Changsheng: Peak at the Beginning

Chapter 1825 Water Dragon's Chant 28

Thus, the task of eliminating the remnants of the brothel fell to Jiang Xinxin.

The Emperor said to Jiang Xinxin earnestly, "Although the national treasury is not empty, it will not be easy for me to reward you from it. The brothel has harmed many innocent people and made huge profits by using the evil pills. I think it would be better to let you handle the rest. If there are any gains, you don't need to hand them over to the national treasury. Just send them to the Princess's private treasury."

"Consider this my compensation to you..."

The Emperor felt genuinely guilty towards his daughter, Jiang Xinxin, and consequently felt more apologetic towards Empress Tang. After all, Empress Tang had never done anything wrong. Even though he worried that the Tang family's power was growing and that their achievements might overshadow the Emperor, Empress Tang had no sons but only a princess, and she treated all the princes and princesses equally without any bias. The Tang family had even taken the initiative to distance themselves from all the princes and princesses. He should be content.

Jiang Xinxin didn't bother to think too much about the emperor's promise. She simply accepted it as it was given to her. "Thank you, Father. I am now spending money like water. You are truly a timely help."

The emperor was delighted by Jiang Xinxin's light and straightforward flattery, so he wrote an imperial edict on the spot, granting Jianwang City to Jiang Xinxin as her fief. However, he then thought that the court officials might not agree, so he canceled Jiang Xinxin's original fief, Langya County.

Jiang Xinxin smiled radiantly, and naturally uttered a string of kind words. The emperor had initially regretted his decision, since he could still use Jiang Xinxin's fiefdom and the ownership of Sword King City as excuses to deal with his court officials. But now, seeing the sincerity of Jiang Xinxin's gratitude, his discomfort vanished completely.

Upon arriving at the inner palace and meeting Empress Tang, Jiang Xinxin, unlike her previous flattery of the emperor, pouted and complained about his stinginess, "Mother, no matter what, I've done a lot of good things for Father, and I've never coveted his power. I'm so much less troublesome, look at how he does it!"

"I contributed the most money and effort to Sword King City, but in the end, Langya County was replaced by Sword King City. I really lost out big time!"

Empress Tang did not think that Jiang Xinxin was being pretentious or greedy. She genuinely felt the same way as Jiang Xinxin, and she also thought that the emperor was too petty. "Yes, your father is getting older and his mind is getting smaller. He always acts without any sense of magnanimity."

"You made such a great contribution in eradicating the brothel, and you even rebuilt Sword King City on your own, yet he changed your fiefdom without any explanation!"

"With such a stingy attitude, who would be willing to risk their life for him if word got out?"

Jiang Xinxin immediately echoed Empress Tang's words: "That's right."

"If you ask me, Father should take advantage of this test by another Princess Langya and give a thorough and effective lesson to everyone who has lent a hand behind the scenes."

"Since he can't stand others coveting the power in his hands, how can he be 'soft-hearted' because of mere blood ties? Little does he know that it is precisely because of his indecisive behavior that the people behind the scenes become bolder and bolder, and I might even witness a coup d'état."

Empress Tang dared not easily agree, and quickly pulled Jiang Xinxin aside to ask in a low voice, "Xinxin, did you receive any news?"

Jiang Xinxin put on a strange look: "Mother, I just didn't watch my tongue and said some harsh things. How can you think something really happened?"

Empress Tang was skeptical, but in her heart she still felt that Jiang Xinxin was not the type to speak without restraint, and probably really realized that the unfortunate guy was not smart enough and dared to plot a coup.

Jiang Xinxin knew that Empress Tang would definitely do something behind the scenes, so she happily left the palace after having lunch with her.

Jiang Xinxin's fief was changed from Langya County to Jianwang City, and she was even personally appointed as the city lord of Jianwang City by the emperor. Behind her back, some people said that she had lost more than she gained, but there were also some discerning people who knew that the emperor truly loved Jiang Xinxin. Otherwise, why would there be only one prince or princess with a fief, Jiang Xinxin?

But when Jiang Xinxin returned to the Princess's residence, her mood instantly plummeted.

Reluctantly inviting Wan Yuyue to sit down, Jiang Xinxin asked, holding her breath, "Why did you suddenly come to the capital instead of worrying about the school in Sword King City?"

Wan Yuyuedan was no longer dressed in white; today, her sky-blue outfit matched Jiang Xinxin's sky-blue one perfectly.

Upon hearing Jiang Xinxin's question, Wan Yuyue quickly explained, "This humble subject has heard that Her Majesty the Empress has begun to select a consort for His Highness..."

Jiang Xinxin looked directly into Wan Yuyuedan's dim eyes without any hesitation and stated a fact: "As the only princess in this dynasty with a fief, my husband may come from a humble background, but he must not have any flaws."

Upon hearing this, Wan Yuyuedan could no longer maintain his smile, but he had to swallow his grievances and sorrow: "How could this humble subject dare to aspire to become your consort? I merely thought the position of head of the household was quite desirable, and thus I came here today to offer my services..."

Jiang Xinxin still refused: "Although the head of my household is a fifth-rank official, he is far from being a super-rank national advisor. It is too much of a disservice to him. My household is too small. You should go and look for someone else."

Wan Yuyuedan hadn't expected to be rejected so decisively again, and dared not hide it any longer. She pleaded directly, "Your Highness!"

“Your humble servant knows that my past arrogance displeased you, but I have changed now. Now I only wish to become your steward, which is the place I feel closest to you. Can’t you even grant me such a small request?”

Jiang Xinxin refused again without changing her expression: "You can manage a huge Biluo Palace, but my Princess's Mansion is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Go back, I can't give you anything you want."

Wan Yuyuedan never expected to be rejected to such an extent. At this moment, he really wanted to take out the heart of the person in front of him and see if it was made of stone!

With Wan Yuyuedan staying at the manor and refusing to leave, Jiang Xinxin had no choice but to spend the night elsewhere. The painted boat on Lingze Lake outside the city was a good option.

However, Lingze Lake was not peaceful either. As soon as Jiang Xinxin boarded the painted boat, she solved a case involving a dispute over a courtesan. She then angrily confined her two cousins ​​from the Tang family who were involved to her side. As a result, she ran into Puzhu.

Puzhu was easy to identify. He wore a magnificent monk's robe, had a cinnabar dot between his eyebrows, and had a head of white hair tied up in an exquisite red-gold lotus crown.

Jiang Xinxin didn't have many complicated thoughts about this cousin. She just felt that this old guy dared to come to the capital and wander around. He really lived up to his reputation as the former crown prince in the martial arts world. He really lacked political wisdom.