Chapter 370 Soft Rice
Ma Chengye chimed in, "Yes, Lord Jiang, your argument is rather ridiculous. Your wife is just a woman; no matter how good she is at managing a household, she couldn't possibly be more adept at business than those of us who have been officials for many years."
Zhou Shi'an, a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, added sarcastically, "Judging from what Lord Jiang is saying, your wife is actually more capable than the stewards we keep in our households?"
Despite being questioned by everyone, Jiang Yuan showed no anger. He looked up at Zhou Shi'an and said calmly, "Lord Zhou, if your household stewards can't do it, it's because they're incompetent. As for my wife, although she is just a woman in the eyes of you gentlemen, she is far more capable than the stewards in your households, and even far more capable than you gentlemen yourselves."
"You!" Zhou Shi'an's face flushed red from the rebuke. He pointed at Jiang Yuan and angrily rebuked him, "You're talking utter nonsense! How dare you spout such rubbish in the imperial court?"
Jiang Yuan looked completely innocent, cupped his hands, and bowed to the emperor again, saying, "Your Majesty, everything I have said is true. Please judge for yourself."
The emperor remained silent on the dragon throne until this moment, when he smiled and nodded at Jiang Yuan.
Although his laughter was simply because he had watched a monkey show and found the officials' clumsy and funny antics, others saw it as a clear signal of his special favoritism towards Jiang Yuan.
Just as everyone was feeling envious, the emperor slowly said, "My niece is indeed a woman who is no less capable than any man. For her, accumulating a vast fortune is certainly not difficult."
The emperor himself has testified for Jiang Yuan, so what else can anyone else say?
They can't just jump out and contradict the emperor.
Pang Wenyuan and Ma Chengye, who had been the most vocal earlier, turned pale. They had impeached Jiang Yuan on the orders of their master, but now they had met with a brick wall. They were worried that their master would despise their incompetence, and that the emperor would be dissatisfied with their actions.
But the emperor didn't say anything more about the matter. He knew better than Jiang Yuan himself why these people were so fixated on Jiang Yuan.
With his open protection, Jiang Yuan will not suffer any negative impact from this so-called impeachment that is pretending to be ignorant.
Jiang Yuan was not surprised by the emperor's reaction at all. He knew very well that to the emperor, these people were just pawns of his sons. Dealing with pawns was a waste of effort and not very useful. It would be better to deal with the masterminds hiding behind the pawns.
Thinking this, Jiang Yuan bowed again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for making this decision for me. I will certainly work harder in the future to live up to Your Majesty's trust and my wife's efforts."
The emperor nodded in satisfaction, "You and Huian are both pillars of the state, and you should make more contributions to the court and the people in the future."
"Your subject obeys the decree," Jiang Yuan replied respectfully.
The minor disturbance in the court subsided. After the court session, Pang Wenyuan, Ma Chengye, Zhou Shi'an, and Wu Liangbi returned to their respective homes, and all of them began to curse Jiang Yuan for causing their unfortunate start to the day.
"That Jiang Yuan is utterly shameless!" Pang Wenyuan slammed his teacup down, his face full of contempt. "In front of the entire court, he actually admitted to being a kept man, and he said it so matter-of-factly! He's a disgrace to men!"
Ma Chengye kicked his study desk hard. "That bastard has no backbone at all. Not only does he live off women, but he even proudly said it in court. He's utterly disgraced us men!"
He said he looked down on it, but a hint of envy flashed in his eyes.
Although he had a wife of equal social standing and several concubines, none of them could earn him a fortune like Xie Wanniang.
Zhou Shi'an, who had already started drinking in silence, muttered sarcastically, "Damn it, Jiang Yuan really got lucky. Not only did he meet a benefactor in his official career, but his wife is also a money-making machine. I've worked hard as an official for many years, but it's not as good as him marrying a good wife."
Wu Liangbi was the last to return home. Instead of complaining to his servants, he drank alone, lamenting that he didn't have Jiang Yuan's good fortune.
He also wanted to reap the benefits without sowing, and he wanted to live off his wife!
Of course, he wouldn't be as unambitious as Jiang Yuan, who flaunted his wife's contributions and gave others a chance to laugh at him. Instead, he would make his wife stay in line and be a virtuous helper who helped him achieve his official reputation and career.
Thankfully, he only thought it to himself; otherwise, given his attitude of taking advantage of a woman, Xie Wanniang would have given him a big eye roll as a reward.
After expressing their envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Jiang Yuan, the four of them unanimously began to worry about how to explain things to their masters.
At this moment, in the Chu King's mansion, the Chu King was furious, "A bunch of useless trash! They can't even bring down a mere Jiang Yuan!"
He slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground, and tea and shards flew everywhere.
"They're utterly brainless. Why didn't they think to gather some evidence before even starting to accuse someone?"
Even if it's fake, it can still serve to confuse people at this time, right?
It's better than them jumping out and making baseless accusations against Jiang Yuan.
Now that today's events have laid the foundation, if they try to use the same trick again to attack Jiang Yuan in court, the emperor's first reaction will definitely be, "Oh, Jiang Yuan has been slandered again."
If the emperor is left with such a strong first impression, it will be difficult for them to do anything else. How could the King of Chu not be angry?
Although his two advisors also felt that the two men from different factions were not doing a good job, they still had to bite the bullet and try to persuade them.
Since things have already developed to this point, there's no point in dwelling on who's right and who's wrong anymore. What they need to do now isn't to hold those two people accountable, but to make amends for their mistakes and start anew.
The two men persuaded the King of Chu at length, and only then did he manage to suppress his anger.
He said, "Send people to investigate Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang thoroughly, starting from when they were still farming in Mingfu Village! I don't believe they haven't had any dirt on them all these years! Especially Xie Wanniang, how could a woman like her earn so much money in just a few years? She must have some shady dealings going on behind the scenes!"
If Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang had always lived frugally and thriftily, then the King of Chu would not be so certain. But she clearly did not allow herself to live a life of hardship, but always paid attention to the quality of life.
Putting everything else aside, the guards she has are not something an ordinary person can afford to support.
On the day she and Jiang Yuan arrived in Beijing, their grand procession and entourage made it impossible for anyone to believe that they were just ordinary peasants from a small village in a remote border region like Baoding Prefecture.
The advisors also felt that what the King of Chu said made a lot of sense. The two bowed and accepted the order, and went down to arrange for others to do their work.
However, they are also well aware that while they may have suspicions, it is uncertain whether they can find concrete evidence.
Because of Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang's special backgrounds and their rapid rise to power, they have attracted a lot of attention over the years. However, they have never been caught red-handed, which shows how cautious they are.
Unlike the King of Chu's furious outburst, in the neighboring Lu King's mansion, the King of Lu was listening to a little tune with a smile.
Only after the singer bowed and withdrew did he put down his teacup and say with a smile to his steward, "I didn't expect Jiang Yuan to be such an interesting person. Admitting to being a kept man in front of the entire court is something that not everyone can do."
The steward asked with a worried look, "Your Highness, the King of Chu will definitely not let this go. What about us? What should we do next?"
"You said it yourself, the King of Chu will definitely not let this go easily." The King of Lu smiled knowingly. "Then why are we in such a hurry? My good second brother will definitely find other ways to suppress Jiang Yuan. For now, we just need to wait and see. When he makes his move again, remember to have someone add fuel to the fire, just like this time, to make things even more exciting."
He paused, then added, "Jiang Yuan is brave and resourceful, and enjoys His Majesty's deep trust. Ordinary tricks certainly won't bring him down. We don't need to rush. Let's observe the struggle between him and the Prince of Chu first. Perhaps in the end, we can reap the benefits."
The steward suddenly realized what was going on and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Highness is very insightful."
The Prince of Lu smiled, said nothing more, and simply picked up his teacup and slowly sipped it.
Jiang Yuan, who was the center of their conversation, went to work at the Central Military Command after the court session. He was busy until it was time to leave the office, and then he rode back to his own residence.
"I heard you've been impeached?" Xie Wanniang greeted him as she entered the house, asking with a smile.
Jiang Yuan nodded and took her hand. "It's been resolved, thanks to Your Majesty's keen insight."
Xie Wanniang raised an eyebrow. "How come I heard that you said in front of the entire court that all the money in our family was earned by me?"
Jiang Yuan was a little embarrassed. "That's the truth, and there's nothing I can't say."
Although he had indeed handed over all his salary, rewards, and spoils of war to Xie Wanniang for her management and safekeeping over the years, he was not able to support their current affluent life with that money.
Their family's main source of income was indeed Xie Wanniang's businesses.
Jiang Yuan was not the kind of shameless person who could comfortably live off a woman. Since he had enjoyed the benefits brought by Xie Wanniang, he didn't mind letting people know that he, Jiang Yuan, owed his current life of luxury to his wife.
However, Xie Wanniang did not think so. She would not belittle herself and attribute all her credit to Jiang Yuan, but she would also not go against her conscience and take credit that belonged to Jiang Yuan.
"You," Xie Wanniang said, patting Jiang Yuan's arm with a hint of helplessness, "Don't talk nonsense in front of others in the future, or people will really think you're a kept man."
“I do earn more money than you, but as you know, I use most of my money for charity.”
“Our family’s daily expenses have always been covered by your salary.”
“The houses we used to live in were basically temporary residences assigned to us by the troops stationed in various places.”
"You've taken care of all my needs, from food and clothing to lodging and transportation. The only thing I need to spend money on is maintaining the guards."
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to come up with so much money to buy a house all at once.
After all, although she earns a lot of money, she also spends more money than others.
Doing good deeds, buying houses and estates, opening shops and workshops—all of these require a large sum of money.
If it weren't for Jiang Yuan's consistent monthly salary, as well as the spoils and rewards he would occasionally bring home, Xie Wanniang wouldn't dare to do whatever she wanted.
The couple said one of them had done a great job, and the other said the other had made a lot of contributions. As they talked, they suddenly looked at each other and burst into laughter.
After cuddling together for a while, Jiang Yuan changed into casual clothes and went with Xie Wan's mother to have dinner with the children.
The family of four sat around the table and enjoyed a heartwarming and delicious dinner. Then the two children were taken back to wash up and rest, while Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan sat in the main room and chatted quietly for a while about various matters concerning the court and the family.
"My corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes can be widely planted this fall."
"I wouldn't dare say much, but it's possible to get everyone in Tang County who's interested to plant a batch."
Jiang Yuan wasn't surprised at all. He asked Xie Wanniang, "What do you plan to do?"
"I plan to recommend it to people around me first, such as my sister, Uncle Hao, the Chang family, and my maternal family."
Jiang Yuan nodded, "Then when your sister and Uncle Hao arrive, find an opportunity to talk to them about this."
Xie Wanniang nodded, "I will arrange for the head of the estate to meet directly with the Chang family and my father."
As the saying goes, "If you're going to do something good, do it all the way," so since she decided to promote these three crops, she couldn't just throw the seeds over and call it a day.
She intends to share all the planting techniques and precautions without reservation.
Jiang Yuan had been married to her for many years and understood her thoughts and temperament quite well. He could guess her next move without Xie Wan Niang needing to clearly express her thoughts.
He asked Xie Wanniang, "Are you still planning to present your glassmaking techniques to the emperor?"
Xie Wanniang nodded, "Let's wait until the New Year. Before the New Year, I can make another round of money from those rich people."
The emperor was a good emperor. When he had good things, he would not hoard them for his own private treasury, but would take them out and hand them over to the corresponding departments in the court to manage and operate them, in order to benefit the people to the greatest extent possible.
That's why Xie Wanniang was so enthusiastic about handing over her skills.
If the emperor had any selfish motives, Xie Wanniang wouldn't have only made that initial quick buck.
Of course, this is also thanks to the fact that she married Jiang Yuan. If she had married someone with selfish motives, or someone with a large family or elders who would be putting pressure on them, she would not have been able to live so freely.
This is also one of the important reasons why Xie Wanniang was unwilling to take the initiative to persuade Jiang Yuan to reconcile with his biological parents and to bring his family back to their ancestral home.
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