"Since you wish to relieve my worries, I will naturally accept it wholeheartedly!"

"After you return, please use all of this year's harvest to treat the illnesses of the people of my Great Yuan."

"I will certainly reward you handsomely! I will let all the people of the world know that the Chen family generously helped the people of the Great Yuan when they were in need!"

Then, I will dig up your past problems.

Expose all the shady dealings you've done.

What does it mean to "put away the good bow when the birds are all gone"?

I'm quite adept at using this tactic when dealing with villains like you!

Just wait and see as you walk step by step into the trap I've set!

After Chen Pan left the palace.

I'm so angry my teeth itch.

They went straight to the Duke's mansion.

Chen Wan'er immediately asked him.

"Father, the Emperor summoned you, is it to ask you to bring out all the medicinal herbs to treat the people's illnesses?!"

"Yes!" Chen Pan nodded.

"It's strange, I've hidden myself very well, how did I still get found by the people in the palace!?"

Chen Wan'er frowned.

"Could it be that the Emperor had people watching Father from the very beginning?"

Chen Pan became even more panicked after hearing this.

"If that's the case, then I fell into the Emperor's trap from the very beginning!"

"Your Majesty is truly a master strategist. No matter how I try to avoid this matter, Your Majesty will drag me out."

"Right now, I'm in a bind. Even if I don't agree, the Emperor has plenty of ways to make me agree. Rather than risk my life later, I might as well go with the flow now and agree to the Emperor's request."

"In any case, the final result will be that the emperor will definitely praise me highly, and the people of the world will know that the Chen family gave up this year's harvest in order to save people. After such a reputation spreads among the people, it will also be beneficial to the development of my herbal medicine business in the future."

"Consider it sacrificing one year's profit in exchange for a bountiful harvest every year to come!"

"Next year, I will raise the price of herbs and make up for all the profits I lost this year."

Chen Wan'er nodded.

"Yes, Father, a wise man submits to circumstances! Given the current situation, we really have no choice but to back down."

"By the way, Father, Gao Zhu must have been involved in stirring things up as well!"

"That bitch! She mentioned it when she returned home a few days ago."

"Now that she sees her father handing over his entire year's harvest, she must be very happy!"

Chen Pan nodded.

"Wan'er, she is now a concubine in the palace, and neither of us can afford to offend her!"

"After she comes back, you still need to be careful and cautious. Don't provoke her and let her take advantage of your mistakes!"

"Daughter understands, Father. I can handle her foolish mother, and I can handle her too."

Chen Pan quickly handed over all of the year's harvest.

When the people of the world found out...

They were all grateful for the kindness shown to them by the Gao and Chen families.

"This time, the eldest son and son-in-law of the Duke's mansion have both helped our people!"

"Truly a member of the Duke's family, they know how to handle important matters."

"Once we get through this difficult time, I'll stick to buying herbs from these two places from now on."

"Yes, yes, we must stick to these two."

Hearing these rumors from the outside world, Gao Shan felt indignant.

He was clearly the one who willingly offered his herbs to treat the people.

Chen Pan was merely forced into this situation; why should he also enjoy this good reputation?

Takatake told Takasugi to calm down.

"Brother, rest assured, I will take care of the rest."

"The Chen family wants to enjoy this good reputation, but they won't just sit back and reap the rewards!"

"It's their debt to repay, and my sister must make them pay!"

Gao Zhu nodded.

"Alright! Little sister, it's up to you now! Your brother is far less resourceful in this area than you, so I can only worry helplessly."

Gao Zhu shook his head.

“My sister is no different, except that she has a wise person to help her.”

"who?"

"Imperial Noble Consort".

"It's her? But why would she help you?! Don't you and the Imperial Noble Consort not interact much? You're used to being alone in the harem."

"It's complicated! The Imperial Noble Consort seems decisive and efficient, but she is actually very principled! I greatly admire her way of doing things!"

"Is that so? You all live in the harem, yet you haven't torn each other apart over the favor of the emperor!"

“If I don’t avenge my mother, I won’t have the mind to think about vying for the emperor’s favor. Besides, my heart is with the emperor, and I can’t control who he chooses to give his heart to. So I might as well do my job well, and when the emperor remembers me one day, I will naturally serve him well.”

...

After Gao Zhu returned to the Duke's Mansion.

The emperor's edict was read aloud.

"By imperial decree, the Duke of Gao has raised his son with exceptional skill, and has relieved my worries and troubles when I needed him!"

"A special reward of ten thousand taels of gold is bestowed upon the Duke of Gao."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the reward was presented.

Consort Gao dismissed everyone.

Chen Wan'er was alone in a room with Duke Gao.

"Father is in high spirits now! Both his son and son-in-law have done a great job in the matter of herbs, making him proud."

Duke Gao was naturally overjoyed.

"I must also thank Your Majesty for speaking well of me to the Emperor."

Gao Zhu sneered.

"What are you thinking, Father? How could I possibly do such a thing for you and that vile woman?"

"I wish I could kill you all!"

Duke Gao, Chen Wan'er was taken aback.

Just now Gao Zhu was congratulating them, but now his expression has changed.

"Your Majesty, I do not understand the meaning of these words—"

"Don't understand? Gao Hai, you really know how to play dumb!"

"Back then, how this vile woman bullied me when I was a child—did you really not see it?! Or are you deliberately pretending not to see it?!"

"I--"

Duke Gao lowered his head guiltily.

Chen Wan'er realized that Consort Gao had come to settle scores with them.

He immediately tried to ingratiate himself.

"Your Majesty misunderstands. I did it all to teach Your Majesty and make you a well-educated and reasonable person!"

"So that Your Highness can find a good family to marry into, and that no one will point out any mistakes after you get married."

"Is that so? Chen Wan'er, according to your logic, shouldn't I kneel down and thank you for raising me?"

Chen Wan'er: "This, this is unnecessary."

"We are of different statuses, how can an empress kneel before me!"

"Hmph! Chen Wan'er, even if I am no longer a concubine, I will not be afraid of you!"

"Even if you tricked me into marrying a scoundrel, I'll just kill you and die with you!"

Chen Wan'er trembled as she listened.

"Your Majesty, I... I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have been so harsh on you when you were young."

"Did Jin Jin do something wrong to me?" Consort Gao questioned.