"Scoundrel! Scoundrel!"
Just as Han Mo was excitedly preparing to visit the beautiful woman at Fan Lou and indulge in a feast, Wang Fu was throwing a tantrum in his mansion.
Although Cai You had suffered heavy losses, losing his position as Minister of Justice and Deputy Prefect of Kaifeng, Wang Fu had also suffered significant setbacks.
Sixteen million strings of copper coins, even for him, was an astronomically large sum.
He had indeed been greedy over the years, but more than half of the wealth he had accumulated then was given as tribute to Liang Shicheng.
It was only in the last year or two, after completely falling out with Liang Shicheng, that all the ill-gotten wealth had finally fallen into his own coffers.
For high officials like him, once they had some money in hand, they naturally no longer cared for ordinary copper coins or gold and silver.
Apart from the portion of property reserved in his mansion, the remaining wealth had mostly been converted into antiques, calligraphy and paintings, land, jade, and other valuable items.
Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to convert these items into cash if the right channels were found.
However, to produce such a large sum of money in such a short time, even he, the Grand Councilor of the court, would have to go to great lengths.
He was different from Cai Jing. The Cai family's hometown was in Fujian Circuit. Besides establishing a family fortune in Bianliang City, the vast majority of the Cai family's wealth was basically in their hometown, Fujian.
He, on the other hand, was a native of Kaifeng. Even though he had gradually acquired property in other places over the years, his main wealth was still concentrated around Bianliang.
Bianliang City was the territory of the Imperial City Department. If he, the Grand Councilor of the court, were to make a big splash by exchanging gold, silver, and antiques for cash, how could he hide it from the eyes and ears of the Imperial City Department?
A Grand Councilor could produce sixteen million strings of copper coins, and moreover, at such a sensitive time!
The Emperor had been driven almost mad by money. He was one of those who chased after the Emperor every day asking for money, and it was Wang Fu himself!
If the Emperor knew that Wang Fu not only pocketed such a vast fortune but also relentlessly hounded him for money every day, who knew what the Emperor would think...
"My Lord, this matter has come to this point. You must quickly come up with a solution..."
Seeing him in such a furious state, Qin Hui, who stood beside him, could only advise him softly.
"Damn Huang Qianshan! Damn Han Mo! Damn Cai Jing!"
Wang Fu was furious at this moment and could not listen to Qin Hui's words...
"My Lord, mind your words! Although this is within your mansion, you must still be careful of eavesdroppers!"
Seeing that he was becoming increasingly excessive, Zhang Bangchang, who had initially intended to watch the commotion from the sidelines, could only step out and help Qin Hui persuade him.
"Yes, my Lord. Getting angry now will not solve anything. You must quickly come up with a plan! Money is ultimately an external possession. As long as you endure this hardship and get through this difficult period, with the green hills remaining, are you afraid of having no firewood to burn?"
Seeing that Zhang Bangchang had spoken, Qin Hui finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said again.
"Hoo—"
"This matter cannot be let go just like that!"
After exhaling a long breath of stale air, Wang Fu gritted his teeth and said.
"My Lord, in my opinion, you will have to endure this anger for the time being. The Emperor's mind is entirely on this money right now. If you retaliate at this time, you might end up drawing unnecessary trouble upon yourself..."
Seeing his resentful look, Qin Hui forced a wry smile.
"My Lord, I think Hui Zhi's words are reasonable. We should make a long-term plan for this matter. That old fellow played his cards too beautifully this time. If we don't handle it carefully, we might suffer a great loss again!"
As Zhang Bangchang said this, a wry smile appeared on his face.
The position of Minister of Justice was too crucial. When it was held by Cai You, it might not have been so fatal to them.
But once it fell into Cai Jing's hands, the situation would be completely different.
With Cai Jing's mastery of power and his formidable network of connections, he would likely be able to complete the integration of the entire Ministry of Justice within a month or two.
Once the integration of the Ministry of Justice was completed, no matter what Cai Jing did next, it would be a sword hanging over everyone's heads!
In officialdom, who could guarantee that their own affairs were clean?
With Cai Jing's terrifying network of connections and calculating ability, if he were truly determined to deal with Wang Fu, they would probably suffer a great loss again before long!
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
As Wang Fu said this, he angrily threw a teacup he was holding onto the table in front of him.
What to do?
The problem returned to its starting point. Although the solution was obvious, Zhang Bangchang found it difficult to utter.
After all, the method of parting with half of his fortune to settle the matter was something that even the thick-skinned Zhang Bangchang found difficult to say at this moment.
Zhang Bangchang could feign ignorance, but Qin Hui did not have such good luck.
Seeing Zhang Bangchang's gaze, Qin Hui could only force a wry smile.
Damn it, it really is true that a higher rank crushes a lower one!
Pouting helplessly, Qin Hui could only clear his throat and step forward to take the blame.
"My Lord, to safely get through this ordeal, you will probably have to shed some blood this time..."
After rubbing his hands awkwardly, Qin Hui said cautiously.
"The money I can take out from my mansion, added together, is only around three to four million strings..."
After his lips parted a few times, Wang Fu directly stated his bottom line.
Hearing this, Qin Hui almost rolled his eyes to the heavens.
Although it was difficult to part with wealth, what time was it now?
With his head about to be severed, this old fellow was still concerned about saving his life but not his wealth. Wasn't this courting death?
Even if he wanted to deceive the Emperor, he should at least produce six to seven million strings!
"If it's only this amount of money, it might be difficult to explain to the Emperor. This Han fellow came with such fierce momentum. Can you guarantee, my Lord, that he truly doesn't have the real account book in his hands?"
After a wry smile, Qin Hui spoke again.
Hearing his words, Wang Fu was stunned.
This was a question he had never really considered...