Everyone chimed in with their opinions, making the hall a chaotic mess, like a bustling marketplace.
The wicked husband, annoyed by the noise, immediately snapped, "Stop blabbering! If any of you have a better idea, just say it. If not, shut up!"
"Making a scene in front of the king, where do you place the proper etiquette between ruler and subject?"
Ying Zheng, who was watching the show, was a little confused. Did he hear that right?
These words actually came from that wicked husband's mouth?
Throughout the entire Qin state, who else could be so disrespectful to him?
He was the one who cursed and swore in front of the king, but now he's angrily rebuking others for not observing the proper etiquette between ruler and subject. How can he have the face to do that?
Wang Wan and the others were amused by these words. They had been cursing and swearing just a moment ago, but now they were turning around and using these words to retort to them.
If you use any other excuse, they can't come up with a coherent argument, but if you mention the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, then there's a lot to say about it!
"big...."
"What's so great about it?" The wicked man stared intently at the speaker, his tone sinister. "My lord, do you perhaps have a better plan?"
"If not, be careful when going out at night."
The blatant threat terrified Doctor Changshan, who immediately fell silent and retreated. His old bones couldn't withstand his wicked husband's torment; if something were to happen to him, how would his entire family of wives survive?
“Lord Weiwei, we have to be reasonable, don’t we? Aren’t we discussing the feasibility of this matter right now?” Wang Wan stepped forward to smooth things over, trying to ease the tense atmosphere in the hall.
“We have no choice but to deal with the three clans. There’s no other way. Let’s just go for it and see if it works or not.” The wicked husband still respected Wang Wan, so he toned down his sharp edge.
"Alright, just go ahead and do it. Give it a try first." Ying Zheng made the decision, settling the matter to avoid any future arguments among these people.
"Your subject obeys."
Since Ying Zheng had spoken, they couldn't continue arguing about it. Besides, what the wicked husband said made sense. They couldn't just do nothing anyway, so they might as well give it a try.
Anyway, there's hardly any cost involved.
The wicked man's stiff expression softened slightly, revealing a smile. "Quick, stop fighting and bring our Taicang magistrate back."
Not long after he finished speaking, Meng Can staggered into the hall, his legs still trembling.
Ying Zheng didn't really intend to beat him up; he had also given the Imperial Guards a signal. So he simply pulled him over to watch Sun Bin get beaten, and that was enough to terrify him out of his wits.
"Um... Your Majesty... I... Ah..." His stammering made everyone chuckle and smile.
"Alright, from now on be more direct in your words and actions." Ying Zheng waved his hand and then said, "From today onwards, you shall begin to purchase wolf pelts on a large scale from the Xiongnu, Yuezhi, and Donghu."
"Remember, don't be stingy with money and gifts; you have to make them envious."
Meng Can was taken aback upon hearing this, then glanced at her wicked husband before nodding.
Seeing his dazed look, the wicked husband became a little uneasy and added, "You can buy more at a higher price in the early stages, and then gradually reduce the quantity and price later..."
"Among the three tribes, the Xiongnu were the main ones, the Donghu had half of their territory in the mountains, and the Yuezhi had a large area of territory in the high-altitude, uninhabited mountainous areas."
"Therefore, the primary target for acquiring wolf pelts is the Xiongnu; do not confuse them!"
To be honest, the Donghu and Yuezhi were nothing to fear in his eyes. It was the Xiongnu, who were like a leech, and their successors who brought many dark moments to the land of China.
Therefore, the main buyers of wolf pelts were the Xiongnu, which could be seen as paving the way for the future and collecting interest on the sins committed in the past.
Meng Can listened attentively, then nodded and said, "Don't worry, Commandant, I'm quite good at this." As he spoke, he showed a hint of embarrassment.
This left the wicked husband somewhat puzzled, wondering why he was displaying such an expression.
Seeing this, Ying Zheng smiled and explained, "Meng Can had some connection with Lü Buwei before, but he was very fond of studying the ways of commerce and would do some small business in his spare time to calculate the feasibility of it."
"In the eyes of our Taicang magistrate, the matter of national grain and taxation is the same as merchants doing business."
These sarcastic and veiled words made Meng Can feel even more ashamed. Back in the days of the late king, he had flattered Lü Buwei countless times in order to study the ins and outs of the business world.
and!
The reason why Lü Buwei's downfall did not implicate him was, frankly speaking, that he wanted to start his own small business to make money, a fact known to all the officials in the court.
He was greedy for money but not corrupt, and in general, he was self-reliant. Therefore, Ying Zheng tacitly approved of his behavior and even looked at him with higher regard.
Good heavens!
The wicked man carefully sized up the somewhat glib-tongued Meng Can, never expecting that there was such a talented person hidden by his side.
Isn't this exactly the kind of thing a Minister of Commerce would do?
Wu Shi Luo was of foreign origin, rising from humble beginnings, so he was considered to have neither a proper lineage nor a noble lineage. But Meng Can was different.
I just don't know... how does his ability compare to Wu Shi Luo's?
"Lord Commandant...why are you looking at me like that?" Meng Can asked cautiously, completely lacking the composure expected of someone who was also one of the Nine Ministers.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he was a subordinate of a wicked husband!
The wicked man strode up to Meng Can's side, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Meng Taicang has such abilities, why didn't you say so sooner?"
You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't measure the sea with a bushel.
From that moment on, the wicked man put away his contempt for him and said quite seriously, "You should do a good job on this matter, and there will definitely be a time when you will give Meng Taicang an important position in the future."
"Really?" Meng Can's eyes lit up suddenly.
His position as the magistrate of Taicang was extremely difficult, and frankly speaking, there wasn't much of a reward in it. Although he was one of the Nine Ministers, his status was far below the other eight, and he couldn't possibly reach the level of the Minister of Revenue in later generations.
This was his predicament. It was almost impossible for him to make meritorious contributions and be promoted. His meager salary was not enough to support his large family, and he neither wanted to nor dared to covet the national treasury's money and grain.
That's why he resorted to this desperate measure: using his official position to secretly do some small business that wouldn't attract criticism, in order to make a living. Otherwise, he really couldn't afford to support such a large family.
"Yes, don't worry!" The wicked man patted his chest and said, "You must know that Feng Jie has been entrusted with an important task recently. As long as you show the King your abilities this time, I guarantee that your task will be even more important than Feng Jie's."
Upon hearing this, Meng Can almost jumped for joy.
Although it is unknown what specific important task Feng Jie is undertaking, judging from the clues that his status in the court has been rising steadily in recent days, he is definitely not simple.
With a task even more important than his, wouldn't a promotion be just around the corner?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
