nucmednet Chapter 948 Zhao Bingyu went to persuade Bai Yansong and the Emperor to help, convincing Bai Lu
Chapter 948 Zhao Bingyu went to persuade Bai Yansong and the Emperor to help, convincing Bai Lu
"Five hundred thousand taels of silver, that sounds like a lot."
"But is she treating Bai Lu like a three-year-old child, unable to see the intricacies of a live, ever-flowing trade route that produces endless gold?"
"She still dares to mention marriage between mother and daughter to me?"
I'm so ashamed for her!
"My daughter has been abandoned in Beijing for over a decade without any contact, while I've been living a carefree life outside, and even had a precious son..."
"Now that my son is in trouble, I remember that I still have a daughter who can save my life?"
Why didn't you do this earlier!
"You've come to me, what do you want me to do?"
"Should I go and suppress the White Dew?"
"You expect her to consider that so-called mother-daughter bond and save lives without expecting anything in return?"
The emperor snorted coldly, his eyes full of mockery, "What does she take me for?"
Is he still that same naive young man who used to fawn over her?
"She doesn't even look at herself in the mirror, much less consider who I am now!"
Chief Steward Li quickly stepped forward, poured the emperor more hot tea, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your health is of utmost importance."
It's not worth getting angry over such irrelevant people.
"I am not angry, I find it both laughable and pathetic."
"Bai Lu's medical skills are so advanced that they can snatch people from the clutches of the King of Hell."
Her son's life was in Bai Lu's hands.
what is this?
This is a one-of-a-kind deal!
Buyers have no right to haggle!
"The results of it?
How did she do it?
She'd rather waste her time trying her luck with me than readily offer any incentives to save her son's life.
"So stingy, so incredibly stingy!"
The emperor shook his head, his tone filled with utter disappointment.
"For that little bit of visible benefit, he'd even gamble with his son's life... How could I have ever met such a person back then..."
The emperor stopped midway through his sentence, a complex and unreadable emotion flashing across his face.
The last vestiges of youthful affection were utterly crushed by Zhao Bingyu's foolish and selfish actions today.
What a white moonlight! Now it seems like nothing more than a grain of rice stuck with dust, something to be disliked.
"Your Majesty said so."
Chief Steward Li spoke up at the opportune moment, his voice extremely low, "The Marquis of Anguo is so young yet possesses such skill and vision; this is truly due to His Majesty's excellent guidance, and a blessing to our Great Wu Dynasty."
This flattery hit the emperor's sweet spot perfectly.
The emperor's anger indeed subsided considerably, replaced by a pride that was almost paternal.
"That's natural.
My Marquis of Anguo is not the kind of fool who would be blinded by empty fame and emotions.
He snorted, picked up the memorial again, and seemed to be in a much better mood.
"Reveal my imperial edict,"
Without looking up, the emperor ordered, "Have the Imperial Pharmacy send the best century-old ginseng and the box of Tian Shan snow lotus from the storeroom to the Marquis of Anguo's residence."
Just say... it's for the Marquis to nourish his body.
Chief Steward Li felt a chill run down his spine and immediately understood the emperor's meaning.
This is both to support Bailu and to tell everyone that Marquis Anguo is under his protection.
This is also a veiled reminder to Zhao Bingyu: if you want to save your son, you should honestly beg my daughter and stop having those useless, crooked thoughts.
"Yes, I obey the order."
Steward Li respectfully agreed, bowed, and withdrew.
Inside the imperial study, the emperor looked at Bai Lu's familiar handwriting on the memorial and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
My own daughter is the most considerate and promising.
As for Zhao Bingyu...
Let her be.
A woman who can't even distinguish between family ties and personal interests isn't worth him wasting any more energy on.
After leaving the palace, Zhao Bingyu returned to her villa, dejected and heartbroken.
The emperor's words were like daggers to her heart. She slumped into her chair, feeling true despair for the first time.
Are we really going to hand over that trade route to someone else?
That's her future lifeline!
No, there must be another way.
Zhao Bingyu forced herself to calm down.
Although the emperor's attitude was cold, he still mentioned the past in his words.
Humans are prone to nostalgia.
Perhaps it was because she asked for help in the wrong way today, too directly, that she angered the heavens.
She took a deep breath, summoned her trusted aide, and ordered in a low voice, "Go and fetch the sandalwood box from the bottom of my trunk."
Half an hour later, the sandalwood box was respectfully presented to Steward Li.
"Steward Li, this is a small token of my master's appreciation,"
With a fawning smile, the confidant stuffed a heavy purse into the box. "The contents of this box are my master's and His Majesty's old belongings. Please, Steward, personally deliver them to His Majesty."
Manager Li weighed his purse in his hand and gave a professional smile: "Don't worry, we can save you the trouble."
Chief Steward Li carried the box back to the Imperial Study.
The emperor stood alone by the window, his back view appearing exceptionally lonely.
Chief Steward Li felt a chill run down his spine and instantly understood—the Emperor missed the Empress.
He moved with utmost quietness, silently approaching the emperor from behind, and whispered, "Your Majesty, Lady Zhao has sent over a box, saying it's... an old item."
The emperor slowly turned around, his eyes slightly red and filled with deep sorrow, clearly unable to extricate himself from his longing for his deceased wife.
He glanced at the exquisite rosewood box, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
Seeing this, Steward Li carefully opened the box.
Inside lay a few things: a wolf tooth strung together with red thread, worn smooth by the wear; a maple leaf bookmark with yellowed edges; and several old pieces of paper covered with childish handwriting.
These are indeed some keepsakes and memories between Zhao Bingyu and him before he ascended the throne during their youth.
Under normal circumstances, the emperor might have glanced at it and sighed a few times, lamenting how things have changed.
But not today.
The emperor's gaze lingered on those so-called old objects for only a moment before he looked away.
His mind was filled with images of the Empress.
It was the Empress who stayed with him through countless cold winter nights when he was still an unfavored prince.
She was the empress, who, at the beginning of his reign, faced immense pressure from the court and the harem, and provided him with comfort and reassurance.
She was the Empress, who bore him children and managed the vast harem, allowing him to have no worries whatsoever.
Compared to the deep and unwavering love between the Empress and her husband, the fleeting and ephemeral romance of their youth contained in the box seem so thin and laughable.
"Ah."
The emperor let out a very soft, cold laugh, his voice hoarse.
Zhao Bingyu was able to abandon her husband and daughter and disappear for more than ten years.
Now, in order to save his other son, he's come back and is using this old, trivial relationship to scheme against him.
How cheap her kindness is!
"Take it away."
The emperor's voice was filled with undisguised disgust and impatience: "Burn it, or throw it away. Don't let me see it again."
Chief Steward Li was startled and quickly closed the box: "Yes, Your Majesty."
"and many more."
The emperor called him back again.
The emperor turned around and looked out the window at the gray sky again, his voice utterly exhausted: "Tell her that I don't have time to deal with these trivial matters right now."
Tell her not to send me these things again, lest they offend my eyes.
He paused, his voice becoming even colder.
“Tell her that my old friend was the innocent and carefree Miss Zhao from over a decade ago, not this scheming businesswoman who would even use the lives of her own children as bargaining chips.”
"When the Empress was alive, she often said that people should know how to be content and cherish the people in front of them."
I now... wholeheartedly agree.
These words were spoken not only to Zhao Bingyu, but also as a warning to himself.
Steward Li bowed and accepted the order, then quietly withdrew, carrying the sandalwood box.
Only the emperor remained in the imperial study.
He pulled out a purse, hand-embroidered by the Empress herself and already somewhat faded from washing, clutched it tightly in his palm, and murmured to himself, "You're still the best..."
Outside the window, a cold wind howled, blowing away the last withered leaf.
For the emperor, Zhao Bingyu, the so-called "white moonlight," really meant nothing after the empress's death.
I don't know if it's a common problem for men, but they tend to think about whoever dies, and that person becomes their "white moonlight."
With the emperor's path blocked, Zhao Bingyu was in a state of utter confusion.
She thought of Bailu's three older brothers.
But then I thought about it again. The three brothers, Bai Chuyao, Bai Liezhao, and Bai Qingze, always listened to Bai Lu. Going after them would be tantamount to humiliating myself.
After much deliberation, only one candidate remained – Bai Yansong.
Her first husband, whom she had abandoned in the capital and with whom she had long since broken ties.
Although their marital relationship had ended and their relationship with their children was extremely strained, he was still Bailu's biological father.
Between a father and daughter, how can a grudge last overnight?
Perhaps, one word from him is more effective than a hundred words from yourself.
Clinging to the last glimmer of hope, Zhao Bingyu prepared a small gift and made her way to the residence where Bai Yansong now lives.
After being demoted, Bai Yansong has long lost the glory he once enjoyed as a high-ranking official.
When the gatekeeper announced that his old friend, Zhao, had come to visit, Bai Yansong, who was practicing calligraphy in his study, suddenly trembled, and a drop of thick ink stained the entire sheet of Xuan paper.
He practically staggered as he rushed into the front hall.
When Bai Yansong saw the woman standing in the hall, her figure still graceful, her face showing the marks of time yet even more charming, his eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Bingyu...you...you're back?"
His voice was hoarse and trembling with disbelief.
Over the past ten years, he has hated, resented, and cursed her countless times.
But when the real person stands right in front of you, all the hatred and resentment seem to be washed away by time.
All that remains is that initial flutter of emotion, deeply ingrained in my bones.
Zhao Bingyu hadn't expected him to react this way.
She had prepared a whole host of arguments, but now she found herself unable to utter them.
She forced a smile, her eyes filled with just the right amount of guilt and tenderness: "Yansong, it's been so many years, how have you been?"
That one word, "Yan Song," completely disarmed Bai Yansong.
He excitedly invited her to sit down and personally brewed tea for her, at a moment of bewilderment.
He talked on and on about the things that had happened over the years, like a young boy.
It tells how he was attacked by his political enemies, how he was disliked by the emperor, and how he had a major falling out with his unfilial sons.
His words were filled with reminiscence of the past and resentment towards the present.
Zhao Bingyu listened patiently and quietly.
The two chatted from the afternoon until dusk.
Seeing the renewed light in Bai Yansong's eyes, Zhao Bingyu knew that the time had come.
She sighed softly, seemingly casually steer the conversation back to business.
"Yansong, actually, I came back this time because I have a very urgent matter to ask you."
She briefly recounted how her son from the Western Regions had suddenly fallen ill with a serious disease, and how only Bailu could save him, but omitted the story of what had happened to the emperor.
After hearing this, Bai Yansong frowned deeply: "That rebellious daughter!"
How could they be so heartless towards their family!
"Don't worry, Bingyu, I'm her father after all. I'll talk to her!"
Tell her to go save them immediately!
"No,"
Zhao Bingyu shook her head, her eyes reddening, on the verge of tears, "Bai Lu... she promised to save her."
"However, she made a condition."
"What conditions?"
Zhao Bingyu lowered her eyes, her voice low and aggrieved: "She wants 30% of my Western Regions trade route, and also 500,000 taels of silver."
"Yansong, you know that trade route is the foundation of my livelihood. I... I really can't give it to you."
She raised her tearful eyes and looked at Bai Yansong with hopeful eyes: "So, I want to ask you to persuade Bai Lu. After all, we are family. Please ask her to ask for less money out of consideration for our father-daughter relationship. As for the trade route... let's not mention it, okay?"
"Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. How could she take advantage of someone's misfortune and be so heartless?"
Zhao Bingyu's next words, however, were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.
She spoke softly, her tone carrying a hint of natural intimacy:
"Yansong, I know you're not exactly well-off right now."
"If you help me with this matter, I will give you 50,000 taels of silver once my child recovers... so you can use your connections to get back to your original position as soon as possible."
After he finished speaking, the front hall fell into a deathly silence.
The excitement on Bai Yansong's face froze in that instant.
He stared blankly at Zhao Bingyu, as if he were meeting her for the first time.
All the warmth and reminiscence of the afternoon now seem like a huge joke.
He thought it was a reunion with an old friend, and that old feelings were hard to forget.
For a fleeting moment, he even thought that she had returned because she still cared about him, and that she had come to help him through this difficult time.
The results of it?
In his eyes, he was ultimately just a tool to achieve his goals.
A tool that needs to be bought with 50,000 taels of silver to bargain with her own daughter on her behalf...
She never even considered that it was only natural for him, as a father, to persuade his daughter, and that he didn't need any reward at all.
Bai Yansong fell silent.
He slowly sat back down.
He looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar woman before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
The teacup was slammed onto the table with a dull thud, startling Zhao Bingyu.
She saw Bai Yansong slowly raise his head, all expression vanishing from his face, leaving only sarcasm.
"Fifty thousand taels?"
Bai Yansong's voice was very soft, "Zhao Bingyu, in your eyes, is my worth as a father only worth fifty thousand taels of silver?"
Zhao Bingyu's delicate expression froze instantly.
She hadn't expected Bai Yansong to react this way and was momentarily taken aback: "Yansong, that's not what I meant, I just wanted to..."