bookpub Chapter 59 Better to be prepared
Chapter 59 Better to be prepared
Seeing Shen Lang's hearty appetite, Princess Jing'an quickly ordered more dishes to be prepared and then personally poured him a glass of wine.
"Eat slowly. Tell me what flavors you like. The inner kitchen has over fifty chefs who can cook dishes from all over the country!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Lang was taken aback, and his hand holding the chopsticks froze in mid-air.
"Why hire so many chefs when it's just you and the princess dining together?"
Princess Jing'an lazily crossed her left thigh over her right, saying nonchalantly:
"The same meal will taste different the second time you eat it."
"I don't like it, so I'll hire lots of chefs so we can eat fresh dishes every day."
Shen Lang was speechless for a moment, then advised, "Although the princess is wealthy, she should be careful not to be too extravagant, lest she squander her fortune."
Princess Jing'an said, "Don't worry, I've discussed it with Changning. We'll spend 30% of the silver we collect each year and save the other 30%. We won't just sit around and do nothing."
Shen Lang chuckled and shook his head. To achieve such an imposing presence with only 30% of the money spent, the wealth of the Prince's Mansion must be truly astonishing.
He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where did the princess get so much silver?"
"More than half of the shops in Yujing City belong to me, and the same number in Nandu, as well as Suzhou, Songjiang, Huai'an, Wuchang..."
Princess Jing'an counted on her long, slender, fair fingers for a while before her patience ran out.
"There are too many, I can't remember them all."
"Li Zhong is handling all of these matters. If you're interested, go ask him!"
Shen Lang nodded slightly, but suddenly felt a little curious about the deceased Prince Jing'an.
He had only heard that this prince was an oddball who never associated with people in the court and devoted himself to business. He never expected that his business would be so big!
With businesses spanning the entire country, it's no wonder the Jing'an Prince's Mansion is so extravagant.
Shen Lang then asked, "If you spend 30% and save 30%, what about the remaining 40%?"
Princess Jing'an said, "One-tenth will be used to relieve the poor, and the remaining thirty percent will be given to His Majesty."
"To His Majesty?" A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Lang's eyes.
Princess Jing'an's pretty face darkened slightly, and she said unhappily, "It wasn't a gift; His Majesty asked me for it himself!"
"They say the imperial treasury's expenses are high and there's not enough money, so they want me to subsidize it!"
Shen Lang then understood why the princess had managed to keep three thousand private soldiers unharmed—it turned out she had paid protection money.
Yan Shen sells official positions, while His Majesty sells government quotas; the two, emperor and minister, work together to make money, their cooperation is quite tacit.
"Over the years, I have subsidized His Majesty with so much silver, and I have helped him build dozens of Ascension Platforms alone, yet he still ignores me!"
Princess Jing'an, indignant and increasingly angry, said, "Those old geezers from the Imperial Clan Court falsely accused me, and they didn't care!"
"I kindly offered to help the poor, but instead of praising me, they jumped up and down in protest!"
"It's as if I stepped on their tail!"
"They spend all day spreading rumors and slandering me before His Majesty, saying things like... yes, trying to win people's hearts!"
"I only gave those people some money out of pity, without asking for anything in return. These old fools just had to make things difficult for me!"
Seeing this, the maids quickly stepped forward to appease her: "Your Highness, please calm down! They're just jealous of your beauty, popularity, and influence, so they're deliberately causing trouble!"
"Yes, Your Highness, please don't get angry with them, or you'll fall into their trap!"
"The Imperial Clan Court is full of hypocrites, spouting platitudes but secretly engaging in all sorts of shady dealings. I think Your Majesty should punish them!"
Princess Jing'an nodded repeatedly, her almond-shaped eyes welling up with tears.
She turned to Shen Lang, her face full of grievance, and said, "Shen Lang, when you get promoted, could you teach them a lesson for me?"
"Over the years, I have been bullied by them every day. Every time they finish complaining, the Empress Dowager summons me to the palace to be scolded, and sometimes she doesn't even let me eat..."
When Princess Jing'an spoke of her sorrows, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned down, and the maids, seeing this, offered her further comfort.
Shen Lang nodded happily: "Your Highness can prepare a list for me."
"Write down the names of all those who have offended you."
"In the future, I will visit them one by one."
He realized that the Imperial Clan Court was Princess Jing'an's lifelong enemy.
Whenever the topic is mentioned, the princess loses control of her emotions, suggesting that she has indeed suffered a great deal of injustice.
This is infuriating.
As for whether the princess is in the right or not... that's not important.
"Okay, okay!"
Princess Jing'an was overjoyed when she heard Shen Lang say he would stand up for her, and immediately ordered someone to fetch paper and pen.
Shen Lang stopped her and said gently, "There's no need to rush. You should think it over carefully so as not to overlook anything."
Princess Jing'an nodded earnestly: "You're right!"
"There are quite a few people bullying me; I'd better think carefully!"
Shen Lang put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said, "In the next few days, you and the princess should try not to go out."
"If there is an urgent matter that cannot be avoided, you must bring Pei Gongfeng and that orange cat with you."
"I will go to the yamen later and have a chat with Commander Zhou. I'll ask him to arrange for some more men to patrol outside the Prince's Mansion, just in case."
Princess Jing'an's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked, "What does this mean?"
"The investigation into the flower thief is almost complete, but I'm worried that the thief might resort to desperate measures."
"You don't need to worry, it's just a matter of making some preparations in advance, and you may not even need them."
Shen Lang offered a few words of reassurance in a gentle voice, without going into too much detail. Princess Jing'an did not press for details and simply nodded in agreement.
"The young ladies should also be careful. In the next few days, strangers must not be allowed to approach the Princess and the County Princess."
After speaking, Shen Lang got up and left to find the head of the accounting office, Li Zhong, to inquire about the number of visitors to the Prince's mansion in the past month.
After learning Shen Lang's purpose, Li Zhong found a notebook, moistened it with saliva, flipped through a few pages, and read aloud:
"The eldest son of the Marquis of Pingyuan sent ten boxes of rouge and a hundred bolts of silk and satin to invite the princess to go hunting in the autumn."
"The second son of the Duke of Zhenguo sent a box of spices from the Western Regions and a box of rare treasures from overseas to invite the princess to the garden party."
"The son of Vice Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Personnel sent a thousand-year-old ginseng, deer antler, musk, and some donkey-hide gelatin, inviting the princess to go boating and admire the lotus flowers at Qingshan Academy..."
Li Zhong read out seven or eight names in a row, all of them sons of powerful and influential people in Yujing City.
After reading it aloud, he added, "There were also some female relatives, all close friends of the princess, who did not send gifts, so they were not recorded."
Shen Lang raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "So many people have come to visit in just one month. Princess, you have a wide circle of friends."
Li Zhong shook his head: "We can't really call them friends. These young masters send things to the Prince's mansion every few days, and it's been going on for a long time."
"The princess was very annoyed and never paid them any attention."