"Go and see if there's anything urgent."
Huo hadn't seen her husband so reckless in a long time. Her face flushed red, and she quickly pushed Wu Taiwei away and struggled to her feet.
Wu Taiwei had recently had a rare moment of relaxation, but a servant's shout ruined his mood.
"My lady, wait for me to return. I'll be right back."
Wu Taiwei reluctantly got up, and Huo quickly took off her clothes and draped them over him.
“Husband, things are different now. The Wei family still wants to tie themselves to us. He’s trying to drag us into an abyss of no return. Don’t listen to his every suggestion.”
The Huo family planned ahead, but military generals ultimately lacked the cunning of civil officials.
"What rumors has the lady heard this time?" Grand Commandant Wu asked casually.
His unreliable wife sometimes knew the gossip before he did, and in this respect, Wu Taiwei still admired her.
"It's nothing serious. Before dark, the maid came back and said there were many government officials in front of the grain shops in the city. I guess the Wei family angered the Emperor by raising rice prices, and now the Wei family is coming to you for help."
Upon hearing Huo's words, Grand Commandant Wu stopped in his tracks, slightly taken aback.
Now that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor are both gone, the marriage ties between the Wei family and the Wu family no longer exist.
Wu Taiwei immediately decided that he should not get involved in this matter.
The maid returned with the hot water ready and saw the master walking briskly outside.
She glared at the servant who came to deliver the message and muttered, "What a clueless fellow! It's not like the house is on fire. He should have waited a while before reporting it."
Lifting the curtain, the maid saw that the lady had sat back on the bed. She asked, "Madam, I have prepared hot water, but the master has left. Why didn't you stop him?"
"Why stop him? Men are meant for great things. Go and rest. I'll call you if I need anything later."
Madam Huo didn't care. She was too lazy to compete for the master's favor when she was young, and now that she was middle-aged, she wouldn't care which concubine the master stayed with.
Besides, with the old lady backing her up, the concubines and mistresses in the mansion were relatively well-behaved, and even if they competed for favor, they wouldn't do so openly.
When Wu Taiwei returned to his study, a servant led him inside.
The man in black took out a letter and handed it over with both hands, saying respectfully, "Please forgive me, Lord Wu, but due to the curfew, my master is unable to come to see you in person."
Wu Taiwei took the letter, unfolded it, and read it quickly.
He frowned slightly; sure enough, the message inside instructed him to go to the yamen (government office) to inquire about the arrest of the Wei family's manager.
"This matter is neither a big deal nor a small one. The Prime Minister has not attended court for a long time. The political situation in the court is constantly changing, with new and old officials being replaced. There are many things he is unaware of. Please pass on a message to your master: I cannot make a decision on this matter. It would be best if your master personally went to the Emperor to explain."
The man in black cupped his hands and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to relay this clearly when I get back, so I would appreciate it if Lord Wu could write a reply."
Wu Taiwei's eyes darkened slightly. "No need to reply. Just go back and tell your master that I am powerless to help with this matter."
The man in black was surprised by Wu Taiwei's attitude, so he bowed and turned to leave.
...
Inside the palace.
Outside the Imperial Study, a group of dark figures flashed across the corridor, shooting out like arrows and disappearing from the palace wall in an instant.
Xiao Jingzhao stood by the window, watching the guards disappear into the night, a slight smile curving his lips.
The Wei family's petty tricks were no match for him.
"Your Majesty, please rest. Good news will surely come back before dawn."
As Xiangyang spoke, he was about to call Ma Liang in to help his master wash up.
Xiao Jingzhao was in a good mood and nodded slightly, saying, "A cunning rabbit has three burrows. I will gradually dismantle his power. Get some rest tonight; there are more important things to do tomorrow."
The next day, a piece of news struck like a thunderbolt, shaking the entire capital.
The people of Beijing were thrilled and spread the news far and wide.
The unscrupulous merchants in Beijing who were raising rice prices have been arrested.
Nangong Zeyue led Sui Sui out of the side gate and onto the street.
Today is the first day that Zhenjia Private School has resumed classes, and Nangong Zeyue specially left home early.
"Your Majesty is wise. Today we can finally stop eating expensive rice."
"That's right, my family has been eating corn porridge for several days in a row. If this continues, we won't even be able to get full from corn porridge."
"That's right, that's right. If people are starving even under the emperor's nose, that's the most ridiculous thing in the world."
A crowd gathered on the street, discussing the unscrupulous merchants with gritted teeth.
When the new emperor was mentioned, everyone spoke highly of him.
Just as Nangong Zeyue was about to walk over, a man said, "You don't know yet, do you? The Wei family is cunning. They put a small amount of rice in the grain shop and slowly raised the price. The granaries of the Wei family's old mansion are all full."
"Which Wei family?" someone asked.
"Which Wei family could be so audacious as to disrupt the lives of ordinary people? Of course, it must be the Prime Minister Wei's family!"
"Uncle Nangong, what did Mommy ask you to do?" Sui Sui tugged at Nangong Zeyue's sleeve.
"Oh! I see. Let's hurry up, I still need to go to the grain shop on Yinma Street to check on the hanging plaques."
Nangong Zeyue led Sui Sui's little hand toward the Zhen family private school.
Upon arriving at the private school, I met a teacher I had never met before, who was greeting his students in the corridor.
Nangong Zeyue went up to greet him and asked what was going on, only to find out that the autumn examinations were approaching and Zhen Jingxiu had gone to prepare for the exams.
The Zhen family has not participated in the imperial examinations for many years. Zhen Jingxiu's actions are undoubtedly a sign that the Grand Scholar Zhen is standing up to support the new emperor.
By allowing the younger generation of the Zhen family to enter officialdom, they were essentially telling all the students in the world that Xiao Jingzhao was worthy of the Zhen family's service.
After leaving the private school, Nangong Zeyue headed straight for Yinma Street.
Along the way, I heard people talking about the affairs of Prime Minister Wei's family.
Upon opening the shop, Nangong Zeyue was stunned by the scene before her.
The sweet potatoes and potatoes inside were big and fresh, and the corn was piled up like a mountain. Although there was no rice or flour, it was enough to fill their stomachs in this critical moment.
"Boss, you brought in so many goods so early in the morning? That's incredibly fast!" The shopkeeper and his assistant, who had just arrived, were also surprised.
Nangong Zeyue was also puzzled. Where did Jiang Shuyue buy so many high-quality items?
Especially the seeds in the wooden bucket, each one plump and glossy.
How could Nangong Zeyue say he knew nothing? Jiang Shuyue asked him to help manage the shop.
His face stiffened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and instructed his staff to open all the shop doors to sell goods.
He didn't even need to shout; a crowd quickly gathered in front of the shop.
"Don't crowd, we still have plenty in our warehouse, please line up and come in one by one."
"Yes, everyone, don't panic. The Emperor has found out that the Wei family is hoarding grain, and now they're selling rice at a low price at the government office."
Thanks to Nangong Zeyue's reassurance, no looting occurred in the shop.
At noon, a group of people arrived at the city gate.
The carriages, laden with goods, filed in one after another.
Prime Minister.
"Master, something terrible has happened! The Third Master has been taken away by the yamen officials."
Just as the servant in front finished reporting, another servant rushed in in a panic, "Master, a group of people and horses carrying grain has entered the capital, there are more than a hundred carriages."
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