Green Mountain-Chapter 723 - 577: Crown Prince

The night scene of the Imperial Capital is intense.

On Jixian Street, the night patrol, holding a drum, shouted: "Close doors and windows, beware of theft!"

First watch, 9 to 11 PM.

On any other day, the Imperial Capital should have been silent by now, but today, Jixian Street and Yanle Alley are even more bustling than during the day.

A dense crowd clustered at the alley entrance, leaned over walls, and squatted on rooftops, their eyes focused on the building with the "Danbi Grand Music Hall" plaque.

Outside the Imperial Music Bureau, buzzing discussions were endless, so crowded even the night patrol couldn't get through.

Inside the Imperial Music Bureau, it was brightly lit but eerily quiet.

At this moment, the ruffians from Meihua Ferry Crossing, carrying cloth bags, squeezed through the crowd, loudly selling today's evening paper, tirelessly shouting: "Is the Qi family the heart of literature in the world or just fishing for fame? Check today's evening paper!"

At these words, the spectators squatting on rooftops craned their necks to look down, curiously asking: "Qi family? Which Qi family?"

Someone in Yanle Alley shouted: "Which Qi family could it be? Of course, it's the Qi family on Fuyou Street!"

"What exactly happened? Did Marquis Wu Xiang strike back against the Qi family? I had a feeling; Marquis Wu Xiang was blindsided by the Qi family at a critical moment and taken into the palace by the Jiefan Guard. With his character, he would certainly retaliate."

The ruffian chuckled: "Dear viewers, buy a newspaper and you'll find out what happened; no need to scramble. My landlord at Meihua Ferry Crossing predicts things accurately; we printed twenty thousand extra copies today, enough for everyone."

A man joined in the fun and bought a newspaper, but struggled to read it, so he held up the newspaper loudly asking: "Who knows how to read? Be kind, read it to us."

"Me, me, me," not having gotten a newspaper, Shen Ye emerged from the crowd, his clothes were disheveled from the jostling.

The man handed him the newspaper: "Please, master, help us read it."

Shen Ye's eyes gleamed with excitement, he unfolded the newspaper and cleared his throat: "Ahem. Li's Pawnshop has committed usury for many years, with a nine percent interest per month being common. If a poor household urgently needs money, it's as high as one and a half cents..."

The noise of the crowd gradually diminished until it fell silent.

In the alleys and long streets, only Shen Ye's reading voice remained: "Ms. Zhou cried for help but found no reprieve, threw herself and her daughter into a well, her son was beaten by Li's thugs, got one leg broken, and was driven out of the Imperial Capital..."

In Yanle Alley, a man cursed angrily: "Damn it, when my father was seriously ill, I also went shamelessly to borrow usury from Li's, it held me down for a year, in the end, I had to mortgage two acres of land to survive. The court allows for only three percent monthly interest and forbids compound interest. These ruthless pawnbrokers should be smashed tomorrow!"

"Hold your tongue, let this master continue reading!"

Shen Ye continued: "The principal, accounts, human contracts, and land deeds of Li's Pawnshop are all supervised by the Left Imperial Censor, Qi Xianzun... In Jianing 27th Year, Qi Xianzun withdrew eight thousand taels to purchase a residence on Xilaxi Alley, and maintain concubines. In the summer of the 31st year of Jianing, Qi Zhenwu withdrew 3,000 taels to redeem the official Liu Zhuang..."

Someone exclaimed in shock: "No wonder Liu Zhuang has disappeared; it's because the Qi family hid her."

"Qi Xianzun, isn't he the Imperial Censor of the Pure Stream?"

Originally, the citizens of the Imperial Capital didn't care who was right or wrong about today's matter. They were just looking for something lively to see during the period of national mourning when tea houses had no storytellers, taverns were sealed, the Eight Great Hutongs didn't open, and opera troupes didn't perform. After several days without a place to go, today finally provided some excitement to join in.

But now, what Chen Ji's newspaper conveyed was closely related to them.

The people had suffered usury for a long time.

Shen Ye put down the newspaper, sighed: "No matter who wins or loses today, the usury in the Imperial Capital is bound to be cleansed, and Mr. Chen has indeed done a great service. Everyone, please inform your friends: if there's any usury debt compounded by interest, you can go directly to Shuntian Prefecture tomorrow to report to the officials. Principal must be repaid, but the accumulated interest won't be."

Someone gasped: "Really? Don't talk nonsense just because we don't recognize you."

Shen Ye laughed, cupping his hands: "I am Shen Ye, a Hanlin Academy Scholar, it's true."

A man questioned in surprise: "From this, Qi family is indeed the villain, and Marquis Wu Xiang is a good person."

"That is certainly true!"

"No wonder Marquis Wu Xiang dragged Yang, the Imperial Censor, to death in the street. Well done, killing those who collude among officials!"

When the newspapers from Meihua Ferry Crossing first appeared, officials considered it just an innovative way to earn money. It was only today that Chen Ji taught them how lethal this tool could be.

The reputation of the Qi family is destined to plunge to rock bottom, and that poem named "Bamboo and Stone" is destined to bear the Qi family's mark. In future generations, whenever this poem is mentioned, people will recount the tale of Qi family's pursuit of fame and leave a notorious legacy.

The Qi family, who loved hosting Literary Meetings, probably will never host one again.

...

...

Outside Yanle Alley quietly stood a carriage, Qi Zhenzhu returned to the carriage with the newspaper, Qi Zhaoning silently watched the evening paper in her hand under the light from the window outside, tears falling one by one onto the bamboo paper: "How did it come to this, why did Chen Ji have to do this?"

The low-quality bamboo paper blurred from a few drops of tears, making the writing unreadable.

Her sister Qi Zhaoyun sat beside her, gently wiping her tears with a handkerchief, softly comforting her: "Zhaoning, true destiny in this world is already pitifully scarce, it cannot be forced."

Qi Zhaoning abruptly looked at Qi Zhaoyun: "He may not love me, but why does he have to treat our Qi family this way, why does he have to do this to brother and second uncle?"

Qi Zhaoyun spoke with heartfelt sincerity: "You can't blame him for this, it was second uncle and brother who first put him in a difficult position. You also realized early on that he came to the Imperial Capital to save the Commandery Princess, and now that brother and second uncle want to buy Bai Li off, how could he endure it?"

Qi Zhaoning tore the evening paper in her hand, hysterically saying: "But he and I have a marriage contract. He first flirted with Zhang Xia, and now he wants to redeem Bai Li in front of the entire Imperial Capital, when has he ever considered my situation?"

Qi Zhaoyun sighed, reaching out to wipe her tears: "When he made a special trip to find you at Xiangshan Red Leaf Villa, asking you to refuse a marriage proposal from the Chen family, he already expressed his feelings, you should have stopped then."

Qi Zhaoning pushed her sister's hand away: "Parental orders and matchmaking words, isn't that how it always is? Everyone chooses a match based on equal status, treating each other with respect, living well after decades, why should he be any different?"

Qi Zhaoyun looked at her sister: "But Zhaoning, if he were like the others, you wouldn't have liked him."

Qi Zhaoning replied angrily: "I don't care, I will never let him and Bai Li have it easy."

Qi Zhaoyun lightly shook her head: "But second uncle and brother have already run into trouble, and you only have thirty thousand taels of silver in your hand, while he still has two hundred thousand taels, plus what's at Gufu Building, that's two hundred and forty thousand taels, how could you compare to him."

At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out outside the carriage: "Third Miss Qi, Jin An."

Qi Zhaoning lifted the curtain, only to see a young scholar standing respectfully outside the carriage: "I can help Third Miss Qi with her difficulties."

Qi Zhaoning immediately put on a cold expression: "Who are you, how dare you eavesdrop on my conversation with my sister?"

The young scholar courteously clasped his hands: "Third Miss Qi, you don't need to care who I am, it doesn't matter who I am, you just need to know that I can help you."

Qi Zhaoning responded warily: "Help me with what?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The young scholar smiled and explained: "The world is full of people who do not wish the Marquis Wu Xiang well, and my master is the one who most fervently wishes him to die without a burial place. You lack silver, my master happens to have silver, that is enough."

Speaking of this, the young scholar took out three strings of Buddhist Treasure from his chest: "The Marquis Wu Xiang still has two hundred thousand taels of silver and a house deed worth forty thousand, while I have five hundred thousand taels of silver here, enough to relieve your immediate problems."

The young scholar smiled and said: "Third Miss Qi already has a marriage contract with Chen Ji, yet he ignores it to redeem an Imperial Music Bureau woman in front of the entire Imperial Capital, there is no sense in that."

Qi Zhaoning fixed her gaze on the Buddhist Treasure: "What does your master want? Does he want Bai Li?"

The young scholar gently shook his head: "My master only wishes the Marquis Wu Xiang to be unhappy, as long as he is unhappy, my master will be happy. Therefore, my master has no other requests, just that after Third Miss Qi buys Bai Li, she can give her away, either to your brother or to your second uncle."

Qi Zhaoning was moved, silently looking at the Buddhist Treasure in the other party's hand, lost in thought.

At this moment, Qi Zhaoyun suddenly spoke up: "I've seen you before."

The young scholar seemed surprised: "You've seen me?"

Qi Zhaoyun confidently said: "Spring Hunt of Jianing 31st Year at Fragrant Mountain, you were by Liao Zhong's side, you are with the Crown Prince, right? I remember your surname is... Zeng, there were rumors you're a student kept by the Crown Prince!"

The young scholar was silent for a moment, then smiled broadly without responding to Qi Zhaoyun, instead turning to Qi Zhaoning: "Third Miss Qi. Do you intend to watch the Marquis Wu Xiang redeem Bai Li in front of the whole Imperial Capital? Chen Ji has been stripped of the Meihua Ferry Crossing and salt permit business before the imperial court by His Majesty, and even the evening paper was taken from him, if Bai Li can't be saved, then there's nothing left, it sounds wonderful just thinking about it."

Qi Zhaoyun advised: "Zhaoning, don't listen to him, don't go to the Imperial Music Bureau, leave some dignity with Chen Ji."

But Qi Zhaoning seemed to have made up her mind, taking the Buddhist Treasure from the young scholar's hand: "No, I want him to have to beg me to see Bai Li! Whether he can see Bai Li, that's up to me!"

Qi Zhaoyun urgently said: "Zhaoning, our Qi family is already at the center of attention, if you spend several hundred thousand taels to buy Bai Li from the Imperial Music Bureau now, how will people view our Qi family?"

In the dim carriage, Qi Zhaoning looked at her sister: "Sister, I can't care that much anymore, they have the White Tiger Festival Hall with life and death situations every year, but I have nothing, I'm unwilling!"

With that, Qi Zhaoning exited the carriage.

Qi Zhaoyun tried to grab her, but only caught air, and could only watch Qi Zhaoning's figure as she walked straight through the bustling crowd towards the Imperial Music Bureau.

In the crowd, someone recognized Qi Zhaoning and exclaimed: "Third Miss Qi is here, heading to the Imperial Music Bureau... Where is the Marquis Wu Xiang, why hasn't he come back yet?"

Meanwhile, the young scholar who brought the Buddhist Treasure turned and blended into the crowd.