Chapter 64 Chapter 64 "Banban, it hurts..."

Since the emperor was cruel and falsely accused him of treason, he had to prove this crime in this life.

Although he had been reborn for many days, Li Che still had many questions in his mind, because what happened in this life was very different from what happened in his previous life, such as his wife.

In his previous life, Zhao Qingyi clearly loved him very much. She was still working hard to take care of their small family and raise his son Jun. But something went wrong and he ended up in jail.

And his wife Zhao Qingyi...

Just as Li Che was about to think about it, he felt a sharp pain in his head. Too many memories were mixed together, making him unable to make sense of them for a moment. He only vaguely remembered that Zhao Qingyi wanted to divorce him?

Yes, a divorce. They even went to court. And his good son from his previous life, Li Jun, actually helped Zhao Qingyi identify him. As for his Man'er...

The embarrassing scene flashed through his mind. Although this scene appeared many times, Li Che always found it incredible when he thought of it.

How did his Maner become like this?

She was rude and arrogant, cheating on him, and constantly contradicting him, all because he made her... his concubine?!

Li Che finally realized the seriousness of the matter. In this life, especially what happened in the past two years, there were too many discrepancies with his memories of his previous life. They did not match at all. Everything was a mess.

Fortunately, he still had the foresight brought by his rebirth, and some things were still under control. He revealed the amount of embezzlement by the Wang family in Zhejiang in just a few words, which scared the second assistant Wang Yangzhi so much that he came to see him overnight, wanting to ask Li Che where he got the news.

Of course Li Che would not tell him the truth, but deliberately showed off a few words to make Wang Ci Fu hesitate.

In Wang Ci Fu's view, Li Che is just a small follower, but a small follower can actually know the secrets of the Wang family, which shows that there is another master behind him.

Maybe it was Zhao Huaiyi, or maybe... it was someone he couldn't guess.

These suspicions alone were enough to make Wang Ci Fu come forward to save Li Che's life. He was really afraid that if he died, the people behind the scenes would do whatever it took to reveal the amount of money the Wang family had embezzled in Zhejiang.

His Majesty has always intended to liquidate the aristocratic families. If someone hands over evidence at this time, His Majesty will be like a sleepy man finding a pillow. He will never miss such a good opportunity.

As for Li Che who knew the secret...

Once he's released from prison, it wouldn't be difficult to kill him in an accident.

But Wang Ci Fu didn't know that the Li Che in front of him had changed his mind. He was the 43-year-old Li Che in his previous life, the chief minister of the cabinet with a first-rank rank. He could guess what Wang Ci Fu was planning with his toes.

He also told Wang Ci Fu that he also knew that the Wang family had colluded with King Qi long ago. In addition to occupying land, they were also secretly smuggling salt and iron and colluding with Ryukyu, with great ambitions.

Wang Ci Fu was no longer simply shocked when he heard this. Every word Li Che said hit the nail on the head, which shocked him greatly and also made him feel wary.

But he sneered and said, "Slandering an official of the imperial court is an even more serious crime."

"Lord Wang will not kill me. Although he has no interest in me, he must be very curious about how I know so many secrets."

Li Che also smiled and said confidently, "As long as the Lord shows some mercy, I will definitely be able to help the Lord and His Highness Prince Qi."

To demonstrate his sincerity, Li Che also told him that the tax law would be reformed this year, and even if there was another natural disaster, His Majesty would unexpectedly levy taxes on several wealthy counties in Zhejiang to test the effectiveness of the new policy.

"...Your Excellency, you might as well stockpile a large amount of silver in advance. When the new policy is implemented and the tax is levied, the Prince of Qi and the Wang family can benefit from it and make a profit."

In the previous life, Zhao Huaiyi was gone, and only Zhang Huaixu struggled to support the implementation of the new policy. Although the new policy was good, it still had some shortcomings. For example, the taxation method was changed to silver. Although it saved many locks in the middle and avoided corruption among officials to a certain extent, it did not take into account the scarcity of silver.

Silver has always been in the hands of merchants and government officials. If people want to pay taxes, they have to exchange their grain for silver, which gives the wealthy families the opportunity to profit from loopholes.

As long as the noble families monopolize silver in advance, the amount of grain that can be exchanged for one ingot of silver will be decided by the silver holders during the exchange process. The benefits involved can be imagined.

Wang Ci Fu was shocked again. The new policy regulations had been issued, but the specific implementation methods had not yet been announced to the public. He himself did not know about taxation, let alone that the court only accepted silver.

But it makes sense when you think about it. After all, it is relatively cumbersome to store and transport grain and other items, which is not as convenient as silver. Not only grain, but all taxes can be converted into silver.

"Daliang does not produce silver on its own, and it has to rely on the sea market to stockpile large amounts of silver. It is impossible to hide it from the eyes and ears of the court with such a high profile." Wang Ci Fu believed him for once and expressed his worries.

Li Che raised the corner of his lips, "How difficult is that? Just find a scapegoat."

He happened to know that the Meng family's merchant ship had recently departed from Zhejiang, transporting a batch of silk to the sea, and that the merchant ship would surely be fully loaded when it returned. The Wang family could easily use a trick to replace the real with the fake, using the Meng family's merchant ship to smuggle silver, and then push the Meng family as a scapegoat, while all the smuggled silver would be confiscated and eventually returned to the hands of the government.

"Zhao Huaiyi is so steadfast in his support for the new policy because his wife's family is wealthy and can't influence him. But if his wife's family falls and Zhao Huaiyi is short of money, will he still sincerely continue to support the new policy? The new policy persecutes the interests of all the aristocratic families."

When Zhao Huaiyi's own interests were damaged, it was human nature for him to turn against his allies.

This plan is indeed vicious and worth a try.

Wang Ci Fu was moved, and when he looked at Li Che again, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes.

So far, Li Che has successfully saved himself. Once he leaves the cell, he will take back everything he has lost and get the disordered trajectory back on track.

Li Che took a deep breath and slowly calmed the excitement in his chest.

At the entrance of the corridor, the jailer's respectful greeting was heard, "County Lady."

The appearance of Zhao Qingyi was like throwing a brilliant sunset into this dull and silent cell. She walked along, covered in jewels and dazzling.

Li Che listened to the approaching footsteps and slowly opened his eyelids. With just one glance, he felt as if a big hand was gripping his heart. It hurt, but it was beating vigorously.

The dark haze in his eyes gradually dissipated, and his eyes lit up as he looked at Zhao Qingyi.

He hadn't seen this face in many years. The last time he saw her so gorgeous and flamboyant was eighteen years ago? Or... twenty years ago?

Li Che himself couldn't remember clearly. He didn't even have time to see her on his wedding night before he hurried to Lingnan to take up his post. Later, his life almost revolved around only one woman, Zhao Manyi, so much so that he only remembered Zhao Manyi's cute and charming appearance and could not think of his first wife at all.

When he returned to Beijing, his wife was sick and depressed all day long because of the loss of her parents, and he saw her less and less often.

But now, he actually met the twenty-year-old Zhao Qingyi, who was in the prime of her life.

Dignified, bright, like pearls and the moon, bright and graceful.

Li Che couldn't help but stand up and walked towards the prison door. Looking at the woman in front of him, emotions surged in his eyes.

There was the surprise of meeting again after a long separation, but also the unspeakable hatred. In the previous life, it was because of her that he ended up in a life worse than death. It was inevitable that he hated her.

But……

Li Che's breathing gradually slowed down, and he stared at Zhao Qingyi's face without blinking. She had also applied rouge, which made her skin look fairer, her energy and blood more abundant, and even more beautiful.

No wonder the emperor in the previous life fell in love with her and never let her go for twenty years.

Thinking that he had been reborn and Zhao Qingyi was still his wife, the woman the emperor could not have, Li Che felt secretly happy in his heart.

So what if you’re an emperor? You still can’t get it!

The smile in Li Che's eyes gradually became crazy, and he stared at Zhao Qingyi intently, "...You finally came to see me."

Zhao Qingyi's expression remained the same, arrogant, except that she frowned slightly when she heard his joyful voice.

"You came to see me because you regretted it? You regret divorcing me?" Li Che held on to the bars tightly and put his face against them.

"In fact, if you just bow your head and beg me once, we can start over. I swear, from now on I will only treat you well, wholeheartedly, and we can go back and live a good life."

He suddenly came closer, and Zhao Qingyi immediately stepped back with a look of disgust on his face.

Who wants to live with him and beg him for help? It's ridiculous.

He didn't bother to talk nonsense anymore. He just pulled out a folded paper from his sleeve and threw it at the other person's face. "No need. It's bad luck for me to look at you any more."

Li Che quickly pulled his hair aside with his hands and wiped his dirty hands back and forth on his face, trying to make it cleaner. He was still confident. He was the third place in the imperial examination, talented and handsome, not bad at all.

"Qingyi, I know I was wrong, and I know you're angry, but that was a mistake I made when I was young and ignorant. Now I regret it, I really regret it!"

Zhao Qingyi has changed a lot in this life. Her father is still alive and is one of the cabinet ministers of the current dynasty. She has also been granted the title of county lord. Her value now is far greater than that of her previous life. Li Che would be a fool to abandon her.

He firmly believed that as long as Zhao Qingyi returned to him, he would be able to make a comeback.

Qiao Yue, who was following behind, couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You'd better pick up that piece of paper and take a good look at it."

Oh yes, Qingyi gave him something.

Li Che came back to his senses, bent down to pick it up, and quickly unfolded the paper. As a result, his eyes were severely hurt by the huge words "Divorce Letter".

Looking at his suddenly pale face, Zhao Qingyi raised her chin slightly, "The Empress Dowager has already issued an imperial decree. In name, you and I have never been husband and wife, and we have never had an engagement. But I am afraid that you will not give up, so I have written a letter of divorce to you." She finished these words in a condescending tone.

A familiar scene flashed in Li Che's mind. In the past, he had done the same thing, throwing a divorce letter in her face and telling her in the same condescending tone, "You have occupied the position of wife for many years. It's time to step down and let the virtuous one take over."

Li Che's emotions, which had just calmed down, exploded immediately. He crumpled up the divorce letter and threw it into the corner. "From ancient times to the present, only husbands have divorced their wives, but there has never been a precedent for wives divorcing their husbands! What's the use of breaking off an engagement? What's the use of a divorce letter? I don't recognize it!"

"I am the county lady, and you are just a prisoner. Even without the imperial decree, I can divorce you!"

Zhao Qingyi turned sideways, slowly stroking the tassels of the phoenix hairpin on her temples, a smile on her red lips, "Li Che, it must be hard to be divorced, right?"

Li Che was struck by lightning and his whole body was shaking uncontrollably. He stared at the woman outside the prison with wide eyes and suddenly understood.

"You...you came back to take revenge on me!"

Zhao Qingyi... Was Zhao Qingyi also reborn like himself?

Thinking of this, all the mysteries that troubled him seemed to have found answers. If Zhao Qingyi had not been reborn, how could his temperament have changed so drastically?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and Li Che immediately knelt down, stretched out his hands outside the prison bars, and tightly grasped Zhao Qingyi's gorgeous skirt that was like floating light and shadow. "Qingyi, I know I was wrong. Please, give me another chance, okay? Give me a chance to atone for my sins, let's start over, I will never do anything to let you down again..."

"If I ever do anything wrong to you, I'll be struck by lightning and torn into pieces by five horses. I'll never die a good death!"

He was talking a lot of nonsense, and Zhao Qingyi was very impatient. She didn't believe any verbal assurances. Besides, Li Che had no capital worthy of her trust.

Li Che has nothing now and is even more destitute than he was at the beginning, and she is not a Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering.

"You seemed to have sworn the same thing last time in the teahouse," Zhao Qingyi kindly reminded him, "but you weren't struck by lightning afterwards, which shows that swearing an oath doesn't work."

Li Che choked and was unable to speak. His dry lips moved, "I... I'm serious this time..."

After waking up, he thought seriously about whether the ending would be different if he had not had an affair with Zhao Manyi in his previous life, but had been wholeheartedly devoted to and lived a good life with Zhao Qingyi.

After all, with Zhao Qingyi around, he was still the Prime Minister, and his son could still achieve success under her guidance. He had nothing to lose, so there was really no need to take risks for another woman.

"Qingyi, please, give me another chance." He wagged his tail and begged for mercy, looking like a stray dog.

"It's too late." Zhao Qingyi interrupted him with a sneer in her eyes, "I have a mistress."

“……!”

Li Che's whole body shuddered.

It was hard to believe that such words would actually come out of Zhao Qingyi's mouth. "Impossible... You said this to anger me and humiliate me, right?"

"You were just a seventh-rank county magistrate back then, yet you could still keep a concubine even after marrying me. And I'm powerful and wealthy, no less powerful than you in any way. So I also keep a concubine to please myself. Is that strange?"

Zhao Qingyi leaned over, looking him up and down with a teasing and provocative look in her eyes, and whispered, "My concubine is prettier and stronger than you, and he's also gentle and considerate. I'm very satisfied with him and I like him very much."

"You...you have no shame!" Li Che really couldn't find any words to express his feelings at the moment. Zhao Qingyi had changed so much that he didn't recognize her at all.

"Is it Li Heng? Tell me, is it him?"

Li Che grabbed the bars, his eyes bloodshot again, "You two have been hooking up for a long time, right?"

It was a pity that he believed Zhao Qingyi's lies countless times and believed that she and Li Heng were innocent. Now it seems that he is the most ridiculous person!

Zhao Qingyi felt that there was no need to explain. If Li Che thought that the man was Li Heng, it would make him even angrier. So that was fine. Li Che was a dying man anyway, so he could go down and ask the King of Hell for the answer.

But the next moment, Li Che came to his senses, "No, it's not Li Heng... it's not him! He doesn't have the guts!"

Li Che went through all the men who might appear next to Zhao Qingyi, and finally only vaguely grasped something, "It's...it's the Prince of Pingxi..."

If it wasn't him, why was he so dedicated to Zhao Qingyi's matter in the Dali Temple court that day? It must be him!

But Li Che felt strange again. Prince Pingxi... He remembered that he had seen him from afar in his previous life, and he didn't look like that.

He should be a big man with an unshaven beard and not too particular. At first glance, he is a rough man who has fought on the battlefield. He is not as noble and dignified as the one seen in the Dali Temple court.

Li Che racked his brains to recall that face. It was familiar. Where had he seen it before?

But whenever he thought about it too much, he felt a headache and decided to stop thinking about it.

"Prince Pingxi, I remember, I remember..." Li Che was still kneeling on the ground, holding his head and muttering to himself. He must find someone!

Zhao Qingyi didn't comment, slowly straightened up, and turned her skirt with the help of Qiao Yue.

Li Che hurriedly called out to her, "You won't be so proud for long!"

Zhao Qingyi paused and glanced at him.

Li Che slowly loosened his hands that were holding his head, revealing a ferocious smile, "You don't know... there are still many things you don't know... only I know... hahahaha..."

He looked mad and his words were incoherent.

"How can you find a mistress? How can you find someone else?"

Li Che thought of the equally crazy man in his previous life and laughed triumphantly, "If he finds out about your mistress, she'll soon end up like me, like I once did, tortured to death! Hahahaha..."

He was too excited. Whenever he thought that the emperor had never gotten this woman in his two lifetimes, and that the adulterer who was now having an affair with Zhao Qingyi would soon be punished by the emperor, he couldn't contain his joy!

He didn't have to do anything to watch the two men he hated fight each other and both suffered losses!

Qiao Yue felt that Li Che was really sick, inexplicably, and quickly grabbed the county lady's arm, "County lady, let's go quickly, he has gone crazy."

However, Zhao Qingyi keenly caught the "he" in Li Che's words.

Discovered by him? By whom?

Li Che also saw the doubt that flashed across her eyes, and laughed so hard that tears came out.

Zhao Qingyi didn't know? She actually knew nothing about the emperor's thoughts!

Li Che couldn't tell whether he was the one who failed, or the emperor who was above everyone else failed more. The emperor had everything, but he couldn't get his, Li Che's, wife.

Zhao Qingyi has fallen in love with the Prince of Pingxi and doesn't like Your Majesty!

"Hehehe...hahahahahahahahaha..." Li Che couldn't control himself again and pounded the ground laughing wildly.

Zhao Qingyi thought he was crazy and left in a hurry.

Shortly after she left the prison, the news that Princess Chenhua had visited Li Che in the dungeon reached Wang Ci Fu.

Today is a day off, and Wang Ci Fu is meeting with his disciples in the study. Since he met Li Che last time, Wang Ci Fu has been thinking for a long time, but still has no clue. He wants to wait and see who will go to see Li Che. Unexpectedly, it is Zhao Qingyi.

Zhao Qingyi is Zhao Huaiyi's biological daughter. Could Li Che have told her what he knew? If so, Zhao Qingyi can no longer be kept.

Wang Ci Fu tightened his grip on the walnut, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

The loyal and brave man below guessed his thoughts and made a gesture of wiping his neck, "Your Excellency, you want to..."

Wang Ci Fu raised his eyebrows, "Do you want to take this job?"

It just so happened that Earl Zhongyong hated Zhao Qingyi to the core. If it weren't for Zhao Qingyi's scheming, their Earl's family would never have married that useless Li Susu into the family. She couldn't help at all and only brought bad luck to the Earl's family.

It's a good candidate.

"Go and find out the whereabouts of the county lady."

At the same time, Zhao Qingyi was collecting the bills in his own clothing store. Just as the shopkeeper handed over the sorted account books, he heard a woman's arrogant shouting outside.

"What kind of crap is this? And yet they dare to call themselves the number one clothing store in the capital?"

The voice sounded familiar. Zhao Qingyi lifted the curtain and went out, and sure enough, she saw the dignified Wang Yingxue.

Wang Yingxue also saw her and sneered, "So the owner of this shop is the county lady. No wonder the shop is full of things that are not worthy of being displayed on the table."

Zhao Qingyi had often encountered customers who tried to pick a fight while doing business, but she didn't make a scene. Instead, she greeted them with a smile and said, "It's all the fault of the store owner for not recognizing the Miss Wang. She's determined to enter the palace and become an empress. Her status is extraordinary, and she must have plenty of money. How can these people be worthy of Miss Wang?"

Wang Yingxue didn't expect that Zhao Qingyi not only didn't oppose her, but also came up to praise her. She was not sure what she was thinking for a moment, but still raised her head proudly.

Zhao Qingyi suppressed his laughter and asked the shopkeeper to get the store's treasure. Soon the shopkeeper brought a mahogany box from the attic. As soon as it was opened, the room was filled with bright light.

Wang Yingxue's attention was immediately attracted and she stared at the material in the shopkeeper's hand.

"Please look, Miss Wang! This is our most valuable treasure, a piece of floating brocade, even rarer and more valuable than the rosy veil I'm wearing. Because it's so precious, it's not yet ready for sale. I'm waiting for someone of Miss Wang's status, wealth, and influence to come and buy it. If you like it, I can have someone take your measurements and have the dress made for you. How do you do that?"

Wang Yingxue had never seen such gorgeous material before and couldn't help but ask the price.

Zhao Qingyi spoke before she could, "A piece of floating brocade is worth five hundred gold. There are only two pieces left in the store. If Miss Wang likes it, I'll give you a discount of nine hundred gold."

The moment Wang Yingxue heard the price, her heart trembled. It was so expensive...

But when she met Zhao Qingyi's smiling gaze, she was unwilling to be outdone, so she gritted her teeth and said, "I want both!"

Two months later, she will go to the palace to pay a visit to the Grand Empress Dowager, who will then try to match her with His Majesty. She must be in her best condition, so no matter how expensive it is, she must win it.

The shopkeeper was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He quickly asked the embroiderer to come over and take Wang Yingxue's measurements. He solemnly promised that the work would be completed in half a month and asked Wang Yingxue to pay a deposit of 500 gold.

Wang Yingxue never brought so much money with her when she went out, so she had to ask someone to go back to her house to get it. After she left, the shopkeeper gave Zhao Qingyi a thumbs-up and said, "It took the boss to personally take action. With just a few words, he sold a piece of floating brocade worth three hundred gold coins for five hundred gold coins."

Zhao Qingyi's shop is not difficult to identify. Wang Yingxue came here specifically to cause trouble. If she doesn't charge her a meal, it would be too cheap for her.

"Work hard. It's getting late. I'll go back first." Zhao Qingyi was in a good mood as he had earned some extra money for nothing. He asked Qiao Yue to take the account book back to Zhao's house.

Just after walking a short distance, Zhao Qingyi noticed someone staring at him, but every time he looked back, there were only a few peddlers rushing home, and there was nothing unusual.

Could it be that she had blackmailed Wang Yingxue, and after the other party realized her mistake, she wanted to come and settle the score with her?

Zhao Qingyi couldn't help but quicken his pace and secretly made up his mind that it would be better to bring some guards with him when he went out in the future.

Zhao's house is at the outermost edge of the inner city. It takes half an incense stick to walk back. The further you go, the fewer pedestrians there are on the road, and the streets and alleys become emptier and emptier.

The sky gradually darkened, the last ray of afterglow sank into the west, and the surroundings were dark and silent.

The uneasy premonition became stronger and stronger. Zhao Qingyi quickened his pace the moment he turned into Fuxue Hutong, and he and Qiao Yue almost ran back.

However, just as she took a few steps, several hidden arrows came from behind, making a sharp sound as they broke through the wind.

Qiao Yue was tripped by the crowd and screamed, and the account books in her arms fell to the ground.

Zhao Qingyi reached out to grab Qiao Yue, but missed. Qiao Yue saw the man in black appear behind her and threw her away. "Don't worry about me, County Lady, run!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold arrow came quietly.

Zhao Qingyi's pupils suddenly dilated, and she staggered and fell backwards. A strong arm grabbed her waist in time and pulled her to the side, while the other hand fluttered its wide sleeves, knocking away the attacking arrows one by one.

Qiao Yue was very surprised, it was the prince!

Zhao Qingyi was still in shock when the man carried her into a corner.

Chu Yuanhe put her down and said, "Wait here, don't move."

He quickly said something, turned around and disappeared into the night, fighting with the man in black who followed him.

The secret guards looked at each other in bewilderment when they saw this. Normally, His Majesty would order them to kill these people, so why didn't he give the order today?

Then do they still need to go down and help?

The opponents are just a few assassins with mediocre martial arts skills. They should be easy to deal with, and the secret guards are ready to take action.

The leader stopped his brothers, pointed at Chu Yuanhe, and asked them to look carefully. They were just a few low-level assassins. His Majesty had been fighting them for a while but still failed to defeat them. This was not like His Majesty's level.

Those who took a closer look discovered that every time His Majesty made a move, he did so from the perspective of the most beautiful posture, rather than considering practicality. The secret guards immediately understood and looked at the county lady tacitly.

The master and servant hid in the corner, nervously watching the melee in front of them.

Zhao Qingyi was nervous at first, but gradually her eyes lit up, and she was obviously captivated by Chu Yuanhe's every move.

The secret guards looked at each other and said, "Let's retreat. Their presence is a nuisance."

Not long after the secret guard left, Chu Yuanhe stepped on the last assassin. From beginning to end, he held a broken jade fan in his hand, looking very elegant and graceful, and it was effortless.

Zhao Qingyi couldn't contain the joy on her face and ran into the other person's arms.

Chu Yuanhe finally gained the admiration of his beloved as he wished. Just as he was about to comfort Zhao Qingyi, the only survivor who he had stepped on and kicked away suddenly threw out a sleeve arrow.

Chu Yuanhe's handsome face suddenly darkened. He turned sideways to block Zhao Qingyi behind him and swung out his folding fan. He originally wanted to shoot down the sleeve arrow, but he changed his mind and smashed the folding fan on the assassin's head.

The moment he was hit, the assassin's entire body flew backwards and landed heavily on the ground, completely taking his last breath. At the same time, the sleeve arrow brushed past Chu Yuanhe's arm and disappeared into the dark night.

"Are you hurt?"

Chu Yuanhe's stern face softened in an instant. He covered the bleeding wound on his arm and fell weakly into Zhao Qingyi's arms.

"Banban, it hurts..."