Chapter 4, Borrowing Money

This is still because Xiao Ling'er is the daughter of an official family. If it were an ordinary commoner, they would only deal with copper coins their entire life and might not even have seen what silver looks like.

He stepped away from the unremarkable government office without hesitation, opened the money pouch in his hand along the way, and counted it. The money in the pouch was not much, consisting of some scattered silver coins, which looked to be no more than ten taels, along with one or two hundred cash coins

It must be said that Xiao Ling'er is indeed clever and astute. The governor of Linzhou Prefecture, Zhang Zhao, is undoubtedly a friend of Xiao Anmin. A casual lie from her would leave no loopholes, even if Zhao Xian were to investigate later.

Zhao Xian had just taken two steps when a delicate white hand tugged at the corner of his garment. He turned around in surprise and saw Xiao Ling'er, dressed in a flowing purple outfit, smiling at him.

Seventh Brother, my father will not meet you

Three months of effort

Xiao Ling'er pouted and said, "Seventh Brother, what do you want to see my father for?"

Xiao Ling'er covered her mouth and smiled: "It sounds as if you had visited my father before you fell ill."

Zhao Xian shook his head, looking at the light beauty in front of him with a mischievous expression. A chill ran through his heart as he softly asked, "How long will you be gone?"

Zhao Xian let out a sigh, cupping his hands towards the seemingly innocent and harmless young girl before him, and said in a deep voice: "In that case, I shall take my leave first"

I will repay this money to you as soon as possible

Upon thinking of this, he trembled all over, his face devoid of color, and the thought of going to the capital to inherit the title of nobility suddenly extinguished.

Xiao Ling'er looked at the rather destitute Zhao Xian before her, feeling a twinge of compassion in her heart. She rolled her eyes and smiled, saying: "Seventh Brother, if you have any troubles, feel free to share them with your little sister. Perhaps I can help you in some way."

Zhao Xian felt a moment of difficulty in his heart; he certainly could not tell this girl that he was asking her father for money

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Zhao Xian forced a smile at Xiao Ling'er.

Emperor

Although Zhao Xian was taken aback, as a modern individual, he did not possess the kind of integrity that would lead one to prefer starvation over accepting help. Thus, he could only silently accept the still-warm purse.

Zhao Xian called out loudly to the bouncing figure, but Xiao Ling'er did not turn her head, elegantly waving her hand at Zhao Xian.

Although Zhao Xian is a student of the History Department, he has no knowledge of the silver prices in Qiguo Suzhou Prefecture. He could only accept copper coins, and at the market, he bought ten jin of white rice and some pork, carrying them back along Xianqing Street.

Zhao Xian took a piece of broken silver from his money pouch, went to a money exchange to weigh it, and found it to be one tael and one qian. The shopkeeper took the silver, then retrieved one thousand two hundred copper coins, strung them together, and handed them to him

When people watch television dramas, they often say that ancient people would simply slap silver on the table to settle their bills and leave. In reality, it was far from that simple, as silver was hardly circulated in the market and was instead exchanged through money houses.

He gritted his teeth and stood up from the drum seat of grievance, preparing to return to Xianqing Street first and think of another way. However, despite his tough words, his body was not so hypocritical; his stomach, having gone without food or water for most of the day, let out an embarrassing growl.

After Xiao Ling'er left, only Zhao Xian remained, standing beneath the tall drum of grievance, gazing blankly at the money pouch in his hand

Why

Although I cannot comprehend who exactly the adversary of the Duke of Su is, it seems that to make a whole mansion bow down and obey is merely a matter of raising a hand to crush me, this so-called heir. If that is the case, why go to such great lengths to obstruct my journey to the capital?

Zhao Xian carried a medium-sized rice bag on his back and walked through several streets before finally returning to the residence of the Prince of Su in Xianqing Street. At this time, the sun was high in the sky, and Zhao Xian, who had not eaten for nearly a day, felt dizzy and weak. As he stepped into the large royal mansion, he threw the rice bag and pork onto the ground and collapsed.

Under normal circumstances, Zhao Xian would certainly be pleased to engage in casual conversation with the light beauty before him. However, at present, he is in a dire situation; the Wang residence has run out of food, and he must urgently meet with the governor of Suzhou.

Xiao Ling'er patted Zhao Xian's shoulder, then placed her small hand behind her back, wearing a serious expression

Although this amount of money is not large, it certainly cannot be considered small either

Xiao Ling'er did not respond, turning to walk towards the government office. After taking three or four steps, Zhao Xian finally heard her faint voice: "Seventh Brother, there are people who do not want you to go to the capital."

Having finished this sentence, the kind girl let out a sigh of relief and bounced back into the yamen.

Although Zhao Xian is not a typical male chauvinist, as a modern man, he truly finds it difficult to ask a girl who appears to be only sixteen or seventeen years old for money

Before falling into a stupor, he shouted out his last words

Zhao Xian is still knowledgeable about the use of silver

Over the past three years, I, the foolish brother, have been muddled and unaware of the affairs of the world. Therefore, I have not visited Uncle Xiao for several years. Now that I have awakened, it is only natural for me to come and pay my respects to my elders

A person who possesses extremely strong power but is too embarrassed to directly engage in shameless acts, is it not...

Damn it, Lao Huang, hurry up and cook for me!

Before his departure, Zhao Xian had already inquired in detail with Huang Bo about how to withdraw the official rice allowance. Although the official rice allowance for the vassal kings is nominally managed by the Imperial Clan Court, it is mostly allocated through a written document from above, and then dispatched from the local government office. However, once the governor of a province does not give his approval, this rice allowance cannot possibly be distributed to the local vassal king

Xiao Ling'er nodded

Why

Although Zhao Xian had already risen at this moment, with his back turned to Xiao Ling'er, he could not help but feel his old face flush with embarrassment, and could only quicken his pace to leave the entrance of the government office

Zhao Xian nodded slightly, as if he understood but did not fully grasp the situation, and quietly asked, "Is Lord Xiao avoiding me?"

Zhao Xiansi pondered for a moment, and suddenly felt a chill in his heart; he thought of an extremely terrifying possibility

Well, Seventh Brother, you should also be aware that my father is unable to assist you at this time. This is the spare change I have saved up; although I do not know if it will be of any help to you, it is my way of showing my support.

Sister Ling'er, thank you

Xiao Ling'er rolled her eyes and said with a smile, "My father, he has gone out to visit friends"

At this time, the silver price in Suzhou Prefecture was approximately 1 tael of silver for about 1,400 copper coins, and the shopkeeper, taking advantage of his youth and unfamiliarity, shortchanged him a considerable amount of copper coins

Zhao Xian felt embarrassed and could not help but reflect on how he had previously been an impolite heir.

Xiao Ling'er clasped her hands behind her back and said softly, "My father, after attending to matters in the government office a few days ago, went to Linzhou Prefecture to visit friends. This round trip will take at least three months."

Goo

The only explanation is that the person who does not want me to go to the capital cannot act openly

Other time travelers become impressive after their journey, but on Zhao Xian's first day after crossing over, he had to struggle for a living. Even more shameful was that he had to eat food offered to him out of pity.

Indeed, Sister Ling'er, I... I have come to the government office to seek an audience with your esteemed father. May I ask if you could take me to meet Lord Xiao?

The young girl unfastened a delicate purse from her waist, did not even count it, and thrust it into Zhao Xian's hand.

Zhao Xian stubbornly waved his hand and got up from the drum seat, saying: "It's not a bother for my sister, and it's not a big deal."

Moreover, I am not even a vassal king at present, merely a crown prince who has been mad for three years