RPAGF Chapter 1051 A Delicate Balance
Chapter 1051 A Delicate Balance
At this moment, the setting sun outside the window was like blood, and the last rays of the sun slowly faded away.
As dusk fell, Cui Ling quickly tidied himself up, disguised himself, and went out through the back door to take a carriage to Qingzhu Pavilion.
This place is very secluded and is a good spot for conversation.
When Cui Ling arrived, Qian Ying had already arrived and was waiting inside.
Upon seeing Cui Ling enter, Qian Ying greeted her casually, "You've arrived?"
"Yes, I'm here," Cui Ling replied with a forced smile.
On the surface, both appeared calm and collected, but in reality, they were extremely vigilant and on guard.
In a battle between masters, one wrong move and you'll fall into a trap.
They're all seasoned foxes, and neither dares to underestimate the other.
Cui Ling, a military man by background, preferred to take the initiative. After exchanging a few pleasantries and engaging in some polite exchanges, Cui Ling put down his teacup, looked up, and said, "I've read the letter. Now, tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Since the question had been asked directly, Qian Ying didn't beat around the bush and looked directly at Cui Ling, saying, "You should know very well what we want, Lord Cui. Let's not beat around the bush. Since I invited you here, and you gladly accepted, it proves that there is room for negotiation, isn't there? It's a fair trade, and it benefits both of us."
Upon hearing this, Cui Ling smiled knowingly: "Is it about Consort Qian?"
"What do you think?" Qian Ying asked in a deep voice.
"Hehe, to be honest, I didn't expect your Qian family to have investigated Consort Yang's affairs so thoroughly. It seems that Consort Qian wasn't as indifferent to worldly affairs as others perceived her to be," Cui Ling smiled, not in a hurry to express his opinion.
This was different from what Qian Ying had expected.
In his mind, there was a good chance that the two would make peace during this meeting. However, seeing the other party's confident and fearless demeanor, he felt a chill in his heart. It seemed that something new had happened.
Otherwise, Cui Ling wouldn't be so relaxed now.
"What do you mean by this, Lord Cui? I don't quite understand," Qian Ying suppressed her thoughts and subtly probed, "Could it be that you have some new bargaining chip in your hands now?"
"As expected of Master Qian, who is known as the Little Zhuge Liang, you guessed correctly." Cui Ling did not deny it after hearing this. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and showed his appreciation. Then he took out a thick stack of silver notes from his pocket and pushed them over. "Master Qian, take a look at this first."
Qian Ying glanced at it casually, and her heart skipped a beat. Her fourth brother had written a few days ago saying he had sent someone to the capital. Could it be...?
Regardless of what he was thinking, Qian Ying didn't show anything on the surface. He took the silver notes, flipped through them, and then put them back on the table, calmly saying, "I've roughly calculated that there are tens of millions of taels of silver here, right? I wonder what Lord Cui means by showing this to me?"
Cui Ling had taken in Qian Ying's expression just now, and now he smiled in a somewhat inscrutable way. "Indeed, tens of millions of taels of silver is a considerable fortune. No matter what case it involves, it is an astonishing amount. Even nine generations of a family would not be enough to satisfy the wrath. I wonder who has the audacity to fish in troubled waters under the guise of the imperial court and seize so much money from unknown sources."
"To be honest, Lord Qian, these silver notes were found yesterday on a group of disguised merchants near the outskirts of Beijing when I returned. Besides the silver notes, I also obtained a key from them. According to their testimony, this key and the silver notes were to be delivered to Grand Tutor Qian's residence."
"I wonder what Lord Qian's opinion is on this matter? And I wonder what His Majesty's opinion of the Qian family would be if he learned of this?" Cui Ling drawled out his words, looking on with amusement.
Upon hearing this, Qian Ying's expression changed, and his eyes became serious. Having been in officialdom for a long time, he naturally understood what these words meant.
In an instant, a million possibilities flashed through his mind.
Seeing the smug, spying expression on Cui Ling's face, he immediately realized that the other party was bluffing him.
So he immediately straightened his expression and retorted directly, "Lord Cui, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want!"
"If someone wants to condemn someone, they can always find a pretext. My Qian family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, and has never been involved in any corruption. In the court, we have stood firm on the principles of propriety, righteousness, benevolence, wisdom, and trustworthiness, and have remained standing for thousands of years. Originally, I, Qian, was anxious to save my daughter, which is why I invited Lord Cui here today to discuss a good plan. But Lord Cui has actually pinned such a serious accusation on the Qian family. I, Qian, absolutely cannot agree to this!!"
If Lord Cui truly possesses evidence, he may report it to the Jingzhao Yin (Prefectural Governor's Office) for the court to handle impartially. Qian and the entire Qian clan will absolutely cooperate with the investigation.
At this point, Qian Ying paused, her face bearing the expression of someone who had suffered a great injustice, her gaze still fixed on Cui Ling, and continued, enunciating each word clearly:
"However, let me make this clear first: I'm willing to investigate the case, but if it turns out that it has nothing to do with my Qian family, then Lord Cui will have to give my Qian family an explanation!"
This means that Cui Ling should think carefully before acting, and bear the consequences himself.
Cui Ling stood firm against Qian Ying's sharp gaze, her eyes searching and scrutinizing him, her gaze like a knife, as if trying to see through Qian Ying's flesh and blood to her heart.
Seeing the other party's righteous and awe-inspiring words, Cui Ling couldn't help but feel a little doubtful and hesitant. Could it be that he had really guessed wrong?
No, that's impossible!
After weighing the options for a while, Cui Ling suddenly smiled, personally poured Qian Ying a cup of tea, and said in a gentle tone, "Of course, the Qian family's thousand-year-old reputation cannot be tarnished at will. I, Cui, am naturally aware of this."
Upon hearing this, Qian Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she had managed to bluff her way out of trouble for the time being.
He had just gambled that Cui Ling didn't have any concrete evidence, otherwise he wouldn't have come to the meeting in person to test him. But these banknotes were real, objective things, and the people who had been arrested were also potential threats.
If the truth is ever uncovered, the entire Qian family will likely be finished.
For a moment, his daughter's matter became less important.
"I believe that Lord Cui is sensible in his actions," Qian Ying said, implying something.
“Of course!” Cui Ling nodded.
Then, getting down to business, he said, "The matter of Consort Yang is actually unrelated to me. I was misled by my subordinates, and by the time I found out, it had already happened. It's not my place to interfere in matters of the inner palace, and as you know, Lord Qian, it's better to avoid trouble in officialdom! In the end, I can only leave it to His Majesty's judgment. Fortunately, that illegitimate child has been aborted, so it won't defile the royal bloodline."
As for Consort Qian's matter, I have just returned to the capital and am not yet fully aware of the situation. I will only know the details at the Empress's investiture ceremony. If Consort Qian is truly innocent, I will certainly make sure the Empress clears her name."
This means a temporary reconciliation, with both sides taking a step back.
The words also left room for interpretation.
"Thank you, Lord Cui," Qian Ying said politely, cupping his hands in greeting. He knew when to stop and stopped pressing the issue.
Since Cui had seized on his weakness, he could no longer use the matter of Consort Yang to threaten Cui into helping him as he had done before.
Even if he denied it outright, they both knew in their hearts that there was something fishy going on.
Wise people don't need to spell things out too clearly.
Qian Ying's meeting today can be described as fruitless.
The only saving grace was that the other side had no evidence, and because of the matter of Consort Yang, the other side did not dare to act rashly, thus reaching a delicate balance.