Chapter Forty-Three: Recruiting Foreign Talent

Wei Yanqiao nodded slightly. "That's right. All of these were delivered by the maidservant who was just here. Furthermore, she specifically conveyed Head Eunuch Bi's instruction that I must copy all of this. My good eunuch, I have already handed the silver over to you in full. If I fail to finish the copying by the deadline, I will have no way to answer to those above. At that time, I am afraid I will only be able to throw you under the bus and tell others that my smooth completion of the task last time was actually entirely due to your assistance in copying alongside me."

Upon hearing this, the eunuch was suddenly enlightened. It turned out that Wei Yanqiao's copying of the scriptures this time was not voluntary at all, but rather forced upon her as a punishment! That made the situation vastly different.

By helping Wei Yanqiao complete this task, he had effectively committed the same offense. Now, inexplicably, he and Wei Yanqiao were grasshoppers tied to the same rope. If they failed to complete the task on time, not only would Wei Yanqiao be unable to give an account to her superiors, but he himself would also be implicated and suffer the consequences!

The eunuch's face flushed red, and he roared in exasperation, "How could you do this! There is such a vast amount of them; even if the two of us joined forces and worked without sleep, we would still be utterly unable to finish copying them!"

At that moment, he was filled with boundless regret and secretly cursed his own stupidity. He only blamed himself for being blinded by a petty profit in the beginning, and now he found himself deeply entangled and unable to extricate himself.

Wei Yanqiao crossed her arms and said with a disdainful smile, "I am naturally aware that the two of us alone cannot possibly accomplish this task. However, the silver I gave you is substantial enough for you to hire others to assist with the copying. In short, I am stating this clearly beforehand: if I fail to finish on time here, you need not think you can escape your share of the blame!"

The eunuch grew even more distressed, his frustration having nowhere to vent. He muttered resentfully, "I am now just like you and cannot leave this place even for a single step, so how can I slip away at will? Even with money, where am I supposed to find reliable people to copy these together with me? What on earth is to be done..."

Wei Yanqiao furrowed her brows slightly and said in a soft voice, "What about the eunuch who brings us our meals every day? Take this money and ask him to copy the scriptures for us. As for how much silver you should pay him and how much you can secretly keep for yourself, that is entirely up for you to decide."

The eunuch weighed the pouch in his hand, feeling the heft of the silver inside, and a wave of joy rose in his heart. The amount of silver in this money pouch was truly considerable, enough for him to secure a handsome profit from it.

His previously dim eyes instantly lit up as if he saw a glimmer of dawn, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Alright then, I'll go give it a try."

Wei Yanqiao reminded him, "This is not a matter of simply 'trying'. It must be successfully accomplished. If we fail to complete the task, neither of the two of us will have an easy time."

The joy that had just appeared on the eunuch's face vanished instantly, replaced by deep resentment and reluctance. Yet, knowing that Wei Yanqiao's words were true, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and declare fiercely, "I understand! Even if I have to risk my all, I will certainly get this matter done!"

Wei Yan smiled slightly. "I didn't even know your name until now. Since we are now grasshoppers on the same boat, we naturally ought to help each other out."

"My name is Wang Qianyang."

The corners of Wei Yan's mouth curled up as she teased, "So it is Eunuch Wang. Then the matter of copying will have to trouble you greatly."

Wei Yanqiao turned and walked into the room.

As for the copying task, Wei Yanqiao had completely delegated and arranged it for Wang Qianyang to handle, while she only needed to focus on reciting scriptures every day.

Now Wei Yanqiao no longer needed to be as busy as before, endlessly writing day after day. Thus, she began to calm her mind and carefully plot her subsequent plans. This endless copying could never be allowed to continue indefinitely like this.

She had to let Xiao Ceyun know that recently she had merely been rushing through the quantity and failing to copy the scriptures earnestly, having thus lost the proper piety that she ought to have possessed. Moreover, if they lost the protection of her, the so-called "lucky star," it would inevitably plunge the entire realm into complete chaos.

At that moment, a young eunuch carrying a food box slowly approached, delivering meals to Wei Yanqiao inside the room and Wang Qianyang standing guard outside the door.

Wang Qianyang, with his sharp eyes, hurried forward to meet him and swiftly pulled out a heavy pouch of silver he had prepared beforehand, shoving it into the delivery eunuch's embrace without the slightest hesitation.

Startled by the sudden presentation of silver, the eunuch wanted to return it immediately. "What are you doing?"

Wang Qianyang quickly pressed down on the eunuch's hands, forcing the silver against his chest, and said to him with a face full of ingratiating smiles, "My good eunuch, aren't we all people who entered the palace to serve at the same time? To put it bluntly, aren't we just doing this to earn a few extra taels of silver? So, please accept this little token. However, I must trouble you to help me with a small favor..."

The eunuch asked with an unnatural expression, "What is it you want from me?"

Wang Qianyang's mouth curved upward into a smile as he said, "Actually, it's nothing major at all, just a tiny favor. I merely wish to trouble you, Eunuch, to help me copy a few passages of scriptures."

The eunuch's eyes widened in sheer astonishment. "You actually want me to help you copy scriptures?" He had originally guessed in his heart that whatever Wang Qianyang wanted must be something extraordinary, yet he never expected it to be something as simple as copying books.

"Yes, yes, that's right, it's simply copying scriptures!" Wang Qianyang nodded repeatedly in agreement, then added, "You only need to bring the finished copies back to me during dinner two days from now. By then, all of this silver will belong entirely to you."

Thinking that copying books was a minor task he could easily handle during his off-hours while earning some extra silver into the bargain, the eunuch decided it was quite a good deal. He readily replied, "Very well, hand them over."

Hearing this, Wang Qianyang hurried to fetch the thick stack of blank paper Wei Yanqiao had previously given him, dividing out the greater part of it and leaving only a few sheets for his own symbolic copying. Afterward, he gathered up all the remaining paper and stuffed the entire bundle into the eunuch's arms.

Receiving the mountain of paper in both hands, the eunuch could not help exclaiming again, "Why are there so many?" He was genuinely taken aback by the staggering quantity of paper before him.

Wang Qianyang smiled flatteringly and explained, "Hehe, do not worry, Eunuch. The silver I gave you is more than generous, and given your wide connections and numerous hands outside, you can easily hire a few more people to help copy them together. That way, you can effortlessly make a nice little profit."

Thinking that this transaction would only bring him gain, the eunuch ultimately agreed.

When Wang Qianyang carried the food inside for Wei Yanqiao, he nodded at her, and Wei Yanqiao smiled back in mutual understanding.