Madam Zhou was quite politically astute. She carefully recalled Yunrong's behavior and said truthfully, "I haven't heard Her Majesty the Empress mention anything about court affairs. I am usually quite interested in imported goods. If you need them, I can ask Her Majesty the Empress about them later."
Zhou Liaoping shook his head and said, "That's not necessary. Since Her Majesty the Empress doesn't usually talk about politics, then don't inquire. It would be bad if you tried to do something inappropriate. Just treat Her Majesty the Empress the way you normally would."
Madam Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. She usually obeyed her husband's every command, but she knew her own limitations. Since the Empress could "manage" the Emperor to favor her alone, she must be quite capable.
She was also afraid that she might end up "doing good deeds but doing bad things," which would bring trouble to her family.
"I understand, my lord. Don't worry so much. You've always been upright and honest. Although the Empress didn't talk about politics, she did say quite a bit. She said that the Emperor likes loyal officials. I think you've done a good job. Why worry unnecessarily?"
Zhou Liaoping only realized what his wife meant after hearing her words. He did seem to be overthinking things. He was used to thinking things through before taking any step in his daily life, managing the affairs of a prefecture.
Now it seems that he has neither committed any crimes nor violated the law, and the emperor is a wise ruler. No matter what the reason or the outcome, at least it will not affect him.
Zhou Liaoping: "Thank you for your advice, Madam. I was overthinking it."
Madam Zhou smiled and said, "I am just a woman, how could I possibly advise you, sir? But you are always concerned about the people and your decisions are always well-thought-out. This is just a matter of habit."
Madam Zhou's words were pleasing to the ear, and Zhou Liaoping felt relieved to hear them; the matter was considered closed.
A number of officials were investigated and punished. At the same time, Yinzhen also had the British merchant who supplied the drug arrested. The charge was simple: Yinzhen was a pragmatic emperor, so the charge was selling poison, in order to control the Qing Dynasty.
This crime sounds very serious, but because there weren't many British merchants selling these opium products, it didn't attract much attention, and most British merchants didn't even think about making a profit from opium.
However, while others might not notice their sudden disappearance, those from Britain did. Since there were fewer British merchants than locals to begin with, the disappearance of a few naturally attracted internal attention.
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