Chapter 261: Pei Family: Two

Pei Family: Two

But no matter what, Nie Jinxuan was quite interested in this group of women. Because Nie Jinxuan discovered that this group of women in the Pei residence, from the principal wife to the concubines at the end of the ranking, were all quite good-looking!

And at this moment, watching Nie Jinxuan focus her attention on those women and then look at himself, Pei Baiwan was stunned first, and then couldn't help but laugh and say:

"Hehe~, let the Princess see a joke. But the Princess shouldn't blame me, because there's no other way. You know, what kind of person Pei is, I know it in my heart, so in order for my son to look better in the future, I have to find someone beautiful... After all, having a good image is also an advantage! And I don't have this advantage, so I must strictly check the next generation! Hehe..."

It seems Pei Baiwan had thought quite a lot. At this moment, hearing this, not only Nie Jinxuan, but even Shui Yun, who was usually cold and quiet, laughed.

Instantly, the large front hall was filled with laughter. Watching Nie Jinxuan happy, the principal wife of the first branch couldn't help but interject:

"Hehe~, if you talk about it, we have long heard of your great name, Princess, but I didn't expect you to be so kind, oh my, it's really..."

"That's right~! Princess, you are a noble person, and it's truly making our Pei family shine today..."

"That's right, that's right..."

The principal wife of the first branch spoke, then several concubines, the second branch, and the third branch all came forward to speak. For a time, the front hall was in a mess. Watching that he couldn't even get a word in, Pei Baiwan instantly widened his eyes and shouted:

"Alright, alright, don't you see I'm talking to the Princess? Where is your place to speak? Go, go, go, go do what you need to do! Don't make trouble for me here!"

Pei Baiwan spoke. Seeing this situation, the wives, concubines, misses, and young masters present, although unwilling, didn't say anything. Afterward, they bowed to Nie Jinxuan one after another and then left.

A whole group of them, this group of women's army left obediently. Of course, before leaving, each of them didn't forget to give Pei Baiwan a complaining look, which made Pei Baiwan so angry that he blew his beard and stared.

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, the large front hall was empty. Watching this group of women leave, Pei Baiwan finally stretched his eyebrows, smiled, and said a few words to Nie Jinxuan, then changed the subject slightly:

"Uh... hehe... However, if you talk about it, today the Princess has come to my humble home, I wonder what important matter you have? Uh... is it because my son Yaoguang..."

Pei Baiwan looked harmless, but he was definitely not an ordinary person to be able to become the richest man in Dongling. So now, seeing that there was no one around, Pei Baiwan asked the point. Moreover, Nie Jinxuan was now considered imperial clan, so Pei Baiwan couldn't figure out what she could have to do with him, so if he had to say what connection there was, it was only his precious son, Pei Yaoguang!

So, as soon as these words came out, although Pei Baiwan didn't have much expression in his behavior, anxiety was hidden in his eyes. Seeing this situation, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but laugh:

"Old Master Pei has misunderstood. Today, Anguo has come, not because of Magistrate Pei's matter, but specifically to find you, Old Master Pei~!"

"Find me?!"

"Yes!"

"Uh... find me... what matter do you have looking for me?"

Being said so by Nie Jinxuan, Pei Baiwan was a bit confused! But Pei Baiwan was a clever person after all, so in the brief dizziness, he immediately understood!

"Oh oh oh... I know, I know, alright!"

Pei Baiwan was a man who understood, and even more a businessman. And since Nie Jinxuan clearly stated she was looking for him, Pei Baiwan knew Nie Jinxuan's intention—to borrow money!

So, Pei Baiwan agreed readily, and his expression didn't have a trace of unwillingness as he looked at Nie Jinxuan:

"Sigh, but regarding this matter, Princess, you didn't need to come personally, just send someone to bring a word! You look at yourself, your body is not convenient now, and you ran over specially, which makes Pei feel sorry... Alright, Princess, tell me, how much!"

What is a local tycoon? One who dares to agree directly without saying how much to borrow is a true local tycoon! Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan just blinked, but didn't speak immediately, and turned her eyes to look at Shui Yun.

Instantly, Shui Yun understood and immediately dismissed the two little maids who followed behind. Seeing this situation, Pei Baiwan naturally understood, and dismissed the servants serving in the room. In the blink of an eye, only Nie Jinxuan, Shui Yun, and Pei Baiwan were left in the front hall. Only then did Nie Jinxuan look at Pei Baiwan again:

"Old Master Pei, actually, Anguo came to the residence today, indeed because of money..."

"Hehe, easy to say, easy to say~!"

"No, Old Master Pei, listen to Anguo finish... Actually, Anguo came today, it is indeed for money, but it is not for Anguo herself, but for our entire Dongling!"

Word by word, Nie Jinxuan spoke clearly. Upon hearing Nie Jinxuan say this, Pei Baiwan was instantly startled, and then Nie Jinxuan's expression narrowed, and she told him about the Xidi Kingdom stationing troops at the border.

Nie Jinxuan only gave a general idea and didn't say it in too much detail. But even so, it still made Pei Baiwan widen his eyes instantly:

"What?! Is... is there going to be a war?"

As a businessman, what he feared most was war. Although the Pei family was in the capital, even if there was a war, it wouldn't reach here in the short term, but the Pei family's business map covered the entire Dongling and even extended to neighboring countries, so once the war started, the impact would be incalculable!

"Yes, the Emperor has already issued an order. After all, now that Xidi is stationing troops at the border, it is clearly harboring wolfish ambitions, so our Dongling must make preparations first, otherwise, once the other party attacks, everything will be too late. After all, the best defense is offense. Moreover, the Emperor's meaning is that since we have to fight, we cannot let the flames of war burn into our national territory, so we must strike first!"

"Hmm... right, right, right! That's the principle! We cannot let them attack, and we cannot fight within our Dongling territory, that's the principle, that's the principle..."

"Yes, that's how it is. It's just that Old Master Pei should also know that as the saying goes, troops and horses move, but food and fodder come first. But now our Dongling has gone through more than half a year of turmoil, with natural disasters in many places, and the national treasury has been depleted, so..."

Nie Jinxuan didn't say the words that followed, but the meaning was already very obvious. So at this moment, Pei Baiwan had already lost his previous relaxation, and after thinking silently for a moment, he looked at Nie Jinxuan:

"Then I wonder how much the Princess needs?"

"Five hundred thousand taels!"

It wasn't that Nie Jinxuan was opening her mouth like a lion, but Nie Jinxuan had already spoken very conservatively! But even so, five hundred thousand taels of silver was truly not a small sum, so upon hearing this, Pei Baiwan fell into deep thought again.

For a time, the front hall became quiet again. Watching Pei Baiwan having doubts, Nie Jinxuan took the opportunity to say:

"Of course, if Old Master Pei can help, the Emperor will not take the silver in vain. You must know that this war concerns the national lifeline and survival, so as long as Old Master Pei can help, then..."

"Uh... is the Emperor going to promote Yaoguang?"

"Hehe~, no, Old Master Pei is wrong. Magistrate Pei is an upright official, so even if the Emperor promotes Magistrate Pei, Magistrate Pei will know how this official position was added, and will definitely not agree. After all, the one taking action this time is Old Master Pei, and it concerns the entire Pei family, so this credit will naturally fall to the Pei family! Therefore, the Emperor's meaning is that as long as Old Master Pei helps, then according to the credit, conferring a title of nobility is more than enough!"

No one will do a losing business. And Pei Baiwan, no matter how kind he was, was still a shrewd businessman. So last night, Nie Jinxuan had already discussed it with Yin Fengzhan.

And conferring a title of nobility, although it looked glorious, as long as one didn't participate in politics, it had no practical significance. But for the Pei family, who was determined to get rid of the merchant status and become a true noble family, it was a huge temptation.

So, the moment he heard about conferring a title of nobility, Pei Baiwan was instantly moved. But even so, Pei Baiwan didn't agree immediately, looked at Nie Jinxuan quietly, and then said in a low voice:

"Then the title is..."

"Hereditary! As long as Dongling does not fall, the descendants of the Pei family will inherit it."

As if seeing through Pei Baiwan's thoughts, Nie Jinxuan told him the answer directly. Upon hearing this, Pei Baiwan's eyes instantly lit up, but just as Pei Baiwan was about to nod, a figure walked in quickly from outside and shouted:

"Wait, I don't agree!"

The person appeared suddenly. Hearing the sound, Nie Jinxuan and Pei Baiwan were stunned at the same time, then turned their heads, only to find that the person who came was the eldest son of the Pei family's first branch, Jingzhao Yin, Pei Yaoguang!

……

It turned out that this morning, something happened outside the city, and Pei Yaoguang took people to handle it. And when he came back, he happened to pass by his own gate, and originally Pei Yaoguang didn't seem to intend to return. But just then, Pei Yaoguang found Little Lizi, who guarded the gate, beckoning to him.

So, Pei Yaoguang got off his horse, but afterward, upon hearing Little Lizi say that the Princess Consort of Anguo had come, Pei Yaoguang was instantly stunned, and then walked in without even thinking.

And at this moment, Pei Yaoguang's appearance made Nie Jinxuan and Pei Baiwan stunned. But afterward, seeing it was his own precious son, Pei Baiwan instantly smiled:

"Oh my, Yaoguang is back! Come, come, Yaoguang, look, who has come~!"

Pei Baiwan was busy telling Pei Yaoguang, but at this moment, without listening to what Pei Baiwan said

Pei Baiwan was busy talking to Pei Yaoguang, but at this moment, without listening to what Pei Baiwan was saying, Pei Yaoguang had already arrived before Nie Jinxuan, then looked down at Nie Jinxuan and frowned.

"I say, you woman really know how to stir up trouble, borrowing money all the way to my house?!"

Clearly, Pei Yaoguang had heard everything Nie Jinxuan and Pei Baiwan had just said. Yet upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan was not the least bit embarrassed; instead, she smiled elegantly.

"Hehe~, even if it is borrowing money, it's not something just anyone can do!"

"It's come to this point, and you're still being picky?! Enough, tell me, whose idea was it?! Yours? Or your man's?"

The "man" Pei Yaoguang spoke of naturally referred to Yin Fengzhan. At this moment, watching Pei Yaoguang hold his head high while speaking to Nie Jinxuan, Pei Baiwan, standing to the side, was so terrified he was jumping about. When he finally heard Pei Yaoguang use "your man" to refer to the current Emperor, Pei Baiwan was so scared he nearly fainted!

Yet Pei Yaoguang was completely oblivious. Upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan merely smiled. Seeing this, without waiting for Nie Jinxuan to respond, Pei Yaoguang let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, I know even if you don't say it! It was your idea, right!"

Pei Yaoguang's guess was correct; the matter of coming to the Pei family to borrow money was indeed Nie Jinxuan's idea. After all, given Yin Fengzhan's personality, he could never bring himself to borrow money from the common people!

So upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan gave a noncommittal response. Seeing her like this, Pei Yaoguang rolled his eyes at her, then turned to the side and sat in a nearby seat.

"I heard everything you said to my father just now! However, I don't agree! It's true that my Pei family has money, but that was earned one tael at a time. Even if the imperial court is short on funds, it shouldn't be taking it from us common folk!"

Pei Yaoguang spoke with sound logic. At this moment, seeing that Pei Yaoguang was about to ruin things, Pei Baiwan, who had been holding back for a long time, could no longer restrain himself and rushed over, then raised his hand and struck Pei Yaoguang on the back of his head.

"You brat, what are you saying?! The imperial court coming to borrow money from our Pei family is our honor! Besides, they can grant us a title, and a hereditary one at that, so..."

Five hundred thousand taels of silver was not a small amount, but it could not shake the foundations of the Pei family. And to take this silver in exchange for a genuine title, one that was hereditary, Pei Baiwan felt it was worth it—well worth it! He would even be willing to part with a million, let alone five hundred thousand!

Pei Baiwan even felt that this was the second time the smoke was rising from his family's ancestral grave! Otherwise, how could such a good thing fall upon their Pei family?!

Therefore, for Pei Baiwan, he naturally could not let his own son ruin things. Otherwise, if he missed this opportunity, he would truly become the eternal sinner of the Pei family!

But what Pei Baiwan did not expect was that Pei Yaoguang clearly did not think so. So, before Pei Baiwan could finish speaking, Pei Yaoguang covered the back of his head with one hand, raised his eyes, and shouted at Pei Baiwan.

"Father, why are you hitting my head again? I've told you how many times, you are not allowed to hit my head! Do you have no memory at all?!"

"You shut your mouth! Whether I have a memory or not doesn't matter; the point is that this matter of borrowing money is not for you to decide!"

"Why shouldn't I be the one to decide?!"

"Because you are my son, I am your father, and the Pei family's money was all earned by me, one tael at a time, so I am the one who decides!"

At this very moment, the exasperated Pei Baiwan was truly anxious. He was so anxious that he had already forgotten there was an outsider, Nie Jinxuan, present! Watching the father and son of the Pei family arguing in front of her, and quite heatedly at that, Nie Jinxuan could not help but be stunned!

Seeing his father gaining the upper hand in the argument, Pei Yaoguang was so angry his face turned red and his neck thickened. But a moment later, noticing Nie Jinxuan watching the spectacle on the side, Pei Yaoguang suddenly calmed down.

Then he slapped his hand on the table, and ignoring his father, he began to negotiate with Nie Jinxuan.

"In a word, I do not agree to this matter..."

Pei Yaoguang spoke with finality, but at this moment, Nie Jinxuan was neither anxious nor annoyed. She smiled at him, and before he could finish his sentence, she interrupted him directly.

"Alright, you don't need to beat around the bush with me. Tell me, what do you want?"

Nie Jinxuan understood Pei Yaoguang better than anyone else present.

Pei Yaoguang was a man who looked arrogant but was very loyal. Therefore, for Pei Yaoguang, he was not a person who valued money highly. Thus, let alone the country being in crisis and borrowing five hundred thousand taels from the Pei family, even if it were a million taels, Pei Yaoguang would not feel the pain!

But even so, Pei Yaoguang insisted on refusing, so there could only be one reason: he was dissatisfied with the conditions offered by the imperial court! In other words, rather than a title or rank, the thing Pei Yaoguang wanted was actually something else!

Everyone present was a shrewd person, including Pei Baiwan. So, upon hearing Nie Jinxuan say this, Pei Baiwan immediately turned his gaze to his son, while Pei Yaoguang raised an eyebrow at Nie Jinxuan and leaned slightly toward her.

"Want to borrow five hundred thousand taels of silver? You can, I'll even give it to you... but you must promise me that from now on, you will help me perform autopsies on the cases I handle!"

Pei Yaoguang finally revealed his purpose, but this was already within Nie Jinxuan's expectations. So, as soon as Pei Yaoguang finished speaking, Nie Jinxuan laughed without a second thought.

"So, does that mean Magistrate Pei is saying that this Princess Consort hasn't been helping you with autopsies before and now?"

Nie Jinxuan's response was mysterious, but it had already given Pei Yaoguang his answer. Thus, Pei Yaoguang could not help but raise his eyebrows and laugh as well.

Pei Yaoguang was naturally handsome, and this smile made him look exceptionally charming. But watching his son and Nie Jinxuan smiling at each other, Pei Baiwan, on the side, became anxious.

"Eh, wait, wait! What about the title? What about it? It wouldn't be... it wouldn't be gone, would it..."

For Pei Baiwan, any talk of autopsies or solving cases was just fleeting clouds! A hereditary title for the Pei family was the real treasure! Nie Jinxuan naturally knew Pei Baiwan's thoughts, so she stopped playing riddles with him and nodded with a smile.

"Master Pei, rest assured. Since Anguo has promised, she will certainly keep her word!"

Five hundred thousand taels of silver was not a small sum; neither Nie Jinxuan nor Yin Fengzhan would take the Pei family's silver for nothing. Upon hearing this, Pei Baiwan was overjoyed; if Nie Jinxuan hadn't been there, he would have nearly jumped up! He couldn't help but keep saying that his ancestors were manifesting their spirits...

Pei Baiwan's joy was written all over his face! Seeing him like this, Pei Yaoguang felt that his father was losing face to the point of being unbearable to watch! But just then, just as Pei Yaoguang could no longer resist stopping Pei Baiwan, Pei Baiwan suddenly stopped and rushed over to the smiling Nie Jinxuan.

"Hehe... Princess Consort, you say that money is needed for war, but it's not just money that is needed, right?"