Chapter 27: The Doubts of the Tang Dynasty Ministers
“A bond business? You just invest money and make a profit?”
Qianlong looked at Fu Cha Fu Heng with a mix of skepticism and intrigue.
“Fu Heng, is this real or just some nonsense?”
Fu Cha Fu Heng hesitated. “It sounds too good to be true, but… my son had someone buy some bonds, and they actually paid out.”
Qianlong’s eyes widened in surprise as he stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“There’s something fishy about this… Yang Yi travels all the way to our Qing Capital and brings a profitable business with him? I thought he was here to discuss the marriage alliance on behalf of the Empress. How did this bond business suddenly come into play?”
Fu Cha Fu Heng remained silent, lost in thought. Qianlong’s intuition screamed that something was amiss. His eyes flashed sharply.
“No matter what, keep a close watch on him. Let’s see what kind of game he’s playing!”
Fu Cha Fu Heng nodded, sensing Yang Yi’s actions were indeed peculiar, though there was nothing concrete to pin him down on yet.
Prince Kang’s Mansion
“What? He really paid the money?” Prince Kang, Balto, was dumbfounded.
He had never imagined that Yang Yi’s bonds would actually deliver on their promises—ten percent interest every ten days! Even loan sharks didn’t offer rates like that.
Was Yang Yi some kind of miracle worker?
Prince Rui Keqin, Gong Yibu, chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Yes, the payouts are real. And now, they’ve even placed a limit on how many bonds you can buy. One purchase per person per month. Those who didn’t invest enough are kicking themselves for missing out.”
Balto felt a surge of temptation. His family was wealthy, but who could resist easy money? He eyed Gong Yibu suspiciously.
“Have you bought any bonds yourself?”
Gong Yibu rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“I’m waiting it out, watching carefully. Like you said, there’s no such thing as free money. Ten percent interest every ten days? If someone buys for a year, they’d end up with ten times the original amount. Unless Yang Yi’s the God of Wealth, no one can keep that up, not even the richest of merchants. If it’s real, we’ll invest then.”
Balto nodded, sharing the same cautious sentiment. He would wait and see. If the money was real, he’d dive in.
“Interesting, very interesting…” Li Shimin murmured, eyes scanning the intelligence report before him, lot in thoughts.
Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji, who stood beside Li Shimin, were also puzzled.
After a long silence, Changsun Wuji stroked his beard, his narrow eyes showing a hint of confusion. Fang Xuanling shook his head and sighed.
“I must be getting old. I can’t even discern the intentions of a young man like him.”
Du Ruhui smiled wryly.
“If even you can’t see through it, then we might as well give up. Yang Yi’s actions are unpredictable and hard to understand.”
Li Shimin nodded in agreement.
“Indeed… Qianlong sent a provocative letter to the Zhou Dynasty, yet the Empress of Zhou acted as if nothing had happened and remained silent. Yang Yi’s behavior is even stranger. He took the initiative to embark on a diplomatic mission to the Qing Dynasty…”
“Given his previous cunning tactics, how could he so easily withstand Qianlong’s provocation? And the most baffling part is that his first action upon arriving in the Qing Capital was to start a business. I can’t fathom his intentions at all.”
Changsun Wuji said, his voice deep,
“No matter what, there’s something peculiar about this bond business. We see it, and surely the people of the Qing Dynasty do too. Even though Emperor Qianlong is arrogant, he shouldn’t be blind to the oddity of Yang Yi’s actions.”
“Since Yang Yi is behaving so strangely in front of Qianlong, isn’t he afraid that Qianlong will just arrest him?”
Fang Xuanling and the others exchanged puzzled looks. After a while, Du Ruhui smiled wryly.
“That’s exactly what’s puzzling. If he’s plotting something, he’s still in their territory. If things go awry, he’ll be caught immediately. Yet, his actions are so strange that they only serve to raise suspicions.”
Everyone in the hall frowned, lost in thought. Li Shimin sighed inwardly. Even with the best minds in the Tang Dynasty gathered, they couldn’t predict Yang Yi’s next move. Yang Yi was truly formidable.
Li Shimin sighed again.
“Apart from his strange behavior, just the bond business itself… I heard that if you invest for ten days, you get ten percent interest. If you invest for a year, you receive ten times the principal and interest…”
“Isn’t that akin to a wealth generator? How does he manage to make money?”
Changsun Wuji and the others looked at each other and shook their heads. This young man was too enigmatic for anyone to fully understand.
Inside Zhangtai Temple, a man with a stern face, dressed in a black, wide-sleeved dragon robe, squinted as he read the intelligence report before him.
“Interesting…” Ying Zheng’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“Continue to closely monitor the Qing Dynasty’s movements.”
Ying Zheng held the report in his hands, his mind racing. After consolidating power within Qin, he had turned his attention to the rest of the world.
His lifelong ambition was to unify the entire world, and thus he kept a close watch on international affairs.
Yang Yi’s actions had caught his attention. The illogical nature of Yang Yi’s maneuvers in the Qing Dynasty was particularly perplexing.
The hall fell silent for a long time.
Ying Zheng muttered to himself, “It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered something and someone so intriguing. Even I can’t figure him out… this person is truly exceptional.”