Chapter 856

Xu Zhengying glanced at Huo Shengnan, meaning to let her go out first; Huo Shengnan knew he had something to say behind her back, so she rose and left the living room.

Xu Zhengying leaned toward Hu Xiaotian, stretched out three fingers, and lowered his voice: "Thirty thousand taels..." As he spoke those words, he felt his heart bleeding.

Hu Xiaotian hehe laughed: "Sir Xu, are you looking down on me or on yourself?" Yet he was overjoyed in his heart—thirty thousand taels, today he really hit the jackpot; he never expected to have slaughtered a fat sheep so obliviously.

Xu Zhengying wore a bitter face: "I really can't come up with that much."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The officials who participated in the raid on our Hu family weren't just you, were they?"

Xu Zhengying said: "Yeah, there are quite a few others!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Give me the list!"

Xu Zhengying, on the contrary, proved very cooperative, directly writing down the several main persons responsible for that matter at the time.

Hu Xiaotian put the list away, and Xu Zhengying again said: "Commander Hu, look, thirty thousand..."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Then take thirty thousand first."

Xu Zhengying hadn't expected him to suddenly be so agreeable; greatly relieved, he hurriedly had the accounts office fetch a Dakang Si Hai Money Shop negotiable silver note for him.

Hu Xiaotian took that silver note, turning it over and over to examine it.

Xu Zhengying said: "Thirty thousand taels of gold, negotiable at the Si Hai Money Shop—this is all my worldly wealth."

Hu Xiaotian hehe laughed: "This thirty thousand is the first installment; the remaining seventy thousand taels you must repay within a year, and for each month overdue I'll charge you one percent interest."

Upon hearing that this bastard actually still intended to demand more, Xu Zhengying flushed red with anger, his neck thickening: "Commander Hu, we didn't agree to..."

Hu Xiaotian said: "After you ransacked our home, our family lost a hundred thousand taels of gold; you now give me thirty thousand—what does that mean? Are you expecting me to just accept the shortfall as bad luck?"

Xu Zhengying, on the verge of tears: "Commander Hu, I didn't take a single coin home!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Grudges have heads, debts have owners. The Third Prince is dead—where am I to go collect from him? You deal with this hundred thousand taels of gold."

"Those who participated in the raid weren't just me!"

Hu Xiaotian raised the list in his hand and said: "Rest assured, I won't let anyone who participated in this matter off the hook; whenever you make up this sum, whenever you settle it, I never said you alone, Sir Xu, must repay the entire hundred thousand taels of gold to me. But you lack sincerity—thirty thousand taels of gold, you've headed the Ministry of Currency and the Treasure Mint for years; these two places are where Dakang mints its coinage. My father initially entrusted you with authority, and over these years you must have reaped untold benefits from them—you know that yourself."

Xu Zhengying said: "Those are all public funds!"

Hu Xiaotian hehe laughed: "Whether it's public funds, you'll know only after an investigation. You ransacked my Hu family back and forth, and a hundred thousand taels of gold vanished—who knows how much currency Dakang has lost over your years in charge of minting?"

Xu Zhengying turned pale with shock: "Commander Hu, you must not speak nonsense!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I originally didn't want to spout nonsense, but Sir Xu forced me to speak; if these words reach the ears of Princess Yongyang, do you think she'll believe you or me?" Now was the time to bring out Qiqi Zhenzhen, that old fox. As he spoke, he deliberately lifted his outer robe, revealing the five-colored coiling dragon gold plaque; sunlight happened to stream in from outside, shining directly on the plaque. The glare reflecting off the plaque made Xu Zhengying almost unable to open his eyes.

Xu Zhengying, frightened by Hu Xiaotian's move, felt his mental defenses finally begin to crumble. He thought it better to spend money to avert disaster; this kid had gained an advantage and would at least not bother him for a while. Xu Zhengying said: "I'll take out another twenty thousand. That's all I have!"

Hu Xiaotian then gained another twenty thousand taels of gold, instantly breaking into a grin; he smilingly put away the silver notes and told Xu Zhengying: "Sir Xu is also a sensible person; let bygones be bygones, we'll remain friends, and I'll still come to your residence to pay respects during festivals."

Xu Zhengying thought to himself, You'd better never come again in this lifetime, and seeing him off respectfully said: "Naturally, I should be the one to visit your manor; how could I let Commander Hu trouble himself?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Not tiring, not tiring!" Of course it wasn't tiring; he merely swung by Xu Zhengying's mansion for a stroll, and having fifty thousand taels of gold in hand was truly a great bargain.

Leaving the gate of Xu's manor, Huo Shengnan saw his beaming smile and knew this time he must have reaped a rich harvest; she whispered: "How did it go? How much did you extort?"

Hu Xiaotian shook the two silver notes in front of Huo Shengnan, proudly saying: "Fifty thousand taels of gold—haha, now Xu Zhengying will be so pained he won't sleep for days."

Huo Shengnan said: "You're not cut out for an official post; you'd truly be better off as a bandit—extortion and blackmail are your forte."

"Don't forget, you're my accomplice."

Hu Xiaotian returned to his manor, summoned Liang Da Zhuang over, handed him the list in hand, and told him not to do anything else these two days, to take Huo Shengnan together and go door to door, visiting the officials on the list who had once participated in the raid to demand the missing silver from the Hu family, according to rank—the highest on the list being a fourth-rank official, who would owe ten thousand taels of gold; a fifth-rank, eight thousand; a sixth-rank, five thousand.

Xu Zhengying listed a total of eight officials on the list who had participated in the raid; those officials at the time hadn't ransacked just the Hu mansion—when the emperor confiscated properties, there were dozens of officials, over thirty in all, showing how much was embezzled during the raids. Of course, those riches should ultimately have fallen into the hands of the Third Prince Long Tingzhen, but since the thief who stole the ox is dead, we can only settle accounts with this gang of accomplices.

The officials on the list, like Xu Zhengying, were mostly panicked and uneasy due to the recent court upheaval; the Hu family now came knocking for debts, with proof and evidence. Although Hu Buwei had not been formally exonerated nor reinstated to office, Hu Xiaotian is now a rising star beside Princess Yongyang, his influence at its peak—no one dares provoke him now, and everyone hopes to avoid disaster by parting with wealth. When Hu Xiaotian began, he didn't expect such a haul, but after tallying what Huo Shengnan and Liang Da Zhuang collected door to door, they had in total thirty thousand taels of gold, one hundred thousand taels of silver, plus many antiquities and treasures. It appears Dakang may be poor, but wealth is hidden among officials—these officials are each filthy rich.

Princess Yongyang had originally given Hu Xiaotian two days of rest, but only one day had passed when she sent someone to summon him; this time they were not meeting in the palace, but at the Shen Ce Manor.

When Hu Xiaotian arrived at Shen Ce Manor, he saw Princess Yongyang's entourage already waiting outside; the chief of the eunuchs tasked with protecting her safety was Li Yan.

Hu Xiaotian and Li Yan had already had considerable dealings in the past; Li Yan had once been the right-hand man of Ji Feihua, yet when Ji Feihua fell this time he emerged unscathed, proving that Li Yan had merely been a lurking pawn beside Ji Feihua all along. In Li Yan's eyes, Hu Xiaotian is just like him—both chose to approach their target to eliminate Ji Feihua, enduring hardship, and both are likewise meritorious officials in this court coup.

Li Yan clasped his hands before Hu Xiaotian and said: "I pay my respects, Commander!" Although he had been promoted to Deputy Director of the Inner Supervisorate for his role in eliminating Ji Feihua, his advancement still pales compared to Hu Xiaotian's rapid rise; watching that former minor eunuch of the Imperial Gardens Bureau climb step by step to high office, Li Yan felt envy from the depths of his heart, yet some things cannot be envied—often what decides outcomes is not just ability but also luck, which occupies a large share.

Hu Xiaotian inwardly looked down on Li Yan's sort, yet outwardly remained all smiles: "Greetings, Chief Li! Has the Princess arrived?"

Li Yan said: "She's waiting inside."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, stepped into Shen Ce Manor, and upon reaching the gate, the four guards on duty there hurriedly bowed to him; these were all palace guards, also under his direct command. Hu Xiaotian smiled: "You've worked hard." He looked up and saw that the plaque at Shen Ce Manor had been taken down, leaving the space bare and adding a touch of desolation. Only then did he recall that after the old emperor ascended the throne, Hong Beimo had reorganized the Heavenly Secret Bureau and, in the process, abolished Shen Ce Manor.

Entering the plaza of Shen Ce Manor, he saw a lone figure standing on the martial arts stage at the center of the drill field—none other than Princess Yongyang, Qiqi.

Hu Xiaotian called out: "Your subordinate Hu Xiaotian pays respects, Your Highness!"

Princess Qiqi permitted him not to perform the kneeling salute; this fellow certainly wouldn't be so earnest as to insist on kowtowing to this young lady. He walked up the steps to the stage, came to Qiqi's side, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply.

Qiqi asked: "How's the tidying up at home going?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness; fortunately you had people notify my former relatives in advance, otherwise I alone would truly be unable to cope. I'm currently sorting and organizing; I estimate it'll be about right in another three days."

Qiqi said: "Once it's cleaned up, bring Lord Hu back from the Well Lane hut."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Actually I'd like to fetch him back now, but he says the emperor hasn't yet granted permission, so he can't return on his own."

Qiqi said: "Then let him be; I'll mention this to His Majesty when I see him."

Hu Xiaotian respectfully said: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your consideration toward my subordinate and his father."

Qiqi said: "Don't keep calling me 'Your Highness'—it sounds awkward. Since there's no one else here, I'll call you Hu Xiaotian, and you… just call me Princess."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "As you command!"

Qiqi asked: "What have you been up to these past two days?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I've been busy at home tidying up; really, I've only been staying there a day, and I've done a few odd jobs on the side."

"What odd jobs?"

Hu Xiaotian produced several silver notes from his pocket, totaling fifty thousand taels of silver, and presented them with both hands to Qiqi.

Qiqi didn't reach for them; she glanced over the notes and said: "That's a lot of silver."

Hu Xiaotian secretly chuckled: this little girl had never seen money; even a mere fifty thousand taels of silver astonished her. If I were to lay out all the gold and silver I extorted these two days before her eyes, she'd probably faint from fright. This is Hu Xiaotian's cleverness—he knows his debt‑collecting escapades can't stay hidden forever, but he figures no one would dare admit how much they've extorted; this money is largely black money, and by showing up at their doors to demand payment he's justified on one hand, and on the other it's black‑on‑black, leaving those scoundrels unable to voice their grievances. As for these fifty thousand taels of silver notes, they are what Hu Xiaotian kept on hand to deal with Qiqi.

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