Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Of course, once a contract is signed, it must be fulfilled, and the weaving workshop is willing to honor the contract."

No sooner had Yang Song finished speaking than Shen Lang clapped his hands.

Immediately, someone brought a box to the door.

Upon opening it, I found a stack of banknotes and bills.

"There are a total of 400,000 taels of gold in silver notes here. I originally planned to come to Sichuan this time..."

If everything goes smoothly, I'll settle part of the payment and pay the rest after inspecting the remaining goods.

"But now, what do you think? Should I give you the money or not? Lord Yang, please give me an answer."

Yang Song looked at the stack of banknotes and couldn't help but swallow.

Seeing this, Fa Xiaozhi quickly said with a smile, "Oh my, so much money! I've never seen anything like it in my entire life, Lord Yang!"

"The Duke of Zhenguo is sincerely trying to make a deal with the King of Shu. What you're doing is really inappropriate."

Yang Song wiped the sweat from his brow, thought for a moment, and immediately bowed, saying, "Duke Zhenguo, I'll be frank. Actually, this was all arranged by the Prince."

After the silk brocade deal was finalized last year, the weaving workshop immediately began producing brocade for the imperial court using its stock of raw silk. This newly produced silk brocade was originally intended for the court's use.

But later the prince ordered that high-quality silk must be supplied to the powerful families in Guanzhong first. As you know, we are just minor officials. How could we dare to disobey the prince's order?

Therefore, they altered the inventory records, collecting inferior silk from the public to deceive customers. In fact, much of this silk was still from three years ago and had been sitting in storage.

Neither its color nor its quality is as good as new silk from the previous year; it's reserved for wealthy families in Sichuan province.

Shen Lang: "So, the Prince's Mansion doesn't care about the silk needed by the palace and plans to pass off inferior goods as superior ones?"

Yang Song nodded: "Your Excellency, Duke Zhenguo, is wise. To be frank, even if it costs you your life, the Prince has always harbored resentment about not being able to inherit the throne."

I have expressed my dissatisfaction with Your Majesty's rule in private on several occasions, but as a lowly official, my voice carries little weight, and I have elderly parents and young children to care for, so I dare not offer any advice.

Shen Lang glanced at Fa Xiaozhi, then at Zhen Yi.

Fa Xiaozhi looked completely at ease, as if he already knew the truth.

As for Zhen Yi, she decisively grabbed a piece of cantaloupe and started eating it, clearly indicating that she hadn't heard anything.

"Nonsense! His Majesty and the Prince are siblings. They grew up together under the Empress Dowager's care since childhood. How could they possibly have the kind of relationship you're describing?"

"Lord Yang, you mustn't let the current issue cause a rift between His Majesty and the Prince. If word gets out and someone with ulterior motives overhears this, it could lead to serious trouble."

“Duke Zhenguo, the prince’s rebellious intentions are already common knowledge in Shu, even among the children on the street. How could I dare to hide it from you?”

Yang Song was going all out; if the silk problem couldn't be solved, he would definitely be pushed out as a scapegoat.

Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well bite a big one to take down with us; maybe we can turn our lives around from the brink of death.

The key is to see what Shen Lang's attitude is.

However, Shen Lang remained unusually calm, slowly saying while holding his tea, "I only handle the silk business."

We won't interfere with other issues; the immediate focus should be on resolving the silk shortage.

Zhen Yi hurriedly replied, "Yes, it's almost May now, although there are still six months until the official delivery date."

At this rate, it will be very difficult to deliver 105,000 bolts of silk on time.

When Yang Song saw that Shen Lang was not taking the Shu King's rebellion seriously, his face turned ashen, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

However, Fa Xiaozhi stepped in to smooth things over: "Duke Zhenguo, Brother Yang is ultimately just someone who carries out orders. Since it was the King of Shu who issued the order..."

What else can he do but comply? Please, be magnanimous and give him some advice.

Shen Lang looked troubled: "That's true, but as you know, I, Shen Lang, to put it nicely, am the Duke of Zhenguo, not the Emperor of Great Chu."

He's basically just a son-in-law who moved into his wife's family home, a poor guy trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into wealth and power. You can understand that kind of life, right?

Fa Xiaozhi hurriedly said, "Look at what the Duke of Zhenguo is saying. You are not some son-in-law who has married into the family. You are the Emperor of our Great Chu! The Emperor who has made great contributions."

"Alright, stop flattering me. At the end of the day, I know perfectly well that he's just a door-to-door customer."

Shen Lang rubbed his hands together and continued,

"How could His Majesty value someone like me who just came to his door so highly? It's not bragging, it's just that I have some ability to get things done."

In truth, these past years serving His Majesty have been like walking on thin ice, constantly fearing that one wrong move would cost me my livelihood.

Don't make it sound like I'm some kind of superhuman; it's not as exaggerated as you think.

Fa Xiaozhi sighed, "Hearing what the Duke of Zhenguo said, he certainly has his own difficulties. In truth, every family has its own troubles."

For example, my husband is like that. All he does is take money from his parents' home all day long, and he doesn't even bother to check on the vegetables in our own garden when they turn yellow. It's so frustrating!

However, even if you, Duke Zhenguo, are in dire straits, you are still a member of the imperial family, and over the years your words have carried weight with His Majesty.

I suppose we can still exchange a few words, after all, Brother Yang is just a minor official.

If something really goes wrong, and only a lowly official takes the blame, wouldn't that be unreasonable to His Majesty?

"This……"

Shen Lang seemed to be persuaded and gradually adopted a thoughtful posture.

"Alright, Duke Zhenguo, I believe you have a way. Please help Brother Yang. I'm begging you, Xiaozhi."

You don't want to see rivers of blood, right? Just do me the favor.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang sighed and said, "Since you've put it that way, it would be really unreasonable not to give you face. Alright, I'll think about it."

He then looked at Yang Song and said, "Get up. Do as I say, and I'll guarantee your safety."

"Thank you, Duke Zhenguo."

With Shen Lang's words, Yang Song knew he was certain to survive.

Shen Lang took out a silver note worth a thousand taels from the box and handed it to Yang Song: "Put this silver note in the account book of your Prince's Mansion, and then send it to the Prince."

Yang Song was puzzled: "Duke Zhenguo, what do you mean by this?"

Shen Lang smiled without saying a word, but Fa Xiaozhi immediately said, "Alright, Brother Yang, why are you asking so many questions? Just do as the Duke of Zhenguo said, and hurry up and go."

"Yes, thank you, Duke Zhenguo."

Yang Song dared not delay and hurriedly left the official residence with the silver notes in his pocket.

After he left, Shen Lang and Fa Xiaozhi exchanged a smile.

"Lord Zhenguo, was my acting alright?"

"Well, that's interesting."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Zhen Yi was completely bewildered, not knowing what was so funny. She wanted to ask, but she had to pretend to be calm and see through everything, so she smiled along with him.

After the three of them finished laughing, Shen Lang's expression immediately turned serious: "After the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields was implemented, what was the situation in Shu?"

Fa Xiaozhi: "Everything is just as the Duke of Zhenguo predicted. Once the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields was announced..."

Initially, the people were unanimously opposed, but later, realizing the potential profits, they readily agreed to switch to mulberry cultivation. Currently, southern Sichuan boasts an additional 1.5 million mu of mulberry fields.

Shen Lang: "Didn't the Prince's Mansion suspect anything?"

Fa Xiaozhi: "Of course there are those who have doubts, but in the face of huge profits, those voices questioning the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields have long been suppressed. Duke Zhenguo, what do you plan to do next?"

Shen Lang thought for a moment and said, "In two months, it will be the grain harvest season. Go and find out the prices that the big farmers are paying for grain."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it right away."

Listening to the conversation between the two, Zhen Yi keenly sensed that the Duke of Zhenguo seemed to have ulterior motives.

Could it be that they're after the King of Shu?

A correct yet chilling thought suddenly popped into Zhen Yi's mind.

"Dark, really dark."

"However, this feeling seems to be quite damn exciting as well."

At this moment, Zhen Yi was not sure what her state of mind was, but she felt excited because she had reached the core threshold.

This means that he has caught the eye of the Duke of Zhenguo and will be a trusted confidant from now on.

I must seize this rare opportunity, cling to the Duke of Zhenguo's coattails, and make the Zhen family soar.