Chapter 202 An Ingot of Gold
A man in the inner room snorted. "How's the thing I asked you to do?"
Hearing that, Wei's forehead began to sweat again. But this time, he did not even dare to wipe his sweat.
Kneeling on the ground and looking down, he said humbly, "I met my niece today, and I'm trying to extract information from her."
"Oh?" Maogong looked interested. "What did she say? Did she tell you anything useful?"
"No. She's very greedy. I didn't give her enough money, so she was unwilling to provide any information."
"It's easy as long as it can be solved with money. Shizhong, give him another tray of silver."
On the tray were ten pieces of silver, each of which weighed twenty taels. So there were two hundred taels of silver in total!
Wei was elated, but he had no guts to show it on his face. He kowtowed and said loudly, "Thank you, Your Excellency! I'll try my best to help you investigate this matter!"
When he stood up with the tray, he was suddenly stopped. "Hold on!"
As Wei paused, Maogong continued, "I'll give you three more days. If you can't obtain any information, don't blame me for punishing you at that time."
Maogong's voice was sharp and creepy. Although Wei silently cursed Maogong a hundred times, he held his breath with fear.
"All right, get lost!"
Wei took three steps back holding the tray before turning around and leaving the study.
Then, Shizhong said, "Your Excellency, I don't think this guy is reliable. It's a waste to give him money."
Maogong snorted, "He should know that I'm not a philanthropist. If he can't do the thing well, I have many ways to teach him a lesson!"
Reassured by Maogong's words, Shizhong did not talk anymore.
But Maogong suddenly asked, "I heard that he has a son. Is his son five years old now?"
Shizhong, who had investigated Wei's background, nodded immediately. "Yes."
Maogong took the cup and flicked the tea froth with the lid. "Spring has come. It's time for Eastern Depot to recruit people, isn't it?"
Shizhong got the point right away. "Yes! I'll do it now!"
.
Wei did not know what Maogong would do to his son. Judging by Maogong's tinny voice, beardless face, and feminine gestures, Wei was sure that Maogong was a eunuch.
What was a eunuch? It was a man who served in the palace!
As such, the boy who Maogong was looking for was probably from the palace, too.
Wei supposed that he would get more rewards if he helped Maogong find that boy.
There might be a tray of gold waiting for him!
Thinking this way, he suddenly felt it was nothing to give Jiuyue an ingot of gold, as long as she could provide him with useful information.
When Jiuyue went back home, she saw Wei again.
Carrying the hoe, she looked at the man standing in front of the door and asked straight away, "Uncle, do you regret being mean? Are you willing to support your niece now?"
She was just joking. In her view, this stingy person would not give her money.
But to her surprise, Wei nodded. "Yes. After thinking about it at home, I've decided to give the gold to you. This is a worthwhile investment. The money can't create much value in my hand, so I'd rather give it to your husband for his study. When you become successful, don't forget me!"
Jiuyue was stunned. Then, she felt disgusted by his lying skills, which were even better than hers. They seemed to have inherited the same heritage from their ancestors.
However, she beamed with joy. "Really? I was wrong about you all these years. You're such a good man!"
Wei did not want to be a good man at all. He took out the gold and handed it to Jiuyue. "Put it away. Don't let others see it. Opportunity makes the thief."
Jiuyue was amused. Why did a wealthy-looking man, who was wearing official boots and a silver headdress, tell her not to expose the wealth?
She put away the gold with a big smile and patted her chest. "Uncle, don't worry. I won't let others steal it."
It pained Wei to part from the gold, so he looked away immediately. "All right, I've given you the gold. In return, you should do me that favor."
But Jiuyue began to play the fool. "What favor? Didn't you give the gold to my husband for his study?"
Wei glared at her. "It's indeed for your husband's study, but you also need to help me find that boy!"
Jiuyue knew that Zongyuan had already left Niu Tou Town and was hard to find, so she agreed readily. "Sure! If anyone takes in a boy, I'll tell you at once!"
She patted her chest to guarantee, which finally reassured Wei.
But the next day, Maogong got a surprising piece of news.
He did not need to find Zongyuan anymore.
"What? General Su sent his people to tell me Prince Mu summons me over?" He opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
"Yes. He summons not only you but also Princess Royal and Prince Yan." Shizhong lowered his head and reported respectfully.
Maogong grasped the armrests, with his fingertips getting slightly pale. "How dare he?"
He walked from the dark into the light and wondered who figured out the idea for Zongyuan. From then on, it would be hard to kill Zongyuan under so many people's noses.
"Your Excellency, what should we do now?"
Maogong's face darkened with rage. "What else can we do? He's no longer a helpless child! Now he's Prince Mu, and he's one level higher than Prince Yan and Princess Royal. Who dares not to obey his order? Who wants to be punished for blatant insubordination?"
Shizhong was enlightened. "Should I get the carriage prepared now?"
Maogong's eyes nearly popped out. "There's no hurry... Make him wait for a while..."
Shizhong frowned slightly. "Your Excellency, I'm worried that, if you go late, Prince Yan and Princess Royal will speak ill of you before Prince Mu, who is still young. If he holds a grudge against you, I'm afraid you'll be sidelined when you return to the capital!"
Maogong silenced Shizhong with a stare. "He's young, but he's smart, or he wouldn't have avoided so many pursuers. I'm afraid he's already held a grudge against us. But what does it matter? He's just a boy. Who knows whether he can grow up or not?"
Shizhong knew that Maogong was just too angry, but he chose not to argue. "Then shall we go later?"
[Wei: Why was I friendzoned? No! I exchanged my gold for it!]