"Why? My father has no grudge against him, right?"
Su Nuannuan shouted indignantly, and Duan Tingxuan actually nodded in agreement: "Why? This is exactly what I want to ask. Not only do he and your father have no grudges, but on the contrary they are quite friendly. If not for this, your father would not have been defeated so badly this time."
"My father was a grain officer, but one million dan of grain disappeared on the way to the north, which almost caused the soldiers to mutiny. If it weren't for the Duke of Dong Liao in the northern border urgently transferring grain from Liaodong, the situation with the Northern Huns would have been reversed. Once the Northern Huns invaded the Central Plains, it would have been a disaster. Why did the King of Xiangyang move these grains? Even a woman like me can understand it, so there is no reason for him not to understand it. Isn't he the younger brother of the current emperor? Is he secretly communicating with the Northern Huns?"
"Of course it's impossible for him to have secret dealings with the Northern Huns." Duan Tingxuan said decisively, "After all, he is a member of the royal family. It would be of no benefit to him if the Northern Huns invaded the Central Plains. It's a pity that the grain supervisors promoted by your father died in an accident. The purpose of the King of Xiangyang is unknown. However, if one million dan of grain and grass really fall into his hands, it is enough to show that he has great ambitions."
"What can he possibly want? He is already a prince, with his own great fiefdom, is he going to rebel? Even if he wants to rebel, the country is rich and the people are strong, who is stupid enough to follow him to do such a business of confiscating property and exterminating the clan? Even if he really wants to rebel, such a long time has passed and he hasn't made any move, so how long does he plan to keep these food and grass? Will they rot in less than two years? Or has he already raised an army of more than 100,000 people? If it really comes to this, the court officials are not just there to eat and do nothing, so it is impossible for them not to notice it, right?"
"I never thought you would get it now. You are so smart." Duan Tingxuan clapped his hands sincerely. "You are right. So there is only one possibility, that is, selling these grains and grass to make money."
"Why does he need so much money? Besides, if he wants to make money, he is a prince, what business can't he do? It's not an exaggeration to say that he has a lot of money. Is it necessary to take such a big risk to resell military rations? Besides, I haven't heard of any major disasters last year. One million dan of grain and fodder, can he sell it?"
"He can't sell these grains in the Great Seal Dynasty. Even if he sells them, it will be easily exposed. But I heard that there have been constant conflicts among the daimyos in Japan in recent years, and the country has suffered several natural disasters. Food is extremely scarce, and Japan is rich in silver. So if he secretly loads these grains on a ship and sells them to Japan, I think it will be as you said, and he will make a lot of money."
Su Nuannuan turned into a question baby. Duan Tingxuan was very impressed by her questions. He sat in front of her for the first time and discussed this important matter seriously with a woman. This was a "feat" that the young marquis had never done before. Even if this matter was inextricably linked to Su Nuannuan, it was not easy for him to open his heart like this.
"If it's really as you said, then this King of Xiangyang probably has some problems." Duan Tingxuan's words reminded Su Nuannuan of the King of Ning in her own time and space history. King Ning amassed a lot of wealth in his fiefdom. Then he bribed officials in the capital. In addition, Emperor Zhengde was unreliable, so this guy's wolfish ambition was not completely exposed until the day he raised the banner of rebellion. This King of Xiangyang probably didn't dare to make money in his fiefdom. After all, the current emperor was not the ridiculous emperor Zhengde, so he robbed food and sold it to Japan in exchange for mountains of gold and silver. Then the crime was borne by Duke Ping. What a brilliant calculation, I take the money and you take the blame. This is simply the most brilliant means of harming people, which can be called a classic.
"It's so abominable and such a bastard. This is simply killing someone without blood." Su Nuannuan was so angry that she slammed her hand on the table: "Master, you must promise me that this bastard will be severely punished. He must... at least he must not get away with it."
Duan Tingxuan saw his wife's anger, her jade hands slapped the table so hard that it shook. If she slapped harder, the meatballs in his bowl would be in danger. He quickly pressed the table without making a sound, and shouted indignantly, "That's a must. Moreover, even if your father had nothing to do with it, he is guilty of conspiracy alone."
"How can it be enough to just say that the crime is unforgivable? At the very least, he should be cut into pieces. This is rebellion. But... there is no need to confiscate the property and exterminate the clan, right?" Su Nuannuan pondered. The time-traveling girl from modern times hated the idea of collective punishment the most. How many innocent people died in this way.
"Puff!" Duan Tingxuan almost choked on his saliva. The young marquis was very glad that he didn't drink the soup at this time, otherwise he would be in a mess. He knocked on the table to remind Su Nuannuan to face the reality: "That... Nuannuan, you don't have to worry about this. You have to know who are the relatives of the King of Xiangyang? If the clan is really exterminated, the emperor... Oh, probably the first one?"
"Oh my..." Su Nuannuan screamed, covered her mouth and looked around with wide eyes, as if she was afraid that others would hear what she said. Then she put her hand down, pursed her lips at Duan Tingxuan, and whispered, "You said that, not me."
“Hahaha, Nuannuan, how old are you? You’re still imitating other girls to act cute.” Duan Tingxuan couldn’t help but burst out laughing, but then nodded and said seriously: “But it’s really cute.”
Su Nuannuan glared at the young marquis: What a damn feudal society! Women have no human rights. I am only in my early twenties, and I no longer have the right to be a young girl? I am entering the ranks of middle-aged women? Asshole, too much of a bastard. This is really intolerable. Fortunately, I don’t have a child. If I had a child, wouldn’t I have become an aunt?
"Okay, let's get back to business. You suddenly mentioned the Prince of Xiangyang. It can't be that you just remembered my father's case on a whim, right? What is the relationship between the Prince of Xiangyang and the emperor's sudden fainting today?" Su Nuannuan did not forget the main topic she had just discussed with Duan Tingxuan. It couldn't be that the other party suddenly mentioned the Prince of Xiangyang at this time.
Duan Tingxuan's expression also became serious. After pondering for a while, he said in a deep voice: "Back then, the King of Xiangyang was favored by the late emperor, so although he was made a king early, he was never allowed to move to his fiefdom. Later, when the emperor ascended the throne, he was also very caring towards this younger brother. He made an exception and let him live in the palace for three years before letting him go to his fiefdom..."
Before she could finish, Su Nuannuan's eyes widened. She said in disbelief, "Wait, the Prince of Xiangyang... has always lived in the palace? How old is he? Aren't men over fifteen who want to enter the harem 'snapped'?" She made a scissors gesture with her hands, and suddenly Duan Tingxuan's face became dark. He gritted his teeth and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Don't forget, I also go to the palace often. According to what you said, wouldn't I have been 'snapped' hundreds of times?"
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