"That person must be very happy that the Ministry of Revenue will clear up the accounts as soon as possible and send him the accumulated grain and military pay."
Only after Song Yaozhu reminded them did everyone realize that this was the person in Da Chen who was most in need of money.
Although the imperial court was responsible for providing military pay and provisions, how much of it would actually be left by the time it reached the southern border? The amount of these supplies was only recorded in a few strokes of the pen; the grain transport officials could write down whatever amount they wanted, and who knew how much was lost along the way?
He could say with a few words that he had encountered a rainstorm or some other natural disaster, and that he could lose as much as he wanted.
Over the years, the Prince of Yan has come to deeply resent those grain transport officials and has lost all trust in the imperial court. The two sides are currently maintaining a superficial peace; at the slightest misstep, the Prince of Yan could launch a military campaign at any time.
Or rather, the King of Yan was waiting for this opportunity to arrive.
“I know that the Prince of Yan cannot be acted upon lightly; the slightest mistake could result in swords drawn. But the Ministry of Revenue is a sensitive matter, so we can only rely on the abilities of the stronger.”
Everyone at the dinner table remained silent for a while. After a long pause, Xie Liwei spoke first: "I agree with what the Princess Consort said. We are now a thorn in Yuwen Wuji's side. The only way to divert his attention is to create a more urgent and need-to-eliminate enemy for him. The Prince of Yan is the best choice."
Xie Lu nodded, and his gaze toward Song Yaozhu deepened.
Is this daughter-in-law so sensitive to matters of state?
Just like his daughter.
"The Dowager Consort had previously wanted to take a grandson from the Prince of Yan to care for her, in order to alleviate her loneliness as a widow. Because of the imperial examination, she did not mention it to the Emperor. I will go to the Jokhang Temple tomorrow and talk to the Dowager Consort about it again."
Xie Liwei nodded. "Spring planting is over. In previous years, the Ministry of Revenue would transport grain and military pay to the southern border after spring planting was completed at the end of April. This year, it was postponed until now because of the spring imperial examination. We can make some changes to the selection of the grain transport officer."
“Being a grain transport officer is a thankless job. In the past, many grain transport officers have been executed by the Prince of Yan for excessive exploitation.” Xie Mingyue scratched her cheek. “Do you think the Emperor might suspect that the grain transport officers are colluding with the Prince of Yan, actually double-crossing them?”
Song Yaozhu's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Cousin, you've hit the nail on the head! No matter who the grain transport official is, there's always a risk. Whether they're colluding with officials in the capital or with the Prince of Yan himself. What if it were a private escort agency?"
"This is unprecedented! Such a large amount of grain and fodder requires two thousand elite soldiers to escort it. Which private escort agency has that many people? If officials and civilians travel together, and the officials do not listen to the people, causing mistakes, how will that be accounted for?" asked the Xie family elder.
Xie Liwei smiled and said, "Second Grandfather, a single escort agency doesn't have this many people, but we didn't say we'd only use one."
The group suddenly realized that since one agency didn't have enough manpower, they should split up and send people off in batches from different escort agencies.
"With so many escort agencies jointly transporting these goods along different routes, even if someone wanted to sabotage things, it would be impossible to wipe out dozens of teams. Moreover, these escort agencies are in competition with each other, and each wants its goods to reach the south as quickly and early as possible to receive the court's reward."
"Excellent! Sister-in-law, you're so clever!" Xie Mingyue poured a glass of wine and toasted Song Yaozhu, "Brother, I'd like to toast you!"
Song Yaozhu smiled and drank the wine with him, glancing at Xie Liwei beside her with a smug look in her eyes, as if to say, "I'm so awesome, aren't I?"
Xie Liwei smiled faintly, "It's not easy to get the Ministry of Revenue to hand over this task."
With vested interests at stake, whoever lets go is a fool.
"It's simple. Just make Yuwen Wuji think that the Ministry of Revenue has people from the Prince of Yan. Every year, the Prince of Yan will say in his memorials that he is not receiving enough military pay and provisions, so that Yuwen Wuji will think that he is colluding with the grain transport officials, cheating them, and deliberately pretending to be poor."
"When the time comes, we'll find an official to submit a brilliant plan for bidding, and I'm not afraid that Yuwen Wuji won't adopt it."
After a hearty family dinner, everyone went home and enjoyed themselves immensely.
Lady Yin hadn't seen her husband for a long time, and immediately grabbed his ear, asking, "What did you do in the capital? Tell me the truth! If you lie, I'll make you regret it!"
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! I swear to God, I would never lie to you! I didn't go anywhere I shouldn't have gone, you can ask Brother Li if you don't believe me!"
"Hmph! I knew you wouldn't dare!" Madam Yin snorted and let go of her hand. "I never expected that my brother Li would marry such a formidable wife. Wasn't she said to be from the countryside and illiterate? Today at the banquet, I observed that she was dignified in every gesture and spoke clearly and logically. She even discussed matters of the imperial court with you."
Xie Mingyue poured herself a cup of tea and said, "I don't know who she is, but this woman is no ordinary person."
Qin Yu forced her to confess about the assassin's poison and how he turned the assassin into meat patties to feed the dogs. Now she can't even eat meat patties anymore.
Upon hearing this, Madam Yin slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "Good! This 'dog' is fed so well! It's satisfying! This dog emperor doesn't act like a human being; he deserves to be a dog!"
Xie Mingyue also felt relieved and walked towards Madam Yin with a smile.
"My dear wife, it's been so long since we last met, I've missed you terribly!"
"Get out! You reek of alcohol!"
Meanwhile, in Tingxue Courtyard, Song Yaozhu washed herself and got into bed. She tossed and turned a few times, unable to fall asleep.
"What's wrong?" Xie Liwei asked from the outer room after hearing the commotion.
"I'm just too excited to sleep."
"Is it because you drank too much alcohol and have heartburn?"
"No." Song Yaozhu turned over again, even though she knew Xie Liwei couldn't see her, she still turned her body towards Xie Liwei's direction. "I'm happy. Father and cousins all treat me like family. When I speak, they listen very carefully and don't treat me lightly just because I'm your wife."
Song Yaozhu suddenly felt that being reborn as his wife was a very lucky thing. At least in this way, she and her father and the others became family again.
Xie Liwei smiled faintly, "You saved me and they. If I were to still be polite to you, wouldn't that hurt your feelings? Put yourself in their shoes. If you treat them like family, they will naturally understand."
"So I'm very happy." Song Yaozhu mumbled, the smell of alcohol rising in her lungs, the initial excitement gradually fading and replaced by drowsiness. "I especially like it when the whole family sits together, discussing and helping each other..." overcoming all the difficulties together.
Xie Liwei, sleeping on the chaise longue in the outer room, rested his head on his arm, a warm smile playing on his lips.
He hadn't been this happy in a long time; just like Song Yaozhu said, he was so happy he couldn't sleep.
The night was deep, and the moonlight shone on everyone in the world, gilding the happy and unhappy lives with a silvery glow, turning them into memories.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com