"What?"
Ji Youcheng stepped back a few paces, clutching his moneybag even tighter.
"Are... are you joking with me, your own brother?"
Ji Youzhi helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose.
"To be precise, itâs not I who wishes to borrow, but His Majesty. The night before last, a tornado struck Yunhang Sea, and the homes of many nearby residents collapsed. The imperial court is currently organizing disaster relief efforts."
Ji Youchengâs eyes widened as he stared at Ji Youzhi in disbelief.
"What does this have to do with me? If the National Treasury is empty, go find the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue! Why come to me? Just because I have money, you all think you can just keep taking from me as you please?"
Ji Youzhi knew he was in the wrong, but the National Treasury truly couldnât spare any funds at the moment. The area around Yunhang was impoverished, and its people were already living in dire straits. Many of them relied on fishing for their livelihood, and the tornadoes that struck every two or three years invariably destroyed their homes.
His Majesty had long intended to relocate these people, but alas, the local farming folk were stubbornly traditional and insisted on clinging to their homeland. They were unwilling to relocate en masse!
So, every few years, when a natural disaster struck that region, the imperial court would allocate substantial sums of silver for relief.
"His Majesty said that if you can extend a helping hand this time and lend silver to the National Treasury for disaster relief, Bright Moon Pavilion can take fifty percent of the profits from the salt trade."
"Wh... what?"
A gleam appeared in Ji Youchengâs eyes. His face was a mask of disbelief. "Are... are you serious?"
Ji Youzhi nodded. "If you donât want the salt trade rights, then once the imperial court has recovered, it will return all the silver that Mother previously took from youâwhich passed through me to His Majestyâevery last bit of it!"
Ji Youchengâs eyes sparkled. "Such a good deal exists?"
Seeing his reaction, Ji Youzhi was overjoyed.
"Is that a yes?"
Instinctively, Ji Youcheng wanted to nod, but then he froze and said, "But I donât have any money!"
?
Ji Youzhi was somewhat skeptical. "Isnât Bright Moon Pavilion said to command vast resources, with a treasury comparable to the National Treasury?"
Ji Youchengâs face immediately turned sour. "That was in the past. Things are different now."
"Some years ago, I secretly established a private bank. That bank requires substantial silver reserves to operate and absolutely cannot be touched. There are too many stakeholders involved."
Hearing this, Ji Youzhi was stunned for a good while before suddenly asking, "Whatâs the name of your bank?"
Ji Youcheng asked warily, "What are you planning to do? Iâm warning you, Seventh Brother! Donât you dare get any ideas about my bank. It involves all sorts of influential people and complicated affairs! If you cause any trouble for me there, I will fight you to the death!"
Ji Youzhiâs head throbbed violently.
"Is your bank the Yingtai Bank that suddenly appeared three years ago?"
Ji Youcheng was shocked, looking at him incredulously. "How did you know?"
"Third Brother, I am the Divine Hunter. When this bank first suddenly appeared, I suspected it was yours. But since you didnât mention it, I didnât inquire. I did monitor your activities later on, but I found no evidence linking you to this bank."
"Wait! Why are you telling me all this? Did you investigate me?"
"I wasnât investigating *you*. I was investigating the true owner behind Yingtai Bank. His Majesty has said that if you can lend the silver, that would be best. If you canât, however, then Yingtai Bank will have to bleed a bit!"
Ji Youchengâs heart ached as if pierced by a knife!
"Youâre coercing me, Seventh Brother! Iâm your own brother!" Ji Youcheng was so furious his eyes turned red.
"Of course, I know youâre my brother. Eighth Brother mentioned that His Majesty already knows youâre the owner of Bright Moon Pavilion, but He doesnât yet know that you are also the owner of Yingtai Bank!"
"What do you mean? Are you threatening me?"