Chapter 199 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

"Can't you have a bit more determination than this? My sister... well, she's quite capable, more than enough to be your legitimate wife." Jiang Chenyue reiterated her viewpoint. Jiang Wuyou frowned and reprimanded, "Chenyue! Don't speak recklessly!" "Wuyou, let her speak, don't make things difficult for the child," He Yunxiao put himself in Jiang Chenyue's brother-in-law position and blushed. Jiang Chenyue hesitated as she said, "Lord He, you're twenty this year, right?" He Yunxiao nodded, "Yes." "I'm twenty-one this year, how am I still a child?" Jiang Chenyue asked uncertainly. "Although I'm younger than you, I will be your brother-in-law," He Yunxiao said matter-of-factly. He Yunxiao's words made Jiang Chenyue fume with anger, "You!" Even Jiang Wuyou couldn't bear to see this joke go on. "Yunxiao, it's just a redemption, nothing more," He Yunxiao understood Jiang's feelings towards him. After all, she was the only woman who had liked him from the beginning. He didn't believe that Jiang Wuyou didn't want to marry. At twenty-five, for unmarried women in the Qi Kingdom, that was considered late. Typically, the girls from Qi were married off at sixteen or seventeen. Some were even married by eighteen. For a twenty-five-year-old woman without power or property, the pressure to get married was significant. "Alright, let's redeem now and talk about the rest later," He Yunxiao continued Jiang Chenyue's words. Jiang Chenyue protested, "My sister belongs to me, you are not allowed to redeem her!" Jiang Wuyou knew what her little sister was planning. She just wanted to stay close to her. Even if they were real sisters, as they got older, Jiang Wuyou knew that she would have to marry someday. Since being tough on her wouldn't work at the moment, Jiang Wuyou took a softer approach, "Chenyue, will you promise to visit your sister often?" Jiang Chenyue was about to agree, but quickly realized and changed her mind, "No! If he doesn't make you his legitimate wife, you must not agree to redemption!" "Agreed," He Yunxiao said. "Yunxiao," Jiang Wuyou angrily hit He Yunxiao's arm, "Didn't you understand what I said earlier?" "I understand, sister's concern is that my current status doesn't match the position of the lady of the marquis's house. But I have a way. Find a family in decline, spend some money to have them recognize an adopted daughter. Won't the sister then have a suitable status?" He Yunxiao's suggestion caught Jiang Wuyou off guard. This method seemed to be feasible. Sensing a potential breakthrough, Jiang Chenyue immediately questioned He Yunxiao's method, "Even if we find a family in decline, it will cost a lot of money to get them to cooperate in this act. At least five thousand taels, if not more." He Yunxiao chuckled, "Let's spend ten thousand taels and find a high-class family instead." "I know the marquis's house is wealthy, but that's only after you become the marquis. What about now? You're idle all day, you don't even have an official position. To buy a status for ten thousand taels and to redeem my sister will also take ten thousand taels. Can you afford that?" Jiang Chenyue challenged. He Yunxiao admitted, "Today, I can't afford it." Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Chenyue protested, "Sister, you see, he's all talk! He's not sincere at all! Don't go with him." Jiang Wuyou glared at Jiang Chenyue and then warned her, "If Yunxiao can't afford it, I'll simply elope with him." "What? Sister, eloping is punishable by death if caught. You must not act recklessly!" Jiang Chenyue's face turned pale at the mention of eloping. The Academy allowed for mistakes, laziness, and even disobedience, but it strictly prohibited running away or eloping. Once it happened, it would be pursued over thousands of miles and the offenders would be publicly executed. Every year, there were cases of academy girls getting caught after running away, and these were used as cautionary tales for the younger students. He Yunxiao smiled, "The Great Qi's laws don't impose punishment for eloping. They only penalize breach of trust and contracts. Moreover, the severity of punishment depends on the circumstances and doesn't escalate to execution." Seeing Jiang Chenyue nearly exposing something again, Jiang Wuyou gave her a warning glance and then covered for her by saying, "Chenyue often speaks without thinking, don't take it to heart." With a smile on his face, He Yunxiao said, "It's alright, we are all family." This natural and relaxed conversation made Jiang Wuyou feel embarrassed, whereas Jiang Chenyue felt she was being showered with affection. However, He Yunxiao didn't forget the main purpose of his visit. He needed the help of the Spring Breeze Pavilion to improve the reputation of the gold and silver certificates. Also, he intended to help promote the new porcelain from Yao Hui and some other associated stores. Since Jiang Chenyue mentioned twenty thousand taels, He Yunxiao decided to steer the conversation towards that. "Chenyue, although I can't come up with twenty thousand taels today, I can probably manage it by tomorrow. And in a day or two, I could easily come up with thirty thousand taels, let alone twenty thousand." As a courtesan who frequented interactions with the sons of the aristocracy and the upper class, Jiang Chenyue naturally had a broad perspective. The usual exaggerations couldn't fool her. But someone like He Yunxiao, who earned ten thousand taels daily, was something she had never heard of before. Watching her aunt's astonished expression, He Yunxiao felt satisfied with his pretense. It was for moments like these that he made money, wasn't it? Half convinced, Jiang Chenyue said, "Are you... just making this up? Even with the marquis's connections and relying on the heir's identity, earning ten thousand taels a day seems... implausible." Jiang Wuyou also looked at He Yunxiao with concern. She knew more than her sister, but the more she understood, the less she comprehended. Earning ninety-nine taels and spending a hundred taels - how could this business model possibly make money? Despite Jiang Wuyou's doubts, maintaining He Yunxiao's dignity was crucial. Any further problems and arguments would have to wait until they were alone behind closed doors. He Yunxiao took out a stack of gold and silver certificates from his pocket and placed them on the table. "Here, these are the gold and silver certificates. I earn ten thousand taels a day by selling them." Staring at those unfamiliar items, Jiang Chenyue noticed that apart from a few different designs and characters, they looked mostly similar to silver bills. "Lord He, your silver bills don't even have the Ministry of Revenue's seal; they are practically useless," Jiang Chenyue pointed out. He Yunxiao then opened the gift he had brought for Jiang Wuyou: a set of celadon tea sets and some gold and jade jewelry. For a courtesan, such items were not unusual. What was surprising was how He Yunxiao carelessly dumped these costly items on the table, seemingly unconcerned about their potential damage. "These... were bought with gold and silver certificates," He Yunxiao explained. "Currently, there are only a few stores cooperating with our Great Qi Bank, so the variety of goods available for purchase is limited. But with more stores in collaboration, these gold and silver certificates will become almost as good as silver bills." Jiang Chenyue was speechless, not knowing what to say. The fact that these gold and silver certificates didn't require the government's supervision confirmed that He Yunxiao could print money at will. The implications were self-explanatory, and no further explanation was needed. He Yunxiao once again enjoyed his aunt's newfound respect for him and felt content. However, what puzzled He Yunxiao was that his aunt didn't show much surprise. "Sister, have you heard of gold and silver certificates before?" Jiang Wuyou was puzzled too. He Yunxiao nodded without taking it to heart. Chapter 200: A Little Show Tl. Soothsayer.io