Chapter 39: A Ruthless Shakedown

Xue Qingyan summoned her courage and reported, “Your Majesty, my monthly stipend is only two hundred taels of silver. May I ask how much Your Majesty intends to borrow?”

Tang Yu gazed at Xue Qingyan and smiled. “Lord Xue, there’s no need to be modest. A few days ago, I met your son—what a dazzling and generous young man he is. He spent over two hundred taels just to hear a courtesan sing, and only to listen, not to get close…”

What Cao Cao took the most pride in was not his access to information, but that no one ever knew exactly what he was so pleased about.

“Hengheng’s mother, stop making a scene here. Let’s figure out what really happened before we say anything more.”

As for the provincial office location, Zhang Jialiang didn’t care much, but Huang Nan was meticulous about it. Seeing her attention to detail, Zhang Jialiang couldn’t help but warm to her; after all, people should show some courtesy. With Huang Nan’s kind gestures, Zhang Jialiang could only accept.

When she entered the ward again, Chen Yaozhong’s face was as dark as water… After so much time together, she knew well that this expression from her father was a dangerous signal.

Once she had endured all the “bullying,” they would raise the matter of accepting her as a student—would she possibly refuse then?

“Miss Zhu, it’s not that she insisted on not having a teacher, it’s that we don’t want her!” Ge Pi interrupted coldly.

Liu Mao was beaten so thoroughly he couldn’t resist. He looked into the man’s eyes, not daring to call his name.

No matter how high their status or how illustrious their family, these people were, at the end of the day, mere retainers of the Wei family—nothing but servants.

But that’s not possible. If there was anything Ge Yu said that she could agree with, it was that the truth can’t be hidden forever.

In less than a few breaths, he lowered his head and didn’t lift it again, not even as he was dragged away by the crowd.

Even so, it was much better than other professions. Following Chu Han, she could count on earning several thousand yuan a month.

Chunhua’s eyes were red as well; she was the first to notice Shen Weilu waking, and cried out in delight, unable to hide her joy.

Jiang Ping’an glanced over—there were indeed quite a few, at least a dozen or more, more than his entire day’s net income.

Wang Hou thought he ought to refuse again, but seeing Cao Cao’s thin face fixed in that insincere smile, and then glancing at Guo Jia’s pale, effeminate features, as well as the other five elite generals—Cao Hong, Xu Chu, Shi Huan, each resting a hand on their sword—he realized he had no choice.

Jianjia was speechless. She even wondered if Her Highness still remembered what Miss Pei had said and bore a grudge against Jin Milan for those hurtful words spoken to Lord Pei all those years ago.

The giant python stared at the ginseng in her hand, unable to understand Jiang Ning’s words. Its jaws opened wide and, with a sudden lunge, it shot forward.

Lin Nuo was not idle either. As the two great forces clashed, a surge of dark moon starlight gathered in his hand. The flames transformed into a spear, which he hurled at Wu Teng with a thunderous roar.

It turned out that after Zhang Ji and Yan Wen left, Du Ji still urged Man Chong to send out troops every day, but Man Chong stood as steady as a mountain.

He had originally intended to use Xiahou Xuanyuan’s words to mock Huiming but ended up suffering a loss himself, getting nothing but embarrassment.

At these words, everyone was shocked and hurried to open their eyes, staring unblinkingly at the long sword radiating a brilliant blue light.

As long as the other side realized his strength, all the subsequent problems would resolve themselves.

He sighed. In truth, I never had a close relationship with my mother. It’s just blood ties. Hearing this news so suddenly, I felt genuinely stifled and miserable inside.

Wang Changgui and Wang Fugui were just ordinary men, while the bandits before them were all skilled. To oppose them now would be unwise, so they obediently jumped down from the cart.

I even wondered whether I should just go to the police and turn myself in, claiming I was the one who killed Zhang Zhenxian. But as soon as I thought of this, a serious problem occurred to me: there were surveillance cameras outside the school gates. Even if I wanted to confess, I couldn’t possibly make it work.