Qing Yao

Chapter 474 Retribution may be delayed, but it will surely come.

When Zuo Ling Alinbao returned home from the Governor's Office, his face was ashen, as if he had just crawled out of a graveyard. Ignoring his wife's calls, he went straight into the study and stared blankly at the empty walls.

It's unclear how much time passed, but suddenly Ah Linbao rushed into the bedroom and started rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

"Sir, what are you flipping through?"

His wife, Jue Luo, was terrified by her husband's mad appearance.

"Silver! How much silver do we have left? Bring it all out, quick!"

Alinbao didn't even look up as he rummaged through the items, his eyes filled with a longing for money.

Seeing this, Jue Luo hurriedly pulled out the silver box where she hid her money from under the kang mat, took out a money bag containing loose silver and handed it over: "The silver is here, there are about a hundred taels."

"A hundred or so taels? That little bit of silver is utterly useless!"

Alinbao didn't even glance at the money pouch. "Where are the silver notes? Hand over all the silver notes you've collected!"

"Take everything...take it all out?"

Jue Luo was stunned, wondering why her husband wanted so much money.

"Take it all out, what are you all standing there for!"

In his anxiety, Alinbao practically yelled at his wife, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Sir, please don't be anxious,"

Jue Luo was truly frightened and tremblingly took out a thick stack of silver notes hidden at the bottom of the box.

Arlin snatched it away and quickly counted: "How many are there?"

"There are over five thousand taels of silver, sir. All our family's possessions are here. What are you doing? Has something terrible happened, sir? Don't scare me!"

Jue Luo's voice was trembling with sobs; what woman wouldn't be terrified in the face of such a sudden turn of events?

"Five thousand taels? Not enough!"

Alinbao didn't have time to explain. His anxious gaze swept frantically around the room, finally fixing on the jewelry box on his wife's dressing table. Inside were several gold hairpins and jade bracelets left by her mother, all valuable items.

It is said that his wife's great-grandfather snatched it from several noblewomen during the Ming Dynasty.

"I'll take the things inside to tide me over."

As he spoke, Alinbao reached out to take it.

"no!"

Jue Luo Shi rushed over like a mother beast protecting her cubs, shielding the jewelry box with her body, tears streaming down her face. "This is the last thing my mother left me. You've taken it all. How are we supposed to live? How are we supposed to survive?"

Seeing his wife's tearful face, Alinbao's heart softened. He then steeled himself and gritted his teeth, saying, "What do women know? I have a great use for this money. Even that good-for-nothing Taiping can become a top-class shrimp with three thousand taels. In what way am I, Alinbao, inferior to him?"

"As long as I catch Lord Zhao's eye, my future will be bright. These few old pieces of jewelry are nothing compared to a full set of pure gold headdress and clothes adorned with pearls! If I miss this opportunity, my whole family will be driven out of the city and never be reincarnated!"

"what!"

Jue Luo was frightened by what her husband said; she had no idea things would be so serious.

"Alright, let go, this is important!" Alinbao practically pried his wife's fingers open and snatched the jewelry box.

He then ransacked the house, taking out the few remaining bolts of fine Jiangnan silk, as well as a few decent clothes and ornaments. He then called his servant Chen Er to carry them away, and without looking back, went to the familiar pawnshop.

During the journey, my mind was not on anything else, except for what Commander Fan had said: "In the officialdom, if you are slow in one step, you will be slow in every step!"

You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a kid!
Compared to Alinbao, who pawned his belongings to raise money, Fuming was much better off. Instead of squandering his family fortune like Alinbao, he went to borrow money from his sister's family, who was married into the Plain White Banner.

The older sister felt sorry for her younger brother and secretly took out three thousand taels of her hidden savings without telling her husband.

After leaving his sister's house, Fuming rushed to the homes of several close friends, patting his chest and promising that he would never forget their kindness in helping him in his time of need should he be promoted.

They scraped together another two thousand taels of silver.

But he was still far from 10,000 taels, so Fuming was not discouraged and went to find a few more distant relatives, and even visited a retired former superior.

They managed to scrape together ten thousand taels of silver.

Zuo Ling Deqing was a spendthrift who had gambled away all the family fortune left by his ancestors. He was now pacing around the small courtyard like an ant on a hot pan.

After a stick of incense had burned, a desperate determination rose in Deqing's heart, and he secretly went to a pawnshop called Fushengchang without telling his family.

He didn't borrow much, just three thousand taels.

He dared not hope for a meteoric rise to power like Taiping; he only sought to protect himself!

If he could just hand over the three thousand taels, and Lord Zhao and Grand Secretary He would be lenient and stop deliberately making things difficult for him, allowing him to keep his official rank and banner status, he would be grateful.

As long as the position of Zuo Ling is held, even if the principal of three thousand taels plus interest cannot be earned back this year, next year, by tightening one's belt, one can still squeeze it out from the banner salary and the tributes from the subordinates!
Today, the clerk at Fushengchang had already received four groups of Manchu captains who came to borrow money. They all looked anxious and impatient. Through subtle questioning, he had already learned about the situation in the Bordered Yellow Banner and knew that these gentlemen were in a hurry to get money to buy peace.

Therefore, after Deqing explained his purpose, Chaofeng moved the abacus beads a few times and quoted an interest rate that was much higher than the market rate.

"How many?!"

Deqing's eyes widened instantly. "Are you blind? How dare you try to bully me! Do you really think I'm some kind of sucker you can just bully?! Damn it, with such high interest rates, why don't you just rob someone!"

Although the clerk was just an employee, his employer was someone that Zuo Ling (military commander) Deqing couldn't afford to offend. So, he forced a smile, cupped his hands, and said, "Master De, please calm down! It's not that I'm trying to bully you, it's just that money is tight lately. It's not just my place, you'll find the same thing at other places. If you don't believe me, Master De, just go out and take a walk and you'll see."

This wasn't a lie to Deqing; the pawnshops and money houses in the city that dealt with the Eight Banners had already secretly agreed to raise interest rates.

Business opportunities are fleeting; once they're gone, they're gone forever.

Deqing, who was in urgent need of money, was he really going to ask other people?
"Besides, what is your status, Master De? You are a Manchu bannerman captain of the Bordered Yellow Banner. This little bit of interest is nothing to you. Once you get through this and your career is on the rise, why would you care about these pittances?"

The court official, observing the situation closely, promptly offered a way out.

Deqing trembled with rage, and finally all his anger and resentment turned into a low growl: "Three thousand taels! Hurry up and get it written down!"

"Got it!"

The clerk quickly produced the IOU, and Deqing picked up a brush and awkwardly signed his name, then stamped it with red clay.

When he received the silver note from the clerk, his vision suddenly went black, and he felt as if a pair of invisible hands were gripping his neck tightly, making it hard for him to breathe.

After calming down, only one thought remained in his mind: "Damn it, you Zhaos and Hes, I'm not finished with you! No one can have a smooth life forever, there will always be your downfall!"

(End of this chapter)