Chapter 363: Money-Squeezing Tactics

Ah!

This brat runs really fast...

Du Shanü watched the boy's figure as he scrambled away, looking annoyed, and said:

Do I look like some kind of rakshasa woman?

He didn't even answer, just took off using hands and feet—how rude!

No one could answer that, and no one dared to.

The room fell into dead silence; everyone kept their eyes on their noses and noses on their hearts, listening as Du Shanü slowly closed that mysterious box unknown to gods and ghosts.

Another simple 'click' sound, and Du Shanü casually said:

Afang, hurry up and catch up with Xiao An, get him the things I mentioned earlier... well, give him an extra hundred taels; this kid looks frightened.

From two hundred taels down to one hundred, it's because I feel the pinch and want to save money.

From one hundred taels back up to two hundred, it's entirely the Wise Lord's wavering conscience at work.

And yet he even knows that the kid was frightened...

Chen Weifang muttered to herself, her movements showing no hesitation as she rose to leave.

A subtle fragrance wafted, and beautiful faces drew near.

Chun Rijian, who had been keeping his head down and silent, suddenly stepped back, respectfully and earnestly blocking Chen Weifang's path:

Master, with juniors present, why must you labor so? Let the students go instead.

Chen Weifang said nothing, but Du Shanü's heart stirred, as if blessed by fortune, and she immediately agreed:

Fine, fine, go quickly.

I almost forgot you're still here; there's no way I'd let Afang run errands.

Chun Rijian bowed again, received the order with bowed body, and immediately turned back.

Once the person left, Chen Weifang snapped:

To save two hundred taels of silver, the Wise Lord actually has the nerve to send a half-cripple on an errand.

The two are so familiar that as soon as Du Shanü opens her mouth, Chen Weifang pretty much knows what she's thinking—

After all said and done, the Wise Lord surely just can't bear to part with money.

Chun Rijian usually stays in Dun City, doesn't control the Zhoufu treasury, and doesn't even have a key.

This time, if he's to give Ouyang An money, he can only dip into his own private coffers...

Isn't that just saving two hundred taels of silver!

Ah, Afang, what you said—clearly I mean to save where I should and spend where I should!

Du Shanü changed from her previous fake smile when facing Ouyang An, and brazenly said:

Besides, I've never been stingy when spending money on you guys!

After all, Chun Rijian is the wealthiest god of wealth among them...

How can spending the god of wealth's money be called 'spending'?

It's clearly called 'manifesting efficacy'!

Du Shanü coughed lightly, thick-skinnedly brushing the matter aside:

Now that he's gone, I can finally talk with you.

Earlier, when Chun Rijian mentioned Thus line: Bai Liren, your expression wasn't good; I worried it was because they were both there, making it hard for you to speak, so I wanted to send them away.

Afang, you might as well say—just what exactly is Thus line: Bai Liren?

The Wise Lord asked, and Chen Weifang didn't want to hide anything, especially when facing someone like Thus line: Bai Liren—his vigilance was obviously raised to the extreme.

Chen Weifang thought of this person, and obviously got a headache:

A corrupt official, through and through.

If I may say, calling him the number one corrupt official of the Dayin dynasty wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Ruansizong once boasted in his youth that he would only enter service if the lord offered a thousand gold to hire him, but that was just bombastic talk. Ruansizong comes from a prominent family and indeed lacks no money, but Thus line: Bai Liren here truly can't even come up with a thousand gold.

In four words: 'dare to demand, dare to take'.

No matter what money, as long as it passes through his hands, it will definitely be siphoned off.

Even if it doesn't pass through his hands, as long as he learns of it, he will try every means to skim a portion.

Anyone who has dealt with him can see his obsession with money has reached a stubborn, pathological level.

Just like when Chen Weifang was chief examiner before...

Thus line: Bai Liren is clearly an assistant examiner, an assistant examiner!

Who has seen a row of examiners idly sitting at the examination hall gate, monitoring students entering, when one assistant examiner, after watching for a while, suddenly ordered his attendant, saying:

'These examinees haven't even brought enough brushes, ink, bedding, and dry rations—it's outrageous. Go buy some, set them up for sale at the gate, and price them at three times the cost.'

Those events are long past, but now Chen Weifang merely recalls them and lets out a sigh.

Upon looking up again, he met two faces utterly bewildered to the extreme.

Chinu: '......'

Du Shanü: '......'

Du Shanü endured and endured, but finally couldn't hold back:

This old brat is impressive—I never thought he'd come up with such a money-making scheme—wrong, wrong, Afang, stop it, outside is all Chun Rijian, don't drag me in (? ｀? Д? ′)!!

Chen Weifang also endured and endured, but really couldn't hold back, and whispered a reprimand:

That's at the examination hall, the examination hall!

Even if one wants to be corrupt, there's no justification for doing it openly; moreover, with examiners selling goods, if one student buys and another doesn't, how would the Wise Lord know whether the second student worries that the first's purchase of expensive equipment might be bribery?

In that case, who could refrain from buying? Who would dare not buy? If a poor student can't scrape together the money, being unsettled by this, how could he possibly exert his true ability in the exam hall?

What Thus line: Bai Liren did is really not a small matter.

Since ancient times, the imperial examinations have been of utmost importance; this person, for a few paltry silvers, almost ruined an entire batch of examinees.

Du Shanü winced and repeatedly begged for mercy, while Chen Weifang, vexed that her efforts were to no avail, loosened her grip on the Wise Lord's earlobe.

"Wise Lord, don't learn the bad instead of the good—this is truly a heinous act; at best it ruins a year's examinations, at worst it corrupts an entire region's morals, and in any case it shouldn't be glossed over so lightly."

"Moreover, Thus line: Bai Liren didn't just do this—Wise Lord, do you know who pleaded for him after I caught Chunri Jian, the clansman intending to cheat, and dragged him out of the examination hall?"

Du Shanü rubbed her reddened earlobe, her thoughts shifting, and she instinctively said:

"Could it be...?"

Chen Weifang nodded:

"That's right, it's Thus line: Bai Liren."

"That person came to me that night, openly admitting he had taken a hundred taels from the Spring Day Clan, willing to intercede for the cheating examinee, and told me to name my price—if I hushed this up and let the cheating examinee continue testing, the Spring Day Clan would repay me many times over."

"I asked him then, with so many people in the tribute academy during the day, even if I were willing to hush it up, what about all the examiners and examinees who witnessed it... Wise Lord, guess how he replied to me?"

Du Shanü lowered her eyes slightly to show she was listening attentively.

Chen Weifang, as expected, didn't beat around the bush; after a moment's thought, she said:

"He said, '【Greedy men die for wealth, fools perish for fame; alas, worldly folk, why are you so busy?】'"

"He said, 'Outsiders naturally have the Spring Day Clan's silver as a baseline. You, Chen Weifang, remained unmoved—you simply felt the bribe hadn't reached your psychological price... In any case, if it can't be done, it's only because the money isn't enough.'"

?? Come on, come on! Babies, it's mid-month! If you have tickets, can you cast a few votes? Thanks a lot~