Ink Burns

Chapter 286 Recalculation
As long as someone is willing to pay, the Ministry of Revenue doesn't care who pays.

Especially in this situation, what other options did Lord Ai have besides silently accepting the enormous wealth that the emperor forced upon him?

whee.

Lord Ai lowered his head and remained silent.

The other officials dared not utter a word: in this situation, who would dare to speak? Emperor Yongping, who had received the imperial edict of succession, was like a war god wielding a sword that could slay gods; wherever he pointed, nothing would grow, and wherever he went, all living beings would bow down.

Who would dare to provoke trouble at this time?
Besides, we only want Jing'an's money, not his life!
Money is just an external thing.

Other people's money is just an external thing.

"Ministry of Revenue, please calculate the total amount of silver." After a brief silence, Emperor Yongping asked.

Without hesitation, Lord Ai immediately replied, "Based on the market prices of grain, cloth, and medicine, it's about 300,000 taels of silver."

The current head of the Imperial Clan Court is Prince Kangning.

Prince Kangning lowered his eyes and mentally calculated: Princess Jing'an had managed her family property for many years, and the assets she had reported to the Imperial Clan Court, including land deeds, shops, estates, etc., were roughly equivalent to nearly 300,000 taels of silver.

The emperor has clearly calculated this! He's trying to force Jing'an to invest his entire fortune!
However, this is only what's on the surface, just the tip of the iceberg. There's much more hidden beneath the surface!

The Grand Princess might not be unwilling to pay for peace and quiet, especially since the money was going to Marquis Wuding, her own in-law!
With the money being transferred from one hand to the other, it remains a mystery who ends up with it!

Based on Prince Kangning's understanding of his cousin, he thought that if he could pay money and retire peacefully, she might agree.

Prince Kangning's eyelids twitched, and he glanced at Emperor Yongping on the dragon throne out of the corner of his eye: This cousin was quite shrewd and subtle, precisely hitting the line between what Jing'an could accept and what she could not tolerate. A little more and Jing'an might go mad; a little less and she wouldn't be hurt. Now, he had vented his anger, and the degree of his actions was perfectly controlled. Before, he thought this cousin was a foolish ruler whom Empress Ji had desperately supported; now, he was clearly a cunning and patient Zhou Yu.

From now on, the good days of imperial power being absolute, the imperial family rising up, and suppressing the powerful families are just around the corner!

Prince Kangning couldn't help but feel a little regretful: If his Ningniang had been able to take down Xue Xiao in one fell swoop back then, what would he have been worried about!

Emperor Yongping nodded slightly, then raised his eyes. Behind the crown bead, his gaze was sharp, like shards of glass scraping against silk, cold and resilient. He made a decisive statement: "Since all my beloved ministers have no objections, then proceed as planned. Military affairs are of utmost importance. Purchasing supplies is not feasible. It would be better to convert military funds into silver for direct shipment to Shanhaiguan."

They gave him the silver directly.
This is even more convenient for Princess Jing'an!

No need to buy anything!
They just transported the silver all the way back!

Prince Kangning added in his mind: The Emperor's actions are merely to embarrass Jing'an! He doesn't even intend to truly plunder Jing'an's wealth! The Emperor is benevolent! If Jing'an doesn't comply, as a relative of Jing'an's generation, he wouldn't mind personally going to her door to argue with his cousin!

Emperor Yongping then said, "As the emperor of the land and the head of the Xu family, I should set an example. I will take 30,000 taels of silver from my private treasury to provide relief to the frontier, and the remaining silver will be distributed by the Imperial Clan Court under the command of Prince Kangning."

Emperor Yongping's forearm trembled slightly, and the bright yellow five-clawed golden dragon in the cloud sleeves danced as the emperor withdrew from court.

Once the matter was discussed, it was put into practice.

The news reached the Grand Princess's residence just past noon.

Yuan Wenying, a genuine Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the second rank, personally delivered the message. In just a few words, he succinctly revealed the intricacies of court politics. He observed that Princess Jing'an wore a headscarf over her forehead and a dark otter fur cloak. Her face was deathly pale, with tired, bluish-purple bruises under her eyes. Upon closer inspection, clusters of red veins lay like coiled dragons sucking blood from her eyelids. Upon finishing speaking, a surge of furious anger immediately rose on Princess Jing'an's pale face.

Yuan Wenying hurriedly said, "Calm down, please calm down! The grain and provisions being exchanged for silver, shipping, and the Marquis of Wuding are just a smokescreen for you! Once we leave the capital, we can find a way to bring them back to you! The emperor's actions are twofold: first, to thwart the Northern Frontier Army's desire for money, and second, to force you to submit! Just hold your breath and submit! Su Wu whipped his sheep, Goujian endured hardship and humiliation. Those who can do it do what others cannot!"

Just then, He Qingshu, dressed casually, placed the medicine bowl beside Jing'an with both hands and gently reminded him, "Your Highness, it's time to take your medicine."

Jing'an frowned, picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp. The female official beside him bowed down and gently wiped the corner of Jing'an's lips with a delicate, feather-like silk handkerchief.

A deep ochre hue was faintly visible on the milky white silk.

Did he vomit blood?!
Yuan Wenying was shocked: Had Jing'an's illness become this serious?!

Yuan Wenying's expression inexplicably calmed Jing'an's anger, and he laughed instead: "Don't worry, it's not my blood—Cui Bainian said that the Tatar nobles outside the pass have a habit of drinking children's blood all year round, so Qingshu helped me find some three- or four-year-old children to bleed for medicine."

Yuan Wenying felt nauseous, as if his throat was crawling with tiny, disgusting insects, making him so itchy that he couldn't help but want to vomit.

Seeing that there was still some left in the bowl, He Qingshu coaxed Jing'an to drink it, then stuffed a pickled apricot into Jing'an's mouth before lowering his head to clean up the dishes.

Yuan Wenying swallowed the nausea rising in her throat and said perfunctorily, "If Your Highness can get better, we can try any folk remedy."

He was a proper scholar with a good family background. Apart from his clan being suppressed by the founding emperor and his family falling into decline, he was not a bad person! He also studied classical Chinese and recited the Confucian classics!
Yuan Wenying, unwilling to dwell on the "virgin blood" issue, turned away from the silk handkerchief and continued to analyze the pros and cons for Jing'an: "The emperor has already made his statement in court, and now that he holds the imperial edict of succession, he can easily bring up your past grievances. It doesn't seem like the emperor is going to relentlessly pursue you or us! Let's give up our wealth to avoid disaster!"

"The Northern Frontier Army is outside, and external water cannot quench immediate thirst. The Western Mountain Camp has already been taken over by the Xue family. If we want to force the emperor to abdicate, there is no need to rush. Your manor in the Northeast is registered under Princess Suiyuan, the land and silver of the merchants in Jiangnan are registered under the name of Young Master Mingbo, and several farmlands in the suburbs of the capital are also under Lord He's name—these are the ones that cannot be taken away."

These words couldn't persuade Jing'an Xia Duzhuang, who had been stubborn his whole life.

Yuan Wenying knew.

“Princess Suiyuan’s due date is next month. Are you willing to watch her go through the ordeal, and are you still worried about your power struggle with the emperor?” Yuan Wenying asked again.

This finally worked.

Jing'an, his face ashen, finally nodded.

Yuan Wenying breathed a long sigh of relief.

This month, he should take the antidote for "Qianji Yin".

These past few days, he has often felt tightness in his chest, which he thinks is because the time for his unborn child is approaching and the poison is stirring.

Yuan Wenying opened his mouth to accept: After taking this antidote, he could live peacefully for another three years. By then, would "Qingfeng" still be around? Whether Jing'an would live or die was still unknown. If the emperor truly cared, three years would be enough for the Imperial Hospital to devise an antidote!
Before he could speak, Jing'an coughed three times and said, "The antidote... I won't give it to you this month. I've asked around, and taking it a month later won't cause any major problems. Right now, the winds and waves are strong, and we need to work together and not be distracted."

Jing'an seemed to have guessed his thoughts!
Did Jing'an know about his secret meeting with the emperor at Linde Hall?
Did you guess that he wanted to trick people into giving him the antidote so he could become a fence-sitter and run away?
Yuan Wenying stood there, stunned. She opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time!
******
Within three days, Jing'an handed over 150,000 taels of silver to the Prince of Kangning, the Imperial Clan Commander. On the fourth day, a ship carrying 180,000 taels of silver entered the water at Qiushui Ferry and sailed northward.

The eighth day.

As the gates of the capital city opened, a disheveled man, barely clothed, rushed into the city, crying out, "Oh no! Oh no! The military funds have been stolen!!"