Those who know me say I'm benevolent and righteous, but those who don't might think I'm a corrupt official—otherwise, where would I get so much grain? Uncle Emperor, don't you think so?"

The Emperor slammed his fist on the table: "He dares! Anyone who dares to say you're a corrupt official, I'll chop off their head!"

After the emperor finished speaking, he glared fiercely at the assembled ministers in the court.

Everyone shrank back under the emperor's gaze.

Then the emperor's voice rang out again: "You can call anyone a corrupt official, but not the princess."

The young princess was wholeheartedly devoted to the people, willing to subsidize her own food and money to repair houses and provide relief to the people in the disaster area.

"Let me make this clear first: anyone who dares to spread rumors about the young princess will not be spared any repercussions from my past relationship."

The Duke said, "Because the young princess is too young, the Emperor has not yet handed over the ownership of the fiefdom to her, so the young princess has nothing to do with anything other than the monthly salary she is entitled to."

The reason they had so much grain and money was that they earned it little by little by running their own businesses, workshops, and shops.

They've worked so hard to earn money, and it's all gone to subsidize the people. Don't let those who are so dedicated to serving the people feel disheartened!

With her hands behind her back, Su Muyao asked the Emperor, "Uncle Emperor, you see, the grain issue has been resolved, but what about these damned merchants?"

Lord Xu, who had been relieved, became worried again, as the number one merchant in the capital belonged to his wife's family.

The Prime Minister cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, this unscrupulous merchant certainly needs to be dealt with. I believe that the title of 'Number One Imperial Merchant' should be taken off him!"

Knowing full well that the famine had just ended and that grain prices should logically be lowered, they deliberately raised them to create chaos among the people.

In my opinion, he should be executed immediately.

The prime minister beside him echoed, "I agree, these people are all damned beasts who are obsessed with money."

I've heard that the grain transported into the national treasury is mostly unsold surplus grain; the fine rice is sold at high prices to wealthy people outside the country.

Upon hearing this, Lord Xu immediately stepped forward and said, "Prime Minister, this is not true. I have heard that the grain purchased by the national treasury in recent years has been at the lowest price. Naturally, the lowest-priced grain cannot compare to the best grain."

"Your Majesty, the drought and floods have just passed, and there hasn't been enough grain for the past two years, so it's normal for grain prices to be high. How about we have them rectify the situation?"

Before the emperor could speak, the prime minister interrupted, "Bullshit! What, does the emperor not deserve to eat such fine grain?"

They're clearly using the guise of a famine to ruthlessly exploit the people. What do you call that? That's animalistic behavior.

Lord Xu was furious and pointed at the Prime Minister, cursing, "You old scoundrel, you always have to go against me, don't you?"

People say you get what you pay for; if the price is too low, the grain won't be as good.

How come in your mouth it's become that others deliberately didn't give the Emperor the best food? You're just spreading rumors and misleading the public.

The Prime Minister, unperturbed, said calmly, "Why are you so agitated? Could it be your family's business? Let me think..."

"Oh, right, it's your wife's family's property, isn't it? No wonder you're so protective of it!"

Lord Xu was so angry with the Prime Minister that his face turned ashen, and he almost collapsed in the next second.

The little dumpling shook its head as it watched the two pointing fingers upwards, happily hurling insults at each other.

He muttered to himself, "If it's this lively every day, I might as well get up a little earlier each day to watch the show."

The Duke wished he could cover the little ancestor's mouth, but when he looked up at the Emperor and saw that he seemed not to have heard, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The court was in an uproar. Lord Wu quietly approached Su Muyao and asked, "Would you like to come play with me later?"

The little boy looked at the Marquis with his big, puzzled eyes: "Where are we going to play?"

Lord Wu patted the little dumpling's head: "I heard there are two bandit dens over at Tufeng Ridge. How about it, are you interested?"

Su Muyao nodded quickly: "Yes, we must go. Let's go now."

As she spoke, she grabbed the Marquis's sleeve and tried to leave. The Emperor sighed and said, "This little brat is getting more and more unruly. It's one thing for her to leave on her own, but she's also dragging the Marquis away with her."

Once outside the main hall, the Marquis stared intently at the little girl: "Aren't you afraid I'm a bad guy who'll kidnap you and sell you?"

Su Muyao rolled her eyes at him: "Do I look like an idiot to you?"

The Marquis touched his nose: "Tsk, kids these days are so hard to fool."

"Back in the day, I won the prince's heart with a single sword dance in the snow."

After saying that, he seemed to have thought of something and chuckled.

Su Muyao simply pursed her lips: "Hunters often appear as prey, hahaha..."

Lord Wuhou...

They arrived at the palace gate chatting and laughing, but Su Muyao was the one who kept talking and laughing the whole way.

Lord Wu simply shut his mouth.

Just as the two reached the palace gate, a burly man with dark skin and sharp eyes stood beside the carriage.

Two guards carrying swords were also sitting in the carriage.

Xia ran up to Su Muyao and took the small stool.

She reached out to lift the little baby into the carriage, completely ignoring the man standing beside her.

"Xia, you drive the carriage back first. If Grandpa and Grandma ask, just say that the Crown Prince's teacher saw that I was clever and wanted to teach me something."

Upon hearing this, Xia nodded quickly and looked at the man beside her, thinking that this must be the Crown Prince's tutor that her little princess had mentioned.

He looks like a formidable person.

Even after Xia had left, the Marquis was still standing there, showing no intention of leaving.

Just then, a group of people approached from afar. The man with the knife asked, "Excuse me, are you the one who hired our Taiping Escort Agency?"

The two guards who jumped down from the carriage bowed and said, "It is yours truly, Gu."

"And who is this gentleman?"

The guard with the sword said, "This is our Lord Wu, this is Deputy General Zhang, and this is our Princess."

The heads of Taiping Escort Agency, Ming'an and Mingqi, immediately knelt down to pay their respects, but were stopped by the Marquis.

"No need to kneel. Let me change my clothes in the carriage and we'll set off now."

The Marquis went into the carriage to change out of his cumbersome official robes, but Su Muyao, of course, didn't need to, as she was always used to being carefree.

Except for the two days when he was appointed as the Imperial Preceptor, during which he wore official robes, he wore everyday clothes to court the rest of the time.

No one cared about the little girl. After all, she was someone who could come and go as she pleased. Why should anyone care whether she was wearing an official robe or not?

The two people in front of me looked very strong and had exceptionally dark skin.

He rarely smiled, and his brows, likely from years of frowning, had three deep furrows. Combined with his already large and burly build, he looked rather intimidating.

However, the man's eyes were very clear, but the two of them seemed to be troubled, their brows were furrowed and their expressions were somewhat dejected.