Chapter 615 Let Her Lose
After returning to Chang'an, as the wife of Xie Zhan and the wife of the patriarch of the Xie family, Zhao Yutan had many social engagements.
On this day, she was invited to a flower viewing banquet.
At the banquet, Zhao Yutan was surrounded by people.
"Mrs. Xie, you really make me envious."
"Looking around Chang'an, there are very few men like General Xie. Madam Xie, you are truly blessed."
"Isn't it? Grand Admiral Xie is devoted to Madam Xie. Everyone knows that in the entire Grand Admiral's Mansion, Madam Xie is the only mistress."
"The most important thing is that even when Admiral Xie was imprisoned, he remained loyal to his wife. I really envy him."
Zhao Yutan smiled faintly. Her husband was now the commander-in-chief of the Dali army, and she was a first-rank lady. There were too many female relatives who complimented her.
Mrs. Wang, the wife of Wang Yuan, the Minister of the Dali Temple, who was sitting next to them, curled her lips and looked at Mrs. Li. They both saw a smile of disapproval in each other's eyes.
Madam Li's husband is Lord Li, the Minister of Taichang Temple. Lord Li and the man in her family were both promoted in recent years. A few years ago, they were both Shaoqing, and now they are both Zhengqing.
The Wang and Li families often had exchanges with each other.
At this moment, the two of them were just biding their time, thinking that they could leave when it was almost time.
"Madam Xie, you are so lucky. Unlike some people, who have troubles in their parents' home right after getting married..." The speaker was Zhao Yutan's lackey, the wife of a minor official, whose surname was Meng. At this moment, she looked to Madam Wang's left with a meaningful look.
Everyone's eyes turned over, and Mrs. Wang's daughter-in-law, Zou, was suddenly at a loss. She felt very uncomfortable under the watchful eyes of everyone.
Mrs. Wang was furious. She had brought her daughter-in-law out to socialize and thought she had been very cautious in her words and actions, but she didn't expect that she would still be harassed by Zhao Yutan's people.
I can’t stand it any longer, I don’t need to stand it any longer!
Mrs. Li, who was standing by, also noticed Mrs. Wang's anger and quickly pulled her back.
After the Xie family returned to Chang'an, the Yao family was completely wiped out, and Yao Songwen, the Supreme Court Minister, was completely demoted. If the Yao family hadn't had some foundation, they would have been ordered to be beheaded in public long ago, instead of being imprisoned as they are now.
It is not surprising that Xie Zhan would take action against the Yao family.
The Yao family and the Xie family had always been at odds. Later, when the Xie family fell into trouble and was exiled, they were interrogated and had their legs broken. At that time, Yao Songwen was the Minister of the Dali Temple, so it was hard not to suspect that he was not taking revenge for personal gain.
Xie Zhan returned to the court. As the saying goes, a new official starts with three things, so it is normal for him to target the Yao family.
Madam Li was very worried that Madam Wang would offend Zhao Yutan in a moment of impulse.
But unfortunately, she didn't pull the person back.
Madam Wang placed the teacup on the table and said, "When it comes to fate, we are nothing. What's the point of having a good or bad fate? Even if I'm a lady of the first rank, I can't compare to the one in Pingzhou."
After Mrs. Wang said this, the whole place fell silent.
Everyone knows that the one in Pingzhou refers to Lu Songli.
Lü Songli, the governor of Pingzhou, was now a household name. As a mere woman, she ruled over two states, commanded the civil and military forces, and governed millions of people.
But how many Lu Songli are there in this world?
Zhao Yutan's face fell instantly. Mrs. Wang mentioned Lu Songli at this time, which was clearly a slap in her face!
At this time, Mrs. Meng took over and said, "No matter how powerful that Pingzhou woman is, she can't avoid her identity as a woman. She's a married woman, married for several years, but still has no children. She's like a hen that can't lay eggs. She's simply unworthy of being a wife!"
Everyone looked at them strangely. The reason Lu Songli hadn't conceived was because she'd injured herself saving Xie Zhan, which had led to her being rejected. Now that she'd achieved such great success, wouldn't Meng's mention of it be a slap in the face of both Xie Zhan and Zhao Yutan?
Zhao Yutan: Idiot!
Mrs. Wang nodded. "Oh, some people can indeed lay eggs, but in all these years, they've only laid one. You're more impressive, Meng, you laid three eggs."
Mrs. Wang's pointed words made Zhao Yutan tremble with anger. Beneath her sleeves, she clenched her fists and asked with a half-smile on her face, "Mrs. Wang praises her so much. Does that mean Lord Wang is attracted to—"
Bang!
"Thank you, Madam!" Madam Wang interrupted Zhao Yutan. "You are making such malicious speculations and accusing important officials of the imperial court. Are you trying to eliminate dissidents?"
At this time, the host of the banquet hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over, "Thank you, Madam Wang, please calm down and talk it over nicely." Don't say anything when you are angry!
She was so anxious that if she continued talking, they would all be finished!
"Yes, yes, calm down." Everyone stepped forward to persuade them, and separated the two groups of people.
The topic involved Lu Songli, and no one wanted to make a big deal out of it, otherwise if it got brought to the imperial court, everyone would be in trouble.
After such an incident, the banquet ended in a bad mood.
When Zhao Yutan returned home, he was still in a bad mood.
After she finished washing and returned to her bedroom, Xie Zhan waved away the servants.
"I have something to tell you."
"What's the matter?" Seeing that he was still wearing his official uniform, Zhao Yutan felt inexplicably uneasy.
Sure enough, her premonition was correct, Xie Zhan actually mentioned taking a concubine to her!
"Xie Zhan, you bastard!" Xie Zhan made her lose!
When Zhao Yutan raised his hand and waved it towards him, he was grabbed by him.
"I'm going to sleep in the study tonight. Wait until you calm down and think about this."
Xie Zhan ignored her and walked straight out.
There are some forces in the court that are difficult to subdue and require marriage.
He cannot just kill gods and Buddhas whenever he meets one. The former may shock people, but occasional compromise can make those under him feel at ease.
Pingzhou's reply stimulated him. He wanted to be the one who was second only to the emperor and above everyone else. He wanted to truly have power over the government and the country. He wanted to make the imperial power exist in name only!
…
The person in charge of negotiations on the Dali side was Fan Yang, and on the Xianbei side was Tuoba Jin.
During the negotiations in Juyang, Pingzhou proposed that the Dali court must allow Pingzhou merchants to go to Dali to do business and recognize the legitimacy of the contracts signed between Pingzhou merchants and Dali merchants.
The Dali court stated: As long as Pingzhou stops supplying large amounts of cheap salt to Dali, Dali will agree to lift the blockade order.
The two sides argued for a long time about the pricing of Pingzhou salt.
Fan Yang and Guo Chong both knew very well that only by unifying the salt prices in Dali and Pingzhou could the phenomenon of salt dumping in Pingzhou be stopped.
"Fan Yang, you need to understand how the salt in Pingzhou is priced. You in Dali only have the right to make suggestions, not the right to decide!"
"So how much do you plan to sell your salt for per pound in Pingzhou?"
"One hundred and eighty."
"no!"
"This price is already so high because of your Dali's face."
"You must sell it for at least 200 wen per catty."
"Two hundred coins per jin? You're plundering the people so ruthlessly. Don't you feel guilty?"
"We Xianbei people don't agree with such a high price!" Tuoba Jin interrupted. Just kidding, who wouldn't like something that's cheap and good quality?
Fan Yang withstood the pressure and stuck to the price of two hundred coins per catty. If it were any lower, the people would be in chaos.
He bet that Pingzhou would definitely compromise in order to get Dali to lift its blockade. After all, Dali's salt tax for this year was over, so they could afford it!
As for the Xianbei threat? Their imperial army has already arrived in Xinxing and Zhongshan. If they really want to fight, then go ahead.
Guo Chong saw that this was Dali's bottom line. "Alright, as you said, the price of salt will be two hundred coins per catty."
Anyway, there are policies from the top and countermeasures from the bottom.
Before departure, the governor had already given a solution to the issue of salt pricing.
No matter what the price of salt is, Pingzhou can implement a tax refund policy later.
From then on, Pingzhou residents would receive receipts for their salt purchases. In February of the following year, they could bring their household registration books and receipts to the government office to apply for a tax refund.
In this way, on average, the price of salt is about 150 wen per catty.
However, this tax refund policy also has regulations that the annual tax refund amount for each person shall not exceed ten kilograms. If it exceeds the amount, the excess amount cannot be refunded.
Tuoba Jin was very dissatisfied with the price of salt. "Military Advisor Guo, Dali doesn't like Pingzhou's low-priced salt, but we Xianbei do. Can you Pingzhou continue to sell salt to us at a low price?"
"No. We in Pingzhou will not trade with the Xianbei. You Xianbei can buy cheap salt privately, it must be because we Pingzhou people have been deceived by you." Guo Chong spoke righteously, leaving no room for any evidence.
Tuoba Jin: ...I'm very angry!
After this battle, everyone in the Dali court knew that Pingzhou could not be blocked just because they wanted to.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
