"Alright, don't ask about these things anymore. It's getting late, go back and get some rest!"
"Yes!"
---
"Husband, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
In Wang Fu's mansion, Qian Zhuo, who was speaking eloquently, looked cautiously at the expression on Wang Fu's face.
"I know about this. You can go down now. If there's any news, I'll have someone notify you. You shouldn't come to my mansion directly anymore. If your identity is exposed, your usefulness will diminish!"
Although Wang Fu was also very tempted by Qian Zhuo's words, he still waved him away patiently.
"Husband..."
"I said, I know."
"Yes!"
Seeing the grim expression on his face, Qian Zhuo dared not delay any longer. After responding, he quickly turned and walked out.
"What do you think?"
After Qian Zhuo was far away, Wang Fu stood up again and closed the door. He then slowly spoke to the person behind the screen.
"This is indeed a good opportunity, but our affairs have reached a critical juncture. Bringing this up will only distract the Emperor's attention..."
After hearing Wang Fu's words, Qin Hui slowly walked out from behind the screen.
"That's what I meant. This matter came at a rather inopportune time. Although it could eventually implicate Cai Jing, with the end of the year approaching, if this matter is brought up, the investigation alone cannot be completed in a short period of time..."
Although Qian Zhuo had spoken eloquently earlier, making the matter sound very serious, Wang Fu found it rather trivial.
After all, this matter, in the end, was merely Cai Jing extorting money from a wealthy merchant, and by chance, that merchant was later confiscated by the court.
At most, this matter would be considered corruption. Cai Jing would at most be accused of poor management or failing to discipline his children.
It was already a stretch to implicate Cai Jing's nephews. To attribute such a crime to Cai Jing was too difficult.
"Husband is right. At this time, it's better to have fewer troubles than more. We should concentrate all our efforts on Cai Tao!"
"At this time, the only thing to worry about is the Emperor's thoughts..."
As Wang Fu said this, he felt a headache. Since he had completely broken with Liang Shicheng, all his lines to the Emperor had been severed.
"How about going to see Lin Ling Su?"
After hesitating for a moment, Qin Hui suddenly said.
"He's already struggling to protect himself. What's the use of looking for him?"
After a brief moment of thought, Wang Fu directly abandoned the idea.
Lin Ling Su was already in decline. He didn't want to get involved with him at this time.
"What about those eminent monks?"
As Qin Hui uttered these words, he himself was surprised.
"This..."
Hearing him say this, Wang Fu suddenly realized.
They were all charlatans anyway. To him, it didn't seem to make much difference whether they were monks or Taoists.
If one were to be precise, it was these monks who seemed more reliable than those Taoists.
These monks were seeking a foothold, while those Taoists were aiming for dominance. Their needs were different, and thus the price they had to pay was also different.
"Other things can be discussed, but can they handle this matter now?"
Although the Emperor had personally summoned several old monks just last month, Wang Fu was really doubtful if they could gauge the Emperor's thoughts or further change his mind.
"I think it's okay to find someone to contact them. Anyway, there will be no loss if it fails!"
"You're not wrong about that. Then let's have Wang Chao An go!"
After careful consideration, Wang Fu spoke.
"Yes!"
The two of them continued to have a secret discussion in the study until deep into the night. Only then did Qin Hui secretly leave Wang Fu's mansion.
Although he was a collateral descendant of the Qian family, Qian Zhuo had not received much patronage from his family. Fortunately, he had Wang Fu as his backer, which allowed him to secure a government residence in Bianliang City.
Although the location was not very good, and the house was quite old, even needing him to pay for renovations.
However, in the highly valuable Bianliang City, he finally had a place to shelter.
"Bang—"
Just as Qian Zhuo was dreaming of becoming famous throughout the land due to a memorial, a bang suddenly came from outside the door.
"Who is it?"
Qian Zhuo was startled and quickly shouted.
"Master, could it be a thief..."
Not only was he frightened, but his concubine, who had just been awakened, was also trembling with fear.
"Don't go out, stay here. I'll go and see!"
After taking a deep breath, Qian Zhuo picked up the paperweight on the table, cautiously lit a lantern, and walked towards the door.
His house was located at the entrance of Laoya Alley, not far from the old residence of Di Qing. It was also close to a pleasure quarter, so even late at night, there were always idlers passing by outside.
Although he felt a little guilty, he wasn't too afraid at the time.
Mustering his courage and arriving in the courtyard, he looked around carefully, and only then did he heave a long sigh of relief.
It seemed to be a drunkard who had thrown something in while passing by.
However, just as he was about to turn back into the room, he suddenly noticed that something seemed to have appeared in the flower bushes in the courtyard.
When he approached with the lantern, he realized that a large package had appeared in the flowerbed at some point.
"Master, what happened?"
Just as he was about to open the package to see what was inside, the concubine's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Didn't I tell you not to come out?"
This sudden shout really startled him.
"I was just worried..."
"Alright, alright, there's nothing to worry about. Hold this lantern!"
After a false alarm, Qian Zhuo stopped wasting time and directly handed the lantern in his hand to the concubine behind him.
However, when he saw the contents of the package clearly, he was completely stunned.
This large package was filled with gold, silver, and jewels...
"This, this is probably worth thousands of guan..."
Before Qian Zhuo could speak, his concubine couldn't help but exclaim.
His life was already tight, his house was small and simple, and with grain prices soaring at this time, he couldn't even afford servants.
Now, suddenly seeing such a large sum of wealth, even he was a little tempted...