Chapter 374: Borrowing Money with Collateral
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In the faint drizzle, Yuwen You carried a wooden box out of the palace. Inside the box was a set of purple fir wood-carved cups, said to have been left by the emperor. The expression of the Great Empress Dowager when she rewarded these cups was vivid in his mind, with a hint of unwillingness and a touch of sadness.
He knew what was troubling the Great Empress Dowager, jealous that the emperor remembered him before he died, and saddened that Mingzhu was no longer the obedient child in her arms. He felt the same melancholy, unwillingness, and jealousy, but what could he do? He laughed bitterly and decided to marry his Wusun Princess peacefully.
The Changshi, Ruan Qingshang, saw him coming and quickly took the wooden box from him, leaning close to his ear and whispering, “Second Miss Jiang is waiting for you at the mansion.”
“Is she better?” Yuwen You sneered. “Is she afraid of being married off to Liao Guang again?”
Ruan Qingshang smiled. “Doesn’t seem like it. Seems like there’s something else she wants to discuss with you.”
Yuwen You returned to the mansion at a leisurely pace. Instead of going to see Jiang Shanshan immediately, he changed his clothes leisurely, drank a cup of tea from the newly acquired purple fir wood cup, and then went to see Jiang Shanshan leisurely.
After a while without seeing her, he expected to see a haggard Jiang Shanshan, but instead saw a spirited one. She wore a light pink dress with a silver-rimmed emerald cloak, sitting in front of the window enjoying her tea, looking very content.
Yuwen You was somewhat dissatisfied that she didn’t rise to greet him promptly. He knew that Jiang Shanshan had recently fallen on hard times, not as popular as before. If she came to him, she must be seeking something. Why did she act so high and mighty instead of lowering her stance?
He turned to leave, but Jiang Shanshan turned back in time. She smiled brightly at him and stood up gracefully to greet him, “Long time no see, Your Highness. You look even more splendid than before.”
Yuwen You was always very satisfied with his appearance, but since Mingzhu, he hadn’t heard anyone praise him like this. The most he heard was the faint scolding of daughters from the major noble families, “What’s the use of looking good? You’ll just die early!” Now hearing Jiang Shanshan praise him so sincerely, he couldn’t help but feel a little happy, even though he knew this woman was very dangerous. He sarcastically teased Jiang Shanshan, “Long time no see, Second Miss Jiang. Second Miss Jiang is still so beautiful and charming.”
Jiang Shanshan smiled bitterly, “Your Highness is really good at joking. Who doesn’t know that I’m in a sorry state now, even having to sneak out when going out?” Not only that, her days at home weren’t easy either. Although no one dared to say much openly due to her past prestige, after losing such a large sum of money to Fu Mingzhu, the mansion was in dire straits. Her brothers and sisters-in-law weren’t too happy to see her, and even the Marquis of Changxing sighed heavily when he saw her. Especially her third brother, who took the blame for her, and her third sister-in-law and nephews treated her like an enemy, making her very miserable.
Yuwen You liked it when others showed weakness in front of him. Seeing Jiang Shanshan show weakness, he didn’t say anything more. He just lifted his chin and said, “Speak up, what do you want from me?”
Jiang Shanshan said, “I want to borrow money.”
Yuwen You exclaimed, “Borrow money? Are you joking? Borrowing money from me?” Who doesn’t know that he’s one of the poorest people in the imperial clan? Among his brothers of his generation, even the orphan and widow of the Dai Wang Mansion has much more money than him. It’s surprising that Jiang Shanshan even thought of him.
Jiang Shanshan smiled, “It’s not just borrowing. Perhaps I should say, inviting you to invest, let’s partner up and do business together.”
Yuwen You remembered the big businesses she had done before and couldn’t help but sneer, “Are you thinking of another brilliant idea? I can’t afford anything too special or profitable. Otherwise, I’ll end up making bridal clothes for others again. Talking about doing business together, without money, you have to rely on blessings. I can’t help you. The businesses of making glass and soap have already been handed over to the Min family, why not collaborate with them again?”
Jiang Shanshan’s eyes flickered. “I don’t trust them. But I trust Your Highness. I know that after your marriage to the Wusun Princess, you’ll receive a sum of money, and the dowry from the Wusun Princess is also generous, enough for you to afford this sum of money.”
Yuwen You sneered, “If I lend you the money, won’t I have no means to live? Even if the Wusun Princess’s dowry is generous, it’s her dowry, what does it have to do with me? Aren’t you close to her? Why don’t you borrow from her?”
Jiang Shanshan didn’t dare to say that recently she felt like she was being watched every move she made, even coming out of the house this time took a lot of effort and was only possible after trying various methods. She smiled inscrutably, “I know Your Highness is worried about me.”
Yuwen You bluntly admitted, “It’s because I don’t trust you. A clever person like you, what if you swindle all my money?” He added, “Don’t even think about deceiving the princess. I’ll go tell her right now not to lend you any money!”
Jiang Shanshan fell silent for a moment, then pulled out a brocade pouch and handed it over. “This, use it as collateral.”
Yuwen You had a gut feeling that this was something extraordinary, but he didn’t dare to act recklessly. He raised an eyebrow and said, “No! What rubbish!”
Jiang Shanshan remained silent, taking out a folded piece of paper from the pouch and handing it over. “Take a look.”
“What is this!” Yuwen You’s gaze had just swept over the paper when his heart couldn’t help but start pounding. His father loved him, cradling him since he was a child, personally teaching him everything he knew, eager to impart all the knowledge in the world to him, from governance to military strategy, and he also had some knowledge about weapons. On this piece of paper that Jiang Shanshan presented was clearly a tremendous giant bed crossbow!
Jiang Shanshan had anticipated his reaction early on and smiled reservedly. “Your Highness is so talented, how could you not know what this is? Take a closer look and see if this thing can be worth ten thousand taels of silver?”
Just ten thousand taels? Yuwen You picked up the paper and examined it carefully in the light. Suddenly, he sneered, threw the paper onto the table, and disdainfully said, “It’s just a fragment of a blueprint! What’s it worth! Even if it’s a complete map, it’s useless to me. I can’t eat mutton and yet stir up trouble. Take it away, take it away!”
Jiang Shanshan gritted her teeth with hatred. If it weren’t for her recent constant feeling of impending trouble due to her eyelids twitching, she would have immediately sought refuge with Empress Dowager Min. After much thought, she still didn’t dare to directly seek refuge with Empress Dowager Min. Instead, she chose to rely on Yuwen You’s lone strength to control the situation. It would allow her to gain some silver to fight back and also provide an opportunity to pressure Yuwen Chu. She wouldn’t have come to seek Yuwen You’s help, but he unexpectedly took the initiative!
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