Oh!

Xie Zhaozhao patted her chest, and thinking of her brother, her heart ached again.

Gu Chengyan and Guan Yingying, in this life, without my dowry, let's see how you manage to cause trouble.

Xie Zhaozhao said to Manman, "Go and tell Ling Xun to buy 100,000 shi of grain during the autumn harvest, find a place to store it first, and be careful to prevent it from getting damp."

We need 30,000 taels of silver for 100,000 shi of grain.

Manman was very happy when she mentioned ice jams, and skipped and jumped away.

Xie Zhaozhao then called Yuanyuan into the bedroom and said to her, "Yuanyuan, go out quietly and contact Dongqin. This year's grain harvest is bountiful, so tell him to hoard as much grain as he can. Make sure no one knows, and tell him to hoard it secretly."

"Wasn't it supposed to be Lord Ling hoarding it?"

“Ling Xun is a court official. 100,000 shi is the limit he can buy. Any more, and if someone brings it up in the future, he will be impeached for malicious hoarding of grain, which will affect his future.”

Yuanyuan immediately understood and asked in a low voice, "How much is Dongqin Tun?"

"Tell him to hoard at least 500,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), the more the better. But make sure different people sell them, and don't store them all in one place." Xie Zhaozhao told Yuanyuan to take all the silver notes. "Go to the estate and call Yunxiao and Yunyuan. Go find Dongqin together, and be careful."

Yuanyuan knew the matter was serious, so she said solemnly, "Miss, please don't worry."

She was skilled in martial arts, but she was still a girl. Two hundred thousand taels of silver could be enough to kill her if discovered.

Therefore, apart from Xie Zhaozhao, even Manman didn't know where Yuanyuan went after she left the manor.

When Manman returned from the manor, Yuanyuan had already packed her things and left the capital with Yunyuan and Yunxiao.

The court session ended at noon. Gu Shaoyu, who was always diligent and did not leave the court until 1 p.m., efficiently reviewed all the memorials and then went back to his residence.

Emperor Hui summoned him to the Imperial Study for a meeting. Grand Secretary Gu, who was always extremely respectful to His Majesty, said to Hua Zisheng, who had come to summon him, "Chief Eunuch Hua, can you say you didn't see me?"

Hanako Katsu: "..."

Your Excellency, do you think this is in the middle of nowhere?

"This servant can't see you? If this servant dares to reply to Your Majesty like this, I'm afraid you'll never see this servant again."

Gu Shaoyu put his things down and said, "Then let's go, I'll go with you."

Emperor Hui was surprised to see him packing his things and preparing to go home, and asked, "Where are you going, Grand Secretary?"

"The court session is over," Gu Shaoyu said.

"Didn't you always leave after 11 PM?"

For ten years, Gu Shaoyu has never left before 11 PM. Now he's here to tell His Majesty that the court session will end at noon.

"The court session was originally scheduled to end at noon, but I left at 1-3 pm because I was diligent."

I work overtime because of my good character, not because I'm born to work overtime.

Emperor Hui was secretly overjoyed, but he asked in a serious tone, "Is there an emergency at the manor?"

Then he saw his Grand Secretary obediently nod and say, "Mm."

"Hmm my foot!" Emperor Hui rolled his eyes inwardly. "You wife-craving guy, ever since the wedding, you've been running around faster than anyone else every day."

Emperor Hui said, "Sit down, I have something to ask you."

Gu Shaoyu sat down, waiting for him to finish his questioning so he could quickly return.

"Xie, I was told that your wife has indeed opened a trade route to Xiandou?"

"We don't know yet, the ship has already gone."

"How much silver did she spend?"

"Why does Your Majesty ask this? Do you wish to invest some silver?"

Emperor Hui really wanted to beat him!

I asked him how much silver he had spent, and he tried to steal from my private treasury.

"She opened a shipping route, that must have cost a lot of money, right? That ship must have been worth a fortune. Was it all given to her by that old geezer Xie Anfeng?"

Gu Shaoyu looked at Emperor Hui very seriously and replied, "My father-in-law didn't give my wife any money, and he didn't even know she was involved in trade. My brother-in-law knew, but he didn't have any money; he only offered moral support."

After saying that, he added, "My father-in-law is not an old man. He is in his prime, in the best of his life, and at the age when he should be serving the country."

Emperor Hui was taken aback, then smiled so much that his eyes narrowed, and he picked up a writing brush from the table and threw it at him.

"You, Grand Secretary Gu, you've only been married for a few days and your heart has already turned completely crooked."

Gu Shaoyu didn't dodge, but smiled and said seriously, "My heart has always been on the left, never on the right. That's where it should be, and the most correct place."

Emperor Hui's laughter immediately stopped, and he said, "Fine, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. Here's what we'll do: your wife did something I dare not do. When she comes back from this voyage, you can invest in it for me. Whether she makes a profit or a loss, I don't care. Just let her do it boldly. If anything goes wrong, I'll cover for her."

He handed a box to Gu Shaoyu, who knew it contained silver notes, but he didn't take it.

“Zhao Zhao is a woman. Even if she opens up trade routes, it is still a small matter. Your Majesty need not take this risk.”

Emperor Hui hit him with the brush again: "You scoundrel... Fine, consider this silver a reward from me, use it however you like."

Gu Shaoyu took the box and left this time.

Hua Zisheng smiled and poured His Majesty a glass of water, saying, "Your Majesty, the Grand Secretary also didn't want to complicate a trade route, nor did he want to add pressure to the Madam."

Emperor Hui said, "Of course I know. The Grand Secretary just doesn't want others to pay too much attention to the business route."

Especially the Crown Prince and the Duke of Cheng'en's group.

Gu Shaoyu carried the box home. Nanxing entered the house and looked around. Yuanyuan was not there. Aunt Cui and Manman were doing embroidery.

Xie Zhaozhao personally made a belt for Gu Shaoyu, embroidering the pattern herself with great care.

Aunt Cui saw him first, and Gu Shaoyu gently shook his index finger, telling Aunt Cui and Manman not to disturb Xie Zhaozhao.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!