Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

The accountant quickly confirmed that the banknotes were genuine.

"Who would want to create trouble for themselves if it's convenient?"

Steward Deng laughed.

"Brother Ximen, if you were to travel south from the capital with tens of thousands of taels of silver, you would have to use carts and boats to carry it all the way. It would be much more convenient to carry banknotes."

Next time you come to make purchases, you can also pay directly with Yu Feng Bank's bank drafts.

. . .

afternoon.

"Brother Deng, is this person's name fake?"

Watching Yan Shifan's men leave with a cartload of glass mirrors, the warehouse manager sidled up to Manager Deng.

"This man is literate, and his attendants are of good quality. They don't seem like merchants at all; they look more like people from official families."

Even if such a person hasn't read the Water Margin storybook, they must have at least heard the storyteller tell it.

How could anyone be named "Ximen Qing"?

Even if his real surname is Ximen, he should still have a different given name.

"It is common for sons of officials to secretly engage in business under pseudonyms."

However, calling someone "Ximen Qing" is indeed strange; it might be his real name.

Manager Deng smiled and said,

"If we had just arrived in Ningbo, we would have needed to investigate the background of such an unknown buyer."

But what is the situation now?

Your Highness has already entered the capital to assist the Crown Prince in overseeing the country, and is the de facto Prince Regent.

Who else in the world has the ability to cause trouble for the "Lin family"?

As long as the banknotes this person brings aren't fake, why not do business with them?

. . .

Siming Post Station.

"Young Master, are we really leaving like this?"

Mo Shu walked to Yan Shifan's side.

"Aren't you going to meet that Mrs. Lin?"

"I already know who is behind the Lin family."

Yan Shifan waved his hand.

"My judgment before leaving Beijing was absolutely wrong!"

Now is not a good time to see Madam Lin.

"Have everyone pack their bags; we're leaving for Beijing first thing tomorrow morning!"

. . .

A month later.

In the capital, at Dengshikou, in the study of the Yan family mansion.

"Father, that old scoundrel Xia Yan is finished!"

Yan Shifan's tone was clearly very agitated.

"This time, simply being dismissed won't be enough to escape unscathed; I'm afraid even his life might not be spared!"

"What do you mean?"

Yan Song was also taken aback by Yan Shifan's words.

"Since the abolition of the prime minister during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, only Xie Jin has died an unnatural death as the chief minister. Even if all the cabinet ministers are included, there are only Xie Jin and Wang Wen."

Xia Yan is, after all, the Grand Secretary. Even if he is guilty, at most he will be dismissed from his post; why would his life be in danger?

"Xia Yan deliberately set a trap for Chen Chen back then, and successfully eliminated his rival, thus becoming the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites. From then on, he rose steadily through the ranks until he became the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet."

Yan Shifan burst into laughter.

"But he never expected that Chen Chen's second son, who had been exiled to the army, would not only survive dozens of battles against the Mongols, but also accumulate merits and be promoted to a sentry officer, and that we would find him."

Chen Yunniang, the daughter who was forced into prostitution, experienced an unimaginable ordeal.

This trip to Ningbo finally made my son understand something.

Why was His Highness Prince Ying not very attentive to the selection of his consorts, ultimately choosing only the two oldest candidates?

"Donglou, wasn't our trip to Ningbo Prefecture to find Chen Yunniang and tell her not to act rashly, but to join us when the time is right?"

Yan Song looked puzzled.

"Why are we suddenly bringing up the matter of His Highness Prince Ying choosing a consort again?"

"My son did not meet with Chen Yunniang this time. After discovering her true identity, he immediately returned to the capital."

Yan Shifan picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"Because our judgment was wrong from the very beginning!"

Chen Yunniang probably didn't know the truth of what happened back then; she simply sent people to find her two brothers who had been exiled to the Nine Border Garrisons.

She did not go to Dongchang Prefecture to see Chen Rubai in person. It involved the secrets of the Grand Secretary, and Chen Rubai would not have asked a maid to relay the message.

Similarly, Chen Rubai also didn't know her true identity.

Because her identity also needs to be kept secret.

If it weren't for a stroke of luck, I might not have discovered this woman's true identity.

Who would have thought that the one who redeemed Chen Yunniang from her servitude and took her as a concubine was actually His Highness Prince Ying, who had not yet been recognized by his ancestors!

Moreover, she is very likely the woman His Highness values ​​most!

"How is that possible?"

Yan Song's expression changed.

"Your Highness has never mentioned having a concubine!"

Even if this woman is a courtesan, she can still be allowed to change her name and enter the Prince of Ying's mansion.

With His Highness Prince Ying's power, this would be an easy task.

Donglou, are you sure you haven't made a mistake?

"It can't be wrong!"

Yan Shifan shook his head.

"When my son first met Steward Deng from the Lin family, he felt that he looked somewhat familiar."

Moreover, the glass mirror this person gave me was remarkably similar to the glass mirror that His Highness the Prince of Ying had bestowed upon me.

I felt something was wrong at the time, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Later, when I planned to purchase a batch of glass mirrors, the Lin family actually agreed to accept Yufeng Bank's silver notes directly!

This is definitely not an ordinary matter!

Yufeng Bank was established less than two years ago, with its head office in Linqing and branches in the capital.

In the capital, it would be impossible to conduct this kind of intercity money transfer business without a sufficiently powerful backer.

It has long been known that Yufeng Bank is run by the eunuch Sun, the chief eunuch of the Prince of Ying's mansion.

In other words, Yufeng Bank was actually an asset of the Prince of Ying's mansion.

It's not uncommon for princes to have their subordinates engage in business.

The money in this bank could be exchanged in different locations, and to prevent counterfeiting, there must have been many complex secret marks.

How to verify authenticity is something that should only be known to those inside the money exchange.

However, the Lin family's accountant was actually able to verify the documents and was even willing to accept bank drafts directly.

This indicates that their relationship with Yu Feng Bank must have been extraordinary.

"Even if the Lin family is related to Yufeng Bank, it only means that the Lin family's backer may be the Prince of Ying's Mansion, or even that they are accumulating wealth for the Prince of Ying's Mansion."

Yan Song still couldn't quite believe it.

"How can you be so sure that Chen Yunniang is His Highness Prince Ying's concubine?"

"Back then, in order to arrange the selection of a consort for His Highness, my son went to Chengtian Prefecture to meet His Highness."

Yan Shifan laughed and said,

"That Manager Deng, I felt he looked familiar at first, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him before."

Later at the Lin family's warehouse, I met another manager from the Lin family, who also looked somewhat familiar.

After discovering that the Lin family was likely connected to the Prince of Ying's mansion, I suddenly remembered where I had seen them before!

When His Highness Prince Ying was secretly choosing several potential consorts at the temple outside Chengtian Prefecture, dozens of members of the Prince Ying's Palace Guard disguised themselves as worshippers and secretly provided protection inside and outside the temple.

Both of these Lin family stewards were among them!