Volume 1, Chapter 8: I Will Repay It

"Ahem, my dear nephew, look, even though we are no longer one family, there is no need to be so uncompromising, is there?" Xiao Boqing quickly put on a smiling face and spoke to Lin Che in a soft, conciliatory tone.

"Father?" Xiao Aoyu could not believe her father would say such things!

"We are no longer one family," Lin Che said coldly.

"How can you say that? We were all family once. Besides, this piece of raw jade is a testament to the love between you and Yu'er. If we keep it now, it serves as a keepsake, doesn't it?" Xiao Boqing continued, his face full of smiles.

Lin Che did not believe for a second that they missed him.

Aware of their distress, he sneered: "What? Are you afraid that Prince Liang will be jealous? Or is it that the prestigious Xiao estate cannot even scrape together a hundred thousand taels?"

"You... you talk nonsense!" Xiao Chen stammered, his hands trembling.

But the truth was, they really could not come up with the money.

The rewards Xiao Aoyu had received this time amounted to only a few thousand taels—not even a fraction of what was needed!

"Lin Che, you gave us that jade pendant back then, so it belongs to us. Asking for it back now—isn't that being a bit too stingy?" Xiao Chen mustered his courage and retorted firmly.

Seeing that Lin Che would not accept a polite toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, Xiao Boqing dropped the act: "Exactly. You keep saying you love Yu'er, yet you can't even spare a single piece of jade? Yu'er is about to marry Prince Liang and will soon have a prominent status. If you are sensible now, perhaps you might even be tossed a few scraps to eat later!"

Lin Che was almost amused by them. He had only asked for one hundred thousand taels back out of over a million—that was already being generous!

Besides, who were they to talk? Comparing their family background to his?

"Lin Che, you have eaten and worn the clothes of the Xiao family all these years. How can you have the nerve to ask for a mere one hundred thousand taels?!" Xiao Chen attacked again.

"Eaten your food and worn your clothes? In all these years, have you ever bought me a single garment? Fine, let's do the math as you suggested. Food and clothing expenses combined would come to at most two hundred taels. You can just deduct that from the hundred thousand," Lin Che sneered.

Xiao Boqing and Xiao Chen knew they were in the wrong, aware that the total value of what they had provided Lin Che was at most a few hundred taels.

"But you lived in the Xiao estate! Without the Xiao family, you would be nothing but a vagrant. You don't show any gratitude, and yet you have the nerve to ask for silver?" Xiao Chen demanded.

"Enough, say no more," Xiao Aoyu suddenly interrupted them and looked at Lin Che. "Lin Che, I truly never expected you to be so calculating."

"Isn't this just your way of trying to humiliate me so I will take the initiative to reconcile with you?"

"Let me tell you, I will not grant your wish. Fine, it's just one hundred thousand taels, isn't it? I will pay it back!"

She did not want to owe anyone, and she certainly would not let Lin Che hold this over her.

"Yu'er!"

"Sister!"

Xiao Boqing and Xiao Chen were both shocked.

If they had stood their ground and refused to pay, Lin Che would have had no way to force them!

How could Xiao Aoyu voluntarily offer to pay? Was she out of her mind?

"Very well, bring it here," Lin Che said, not wasting any more time.

Stung by his attitude, Xiao Aoyu trembled with rage. "I will pay you back, but I want to tell you in advance: once I pay you this silver, we will not even be friends anymore!"

The threat was written all over her face.

***

Lin Che pondered for a moment. "Three days, then. I will come to collect it in three days."

He knew that unless the Xiao family sold off their assets, they could not possibly repay the debt.

Given their arrogant nature, they would never sell their assets and invite public mockery.

But how they managed to scrape the money together was no longer his concern.

Having delivered his ultimatum, Lin Che turned and left, leaving the Xiao family members behind, their faces ashen.

"Sister, have you lost your mind? That is a hundred thousand taels! Are we really going to give that to that good-for-nothing?" Xiao Chen complained, showing no regard for seniority.

Xiao Boqing was also somewhat reproachful, as they truly did not need to pay Lin Che back.

What could Lin Che possibly do to them?

Xiao Aoyu gritted her teeth, never expecting Lin Che to be so heartless.

She let out a breath and said with a determined look, "Even if we don't acknowledge this debt, if word gets out, wouldn't it damage the Xiao family's reputation? And my own reputation?"

"Moreover, if the Emperor learns of this, it will surely deepen his misunderstanding of us, and it might even affect Wangzhi's reputation. That is exactly what Lin Che wants."

Xiao Boqing paused, thought about it, and agreed that there was some logic to it—reputation was, after all, important.

Furthermore, now that Prince Liang was about to ascend the throne, there was no reason to be ridiculed by the world over a good-for-nothing.

"It's all Lin Che's fault! Why did he have to leave the jade here without saying he wanted it back? Otherwise, none of this would have happened!" Xiao Chen felt it was all Lin Che's doing—he must have done it on purpose! How despicable!

"Shut your mouth! From now on, you are not allowed to touch anything in this house without permission!" Xiao Aoyu felt a splitting headache; her brother was truly useless. "Now, where are we supposed to get that much silver?"

Xiao Boqing’s eyes suddenly brightened. He looked at Xiao Aoyu and said, "Yu'er, why don't you go speak to Prince Liang and ask for a portion of the betrothal gift in advance?"

Xiao Chen saw a glimmer of hope, thinking this was a viable plan. After all, his sister was already with Lin Wangzhi!

"Exactly! Sister, go find Prince Liang and have him provide the silver!"

Xiao Aoyu was stunned. "This is our own affair. Besides, Wangzhi hasn't even officially proposed yet!"

She felt that asking for money before the engagement would make her seem cheap and might even lead Prince Liang to look down on her.

"He's going to marry you sooner or later, isn't he? Just have him provide some of the betrothal gift early, and we'll just deduct it from the final amount later!" Xiao Boqing said as if it were only natural.

"Father, that's not fair!" Xiao Aoyu protested righteously.

Hearing this, Xiao Boqing became displeased, huffing and puffing: "Lin Che had nothing, yet he gave you a jade worth one hundred thousand. Why didn't you think that was unfair?"

"That's right, sister. Go ask Prince Liang for it. It will be a good test to see if he truly loves you. If he doesn't give it, he’s not sincere!" Xiao Chen chimed in.

"I..." Xiao Aoyu was unsure if this was feasible.

"Enough. This matter is actually your fault. If you hadn't refused the jade when Lin Che gave it to you back then, it would have been ours, and we wouldn't have to pay him back now!"

Xiao Aoyu’s beautiful eyes trembled like spring water.

***

Since she had already promised Lin Che, she knew this was her only option.

***

After leaving, Lin Che headed to the Wangjiang Tower, as agreed with Murong Qinghe the previous day.

Murong Qinghe had been waiting for some time. When Lin Che arrived, they went to a private room together.

Lin Che sat down first, and she poured him a cup of tea.

"Your Highness, you seem troubled," Murong Qinghe said as she placed the tea before him. "Is it because of Miss Xiao?"

She knew that Lin Che had once loved Xiao Aoyu so deeply that he would have been willing to give up the throne for her.

While she sympathized, she felt it was not worth it. Moreover, so what if Prince Liang snatched Xiao Aoyu away? If that hadn't happened, Lin Che would never have returned, so in a way, Prince Liang had brought this upon himself!

Lin Che gestured for her to sit and picked up his teacup. "I have no more lingering feelings for her."

Murong Qinghe did not believe him. After all, how could it be so easy to forget someone you once loved so deeply? She sighed and stopped asking.

However, Lin Che was truly not thinking about Xiao Aoyu; he was contemplating the current contradictions within the imperial court.

At present, treacherous officials were seizing power in the Great Zhou, and corruption was rampant both inside and outside the court. His own safety was not even guaranteed.

Furthermore, with Prince Liang still in the capital, even if he were to ascend the throne, he would only be a puppet without real power.

First and foremost, he had to eliminate the treacherous officials to set everything back on the right track.

Therefore, ever since he had decided to inherit the throne, his mind had not stopped racing, contemplating various strategies. He was losing sleep, and his brain felt like it was about to explode.

Seeing his furrowed brows, Murong Qinghe felt a surge of pity and gently took his hand.

Lin Che did not pull away.

After their meal, the two prepared to return to the palace. As they reached the street and were about to board the carriage, they heard a chorus of cursing coming from behind them.

"That bastard... I... I'll kill him sooner or later..."

"Young Master Xiao is truly a hero!"

"Hahaha, Young Master Xiao, I heard your sister is with Prince Liang? Truly a cause for celebration! I'll be counting on you in the future!"

Lin Che turned back to see Xiao Chen emerging from the Linjiang Tower with a group of noble scions, stumbling and clearly intoxicated.

Xiao Chen looked up, saw Lin Che, and was instantly surprised, followed by a sinister sneer.

"Lin Che! You're here too?"