Chapter 284 - 255: Bestowed Marriage
Chapter 284: Chapter 255: Bestowed Marriage
When Xiao Yanci learned that the play newly staged in the theater was a groundless fabrication based on his affairs, he immediately sought out the troupe leader to reason with them, demanding they stop the performance.
The troupe leader had received favors from Zhou Wangshu and had the backing of the powerful father-in-law, the National Guardian General, so naturally he wouldn’t give up such a profitable play.
The parties did not reach a consensus, leaving Xiao Yanci frustrated, so he brought up Prime Minister Wang to threaten the troupe.
"Third Scholar, pardon my bluntness, but there are no nobles from the Prime Minister’s Mansion in this play, and they won’t meddle in trivial matters. Once you become the beloved son-in-law of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, I wouldn’t dare offend you; you can order us to stop then. But as of now, you’re not yet the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s son-in-law, urgently using its influence to oppress the common folk. If Prime Minister Wang knew of this, he would dislike it more, and your chances of marrying Miss Wang would be even slimmer."
"What will it take for you to stop this play?" Xiao Yanci said with a cold face.
"This amount." The troupe leader gestured with five fingers.
"Five hundred taels?" Xiao Yanci frowned, "I am, after all, the Emperor’s personally appointed Third Scholar; aren’t you afraid the court will hold you accountable for damaging my reputation?"
"Not to mention you’re the Emperor’s personally appointed Third Scholar, even if you were an imperial family member, can you obstruct ordinary people from making a living? We didn’t name names; how can you identify yourself with this?"
"You didn’t name names, but you used the title of Third Scholar, so others easily associate it with me. How can you say you’re not using me for publicity?"
"Is there only one Third Scholar under this sky? Third Scholar, you’re being a bit presumptuous here. Even the Champion Scholar from the General Mansion wouldn’t claim to be the only Champion Scholar!"
"You... If I give you five hundred taels, will you immediately withdraw the play?" Xiao Yanci said coldly.
"Five hundred taels... Ha, are you trying to send away a beggar? Do you know how much money we can make from staging this play once? I’m telling you, it’s far more than five hundred taels. I meant fifty thousand."
"Absurd! This is outright extortion."
"If you don’t give it, then don’t interfere with our business." After saying this, the troupe leader wanted to leave.
Watching the actor on stage kneel down and cry bitterly, Xiao Yanci’s face turned ashen: "I’ll give it to you, but you must withdraw the play first, then I’ll give it to you after an hour."
"When you give it is when we withdraw it. If you don’t pay, won’t our losses be substantial?" the troupe leader replied, "Alright then, go and gather the money!"
Seeing that the troupe leader was impervious to both hard and soft tactics, Xiao Yanci was furious and could only leave the theater.
However, fifty thousand taels of silver is not a small amount. Even if he borrowed money from a silver shop, he would need collateral, and he had none, so the shop wouldn’t give him money.
There’s only one way left...
Taoyao Square. Jiang Jing returns with her medicine box.
Su Yaoguang was coming out from inside, seeing her exhausted expression, she asked, "Did you just return from the Duke Zhen Country Mansion?"
"Yes." Jiang Jing slumped over the table, saying tiredly, "That Heir of the Duke of the Country is really difficult to serve, but thankfully the medicine I used for him relieved his pain, so he has calmed down a bit."
"Can his injury be healed?"
"I’ll try my best. We still don’t know." Jiang Jing said, "His injuries are too severe, even the Imperial Hospital can’t do anything. It would be arrogant of me to say I can cure him."
Taoyao Square’s business is getting better and better, while Zhou Wangshu, under the guidance of his father-in-law Su Rende, is thriving in officialdom like a fish in water.
This year’s Champion Scholar and Third Scholar are famous figures. The Champion Scholar’s good fortune, the Third Scholar’s romantic affairs, all have become topics of discussion outside.
When mentioning the new Champion Scholar’s good fortune, there are many who praise them, many who envy them, and few who utter sour words. Someone spread the story of the Champion Scholar and the Great General’s daughter, and even some troupes have begun to sing about it. After witnessing the Third Scholar’s affairs, seeing the mutual support, acquaintance, love, and various hardships between the Champion Scholar and the Great General’s daughter, including how the Great General’s daughter led the local government to treat the citizens of two cities, making the disaster there the smallest, this matter was unknown before but now everyone knows.
"The Empress wants to see me?" Su Yaoguang looked at Su Rende in surprise.
"The Empress has summoned you and your mother to the palace." Su Rende said, "It should be related to the play about the ’Champion Scholar’s Wife’ recently staged in the theater."
"I’m unfamiliar with palace etiquette and afraid I may offend someone." Zhang Zhaodi said, "Perhaps I shouldn’t enter the palace after all."