Finest Servant

Chapter 368 Foresight

‘350,000 taels of silver, vanished without a trace overnight? You must be joking with me, 350,000 taels, nearly 20 tons in weight; it's not something you can just cart away. Do you think it was loaded onto a truck?’

Upon seeing his disbelief, Xu Wei helplessly shook his head and bitterly smiled, saying, "At first, I didn't believe it either. But the news was brought by trusty messengers from Shandong, who rode 800 li at full speed. There's no reason for us not to believe them. Besides, who would joke about a matter that could cost one's head?"

Seeing Xu Wei's forehead beading with sweat from his urgency, Lin Wanrong's expression gradually changed. 350,000 taels of silver gone just like that; damn it, this was the vital fund for Li Tai's army. Without this silver, how could they fight against the Turks? They'd simply starve to death.

The tax silver from Jiangnan, Master Lin's efforts in the restaurants were not small. Although he was quite dissatisfied with the excessive taxes and levies, he couldn't just let the common people's hard-earned money feed thieves, right? He snorted heavily, thinking that he was always the one to rob others of their silver; no one dared to rob him.

"When did you hear this news? Why didn't I hear it yesterday? Have you informed the Emperor?" Lin Wanrong cautiously asked. Without these 350,000 taels of silver, Li Tai would be rendered helpless, and the nomads might seize the opportunity to invade the Central Plains. Furthermore, the discord within would make the situation truly perilous. Could the ailing old Emperor even withstand such a blow?

"The incident happened the night before last, and the news only arrived last night from Shandong. Apart from those in Shandong, only you and I know," Xu Wei glanced at him and said. "As for the Emperor, I haven't had the chance to report it to him yet."

The night before last? Wasn't that the night before the assassination attempt on the old Emperor? An assassination here, and the military funds robbed there - a massive conspiracy!

However, with such a significant incident, why wasn't Xu Wei rushing to report to the Emperor but instead came to tell him? Even if the silver was stolen, it had nothing to do with him. He was just a minor Vice Minister of Personnel, with dozens ahead of him in line, and this matter has nothing to do with my department.

Xu Wei seemed to see through his thoughts and sighed, saying, "I'm not intentionally hiding it from the Emperor, but this matter is grave. One wrong step, and hundreds or thousands of heads could roll. Besides, this happened in Shandong—"

"Shandong? What about Shandong?" Lin Wanrong asked, puzzled.

"It happened in Shandong, in Jinan," Xu Wei sighed faintly, his face filled with confusion.

"Jinan? You mean Luo Ning? Oh, no, Luo Min?" Lin Wanrong jumped up, secretly chiding himself, wondering why he always thought of women first, and only then the actual matters.

"Whether it's Luo Min or Luo Ning doesn't matter now," Xu Wei said with a bitter smile. "It happened within Jining, involving 350,000 taels of silver. If you were the Emperor, what would you do?"

Lin Wanrong felt a chill in his heart. If he were to be implicated in this, both the elder Luo and the younger Luo would be doomed. Poor little Ning, his dear darling, who hadn't even enjoyed the happiest moments of life, was about to be lost. No, he couldn't allow this to happen. Understanding this, he realized why Xu Wei, under such pressure, had delayed reporting the matter. He was buying time for Luo Min, trying to save the lives of Luo Min's entire family.

"Have you understood now?" Xu Wei's smile was filled with bitterness. He was indeed helping Luo Min, but at the price of his own fortune and life.

Lin Wanrong gave him a thumbs up and patted him on the shoulder, "Good brother, you have integrity! Old Xu, you are a true friend. I thank you on behalf of my father-in-law."

"I have been friends with Brother Luo for many years. How can I stand by when he is in trouble now? Besides, this is not a matter of thanks; the key is how to recover the silver." Xu Wei shook his head, sighing deeply, "With this happening, Brother Luo is far away in Jinan, and there's no one around me to consult with, except you, little brother Lin. You are learned and talented, wise in every way. I believe you must have a solution. I have been waiting here for you since early this morning."

Old Xu was flattering him, and Lin Wanrong nodded, "Mr. Xu, I'm not at the scene. Even if I have great skills, I cannot solve the case remotely. But, though I, Lin San, like to bluster ordinarily, I am always serious when it matters. Luo Ning is my girlfriend, Luo Min is my father-in-law; my father-in-law's affairs are my affairs. If we find the silver, all is well; if not, I will sell everything I have to save Ning's family—Mr. Xu, you better not be stingy when I ask you for a hundred thousand or so."

Xu Wei was momentarily dumbfounded. Little brother Lin's demands were high, starting at a hundred thousand or so. Not just him, even the Emperor would find it difficult to produce such a sum at once. But for someone like little brother Lin who was so skilled at accumulating wealth, having a fortune of several hundred thousand was no problem.

Lin Wanrong laughed, joking with Old Xu, relieving some of the pressure in his heart. Ning must be saved, and the family fortune must not be lost. Otherwise, how would he support so many wives in the future? Why did he always face such dilemmas? Being a man was truly damn hard.

"Little brother Lin, what should we do now?" Xu Wei said, his brows furrowed. He was the Minister of Revenue; if the 350,000 taels of silver were really not recovered, the responsibility for finding the money would still fall on him. There was no escape.

"We mustn't panic over this matter. Mr. Xu, I'm afraid you'll have to suffer a bit," Lin Wanrong said, his face serious.

Xu Wei looked at him, puzzled, "Suffer? How?"

Lin Wanrong gritted his teeth and hummed, "You must go to the palace now, report the facts to the Emperor, word by word, honestly, without omitting anything." Whether the old Emperor was really executing people or bluffing, he probably wouldn't calm down without actually beheading a couple. Hopefully, Xu Wei could endure it.

Xu Wei gasped, no wonder little brother Lin said he would suffer. This was no ordinary suffering; it was life-threatening. The Emperor was gravely injured yesterday, and today he would hear this news. What would happen then, no one knew. "Little brother Lin, if I report to the Emperor now, what about Brother Luo?" Xu Wei asked, his face full of distress.

"You think you can hide this from the old master? He's like an octopus, with countless tentacles; what can be hidden from him?" Lord Lin shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "Mr. Xu, you've followed the Emperor for many years; what do you think of him?"

Xu Wei was the emperor's chief strategist and knew the monarch deeply. Upon hearing these words, he sighed slightly and summarized with one simple word: "Inscrutable."

"Inscrutable! Well said. Mr. Xu, I can candidly say that even last night's amorous encounters between you and Sister Su are clear to the emperor. Do you believe it?" Lin Wanrong said with a mischievous smile, but his face was filled with seriousness.

Xu Wei's face turned red, but after thinking it over, his expression became gloomy: "I understand what you mean, little brother. The Emperor's eyes and ears are everywhere, and this matter will never be concealed from him. In that case, I will report the truth to the Emperor. If he truly wants to execute Luo's family, I will risk my life to save them."

Lin Wanrong waved his hand, took a few slow steps, then turned around and said, "Let's not talk so drastically yet. Things haven't reached that point. You go and tell the Emperor that I, Lin San, guarantee that within twenty days, I will retrieve the silver."

"Twenty days? Isn't that a bit too late?" Xu Wei looked at him doubtfully, "In over twenty days, Li Tai's army will set out."

‘Damn, is old Xu really naive or just pretending? If I tell the Emperor twenty days, will he allow me that time? Even if he cuts my time in half, that would be a heavenly grace.’

Xu Wei finally understood and asked, "But what if it is not found within the specified time?"

"Not found?" Lin Wanrong touched his nose with a bitter smile, "Honestly, I haven't thought about the consequences. At worst, I will sell everything I own. Sigh, I haven't counted our family's silver notes or checked Qiaoqiao's accounts for a long time. I don't know if our recent income is positive or negative. Damn it, my official position is too low, no one gives me gifts. Otherwise, three hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver would be nothing. Mr. Xu, if you don't want me to borrow money from you, then tell the Emperor to promote me. I only want three hundred and fifty thousand, nothing more!"

Old Xu burst into hearty laughter, feeling much lighter after talking with Master Lin, as if nothing in the world could perplex them.

"Then it's settled. I will go to the palace now. Oh, little brother Lin, why don't you come with me? Perhaps with the Emperor's favor towards you, we can delay the deadline," Xu Wei said, full of confidence, seemingly relying on his influence with the emperor.

Master Lin chuckled, "You think I'm foolish? I'm not going to the Emperor just to be scolded."

Xu Wei was taken aback, but he brushed off the implied insult and asked, "So what will you do?"

"My business is very important," Master Lin said with a solemn face, muttering, "I'm going to see how Du Xiuyuan's military training is going—I admire my foresight, really. Fairy, my dear treasure, don't let me down!"

Watch Du Xiuyuan's military training? Is this a serious matter? What foresight? What fairy? Not understanding little brother Lin's words, Xu Wei shook his head, took a big step, and went to the palace for an audience with the Emperor.

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