If a person behaves like this, they might as well hang themselves on a crooked tree.
But this was an imperial edict, and whether or not she lived or died was not up to Madam Cheng to decide.
The emperor's message to the Cheng family was not a verbal order, but an imperial edict.
The imperial decree of the Cheng family was revoked, and a divorce agreement was granted to Fu Ting and the Cheng family.
Upon receiving the imperial edict, Madam Cheng let out a wail and fainted. She was unable to even express her gratitude and was immediately carried back to the Cheng residence by the eunuch who delivered the edict.
It's not that Fu Ting was heartless; it's that the eunuchs felt it was the right thing to do.
Fu Ting and his son Fu Qiyuan were already commoners, so they couldn't even say a word against it.
This farce was so tumultuous and far-reaching that even Consort Zhen in the palace was demoted to the rank of concubine, and the eldest princess and her daughter, Princess Yi'an, were banished from the palace to their fiefdoms by the emperor.
Therefore, when Jiang Shan took Fu Qiyuan to meet with Imperial Censor Wu and Minister Qin, the two officials clasped their hands in a fist salute and hesitated to lower them.
What should I do? Should I give this gift or not?
Jiang Shan waved his hand dismissively and said, "He is the manager of Jiang's Private Kitchen's second branch in Beijing. There's no need for such formalities, gentlemen!"
Minister Qin was startled. "Xianzhi, are you really going to do business with Boss Jiang?"
Fu Qiyuan smiled modestly and nodded, "That's right! The second store on Yunlan Street has already been selected and is currently in preparation. It will open in three months. I hope you two gentlemen will do us the honor of attending!"
Imperial Censor Wu solemnly clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, saying, "I will definitely attend!"
Minister Qin felt his worldview shattered. He asked with difficulty, "You, a fourth-rank official in the capital, switching to selling private kitchen dishes, is that acceptable? His Majesty values talent so much, he will not agree!"
Jiang Shan raised an eyebrow and said, "Why not? Aren't we all contributing to the prosperity of the Great Qing Kingdom? Doesn't Your Majesty want the national treasury to collect more tax revenue?"
"..." Minister Qin was speechless.
Jiang Shan patted Fu Qiyuan on the shoulder and chuckled, "Let me formally introduce you. This is my secretary... my chief steward. He will be in charge of managing all my businesses in the capital, including attracting investment for Chengbang Logistics and managing the soy sauce business. Gentlemen, my chief steward is right here. What do you want to discuss? Let's begin!"
Imperial Censor Wu and Minister Qin swallowed hard, trying to process the news about the country.
They're serious now!
What surprised Imperial Censor Wu and Minister Qin even more was that Fu Qiyuan was incredibly knowledgeable about Jiangshan's business. He knew everything about everything, from the development of city-state logistics to the production process and sales model of soy sauce!
With someone like Fu Qiyuan, doing business with him is like being led by the nose!
Most importantly, Minister Qin, a second-rank official representing the imperial court, did not find anything amiss from beginning to end!
Fu Qiyuan was able to dispel his concerns with data, and as the Minister of Revenue, he had no reason to refuse any of Fu Qiyuan's requests!
That's absolutely outrageous!
He was the Minister of Revenue, a high-ranking official. He could easily fleece even the most cunning merchants, but he was completely helpless against the young couple in front of him!
When Minister Qin was seen off by Fu Qiyuan and Jiang Shan, he still felt lightheaded, as if he were walking on clouds.
He only knew one fact: the partnership between Jiangshan and His Majesty in the soy sauce business had been successful!
Jiangshan became the largest imperial merchant since the founding of the Great Qing Kingdom, and the Jiang family became the royal family's official brand!
Oh, right, there's one more crucial thing: Boss Jiang said that the two agreements he has must be personally signed and stamped by His Majesty, one copy for each person! Otherwise, everything discussed today will be considered invalid!
We must hurry and find His Majesty to get this task done, lest things get complicated.
When Jiang Shan and Fu Qiyuan came out of Jiang's Private Kitchen together, it was already quite late.
I had intended to host a meal for Minister Qin and Imperial Censor Wu, but the two were in such a hurry that they left in a rush.
They decided to have dinner at the Grand Tutor's residence as well.
On the way back, Jiang Shan leaned on Fu Qiyuan's shoulder and chatted casually.
“Huai’er has been counting his few silver ingots these days, and it’s always the same amount. The little guy is under a lot of pressure! You should tell him about your savings as soon as possible, so he won’t worry all the time about not being able to support you in the future!”
Fu Qiyuan smiled warmly and said, "Does he even have a concept of numbers? Should we just bring back a few boxes of silver to show him?"
Jiang Shan nodded seriously, "That's a good idea! Hey, why is he so greedy for money at such a young age? My younger brothers are the same, they're all obsessed with money!"
Fu Qiyuan glanced silently at the culprit.
"Wow, with such a money-grubbing son and brothers cheering me on, it seems I'm not far from making the Forbes Daqing Rich List!"
Fu Qiyuan smiled and reached out to embrace the beauty in his arms.
He's also there to support and encourage her! He'll work hard to earn money and fulfill all her wishes one by one!
...
The emperor could not possibly allow the Fu family father and son to resign from their official posts together!
Unable to win over the Grand Tutor, they had to find another way.
The first person to come to him as an advocate was the King of Qingyang.
This prince, disliked by the current emperor and who had kept a low profile for most of his life, became a general whom the emperor had no choice but to employ.
"This humble subject greets King Qingyang." Fu Qiyuan bowed and then sat down in the main seat below King Qingyang without any regard for his status as a commoner.
Prince Qingyang glanced at him sideways, sipping the health-preserving tea that the kingdom never sold to outsiders, and said quite bluntly, "His Majesty sent me to persuade you. Have you thought about how to deal with me?"
Fu Qiyuan pondered for a moment, then honestly replied, "I haven't decided yet."
The King of Qingyang lazily crossed his legs and said, "You'd better think about it, otherwise I won't be able to explain myself!"
Fu Qiyuan remained silent, only instructing his servants to serve him some snacks.
Upon seeing the pastries unique to the Jiangshan Kingdom, Prince Qingyang's eyes lit up. He picked up a piece in each hand and asked while eating, "Why haven't I seen these pastries in the bakery? Did that girl make them herself?"
Fu Qiyuan nodded, and the Prince of Qingyang asked again, "I heard that the cake shop sends a copy of each new product to Liyang to try? Why didn't I? He'er and that girl are inseparable, how can I show favoritism?"
Fu Qiyuan glanced at Qingyang Wang and moved the pastries in front of him closer to himself.
"A slip of the tongue, it was my slip of the tongue! How about we let that girl recognize me as her godfather too, then we won't have to stand on ceremony!"
As he spoke, King Qingyang stretched out his long arm and scooped up the pastries along with the plate, grabbing them directly into his hand.
"I suggest you ask Grand Princess Liyang if she agrees, after all, they are both Huai'er's mothers."
King Qingyang fell silent, muttered something under his breath, and buried his head in his food.
After finishing three plates of pastries and drinking four different cups of flower tea, Prince Qingyang finally left satisfied.
The two seemed to have forgotten something, yet they also seemed to have tacitly reached an agreement.
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