"Make way, make way! This is a government investigation, everyone please step back!"
Bao Qianshan arrived with his men and saw Prince Jing frantically searching for something. He stepped forward and asked, "Is Prince Jing looking for the dead?"
"There won't be any dead. No one stayed at Manager Wan's shop last night."
King Jing suddenly turned around and saw Chen Yu walking slowly towards him, wearing a red cloak and a red hood over her face, which was red from the cold.
Strangely enough, when the cotton shop caught fire, Chen Yu didn't look worried at all; instead, she had a smile on her face.
Actually, after Manager Wan left last night, Chen Yu ordered people to move all the goods from Wen Dong Cotton Shop to the Flower Tea Shop. The fire only destroyed the house and the firewood in the yard, so the loss was not significant.
Manager Wan was unaware of all this and was naturally terrified.
Manager Wan rose, his legs trembling, and walked towards Chen Yu. He spread his hands and said sorrowfully, "It's good that Miss Chen Yu is safe and sound. What a pity about all the cotton and quilts in the shop!"
Chen Yu smiled as she took out a money pouch and handed it to Manager Yan Wan, whispering words of comfort:
【Manager Wan, don't be sad. As the saying goes, losing money is a good thing. We'll be fine from now on. Manager Wan, go find a good shop so your old customers don't come back empty-handed.】
"Alright, Wanmian will go right away." Manager Wan wiped his eyes and hurriedly left.
Everyone was surprised, "This warm winter cotton shop belongs to Miss Chenyu?"
"No wonder it's good quality and inexpensive. It's freezing cold now; if it were any other shop, they would definitely raise their prices on the spot."
"Yes! Since this is Miss Chenyu's shop, we must continue to patronize it."
Chen Yu bowed to thank everyone.
King Jing was already weeping with joy. His eyes were red as he rushed towards Chen Yu, ignoring the stares of the crowd, wanting to embrace her. But as soon as he reached out his hands, he stopped. His hands were covered in black soot.
Shen Yu was somewhat embarrassed. The marriage between Prince Jing and Bao Qianqiu failed, and those who didn't know the truth all said that she, Mu Shen Yu, was still entangled with Prince Jing.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she dared not approach Prince Jing, so she bowed to him and then bowed to Bao Qianshan.
"Thank you for coming, Lord Bao. Manager Wan is honest, kind and hospitable, and has never offended anyone. I hope you can find the arsonist to prevent harm to others."
“Miss Chenyu, there’s no need for such formalities. This case should have been handled by the yamen, but last night the people from Xixiang Garden were kidnapped by villains. Master Gu is still investigating the case, so I’ve come here to handle it.”
The people from Xixiang Garden have been kidnapped? Could it be Aunt Liao? Chen Yu scoffed and bid farewell to Bao Qianshan:
"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Bao. I will take my leave now."
Shen Yu turned to leave, but was stopped by King Jing.
"I haven't seen An'er and Ping'er for some time now, so I'll go with you to see them," said King Jing, before leaving with Chen Yu.
Chen Yu led Prince Jing south along the alley and into an Anping flower tea shop on Nanjing Street.
It turns out that the house that Chen Yu bought had shops at both the north and south ends. The shop closer to Songgui Street was a cotton shop, and the shop closer to Nanjing Street was an Anping flower tea shop. The open space in the middle was planted with cotton.
Shen Yu led Prince Jing to An'er and Ping'er's room. As soon as they entered, a warm atmosphere greeted them. The two children, dressed in thin clothes, were rolling around and playing on the bed.
King Jing walked towards the bed with delight and exclaimed, "These two children are chubby and have grown a lot."
He sat on the bed, holding a child in one arm, his expression instantly turning serious as he looked at Chen Yu and asked in a low voice, "You should know why the Wen Dong cotton shop caught fire?"
Shen Yu nodded, took off her cloak and handed it to the maid, then gestured for the maid to leave.
Yesterday, Manager Wan reminded her that Hongyu and Yanghua had been to Wendong Cotton Shop.
As the eldest daughter-in-law of the Mu family, Yang Hua was in charge of the Mu family's business. Given her arrogant and domineering nature, she had already monopolized the cotton business.
Unexpectedly, this year brought another harsh winter, leaving people with empty pockets. In order to suppress the price of cotton quilts, Shen Yu secretly disrupted the Mu family's monopoly. This fire must have been caused by Yang Hua.
King Jing had also guessed this. He put An'er and Ping'er down and took out a contract to hand to Chen Yu.
This is my shop. You can move there, and the shop will be registered in my name. No one will dare to cause you trouble.
Shen Yu immediately shook her head. Early in the morning, she saw a notice posted by the government at the palace gate: The Emperor had actually ordered the collection of public grain.
The common people are already struggling financially, and the imperial court can't squeeze any more money out of them, so the next step will definitely be to squeeze the merchants and officials.
Based on this speculation, Shen Yu would definitely not register the shop under Prince Jing's name, so as not to implicate Prince Jing.
The law stipulates that officials cannot engage in commerce, meaning "officials should not compete with the people for profit."
General Mu himself only went into business after resigning from his official post, and he did not want his children and grandchildren to serve in the imperial court.
Unexpectedly, Mu Nanfeng became a general. As the general's wife, Yang Hua openly engaged in business, and the officials dared not speak out or be angry, after all, Yang Hua was the emperor's own sister.
If Prince Jing were to participate in the management of the cotton shop, someone would surely report him to the Emperor.
Therefore, Chen Yu had no choice but to refuse King Jing's offer and seek another way out.
She turned and sat down at the round table, sighing, "This year has been tough! Fortunately, we made some money selling quilts before, so even if the shop burns down, I have the money to start over. I hope Prince Jing will not worry."
Are you afraid of implicating me?
When the nation is in peril, every citizen has a responsibility. At this time, the people are living in dire straits. The Emperor has ordered the confiscation of grain, but Shen Yu suspects that the Emperor is simply proceeding gradually.
[Step by step? What does Chen Yu mean by that?]
[His Majesty is a kind-hearted man; how could he bear to see the people suffer? Besides, the people are already struggling financially, and the court can't squeeze any more grain out of them. His Majesty will surely target the merchants and officials.]
------
That's exactly right.
In the Ziji Palace, the Emperor leaned against the dragon bed with his eyes closed, seemingly resting, but a deep worry lingered between his brows.
Just now, Lord He came to report that as soon as the grain purchase notice was posted, some people ran into cars and died in the street.
Alas! As the ruler of a country, he could not bear to see the people suffer, but this was a necessary procedure for him to govern the court.
At this moment, Hongyu quietly walked in, put down a bowl of ginseng soup, and rubbed the emperor's forehead.
With the national treasury in deficit, the emperor was constantly worried, and she longed to share his burdens.
Furthermore, a scout reported early in the morning that Wen Dong Cotton Shop had been reduced to ashes, and the real manager was Mu Chenyu.
Upon hearing this news, Hongyu was terrified and furious. If Chenyu and the child hadn't been living elsewhere, she would probably have been reduced to ashes.
However, Yanghua is the Emperor's own sister. If she were to sue Yanghua, she would not only offend Yanghua, but the Emperor would also be caught in a dilemma.
In order to avenge Chen Yu, she could only subtly inform the Emperor.
[Your Majesty, yesterday Hongyu bought a cotton quilt outside the palace and discovered that the quilts at Wendong Cotton Shop were cheaper than those at other shops, and they were made of high-quality materials—the very same quilt that Xiuhua delivered yesterday.]
"Yes, the quilt I used last night was very warm."
Hongyu also felt warm, so she sent someone early in the morning to buy four more cotton quilts, intending to send them to King Xiang and Prime Minister Kong. But who knew? The cotton shop for winter warmth had been reduced to ashes...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com