diskusbooks Chapter 636 Earned 10,000 shi!
Chapter 636 Earned 10,000 shi!
Several days later, the people from the escort agency, as well as the people who were guarding the goods in the dock warehouse that were later discovered, were all brought back to the capital.
After a thorough investigation, the Court of Judicial Review quickly submitted several confessions, along with the results of the investigation by the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review.
After seeing the testimonies, the Emperor was furious and immediately issued an edict ordering Prince Ming to come to the capital for an audience.
At that time, the Ming King, far away in Xingzhou, was raging in his palace!
He did manage to mobilize some silver and grain from the Lu family. But he only mobilized 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). How could it be that even the 100,000 shi he himself had painstakingly collected were confiscated by the government and ultimately returned to the Lu family?
What's the point?
However, he soon realized that he had fallen into someone's trap.
It's easy to see who's plotting against you.
"You, Duanmu Chuze, how dare you scheme against me? Fine! Fine! I'll admit defeat this time. Considering you sent me a message last time, I won't hold it against you this time."
"Your Highness, I'm afraid things are not that simple."
King Ming turned his head and met Consort Luo's gaze. "What do you mean?"
"Your Highness, this is a secret letter sent by my elder brother. Please take a look." Consort Luo presented the letter and obediently stepped aside.
King Ming took a look and his brows furrowed immediately.
"The Xie family? Good! What a clever scheme by the Crown Prince! They actually bribed us? It seems they won't rest until they get rid of me!"
"Your Highness, the secret letter says that the Emperor is furious and has ordered you to come to the capital. What do you think?"
King Ming sneered, "Very well! I was just thinking that I had no chance to compete with the Crown Prince. Now, I have the opportunity."
"Your Highness, you must be extremely careful on this journey. Take plenty of men with you, just in case. Although the Emperor has issued an edict ordering you to return to the capital, who knows if the Crown Prince's men might be on the way?"
Seeing the worry on Consort Luo's face, Prince Ming chuckled and slowly took her hand. "Don't worry, my dear consort, nothing will happen. Do you think it's so easy to scheme against me? If something were to happen to me on the road, Father would suspect the Crown Prince first, without anyone saying a word."
"Yes, Your Highness, please be careful on your journey. Also, once you arrive in the capital, there will likely be many places where you will need money. Here are 100,000 taels of silver notes that I have prepared for you. In addition, my elder brother has sent word that silver notes and some jewelry have also been prepared in the manor, just waiting for Your Highness."
The King nodded, looking pleased, and said, "Fortunately, I have you by my side. And I am also fortunate to have the Luo family's assistance over the years. My beloved consort, I'm sorry you've had to go through all this."
Consort Luo shook her head slightly. Some things, once he said them, were simply said. Having spent so many years with him, how could she not understand his nature?
He can give, but he cannot refuse.
He can refuse to give it, but he can't ask for it himself.
If a woman wasn't smart enough, she would probably have died countless times by following a man like that.
Fortunately, she is intelligent and comes from a prominent family, so she is now a great help to him; otherwise, he would have abandoned her long ago.
After receiving the imperial edict, the Ming king immediately set off to return to the capital.
The Lu family's grain was also secretly transported to Yanzhou in batches under the arrangement of the Second Master Lu.
Originally, from the day the Lu family sincerely submitted to Duanmu Chuze, he had been thinking about how to get the Lu family's grain back to Yanzhou. However, if so much grain were suddenly transported to him, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
Besides, the Lu family had only just become their allies, so he naturally couldn't ask for an exorbitant amount.
But this time is different. This time, it's like using 100,000 shi of grain to buy Lady Lu's safety.
Duanmu Chuze received a reply from the capital and couldn't help but feel worried. The Xie family's actions seemed rather unethical. But was this truly the Crown Princess's intention, or the Crown Prince's?
Once it's revealed, even if it wasn't the Crown Prince's intention, everyone will probably assume it was his doing.
By scheming against his own younger brother, the Crown Prince's reputation, which he had painstakingly built up over the years, was about to be ruined.
If the Ming King were to exploit this further and make it known to everyone, how could the Crown Prince's brother live peacefully in the Eastern Palace?
"Aze, what's wrong?"
"Anuan, is the child asleep?"
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. "What's wrong? I've noticed you've been frowning the whole time. Is something the matter?"
"Take a look."
Mu Xin Nuan took the letter he handed her, read it carefully, and after a long while said, "I'm afraid this is the Crown Princess's intention. The Crown Prince has always been kind and benevolent; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so highly regarded by Father Emperor for this reason. He wouldn't do such a thing. In fact, the Crown Princess's actions are tantamount to playing with fire and getting burned!"
“You’re right. Prince Ming has long been far from the capital, and his military power is limited. Even if he wanted to do something, how could he do it without the support of his soldiers? This time, we successfully seized another 100,000 shi of his grain. In the short term, he is even less likely to do anything else. The Crown Princess’s actions are clearly unwise.”
"Aze, should we reveal this news to the Crown Prince?"
"If I tell him, the Crown Prince will surely suspect how I obtained this information. If I don't tell him, I'm afraid the situation will reverse as soon as Prince Ming enters the capital. This time, it is very likely that the Crown Prince's position will be in jeopardy."
"So what? You're thinking of taking the risk? You believe that your brotherly bond with the Crown Prince is strong enough that he won't suspect you?"
Duanmu Chuze was at a loss for words when faced with Mu Xin Nuan's question.
Is the relationship between him and the Crown Prince really that deep? I'm afraid even he himself isn't sure.
In the past, he would have revealed this news to the Crown Prince without hesitation, but now?
After all this, he simply couldn't believe that the Crown Prince was unaware of everything the Xie clan had done to him and Mu Xin Nuan.
Mu Xin Nuan could see Duanmu Chu Ze's predicament and knew that their brotherly bond was still intact; he would never stand idly by and watch the Crown Prince be punished.
"Here's what we'll do: you deliver the message to the Mu residence. My father is the Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat, so it's perfectly normal for him to get information about certain things. It's better for him to handle it than for your people to do it."
Duanmu Chuze was stunned for a moment. Looking at Mu Xinnuan's little face, he felt a pang of heartache. "No. Anuan, I can't let my father-in-law take this risk. Have you thought about what he might do if this news gets out and he still uses the methods of the Ming King? The Mu family is a family of integrity and scholars. We can't take this risk."
"if not?"
"Let Wang Ziyu handle it. After all, he still has to call the Crown Prince his cousin."