allonlinenovel Chapter 116 Sharing a Blanket
Chapter 116 Sharing a Blanket
Marquis Chengen and Prince Yu left the palace separately, each taking a carriage to a secluded private residence.
The two went to the study one after the other. The servants brought a pot of tea, poured a cup of tea for each of them, and then left.
Marquis Chengen looked at Prince Yu, who was sitting in a round-backed chair, still wearing his court robes. He leaned back lazily in the chair. A soft, fluffy red fox lay obediently on his lap, its pointed ears twitching and its slender eyes half-closed.
If one ignores the white cloth wrapped around the red fox's belly and the Prince Yu's hand that tightens and loosens around the red fox's neck, the scene before one's eyes would be quite pleasing to the eye.
"Your Highness, there are more and more refugees at the city gate. Where do I get so much grain to help them?" Marquis Chengen sighed, "Grain is scarce now. Even if I spend money to buy it, I can't buy that much grain."
Prince Yu's large hand gripped the red fox's neck as if he were holding the little creature's lifeline.
He sensed the red fox's body stiffen, a stress response to encountering danger.
This reaction, however, greatly pleased Prince Yu.
His hand slowly traced the wound around the red fox, causing the fox to stiffen in pain and dare not move. Only a sound came from its throat, and its narrow fox eyes were glistening with tears, making it look exceptionally pitiful.
He enjoyed seeing the red fox trembling in his hands.
Prince Yu's smile deepened, his gloomy brows relaxed, and his voice carried a hint of ease: "If you can't buy grain, then go and rob it."
Marquis Chengen was taken aback.
Prince Yu laughed and said, "Isn't this the Marquis's usual trick?"
"Your Highness, Boss Qin has grain in his hands. After what happened at the morning court, can this old minister take action against him for the time being?" Marquis Chengen, having discerned Prince Yu's attitude from his words, directly stated his purpose: "The matter of the refugees in Guanzhou has escalated significantly, drawing the attention of the entire court. Boss Qin is Shen Qingtan's man. If he is punished, Shen Qingtan will naturally be implicated. Given Zhao Yi's feelings for Shen Qingtan, he will definitely not stand idly by. If he truly protects Shen Qingtan, even if the Emperor favors him greatly, he will have to give an explanation to the common people."
Zhao Yi's usual actions were so meticulous that they couldn't find a way to break through.
But Boss Qin was an opportunity.
That's perfect for taking them all in one go.
Marquis Chengen added, "The Qin family's businesses are not only spread throughout the Great Zhou, but also in several other countries, and their wealth is considerable."
Prince Yu narrowed his eyes, recalling Consort Ling's instructions.
Consort Ling said that Zhao Yi was destined to die young, and the imperial physicians all said he wouldn't survive the winter.
They didn't need to oppose Zhao Yi; on the contrary, they should treat him with friendliness.
He scoffed.
"You only mentioned this Boss Qin during the morning court session today. If something goes wrong with him, Father will hold you accountable. Don't make me clean up his mess."
Prince Yu will not follow Consort Ling's instructions to curry favor with Zhao Yi, nor will he take the initiative to provoke Zhao Yi.
The premise is that Zhao Yi does not infringe upon his interests.
He understood the Marquis Chengen's implication and said dismissively, "Let's keep Boss Qin around for now so he can earn more money for me."
Marquis Chengen is now certain that Prince Yu truly has no intention of harming Zhao Yi, and is even preventing him from harming Boss Qin.
Before he could think further, footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Knock knock!"
A knock sounded at the door, and someone outside relayed a message: "Your Highness, the Emperor has issued a decree. All the grain lent to the people must be collected by the time of the wheat harvest in May. If the people are unable to repay the grain, the officials in charge of this matter shall find a way to fill the gap."
This news was like a bolt from the blue for Marquis Chengen!
He quickly opened the door and asked, "Is the source reliable?"
The guard replied, "The imperial edict has been issued. His Majesty has made it clear that if there is a significant shortage of grain, the officials responsible for lending grain will be punished."
Marquis Chengen was truly anxious this time. He slammed the door shut and rushed to Prince Yu.
"Your Highness, didn't His Majesty always issue edicts to exempt taxes in previous years?" The Marquis of Chengen felt a headache coming on at the thought of making up for the shortfall in the Guanzhou granary.
Where are they going to get so much grain?
“Something unusual must be going on,” Prince Yu pondered. “This is not in line with Father’s usual style. Someone must be giving Father advice behind the scenes.”
Marquis Chengen's face was grim; this imperial edict had completely disrupted his plans.
Even with the Earl of Yongyi as a scapegoat, it's hard to guarantee that others won't slip up in their panic upon hearing the news.
He tentatively said, "Your Highness, the money from selling the grain is buried in my wife's ancestral home. I originally planned to bring it to you after things calmed down..."
"The money from selling grain?" Prince Yu curled his lips into a sinister smile. "When did I entrust you with selling grain?"
Marquis Chengen's heart sank to the bottom. Prince Yu had indeed not instructed him to sell grain; rather, it was a secret message delivered by someone close to him.
Each time the silver was given to Prince Yu, it was handled by someone close to Prince Yu; he never showed up in person.
Prince Yu had long ago prepared a contingency plan, anticipating the eventual exposure of his misdeeds.
Sure enough, he heard Prince Yu say, "I have been too lenient, to the point that my men have dared to abuse my name and commit all sorts of misdeeds, embezzlement and corruption."
Marquis Chengen felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his whole body chilled to the bone.
Prince Yu is indeed trying to distance himself from the situation.
Prince Yu raised his eyes to look at Marquis Chengen, "Does Your Excellency think I should uphold justice and set aside personal feelings, or should I give them a chance to repent?"
Marquis Chengen broke out in a cold sweat; Prince Yu's words carried a threat.
If they implicate Prince Yu in the Guanzhou affair, he will cut his losses and eliminate them before the Emperor even has a chance to act.
If they exonerate Prince Yu, he will spare their lives.
"Your Highness, no one is perfect. If your subordinates can admit their mistakes and correct them, then we can give them another chance."
Marquis Chengen expressed his loyalty, saying, "They are utterly loyal to you and naturally dare not continue to act in your name. After all, only if you are safe and sound can their safety be guaranteed."
“You’re right. After so many years of service, there’s bound to be some affection between us. I’m also comfortable using him. What’s wrong with giving him another chance?” Prince Yu pressed down on Red Fox’s wound with one hand. Red Fox cried out in pain and struggled to its feet.
With his other hand, he deftly pressed down on the red fox's nape, letting it continue its futile struggles, and curled his crimson lips: "Let's see if they know what's good for them."
When Marquis Chengen saw this scene, he realized that Prince Yu was using the red fox to warn him, and he secretly broke out in a cold sweat.
He wasn't particularly surprised by Prince Yu's attitude.
After all, he followed Prince Yu because he wanted to gain merit by supporting the emperor.
Prince Yu treated him as a pawn, using him when he was comfortable and discarding him when he was not.
It was simply a matter of each person getting what they wanted.
Marquis Chengen left with a heavy heart.
-
The Duke of Zhao's Mansion, Lanxue Garden.
Shen Qingtan sat in front of the bronze mirror to do her makeup, and picked out a jade hairpin to hand to Liuyue.
Liu Yue took the jade hairpin, and said with concern, "I gave Second Master a hard time yesterday, which was really disrespectful and disrespectful. Will it displease you and make you think that you don't know how to discipline your servants?"
"Second Master is tolerant and won't hold your rudeness yesterday against you," Shen Qingtan comforted him. "Besides, I taught you to do it. Even if Second Master is to blame someone, he should blame me."
Liu Yue couldn't help but recall that after the Second Master entered the room yesterday, a long time passed before the two of them appeared. Moreover, the atmosphere had clearly changed; they seemed to have become more intimate.
Especially this morning, Jiang Mu came to the door to wait for the Second Master, but when it was almost time to leave, the Second Master still hadn't appeared, so he had to knock on the door to urge him.
This had never happened before; basically, the Second Master had already gotten up before Jiang Mu even arrived.
When she brought water into the room, she vaguely saw that the Second Master was sleeping next to the Master, with the Master's head resting on his arm. Perhaps he hadn't gotten up as early as usual so as not to wake the Master?
Liu Yue breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that the Second Master had not held a grudge against her.
She glanced at the two blankets on the bed and wondered if the couple would be so close that they could share a blanket by the time they changed to summer blankets.
At this moment, Tingxue came in from outside and handed a letter to Shen Qingtan: "Second Madam, this is a letter from the Marquis's residence."