Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 350 Who can resist money?

After listening for a while, Shen Bo lowered his head in a sigh: "Back then, the Emperor believed in the saying that two dragons clash and did not agree to establish an heir. However, a palace coup suddenly occurred in the inner palace that year, and the Emperor was almost assassinated. Later, the civil and military officials were worried that if there was a change in the future, the country would be without a ruler, so most of the officials in the court proposed to establish a crown prince."

"Unable to withstand the pressure, the Emperor had no choice but to bestow titles upon the current Crown Prince."

"But this matter still bothers the Emperor. Even now, he doesn't like the Crown Prince and only allows him to see him once a month."

"Eunuch Li from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs once strongly urged the emperor to establish an heir, and the emperor still resents him for it."

"It seems that the Yan family took advantage of this loophole, which is why they dared to openly bully His Highness."

Yang Bonong nodded: "That's right. The Yan family initially opposed the establishment of an heir in accordance with the Emperor's wishes, and took the opportunity to eliminate many dissidents. It is precisely because they have been in the Emperor's favor step by step that the Yan family has been so highly regarded. My master said that if we want to outmaneuver the Yan family, we should win their hearts and minds on the Emperor's side."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhe couldn't help but look at Shen Bo.

They used to think that Lu Jie was in cahoots with the Yan family, but they never expected that he had done so much in private.

Having someone as knowledgeable as Lu Jie, who is also so skilled in planning, is truly a rare find in the present day.

Shen Bo pondered for a moment: "If this is physical evidence, then we still lack personal witnesses. We haven't been back in the capital for long and haven't had any contact with the imperial clan. Moreover, the imperial clan are all outside the capital, and we only have one day left. It's too late to help them in their immediate situation. Without witnesses, I'm afraid Yan Shu will still escape in the end."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingzhou said, "Leave this layer to me. I will find witnesses tomorrow morning."

Shen Bo asked in surprise, "You?"

Then he suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "Could it be that you mean His Highness the Crown Prince?"

The only ones who can appear tomorrow morning are members of the imperial clan in the capital. And among the imperial clan in the capital, only the Crown Prince is in charge!
"You actually had secret contact with the Crown Prince? Do you know how serious the punishment would be if the Crown Prince were caught privately meeting with a minister?!" Shen Bo was repeatedly shocked by his audacity. What had this kid been doing all these years in the capital? And he hadn't heard a thing about these things...
"At this time, Father, don't worry about these details! Let's get down to business," Lu Jia quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over.

Mr. Yi also said, "What the young mistress said is absolutely right. Now that we have a plan, we should act on it immediately! Eunuch Li just came by, and I'm afraid things might change in the Directorate of Ceremonial."

"Li Quan?" Lu Jia was surprised to hear the voice. When she saw Gao Hong at Xia'er Tower, she remembered that not long after, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial was overthrown by Gao Hong, became a prisoner, and died tragically. Of course, only she and Shen Qingzhou knew about this, but she never expected that Li Quan had a private relationship with Shen Bo!

“Eunuch Li said that it was Gao Hong who pleaded for the Yan family, and that Gao Hong may have obtained some kind of leverage against him. I am very worried about him now.” Shen Bo’s face showed worry. “Over the years, he has delivered a lot of news from the capital for me and has done a lot of work, but I really can’t get involved in the palace, nor do I dare to.”

"At the same time, if Gao Hong succeeds, it will be the same as the Yan family succeeding. I actually suspect that the Yan family may have something on Li Gonggong."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jia looked at Shen Qingzhou and said, "Then we must act even faster!"

Shen Qingzhou stood up: "It's almost dawn, I'll go contact the palace first."

Yang Bonong said, "My master went to the Yan residence. I wonder how things went? It's getting late, so I should take my leave."

Shen Bo stepped out from behind the curtain: "I'll see you off."

Yang Bonong tried to decline, but Shen Bo followed him under the eaves without saying a word.

They remained silent the entire way out until they reached the parking lot in the front yard. Only then did Shen Bo ask, as if considering his words carefully, "How long have your master and Qingzhou been seeing each other privately?"

Yang Bonong did not understand his meaning for a moment and dared not reply rashly.

Shen Bo waved his hand, "Don't be afraid, I'm not here to punish you. It's just..." He stopped there, as if sighing softly. Seeing this, Yang Bonong said, "My master has long admired the Grand Commandant's demeanor and often hopes that you can spare some time to visit his residence. If you have some free time later..."

Shen Bo nodded: "I will definitely visit another day."

Yang Bonong left with a smile.

Shen Bo frowned, and only after he left did he turn back to Yi Zhe and say, "Have someone prepare a carriage; I need to go to General Wu's residence."

……

No one in the Yan household slept that night.

The lights were on in Yan Song's room all night, and the Yan brothers did not return until it was fully light.

Madam Yan was naturally even busier. Although the manor was wealthy, obtaining hundreds of thousands of taels of silver overnight was not something that could be done simply by opening the treasury. The vast majority of the family fortune was scattered in various places, so she had to order her men to gather the funds overnight.

Therefore, Lu Ying, being an idle person, naturally went unnoticed. Moreover, not long afterward, Lu Jie himself came to visit.

Yan Song received him in his study, and they exchanged some superficial information, each with their own agenda.

After daybreak, the Yan brothers arrived home. One of them successfully sent someone out of the city to deliver the letter to the southeast, while the other had already prepared the 300,000 taels of silver.

The money has been raised, but there's still one last step! It all depends on the emperor's leisure time.

When it was time for breakfast, Yan Song sent someone to the palace to contact Gao Hong.

After he finished a bowl of porridge, the man who went there returned as if he were flying!
"Reporting to the old master, Eunuch Gao said that Master Lin observed the stars today and calculated that it is an auspicious day for alchemy. He has already set up a magic array in the Qianqing Palace."

"Therefore, the Emperor is never free in the morning."

"But the Emperor will definitely come out after noon when the alchemy is finished. Eunuch Gao told the old master to wait in the cabinet first, and he can enter the palace to see the Emperor when the time is right!"

Yan Song felt relieved upon hearing this.

The emperor devoted himself to Taoist practices for decades in search of the elixir of immortality, and he never missed the alchemy sessions held on the first and fifteenth of each month.

But this day always meant taking him one step closer to immortality, so the emperor was always in a good mood.

"To have encountered such a day so quickly, it seems that Heaven has not forsaken you, sir! — Quickly prepare a generous gift and deposit it into Eunuch Gao's account at Yongsheng Bank!"
"Give more! It's never a bad thing to be generous; nobody doesn't love money!"

Madam Yan wept with joy and immediately sent people to carry out the task. The entire household also offered their congratulations!

Yan Song turned around and opened the several large wooden boxes piled high in front of him.

A musty smell wafted over him, and he could no longer tell when he had saved it. But the sunlight shining on the gleaming white banknotes made them reflect a dazzling light, still blinding him.

Yes, who doesn't love money?

Even the emperor is not immune to worldly customs!
He snapped the lid back on, picked up the crown beside him, dusted off any non-existent dust, and put it on with a serious and upright posture.