Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 361 Let's do it!
Lu Jie handed the wine to the person opposite him and asked in return, "Grand Commandant, you must have an idea by now. What do you think?"

Shen Bo knew that his in-laws were testing his abilities, so he accepted the cup of wine and said frankly, "Although Yan Shu was executed, the embezzled silver has not yet been handed over, and the Emperor cannot help but be concerned about it."

"Rather than waiting for the emperor to confiscate their property, it's better for them to hand it over voluntarily. It's been a day since the incident, and there's still no imperial edict from the palace. I suspect that Yan Song has already taken drastic measures to remedy the situation. For example, he has Gao Hong in his palace."

Lu Jie nodded: "Apart from Gao Hong, the entire cabinet is also under his control. At this time, it is impossible for no one in the cabinet to step forward and mediate."

Shen Bo continued slowly, “The Yan family has committed heinous crimes and has been proven to be extremely corrupt. Yesterday, Yan Song was able to gain the Emperor’s tacit approval and leniency by handing over hundreds of thousands of taels of military pay, which is enough to show how much the Emperor values ​​the silver used on the border.”

"But now, a day is about to pass, and the palace has not yet issued an edict, which shows that the emperor is also hesitant."

"For many years, the government has been controlled by Yan Song alone. If the Yan family is suddenly wiped out, the various government departments will inevitably be caught off guard. Yan Song's cronies will also take the opportunity to rebel and support him in order to protect their own safety."

Lu Jie raised his glass: "So the issue now is not how to convict the Yan family, but how to remove the Emperor's worries."

Shen Bo said, "Gao Hong's successful lobbying yesterday proves two things: first, as long as the Yan family offers enough money, the Emperor may still make an exception after weighing the options."

“Exactly!” Lu Jie refilled the pot on the other side. “As the ruler of a country, His Majesty naturally only considers his own interests. Since the Yan family is greedy for money, it seems that it would not harm His Majesty’s country if they handed over the money to fill the gap. As long as the Yan family is not greedy, they still have a great chance of succeeding.”

Shen Bo nodded and took out a letter from his pocket: "Before returning to the manor, I went to the Ministry of War. The people I sent out beforehand intercepted a message from the Yan family. Yan Song had prepared several hundred thousand taels of ransom yesterday. He was originally going to enter the palace this morning after the Emperor finished refining the elixir."

"After returning to the mansion with Yan Shu in the afternoon, the Yan family sent their steward out of the city to visit several silver shops, reportedly with the goal of raising another 400,000 taels of silver."

"He understands the Emperor's thoughts all too well. I guess he's already preparing to present this batch of silver, along with the hundreds of thousands of taels he received yesterday, to the palace. Even if this batch of silver isn't a million, it'll still amount to seven or eight hundred thousand."

"In the past, they would not have dared to take out so much money at once, but now that the Emperor knows about the Yan family's massive corruption, there's no point in hiding it anymore. It's just a matter of mutual consent between the Emperor and his ministers."

"With these several hundred thousand taels of silver, it's enough for Hu Yucheng's side to use for a year or two. Why not let His Majesty keep him here a little longer?"

After reading the letter, Lu Jie's gaze toward Shen Bo gradually changed: "Your Excellency has great foresight, having secretly conceived such a plan. Even though I have been lurking by the Yan family's side for a long time, I have never been able to obtain such timely and accurate information."

"We martial artists are no match for your wisdom and strategic thinking, sir. We can only try our best to utilize our strengths. Without your intervention, we cannot obtain the evidence and testimony that Yan Shu needs."

After Shen Bo finished speaking, he burned the letter.

Lu Jie thought for a moment: "Brother Shen only mentioned one of the two things just now. There is another one. I would like to hear the details."

Hearing the address "Brother Shen," Shen Bo was pleased: "I won't argue about the Yan family bribing the Emperor for peace; what's urgent is this second matter. I think that now that they've secured the Emperor's pardon, they should be plotting a counterattack. And they have someone on their side who can be of great help to them in a crucial moment." At this point, Lu Jie didn't beat around the bush: "I know this person; it's Hu Yucheng!"

"Who else but him?" Shen Bo raised his glass to the person opposite him, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "The Yan family, who had tried every means to prevent you from taking command, immediately recommended Hu Yucheng after I returned to the capital, taking advantage of the war in the southeast coastal area. This is the Yan family's biggest card right now."

"Hu Yucheng does indeed possess some talent in leading troops against the enemy. The reason I seconded his proposal was precisely because I valued this strength of his. If he receives a portion of the Yan family's wealth as backing, he will certainly achieve great things. If the war goes smoothly thereafter, his standing in the Emperor's eyes will also rise accordingly."

"Therefore, by handing over this money, the Yan family not only alleviated their immediate crisis, but also cultivated new bargaining chips for themselves."

"With Yan Shu's death, the Yan family is in dire straits. Yan Song will surely contact Hu Yucheng in advance to ask him to provide assistance if necessary. I know that Hu Yucheng, in order to express his gratitude for Yan Song's help, has recognized Yan Song as his godfather. Although no formal ceremony was held, he has essentially knelt down to him."

"Now that he has troops at his disposal, if it comes to a critical moment, the Emperor will almost certainly give him face if he stands up for the Yan family."

Lu Jie slapped the table: "We really are on the same page! The key is that this money is being used for military purposes, which is a good thing for the country and the people, and we must not stop it under any circumstances. If it weren't for this difficult situation, I wouldn't have waited for Brother Shen to come tonight; I would have gone to find him first and taken immediate action to stop it!"

Shen Bo placed the empty glass back on the table and said slowly, "The difference is that we have a bottom line compared to the Yan family. It was this that Yan Song saw. But now that I have taken action to capture Yan Shu, I want to find a solution that satisfies both sides."

"I want to ensure that the border war is not affected, and I also want to thwart the Yan family's plan to turn the tide and launch a counterattack. In the past, when we fought in the Northwest, any general who hesitated was bound to be defeated. I don't want to lose to the Yan family either."

Lu Jie remained silent for a long time before softening his voice: "It seems that Brother Shen has thought this through carefully before coming to see me."

Shen Bo's gaze was deep: "I wonder if Brother Lu has the resolve?"

Lu Jie drank the wine and said, "With the Grand Commandant, who can sweep through thousands of troops, leading the way, what do I have to be afraid of? Let's do it!"

Shen Bo smiled and asked, "How do we do it?"

Lu Jie pushed his cup down and said, "The Yan family must have already sent people to the southeast, but the journey will take at least ten days. Even if the horses travel day and night, it will still take five or six days. A round trip will take at least ten to half a month."

"That means we have at least ten more days to make a move."

"Since Hu Yucheng's reply will take at least ten days to reach the capital, and the Grand Commandant has skilled men at his disposal, surely it won't take more than ten days to rush to the southeast?"

"If you can't think of the best solution, then resort to the worst one!"

"As long as the men sent by the Grand Commandant intercept the letter before the Yan family arrives, we can buy more time to carry out our mission!"
"In short, the best way is to prevent Hu Yucheng from getting involved! And every extra day we can gain, the better our chances of winning will be!"