Song Qing was also very curious. He had already seen Wei Wang's domineering behavior at the Hall of Peaceful Harmony. He didn't care about the Empress at all and casually punished the Imperial Army's generals. He was really an extremely arrogant master. Even Wanyan Liang had to give way to him. Song Qing didn't know who dared to compete with him.
"Go and investigate." Wanyan Liang stared at the private room and casually ordered. Soon, a subordinate ran out.
"I was wondering who it was. So it's Changsheng Wang." Before the subordinate returned, Wei Wang stood at the window of the private room and had already called out the person's identity. He looked over and sneered.
"Changsheng Wang?" Song Qing's heart skipped a beat. He had been in the capital for a long time and naturally knew who Changsheng Wang was. Changsheng Wang, Wanyan Yuan, was the younger brother of the current Emperor Xizong.
At this point, there was no need to hide his identity. The window of Changsheng Wang's private room opened and a man in his thirties could be seen sitting leisurely by the window. As he blew on the steam in his tea, he said calmly, "Your Highness Wei Wang, don't blame me for not reminding you. You should respectfully call me Imperial Uncle. Otherwise, people who don't know would think that the dignified Wei Wang doesn't even know these royal etiquettes."
"You!" Wei Wang flew into a rage. However, he also knew that he was in the wrong and couldn't refute in front of so many people.
Changsheng Wang chuckled. He stood up and looked down at the courtesan below. "What? Does Wei Wang also like this courtesan?"
"So what if I do?" Wei Wang snorted coldly.
"Fifteen taels of gold. That's a lot of money." Changsheng Wang suddenly changed the topic. "But if I remember correctly, you don't have an official fief yet. Where did you get such a large sum of money?"
"I …" Wei Wang's expression changed drastically. Actually, with his status, it was easy for him to get money. However, this was an unspoken rule that couldn't be seen in the light of day. How could he say it in front of so many people?
Prince Changsheng pressed on, and his eyes suddenly became sharp. "Oh, I remember now. Your Highness, Prince of Wei, has been in charge of the flood control of the Yellow River recently. Could it be that those who repaired the river embankment asked you to do something for them and secretly offered you the money? Don't blame me for being too talkative. You're young and insensible. Perhaps you don't know what kind of money you should take and what kind of money you shouldn't take. Don't be fooled by those officials who are trying to curry favor with you. The river and the dikes are related to the lives of thousands of people. If something goes wrong, I'm afraid Your Highness won't be able to bear the consequences. "
As soon as Changsheng King's words came out, the people below immediately burst into an uproar. Although they were afraid of Wei Wang's power and didn't dare to show too much, they whispered to each other and pointed at Wei Wang.
Song Qing was puzzled. Changsheng King was so ruthless, didn't it mean that both sides had completely fallen out? After all, Wei Wang was the future successor to the throne. Wasn't he being too rash?
Xiao Yu moved closer to Wanyan Liang's ear and whispered, "It seems that Wei Wang had completely angered Changsheng King when he beat Wanyan Tesi eighty times." Xiao Yu's voice was very soft, and it was so noisy in Qiuxiang Brothel that even Wanyan Liang wouldn't have heard it clearly if Xiao Yu hadn't whispered in his ear. However, with Song Qing's level of cultivation, he naturally heard it clearly.
"So Wanyan Tesi is Changsheng King's man." Knowing this, Song Qing suddenly understood. At the same time, he was secretly shocked. As a prince, Wanyan Yuan actually befriended a general who was in charge of the imperial army. No one would believe that he didn't have any ulterior motives.
Thinking of the Jin Kingdom's tradition of elder brothers, Changsheng King probably also had thoughts of competing for the throne. No wonder he and Wei Wang were like fire and water and had openly fallen out.
But what role did Wanyan Liang play in this? Xiao Yu's respectful attitude towards him didn't seem to be that of a normal superior and subordinate. Instead, it seemed like he was Wanyan Liang's retainer. It was really strange.
"Nonsense, I have always been honest and clean. Why would I accept bribes?" Wei Wang's face turned red and he braced himself to say this. He wanted to slap Changsheng King in the face, but he knew that this was just a thought. After all, Changsheng King's power was not inferior to his, and he was also his uncle.
"Oh? Since Your Highness is honest and clean, how can you take out fifteen taels of gold? " Changsheng King put on a look of sudden realization and said, "I understand now. I'm afraid that Your Highness is planning to use an exaggerated price to scare off the other competitors. Anyway, you are Wei Wang. Would Qiuxiang Brothel really be so ignorant as to take so much money from you?"
Wei Wang's face turned green and white. He waved his hand and said, "You win. Let's go!"
Song Qing secretly admired Changsheng King's clever tactics. He was waiting for Wei Wang to jump into a trap. Whether it was corruption or using his power to force Wei Wang to not pay, no matter which one Wei Wang admitted to, it would cause a lot of trouble and he could only run away with his tail between his legs.
"Twenty taels of gold, I'm afraid even Changsheng King can't take out that much." Song Qing suddenly wondered. He was now the head of the Tang Kuo Family, one of the top three families in the Jin Kingdom. It was not easy for him to transfer so much money in a short period of time, and he had to be strictly examined by the Elders. Even if Wanyan Yuan was a prince, he couldn't be any better.
Xiao Yu laughed and said, "Prince Consort, you may not know this. Although he called out such a high price, it doesn't mean that Changsheng King will pay so much money. As he said just now, Qiuxiang Brothel doesn't dare to take the full amount from Wei Wang, but will they dare to ask him for the full amount? At least they will take the initiative to give a 20% discount. And I'm afraid Changsheng King won't even pay 20%. "
Song Qing said curiously, "Will he go back on his word?"
Xiao Yu chuckled sheepishly and couldn't help but glance at Wan Yanliang. Wan Yanliang smiled back and said, "Brother Tang Kuo is a straightforward person, so it's normal that he doesn't know about this. We're all on the same side now, so there's nothing to hide. Xiao Yu, why don't you tell him?"
Xiao Yu then explained in detail, "Of course he won't go back on his word. Instead, he will choose another clever method. For example, instead of paying the full amount in one go, he will choose to pay the full amount in several installments. Will Qiuxiang Brothel dare to refuse? As time goes on, there will be more places to play tricks. If I'm not wrong, in the end, Qiuxiang Brothel will only receive the first payment. "
Song Qing couldn't help but click his tongue when he heard this. He came from the future. Although he had seen much more than the people in this world, when it came to how to use power, he still couldn't catch up with these aristocratic families. He was amazed by the way these people used. It was no wonder these people were willing to raise the price by two gold taels. Those ordinary rich merchants could only use real money to compete with them.
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