Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 619 What a coincidence!

After Zhu Houzhao launched his operation, Pei Yuan received tips from Wei Ne and Lu Yin.

Wei Ne was now considered a prominent figure in the Ministry of Justice.

The time when Wei Ne deliberately messed with Zhu Houzhao's mindset, the Office of Transmission was implicated and purged.

Furthermore, Li Hao's cooperation with Xiao Jing in mobilizing troops into the capital angered the court officials.

As a result, within a short period of time, the head of the Office of Transmission changed hands three times: Ding Feng, Li Hao, and Cong Lan.

In addition, Luo Qinzong, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, was transferred to Nanjing as the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, and Lin Tingyu, the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, was sent to Baoding as the Governor.

Although Yang Chi was parachuted into the Office of Transmission from his position as Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, succeeding Lin Tingyu as Right Transmission Minister, Yang Chi was, after all, an outsider.

With Cong Lan, who came from a proper background in the Ministry of Justice, as their elder brother, the younger members of the Ministry of Justice didn't need to rely on outsiders.

Moreover, Cong Lan will be back soon. What if I act too proactively now? What will Cong Lan think when she returns?
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that among the veterans of the Tongzhengsi faction, only Wei Ne, the Left Councilor, remained.

A few days ago, everyone thought that Wei Ne, a member of Liu Jin's eunuch faction, was going to be in trouble, and they all wanted to stay away from him.

As the days went by, Wei Ne became increasingly successful, always wearing a smile at the Office of Transmission.

Without affecting themselves, other officials in the Office of Transmission certainly had no need to offend such an unpredictable person.

Therefore, although the power to copy reports was in the hands of Yang Chi, the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Wei Ne could still easily see the reports if he wanted to.

Upon seeing that it was a memorial from the Siyueku (a type of imperial edict) that Commander Pei had specifically instructed him to keep an eye on, Wei Ne immediately rushed out to report the news after delivering these documents to Yang Chixuan.

Wei Ne first went to Zhihua Temple, hoping to see the commander. However, when he arrived at the familiar courtroom, he found a woman in official robes sitting in court.

At first, Wei Ne almost thought that he had gone to the wrong place, or that Pei Qianhu had awakened some special series.

After asking around, Wei Ne finally understood what was going on and realized that this was actually Pei Qianhu's superior.

As a member of Pei Yuan's inner circle, Wei Ne was aware of Pei Yuan's feelings for Commander Han, and also knew that Pei Yuan had obtained the Emperor's decree, meaning that his good news with Commander Han was imminent.

Therefore, Wei Ne did not treat Han Qianhu as an outsider and directly told her that he wanted to see Pei Qianhu.

Commander Han was clearly puzzled by this. "You are an official of the Office of Transmission, and now your position is second only to Yang Chi. Why are you here at our Commander's Office instead of working at the Office of Transmission during your duty period?"

Wei Ne knew that this matter was of great importance, and before fully understanding it, he dared not speak too bluntly. He immediately said vaguely, "It was Commander Pei who instructed me to do a small thing, asking me to keep an eye on the memorials from various places. Now that there is some movement, I naturally have to come and let you know."

Commander Han chuckled and said, "Such a trivial matter, yet it makes the Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Affairs keep an eye on the memorials for him at all times?"

Commander Han was handsome, with a somewhat androgynous appearance, and looked quite dashing in his military uniform. But his smile revealed an extreme feminine beauty.

Wei Ne didn't dare to look any longer and quickly lowered her head.

Thinking that Pei Yuan and Commander Han's wedding was approaching, Wei Ne nodded slightly, "This humble servant... has actually always been Commander Pei's man. What he asked this humble servant to keep an eye on was a memorial from the Treasury."

In Wei Ne's opinion, as long as Pei Yuan hadn't mentioned the matter of the paper money to Commander Han, even if the topic of the Treasury was brought up, outsiders might not understand the meaning.

If Pei Yuan has already mentioned it to Commander Han, then it doesn't matter if he says it too.

Coincidentally, Pei Yuan had already mentioned this matter to Commander Han.

Upon hearing this, Commander Han became interested and immediately began to inquire in detail.

Wei Ne was initially vague, but when he heard Commander Han directly mention the Great Ming Treasure Note, he breathed a sigh of relief and recited the original text of the memorial from the Treasury.

After listening, Han Qianhu's interest grew even stronger.

She summoned a military officer and asked him, "Where is Commander Pei now?"

The military officer immediately replied, "I just went to Daxinglong Temple. Judging from the time, I might stay there tonight."

Han Qianhu turned his gaze to Wei Ne.

Wei Ne, being sensible, remembered the name of Daxinglong Temple and quickly took his leave.

Not long after Wei Ne left, the eunuch beside Lu Yin also came running over.

The young eunuch knew little about the affairs of the Thousand Households' Office and kept his mouth shut when questioned by Commander Han.

However, having just experienced what happened with Wei Ne, Commander Han could already guess the general idea.

This must mean that the matter of the paper money has reached the Emperor's ears, which is why Lu Yin, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, sent his confidant to inform him.

Han Qianhu had previously received secret reports from Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu, among others, and thus knew that Pei Yuan was very close to the current Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

But while they knew it, those two guys didn't say that Pei Yuan could get the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial to be his eyes and ears!
When Han Qianhu sent the eunuch Lu Yin to meet Pei Yuan at Daxinglong Temple, he couldn't help but recall the rambling words of Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu.

Putting aside his character...

Han Qianhu pursed his lips and quickly dismissed the absurd idea.

Pei Yuan was utterly dumbfounded when he saw wave after wave of people coming to see him at Daxinglong Temple.

When they heard that Wei Ne and the others said that it was Commander Han who told them the location, they were both ashamed and indignant.

Fortunately, with such a major event looming, there weren't many things to agonize over for Pei Yuanhao.

After clarifying the details of the matter with Wei Ne, he summoned Lu Yin's trusted eunuch to inquire about the message Lu Yin had brought.

Upon hearing Zhang Rui's suggestion to Zhu Houzhao to secretly search for printing plates, Pei Yuan's face darkened.

The biggest loophole and backdoor of the Ming Dynasty's paper money was that the imperial court had almost unlimited power to print it.

As long as this suicidal idea persists, even if the printing plate only produces one Ming Dynasty banknote, the price of all Ming Dynasty banknotes on the market will be significantly depreciated.

Pei Yuan said to the young eunuch, "I know about this matter. Let Eunuch Lu handle His Majesty's affairs for now, and I will find a way to resolve this problem later."

Now that the incident involving the Siyueku memorial had already occurred, Pei Yuan simply sent Lu Yong to personally inquire with Lu Yin whether or not to hand over the precious paper money to him.

After Lu Yin made up his mind to get involved in this matter, he had 150,000 taels of silver escorted over the very next day.

Pei Yuan, considering the issue of the exchangeability of the paper money, did not proceed with the transaction with Lu Yin for the time being.

Now that a major battle over the banknotes is about to unfold, Pei Yuan naturally has to send someone to inquire whether Lu Yin intends to take the banknotes directly or sell them through Pei Yuan's money exchange channels.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yong dared not delay and immediately went to Lu Yin to inquire about the matter.

Lu Yin had no idea about this at all, and only instructed Lu Yong to let Commander Pei handle it.

Lu Yin is worry-free, but others might not be.

Pei Yuan also sent Xiao Tong to deliver a message to Xiao Ying.

When Xiao Ying heard that the Treasury had finally submitted a memorial and that even the Emperor was very interested in speculating on the paper money, he decisively chose to complete the transaction, intending to get the paper money into his hands and then find an opportunity to sell it at a high price.

There's no other reason than that he's terrified of being tricked by Pei Yuan.

Xiao Ying had made up his mind. This time, he was determined to do it himself, even if it meant dying, so that he could at least know the truth.

After Pei Yuan came to persuade him, he had already prepared the silver and was mentally prepared to be swindled by Pei Yuan again, so he took the money very readily this time.

But Pei Yuan messed up.

Only then did he remember that the large amount of banknotes he had acquired were currently stored in Zhihua Temple. Now that Zhihua Temple was under the control of the "Tiger Mother," could this be the beginning of a final showdown?
Pei Yuan was hesitating when he heard another report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Pei Yuan summoned him and saw that it was none other than Yang Fang, the captain.

Pei Yuan's expression darkened slightly.

Just as she was about to feel ashamed and angry, realizing that her every move was under Han Qianhu's control, Yang Fang reported, "Reporting to the deputy commander, Han Qianhu said that she may be inspecting the temples and Taoist temples outside the city in the next few days, and told you not to slack off and to stay at Zhihua Temple."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan immediately became somewhat suspicious.

He asked, "Has Commander Han left?"

Yang Fang answered confidently, "They've already left."

Pei Yuan: "..."

What a coincidence!

Now that things have come to this, there is no other way but to bite the bullet and lead Xiao Ying and the others to Zhihua Temple.

On the way, Pei Yuan sent someone to inform Li Shishi.

The Ning Prince wants to purchase 20,000 taels.

Pei Yuan had estimated that after receiving Pei Yuan's intelligence, the Ning Fan faction would likely secretly allocate some funds to raise funds.

However, once the memorial from the Siyue Treasury was approved, even if the exchange rate of the paper money returned to half of what it was in the fifth year of the Zhengde reign, Pei Yuan's promise of "five strings of paper money for one coin" would still be extremely attractive.

When the price of the paper money rises to more than "five strings of paper money can be exchanged for one coin", and they have nowhere else to buy it, they will eventually come to settle the exchange.

Pei Yuan and his subordinates quickly arrived at Zhihua Temple.

Upon arriving at the gate of Zhihua Temple, Pei Yuanxian made sure he was safe and asked the Imperial Guards guarding the gate. Sure enough, they all said that Commander Han had already led his men out on an errand.

Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief; he could finally return to his camp.

However, when Pei Yuanxing went to the East Courtyard and strode into his main hall, he saw a beautiful woman sitting there reviewing official documents.

Looking at that handsome face, bright eyes and fair skin, Pei Yuan's legs went numb.

no……

Fishing, huh?

Why is this so?
As Pei Yuan was engaged in a fierce internal struggle, considering whether to make a quick escape or go straight to the BOSS for the final battle, he heard Han Qianhu's pleasant voice casually say, "Just pretend I wasn't here."

Pei Yuan was a little confused. What did this mean?
Pei Yuan held himself in check for a few seconds, still unable to figure out what Commander Han was planning.

After thinking for a moment, he called out softly, "Commander?"

Han Qianhu seemed not to hear, and continued writing.

Pei Yuan's voice grew a little louder.

Han Qianhu's beautiful features remained fixed on what he was holding, seemingly oblivious to Pei Yuan.

Like this?

Pei Yuan had no idea what Commander Han was up to, but he boldly and slowly approached.

As Pei Yuan got a little closer, he saw Han Qianhu pause slightly in his flowing calligraphy before continuing to write.

Pei Yuan, emboldened, moved even closer, almost reaching the table.

Pei Yuan noticed that Commander Han's gaze seemed to glance at him very quickly before his expression softened and he ignored him.

Pei Yuan thought about Han Qianhu's gaze just now and suddenly remembered what happened last time.

Last time, it seemed that it was because I approached him like a giant ape in heat that I angered Commander Han and caused the subsequent events.

These past few days, Pei Yuan has been thoroughly dealt with by Jiao Yan'er, so he naturally doesn't have the same discomposure he had when he first met Commander Han last time.

Pei Yuan looked embarrassed and wanted to explain.

Han Qianhu seemed to have anticipated his intentions, and with a slight clench of his fingers, he covered his mouth and coughed softly.

Pei Yuan awkwardly remained silent.

The meaning of "tigress" is quite simple.

She was just pretending she wasn't there, she wasn't really not there...

We're currently at a critical juncture in the paper money war, so it's best not to court disaster.

Pei Yuan was about to turn and leave when he suddenly realized something was wrong. Wasn't he here to give orders?
We've reached a critical juncture; arrangements for funds and key expenditures need to be made promptly.

Every decision Pei Yuan makes here could potentially influence the direction of that rolling river of silver.

Pei Yuan could roughly guess Han Qianhu's intention in staying here; wasn't it to witness the process of this currency war?

What could ignite the passion of this beautiful commander more than silver?
Pei Yuan thought to himself and cautiously approached.

As they got a little closer, they saw Han Qianhu's beautiful eyes glance sideways.

Pei Yuan immediately explained, "The accounts of the silver notes that each bank will deposit are locked in a box under the desk."

Upon hearing this, Commander Han leaned back slightly and looked at the heavy wooden boxes placed on either side of the desk.

She considered simply moving the wooden box out, but firstly, she didn't know which box contained the official documents. Secondly…

She's not here.

Han Qianhu hesitated for a moment, then continued looking at his own things.

Seeing Han Qianhu's reaction, Pei Yuan boldly moved closer, this time almost standing right next to Han Qianhu.

Pei Yuan knew his limits, so he coughed lightly as a warning.

"Hey, I'm going to get the register now, but I don't need anything else."

He looked at Commander Han, at that exquisite face that pretended to ignore him, and suddenly felt a surge of affection for him.

Seeing that Commander Han had no reaction, Pei Yuan immediately bent down, intending to drag the wooden box out from under the desk.

Han Qianhu, who was pretending not to be there, subconsciously pulled his leg back when he saw Pei Yuan bow and go to the desk.

The space under the desk was not large to begin with, and when Commander Han moved, the fragrance from his clothes would waft around.

Although the legs beneath the wide robe were within reach, Pei Yuan couldn't touch them right now.

Pei Yuan wasn't exactly a man of principle, and he couldn't help but keep stealing glances at her.

Although he couldn't actually see anything, the curves of those legs had already appeared in Pei Yuan's mind in various poses within his arms.

Just as Pei Yuan's hand was hesitantly resting on the wooden box, about to exert force, he suddenly realized, wait, why do I have to take the box out?

(End of this chapter)