Chapter 589: The Crown Princess's Doubt

Zi An, how are you?

At Cheng Tian Men, Du Ruhui had been waiting outside for Chen Yan; when he saw him come out, he hurried forward to inquire.

He could ignore the other members of the Du family, but Du Chu Ke is his own blood brother, so saying he doesn't care would be a lie.

Chen Yan smiled, "Cai Duke, rest assured, the situation is much better than imagined; His Majesty thought of you, so Du Chu Ke and his family are unharmed, and they should be released in a few days."

"I reckon Du Chu Ke and his family probably haven't even suffered much; most of the interrogations are of others, so you can be at ease."

Hearing this, Du Ruhui's lingering anxiety finally eased, and his tense expression relaxed.

He then clasped his hands and said, "I'm troubling you again this time; I won't bother with pleasantries. Come, let's go to my house and slaughter a cow for a feast."

Chen Yan: "......"

Another cow to slaughter!

Your family only has a few cows; after they're all slaughtered, are you going to slaughter the horse His Majesty bestowed upon you as well?

"Stop messing around," Chen Yan replied, not engaging in any more courtesy. "Cai Duke, why do we keep saying so much to each other?"

"But I must tell you, this matter is truly serious; your blood brother is unharmed this time because His Majesty thought of you......"

"Ah, he's essentially an innocent casualty; from now on, stay safely at home, or return to your hometown—best not to remain in Chang'an."

Seeing Chen Yan still unwilling to give any information, Du Ruhui grew solemn and said, "Rest assured, once Chu Ke returns, I will immediately arrange for them to leave Chang'an. Since they survived an innocent arrow once, there might be another chance."

"Better to leave; as he is now, he truly doesn't belong in Chang'an."

Chen Yan clicked his tongue, recalling that chubby youngster Li Tai.

Du Chu Ke is actually fine; the most aggrieved, without doubt, is Li Tai.

That fellow is truly unlucky, getting hit even while lying down.

Honestly, there's no one else.

"Alright, Cai Duke, let's part here. I have business that requires a trip to the East Palace, so I won't return with you."

"Fine, you attend to your matters."

Immediately after, Chen Yan walked calmly toward the East Palace.

Where to?

Of course, to inform Li Chengqian of this news.

Although Li Shimin said nothing, Chen Yan could guess something: regarding Li Tai and Li Chengqian, he still needed to mediate and clarify matters himself.

Otherwise, when at Ganlu Hall, besides seeing Li Shimin, Li Chengqian would also be present.

Soon after, Chen Yan arrived at the East Palace and, led by a palace maid, went to find Li Chengqian.

Just as he stepped before the hall, he encountered the Crown Princess, who happened to be delivering a meal to Li Chengqian.

"Duke of Wei."

Seeing him, Crown Princess Su smiled, "Are you here to see the Crown Prince?"

"By the way, since you're here, I have something to tell you both; let's go in together," Chen Yan said offhand, entering with the Crown Princess.

Only the palace maid who stayed behind wore a slightly odd expression.

Logically, shouldn't the Crown Princess's status be even more honored?

Why does she seem to respect Chen Yan so much, even adding honorifics to her address?

"......"

At this moment, Li Chengqian was still busy.

Li Shimin increasingly valued him; many state affairs were first handed to him for handling, then reviewed by the emperor himself.

Thus, upon returning to the court, he immediately began processing documents and memorials.

Hearing footsteps, Li Chengqian looked up, instantly breaking into a smile.

"Who did I say it was? So it's Zi Anxiong."

"Find a seat yourself; after all, you won't be formal with me."

Given their relationship, no further words were needed; Chen Yan found a spot and sat down at his leisure.

Li Chengqian laughed, "Zi Anxiong, lately I've found it odd—you've acquired so much wealth, yet you've become even quieter."

"Also, on the recent Court, I'm surprised that no one asks you for money anymore."

"Money?" Chen Yan snorted, "That has to come from the Ministry of Revenue. The Money Shop's funds aren't Ministry funds; they're the royal treasury's money!"

"Don't forget, you, the Crown Prince, are the Money Shop's biggest patron; the Money Shop even bears your name."

Hearing that, lines of dark ink appeared on Li Chengqian's forehead, "Others don't understand; do you still not understand?"

"The trades you conduct seem divided into many portions; you take twenty percent, I take a little more, and the rest goes to Father Emperor."

"In reality, my share ends up in Father Emperor's pocket; I feel my Crown Prince title is just lent to you at will."

"The Money Shop is under my name, yet it seems to have nothing to do with me. When trouble arises, I have to send people from the East Palace, even appear personally."

"Tell me where I should go to argue."

Chen Yan laughed, "Don't think that way; these things belong to your royal family anyway. As Crown Prince, they'll be yours in the future, so why worry about this small gain or loss now?"

"Anyway, even if you wanted that much money, it's useless."

"If you truly lack funds, you could borrow from the Money Shop; I've borrowed from the Ministry of Revenue before."

Li Chengqian: "......"

The Crown Princess carried two plates of small pastries, placing them before Chen Yan and Li Chengqian; hearing their conversation, she couldn't help her curiosity.

"Husband, Duke of Wei, there is something I truly don't understand."

"Why can noble families produce so much cash, and only cash at that, excluding land, grain, antiques, silk, and the like?"

"Even though I am a lady of the inner palace, I have heard that in the past, people of your status argued fiercely over tens of thousands of strings of cash in the Court."

"In contrast, noble families spend hundreds of thousands of strings buying a few glass vases, and their savings reach millions of strings......"

She fell silent, as if she didn't know what to say.

After Li Chengqian and Chen Yan heard her question, they both laughed.

"Does the Crown Princess not understand?" Chen Yan asked with a light smile.

Lady Su honestly nodded, "Indeed I don't understand; I remember when my former husband was still worrying over a few hundred strings of cash, back then the Prince of Wei, although he had money, actually had nowhere to put it—being able to produce several ten-thousands, at most a hundred thousand strings, was already the limit."

"The former Minister of Revenue, Dai Zhou, was so pained over fifty thousand strings that he quarrelled with the Minister of Works to the point of no return, exchanging greetings with each other's ancestors eighteen generations over."

"I really find it hard to understand."

"Ah!" Li Chengqian sighed, "Not understanding is right; you don't understand them, hence this doubt."

"If you truly understood the aristocratic clans, understood the foundation they have accumulated over many years, you would find that when they join forces, producing a hundred million strings is not at all surprising."

"This is the terror of the aristocratic clans, and likewise the reason Father Emperor tries every means to eradicate them."

"......"