Jiang Shuwan and Pei Yanzhi started settling accounts again.

We had already calculated most of it, and there wasn't much left, so we finished quickly.

With the matter settled, Jiang Shuwan didn't linger and went straight back to her room.

Inside the room, only he and Yao Zhijie remained.

Yao Zhijie, forgetting his mistakes, strolled back again. He stared at the hand warmer on the low table and sighed, "Some people forget their brothers. They eagerly offer hand warmers to others, but the others don't appreciate it and leave without even taking the hand warmer."

He glanced at him, then ordered Xiao Wu emotionlessly, "Put away the hand warmer."

"yes."

Xiao Wu obediently did it, but seeing that he couldn't stir up Yao Zhijie's emotions, Yao Zhijie moved over and sat opposite him.

"Guess what Yin Quan just told me—the Crown Prince is investigating you."

“I offended the Vice Minister of Revenue, who is under the protection of the First Prince. Of course he would investigate me, but what is there for me to investigate?”

Pei Yanzhi looked indifferent, and the young man looked aloof, casually playing with the celadon teacup in his hand.

He showed no interest in the topic and didn't even lift his eyelids.

Yao Zhijie grinned wickedly. “That’s right, what do you have to investigate? You’re His Majesty’s favorite now, having only been in office for less than two months. You’re neither corrupt nor fond of women, you’re flawless and immune to all poisons. Guess what, the First Prince has other ideas.”

"He investigated Miss Jiang?" The boy, who had been dozing off, suddenly opened his eyes, his left hand supporting his forehead and his right hand playing with a teacup.

Their gaze is so sharp it can pierce the heart, and their voice is chillingly cold.

"...Why do you call her Miss Jiang? Aren't you two husband and wife?" Yao Zhijie was also taken aback.

"None of your business." He narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Alright, alright, call her whatever you want, she's your wife anyway. But the Crown Prince is indeed investigating the culprit behind the commercial tax. His Majesty has never paid attention to the commercial tax before, so why would he suddenly increase it?"

"Many people nowadays suspect that His Majesty has a strategist behind him, and your wife has attracted a lot of attention. She is very suspicious. After all, she didn't seem to stand out before, but her business has grown bigger and bigger, and now she is even helping General Sun send tribute money to His Majesty."

"If His Majesty has access to commercial taxes, it's most likely because of her."

As Yao Zhijie spoke, he observed Pei Yanzhi's expression. Pei Yanzhi's face remained as calm as usual, but the expression in his eyes was complex, and he gripped the teacup in his right hand so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand stood out.

This person is truly enraged!

With a sigh in his heart, Yao Zhijie continued, "Of course, this matter is a secret. Only you, me, His Majesty, and Eunuch Su, the Grand Eunuch, know about it. As long as we don't say anything, we won't be able to find her out for a while."

"Kill the Grand Eunuch."

"ha?"

Yao Zhijie stared in astonishment at the cold-faced man. He could hardly believe that such words could come from the mouth of Pei Yanzhi, who was as radiant and clear as the moon.

"Are you insane! You're even more insane than the Fourth Prince, killing without warning. That was His Majesty's close attendant."

He gritted his teeth and looked at Pei Yanzhi with a look of surprise and doubt, and for a moment he felt that the person in front of him was a complete stranger.

It's him, yet it's not him.

With a forceful push of his right hand, the celadon teacup shattered, and the boy threw the fine powder and fragments onto the tea table.

He said coldly, "Now, the only person His Majesty favors is Eunuch Su. The Grand Eunuch is about to fall from power. As long as the Crown Prince comes into contact with him, the Grand Eunuch will soon submit to him. We must also be wary of the Crown Prince."

"Is this a letter from Eunuch Su? Are we really going to kill them? That's the inner palace, I don't have that many hands. Do you want the Imperial Guards to do it? No way, if your father finds out you've planted your own people in the Imperial Guards, even if it's father and son, it won't look good. And how could your father allow you to lay a hand on someone close to His Majesty?"

"We don't need to do anything. The eunuch in charge has been forcing palace maids to have meals with him. There are quite a few palace maids who hate him. Please ask Consort Li to send a cup of poisoned wine to silence them."

Seeing that he spoke eloquently and logically, Yao Zhijie's palms were sweating.

"Did you plan this all along?"

Pei Yanzhi neither agreed nor disagreed.

Yao Zhijie was drenched in sweat. He stared at Pei Yanzhi with disbelief. "And then what? Did you think it was over after killing the Grand Eunuch?"

"Let me tell you, the increased commercial tax will affect the interests of the powerful clans and wealthy merchants across the land."

"Among the eight great aristocratic families today, the Pei family is loyal to His Majesty, while the Yun family, whose former chief minister sits high in the court and wields great power, has few members and has not pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince. Therefore, they can be considered neutral."

"The Gu family of Pingzhou and the Duke of Chen's mansion were both wiped out by the Fourth Prince, leaving only a worthless branch, and the Duke of Chen's mansion never recovered after His Majesty stripped them of their titles."

"Of all the noble families in the world, only four remain. If the Crown Prince finds out who started the commercial tax, how many of these four families do you think will pledge allegiance to him?"

"If you ask me, rather than letting it be discovered, we should hand over your wife to be in charge of the commercial tax. You've offended so many people. This way, we can appease their anger and pave the way for your future career in the court."

"No poison, no manliness. A mere Jiang girl is worth it for your promising future."

***********

When Yao Zhijie came out of Pei Yanzhi's room, it was already dark. He insisted on taking Xiao Wu to see him off.

"Little Fifth, what do you think your young master will choose?"

"Young Master Yao, please stop causing trouble." Xiao Wu stared at him resentfully, trying to break free of his hand as she spoke.

Hearing this, Yao Zhijie became dissatisfied.

"What trouble have I caused?"

“I’m doing this for his own good. Does he really want to be a loyal but isolated minister to His Majesty like his father, and then offend people everywhere? It’s one thing not to serve the First Prince or the Crown Prince, but to offend all the noble families in the world. Let’s get this straight, the Sixth Prince has offended the noble families, but at least he’s surnamed Li. Our Yao family is at least a member of the imperial family.”

"And him? His surname is Pei, not Li!"

"Don't be fooled by the Crown Prince's current flattery of him. If the fact that your young mistress was the instigator of the commercial tax were exposed, the Crown Prince and the First Prince would be the first to kill him. They'd use his head to gain favor with the aristocratic families. Do you think they'd be merciful?"

"If you ask me, even if you don't hand over your young mistress, you should at least get a divorce and sever all ties with her as soon as possible so you won't be dragged down by her."

Xiao Wu glanced at him sideways, "Young Master Yao, you previously said that the young mistress was a prodigy and that you wanted to befriend her?"

"Times have changed. You didn't see the way those officials in the court were staring at your son, especially those from aristocratic families. They practically wanted to tear him apart."

He looked around to make sure no one was there before lowering his voice and whispering, "We can't let your son follow in his father's footsteps. It was one thing before, but His Majesty held all the power back then, and the old Marquis was loyal. Even if he offended someone, His Majesty would protect him."

"Now, His Majesty is old."