Volume One, Chapter 14: I Can Find Silver

That evening, Song Qingwu, dragging his weary body, returned home and knocked on Song Fanghuai’s door.

Song Fanghuai was still awake, looking utterly dispirited.

It was clear that Song Fanghuai was truly heartbroken.

“Is that so?”

Seeing his son, Song Fanghuai managed to gather himself a little.

In his heart, he still clung to a faint glimmer of hope.

However, when Song Qingwu nodded solemnly, that last thread of hope in Song Fanghuai’s heart was completely shattered.

His precious daughter had truly met with misfortune.

As the final hope withered away, Song Fanghuai’s eyes welled up with blurred tears once more.

“Qingluan…”

Overcome with grief, Song Fanghuai let out a mournful wail.

Song Qingwu was already in a foul mood, and hearing his father wail again, he snapped irritably, “Father, don’t only pity your daughter—have some pity for your son too. Your son is pitiful as well…”

Just wailing, that’s all you do!

The person is dead; what good is wailing?

You only pity the dead—don’t you care about the living?

He had knelt outside the inn for nearly half an hour. When he met Shen Ji, that despicable man wouldn’t let him rise.

He had pleaded tearfully with Shen Ji for a long time. Only when Chen Liuqi intervened did that scoundrel finally show him the bellyband and the half of the jade pendant.

His knees were raw and bleeding!

Hearing his son’s resentful words, Song Fanghuai’s crying abruptly ceased.

After calming himself slightly, he asked in a deep voice, “Did you get the jade pendant?”

“No.”

Song Qingwu shook his head. “That scoundrel wants us to prove that the half jade pendant belongs to Qingluan.”

“Prove… prove it?”

Song Fanghuai’s face twisted in anguish.

How could they prove that?

What could they possibly use as evidence?

Shen Ji was clearly making things difficult for the Song family!

“Did he mention any conditions?”

Song Fanghuai quickly asked again.

Song Qingwu replied, “He said that if the half jade pendant really belonged to Qingluan, then he would have avenged her and asked if we should give him some kind of reward…”

“What kind of reward?”

Song Fanghuai narrowed his eyes.

That good-for-nothing was obviously trying to extort the Song family!

Song Qingwu replied solemnly, “One hundred and fifty taels of gold, plus the five thousand taels of silver from before, and two swift horses that can cover a thousand miles in a day!”

One hundred and fifty taels of gold?

In the Great Ning Dynasty, one tael of gold equaled one hundred taels of silver.

One hundred and fifty taels of gold, plus the five thousand taels of silver before—

That amounted to twenty thousand taels of silver!

What a huge appetite!

But that wasn’t even the most outrageous part!

The swift horses that could travel a thousand miles in a day were truly absurd!

Where could the Song family find such legendary horses?

Hmm?

No, that’s not right!

That good-for-nothing intended to ride off with the horses and gold!

Silver was heavy; carrying that much silver made escape impossible!

He knew he wouldn’t find the silver, so he was arranging an escape plan!

Not to mention that it was impossible for them to find such horses, even if they did, they would never hand them over to this good-for-nothing!

He wanted to see this scoundrel beheaded and displayed publicly with his own eyes!

While Song Fanghuai was scheming, Song Qingwu continued, “The gold might still be manageable, but where are we supposed to find those thousand-mile horses?”

A thousand-mile horses?

If such horses really existed, they would have been presented to the emperor long ago!

Song Fanghuai lowered his head in thought, then looked up with hatred, “Most likely, he has his eyes on the two azure-maned horses we sold to Feng Min at a low price last year…”

Hearing his father’s words, Song Qingwu’s heart stirred, and soon realization dawned on his face.

Those two azure-maned horses weren’t exquisite swift steeds, but they were still fine quality horses!

“So… are we really going to buy back those two horses from Feng Min?”

Song Qingwu’s expression darkened as he silently cursed Shen Ji’s ancestors.

That scoundrel wanted them to buy back the horses they had sold cheaply to Feng Min!

Clearly, he wanted the horses and also wanted to make them offend Feng Min!

“No!”

Song Fanghuai shook his head decisively. “Early tomorrow morning, you go and make a scene. I want to see how he reacts…”

“It’s useless.”

Song Qingwu interrupted bitterly. “That scoundrel said he’d only give us one day. Otherwise, that jade pendant could be lost at any time…”

Upon hearing this, Song Fanghuai frowned again.

After a long pause, he finally resigned himself, “Fine! Tomorrow I’ll go find Feng Min and borrow those two horses. It’s just as well—I want to have a talk with Feng Min too. Anyway, once that scoundrel is executed, the horses will still belong to Feng Min…”

Song Qingwu bowed his head, feeling utterly dispirited.

It seemed this was the only way now.

…

Fu’an Inn.

Ning Shu had just finished bathing when she learned of Shen Ji’s demands to the Song family.

Immediately, a frost of coldness spread across her face.

“Go and bring that lawless scoundrel Shen Ji to me at once!”

Ning Shu roared furiously.

Qiu Yi wanted to advise Ning Shu not to lose her temper, but seeing her like this, she dared not speak up. She could only bow and obey, cursing Shen Ji silently.

She had seen people courting death, but never someone so recklessly courting it!

Originally, Shen Ji’s luck had been good—he had accidentally crossed paths with Zhou Tong.

Strictly speaking, that could be considered a meritorious act.

If the princess pleaded for him again, even if he couldn’t find the silver, his life would surely be spared.

But then he turned around and caused this mess.

Whether Shen Ji was at odds with the Song family or took pleasure in their misfortune was understandable.

But to extort the Song family with the belongings of a dead person—that was simply outrageous.

Now, he had thoroughly angered the princess.

“Lawless! Absolutely lawless…”

Ning Shu’s face was icy cold.

No matter how hard she tried to calm herself, her breath became ragged from anger.

Soon, Qiu Yi symbolically twisted Shen Ji’s arm and “escorted” him into Ning Shu’s room.

Ning Shu had ordered him brought in—there was no way out.

“Leave us!”

Ning Shu commanded coldly.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Qiu Yi gave Shen Ji a look that said, “Good luck,” and quickly withdrew.

“Shen Ji, you have a lot of nerve!”

Ning Shu’s gaze was sharp and cold as she stared at Shen Ji. “I am still here, and yet you dare to commit extortion—against imperial merchants, no less! Do you think I don’t exist?”

Shen Ji smiled. “Miss Ning, you…”

“Call me Princess!”

Ning Shu interrupted him coldly.

Shen Ji hesitated, then muttered unhappily, “But you said to call you Miss Ning…”

“What did you say?”

Ning Shu’s voice suddenly rose eight tones.

For a moment, she truly wanted to throw aside her status, rush forward, and beat this lawless scoundrel senseless.

“Nothing!”

Shen Ji shrugged. “Princess, why don’t you calm down first, and then we can talk slowly?”

Damn it, this princess was so inconsistent!

She had told people to call her Miss Ning, then suddenly insisted on being called Princess?

What a ridiculous princess!

Once he built up his own power, he would teach her a lesson in no time!

“I have nothing to talk with you about!”

Ning Shu suppressed the urge to beat Shen Ji, her tone icy cold. “I just want to ask you: do you still respect the law? Do you think that by tearing down the imperial decree, you can do whatever you want? Do you really—”

“I can find the silver!”

Shen Ji suddenly interrupted.

Ning Shu’s voice froze mid-sentence, and she stared wide-eyed at Shen Ji…