Chapter 114
After burying her aunt, it was already dark. According to custom, Si Yanmo, a married daughter, was not allowed to return to her parents' home on the first day of the lunar new year, but she couldn't care less about that now.
What she needs to know is exactly where things went wrong that caused her original destiny to be altered so much.
Si Yanmo found Si Jianwen, who was somewhat surprised. He was about to say that she shouldn't have come today, but he was stunned by his daughter Jianshan's question.
"Father, the Chamber of Commerce is now controlled by people from the imperial court, isn't that right?"
He glanced at the window instinctively.
Seeing the window was open, he went over and looked around to make sure no one was there before closing it. He then went to the door and told the servants not to come in. After closing the door, he looked at Si Yanmo with a look of terror in his eyes, "Who told you that?"
"That's not important, Father. I'm asking you whether the Chamber of Commerce is being controlled by the imperial court?"
Si Jianwen didn't reply. He wanted to shake his head, but stopped, and somewhat uneasily picked up the teacup on the table, only to find it was empty and had to put it down.
Just then, Zhou Yanqing picked up the teapot and poured him a cup, saying, "Father-in-law, there's no need to worry. Your son-in-law is here. Just say what you need to say."
He still didn't pick up the teacup. "Even if it's you, you shouldn't be asking this question."
Si Jianwen sighed, "Mo'er, there are some things you shouldn't get involved in. It's not good for you or His Highness."
"What if I insist on getting involved, even if I say so?" Zhou Yanqing's voice carried a hint of his usual authority.
He asked, "Is it the Ministry of Revenue?"
Si Jianwen still did not answer, and turned to leave, but was stopped by Si Yanmo, "Father, this matter is of great importance."
He was annoyed by his daughter's inquisitive attitude and yelled, "What's it to you?"
He immediately regretted yelling at her. He had never scolded Si Yanmo and her sister before, and now that Si Yanmo was all grown up, how could he bear to be yelled at in front of her husband?
He opened his mouth to apologize, "Mo'er, Father..."
Si Yanmo raised her hand to indicate that he didn't need to speak. "It's alright, Father. I know you want to protect me, but I'm all grown up now, and this matter is really important to us. Is it the Ministry of Revenue?"
It seems he won't be able to leave this room unless he gets an answer today.
Si Jianwen shook his head, turned around and sat down, picked up his teacup and took a sip, seemingly thinking about how to say it.
But after thinking for a long time, he couldn't come up with a tactful way to say it, so he could only say bluntly, "It is Your Majesty."
The Southern Emperor?!
Si Yanmo frowned, trying to find the answer by examining the Southern Emperor's fate that she had seen before. But it seemed to be too trivial for her, as there was no record of it in the judgment within the fate chart.
She looked at Zhou Yanqing, but he didn't seem so confused.
"It's very common to place trusted confidants in various departments," he said.
“It’s okay to place trusted confidants, but it’s not about exploiting the people!” Si Yanmo said, somewhat agitated.
Her destiny had always given her an understanding of everyone, which allowed her to thrive among these shrewd individuals.
These events are not recorded in one's destiny, yet they have truly harmed more than one person.
She was angry, but even more afraid.
Si Jianwen told the two that initially, the taxation of merchants only involved some additional conditions, which most merchants could accept.
However, later, under the pretext of needing to audit the accounts, the Southern Emperor continuously placed his own confidants in the Chamber of Commerce and even began to use the Chamber of Commerce to collect money.
He tried to stop it, but he was just an ordinary citizen, and there was very little he could do, let alone go against the current emperor.
"Not only that, but now merchants are being charged more and more money, even for setting up a small stall in front of their own homes."
Si Jianwen felt utterly powerless as he spoke. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce's charitable organization, and these merchants respected him because he had helped them so much. Now, however, he could do nothing about it.
“But Nandu isn’t at war right now, so what’s the point of collecting so much silver?” Si Yanmo looked at Zhou Yanqing. “What do you think?”
The man pulled her to sit opposite Si Jianwen. "Is it in the name of the freezing disaster?"
"How did you know?" Si Jianwen asked, somewhat surprised.
Si Yanmo was equally surprised, "How is this possible? We..."
She was about to say that they had been there before, but fearing it would expose Sano's affair, she stopped herself and instead said, "Didn't King Sak ask Qin for help? Didn't they say the court hadn't allocated any funds?"
Zhou Yanqing sneered, "So where do you think the money went?"
"You mean..." Si Yanmo didn't even dare to say it aloud; she really didn't understand.
The Southern Palace doesn't look as magnificent as Wu Zhao's. If he really collected so much money for extravagant enjoyment, how could he be inferior to Sak?
Although the Southern Emperor was cunning and ruthless, neither what she knew nor what was in his destiny indicated that he was cruel and excessive towards the people.
"Isn't that what makes him so clever?" Zhou Yanqing curled his lips in a mocking smile. Others might not understand, but he understood it all too well.
His... "Father" was always like this, pretending to be someone who cared for the country and its people, as if he were atoning for his past acts of killing his brothers and father, but in reality, he was just a cowardly and unscrupulous person.
"Would you like to guess what that statue of Emperor Gu we saw on New Year's Eve was made of?"
He had seen it that day; the statue of Emperor Gu was different from the one he had seen during the Lantern Festival last year. This one was bigger and more magnificent, gleaming with golden light as fireworks flashed by.
Si Yanmo could hardly believe it, "Such a big piece of gold?"
How much money did they take, and how many people died?
For this high and mighty Southern Emperor, it wasn't even enough to warrant a single judgment in his destiny.
Si Yanmo dared not imagine how many times he had secretly disregarded human life.
The two left the study, and Si Jianwen repeatedly instructed them not to tell anyone about this. Little did he know that his daughter was already contemplating even more rebellious thoughts.
Si Yanmo led Zhou Yanqing back to her room. "Do you think... Zhou Junsong knows about this?"
"Didn't you say that such things didn't happen under his rule? Then I think he didn't know."
"But now I'm not sure if he is also..." Just like the Southern Emperor, he wouldn't stoop to such a disregard for human life in his destiny.
Si Yanmo didn't know what to do.
She used to think that the change of imperial power was none of her business. She was willing to help anyone, but not to interfere with these matters, especially when fate told her that there would be a good outcome.
But fate did not tell her that so many people would die behind the scenes of this seemingly prosperous era, most of them ordinary people.
They just wanted to survive, to have food to eat, and to enjoy each new year. Unfortunately, even these things have become luxuries.
She grabbed Zhou Yanqing's hand, feeling lost. "Tell me, is this really okay?"
Is it really okay to let these people who disregard human life continue to sit in their positions?
Zhou Yanqing patted her back and pulled her into his arms. "Didn't you say it was destiny?"
Destiny?
Didn't she revise it many times?
Is it worth it this once?
Zhou Yanqing seemed to see through her thoughts and joked, "You don't actually want to become an empress, do you?"
She shook her head. "Me? How could that be?"
If she hadn't lived two lives, and if she hadn't been able to see other people's destinies, she would just be a fool who couldn't even outmaneuver a concubine.
She's already very lucky to be able to do divination.
But... there is someone who can.
She looked up. "Zhou Yanqing, do you want to be the Southern Emperor?"
Zhou Yanqing was startled by her question. It wasn't that he was afraid, but... "I haven't thought about it, and I don't think I could do better."
"How could that be? Didn't you manage Qin Di perfectly?" Si Yanmo had a lot of confidence in him.
Unlike her, Zhou Yanqing was more decisive and meticulous in these matters.
She had noticed this when she went to Sak before. Although the border of Qin was also facing the risk of freezing disaster, he did not only care about his own enjoyment like Wu Zhao, nor did he panic when the freezing disaster came. Instead, he prepared a solution in advance so that Qin would not cause any trouble.
She raised her head, a glint of light in her eyes, and said solemnly, "Zhou Yanqing, how about we rebel?"
"Why do you act on a whim?" the man chuckled, poking her head. "Do you know what it means to rebel? Do you know that you're not just facing the Southern Capital, but also other vassal states?"
Si Yanmo retorted, "I didn't say now. We can prepare!"
Zhou Yanqing shook his head and hugged her even tighter. "Amo, you need to know that what I'm worried about isn't these things, it's you. Throughout history, it's always been the victor who takes all. Winning is fine, but if you lose, anyone can trample on you. I don't care about winning or losing, but I care about whether you'll be bullied."
He took a deep breath, rested his head on her shoulder, and breathed gently on her neck, making it tickle.
"I'm not a noble person at all. I'm very selfish. All I want is to be with you and spend the rest of my life together. I don't care about anything else."
He spoke each word as if he were about to cast aside his own heart.
Si Yanmo understood the emotions in his words and knew his worries.
That's true. He was still worried about the divination he had done before. If a war really broke out one day and she was captured, he was afraid that this fool would obediently surrender.
Of course, he worried about her, and she worried about him too.
The reason she reacted so strongly to this incident was not only because of the old woman's death, but also because she was worried about Zhou Yanqing.
If destiny isn't everything, then it means they have far too much to be wary of.
Zhou Yanqing's death calamity has not yet been resolved, and she wants more than anyone else to see if fate will tell her that he will be safe.
As long as he is safe, nothing else matters.
She hugged him, buried her head in the crook of his neck, and whispered, "Okay, then let's not worry about anything. Let's both stay safe and sound, okay?"
"Yes, everything is fine."
As dusk fell, the evening breeze blew into the room, witnessing the young couple embracing tightly.
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