books44 Chapter 153 After Leaving
Chapter 153 After Leaving
The old emperor's attempt to get something for nothing was truly shameless.
But when Supervisor Xiao knew it was his wife's idea, he naturally praised it highly and flattered the emperor profusely.
He even suggested that with so many merchants who care about the Great Jin and are willing to donate grain to the disaster area, His Majesty's few calligraphy works are certainly not enough to go around.
To prevent those who have done good deeds from feeling disheartened, why not invite the princes and the prime minister, along with other renowned calligraphers, to contribute some of their works?
Everyone wants gold-inlaid jade, but if you don't have the strength, it's not a bad idea to settle for second best.
The old emperor liked to hear this, and with a wave of his hand, he granted it.
Each prince and first-rank official of the court presented ten pieces of calligraphy; those who were not skilled in calligraphy could also paint two paintings, as this was also a contribution to disaster relief.
No one dared to disobey the imperial edict, not even the six-year-old Ninth Prince, who wrote ten large characters and submitted them.
Consort Yu was afraid that no one would buy her son's calligraphy and she would lose face, so she specially instructed her family to bring silver notes and head straight to Jiangnan.
If no one else makes an offer, at least buy it so as not to embarrass the child.
The maternal families of the younger princes, who had little influence, all did this, while the older princes were not worried.
The princes who ruled as regents all had their own followers.
Those subordinate officials and factions would not allow their masters to lose face; in fact, they might even deliberately inflate the price to elevate their masters' status.
Xiao Yuan's move was brilliant; he dragged all the princes into the mess, and he didn't believe anyone would dare to disrupt the auction.
The calligraphy of the emperor and princes has a deterrent effect, and the works of the first-rank officials of the court are all great calligraphers and are therefore valuable.
Although the imperial court managed to get something for nothing this time, the merchants who paid for the auction also benefited, and everyone was happy except for the officials who wanted to exploit the system at every level.
Chief Supervisor Xiao was also efficient; he spread the news well in advance.
Before he even set off, some big merchants from other provinces were already heading to the Jiangnan region, afraid that if they arrived too late, all the good stuff would be snatched up by the local bigwigs in Jiangnan.
Some unscrupulous people even wished that disaster would strike their own side so they could be the first to obtain a copy of the emperor's calligraphy and keep it at home to ward off evil spirits.
Xiao Yuan left.
Jiang Xinyu's efforts in bed over the past few days had paid off, as Xiao Yuan handed over the management of the household and the deployment of guards and secret agents to her.
Chief Supervisor Xiao was worried about his wife and feared that something like what happened with the head steward would happen again and that his wife would be wronged. However, he did not know that Jiang Xinyu had other ideas.
Since she said that Xiao Yuan would definitely not allow her to go with him and might even be wary of her, she could use the excuse that her husband was not at home and she was afraid of being bullied to obtain the right to mobilize the secret guards.
She just didn't expect Xiao Yuan to be so cooperative, not only giving her the secret guards, but also the transfer of guards in the mansion and a list of his trusted confidants in the Eastern Depot.
It can be said that Jiang Xinyu could mobilize all of Xiao Yuan's forces in his absence.
This was his confidence in his wife; even if something happened to him while he was away, he could ensure that she could live a peaceful life.
Xiao Yuan's departure also took Jiang Xinyu's energy and spirit with him. As if to make up for the losses of the previous days, Jiang Xinyu slept soundly for a whole day and night.
Having gotten used to reporting to Jiang Xinyu's courtyard these past few days, Ye Xiao wanted to ask if there had been any oversights after seeing off his godfather, but the maid said that the madam was asleep, so he had to return to his own courtyard dejectedly.
When Ye Xiaoye asked the next day and found out that his wife was still asleep, he became quite annoyed.
This woman is really heartless; he was worried that his godfather wouldn't be able to sleep all night, but she was sleeping soundly.
In July, all I could do was patiently explain.
Madam hasn't had a proper rest for many days because of the Chief Supervisor. If you weren't so exhausted, could you sleep for twelve hours straight?
Ye Xiao was worried that his godfather was upset, and he also knew that Jiang Xinyu had been working hard these days. He muttered a few words and went back after being persuaded by He Zhang.
Jiang Xinyu slept until noon before getting up. After getting up, besides asking for food, she instructed the housekeeper to close the door to guests and strictly guard the gate. Except for daily purchases, everyone who came in and out had to be strictly recorded.
Another thing was to instruct the secret guards to secretly deliver a message to Prince An's residence, inviting Prince An to come over that evening.
Jin Zekang was so angry he laughed when he received Jiang Xinyu's note; he had never seen such a shameless person.
Inviting someone to your door and not allowing them to come empty-handed, and then demanding all sorts of expensive things—why don't you just rob them?
Despite his complaints, Jin Zekang still emptied a large bag of the manor's inventory and secretly went to the governor's manor with his personal bodyguard after dark.
Xiao Die had been waiting at the most secluded corner gate on the back street. When she saw people coming, she took a shortcut and led Prince An to his wife's courtyard.
Jin Zekang found it amusing to see the maid acting so suspiciously; it felt like she was having an affair.
He was always sarcastic and cheeky, and as soon as he saw Jiang Xinyu, he grinned mischievously.
"Your man just left home and you're already meeting me in the middle of the night? Aren't you afraid of being caught and drowned in a pig cage?"
Jiang Xinyu looked him up and down, finally giving him a disdainful glance at his groin.
"You're overthinking it. If it were someone else, I really would have to avoid suspicion."
But don't worry about you, my husband knows you're not very aroused by women.
Prince An's face immediately darkened. "What kind of bad karma did Jiang Huai's ancestors have to give birth to such a thing as you? It's quite a freak that Supervisor Xiao can put up with you."
"You were the one who provoked me first, and now you're unhappy when I talk back. Why are you so difficult to please?"
Jiang Xinyu snorted coldly and snatched the bundle from Prince An's hand.
"I can speak properly too, it just depends on whether you're worthy of it."
Jianghuai is nothing compared to what you've seen. Don't you think your father had even more oddballs among his children?
The eldest is crazy, the second is stupid, the third is hypocritical, the fourth is cunning, and the fifth is a complete pervert who doesn't do anything that involves humans.
How dare you, one of them, question me?
Jin Zekang covered his face helplessly and said, "Can we stop talking about the extermination of nine generations of a family?"
At least show some respect to my father, who is the emperor.
You called me over in the middle of the night just to yell at me?
You can't just ask me for medicinal herbs, can you? Why don't you just have your guards bring them back directly?
"You're forcing a prince like myself to make this whole trip; I have reason to suspect you just want to see me."
Jiang Xinyu slapped the teacup on the table, instantly creating a handful of foam.
"Sweetie, shake your brains clean before you say it again."
Prince An felt a chill run down his spine and quickly sat up straight.
"I misspoke, Madam Xiao. Please forgive me. Whatever your needs are, please feel free to speak."
Jiang Xinyu snorted coldly, "You're so stingy. I wouldn't have come to you if it weren't for the fact that I can't buy very good medicinal herbs on the market."
As she spoke, Jiang Xinyu took out a stack of silver notes and slammed them on the table.
"Here is 100,000 taels. If it's not enough, I'll give you more when my shop's profit sharing comes through."
I know that the best medicinal herbs are all tributes and cannot be bought outside. I would like to trouble you to pretend to be sick for the next few days and try to get some for me from the palace.
I want anything that can greatly replenish qi and blood, including ginseng, deer antler, tiger bone, and he shou wu.
The more the better, with no upper limit.
There's one more thing I need to ask of you, which is something we can mutually benefit from.
You must have connections in Xuzhou, right? I'm worried about Xiao Yuan, so have your people keep an eye on him for me.
Jin Zekang stroked the fan in his hand thoughtfully.
"Keeping an eye on Chief Supervisor Xiao's matter is easy to handle. I can guess that you're probably afraid he'll only report good news and not bad news."
But why do you need so many herbs to replenish qi and blood?
These old ginseng roots I brought you are all tribute items; even a single root can make your nose bleed.
"Using it normally, you only need a thin little piece a day at most, which should be enough to last until your thirtieth birthday."
Jiang Xinyu waved her hand weakly, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Someone like you who can't handle nourishment wouldn't understand."
"Just tell me if you need it or not. If you can't, I'll think of something else."
Just as Jin Zekang was about to speak, he heard a furious roar.
"You woman are indeed not virtuous."
"My godfather just passed away and you're already having an affair? I'll fight you to the death!"
Jiang Xinyu looked up and met Ye Xiao's bloodshot eyes, and immediately felt like she'd been screwed over.
You little rascal, you've come at just the right time!