Li Wenshan glanced at the small package and felt a bit puzzled. What could be inside? Of course, it was to take back to his mother...

  No! If I give this silver to Mother, then won't Mother have to tell Father, and if Father...

  "Does Mother know about this? And what about Father?" Li Wenshan patted his bundle.

  "Your mother knew long ago, your father... probably still doesn't know about this matter, after all, your mother didn't even tell you." Mr. Qin smiled.

  "Your mother is quite good, this silver, my intention is to give it to your mother, tell her not to keep it idle in her hands, let people buy a small villa in the suburbs of Beijing, and include it in your mother's dowry. These silvers are probably more than half stolen from your mother's dowry, returning them is the right thing to do."

  "Good!" Hearing Mr. Qin say so, Li Wenshan readily agreed.

  "Also, remind your mother that she should be careful with the family business. You can't always ask your uncle for money, like you did last time. The silver in the Hou Mansion is all your grandmother's dowry. Your uncle and aunt are very reasonable people, but your grandmother and father are not so reasonable. And then there's your second uncle, you three younger branches of the family need to stand on your own."

  These words made Li Wenshan feel a surge of warmth in his heart, and he hastily stood up, bowing deeply from head to foot. "Sir, I have taken note of your words, sir, please be at ease."

  Mr. Qin stood up and returned the courtesy, letting Li Wenshan sit down again. The two of them chatted for a while about Changping Warehouse and some gossip from the official circles of Zhejiang Province. Li Wenshan bid farewell and went into the inner house with his small bundle, first looking for Li Xia.

  Li Xia slowly turned over the silver notes in her package one by one, her face looking very unsightly.

  Mother's dowry was only twenty thousand silver coins, and Father took nearly ten thousand silver coins when he left the manor to go to Taiyuan. Now, there are more than twenty-seven thousand in this package...

  When Father was a teacher in Taiyuan Prefecture, his salary was meager. Mother's dowry and the two small estates we have now...

  "This silver is too much!" Li Xia gritted her teeth, "Just relying on moving things from our house outwards, at most we can only have half of this. Zhong Baozi must be using Father's name to make a profit and accumulate wealth in every possible way, that's why she has accumulated so much. Looking at the amount of silver, it's definitely been going on for over a decade. The mastermind behind the corrupt practice of taking bribes and wrongly sentencing people to death might just be her!"

  Li Wenshan's eyes widened in shock, and he was stunned for a long time. Suddenly, he stomped his foot and exclaimed, "I was still grieving when I first heard she died! This damned woman! She deserved to die! Good riddance!"

  "Give the silver to your mother, don't say more, see what she does." Li Xia pushed the bundle to Li Wenshan with a gloomy face, "I'll go for a walk in the backyard, it's suffocating."

  ………………

  Mrs. Xue took the small package, holding it as if it were a precious treasure, until midnight, when she quietly called in Hong's nurse, not daring to light a lamp, and whispered in her ear about the two million seven hundred thousand taels of silver inside the package.

  "What does Madam plan to do?" Hong's wife asked, holding her breath and staring tightly at Mrs. Xu.

  "The old master doesn't know about her falling into the water yet. If we mention this silver, that matter won't be able to be concealed."

  Mrs. Xu had already made up her mind, but this idea was really too contrary to the principles she had held for over a decade. At this moment, her heart was filled with self-reproach, guilt, anxiety and a hint of fear. "If...this silver is not a small amount, I'm afraid it won't be hidden."

  "Madam, what kind of person is the master? You still haven't figured it out after all these years? The family has lost over 20,000 taels of silver, does the master know about it? And you too... Ah." Old Lady Hong didn't finish speaking, she suddenly remembered that this was something that shouldn't be said, the master doesn't know, and neither does the madam...

  "Mother, I know it's my fault, but..." Mrs. Xu muttered, another wave of guilt that had been building up over the past few days suddenly suppressed her guilt over not being a good wife and mother, weighing her down so heavily she could hardly lift her head.

  "Never mind that. At first, the old lady introduced me to her daughter-in-law and told me to help her with household chores. Alas, all these years... forget it, I'll just say it straight out: this silver, madam should quietly put it away and use it to supplement the family expenses bit by bit; it's not like it's being taken out all at once, how would master know?"

  "I think so too." Mrs. Xu immediately felt relieved.

  "Madam, Fifth Master has grown up, you've seen it yourself, he's already better than the old master at this age. From now on, Madam, whatever you need to discuss, just talk to Fifth Master and that will be fine. It's also good for the old master to focus on his official duties."

  These words fell straight into Mrs. Xu's heart and took root as soon as they landed.

  It's not like this, Old Master has said it more than once: Shan Ge is much stronger than him!

  ………………

  Mingtou Villa outside Hangzhou City.

  The King of Qin entered his five-bay study, glanced at the thick stack of documents on the long table, snorted, turned around and walked out, sitting down in a rocking chair under the corridor.

  Jin Zhenyan followed Huang Taijian from behind, entering through the hanging flower gate. The King of Qin glanced at them sideways and waited until they were five or six steps away before looking up at the eaves.

  "Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has ordered that Prince Jin and Your Highness listen to my account of the recent events in Liangzhe together." Huang Taijian calmly gestured for Qin Wang to enter the house with a hint of helplessness.

  The King of Qin continued to gaze at the eaves with both eyes, as if he hadn't heard what Huang Taijian said.

  Jin Zhiyan stepped forward, covering his line of sight with his hand, "Sir, let's go inside and talk."

  The King of Qin stood up with a sullen expression and walked into the house with his hands behind his back.

  "These days, the big things on the two Zhejiang roads are only about the audit of the Changping granary. General Luo's office is very respectful to the Grain Transport Office and the Audit Office. Zheng Yuanzhi from the Grain Transport Office reports to the Ministry of Revenue every day, while Lin Mingsheng from the Audit Office also reports to the Ministry of War every day. Guan Zhong said that his military rations and supplies have never been delayed..."

  Huang Taigong's tone was calm and flat, while Qin Wang stared at the ceiling with both eyes, not knowing whether he had heard or not. Jin Cuyan listened very attentively.

  "...all the prefectures and counties along the two Zhejiang roads have made thorough investigations... This is today's morning newspaper. The Empress Dowager's birthday is only a few months away, and the Ministry of Rites has submitted a memorial stating that although it is not her 60th birthday, this year the crown prince was established, and it is also a year of good weather and abundant harvests, so the Empress Dowager's birthday should be celebrated. The Emperor also thinks that it should be celebrated, and the two Zhejiang roads have also sent many tribute items, which will arrive in half a month..."

  Huang Taijian didn't care whether Qin Wang listened or not, he just carefully and thoroughly said what he wanted to say.

  Watching Huang Taijian leave with his hands down, the King of Qin slapped the folding fan in his hand on the long table, and stretched out to slap the stack of folded paper, "You say, why do you have to make me look at these? I'm a idle prince, not even considered an adult, what's the point of looking at these? This is simply..."

  What he didn't dare say was that letting him get familiar with government affairs was for what purpose? With his identity, wouldn't it be best if he just spent the rest of his life in leisure?

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