn't be difficult for you to make some quick money. Why not take advantage of your position?"
Song Ziyu frowned and asked, "Do you have connections?"
"I've heard there's a recluse in the capital who has a particular fondness for rare stones and artifacts. He enjoys collecting stones and jade of all kinds of materials and styles, and he's always willing to pay high prices for them," Jiang Wan said softly. "I've also heard that the military tally of the Song family army was made by General Song himself from amethyst jade from the far north, making it quite unique..."
Before he could finish speaking, Song Ziyu became angry, staring at Jiang Wan in disbelief, and roared.
"You want me to sell the military seal? Are you crazy?!"
“The military tally is valuable and cannot be traded privately. Otherwise, if discovered, it would be a serious crime of treason and collusion with the enemy,” Jiang Wan said calmly. “However, although it cannot be bought or sold, it might be worth a try to borrow it secretly for a few days.”
"Lend it out?"
"That hermit was very interested in rare jade and was very generous. Last year, the Commandant's Office lent him a piece of Dushan jade that had been passed down in his family for half a month, and he received a reward of three thousand taels of silver."
Jiang Wan's eyes flickered.
“Amethyst jade is much more precious than Dushan jade. If we could borrow it to play with for a few days, the reward would be very generous.”
Song Ziyu looked hesitant.
Three thousand miles... that's no small amount.
If this method works, he can solve his immediate problem without paying anything in return.
"Is this person trustworthy? What if he flaunts the tiger tally everywhere, wouldn't that implicate the entire Song family?"
Song Ziyu stared cautiously at Jiang Wan.
"Or perhaps he harbored ill intentions and secretly forged a fake tiger tally. What should be done?"
Jiang Wan smiled faintly.
"Not to mention that keeping the tiger tally privately is a serious crime, he's not stupid, how could he make it known to everyone? Besides, that purple jade is hard to find even in a hundred years, how easy is it to counterfeit the tiger tally? The general has held the tiger tally for many years, if there is a fake, he can tell at a glance, who would dare to tamper with it?"
"As long as we do things discreetly, we can retrieve the tiger tally in ten days or so without anyone noticing."
Song Ziyu maintained an outward expression of disapproval, but inwardly he was making his own plans.
The more I thought about it, the more feasible this method seemed.
The tiger tally of the Song family army was originally divided into two halves, one in the hands of Emperor Jingyuan and the other in the hands of General Song.
After General Song passed away, his other half remained with the Song family and is now in the hands of Song Ziyu. To show his trust in the Song family's loyalty, Emperor Jingyuan has not taken it back.
In recent years, the world has been at peace, with no wars, so there is no need for the tiger tally.
Lending it out secretly for a month or two won't really have any impact.
Song Ziyu pondered for a long time.
Everything was fine, except that it was Jiang Wan who brought this up.
He was very wary of Jiang Wan, always feeling that she wouldn't genuinely help him.
Jiang Wan saw his expression and turned cold, adopting a posture of seeing him off.
"The general himself failed to discipline his servants, which brought trouble to the Song family. If it weren't for the fact that it would implicate Xingzhi Academy, I wouldn't have bothered with it at all."
"As for what I mentioned, General, you can go back and consider it again. If there is a more comprehensive solution, that would be best, and there would be no need to take this risk."
Song Ziyu sized her up for a while, then lifted the curtain and walked away quickly.
"lady."
Biluo asked from the side.
Will General Song agree?
Jiang Wan took a sip of tea: "He had no other choice."
Even with the help of the matriarch, it would be difficult to raise such a large sum of money in just a few days.
Even if they could actually come up with the money, it would be equivalent to emptying their savings.
The method she provided for Song Ziyu would not cost him anything; he would only need to take some risks to obtain ten thousand taels of silver.
People can't let go of the word "greed".
When faced with two choices, he will naturally have a preference.
She didn't need to waste her breath.
The next day, a colorful butterfly came to report.
"General Song went to the Commandant's residence early in the morning and did not return until after noon. He then sent Shen Ci to inquire about the hermit's origins in the streets."
Jiang Wan nodded, her face expressionless.
When it comes to the Song family army's tiger tally, even if Song Ziyu is anxious, he will be extremely cautious and investigate thoroughly before making a decision.
"He acted so quickly, we didn't even have time to make any preparations!" Biluo said in surprise. "Madam, Lieutenant Li has a past relationship with General Song, I'm afraid he won't be of any use to us."
Jiang Wan said calmly, "What I want is their past relationship."
This would make Song Ziyu more likely to believe what the Commandant's Office said.
"One night is too short; there really isn't enough time to prepare anything."
So she didn't lie last night.
The hermit was real, and Lieutenant Li did indeed lend him the jade and receive three thousand taels of silver in return. Therefore, no matter how Song Ziyu investigated, he could not find anything amiss.
On the contrary, they will become more and more convinced of this.
Jiang Wan lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before instructing, "Have Shen Ci keep a close eye on him. I need to know the time and place of his meeting with that hermit."
She glanced at the sky and said again.
"Take a few bottles of scar-removing powder; I'm going to the palace."
Song Ziyu was busy outside all day, presumably trying to find out about the hermit.
The doors to the rooms in the main courtyard of the general's mansion were tightly shut.
Gu Yurong and Song Lin were sitting behind the screen, talking in hushed tones.
"He didn't suspect you, did he?" Gu Yurong looked at Song Lin with lingering fear.
She was terrified last night after hearing that Song Ziyu had tortured the servants who entered and left his study.
"Mother, there's no need to be nervous. Over the years, Father has still trusted me. Besides, I've been acting well-behaved in front of him these past few days, and he's very satisfied with me."
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