224: C224 The Bill

C224 The Bill

Upon hearing Dung Cheng's words, Hsiang Yunjie's face fell. He wasn't as kind as before.

With Ye Tian by his side, Hsiang Yunjie felt relieved. However, if Ye Tian wasn't by his side, no one would be able to tell what would happen behind the main gate of Prefect Prefecture.

Dung Cheng was slightly surprised by Hsiang Yunjie's attitude. He didn't expect Hsiang Yunjie to be so firm, which was totally different from the ordinary prince he had heard about.

"Alright. Alright... "

Dung Cheng scratched his head awkwardly and did not dare to refute. He could only invite Hsiang Yunjie and Ye Tian in.

At the banquet, Hsiang Yunjie didn't want to waste any more time. He arranged everything in a tight schedule and soon talked about the handover of Prefect.

"General Dong, in my father's letter, he asked you to bring a few important families from the Tiannan Province. Now, Mr. Ye from the Ye family is the first one to arrive. Where are the rest of the people?"

Hsiang Yunjie was the first to claim credit for Ye Tian, and he regarded Ye family as the most important family in Tiannan Province.

Furthermore, Ye Tian was by Hsiang Yunjie's side. Needless to say, he knew which side the Ye family was on.

"Grace Marquis, you can't blame me for this. I have informed all those families. Today, I am here to complete the handover procedures. If they don't come, I don't know what the situation is..."

Dung Cheng pushed all the responsibilities away. Only he himself knew what the reason was.

"Go. Inform those families now. Are you looking down on Grace Marquis by not coming here to attend the meeting?"

Dung Cheng had put on a good show. The butler immediately acted according to Dung Cheng's instructions.

However, even Ye Tian understood that even if Dung Cheng did this, it would not have any effect.

Hsiang Yunjie looked at Ye Tian. Ye Tian also used his eyes to signal him to calm down. No matter what, this had to happen. Right now, he only wanted to see what Dung Cheng wanted to say.

Anyway, since Hsiang Yunjie was already standing on Hsiang Yunjie's side, Ye Tian naturally couldn't let Hsiang Yunjie fail. He could only try his best to help him ascend the throne.

Not long after, Dung Cheng's butler returned. He looked at Ye Tian and the others very seriously and said:

"Prefect, the patriarchs of the few major families didn't have any intention of coming. They have joined forces to show that if the Tiannan Province changes the order, their families will retire and never ask about anything else!"

Hsiang Yunjie's face immediately turned pale when he heard this attitude. The major families were obviously trying to make Hsiang Yunjie lose his position. After he became Prefect, there would be no benefits for him after his appointment, and he would fail.

Zhang, Zhao, and Han families controlled nearly 60% of the economy in Tiannan Province. If these three families did not come out, Tiannan Province would immediately fall into depression.

This way, even if Hsiang Yunjie was in a higher position, he wouldn't be able to use it in Tiannan Province. In the end, he could only leave helplessly.

"Since these few big families aren't coming, I hope General Dong can take out the tax bill for the past few years. As long as we can use the wealth of the Tiannan Province from before, this matter can be solved."

Just as Hsiang Yunjie was at his wits' end, Ye Tian spoke directly, causing Dung Cheng to be stunned.

Because Chu Country needed to pay taxes from various cities every year, it was lower than the amount that Prefect collected. The rest of the money was in Prefect's hands, either for construction or for supplies during special times.

During Dung Cheng's appointment, Tiannan Province was a big piece of fat meat, so naturally there would be a lot of money left. Now that Ye Tian mentioned the key, it could temporarily solve the current problem.

Using these funds to nurture new families, Ye Tian would help them. It would not be difficult for him to support a few more families in a short period of time.

These families would only stand by Hsiang Yunjie's side in the future. Compared to the few families that were close to Dung Cheng, they couldn't be compared!

However, Dung Cheng would never agree to this matter. After amassing wealth in Tiannan Province for so many years, he had no idea what kind of number he would use to calculate the remaining Vast Essence Coin in his vault.

Dung Cheng only wanted this money to belong to him. He had never thought of handing it over to Hsiang Yunjie.

"Young Master Ye, please pay attention to your words. This matter has nothing to do with you. Besides, with your status, you can't even be considered a young master of an aristocratic family. What qualifications do you have to participate in our matter?"

Dung Cheng let out a cold snort. Although he knew that Ye Tian's strength wasn't simple, this matter had crossed his bottom line. No matter who it was, he wouldn't care.0

Furthermore, in Dung Cheng's eyes, Ye Tian's family was only slightly famous in Muguang City. They were still a lot weaker than those aristocratic families.

"General Dong, I think you have forgotten what I told you before. This Mr. Ye is a benefactor of mine. Now, Ye family is one of the most important families in Tiannan Province in my eyes..."

Hsiang Yunjie naturally wanted to fight for Ye Tian. As long as Ye Tian's identity was confirmed, Ye Tian would have the right to speak and Hsiang Yunjie would be able to stabilize his authority.

Hsiang Yunjie's words carried the title and the qualification to be the new Prefect, which made Dung Cheng unable to be like Ye Tian.

Although he knew that Hsiang Yunjie was a prince, he had touched his bottom line, which made Dung Cheng feel a little murderous in his heart.

Dung Cheng impatiently waved his hand and asked the butler to take out the bill from the treasury. However, Dung Cheng wasn't afraid, because the bill had already been tampered with!

Such a meticulous plan naturally wasn't done by him alone. Dung Cheng was confident that even if he showed the fake bill to Ye Tian and the others, they wouldn't be able to find any clues!

Ye Tian and Hsiang Yunjie continued to wait. This banquet had changed from eating and drinking to fighting openly and secretly. If there was not one thing that could be taken care of, Hsiang Yunjie would be put in a passive position.

When the butler brought the bill, Hsiang Yunjie very humbly handed it to Ye Tian, as if the real master of Tiannan Province was Ye Tian.

Ye Tian indifferently opened the bill scroll. The ink on the white silk scroll recorded the annual tax, which also proved that Tiannan Province had a lot of financial resources.

However, looking at the numbers on the bill carefully, in recent years, the entire Tiannan Province was covered in deficit, and even a few places could not even make ends meet.

Even the funds of the Muguang City would be enough. Even if it was checked, the numbers on the bill would not be the slightest bit wrong.

Dung Cheng did not say anything. He quietly raised the wine glass to his mouth and took a sip. However, the confidence on his face was still obvious.

The numbers on the bill were calculated carefully by him and many people. Even if he used a magnifying glass to look at the bill, the result was not bad at all.

Such a flawless plan made Dung Cheng not worried at all. There would not be any mistakes either!

"Young Master Ye, since Master Hou gave you face, this bill is naturally not bad. But you carefully look at it. Did you see anything from it?"

Seeing that Ye Tian did not speak, Dung Cheng took the initiative to ask. He wanted to block Ye Tian's mouth.

If he insisted on Prefect's position, he would have to clean up the mess on the bill. Otherwise, the city lord would still belong to Dung Cheng, and he would not be able to run away!

"Why is there so much difference in the funds on the bill? Don't General Dong want to give us a satisfactory answer?"

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