Chapter 44: Adding to the Stakes
Xing Yucheng initially thought that although he accepted the thirty taels of silver from the Ninth Prince, since it was an equal exchange, it would not have any impact at all.
But gradually, Xing Yucheng found something wrong.
The principle of “a man who has received favors will be soft-hearted and a man who has received favors will be obliged to return favors” applies everywhere. Xing Yucheng suddenly found that he could not open his mouth. When he heard his parents asking him about the Ninth Prince, Xing Yucheng subconsciously spoke well of the Ninth Prince, even though the Ninth Prince was not a good person.
Moreover, he didn’t know how to explain the matter of the silver to his mother. He thought of countless reasons, but they were all overturned in the end.
After getting this money, I feel that I am not as happy as I imagined.
During dinner, Xing Yucheng was feeling conflicted and sad about lying to his parents, and he looked a little depressed. The Minister of Works and his wife thought he was just tired from his first day in the study, and did not think too much about it.
As the family was eating, they somehow ended up talking about the issue of corruption.
Xing Yucheng’s eldest brother has passed the age of coming of age. He just passed the imperial examination this year and is now working as a minor official in the capital. He encountered a problem right after taking office, so he came out of his yard today to ask his father for advice.
“Father, today a wealthy businessman asked your son to do something for him, and he also wants to give him a sum of money. But in fact, the person in charge has already made a decision and the winner is the wealthy businessman. Father, do you think your son can take the money?” In the eyes of Xing Yucheng’s eldest brother, since the verdict has been made, it would be fine for him to do a favor. It would not be against the law, and he could still get the money, killing two birds with one stone.