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

Chapter 624 Bi Zhen Enters the Capital
Pei Yuan wasn't too surprised when he heard that the exchange rate this morning was "25 strings of cash for one coin".

Last night, Zhu Houzhao seized the opportunity before closing time when the money shops stopped communicating with each other and bought a large amount of banknotes at a lower price.

Given the methods of these money shop owners, they should have realized overnight that funds from the inner transport treasury had entered the market again.

These people might even know exactly how much cash the internal transport warehouse has on hand.

This price offers both offensive and defensive advantages, allowing for continued observation of the court's actions.

Furthermore, the Imperial Guards who were following up on this matter also brought another piece of news: many money shops have now started accepting paper money.

Although the exchange rate was very low, only eighty strings of cash for one coin, it was still a very good omen for Pei Yuan.

This is because it means that the value of the paper money has been recognized, and it has regained a certain degree of liquidity.

Pei Yuan said to Yun Buxian, "Let's open our money shop today. It will mainly handle the exchange of silver, copper coins, and paper money. As for the rules, we can follow the same format as other shops."

"However, our money shop only accepts paper money, not sells it."

Yun Buxian had already made thorough preparations for the money shop in the past few days. Hearing Pei Yuan's words, he was quite excited and asked, "Then what ratio will be used to collect the paper money?"

Pei Yuan said, "Exchanging eighty strings of cash for one coin is simply absurd. Let's start collecting from forty strings of cash directly."

Upon hearing the price, Yun Buxian quickly dissuaded him, saying, "Commander, His Majesty just bought 30,000 taels of precious paper at a price of 45 strings of cash to one coin. If we buy it at this price, wouldn't His Majesty make a profit just by reselling it?"

"Won't it end up being a liability for us?"

Pei Yuan remained calm about this, saying, "Now is the time to verify His Majesty's thoughts and give him some confidence."

"We will quickly prop up the price, allowing the value of the banknotes to move away from His Majesty's cost zone."

"In this way, firstly, it will verify His Majesty's thoughts and give him the illusion that 'I am indeed very powerful.' Secondly, the fact that those precious notes can be sold for profit at any time will give him more security and allow him to continue operating boldly."

Upon hearing this, Yun Buxian sighed inwardly. First, Yan Song was disguised as a wise man to guide His Majesty and point him in the right direction; then, the idea was verified, causing His Majesty to become deeply involved.

Could this be the "pig butchering scam" that Qianhu has been talking about these past few days?

After Yun Buxian left, Pei Yuan continued working on the house renovation.

After being easily found by the tigress last time, Pei Yuan simply stopped hiding and directly launched a blatant and aboveboard scheme against Commander Han.

After using Xiao Ying to escape, Pei Yuan went directly to the residence in Chengqingfang and declared to the people in the Qianhu Office that this was the new residence he would use to marry Han Qianhu.

Han Qianhu was furious at Pei Yuan's frivolous behavior. He was already preparing to block the door and find Pei Yuan, but after hearing this, he could only grit his teeth and stop.

She had no romantic feelings for Pei Yuan to begin with, and she was already furious about the emperor's bestowal of marriage and Pei Yuan's making the matter public knowledge.

If I go, who knows what kind of rumors will spread about me.

Pei Yuan's scheme succeeded, and he gained a relatively stable foothold, which allowed him to issue orders and communicate with both insiders and outsiders in a timely manner.

During the few days that Pei Yuan was away from Zhihua Temple, Commander Han witnessed firsthand just how powerful and influential his deputy had become.

First, the Shandong governor was summoned back by the Censorate for questioning. During the day, Wang Chang came to meet him, and at night, Li Shishi from the Censorate came to inquire about Pei Xiandi's intentions.

As a result, today, Bi Zhen, the eunuch in charge of Shandong, escorted the supplies to the capital. Right after handing over the supplies, he also went to Zhihua Temple to offer incense.

Han Qianhu had seen the official gazette and knew that Pei Yuan's former lackey, Chen Tou Tie, had gone to Shandong to become the second-in-command.

Thinking about it this way, Commander Han roughly understood why Pei Yuan dared to be so bold as to promote the Luo Sect in Shandong, a place so close to the capital.

He also understood why Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu, those guys, were using their seniority to try and persuade Pei Yuan.

These days, even Cui Bohou, who has always been a staunch supporter of the Han family, has been persuaded by Sikong Sui.

After all, a deputy commander with such impressive paper strength would inevitably make their forces even stronger if they joined forces with Commander Han.

Compared to Commander Han, who was slacking off in the affairs of Jingxiang, it was clear that the ambitious Deputy Commander Pei was more in everyone's best interest.

Thinking about these things gave Han Qianhu a headache.

She was placed in this position by popular demand, and she will also be subject to the pressure of that demand.

Once the centurions around her all support Pei Yuan, and this influence spreads to Southern Zhili or Huguang, then some things will probably be beyond her control.

Han Qianhu dismissed Bi Zhen with a cold expression.

Bi Zhen then found Pei Yuan's new residence under the guidance of the Imperial Guards.

After exchanging pleasantries, Bi Zhen said to Pei Yuan with some confusion, "Commander, Zhihua Temple is a hub for communication, and I often send people there to deliver important matters from Shandong. How can you leave your headquarters so easily and let someone else sit there?"

Pei Yuan could only force himself to save face by saying, "That is Commander Han from our Thousand-Household Office. His Majesty has already bestowed a marriage upon us."

Bi Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about the woman's appearance, he couldn't help but praise her, "Sister-in-law, you are so beautiful. You are truly blessed, brother."

Pei Yuan laughed twice, thus getting through the situation.

Bi Zhen then said to Pei Yuan, "This time, we are here in the capital to escort a batch of tribute goods."

"But it's not a holiday, and they specifically asked me to personally escort it, which makes me a little uneasy. Has the commander heard anything about it in the capital?"

Bi Zhen, the garrison eunuch, is not easy to move unless he decides to make a move himself and finds an excuse to go to the capital to pay tribute.

In addition to his own department, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, he also needed official documents from the Ministry of War.

Pei Yuan shamelessly said, "It was I who wanted to see you, so I had someone find an excuse to do so."

Bi Zhen already knew a bit about Pei Yuan's extensive connections, so he wasn't too curious about what he was saying. He just asked, somewhat puzzled, "If the commander has something to say, he can just send his trusted confidant to Shandong to inform me. If it's something really important, I can also secretly go north under the guise of an inspection tour. Why go through all this trouble?"

Pei Yuan didn't hide anything and said directly to him, "Something big might happen in Shandong soon. I need you to come back openly and honestly, otherwise you'll inevitably get implicated."

Bi Zhen was startled upon hearing this, and then he remembered how Wang Chang had been impeaching people like a mad dog a few days ago.

Although Wang Chang, a remnant of Liu Jin's faction, had his political future ruined and could only wait for a safe landing, he was still the top official in Shandong. While other officials dared not curry favor with him, the situation hadn't reached the point of open hostility.

Unexpectedly, this toothless old dog, who was just waiting to be driven away, suddenly started biting wildly, accusing local officials in Shandong of undermining his authority.

Wang Chang was transferred from his position as Minister of War in Nanjing to Shandong, a period that lasted only a little over six months.

Many local officials haven't even had time to memorize his face.

Those officials felt wronged.

Damn it, he's the top official in the entire Shandong province, and I've barely even met him a few times. How can I sideline him?
Not only did local Shandong officials think this way, but even the Censorate thought so.

Therefore, the imperial court chose to send the eccentric Wang Chang to the capital to report on his duties, rather than dispatching an imperial censor to Shandong for inspection. Privately, the powerful figures had even already chosen the next governor of Shandong.

Bian Xian, the former governor of Shandong, was arrested and brought back to the capital because He Jian, the then Minister of War, was pandering to Li Dongyang and wanted to severely punish officials who had failed in their duties in resisting the Bazhou rebels.

Now that He Jian has retired and severed all ties, it's time for Bian Xian to rise again from his fallen state in Shandong.

Wang Chang arrived in the capital two days ago.

Then in the evening, he ate wontons at Pei Yuanxin's house with Li Shishi, who was interrogating him.

Wang Chang's explanation to the court was that because he had previously curried favor with Liu Jin, officials throughout Shandong were unwilling to associate with him.

Although Wang Chang's words were frank and somewhat harsh, they did convince many people.

If that's the reason, then the mentality of those Shandong local officials is not hard to guess.

However, when Liu Jin was powerful, apart from Wang Qiong, who was kicked out, who never flattered or curried favor, the others didn't seem to perform very well.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent two copies of the memorial, one to the Ministry of Justice and the other to Liu Jin's home.

In particular, Lu Wan, one of Liu Jin's remnants, has already been promoted based on his military achievements.

After the previous grand commendation, Yang Yiqing hastily concluded the Beijing inspection, effectively glossed over the matter and relegated it to the sidelines, making it a historical issue.

Playing the card of Liu Jin's remnants again will not only bring no benefit, but will also easily provoke Lu Wan for no reason.

So the bigwigs had no choice but to put the matter aside and wait for things to change.

Li Shishi's attitude towards Wang Chang was completely neutral.

After all, he already knew that this was Pei Yuan's man.

Even if Ning Fan used Wang Chang, it should have gone through Pei Yuan's hands. Otherwise, if Pei Yuan were angered, it might bring Ning Fan an unpredictable and powerful enemy.

Bi Zhen was a little nervous, and he quickly asked, "How serious is it?"

He made a lot of money in Shandong, so he can't be ungrateful at a critical moment.

Pei Yuan didn't mince words and said directly, "It's a very important matter, otherwise I wouldn't have sent you to the capital to hide."

Bi Zhen's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to ask which aspect it was and see if he could save a few, he heard Pei Yuan ask, "Have Cheng Leixiang and the people from the Tianjin Three Guards left Shandong?"

Hearing this topic, Bi Zhen felt much happier. "They escorted the people from the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review out of Shandong."

Then, he chuckled and said, "The conclusion reached by the three departments is that Zhang Yong's death was orchestrated by Instructor Luo."

"When I entered the capital, I saw them in Hexiwu."

"These guys don't know that the Luo Sect is already in the Emperor's hands. When they enter the capital, they might be thrown into prison."

Pei Yuan shook his head, "It's hard to say. Their memorial was sent to the Ministry of Justice, but His Majesty withheld it. His Majesty didn't punish such a big oversight, so there must be another explanation."

Bi Zhen was somewhat taken aback and blurted out, "It was Zhang Yong who died."

Pei Yuan smiled faintly, "You said it yourself, that was the 'dead' Zhang Yong. His Majesty is a heartless man by nature. Once the anger above has subsided, he will inevitably choose to reap the greatest benefits."

"Getting past the three judicial departments might not be easy."

After listening, Bi Zhen felt somewhat lost.

He was a palace official, and a man of great loyalty and affection.

He was naturally aware of the relationship between Zhang Yong and Zhu Houzhao.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Zhang Yong watched Zhu Houzhao grow up.

Now, surprisingly...

Lost in thought for a moment, Bi Zhen remembered his benefactor, Liu Jin.

Yes, even Liu Jin, who strongly promoted the new policies, could be executed by being cut into a thousand pieces, let alone Zhang Yong, who is already dead.

Pei Yuan's words interrupted Bi Zhen's thoughts, and he asked, "A few days ago, Cheng Leixiang wrote to me saying that a message is circulating all over Shandong."

Bi Zhen interjected, "Could it be that Commander Qianhu is referring to Zheng Wang's seditious words?"

Pei Yuan looked quite pleased. "So, even you've heard about it?"

Bi Zhen said, "Zheng Wang's seditious rumors were already circulating during the Hongzhi era, and many people in the capital had heard them. He said that the current emperor was not the Empress Dowager's biological son, but a son adopted from other palace maids."

"This matter caused quite a stir, even alarming the Hongzhi Emperor."

"It's strange, though, that the Hongzhi Emperor didn't punish Zheng Wang."

Bi Zhen paused here, then reminded him, "Commander, don't forget how the current Hongzhi Emperor came to be. He was given to the Chenghua Emperor by a eunuch without any explanation. Logically speaking, this matter should be very sensitive, a sore spot for the Hongzhi Emperor..."

As Bi Zhen spoke, he looked at Pei Yuan's expression.

Pei Yuan had intercepted the signal Bi Zhen gave him, and the old eunuch thought it might be true.

Emperor Hongzhi himself had some flaws in his birth, so how could he allow his descendants to also have such a controversial background?
Zheng Wang should have been executed by being cut into a thousand pieces.

Moreover, who was the Hongzhi Emperor? He was a man who dared not utter a sound even when Empress Dowager Zhang beat and imprisoned court officials, and when the Zhang brothers secretly wore the crown and raped palace maids.

Li Mengyang was nearly imprisoned and beaten to death by Empress Dowager Zhang for merely imprisoning the Marquis of Shouning. Zheng Wang's seditious words had directly shaken her foundation, yet he survived.

The fact that Emperor Hongzhi was able to protect Zheng Wang from death despite Empress Dowager Zhang's power suggests there must be something fishy going on.

Was it because Empress Zhang was magnanimous and didn't hold a grudge?

No.

No sooner had the Hongzhi Emperor died than Zheng Wang was hastily executed by Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Houzhao.

Whether Zheng Wang's words were true or not has become an undeniable secret.

Pei Yuan cared little for anything else but Shandong, so he pressed on, "And in Shandong, have the rumors caused any trouble?"

Bi Zhen said, "The common people are quite interested, but it's just something to do after meals. Officials and gentry know what's important; they hear it, but no one dares to discuss it openly."

"In addition, the Crown Prince of De made arrangements with various localities, and the officials were unwilling to have rumors about the emperor circulating within their territories, so they naturally worked together to suppress the matter."

Pei Yuan's eyes lit up as if he had spotted prey, and then he casually asked, "How did the Crown Prince of De get involved in this matter?"

(End of this chapter)