As smart as Yi Qing was, she quickly figured out that Xiao Tian had done this to make his plan more perfect.
She said lazily, "I know about this."
"You know?" Deng Xiao looked shocked. "At this point, you're still speaking up for him? Do you know how dangerous it would be if this got out?"
"Fake things can't be made real," Yi Qing said with a smile. "But anyway, thank you. You've helped me a great deal with the matters of the Yianbo Mansion."
Deng Xiao was clearly very disappointed, but still said, "Even if it was your idea, this plan won't work."
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
After Yi Qing got back, she asked Xiao Tian about this.
When Xiao Tian heard it was Deng Xiao who told her, he sneered, "He's the kind of despicable person who tries to sow discord behind our backs, hoping we'll have a falling - out."
Yi Qing nudged him. "Stop talking about that. Quickly tell me what you said to the Lord of Yianbo?"
She never expected that Xiao Tian had also secretly taken action.
"He's always been eager to serve in the court," Xiao Tian said haughtily. "He wants to prove that he's not just relying on his ancestral title. But unfortunately, he doesn't have the ability to get an official position through the imperial examinations."
He was born into the Yianbo Mansion, but refused to admit that his current status was due to his good birth. Instead, he thought that his noble birth had held him back from making a name for himself.
That's why he resented the arrangements made by the Yianbo Mansion for him.
He was fond of taking credit and liked to play the role of a savior. So he was rude to Lady Fan, who came from a more prominent family, but was nicer to Lady Sima, whose family had fallen into decline.
He wanted to prove that he disdained the powerful and the noble, and instead showed pity for the poor and the weak.
Xiao Tian had lived with him before, so he knew him well and looked down on him.
After listening to him, Yi Qing mocked, "If it weren't for his ancestral title, he probably wouldn't even be able to afford to eat. The luckiest things in his life were having a great ancestor and a good son."
However, the Lord of Yianbo couldn't tell right from wrong. In order to prove that he could "rely on himself", his attitude towards his wives and concubines was very different from the common practice.
Of course, part of the reason was that Lady Fan was weak and easy to bully, while Lady Sima was two - faced.
"So what did you say to him?"
A look of mockery appeared on Xiao Tian's face, and his thin lips tightened into a line. "He now believes that 100,000 taels of silver can buy a position as the Salt - Patrol Censor."
Yi Qing said, "... I don't even believe that."
If it were about buying a high - ranking official like a vice - minister or a minister, she might not be so skeptical. But the position of Salt - Patrol Censor was a very lucrative one. If you wanted money, just lift a finger and there would be plenty of people offering bribes. To get this position, 100,000 taels was just a drop in the bucket.
If it really cost that much to get this position, there would be a line of people stretching for miles, and it would never be his turn, a lord from a declining noble family.
It was really ridiculous that a man with such a simple mind always thought he was unappreciated.
"But he believed it."
"Then let's just wait and watch the show," Yi Qing said with a sly smile on her face.
When the Lord of Yianbo returned to the mansion, he immediately summoned the accountant and asked about the remaining silver in the mansion, as well as the shops, houses, and lands that could be sold.
The accountant had just reported to Lady Sima, so he knew all about it and answered smoothly.
How could such a "genius" as the Lord of Yianbo not notice something strange?
"Why do you know so much about this?"
The accountant replied honestly, "My lady just asked me to check."
The Lord of Yianbo became suspicious and went to ask Lady Sima in person.
At first, Lady Sima was a bit flustered, but she quickly calmed down and said, "Cousin, Hong'er has been thrown into the imperial prison. You may not be worried, but I'm his mother, and I'm really anxious. I've found a way to get him out, but it will cost 100,000 taels of silver."
If it had been before, she would never have been so straightforward in accusing the Lord of Yianbo. But recently, their relationship had become tense. The Lord of Yianbo's indifferent attitude towards Xiao Jinghong had angered Lady Sima, so she didn't have much patience now.
The Lord of Yianbo flung his sleeve and roared, "For such a big matter, you didn't even consult me and just wanted to make your own decision? How do you know I'm not worried about Hong'er? You're becoming more and more disrespectful to me. Don't forget, if it weren't for me promoting you, you'd still be just a concubine."
Hearing these words, Lady Sima felt as if she had been struck by a thunderbolt.
— What exactly was the favor she had been so proud of all these years?
She thought the Lord of Yianbo really loved her, but now she realized that in fact, he was just using his "love for her" to prove that he disdained to curry favor with the powerful and the noble, and that he had his own integrity.
She had taken the blame for being a trouble - maker, but actually, from beginning to end, the Lord of Yianbo loved only himself.
How cold - hearted could a man be to not even care about the life and death of his own son!
But Lady Sima knew that she had no support and couldn't confront him head - on. She tried hard to hold back her anger, looked at him tearfully, and cried, "Yes, cousin, I'm just a concubine. But the child I gave birth to is also your flesh and blood, isn't it? Hong'er is your only son now!"
The Lord of Yianbo turned his head and said, "He did something wrong and should be punished. You're just a woman with no vision. He didn't really engage in smuggling, so in the end, he'll just get a light punishment and will definitely be released. Those who ask you for 100,000 taels of silver must be scammers."
"But cousin, you didn't say that before. You said..."
"Shut up!" The Lord of Yianbo rudely interrupted her.
He also needed the 100,000 taels of silver now, so of course his story had changed.
"You stay in the mansion obediently and wait patiently. Don't interfere in things that are beyond your reach. I'll handle the outside matters. It's not your place to meddle," the Lord of Yianbo said angrily.
"Hong'er is the flesh that fell from my body. It's only natural for me to worry about him," Lady Sima said. "Cousin, you said you'll handle it. Tell me, how are you going to handle it?"
She didn't believe a single word of his!
The Lord of Yianbo was infuriated. "What do you mean by that? Do you mean I'm lying to you? Do I have to report to you every time I do something?"
The two had a big fight, and Lady Sima cried her eyes out.
The tactic of crying had always worked on the Lord of Yianbo, but now it clearly didn't work. Instead, it made him extremely annoyed.
It was endearing when she cried like a delicate flower in her teens, but at forty, it just seemed like a tantrum.
"Find all the land deeds for me," the Lord of Yianbo said bluntly.
Lady Sima naturally refused. Those land deeds were her last guarantee.
"Cousin, I've always been in charge of them. I can guarantee that I won't use them without your permission..." Lady Sima said humbly.
"I need them now," the Lord of Yianbo said. "I might as well tell you, with the 100,000 taels of silver you're about to be scammed out of, I could become the Salt - Patrol Censor. Others will release Hong'er just for my sake. So, ignorant woman, stop jumping around and getting scammed!"
"The Salt - Patrol Censor?" Lady Sima couldn't believe it at all!