Shen Youying and Xue Shen had no idea how much Cai Wenxuan regretted his actions.
After accepting the gift, Shen Youying stopped secretly weeping and happily moved on from the previous incident, watching the singing and dancing.
When Xue Shen saw his little lover stop crying and start laughing, his gloomy expression softened considerably, and he finally gave Cai Wenxuan the first kind look since he entered the room.
Seeing this, Cai Wenxuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly raised his wine glass to toast Xue Shen.
Xue Shen drank a few cups with him, watching the singing and dancing while whispering to Shen Youying. Cai Wenxuan watched from the side, feeling both envious and jealous, especially when he thought of his domineering shrew at home, which made him even more resentful.
Driven by the effects of the alcohol, he said to Xue Shen, "Your Highness is truly blessed to have such a delicate and beautiful woman. Unlike me, I have a shrewish wife and I don't even dare to take a concubine with me."
After he said that, the room fell silent.
After a while, Pang Lai and the others realized that their lord and princess were probably putting on an act, so they kept quiet and just drank and watched the dance. But now, hearing Cai Wenxuan's reckless words, they couldn't help but be shocked and filled with respect for him.
Cai Wenxuan, completely unaware of what was happening, staggered to his feet and tried to offer a toast to Xue Shen.
Xue Shen raised his cup to him with a forced smile and asked slowly, "What makes you say that, Lord Cai? As far as I know, the Xu family is nothing more than a military family. Although you, Lord Cai, come from a humble background, marrying a woman from the Xu family is a good match. Since ancient times, what kind of logic has ever existed that a wife would not allow her husband to take a concubine?"
These words struck a chord with Cai Wenxuan. Normally, if Cai Wenxuan hadn't been drinking, he would have noticed that something was wrong with Xue Shen. But now he was drunk, and Xu Shi had just embarrassed him. He was angry, and the alcohol made it hard for him to suppress his resentment. He complained to Xue Shen, "Xu Shi isn't particularly beautiful. She hates women who are prettier than herself. I did take a concubine, but she found a reason to disfigure my face."
Xue Shen followed up on his words and asked, "Such a jealous and shrewish woman has already violated the seven grounds for divorce. If Lord Cai is ruthless enough, it would be reasonable for him to divorce her and marry another woman."
Cai Wenxuan had the same thought, and upon hearing this, he tilted his head back and downed another glass of wine, saying, "I'd like to, but I'm wary of the Xu family—"
He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly snapped out of his daze and quickly changed the subject: "But the Xu family was willing to marry their daughter to me when I was down on my luck, and they supported and took care of me a lot. I can't be the kind of heartless person who kicks someone when they're down."
After he finished speaking, in order to cover up his previous lapse in composure, he pretended to be disappointed and sighed.
Xue Shen realized that there must be some kind of interest involved between him and the Xu family, which was why he had been able to tolerate the Xu family all this time. However, since Cai Wenxuan did not speak, he did not want to alert them, so he did not pursue the topic any further.
Although the welcoming banquet didn't start off pleasantly, the process was relatively harmonious.
Cai Wenxuan sent gifts to quell the incident, and during the banquet, he drank a few cups of wine with Xue Shen. Feeling that he understood Xue Shen quite well, he thought that although the Prince of Qin looked intimidating, he was actually just an ordinary man who could be swayed by money and beauty. He had manipulated countless people like this, and some of them were now even allies with him. Therefore, he was no longer as cautious as before when dealing with Xue Shen.
When he saw Xue Shen off after the banquet, he hinted in an ambiguous tone, "The scenery of Xizhou City is quite different from that of the capital. Today, Your Highness is unable to enjoy it because you brought your family. I will host another banquet another day so that Your Highness can experience the beautiful scenery of Xizhou."
Shen Youying did not forget her role as a favored concubine. Upon hearing this, her face immediately fell. She glared at Cai Wenxuan unhappily and urged Xue Shen in a coquettish voice, "Your Highness, it's getting late. I'm sleepy. Let's go back to the manor."
Xue Shen looked helpless and said to Cai Wenxuan, "Let's talk about it another day, another day."
Cai Wenxuan smiled understandingly and respectfully saw the two off.
Once on the carriage, Xue Shen put away his smile and said, "There is indeed something fishy going on between Cai Wenxuan and the Xu family. The fact that the Xizhou garrison is empty, with only the old, weak, and disabled soldiers left, is probably related to the secret deal between these two families."
Shen Youying said, "Although the Fulu Mansion is priceless, it would only be worth a thousand gold pieces if it were sold on the market. But when Cai Wenxuan gave away the Fulu Mansion, he was heartbroken, but when he gave away the gold jewelry, he was indifferent."
The two exchanged a glance, and Xue Shen continued, "This shows that he doesn't lack gold, but rather rare and exquisite treasures like the Fu Lu Zhai."
Who wouldn't lack gold?
They were either extremely wealthy families or families with a long and rich history, but neither the Cai Wenxuan nor the Xu family possessed either of those qualities.
That leaves only one possibility.
“There are gold mines in Xizhou,” the two said in unison.
Currently, there are only five gold mines in the Great Wei Dynasty that are registered and in operation. According to the regulations of the imperial court, once a gold mine is discovered in a local area, it cannot be mined privately. It must be reported to the imperial court, which will then dispatch officials from the Ministry of Works to conduct exploration and verification. After that, corvée labor will be conscripted to carry out the mining, and all gold mined will be deposited into the national treasury.
However, in recent years, the imperial court's control over local areas has become increasingly weak. If Cai Wenxuan discovered a gold mine but chose to conceal it and mine it privately, it is not impossible.
If there is an unreported gold mine, it could explain the arrogance of Cai Wenxuan and the Xu family, the fact that local officials in Xizhou followed Cai Wenxuan and the Xu family's lead, and the fact that the Xuzhou garrison was empty, among other strange phenomena.
Shen Youying said, "Gold mining activities are bound to be significant, but we haven't seen any unusual activity along the way."
Xue Shen was quite clear about the reason: "Cai Wenxuan is timid and cautious. He knows that the court will send people, so he certainly wouldn't dare to commit a crime against the wind. It's normal that we can't find any clues. The reason he's going along with me now is probably because he wants to send me away as soon as possible so that he can continue mining gold."
Shen Youying: "Where is the gold mine most likely hidden?"
Xue Shen said, "Send people to keep an eye on the governor's mansion and the Xu family. We should be able to find some clues. Given Cai Wenxuan's timidity, if our guess is correct, he will definitely send people to watch the mine to prevent any leaks. As long as we keep an eye on these two places and see if there are any people secretly coming and going, we can follow the clues."
Shen Youying nodded and smiled, "I haven't been a favored concubine for nothing today. I never expected to catch such a big fish."
Xue Shen pinched the soft flesh on her waist and found it amusing to recall how she had fooled Cai Wenxuan earlier: "It's all thanks to Zhao Zhao's superb acting skills, otherwise Cai Wenxuan probably wouldn't have taken the thing out so easily."
Shen Youying rolled her eyes and said playfully, "Given Cai Wenxuan's personality, he'll probably bring Madam Xu to apologize again. If I provoke Madam Xu a bit more, I might be able to get some more clues out of her."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
