Chapter 134

The attendant froze instantly, and the expressions of the Prince of Badong and Kong Zhangyu also shifted.

Kong Zhangyu feigned confusion and said: "Young Master Wang, what is this—"

Wang Yang picked up the bamboo tube and showed it to the Prince of Badong: "This person just gave it to me and said something about a message from the master."

The Prince of Badong frowned and exclaimed: "Oh my! There is actually such a thing?!"

Seeing this, Wang Yang knew he had guessed correctly; this was the Prince of Badong's self-directed test of him.

Since that was the case, he would play along.

He asked the attendant coldly: "Who are you delivering a message for? Why are you being sneaky? Who ordered it!"

The attendant was somewhat afraid; this matter was something Magistrate Kong had him do, but how dared he say it? He stammered and did not answer.

Wang Yang shouted sternly: "As an attendant of the Prince's mansion, you are taking orders from others and privately delivering secret letters! You are double-minded and disloyal to your master! Now that the Prince is here, why don't you tell the truth! Do you really not want your life anymore?!"

The attendant did not know that Kong Zhangyu was acting on the Prince's orders. Hearing Wang Yang speak so seriously, he trembled with fear and knelt directly on the ground. Fearing he would be the scapegoat for Kong Zhangyu, he looked at Kong Zhangyu half-intentionally and half-unintentionally.

Kong Zhangyu also had a headache; his own absurd Prince insisted on staging this play, saying "If Wang Yang has ghosts in his heart, he will definitely keep the letter and secretly open it." He had thought about what to do after Wang Yang kept the letter, and had also thought about Wang Yang privately handing over the letter, but he had not expected Wang Yang to expose it on the spot! And with just a few words, he forced his subordinate to turn against him!

At this time, he had no choice but to come forward and say: "Your Highness, why not let this subordinate interrogate him first!"

The Prince of Badong said: "Very well, you must interrogate him clearly."

The attendant was terrified that he would be involved in something terrible and be silenced, but he dared not testify against Kong Zhangyu, so he could only shout: "Magistrate Kong, this little one knows nothing! This little one knows nothing! Magistrate Kong, save me!"

Kong Zhangyu had a dark face and hurriedly had the attendant taken away.

With Kong Zhangyu in charge of the interrogation, the results were naturally reported back quickly. According to the attendant's confession, he was bribed by a young girl who admired Wang Yang to deliver a secret letter for her. In fact, the so-called secret letter was just a love letter.

The attendant's confession matched the contents of the letter. As for the young girl being the daughter of a noble family, in order to protect her reputation, the Prince of Badong decided not to announce her name, but only let Kong Zhangyu go to her mansion to privately inform her parents and give her a reprimand.

Faced with such a result, Wang Yang naturally would not get to the bottom of it, so this little episode was quickly turned over.

After resting enough, the Prince of Badong took Wang Yang hunting in the forest. This time, only the two of them went, without horses; the accompanying guards and Chen Qingshan were left where they were.

Wang Yang looked around while walking: "Your Highness, there doesn't seem to be any prey in this forest... (￣0￣)!!!!!!"

Wang Yang looked back and saw the Prince of Badong actually pulling that terrifying-looking big yellow bow, drawing the bow and nocking an arrow, pointing it at him!

This Face-Changing Prince has gone crazy again!!

Wang Yang's heart pounded: "Your Highness! You, what are you doing?!"

"Who sent you?" The Prince of Badong's tiger eyes narrowed, his gaze sharp.

"What sent me? Sent me where?!" Wang Yang's expression was blank and surprised, seemingly unable to understand the situation, while at the same time finding the scene before him unbelievable.

"I already know about your affairs. Now I will give you one last chance. If you still don't speak, then don't blame this Prince for being ruthless!"

The Prince of Badong's eyes revealed a fierce look, pulling the bowstring tighter, as if he were about to shoot immediately!

Wang Yang's heart went cold. Could it be that his being directed by Wang Tai and the mysterious woman had been leaked?!

No!

If it had really been leaked, the Prince of Badong would have no need to test him during the banquet!

He is bluffing me!

Wang Yang's eyebrows tightened, his gaze filled with anger, and his voice rose a few notches: "What do you want me to say?! I came to Jingzhou to study; who sent me? If Your Highness suspects my intentions, why bother summoning me to ride horses?!"

The Prince of Badong looked at Wang Yang's anxious and angry appearance. After a few seconds, he retracted the bow and smiled: "Just a joke."

Wang Yang broke into a cold sweat; his shock and anger were not feigned: "A joke? Is this how you joke?! Although the Prince of Badong has a noble status, you cannot insult a noble like this!!"

Getting angry with the Face-Changing Prince also requires art.

You must let the other party feel your anger, but you cannot truly speak without restraint.

Therefore, Wang Yang's questioning was heard by the Prince of Badong, who was not angered but instead comforted Wang Yang, his smile undiminished: "Don't be angry, don't be angry. Look at you, why are you so unable to take a joke! This Prince asks you, how much did you earn from selling folding fans? And how much did you earn from that "Minister Q&A"?"

What "Minister Q&A," that's "Hundred Questions on the Minister," I haven't even released the answer part yet...

Wang Yang did not expect the Prince of Badong to ask him about this, but he immediately said righteously: "I am a guest in Jingzhou, selling books and fans to increase my family assets; have I violated any criminal law?!"

"Naturally not. Making money is a matter of course; what crime is there? This Prince is not one of those hypocrites and will not criticize your business dealings. But this Prince means, if you want to make money, why not choose a bigger business."

Wang Yang heard there was more to the Prince of Badong's words and asked: "What is a bigger business?"

The Prince of Badong smiled: "A business of twenty million coins, how about that?"

Wang Yang currently had less than seventy thousand in cash on hand. After that batch of fans was made and transported to the capital, if they sold out smoothly, he could get fifty thousand, which already made him look forward to it! Now that someone suddenly talked to him about a multi-million level deal, it was impossible not to be tempted. His tone was not as sharp as before: "I don't have that much capital."

"No capital needed."

"Hmm?" Wang Yang immediately became alert.

"Do you remember at the banquet the day before yesterday, this Prince promised you a great benefit?"

I remember, but at the time I thought you were just bragging at the dinner table.

"What great benefit does Your Highness want to give me?"

"This Prince wants to do a silk business. But as an Imperial Prince, it is too conspicuous for me to come forward directly. So I would like to ask you to purchase silk in Jingzhou on my behalf, and then make two thousand brocade robes and two thousand crimson satin jackets.

This Prince knows that the price of silk is soaring, but it doesn't have to be Shu silk. You don't have to be picky about the quality when purchasing, as long as it is silk. If you can control it properly, making one brocade robe will cost no more than five thousand. The same goes for the crimson satin jackets; the quality doesn't matter, as long as it doesn't fade, one piece will cost about four thousand coins. This Prince will give you twenty million; use whatever method you want, and if you can make four thousand brocade robes and crimson jackets within two months, you will have fulfilled your duty. The remaining money is yours, how about it?"

After all that, the twenty-million deal isn't mine; I'm just an agent...

Wang Yang quickly calculated in his head. According to the Prince of Badong, the cost of the brocade robes is two thousand times five thousand, which is ten million; the cost of the crimson jackets is two thousand times four thousand, totaling eight million. A total of eighteen million can get it done, and after completion, he can earn two million, which is not bad. But there is something suspicious...

"Your Highness has so many people under your command, why choose me for this?"

"For a business of this scale, using the name of a noble family is the safest; it can both hold the ground and avoid miscellaneous taxes and tariffs. But the family relationships of noble children are complex, and the forces behind them are intertwined; who knows which side they are really on?"

Speaking of this, the Prince of Badong smiled at Wang Yang: "But Zhiyan, you are different. This Prince is relatively at ease with you."

"At ease because I have no foundation?"

"Hahahaha! Zhiyan, this Prince likes your honesty! You are of the Langya Wang clan, overflowing with talent, yet you are reduced to being a student at the county school in Jingzhou. Your parents died early, and your family has been trapped in Yixing for three generations. Your assets must not be much, and you still need to sell books and fans to make a living. Didn't you come to Jingzhou to find an opportunity to get ahead? This Prince will give you this opportunity! You help this Prince do this well, and this Prince will definitely not treat you badly!"

The Prince of Badong said this rather vaguely, seemingly intending to support Wang Yang.

Or perhaps it was purely drawing a cake.

If it were the former, with a Prince with real power willing to help, the official career would be much smoother.

But this was not very tempting to Wang Yang.

Because Wang Yang's identity was fake, and he had no expectation of being ranked and entering officialdom at all.

As for what the Prince of Badong said about "parents died early, trapped in Yixing for three generations," it was all the fake background that the mysterious woman made him memorize. It seems he received a reply from that official in the Ministry of Personnel. Who exactly is that mysterious woman, that she could even change such a letter, or rather, that the official who wrote the letter was already under that woman's command?