"Another Cao Cao! The Dayan Kingdom has already fallen, and he still wants to use it one last time. If Emperor Mingxi finds out about this, wouldn't he be so angry he'd vomit blood?"

Emperor Mingxi: My chest hurts, my mouth tastes bitter, and blood has reached my throat, but I dare not spit it out!

Sima Ying, the first emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty, was the one who replaced Bao's granddaughter-in-law. He had long coveted Xiao Bao's fiancée, Chu Qiuyue.

Unfortunately, the beauty was already engaged and had no intention of changing husbands, so he instigated his father, Sima Jing, to kidnap the bride on their wedding night and use her to exchange for account books—such an outrageous act.

After obtaining the account book, he randomly picked someone from his backyard who resembled Chu Qiuyue in both stature and appearance, killed her, and sent her to the Bao family.

"That man is ruthless. Those people in the backyard must all be his concubines, right? He just killed them like that?"

[Those items in the backyard, whether bought or stolen, were all pirated copies of Chu Qiuyue's work. Now that we have the genuine articles, it doesn't matter if we have a few fewer pirated copies.]

"Wouldn't Chu Qiuyue just give in to him like that?"

She had no choice but to comply. If she did not comply, Sima Ying threatened to kill Xiao Bao. Given the power of the Sima family at the time, she had no choice but to believe him.

Chu Qiuyue had no choice but to endure the humiliation and live a life of hardship.

Later, she secretly took a fertility-inhibiting drug, vowing never to give birth to Sima Ying's child.

According to the original timeline, next spring Bao Qianjun would be accused of colluding with the Eastern Barbarians and plotting treason, and the entire Bao family would be raided.

All the adult males of the Bao family were beheaded, and the rest were exiled, which happened to end up in the territory of the Sima family.

Because of taking care of these women and children, Chu Qiuyue's suicidal thoughts were somewhat eased.

Later, not long after Sima Ying ascended the throne, at the height of his power, she took his life, avenging the more than one hundred members of the Bao family.

He then committed suicide.

In order to protect her family from being implicated, she even plotted to have herself implicated by Sima Ying and accidentally poisoned to death.

The truth of this matter was not revealed until a hundred years later, and Xiao Bao, also known as Bao Zihui, became famous because of Chu Qiuyue's special love suicide.

Their story was written into picture books and adapted into operas, and the truth about the Bao family's injustice was finally revealed.

The once composed Lord Bao swayed, and Yu Chongshan, who was standing behind him, caught him in time.

Having also perished in the Manchu-era, he could understand Lord Bao's feelings at this moment.

When Bao Yuanjun saw that it was Yu Chongshan, the grandfather of Xiaoxianjun, who had helped him up, he was overflowing with gratitude and squeezed Yu Chongshan's hand tightly.

Yu Chongshan patted him reassuringly, signaling him to calm down. He said that even if the emperor's own brother were from a family like the Sima family, His Majesty would surely wipe them out completely.

For the sake of that chair's stability, their own brothers must have died at the hands of their emperor by at least two hands!

At this moment, Emperor Mingxi looked at the nearly seventy-year-old Lord Bao, who was swaying precariously, and an awkward expression flashed across his dark face.

The son of another was loyal to the emperor and loved his country, but in the future, he actually listened to the words of a real traitor and wiped out the entire family.

If this minister is not appeased, who else will be willing to risk their lives for the Xie family's empire?

So he said, "I will do as Minister Ji says."

Knowing that Cai Xian still had matters to attend to regarding the four major families, he said to Wei Ping, "You, Minister Wei, will be in charge of this matter, with the Ministry of Personnel assisting. Both of you must be careful not to offend those who are loyal to the emperor."

On the surface, it seems to be a reminder to Wei Ping to be careful not to offend Sima Jing, but those who know the situation understand that it is His Majesty reminding the Dali Temple to protect Bao Qianjun and the Bao family.

"Chu Qiuyue is truly an extraordinary woman!"

Master, should we help her?

"How do you suggest we help?"

[Tell the Bao family to be careful of the You Tan organization's members trying to abduct the bride.]

"The assassin organization You Tan is so well hidden that even the emperor might not know who their leader is. What excuse can I use to tell others how I knew they were planning to abduct the bride?"

【Tell me it's information I, your mysterious overseas friend—Little Bead—heard. What does Master think?】

"Master, I don't think it's very good. How did you, an overseas businessman, find out about the land-based assassin organization You Tan?"

Little Bead, have you ever heard the saying "a trade is like a mountain to climb"?

Sigh! Without my own people, even doing a good deed is so difficult!

Didn't your grandfather say that the emperor has agreed that you can allocate a portion of the newly formed army to oversee cotton production?

Won't all these people be yours by then? I heard that with the high salaries, you've already recruited 5,000 people, and you'll definitely be able to recruit 10,000 people quickly after the New Year.

If that doesn't work, urge Huo Ying and Wei Shouyi again; they shouldn't be so slow and indecisive.

Huo Ying and Wei Shouyi, who were called out by the divine artifact, inexplicably quickened their pace and stood up straight. They were indeed very fast. Because of the high military pay, they were inevitably more selective in recruiting soldiers.

The soldiers are well-paid and well-fed; if they don't recruit the best, they all feel they're letting down His Majesty and the Junior Tutor who are paying for it.

Yue Fuguang glanced at Lord Bao, who was standing with his grandfather, and said, "Why don't we tell Grandfather and let him consider whether or not to tell the Bao family?"

If I were to speak up, what if they didn't believe a child like me? And who knows how accurate the information from overseas businessmen is?

However, given how many things you've sent me, my grandfather still has some trust in my maritime merchant friends.

Yu Chongshan nodded secretly, "Yes, yes, no, even if you don't believe anyone else, you have to believe in the Divine Artifact!"

【Master, your grandfather seems to be quite familiar with Lord Bao. Do you think he might invite the Yu family to his wedding banquet?】

"Little Bead, what are your thoughts now?"

[Hehehe, Master, we've been in this mortal realm for over three years, and we've never seen how mortals get married. Don't you want to see?]

"When my brothers get married and my sisters get married, won't you be able to witness it all up close?"

Your eldest brother hasn't found a wife yet, and your second brother has been sent to Lao Wei's military camp for training. Who knows when they'll get married?

The Bao family has one readily available, right? Why don't we go join the fun?

Some people wondered if there was a deeper meaning or explanation behind the Yu family sending their grandson to the military for training. Thinking about their own grandsons and sons who were academically weak and constantly causing trouble, they wondered if the Yu family might also...

Those who had that thought silently looked over at Wei Shouyi. Wei Shouyi said: "The military camp is not a garbage dump. Too much garbage will really pollute the environment!"

Just as Wei Shouyi was about to leave after the court session, he heard Lord Bao bow to his colleagues and say, "Gentlemen, please wait a moment. Tomorrow is the wedding day of my grandson. If any of you have free time after the court session, please come to my humble abode for a celebratory drink."

In fact, many people here had already received invitations from the Bao family. Yu Chongshan had one, and Madam Yu and Madam Zhang had even prepared gifts. It's just that Yue Fuguang doesn't usually care about these things and didn't know about them.