Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 86: Scamming Money

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Scamming Money

Xie Xun stood solemnly beneath the corridor, suddenly hearing the cry of a newborn. Lady Liu had given birth. The new life born amidst the snowstorm seemed to bring light and hope, and the smile at the corner of Xie Xun’s lips deepened.

Fengyu smiled. She sat by the stove, the firelight reflecting off her snow-white face, her laughter softening her expression. Her smile warmed her brows, making her look gentle and obedient. Xie Xun finally felt his tense heart relax.

Feiying and Chunlu arrived with Doctor Zhou. After giving birth, Lady Liu was physically weak and bleeding. Doctor Zhou, known as a master in gynecology, was pulled into the delivery room by Aunt Yang to treat her.

Xie Xun did not linger and took Feiying away to oversee the repairs.

That night, the northern part of the city underwent reconstruction amidst the snow disaster. Though chaotic, the efforts were orderly. Fengyu stayed up until dawn but developed a fever that wouldn’t subside. Doctor Zhou strictly forbade her from lingering in the northern city. Chunlu remained to continue organizing and handling the aftermath, while Zhang Da escorted Fengyu back to the Feng Mansion.

Xie Xun requisitioned a civilian house as a temporary office and started reviewing the Kyoto Capital Guard’s account books. Snow fell heavily, marking midwinter, yet Zhang Boxi was drenched in sweat. The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Revenue had no jurisdiction over the northern city for the time being, and the repair costs were enormous. Fengyu couldn’t bear the financial burden alone—it was supposed to be the court’s responsibility. Xie Xun wanted to use the Kyoto Capital Guard’s treasury, but upon examining the accounts, he discovered that they only had slightly over one thousand taels.

After a day of exhausting repairs, Zhang Boxi and his team, cold and hungry, were met with Xie Xun’s sharp gaze. Crying and lamenting, Zhang Boxi said, "Little Marquis, the Kyoto Capital Guard has a terrible reputation. The commoners harbor grievances against us, and we’re looked down upon by everyone. Minister Gong of the Ministry of Revenue is as slippery as an eel, catering to people’s status when allocating resources. Every time we ask for funds, he finds excuses to delay—spring planting, autumn harvest, or palace renovations. In short, the Ministry of Revenue claims they have no money to release to the Kyoto Capital Guard. Mr. Li and I have privately advanced a lot of our own silver to cover salaries. People say the Kyoto Capital Guard extorts and exploits, but we were really forced into this. If the national treasury had surplus funds, Minister Gong might show mercy. But when times are tight, we don’t receive our salaries for three months, and the thousand or so taels recorded in the accounts are painstaking savings from cutting back every day."

Xie Xun pointed at the numbers recorded in the ledger, "A banquet at Mudan Building for the Commander costs three hundred taels? If I remember correctly, that banquet cost one hundred taels, which was paid by me. So you were certain I wouldn’t check the accounts?"

Zhang Boxi’s neck stiffened from fear, and he feebly excused himself, "Perhaps I drank too much that day and jumbled the accounts. But Little Marquis, the fact remains—the Ministry of Revenue delays payments. Everyone says the Kyoto Capital Guard draws ghost salaries without doing real work. Yet we toil day and night, and there’s no compensation. Who would willingly slog like an ox or horse under such circumstances?"

Xie Xun was already familiar with these complaints. This summer’s natural disasters left not just the Kyoto Capital Guard unpaid; even Lin Cheng mentioned that the Forbidden Army came close to losing their wages. It was said that Minister Gong at the Ministry of Revenue cursed incessantly at home, demanding to retire and return to his hometown. During those two months of natural disasters, more than a dozen officials cornered him at his door daily; even in court, all he could do was lament poverty.

Finally, Elder Lin came up with a solution—to borrow a sum from major noble families and wealthy merchants in Jiangnan. Combined, Jiangnan and Jiangbei merchants donated 500,000 taels. Initially, the noble families only contributed 100,000 taels begrudgingly, but seeing that even the Liangjiang merchants gave more, Elder Lin flew into a rage. Over time, the noble families reluctantly added another 600,000 taels.

The court called it a loan, but everyone knew it was never going to be repaid. Their attitude about repayment was particularly careless. No silver was forthcoming, but resources and protection could be offered instead. The resources the court could provide to Liangjiang merchants were substantial, but they were meager for the noble families, which is why the nobles were reluctant to fill that gaping hole.

Yet the Kyoto Capital Guard, with its thousand staff members, only had slightly over a thousand taels on record. Xie Xun had no clue how the next month’s wages would be paid. At this crucial juncture, expecting the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds was wishful thinking.

The previous Commander who had been dismissed, along with Zhang Boxi, was certainly unclean, and some money had likely been embezzled. But the stolen amount was trivial; the Kyoto Capital Guard was simply too poor.

Xie Xun didn’t make things difficult for Zhang Boxi and said calmly, "Repairs need silver urgently, the brothers need accommodations and meals over these few days, and medicines also have to be purchased. Gather the noble families’ young heirs and have them start fundraising. Keep records. After the snow disaster passes, I will personally demand funds from the Ministry of Revenue. For now, let’s address the immediate predicament."

Listening to the whistling winds outside, Zhang Boxi felt his heart grow cold. Fundraising again—most likely a lost cause. Still, with Xie Xun’s instructions laid out, Zhang Boxi could only comply.

Xie Xun summoned Feiying and Nuanyang. "How much can my personal funds offer?"

Feiying, as the Guard Captain, seldom managed finances, leaving that to Nuanyang. After careful calculations, Nuanyang replied with agony, "Master, it’s not that I’m unwilling; you truly don’t have silver. At most, you can contribute four hundred taels."

"Am I really this poor?"

Nuanyang blinked her innocent, large eyes and rattled off numbers at Xie Xun, "Master, don’t forget, although you’re the Princely Heir, you don’t manage finances. The Marquis Mansion’s funds are overseen by the Second Young Master. Every cent is meticulously allocated to Ningzhou. To pay for the army’s salaries, the Second Young Master has already sold most of his private properties—what remains is only ancestral wealth. When you returned to the mansion to play the wealthy playboy, you sold two estates for appearances. The imperial guard requires expenses, pension payments need to be fulfilled, and you even lacked sufficient silver to buy jewelry for the ladies before Lunar New Year. Our mansion is running on ancestral assets, so where would you find personal funds?"

Xie Xun: "..."

But repairs required immediate funds. Xie Xun closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "I’ve already tapped the seven noble families; whom shall I target this time?"

Nuanyang offered a new idea, "Master, the Third Miss could easily sustain the Kyoto Capital Guard financially—she’s very wealthy."

"Isn’t it improper?" Xie Xun feigned reluctance. "She’s contributed both resources and effort to the northern city for three consecutive years."

Even someone as thick-skinned as the Little Marquis felt slightly guilty about repeatedly targeting the same donor.

Feiying chimed in, "Master, you can issue a promissory note to the lady and repay her once the Ministry of Revenue disburses funds."

Nuanyang muttered internally, the Ministry’s disbursements were nothing more than pie-in-the-sky promises—eternally elusive.

"Good idea. Nuanyang, go borrow from the Third Miss." A hero can be brought low by lack of funds. Though the Little Marquis regarded money as mere dirt and rarely indulged in luxury, he had now tasted the hardships of poverty.

After Nuanyang left, Xie Xun remained still for a long time, gazing at the storm outside. He unwillingly asked Feiying, "Has our mansion truly been reduced to selling ancestral assets?"

Feiying pondered before answering carefully, "The Second Young Master has sold off all the non-profitable properties. The ladies managing the ancestral estates produce considerable profits, but it isn’t enough to cover the way Ningzhou bleeds funds like a sieve. If the wars in Ningzhou were to cease one day, we’d be wealthy again."

Xie Xun thought to himself—it’s no wonder Second Brother insists the Beiman must be subdued; otherwise, the entire family would end up destitute.

When Chunlu heard Nuanyang’s request for a loan of one million taels, her eyes widened in shock. Holding Xie Xun’s signed and stamped promissory note, Chunlu faced Nuanyang’s sweetly smiling face and said, "I’ll have to ask the lady."

"Alright then, Chunlu Sister, you must advocate for us. The Marquis is certain to repay this loan," Nuanyang pledged blindly. "Our mansion is wealthy and will definitely honor the debt."