Chapter 224: Chapter 194: It’s You, Scoundrel?

Three hundred thousand taels of silver!

Three hundred thousand taels?!

Even Xiao Dongchen, who had tempered himself for over a decade in the Governor’s Office and believed he had mastered the art of composure, felt his mind reel at the figure.

But with such a massive sum of silver, it wasn’t just him; even the two Governors would likely find it hard to control themselves.

However, that wasn’t all.

While Xiao Dongchen was still stunned, Chen Yi unhurriedly took out a flint and struck a light.

Then, he pulled a thick stack of silver notes from his robes and held it outside the carriage.

In the faint light of the flint, he dangled it brazenly for Xiao Dongchen to see.

"As long as Lord Xiao agrees to join forces with my young master, these silver notes are all yours."

As Chen Yi spoke in a slow, deliberate manner, he gently fanned the stack of silver notes.

One by one, he revealed the stamp of the Great Wei Bank in the upper-right corner and the characters denoting their one-thousand-tael denomination.

Under the light of the flint, the stamp glowed a deep, dark red.

The sight of the silver notes instantly made Xiao Dongchen’s eyes redden, and his breathing grew heavy and rapid.

As the Assistant Governor of the Governor’s Office, he was often responsible for collecting taxes from the merchants and commoners of Shu State. He had handled, if not an overwhelming amount, at least over a million taels in silver notes.

He could naturally tell whether the silver notes were real or fake.

It took only a single glance.

With just that one look, Xiao Dongchen muttered, "They’re... actually real..."

In that moment, a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.

There was the Jing State Liu Family’s plan, their reason for seeking an alliance with him, and, most of all, the greedy desire to make that stack of silver notes his own.

But one thing he could now confirm—the man in the carriage was undoubtedly from the Jing State Liu Family.

After a long while.

Xiao Dongchen managed to calm himself and asked in a low voice, "What does your young master want to achieve by joining forces with me?"

Chen Yi didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he first put away the stack of silver notes and blew out the flint, plunging the area inside and outside the carriage back into darkness.

Only then did he chuckle softly and say, "Lord Xiao should be well aware of my young master’s intentions."

"From the very beginning, his only wish has been to marry Miss Wan’er."

"If Lord Xiao can help my young master achieve his desire, not only will these silver notes be yours, but my young master will also help you become the Patriarch of the Xiao Family."

Xiao Dongchen frowned slightly and said with hesitation, "This matter... forgive me, but I cannot agree."

"Does Lord Xiao have reservations? Or is it that you are incapable?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Both."

"Xiao Wan’er is the eldest daughter of the main branch and is highly regarded by the Old Marquis. Furthermore, she is gravely ill. If she is unwilling, the Old Marquis will certainly not agree to your young master’s proposal."

Xiao Dongchen knew that if he got involved in this, directly or indirectly, he would attract the Old Marquis’s attention.

It would inevitably affect all his subsequent plans and arrangements.

Chen Yi was naturally aware of this and was not surprised.

After a brief pause, he continued, "I believe there must be a way, wouldn’t you agree?"

Xiao Dongchen’s heart stirred, and he began to calculate his options carefully.

A moment later, he suddenly spoke, "If the Xiao Family were to suffer a great calamity and be in urgent need of silver coins, there might be a chance."

What he had in mind was the chaos that would surely erupt within the Xiao Family after the summer grain stores in the Three Towns were burned.

At that time, whether the Xiao Family could find the culprit would be a secondary concern. The first priority would be to solve the grain and fodder issue for the Three Towns.

If the Liu Family could provide a sum of silver coins or grain, perhaps the Old Marquis, in order to stabilize the Dingyuan Army, would agree to the marriage.

Upon hearing this, a cold smile played on Chen Yi’s lips.

This was exactly what he had been waiting for Xiao Dongchen to say.

"I knew Lord Xiao was a man of great talent. You certainly won’t disappoint my young master."

With that, Chen Yi stepped down from the carriage, beckoned to Xiao Dongchen, and said with a smile, "Come, I must trouble Lord Xiao to step this way."

Seeing this, Xiao Dongchen felt a sense of relief. He took a deep breath and walked over.

Getting closer, he saw Chen Yi’s face clearly and found him to be a handsome young man. He couldn’t help but praise him:

"I can tell at a glance that you are a young man of remarkable talent. With your assistance, your young master is truly like a tiger that has grown wings."

Chen Yi bowed slightly and smiled, "Lord Xiao, you flatter me."

"To avoid any complications from delay, I must ask you, my lord, to follow me to another location for a more detailed discussion."

"Once we’ve finished our discussion, I can hurry back and give my young master the good news."

Xiao Dongchen sized him up, his gaze sweeping over Liu Lang, and then he stepped onto the carriage first.

After the curtain fell, Chen Yi glanced left and right, then sat down next to Liu Lang and gestured.

"The residence in the East Market."

Liu Lang grimaced and nodded, then cracked the whip against the horse’s rump, driving the carriage toward the residence in the East Market.

As they traveled, he kept glancing at the composed Chen Yi, his heart a turmoil of mixed emotions.

He asked himself honestly.

’If I were Xiao Dongchen, faced with the temptation of three hundred thousand taels of silver, I’d probably agree too, even knowing that Chen Yi has ulterior motives.’

’Besides, Xiao Dongchen was already scheming to become the Patriarch of the Xiao Family.’

Because of this, however, Liu Lang also understood why Chen Yi was targeting Xiao Dongchen.

If it weren’t the wrong time, he really wanted to ask Chen Yi about his true identity and why he was so dedicated to helping the Xiao Family.

Chen Yi, however, paid no mind to Liu Lang’s thoughts.

During the journey, he would occasionally exchange a few words with Xiao Dongchen.

This served two purposes: one was to keep him settled and prevent him from overthinking or backing out.

The other was to use the opportunity to speak well of Liu Wen—mostly about how Liu Wen had been smitten with Xiao Wan’er at first sight.

’If you’re going to put on a show, you have to go all the way.’

Before long, the carriage bypassed the East Market and arrived at a residence near South City’s Yanhua Lane.

Chen Yi gestured for Liu Lang to light the lamps and prepare paper and a brush, while he invited Xiao Dongchen into the main hall.

Just as he was about to speak, several lines of text floated before his eyes.

[Daily Intelligence - Profound-rank Lower Grade: At the fifth quarter of the Zi hour, west of Shu State City, a Hidden Guard from the Dingyuan Marquis’s Mansion will be pursued by the Evil Demonic Dao. A small amount of Opportunity can be obtained.]