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

Chapter 632 Faintly Familiar
Pei Yuan went to Xiao Ying's house the day before yesterday, and then went to Xiao Chong's house to persuade him, but he was not stopped by Commander Han on both occasions.

This inevitably made Pei Yuan, while feeling smug, also stir up thoughts of restlessness.

Pei Yuan wasn't quite sure whether Han Qianhu was genuinely wary of their new house or if he was just trying to scare him.

But I reckon that even if Commander Han has a bad temper, he should have calmed down by now.

All I did was put my arm around her legs and stroke her feet.

It's been several days now...

As Pei Yuan thought about it, his mood gradually became more optimistic.

Seeing that it was getting late, Pei Yuan muttered to himself, "I wonder how serious Zhang Rui's condition is."

If Chen Xinjian were here, he would surely suggest that we go and inquire with Commander Song, who is in charge of punishment.

Unfortunately, Xiao Tong and Lu Yong weren't quite so quick-witted, so Pei Yuan could only suggest, "Let's go find Commander Song for a late-night chat by candlelight tonight."

The two underlings then realized what was happening and quickly called their guards to follow Pei Yuan to Song Qianhu's residence in Mingzhao Ward.

Because it was the beginning of the month, there was only a thin crescent moon in the sky. The group walked carefully on the road, and when they arrived at their destination, Song Qianhu's house was already locked up tight.

Pei Yuan personally went up to knock on the door. The doorman asked impatiently, and when he learned that it was Pei Qianhu, whom his master often mentioned, he hurriedly went to report to Song Chunniang.

After a while, the door latch clicked and the door opened a crack.

Song Chunniang stared at Pei Yuan warily, as if he were a thief. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Tsk." Pei Yuan said to her with some dissatisfaction, "Can't I come?"

After thinking for a moment, Song Chunniang reluctantly pushed the door open a little wider.

Pei Yuan naturally squeezed past Song Chunniang without any hesitation.

After Pei Yuan went inside, Song Chunniang noticed the guards behind him.

These people were all familiar with Song Chunniang, and they all smiled ingratiatingly at their former leader.

Song Chunniang's expression softened somewhat, and she asked them, "Have you all eaten dinner?"

Xiao Tong and Lu Yong were newcomers, and a personal guard named Qu Chen answered, "We came after we finished eating."

After finishing speaking, he secretly added, "When the commander arrived, he said he was going to spend the night here."

After hearing this, Song Chunniang couldn't help but roll her eyes, and then said to the group, "Then I'll have someone arrange accommodations for you."

The guards quickly thanked their leader.

Xiao Tong and Lu Yong echoed the others, subtly trying to make their presence known among the elderly.

As the group entered, they saw a steward and some servants waiting to the side.

Song Chunniang then gave a few instructions, telling the steward to prepare the guest rooms for them properly.

Encouraged by the others, Qu Chen came out again to ask if he could have a couple of drinks since he was free tonight.

As she said this, she glanced at Pei Yuan beside her.

Pei Yuan pretended not to hear, and Song Chunniang, without hesitation, smiled and told the servants to send them some wine.

After giving her instructions, Song Chunniang glanced at Pei Yuan and then headed towards the back of the house.

Pei Yuan immediately followed.

Song Chunniang asked with some disdain, "Is there anything that can't be said tomorrow?"

Pei Yuan casually continued the conversation, "I heard Zhang Rui got into trouble, what's the situation now?"

Upon hearing this, Song Chunniang replied, "What could be the situation? It's not a big deal."

“Copper plates are prone to rust, especially since they’ve been sitting in the Ministry of Revenue for decades. It’s normal for them to break down.”

Pei Yuan, recalling what he had learned, asked again, "But the people from the Ministry of Revenue said that the copper plate was intact when it was first given to Zhang Rui. How come it became rusty and pitted the very next day?"

"That's why the emperor was angry."

Song Chunniang laughed and said, "If the Ministry of Revenue has such great ability to keep copper plates that have been stored for decades intact, then why are there so many copper coins reported as rusted and damaged every year?"

"Those copper coins that were reported damaged and recast couldn't have been sitting there for decades, could they?"

"Tomorrow I'll ask those people in the Ministry of Revenue how they preserved the copper plates, and how they dare to say they're completely free of rust. I dare to ask, but I don't know if they dare to answer."

"In my opinion, it was the person who kept the copper plates who wanted to shirk responsibility, which is why he framed Zhang Rui, the eunuch."

Pei Yuan never expected that Song Chunniang would be so quick-witted when she tried to argue.

The Western Depot is a place that can really train people.

After hearing Pei Yuan's evaluation, Song Chunniang was very disdainful of it. "Anyone who travels the world can tell you all about the shady dealings of officials. We common folk just don't get any attention when we speak up, but we're not stupid."

"They themselves are not clean, so what right do they have to arrest my friend?"

Pei Yuan was relieved to see that Song Chunniang's attack strategy was very clear. As long as the Ministry of Revenue was silenced, Zhang Rui should be able to get through this.

If Commander Song is so loyal, then Zhang Rui, if he has any conscience at all, should be grateful.

In this way, Pei Yuan wouldn't need to interfere unnecessarily.

In this way, after Zhang Rui is cleared of suspicion, he can still attribute all the goodwill to Song Chunniang.

Pei Yuan was relieved of a worry, and his mind began to wander again.

Seeing Song Chunniang walking beside him, he couldn't help but reach out and pat her buttocks, laughing as he said, "Your buttocks are crooked enough, Commander of the Executions. You dare to speak up for him in such a big matter."

Song Chunniang chuckled.

Zhang Rui and she have a good relationship, so this is probably him returning the favor.

Seeing that Pei Yuan's lewd hand had not been withdrawn, Song Chunniang recalled the days when she was with Pei Yuan, and couldn't help but feel restless.

By this time, the two had entered the inner courtyard. Song Chunniang pushed Pei Yuan's hand away and asked, "Don't you have anywhere to go tonight?"

Pei Yuan also wanted to share his progress with Commander Han with Song Chunniang, so he sighed and said, "Commander Han blocked my door a few days ago, and I've been avoiding him ever since."

Surprisingly, Song Chunniang didn't press the matter. Instead, she pushed open the door to the nearest side room and said to Pei Yuan, "We didn't prepare a guest room for you, so you can make do here for the night."

Pei Yuan peeked inside.

Perhaps the noise from the wooden door startled the people inside, because a woman's voice asked nervously, "Who's outside?"

Pei Yuan glanced at Song Chunniang with surprise.

Song Chunniang shrugged and said, "This is my back courtyard. There's no place for you to stay. You'll have to squeeze in with the maids."

Despite saying that, she didn't mention letting Pei Yuan stay in the outer room.

The woman inside also heard Song Chunniang's voice and immediately fell silent.

Pei Yuan came this time to rekindle his old flame with Song Chunniang, so he naturally had no interest in that maid.

When he was about to bring it up, he saw the watery eyes of Song Chunniang, brimming with charm, and knew there was no need to say anything more.

Pei Yuan then entered the room.

The maid who had been sleeping in the room got up and bowed to Pei Yuan in a somewhat flustered manner.

Pei Yuan smiled and patted her face. "You don't need to serve me. Go back to sleep."

The maid thought Pei Yuan had feelings for her, so she could only hesitate and panic as she undressed and went to bed again.

Pei Yuan took off his clothes and crawled into the warm quilt.

Meanwhile, Song Chunniang returned to her room.

Zhang Yunjun, who was forcing herself to stay alert while waiting for her, immediately asked what was wrong.

When Pei Yuan arrived, the two had just fallen asleep from exhaustion when Song Chunniang was woken up, and Zhang Yunjun also stayed up a little longer.

Song Chunniang casually lied, saying that there was an urgent case, but she had transferred it to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Song Chunniang got into bed, and Zhang Xiaomeiren, still half asleep, immediately clung to her. The two of them snuggled together and slowly fell asleep.

Once Zhang Yunjun was fast asleep, her breathing gradually became even.

Song Chunniang slowly opened her eyes, gently pushed aside Zhang Xiaomei's fair and tender arm, and tiptoed to her feet.

She didn't wear an outer robe, only her inner garment, and went out of the room towards the wing where Pei Yuan was.

Once inside, she reached the bed and snuggled passionately into Pei Yuan's arms.

Given their relationship, there's no need for any unnecessary words.

Ignoring the maid who was pretending to be asleep, they tangled up in a messy mess.

The two were pressed tightly together, and Pei Yuan felt all his senses exploding in his mind, wishing he could crush the woman beneath him.

The accumulation of these past few days has transformed into tremendous motivation.

They jostled each other to roll onto the other, then kissed eagerly. Thanks to their pre-existing understanding, though the kiss seemed rushed, it was harmonious and pleasurable.

This time, the two struggled for a long time before Pei Yuan finally collapsed weakly onto Song Chunniang.

After a while, Song Chunniang patted Pei Yuan's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "I have to go."

Pei Yuan clung to him, reluctant to let go, and said, "How about I hold you while we sleep tonight?"

Song Chunniang rolled her eyes. "How can I be compared to you?"

As he spoke, he exerted force, trying to flip Pei Yuan over.

Pei Yuan shamelessly pressed down on Song Chunniang with his weight, squeezing her elastic body until Song Chunniang started pinching him with her fingernails. Only then did Pei Yuan reluctantly let her go.

Song Chunniang gave it a hard jerk, and this time Pei Yuan wisely moved his body.

After getting rid of Pei Yuan, Song Chunniang was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, she rolled over and lay on top of Pei Yuan, pressing her cheek against his chest.

Pei Yuan listened to Song Chunniang's soft, lingering breaths and looked at her hair, damp with sweat and clinging to her cheeks, and hugged her even tighter.

After resting for a while, Song Chunniang got up and left.

Pei Yuan watched Song Chunniang's retreating figure, feeling a strange sense of familiarity with her slightly disheveled yet alluring appearance. Pei Yuan was already feeling sleepy, so he casually pulled the maid over and embraced her, falling into a deep sleep.

In the early morning, just as dawn was breaking, Pei Yuan heard someone knocking on the door.

Pei Yuan woke up groggily.

After listening for a couple of sentences, I realized that it was Song Chunniang who was chasing people away.

Pei Yuan sat up in bed, somewhat bewildered. Song Chunniang, already dressed, peeked out and said irritably, "You don't need to sit in court, but I do. Get up quickly, I have to compete with the Ministry of Revenue today."

Pei Yuan asked, somewhat puzzled, "If you want to hold court, you can go by yourself. Why did you call me?"

Song Chunniang said ruthlessly, showing no mercy, "I'm afraid you'll cheat on me with someone in my house."

Pei Yuan was speechless. So you think you're the only one who can steal?

Fortunately, Pei Yuan knew that Tiezi's task today was not easy, and he did not intend to hold her back.

When Pei Yuan entrusted Jiao Yan'er to Tie Zi, Tie Zi was able to resist the urge to steal from the house, so it wouldn't be right for him to act dishonestly.

Pei Yuan immediately got up dejectedly and hastily put on his clothes.

Pei Yuan was kicked out of the inner quarters, which also affected his underlings who were hungover from the previous night, who were also bewildered and kicked out onto the street.

—What's going on here?

—Did Chito perform poorly last night?
—That good-for-nothing!
Seeing his underlings looking at him with resentment, Pei Yuan had no choice but to lead them back to his residence in Chengqingfang, looking dejected and exhausted.

Seeing that his underlings were all dazed and looked like they were suffering from a hangover, Pei Yuan took the initiative to say, "Let's go back and rest today, we won't go anywhere else."

Pei Yuan was also extremely tired, so he went to bed and fell asleep on his own.

He had only slept for a short while when Yun Buxian woke him up again, trembling with fear, asking about today's exchange rate for the precious paper money.

Pei Yuan, unable to vent his anger, decided to unleash his fury.

"Let's raise the price of the precious paper to fifteen strings of cash today!"

After finishing speaking, Xiang Yunbuxian, still a little worried about taking too big a step, added, "It still comes down to the same thing: we need to spend as little money as possible while maintaining liquidity to support the valuation."

Yun Buxian groaned inwardly at the "wanting both" request, but fortunately he was quick-witted and thought to himself, "Huo Tao and Tian Fu have always been regarded as the chief strategists by the commander, and they are people the commander has relied on in the past. I might as well go and ask them for advice."

After Yun Buxian left, Pei Yuan didn't care about anything else and went straight to bed and fell asleep.

Perhaps because he had to change locations halfway through his sleep, Pei Yuan still felt extremely tired when he woke up at noon.

Fortunately, after regaining consciousness, he remembered the importance of today, quickly got out of bed, and called people in to inquire about information from all sides.

Today, the person in charge of receiving intelligence from various sources on Pei Yuan's behalf is Cen Meng, Pei Yuan's trusted lieutenant.

Although he lacked the ability to make quick decisions, he was quite diligent in his work and memorized all the intelligence from various sources.

Pei Yuan's first information was related to Zhao Zige.

Early this morning, Zhu Houzhao, as usual, went to the Yongshou Earl's residence to lead his men in training.

When the darkness before dawn dissipated, the emperor and the four outer armies arrived at the training ground and saw Ming Dynasty banknotes scattered all over the ground.

Zhu Houzhao was initially laughing heartily, happy to have gained a sum of money for free.

When he discovered that none of the four outer armies were laughing, but instead all looked indifferent, he realized that something was amiss.

He was still confused, so he immediately ordered his men to put away the paper money and announced to the public that it would be given to everyone after the training was completed.

However, the reaction from the four outer armies remained indifferent.

This is understandable, given that these people's views are still stuck in the rumors deliberately spread yesterday. They believe that Zhu Houzhao's massive printing of money caused the value of paper money to plummet to the point where it takes tens of strings of cash to exchange for one coin.

If that's really the case, even if all that money were used for rewards, with so many people here, it would only amount to a few cents.
The soldiers reacted indifferently, and their attempts to collect the banknotes were unsuccessful.

Apart from some scattered banknotes on the surface, the remaining banknotes were firmly glued to the ground with paste.

Even if the paste underneath some of the precious notes hadn't completely dried, after being untied, they would stick together with the other precious notes, forming a clump.

Zhu Houzhao was somewhat disappointed. Seeing that the paper money was no longer usable, he simply ignored the matter and continued to train his troops.

However, during the training of his troops, seeing the Ming Dynasty banknotes being carelessly trampled and destroyed, Zhu Houzhao's mood inexplicably soured.

Although Zhu Houzhao had already decided to completely abandon paper money, seeing others regard it with even less respect than he did still made him slightly unhappy.

When the Jinyiwei spies he had planted in the four outer armies mentioned the rumors that had surfaced the previous night, Zhu Houzhao suddenly realized something he had overlooked.

The biggest victims of restarting the printing of paper money were undoubtedly the martial arts masters from various regions who held the most paper money.

Those guys are far away in the border regions, where it's inconvenient to exchange currency, and they haven't benefited from the rise in the value of the currency. But if the final result is a fall, then any factor in the process will make them resentful.

Even if the precious paper money is going to rot, it can't rot in your own hands, otherwise you'll have to blame yourself.

After this reminder, Zhu Houzhao lost interest in continuing the drills. He left a squad of flag bearers to clean up the paper money stuck to the ground, while he returned to the palace dejectedly.

After understanding the situation, Pei Yuan felt that he had a good chance of persuading Zhu Houzhao to completely abandon the plan to print paper money.

Cen Meng then went on to talk about Zhang Rui's case.

Today, when the Ministry of Revenue opened its offices, Song Chunniang went there to confront the officials and give her testimony.

When the officials from the Ministry of Revenue arrived and heard Song Chunniang ask, "Why are copper plates that have been unused for decades still intact, while many copper coins that have been stored for less than a year are damaged and rusted, and need to be scrapped and recast?" their expressions changed.

Song Chunniang then requested to inspect the warehouse where the copper plates and coins were stored, and to check how many copper coins had rusted up to this month. As a result, the official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue left without saying a word after hearing this.

However, a moment later, the one who came out to confront Song Chunniang was replaced by Sun Jiao, the Minister of Revenue.

Minister of Revenue Sun Jiao, with the composure of an experienced finance and tax official, directly told Song Chunniang that the matter had been investigated and found to be false. It was the warehouse clerks who kept the copper plates who lied about the plates being unharmed in order to evade responsibility. The Ministry of Revenue would surely report to the Emperor later to set the record straight.

As for other presumed controversies, there is no need to discuss them at all; the Ministry of Revenue's allocation of funds to the Western Depot has never been ambiguous.

Song Chunniang knew when to stop and didn't hold a grudge.

On his way back to the palace, Zhu Houzhao learned that the Ministry of Revenue's self-disclosure was due to officials fabricating lies to avoid responsibility and hoping to get away with it.

The copper plate had been preserved for decades and was long since corroded and unusable.

Enraged, Zhu Houzhao ordered those officials to be severely punished.

They then immediately released Zhang Rui, who had been cleared of suspicion.

Another piece of news is related to the paper money.

Throughout the morning, the price of the paper money fluctuated wildly, with no discernible pattern.

All sorts of rumors are spreading, without any regard for their veracity.

Some people did notice that the "Quan" brand's purchase price for banknotes had reached "fifteen strings of cash for one coin".

Such a phenomenon of raising prices against the trend is extremely rare, and it is precisely because it is rare that it has attracted a great deal of attention.

Some observant people, after observing for a long time, suddenly had a brilliant idea. They bought some banknotes from banks that were eager to clear out their stock at a lower price and resold them to banks with the "Quan" designation.

As a result, Quanzi Restaurant accepted all orders and bought them all at the price of "fifteen strings of cash for one coin".

Although there are only thirteen "Quan" brand money shops at present, and the window processing of exchange is relatively slow, many people have personally witnessed that "Quan" brand money shops have continuously accepted many large-amount sell orders, and after accepting so many sell orders of precious paper money, "Quan" brand money shops have remained steadfast in their acceptance.

The price remained unchanged at "fifteen strings of cash for one coin".

Some people who couldn't get a turn to trade gradually calmed down after seeing this happen so often.

Pei Yuan felt somewhat worried after hearing Cen Meng's explanation of the precious paper money.

He wasn't worried about a run on the bank that might impact the Quan brand; what he was worried about was that if the Quan brand became the sole player in the market, it could turn the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes into a stagnant pool.

How can we ensure that the banknotes remain in the hands of more people and circulate within a limited scope?

Pei Yuan thought for a long time, but couldn't come up with a good solution.

The positive effects of the re-issuance of the Baochao have already been realized, and there is nothing in the short term that can further stimulate the valuation of the Baochao.

Unless a "single-whip law" is introduced now, it will be difficult to get more people to invest real money.

However, the conditions for implementing the "Single Whip Law" are not yet ripe.

Top-down reforms, without bottom-up support, will only become empty talk.

Pei Yuan has not yet achieved effective control over Shandong. Without a territory to quickly and effectively verify the new laws, they could easily become a politically correct law that everyone condemns, amidst an atmosphere of wavering at the top and skepticism at the bottom.

This is just like the "Liu Jin New Deal" back then. When Liu Jin was condemned as utterly wicked and worthless, no one dared to say that the new deal was wrong.

Despite this, Liu Jin's reforms, which failed to be implemented, still became a symbol of bad governance.

Pei Yuan pondered for a long time but could not find a solution.

Just then, someone reported that Yun Buxian had returned from inspecting the various banks and, upon hearing that the commander had woken up, had specially requested an audience.

Pei Yuan summoned Yun Buxian and asked him directly, "How much silver was spent at the various banks this morning?"

Yun Buxian had come for this very reason, and he quickly said, "Thirteen money shops have spent a total of more than three thousand taels of silver."

Pei Yuan was taken aback. "How can there be so little?"

Even though the value of the precious paper money is very low now, its liquidity is very high. Once the trading volume picks up, it will consume silver very quickly.

Moreover, the current market is almost entirely driven by the buying of banknotes, with the amount of banknotes being sold being negligible.

Yun Buxian quickly replied, "I received instructions from the commander, but I didn't have a good solution at the moment. I thought that Huo Tao and Tian Fu were the commander's right-hand men and strategists, so I went to consult them early this morning."

"Huo Tao passed the examination and became a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy. Tian Fu happened to be observing politics at the Ministry of War, so I went to consult him."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan first nodded in approval, then reflected on his own actions.

Huo Tao and Tian Fu were two outstanding individuals whom he had painstakingly managed to acquire.

When Pei Yuan tested these two, he was very impressed by their resourcefulness and cunning. The battle of wits they had during the test was also very rewarding for Pei Yuan.

Now we've overlooked the help these two people provided.

Pei Yuan gestured, "Tell me about it."

(End of this chapter)