Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

"What are you yelling about!" Fu An was startled by his sudden exclamation, which sobered him up considerably. He frowned, quite displeased.

"No, this is too much!" Wang Hua's face turned pale. He suspected that the other party was talking nonsense and didn't even know that five thousand strings of cash was an astronomical sum.

"You think it's too expensive? I think it's too expensive too!" Fu An rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Do you think the young master has never seen money before, like us?"

"Let me tell you plainly, back in April of this year, the young master went to Jieshen Lane and made 90,000 strings of cash with just a few transactions. Later, he donated 2,000 strings of cash just from a single visit to the nursing home! Do you think it's too much for him to ask you for 5,000 strings of cash now?"

"But...but..." Wang Hua's face was bitter. He knew that what Fu An said might be true. That Gao Yanei didn't treat money like money. He probably didn't take the five thousand strings of cash seriously at all and just said it off the cuff!

But that's not how it was done. This matter wasn't really a big deal, not even for the Tong family!

He thought that all he needed to do was give a greeting, and he originally thought he would get three to five hundred strings of cash, or at most a thousand strings!

He didn't think that Gao Yanei was taking advantage of the situation, since Gao Yanei had never done this before and obviously didn't know the ropes!

But that's where the problem lies: apart from Gao Yanei, he simply couldn't find anyone else to make this request!

There are many high-ranking officials and nobles in Tokyo, and quite a few of them could help with this, but I am simply not from the same world as them.

Even if you bring money to someone's door, no one will pay attention to you, and they might even suspect your motives. You'd be lucky if they didn't call you out!

He had no choice but to continue pleading with Fu An, which was now his only lifeline.

"Brother Fu, you know my situation. I really can't come up with that much money right now. Please, have a good word for me with the young master and help me out!"

Fu An's face immediately darkened, and he said coldly, "Old Master, haven't I helped you enough? I didn't earn a single penny from you on this matter, and I even used my favor with the young master to persuade him!"

"If you go back on your word, I must make this clear beforehand: I won't return the money I took from you yesterday! I spent all my money treating the young master to drinks because of you, and I even had to pay out of my own pocket!"

Wang Hua ignored his words and instead looked at him seriously. Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll pay the five thousand strings of cash, but I want to see the young master!"

"Ha, alright! I'll go tell the young master later!" Fu An chuckled and shook his head, saying, "In my opinion, old scholar, you're overthinking it! If it were just a tael or two, I might dare to consider it, but five thousand taels, even if you offered it to me, I wouldn't dare take it!"

Wang Hua, though embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed, readily cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Brother Fu, please forgive me. It's not that I don't trust you, but this matter is of utmost importance. To come up with this money, I'd have no choice but to sell my house and land!"

"Alas, old master, you flatter me! Money is but an external thing; how can it compare to life!"

Fu An smiled and comforted him, "Money is inanimate, but people are alive. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn! With your son's talent, he will surely become a hero in the future. You, my old teacher, will enjoy endless blessings then!"

Wang Hua smiled wryly and waved his hands repeatedly.

Fu An added, "Don't worry, even if you sell your houses and land, the money you have left will surpass that of most families in Tokyo!"

Wang Hua sighed deeply, his eyes filled with bitterness and helplessness.

That was the foundation he had built up over half his life, which he had intended to leave to his descendants so they could live a peaceful life. Now, for the sake of his own children, he had to sell it all off. How could he not feel pain in his heart?

"In that case, I will go and ask the young master for instructions!" Fu An said no more, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to leave.

Wang Hua watched his departing figure, let out another long sigh, and then his whole expression became listless, as if this sigh had drained away all his energy and spirit.

He sat dejectedly against the wall for a long time before slowly getting up, dusting himself off, and walking into the Kaifeng Prefecture. He found an acquaintance and bribed his way into the prison.

Wang Qing didn't suffer in the prison cell. He was skilled in martial arts and had a fierce edge. In the two days since he came in, he had already beaten the other prisoners in the same cell into submission. At this moment, he was sitting with his legs crossed, leisurely and carefree.

He had worked in Kaifeng Prefecture and knew some laws. In his opinion, a case like his would only result in a few days in jail and a couple of lashes, and that would be the end of it. There was no need to worry about it at all.

I'm wondering where to make a living after I get out of prison. I probably can't stay in Kaifeng Prefecture anymore, and I don't know if the Xiangfu County government wants anyone.

There's no way around it; I'm used to being a government official, and I can't do any other kind of work!

"My son!"

A tearful cry startled Wang Qing from his reverie. He looked up and saw his father staggering towards him.

Wang Qing's face immediately darkened, and he snapped angrily, "What are you doing here? Go back right now, don't embarrass yourself here! I'm going back in a couple of days!"

"My son! You've committed a terrible crime!"

Wang Hua rushed to the prison bars, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice trembling as he said, "This time you've offended a relative of Grand Commandant Tong. The Prefect of Kaifeng is acting on orders from the Privy Council to deal with this severely. It's not something that can be settled with a few lashes or a few days of imprisonment! A slight misstep could mean the loss of your head!"

Wang Qing abruptly slammed his leg to the ground, his nonchalant expression vanishing instantly, replaced by a furrowed brow and disbelief: "Father, don't scare me! I didn't break into the mansion, nor did I hurt anyone. How could I be sentenced so severely!"

Wang Hua said sadly, "You're overthinking it. The Kaifeng Prefecture is afraid of Grand Commandant Tong and wants to label you a bandit!"

Wang Qing shuddered, his grip on the old wooden doorpost tightened abruptly, and his voice rose several decibels as he cried out, "How could this happen? Father, you have to save me! Only by getting me out of here will I promise I'll never do it again, and I'll listen to you properly!"

Seeing his frightened expression, Wang Hua sighed and said slowly, "You don't need to worry too much. I've already used my connections to ensure your life is saved! Just don't cause any more trouble in the future. This time, we're even selling our house to save you."

Wang Qing didn't care whether he sold the house or not; as long as he could save his own life, he was content. He nodded repeatedly in agreement, then asked, "Father, who is this person you've found?"

Wang Hua didn't hide anything, saying, "Gao Yanei from the Palace Guard's Mansion, as long as he begs Grand Commandant Gao, he can definitely guarantee your safety!"

"No, no!" Wang Qing's face turned pale, and he hurriedly shook his head, saying in a panic, "I...I offended that Gao Yanei!"

Wang Xu was struck dumb by these words, his voice trembling as he asked, "You... what did you say?"

Wang Qing then recounted what had happened at the brothel that day, and then looked at his father with trepidation.

After listening, Wang Hua fell silent, seemingly plotting something. Wang Qing dared not disturb him and held his breath.

After a long pause, Wang Hua finally spoke, "This matter is insignificant compared to five thousand strings of cash. Young Master might not even care!"

Wang Qing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but still asked with some worry, "But what if?"

"I have another idea!" Wang Hua said, his eyes gleaming. "You helped Guo Weize before, so he owes you a favor. I'll go to him and have him mediate this matter!"

"This... will it work?" Wang Qing was a little uneasy. Guo Weize hadn't contacted him even once since that day, as if he had forgotten about him!

"Hmph!" Wang Hua sneered, "I knew it was because you helped him and offended Gao Yanei that you're in this predicament. If he hadn't helped you, who would dare follow him in the future? Saving you is a piece of cake for him; he wouldn't risk a greater loss for a small gain!"

Wang Qing's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands excitedly, saying, "That's great! Our house can be saved!"