She had only intended to scare Chu Chenyi into submission, to make him yield and acknowledge her power, so that she could continue to negotiate on equal footing. Thus, she did not press the matter further, choosing to descend the stairs she had built.
Feng Jin continued to walk into the room, sat down on a chair, and took a sip of the clear tea, her expression exceedingly calm.
The more composed she appeared, the more flustered Chu Chenyi became, unable to discern Feng Jin's true thoughts.
Chu Chenyi forced a calm demeanor, his gaze constantly darting towards Feng Jin, trying to probe her emotions. However, he was caught red-handed and awkwardly averted his gaze, clearing his throat softly.
"That... that is to say, what exactly... what exactly do you want me to do? Just say it directly."
To continue this stalemate would be to inflict pain upon himself. It was better to clarify things sooner, which would bring him some peace of mind.
Feng Jin was quite satisfied with Chu Chenyi's current behavior. This was how it should be, saving her the effort.
"Since Prince Jing is so straightforward, I shall not keep you in suspense any longer. My request is actually quite simple: I wish for Prince Jing to repay all the money he owes."
Having directly stated her demand, Feng Jin quietly awaited Chu Chenyi's response.
Chu Chenyi cleared his throat, his mind constantly strategizing how to legitimately avoid repaying the money. It wasn't that he was intentionally defaulting, but rather that he was genuinely penniless and unable to produce such a sum.
His vast princely mansion housed over a hundred people, all relying on him for sustenance. His meager salary was barely enough to support them, and he occasionally had to ask Lin Yuwei to subsidize them.
To expect him to suddenly produce over ten thousand taels of silver to repay the debt was out of the question. Even the previous debts were paid off by the entire household tightening their belts, gradually repaying them in installments. Now, they had only managed to pay back a small portion, and barely at that.
If this new debt were added, given his current financial situation, he wouldn't be able to repay it even in a hundred years. It was likely that his son would inherit this debt.
After a brief pause, Chu Chenyi said with a troubled expression, "I truly have no money to repay it."
He then lowered his head somewhat shamefully. For a prince to utter such words was truly embarrassing.
Feng Jin's lips twitched slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief. If Chu Chenyi had been crippled and out of favor with the Emperor, lacking funds, she might have believed him. But the times had changed. Chu Chenyi was now the prince most favored and trusted by the Emperor, and the future successor to the throne. To claim he couldn't even afford this sum, she found it hard to believe, suspecting he was merely feigning poverty to avoid repayment.
"Chu Chenyi, have some decency! You can't compare yourself to before. I refuse to believe you don't have this little money!"
The thought of Chu Chenyi trying to renege on this debt ignited Feng Jin's fury. She put her hands on her hips and stomped furiously towards Chu Chenyi, confronting him, almost resorting to physical violence.
"Everything I've said is true. This prince truly has no money. If you don't believe me, then investigate the accounts. See how much idle money is left in this princely mansion, and you can take it all."
Chu Chenyi had decided to go all out. He was already at his wit's end, and what did a barefoot person have to fear from someone wearing shoes? If Feng Jin didn't believe him, she could investigate for herself.
At this point, Feng Jin hesitated. Looking at Chu Chenyi, he didn't seem to be lying. Could it be that he genuinely had no money?
She had meticulously planned this, hoping to extract a significant sum from Chu Chenyi. It couldn't be that all her efforts were in vain, leaving her with nothing.
"Fine, investigate. I'll see what secrets you're hiding."
She refused to believe that Chu Chenyi was truly incapable of producing any money at all.
With a wave of her hand, Feng Jin began to examine the accounts. There was no falsehood that could escape her scrutiny.
Subsequently, maids brought stacks of account books and placed them before Feng Jin, creating an imposing sight. The moment Feng Jin opened the ledger, she was genuinely stunned by what she saw.
In such a grand princely mansion, the daily expenditure for vegetables was less than twenty taels of silver, and for meat, it was less than ten taels. How did they manage their days? Were they surviving on air?
After scrutinizing all the accounts, Feng Jin's spirits plummeted like a frost-bitten eggplant. All interest was lost. The remaining silver in the accounts was only a little over a hundred taels.
"Are you truly this poor?"
Feng Jin found it difficult to believe what she had seen with her own eyes, her incredulous gaze fixed on Chu Chenyi.
Chu Chenyi lowered his head, feeling extremely awkward. It wasn't his fault for being poor, was it? His salary was too low, and he had very few shops. He truly had no money.
Even the money for his wedding to Lin Yuwei had been his entire fortune, supplemented by the sale of two shops.
Marrying a wife had already cost him half his life. If he had even the slightest desire to take concubines, he wouldn't have the money for it, let alone multiple wives and concubines. He simply lacked the capacity.
"You've seen the accounts. This is all the money left in the mansion. This year's salary hasn't arrived yet, so we can only rely on this to support the entire household. If you want it, feel free to take it to offset the debt."
Regardless, he owed money. If Feng Jin insisted on repayment, this was all he could offer.
His words made it sound as if she were a ruthless and cruel moneylender forcing him to pay. Even if Feng Jin wanted to take the money, her hand couldn't extend, her conscience strongly condemning her.
Finally, Feng Jin sighed helplessly. Why did she have to encounter Chu Chenyi, this pauper? The money he owed her seemed impossible to recover.
"Alright... alright... You're a pauper. Even if I push you to death, you won't have this money!"
Feng Jin rolled her eyes, looking at Chu Chenyi with utter disdain. After a pause, she continued, "Let's record it in the accounts for now. You can repay it slowly when you have money."
Chu Chenyi breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had narrowly escaped a disaster. However, the thought of accumulating another huge debt instantly soured his mood.
Furthermore, the money in the accounts was almost depleted, and this year's salary had not yet arrived. It seemed he would have to shamelessly ask Lin Yuwei for money again. For a grown man to have to ask his wife for money was truly difficult.