Song Yaoyao remained on her guard against Yan Kuan.
[Guagua, that old bastard Yan Kuan isn't secretly cooking up some big move, is he?]
[Host, he probably isn't!]
[Guagua, looking at that old bastard's smile gives me the creeps all over.]
Yan Kuan's face stiffened when he heard Song Yaoyao's thoughts.
He had genuinely come to apologize. He had no ill intentions whatsoever, all right?
After thinking it over, Yan Kuan decided he might have been a little too hasty.
Still, to keep the young lady from misunderstanding him, he hurriedly opened the two large wooden chests and said,
"I wasn't sure what you liked, Little Lord Song, so I prepared a few things girls tend to enjoy."
Song Yaoyao craned her neck to look inside the wooden chests. There really were quite a lot of things: hair ornaments, jewelry, fabric...
They were indeed all things young girls would like.
Song Yaoyao pursed her lips. Her soul was over thirty years old, and although these things were valuable, they weren't to her taste. She couldn't help complaining to Guagua,
*[These are all things little girls like. They're certainly worth quite a bit, but I don't like them. I'm not a little girl.*
By the way, Guagua, check whether there's anything hidden in these chests that shouldn't be there.
Like evidence of rebellion or treason. Isn't that how it always goes in TV dramas?
*Someone uses an apology as a pretext to frame the loyal and righteous, the emperor discovers the incriminating evidence, and the poor loyal souls end up having their entire families executed!]*
[Host, Guagua already checked. There's nothing like that in the chests. They really do contain nothing but things young girls would like.]
*[Huh? There isn't?*
Looks like I was overthinking it!
These things really are valuable. I could probably sell them for quite a bit of silver!
It would just be a little troublesome!
Honestly, I still prefer cold, hard gold and silver!
*Silver, gold ingots, banknotes-I like them all!]*
Hearing this, Yan Kuan felt thoroughly miserable. Just how unlikable was he for Little Lord Song to be this wary of him?
Still, they had been at daggers drawn that very morning, only for him to turn up that afternoon behaving completely differently and offering an apology. It was perfectly understandable that she would suspect him!
This girl really did keep her guard up!
But what were TV dramas?
Acting? Did she mean putting on plays?
What exactly had Little Lord Song's previous life been like? They had even dared to stage plays about offenses that could cost people their heads?
Still, there was plenty of time ahead. He would figure it out eventually!
Yan Kuan pulled a stack of banknotes from his sleeve pouch and held them out to Song Yaoyao.
"Little Lord Song, I wasn't sure whether these things would be to your liking. If they aren't, I also prepared some banknotes. You can buy whatever you like with them."
Song Yaoyao was startled for a moment, then immediately called out to Guagua.
*[Guagua, Guagua, how did he know I like banknotes?*
*Could he be hearing my thoughts?]*
*[Host, could you stop being so suspicious of everything?*
He prepared those two chests of gifts as an apology, but he didn't know whether the young lady would like them. Isn't it perfectly normal to prepare some extra banknotes in case she doesn't?
*What's there to make such a fuss about?]*
*[Guagua, is that really true?*
*Am I really making a fuss over nothing and seeing enemy soldiers in every bush and tree?]*
[Yes, Host. Just accept them without worrying.]
When Song Yaoyao suspected that he could hear her thoughts, Yan Kuan had been badly frightened.
If Song Yaoyao discovered that people were eavesdropping on her thoughts, who knew what kind of trouble she might stir up?
Even more terrifyingly, if the emperor learned that Yan Kuan was the reason Song Yaoyao had discovered the eavesdropping, he would probably be finished!
Even Assistant Minister Song, her own father, would probably suffer the emperor's wrath by association.
Fortunately, Guagua had helped explain it away!
It had nearly scared both men to death!
Song Yaoyao's conversation with Guagua continued.
*[Guagua, wouldn't it be wrong for me to accept so much in banknotes?*
*If people find out I've taken a bribe on my very first day in office, will someone impeach me?]*
*[No. A thousand taels is a lot to you, but it doesn't meet this dynasty's threshold for bribery.*
As far as I know, in this dynasty, it only counts as taking a bribe once the amount reaches ten thousand taels.
This doesn't count!
*Some elders give their juniors this much just as spending money!]*
*[Oh, then I can accept it without worrying.*
Come to think of it, are all the officials in this dynasty that rich?
*It only counts as bribery at ten thousand taels?]*
*[Which official these days doesn't have a few estates and shops belonging to his household?*
*If they relied on their monthly salaries alone, how could they feed an entire household?]*
[That's true.]
Once Song Yaoyao dropped her guard, her eyes sparkled as she stared at the banknotes in Yan Kuan's hand and asked,
"Really?"
"These banknotes total one thousand taels. Please accept them, Little Lord Song!"
Before Assistant Minister Song could speak up to stop her, Song Yaoyao had already taken the banknotes and said,
"Of course, of course!"
Song Yaoyao began counting the banknotes right in front of Yan Kuan.
Each note was worth one hundred taels. There were exactly ten, totaling one thousand taels.
At the sight of so many banknotes, Song Yaoyao's attitude changed at once.
"Lord Yan, please have a seat."
Song Yaoyao turned to the maid beside her and said,
"Go, bring Lord Yan a fresh cup of tea, and fetch some of the pastries the kitchen just made."
"Yes."
Seeing the change in Song Yaoyao's attitude, Yan Kuan felt considerably more at ease.
While Assistant Minister Song and Yan Kuan chatted, Song Yaoyao remained silent and quietly tucked the banknotes into her sleeve pouch.
Song Yaoyao was in quite a good mood now.
Guagua asked,
[Host, weren't you going to turn that old bastard's affairs into a storybook? Are you still going to write it?]
Song Yaoyao corrected Guagua with perfect seriousness.
*[Guagua, now that we've accepted his apology gifts, we shouldn't call him an old bastard anymore. We should call him Lord Yan, understand?*
*For the sake of those thousand taels of silver, I won't write the storybook.]*
Guagua had known all along that its host would react this way.
She had never really intended to write a storybook in the first place. Now that she had an excuse to back down, she certainly wouldn't write one.
After a pause, Song Yaoyao continued,
*[As for those two chests, let my eldest sister pick out whatever she likes, then leave the rest for Mother to handle.*
*But these thousand taels in banknotes are mine. No one gets to take them away!]*
At this, Yan Kuan's heart finally settled.
He had been right to come this time. Little Lord Song had finally given up on writing the storybook!
Yan Kuan wasn't worried about the other officials spreading gossip. He had simply been unlucky today, having all his secrets stripped bare by Song Yaoyao!
Who knew whom Song Yaoyao would set her sights on next?
How many people at court had clean hands?
Their filthy affairs were probably just as horrifying!
They could talk about him today, but once he learned about their affairs tomorrow, he could spread those stories everywhere too!
Thus, after court that day, they had already reached an understanding: none of the officials would go around spreading stories about one another's affairs!
All they needed to do was deal with Song Yaoyao, the source of the trouble, and keep her from blabbing outside!