Chapter 51: Here to Collect a Debt or Reason Things Out

Suppressing her temper, Yang Ruyan said, "Thirty thousand taels of gold is simply too heavy a loss for our Yang family. You, Chu Nan, are not in need of money; why not refund two thousand of those thirty thousand to us?"

"Let's mind our own business and stay out of each other's way. What do you think?"

"What?!" Chu Nan was utterly stunned upon hearing this, then slapped the counter and stood up. "Yang Ruyan, are you trying to be funny?"

"Don't you dare shout at me!" Yang Ruyan glared at him, her tone fierce. "You, Chu Nan, have quite some nerve. You dared to sell a few wretched cups for such an exorbitant price. Isn't keeping all this money for yourself a bit too greedy?!"

Too furious to be left with words, Chu Nan pointed at her and shook his head repeatedly. "Yang Ruyan, I can't believe you have the nerve to say that!"

"First of all, those cups of yours were obtained by force, and I didn't take a single coin from you. Secondly, the money for the cups the Emperor sold to Yang Tiejin was collected by the Emperor. What on earth does it have to do with me, Chu Nan?"

"Thirdly, your Yang family had the nerve to spend thirty thousand taels on a cup, and now you turn around and want me to give you a refund? On what grounds?"

Choked by his words, Yang Ruyan was left speechless, her face turning crimson with rising anger that itched at her very roots.

She had come here brimming with fury, but Chu Nan's utterly unyielding demeanor instead made her feel as though she were the one acting unreasonably.

"Chu Nan, don't get ahead of yourself!"

Throwing him a vicious glare, she spat, "You might treat thirty thousand taels of gold like a joke, but whether the Yang family will let this rest—just you wait and see!"

Not buying it at all, Chu Nan waved his hand and directly showed her the door. "Alright, alright, Miss Yang, let's just talk things through without constantly tossing around threats."

"I, Chu Nan, don't fall for that routine. If there's nothing else, please be on your way and stop interrupting my business."

"You!" Yang Ruyan stamped her feet in rage.

Yet in her heart, she knew very well that she was in the wrong; her trip here had ended in total humiliation.

Gnash her teeth as she glared at Chu Nan for a brief moment, she finally let out a cold snort, flicked her sleeves, and stormed off.

The door slammed shut with a heavy bang. Watching her retreating figure, Chu Nan finally failed to hold back and burst into laughter.

As night fell, the capital was enveloped in serenity.

Chu Nan closed his shop early, and with his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled leisurely toward the imperial palace.

Along the way, he had a piece of grass clamped between his lips, his mood quite pleasant.

After all, he had just received news earlier in the day from Shangguan Ya'er that today's jade-glazed cup auction had achieved phenomenal results.

Naturally, Chu Nan knew that he deserved a share of the credit behind these "results," which was why he was heading over to "settle accounts" with the female Emperor right now.

"Heh, surely they won't let me return empty-handed this time, right?"

Chu Nan muttered under his breath while pulling out the imperial token bestowed upon him by the Emperor, allowing him unhindered entry straight into the palace.

Making his way with familiar steps toward the Imperial Study, he had not even drawn close when a hearty burst of laughter echoed from within the room.

That laughter carried an unmasked sense of joy and triumph, and perhaps even a hint of... unbridled audacity?

Chu Nan paused in his tracks, unable to help complaining inwardly, *Tsk tsk, that laughter... Who could possibly be this happy besides that cold-faced Emperor?*

*It feels as though someone just raided a bandit's den...*

Sure enough, the closer he got to the Imperial Study, the clearer the laughter became.

Chu Nan couldn't help shaking his head, inwardly mocking, *No, no, which reigning monarch laughs like a bandit chieftain? It completely ruins the image!*

At that moment, Head Eunuch Liu, who was waiting outside the door, caught sight of Chu Nan.

He hurriedly hurried forward and spoke in a low voice, "Young Master Chu, you've arrived? Allow this old servant to go inside and announce your presence."

Head Eunuch Liu trotted briskly into the study and softly reported within, "Your Majesty, Young Master Chu has arrived."

The laughter inside the study ceased abruptly. A moment later, Cheng Lingyu's cool and aloof voice rang out, "Let him enter."

Acknowledging the command, Head Eunuch Liu turned back to the doorway and spoke respectfully to Chu Nan, "Young Master Chu, His Majesty requests your presence."

Chu Nan raised an eyebrow lightly, holding back a smile as he stepped into the Imperial Study.

The moment he crossed the threshold, his footsteps faltered slightly, and he froze in place.

The expansive Imperial Study, usually dedicated to books and official documents, had been entirely cleared out.

In their place were chest after chest of gold, jewels, and silk fabrics, piled up into miniature mountains.

The glistening gold ingots and gleaming jade intertwined, casting a resplendent, golden glow across the entire study.

Cheng Lingyu was seated gracefully behind the desk, draped in a majestic purple robe, her expression as cold and frosty as ever.

Yet Chu Nan clearly caught the slight upward curve of her lips, a sign that her mood was exceptionally wonderful.

Chu Nan stood rooted to the spot, blankly staring at the "sea of gold" before him.

After staring blankly for several seconds, he finally squeezed out, "Your Majesty, did you just raid someone's treasury?"

Hearing this, Cheng Lingyu arched a delicate brow, the smile at the corners of her lips deepening ever so slightly while her tone remained calm, "Why would Young Master Chu say such a thing?"

"These are the rewards I have obtained, donated to the state by various noble houses entirely of their own free will."

"Of their own free will?" Chu Nan looked deeply skeptical. "Why does it sound to me like it was very much against their will?"

Cheng Lingyu coughed lightly, raising her teacup to mask the smile on her lips, and asked with feigned solemnity, "Young Master Chu enters the palace in the dead of night—what business do you have with Us?"

Chu Nan regained his wits, stepped forward with a beaming smile, and stated directly, "Your Majesty, this subject has heard that today's jade-glazed items sold quite well, which is why I specifically came to..."

"Ask for money!"

Cheng Lingyu's hand holding the teacup paused slightly at those words. She looked up at him, her brows furrowing gently, "Ask for money?"

"That's right," Chu Nan replied with an air of righteous confidence. "Your Majesty, look here—this jade-glazed ware was painstakingly offered by this subject."

"Now that it has been sold, wouldn't it be entirely unreasonable not to give this subject a share of the hard-earned profits?"

Cheng Lingyu's expression turned subtle in an instant, her gaze sweeping across Chu Nan's face.

She then glanced back at the mountains of gold piled inside the study, a trace of reluctance flashing through her eyes.

"Young Master Chu, the war in the northern border is critical, and the imperial court is in urgent need of funds and grain. These silver taels were donated by the noble families to support the frontline..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Chu Nan interrupted her directly, spreading his hands wide.

With a look of profound grievance, he declared, "Your Majesty, your words truly chill this subject's heart!"

"Who was the one who made me put in the effort to forge this batch of jade-glazed ware in the first place?"

"Now that you've amassed a fortune, you're turning around and denying me my share? Is there any order or reason left in this world?"

Stunned by his sharp retort, Cheng Lingyu looked up at his dissatisfied expression.

Her lips twitched involuntarily, and she almost failed to maintain her cold exterior. "Young Master Chu, what kind of order are you talking about?"

With a cold huff, Chu Nan pointed at the mountainous piles of gold and jewels. "Look at this entire mountain of gold and silver! Even if the northern border urgently needs supplies, you surely can't deny me even a single tael, can you?"

"How do you expect me to dare take on any more jobs in the future? Your Majesty, one must maintain integrity in this world!"

Watching his puffed-up, indignant appearance, Cheng Lingyu finally failed to hold back and let out a soft laugh.

That smile was radiant and gentle, contrasting sharply with her usual stern demeanor.

"Young Master Chu, did you come here to collect a debt, or to lecture Me on principles?"

She spoke with a chuckle, a playful glint dancing in her eyes.