ebookland Chapter 684 Only 12,000
Chapter 684 Only 12,000
"Ten thousand taels... a full ten thousand taels?" All eyes were on the silver note.
Even if they were all wealthy young men, they couldn't just casually take out ten thousand taels of silver.
No one expected that Meng Qingfan would actually have ten thousand taels of silver.
Even Meng Qingfan himself stared at Lin Ping with a surprised look. He mistakenly thought that this was Huang Jiayu's secret stash of money given to Lin Ping, but he also felt that it was unlikely.
Let alone Huang Jiayu, even Meng Yuanping might not be able to come up with that much cash.
"Meng Qingfan, you didn't bring all the money from the entire Meng family, did you? If your old man finds out, he'll probably break your legs," Zhang Minghao said sarcastically.
Clearly, he was jealous; he genuinely couldn't come up with ten thousand taels of silver.
Lin Ping's next move completely terrified everyone.
Indeed, he tore the banknote in half and said with a faint smile, "Young Master said that banknotes can only be used as toilet paper if they are torn in half."
You, Meng Qingfan, actually used silver notes as toilet paper? And it was a ten-thousand-tael silver note?
What are the conditions? Are you rich?
Everyone was stunned. Those with weak mental fortitude fainted, and even someone like Zhang Minghao was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
Meng Qingfan gripped Lin Ping's boots tightly, wishing she could tear him in two.
This is the Meng family's money. My eldest sister works hard for half a year and might not even earn ten thousand taels of silver. You, Lin Wuqing, are so powerful that you tore it in half in an instant.
Lin Ping was a spendthrift by nature; tearing money apart with his bare hands was nothing new to him. As long as it achieved the effect of showing off, he was willing to spend any amount of money.
Ten thousand taels of silver is no small sum; it could save countless impoverished families. Lin Ping would never tear up money just to show off.
Ultimately, banknotes were merely a symbol representing silver, not actual gold or silver.
These banknotes were issued by Jinbaohang. Given his relationship with Ma Dayun, he could exchange them for new ones in no time without losing a single tael of silver.
"Young Master, please say something! How was my tearing of this banknote?" Lin Ping's spendthrift nature was on full display. Although he was dressed shabbily, his aura was much stronger than Meng Qingfan's.
He was trying to make himself look good, so Meng Qingfan couldn't let him down. He tried to calm himself down and replied calmly, "Not bad."
"I never expected Young Master Zhang to be so generous. I was truly blind. I suppose you wouldn't mind spending ten thousand taels of silver. I guarantee with my integrity that from now on, you will never have to complete your studies again," Zhang Hongxian said with a fawning expression.
Ten thousand taels of silver was no small sum for him; with the money, he could live out his days in comfort.
"My young master has plenty of silver notes, so why should I give them to you, you old codger?" Lin Ping said dismissively.
Being publicly insulted by a pageboy made Zhang Hongxian feel embarrassed, but he had to endure it for the sake of the ten thousand taels of silver.
“Your studies are not yet complete, and according to the academy’s rules, you are in danger of being expelled.” Zhang Hongxian’s chrysanthemum chain shone even brighter, meaning that as long as I gave him the money, he would take care of his studies from now on.
"Who said my young master didn't finish his studies? He's just worried that you ordinary folks can't handle it," Lin Ping said, his eyes held high and his chest puffed out.
Lemon-spirited Zhang Minghao was unhappy again, and said sarcastically, "Master, don't listen to his nonsense. As far as I know, the Meng family is in dire financial straits. This 10,000 taels of silver is probably all their assets. Meng Qingfan simply can't come up with any extra money."
"Not only that, the Meng family can't even afford to hire a great Confucian scholar, so how can they write poetry?"
"Oh? So, Young Master Zhang's poems were written by the great scholars in the manor, and not by you personally?" Lin Ping replied coldly.
Zhang Minghao immediately realized he had said the wrong thing; he hadn't expected Meng Qingfan's pageboy to be so quick-witted.
"Listen up, all of you. What follows is my young master's lesson." Lin Ping cleared his throat and recited in a drawn-out tone: "A long wind carries the autumn geese for thousands of miles; with this, one can revel in the high tower."
"Great!" Before Lin Ping could finish reading the entire poem, Zhang Hongxian clapped and cheered, it was a completely conditioned reflex.
As a scholar with a degree in the Five Classics, I am at least somewhat learned, and even if I cannot write masterpieces, I know how to appreciate art.
This one line alone surpasses Zhang Minghao's entire song in terms of artistic conception.
The two are worlds apart.
"What's the next sentence?" Zhang Hongxian pricked up his ears, waiting, but Lin Ping didn't speak for a long time.
"That's all!" Lin Ping said, spreading his hands.
"Gone?"
"That's it!"
This is a work by the poet Li Bai, whose main theme is the sorrow of parting, not about autumn.
Even so, a single sentence extracted from it can rival a masterpiece.
"Haha, you dare to call a single sentence poetry?" Zhang Minghao laughed dismissively.
With his limited knowledge, he naturally couldn't understand the meaning behind the poem and simply judged it based on its poetic form.
"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Zhang Hongxian cursed like a common villager.
Vulgarity is human nature, and this nature is often revealed when a person is most excited.
Zhang Minghao obediently shut his mouth, not wanting to taste the ruler, but staring at Meng Qingfan with hostile eyes.
With that carefully prepared poem, he could have been the protagonist, but Meng Qingfan stole the spotlight and he was even reprimanded by Zhang Hongxian. He would not be a villain if he did not avenge this!
Although he had finally gotten his revenge, Meng Qingfan was far from happy and walked out of the academy with a gloomy face.
"Lin Wuqing, don't mention to outsiders that your mother gave you the silver notes, especially not to your father, lest they quarrel," Meng Qingfan said seriously.
Although he was also heartbroken about the 10,000 taels of silver, it was given to Chen Zhaoxu by his mother and had little to do with him.
Previously, he was probably more worried that his father would quarrel with his mother because of this, so he preferred to keep the matter to himself rather than argue with Lin Ping.
Lin Ping was somewhat surprised that he could say such a thing. He looked at the boy with surprise, noting that he wasn't entirely useless; at least he had some filial piety.
Lin Ping was worried that the source of the ten thousand taels of silver was unclear, but since Meng Qingfan had given him a reason, he naturally wouldn't refute it.
"Lin Wuqing, you've really ruined my life," Meng Qingfan said, shaking his head.
"Don't worry, Young Master Meng, I will definitely find a way to pay back this money," Lin Ping replied.
“It’s not about the money. Now that you’ve offended Zhang Minghao, he’ll definitely blame me. He has six henchmen under his command,” Meng Qingfan said with a sigh.
The reason he was afraid of Zhang Minghao was obviously because he had been beaten by the other party before, and he knew that this time he would not have an easy time either.
But thinking about how I had triumphed in class, even if I got beaten up, it was worth it.
"This kid must get beaten up a lot, right?" Lin Ping glanced at him with disdain, naturally thinking of school violence.
"This matter arose because of me, and I will resolve it myself," Lin Ping said confidently.
Meng Qingfan waved his hand and said, "You offended Zhang Minghao because you were trying to help me. Go ahead and run away later. I'll take the blame myself. At worst, I'll just say I tripped and fell. I don't think Mother will ask any more questions."