The Young and Vigorous Eighth Prince

Chapter 177: Besieging the Prime Minister's Residence

"Pay the money, pay the money quickly, call your housekeeper out and give us an explanation, otherwise, we will not leave today..."

"That's right, call them out quickly. If anything goes wrong, we won't be able to help them anymore. There's no way..."

"Hmph... So what if we are from the Xiangfu? We have more people and therefore we are right. Do we think that the people from the Xiangfu can cover up everything? We have signed a contract and we have Jingzhao Prefecture as proof!"

There were shouting and cursing sounds coming from the door one after another, and the guards of the prime minister's residence blocked the door to prevent anyone from rushing in.

These people didn't dare to rush forward. Just because they dared to shout didn't mean they dared to rush towards the Prime Minister's residence.

This is the residence of a first-rank official. They can argue for their own interests and shout.

But if they rushed in, it would be trespassing into a private residence, or even the prime minister's residence, which would be courting death.

However, such shouting and cursing was also uncomfortable. The people in the Xiangfu could not leave or come in. Several doors of the Xiangfu were blocked.

The sound reached the prime minister's residence. Ye Ren was in the study room listening to the sound outside. Veins on his forehead were throbbing and his whole body was shaking with anger.

But he was the one who did it. Although he did not show up in person, in order to get those businesses to advertise in the morning paper, he did not hesitate to let the housekeeper borrow their names.

Not to mention, the troublemakers were not just a few dozen merchants, but also ordinary people. They came to cause trouble because the morning newspaper slandered Jiang Fan!

"Prime Minister, what should we do now? I'm afraid those people will not give up. They will definitely not leave unless we give an explanation." Ye Ji, the butler of the Prime Minister's Mansion, said with a bitter face, looking at his master.

"Give me an explanation? How can I give you an explanation? If they really want to pay me money this time, it will be at least five or six million taels of silver. How can I give them so much silver?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Ren's face was filled with anger and annoyance.

He finally realized that Jiang Fan had been silent about the Morning Post, so he was afraid that Jiang Fan had dug a huge hole for him. They thought they had suppressed the Morning Post.

But he knew that Jiang Fan's series of actions after he left Beijing seemed to give him a handle, but in fact it was a trap set for him. He didn't even realize it and it was around his own neck!

Jiang Fan's so-called compensation agreement was just forcing him to raise the compensation so that he could find a chance to deal him a fatal blow. It was ridiculous. He thought Jiang Fan was not in Beijing and might be out of reach.

But he forgot that Jiang Fan left Chu Yan'er in the capital. With this woman's intelligence and her cooperation with Jiang Fan, how could they possibly be his match.

This reminded him of the seamless cooperation between Jiang Fan and Chu Yan'er in Huainan Prefecture, and he was afraid that it would be the same this time.

He even felt that the Tianshang Renjian Restaurant might be Jiang Fan's property.

Now he was forced into a corner and had no other choice. He could only pay compensation, but where could he get the money for forty times the compensation?

Although his family property was abundant, the problem was that Jiang Fan had already taken away nearly one-third of it, and the remaining amount used for compensation was not even enough to pay half of it.

"No... We must find a way to resolve this matter. Go and notify Jingzhao Prefecture to send people from the Inspection Department to drive away the people who are causing trouble! Those who refuse to leave will be arrested!"

Ye Ren shook his head and quickly said to the housekeeper.

Upon hearing this, the housekeeper's face suddenly turned bitter and he said, "Master, I can't get out! Besides, can we call the people from the Inspection Department? We are not in the right!"

Ye Ren was stunned when he heard that. Yes, they couldn’t call the people from the Inspection Department. They were the confidants that Emperor Yan had created for Jiang Fan.

Didn’t you see that the one taking sides recently was the Inspection Department of Jingzhao Prefecture?

You've given them something to hold against you, so it's strange that they'll come to care about you. It's good enough that they don't add insult to injury!

This matter concerns Jiang Fan. Thinking of Emperor Yan and Jiang Fan and his son singing the same tune in the Golden Palace, he felt that there was a trap at that time. Now it seems that this is really a huge trap.

"Then ask the Imperial Guards. The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards is Yi'er's subordinate. Let him handle it. Say that someone is endangering the safety of Kyoto and wants to attack the Prime Minister's Mansion. Let the Imperial Guards arrest the person and investigate!"

Ye Ren thought for a moment and said, "If you can't get out, send someone out. It's best to go through the back door..."

"Master, several doors of our mansion have been blocked..." Butler Ye Ji said in a bitter voice.

"Are you stupid? Don't you know that if someone is allowed to sneak out, they can't be blocked anyway!" Upon hearing this, Ye Ren glared at the butler Ye Ji fiercely, feeling a little exasperated. The right prime minister was almost driven into a corner.

Ye Ji felt bitter when he heard this, and he could only turn around and prepare to leave. However, just as he turned around, he was stopped by Ye Ren.

"Forget it, I'll just go out and deal with this matter myself!"

Ye Ren sighed, stood up and walked out.

Things have come to this point, and there is no other way but to pay compensation. After all, he was the one who jumped into the pit.

To this end, he pulled in three princes and himself. Even though the person who showed up was his own housekeeper, the people were not fools, and they knew who was behind the morning newspaper.

If they suppress them forcefully at this time, there is no telling whether Emperor Yan will jump out to help the people cheat them again.

The Imperial Guards were not so easy to mobilize. If they touched the bottom line of the Emperor of Yan, they might even lose their lives.

Moreover, he was afraid that his own reputation would be ruined. Not only would his prestige among the people be lost, but the three princes would also be ruined.

By then, even if Jiang Fan was eliminated, it would be difficult for either his grandson or the other two princes to take that position again.

He jumped into the pit that Jiang Fan had dug for him. If he wanted to get out, he would have to pay a huge price. Some of the prices were within his tolerance range, but some were unbearable.

The compensation is within their affordability. Things that can be solved with money are not a big deal. However, if they have to pay the price of damaging their reputation, it will only bring them irreparable consequences.

Ye Ren secretly hated Jiang Fan's cruelty, but he could only grit his teeth and endure the bitter fruit.

He came to the door, looked at the angry people in front of him, suppressed the urge to spit blood, stretched out his hand to suppress the excited emotions and voices of the people, and said:

"Everyone, since we have agreed to the compensation, the Morning News will never go back on our word. Please rest assured... the compensation will definitely be delivered to you! Please go back first. Blocking the Prime Minister's residence is not a long-term solution!"

As soon as he said this, although the people were unwilling in their hearts, no one was too presumptuous in front of the Right Prime Minister.

Everyone was silent and ready to leave, but some people were unwilling to give up and wanted to stay.

However, at this moment, a sudden clear female voice sounded.

"Since you want compensation, of course the sooner the better, so as to avoid more trouble. Why don't you do it all at once, Prime Minister Ye? With Prime Minister Ye's ability, it will be enough to pay several million taels of compensation!"

As the female voice sounded, everyone looked in the direction of the voice. When they saw that the person speaking was Chu Yan'er, the people were stunned with strange looks in their eyes.

The moment Ye Ren saw Chu Yan'er, his eyes twitched and a trace of fury flashed in his eyes. He thought of Jiang Fan who had tricked him so badly.

Is Chu Yan'er coming here now to add insult to injury and watch the show? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but said coldly:

"Eighth Prince's Consort, you come to join in on this kind of thing, aren't you afraid of losing your status?! If you have nothing else to do, please go back. It's better not to join in on some excitement! Otherwise, people will criticize you for being fond of gossip!"

His words were obviously full of sarcasm, meaning that Chu Yan'er should stop being a gossip. You, a prince's consort, come here to join in the fun, aren't you afraid of being embarrassed by telling others about it?