Duan Pingchang understood that if Xu Donglin was warning him about this, it meant someone was already exerting pressure on him. However, the Twenty-Four Bureaus were different from other departments—Xu Donglin might still be able to resist.
But why would he risk his own future for Duan Pingchang?
Just giving this warning was already a favor for the sake of their friendship.
Seeing Duan Pingchang’s silent and serious expression, Xu Donglin didn’t rush him. Instead, he picked up the wine jug and poured himself another cup, also refilling Duan Pingchang’s.
Duan Pingchang, startled, immediately stood up to take the jug himself, but Xu Donglin waved him off and filled his cup.
Observing Xu Donglin’s demeanor, a thought flashed through Duan Pingchang’s mind. Suddenly, he no longer felt rushed. He slowly sat back down and spoke, “To be honest, sir, after spending so much silver this time, others may think I still have plenty left, but you should know the truth—there really isn’t much left.”
Xu Donglin chuckled. Whether or not that was true, it didn’t really matter.
Everyone had hidden resources. Even though Duan Pingchang was close to him, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to reveal all his wealth.
That said, Xu Donglin was aware of the summer contracts Duan Pingchang had secured. The remaining funds had probably all been poured into that venture.
So while claiming he had no extra silver wasn’t entirely a lie, it wasn’t entirely the truth either.
“What are you planning to do, then? You know that the summer shipment hasn’t arrived in the capital yet, let alone been stored in the Internal Weaving Bureau’s warehouses.”
Without the inventory in storage, Duan Pingchang couldn’t collect his payment from the Internal Weaving Bureau, leaving everything in a precarious position.
More importantly, if the palace rejected the fabrics for any reason, he couldn’t resell them outside—it would be a total loss.
A sudden realization struck him, and he looked up sharply at Xu Donglin. “This year’s summer order was increased by thirty percent compared to last year…”
Xu Donglin sighed. “At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I never imagined that someone had been plotting against you for so long.”
So this was a trap set in advance.
The palace had meticulously outlined the increased demand for various types of silk and fabrics, with specific patterns and textures clearly designated. At the time, Xu Donglin had simply thought they were being meticulous.
Looking back now, it was all just a carefully laid snare.
Judging by Xu Donglin’s genuine expression, he probably hadn’t known about this in advance. Now that he was aware, he was giving Duan Pingchang an early warning.
Duan Pingchang immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Xu Donglin. “I deeply appreciate your warning, sir.”
“You’re being too formal with me,” Xu Donglin waved it off. “I’m just passing along the news—I don’t have any solutions for you.”
He sighed. “The Twenty-Four Bureaus may look prestigious, but only those of us inside know the hardships.”
“For instance, when it comes to the silk and fabrics the palace needs year-round, all we do is procure and deliver them. Whether they are accepted or not depends entirely on the whims of the palace ladies.”
Xu Donglin didn’t explicitly spell it out, but by mentioning the palace ladies, he was giving Duan Pingchang a hint—there was still Consort Shu in the palace. If he could go through her, he might be able to get through this ordeal.
Duan Pingchang thanked Xu Donglin once more, bid him farewell, and returned home. He locked himself in his study for an entire afternoon before finally sending someone to summon Mingxi for a discussion.
This was no small matter, and he clearly couldn’t make the decision on his own.
Mingxi arrived quickly. Upon seeing her father and hearing him explain the situation, her expression immediately darkened.
No wonder she had been allowed to leave so easily at the Eastern Palace’s spring banquet. So this was what they had been planning all along.
Seeing his daughter’s troubled expression, Duan Pingchang said, “It’s alright if this is difficult to resolve. At worst, we’ll just let this entire shipment of fabric go to waste.”
But the losses would be huge. In the past, he could have managed, but right now, he was out of money.
All the family’s silver had been sent to Duan Wang for the war in Yuxiang City. His original plan was to wait until this batch of goods was delivered to the Imperial Weaving Bureau and then receive payment, allowing him to turn things around.
He hadn’t expected someone to target him at such a critical moment, seizing his lifeline.
Duan Mingxi knew her father was saying this to spare her from difficulties, but how could she just swallow such a loss?
This whole ordeal had come about because her father had sent money to Duan Wang, making him the center of attention. Now that Duan Wang was in a strong position, he naturally posed a threat to the Empress and her son. This was their way of cutting off his financial support. Her father wasn’t just unlucky—he had been deliberately targeted.
“If we give in once, there will be a second time. We cannot back down,” Duan Mingxi said firmly.
“But…” Duan Pingchang looked at his daughter. “If you go to Consort Shu for help now, you’ll be lowering yourself before even getting married. That’s not acceptable.”
“Father, don’t forget—Duan Wang has what he has today because of your silver. Consort Shu is a kind person. Even if she doesn’t consider our relationship, she won’t just stand by and do nothing when it concerns Duan Wang’s future,” Mingxi said slowly.
Duan Pingchang still frowned deeply, clearly unwilling for his daughter to lower herself. “If there’s no other way, we’ll sell our shops and land in Jiangcheng first. We can always buy them back later.”
“No.” Mingxi immediately refused. “That’s our ancestral property, meant to be passed down to my brother. We can’t touch it.”
“Ancestral property is meant to be used in times of emergency,” Duan Pingchang countered. “Leave this matter to me.”
“Father, do you really think that if you do this, the Empress will let us off?”
Duan Pingchang: …
“In business, if you see an opportunity, don’t you try to crush your opponent completely?”
Duan Pingchang sighed. He could see that his daughter had made up her mind.
“What do you plan to do?”
“We’ll turn the tables on them.”
The father and daughter discussed for a long time. When they finally left the study, Madam Xu had prepared a meal. She insisted Mingxi eat before letting her leave.
Mingxi naturally didn’t refuse. Neither she nor her father mentioned this matter in front of Madam Xu, lest she worry needlessly.
Because of the eight hundred thousand taels of silver, the most talked-about names in the capital at the moment were Ning Qin Wang’s household, the Fengcheng Marquis’ estate, and Duan Pingchang.
Among them, Duan Pingchang was just a merchant and couldn’t compare to the other two families at all. He shut his doors to guests, appearing to focus solely on his business, declining all social invitations under the excuse that his duties at the Imperial Weaving Bureau couldn’t be delayed.
His ship arrived in the capital, unloaded its cargo, and sent the fabric to the Imperial Weaving Bureau as usual.
Xu Donglin received the news. Watching Duan Pingchang’s actions, he couldn’t quite figure out what he was planning. But since he was proceeding as usual, he must have a plan. So, Xu Donglin allowed the goods to be processed and stored as usual.
Then, he immediately sent fabric samples to the palace.
As expected, the palace rejected them.
Duan Mingxi received the rejection notice from the Imperial Weaving Bureau and sent a message into the palace requesting an audience with Consort Shu.
Consort Shu, surprised that Mingxi had sought her out, immediately granted the meeting.
When Mingxi entered the palace and paid her respects, Consort Shu smiled and said, “Rise, come and sit.”
She truly found this future daughter-in-law more and more likable. She ordered tea to be served and asked, “Did you encounter some trouble outside? Speak freely—I will support you.”
After all, with Mingxi’s personality, she wouldn’t have come to her unless it was something serious.
