Master Wang stood up excitedly from his seat, "Is it true?"
"The news came early from the capital, it’s not likely to be wrong, that noble from the Palace, I expect he’ll be arriving Lian’an Town this noon. Master, we must start preparing!"
Master Wang was too ecstatic to sit still, slapping the table, "It must be the result of that grape wine, so appreciated by His Majesty, that he has sent a special envoy in advance."
"Master, what are you talking about? The Wang Family’s influence is so profound, and now we have brewed such a fine wine, naturally His Majesty holds us in high regard!"
"Excellent! Move quickly and have people stand by at the city gate early to welcome the guest!"
The Wang Family was left in chaos. Lady Wang had even begun to rejoice, imagining the end of her difficult retirement to the countryside. Accustomed to luxury in the capital, how could she bear living in an old house in Lian’an Town?
She had longed for her grand mansion in the capital, but was afraid to offend the New Emperor, so she had been thus avoiding attention.
This time, with their fortunes at an all-time high, it was the Wang Family’s time to turn things around!
Indeed, what Chen Yining said was true, the backbone of the Wang Family was the softest, who do they care about being the Emperor? They only wanted to curry favor with those who had the royal influence, get some handouts. Even without their royal merchant title for more than ten years, the servility and inferiority ingrained in their bones was still hard to change.
Originally, they stood with the second prince because he was then the crown prince, the one with the highest likelihood of ascending the throne. That’s why the Wang Family was so eager to curry favor with him. But who knew, they bet on the wrong side, leading to today’s unfortunate predicament.
After an anxious wait all morning, the noble from the Palace finally arrived in a grand carriage at noon. It was even the Emperor’s favorite Eunuch Lin!
Master Wang quickly stooped to greet him, grinning in a pleasing manner, "Exalted is Eunuch Lin. I apologize for not having made arrangements sooner. Please come in quickly. I had ordered food and wine to be ready and have been waiting for the honor of your presence."
However, Eunuch Lin waved him off, "I came today with official matters, it isn’t necessary to engage in such idle talk. A meal would not be needed, we should get down to the main business."
As he said this, he pulled out a golden Imperial Edict from his sleeve.
Master Wang looked at the Imperial Edict, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, and quickly said with a fawning smile, "Eunuch Lin, why are you so formal? You’ve come from afar, we can’t have you read the edict on an empty stomach. Come inside and rest for a while before reading the edict. I’m not in a hurry!"
Though meekly stated, the fervent anticipation in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Eunuch Lin gave a cold laugh, "You’re not in a hurry? I’m in a hurry! His Majesty must be even more so!"
Eunuch Lin’s sudden change of demeanor caught Master Wang off guard and he stood there, baffled.
Without further ado, Eunuch Lin sternly shouted, "The Wang Family, listen to the decree!"
Master Wang turned pale from fear, "Wha...wha...?"
It didn’t seem like he was about to lavish rewards on the Wang Family!
The members of the Wang Family, from its master to its servants, fell to their knees in fright.
Lady Wang hurriedly pulled Master Wang, who was standing confused, and knelt to receive the edict, "Why aren’t you kneeling down!"
Stumbling, Master Wang collapsed to his knees, his eyes staring blankly at Eunuch Lin.
Eunuch Lin, however, was indifferent. He quickly held up the edict and cleared his throat, "Listen here, Wang Dezong! You dared to present a counterfeit grape wine to the Emperor. Such deception is a serious defiance, an unpardonable crime!"
Master Wang nearly dropped to the ground in disbelief, "How can my grape wine be a forgery?!"
Eunuch Lin sneered, "Master Wang, you’re incredibly skilled. You had the audacity to send two carts full of fake wine into the palace. This wine, within two days of delivery, began to spoil and even smell bad! Regardless, you had the gall to send it into the palace. Business has been doing so well for you these years, Master Wang, your nerve has clearly grown! The Emperor is now not even in your consideration!"
Master Wang was shocked beyond words, crying in fright, "How could it be? How could it be? This wine, this wine is clearly... "
"Clearly what?" Eunuch Lin chuckled coldly, "The Emperor doesn’t care about your justifications. If it weren’t for the Wang family’s decade-long service as royal merchants, how could this opportunity have been given to you? Who knew you would not behave yourself and pull such a blatant trick? The Emperor, outraged, smashed the pots of grape wine on the spot, and even announced he would exterminate the Wang family!"
All members of the Wang family paled in fright, their faces draining of colour.
"Your Majesty, please have mercy!" Lady Wang broke the silence with a shrill cry, clutching at Eunuch Lin’s robe desperately, as if on the verge of weeping herself to death.
Eunuch Lin coldly stepped back and brushed off Lady Wang’s hand, stating, "But the Emperor is merciful, for the Wang family has supplied wine, fruits and vegetables for the royal family for many years, not to mention our long-standing relationship. Hence, the crime of family extermination will be forgiven."
However, the truth was different. The Emperor disliked the Wang family and wanted to punish them severely for their blatant deceit. But considering his shaky political foundation and the need to appease the people, he decided not to be too rash, lest he was criticized. That’s why he let the Wang family off this time.
However, just when the Wang family was planning to heave a sigh of relief, Eunuch Lin continued, "But, while you may escape a death sentence, you won’t escape a life sentence! The Emperor decreed that the Wang family’s royal merchant title be revoked, cut off all business supplies to the palace, and more! The eldest and second sons of the Wang family, Wang Zhao and Wang Yang, are stripped of their official positions. The Wang family, all its members are banned from any official position for life!"
Master Wang had a knot in his chest, almost dying from suffocation, his face reddened, he grunted a few times, his eyes rolled back and he passed out on the spot.
Lady Wang was left screaming on the floor, "This is going to be the death of our family! Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please spare us one more time!"
The only two royal officials of the Wang family were dismissed, the Wang family’s royal merchant title was taken away, and their status collapsed to that of common business owners in Lian’an Town. Their grandeur lasted all but a quick moment before it blew past.
Master Wang couldn’t breathe from the bitterness!
The atmosphere in the Wang family was deadly, cries for doctors, cries to heaven, cries entreating mercy, a depressing chaos ensued.
However, those outside knew little about what was happening within the Wang family. For example, the Ji family had just extravagantly bought a mansion in town along with some servants and land. They were having the happiest time of their lives.
Lady Ding counted the remaining silver in her hand and couldn’t help but say, "Money gets spent so quickly, everything purchased leaves us with nothing. You should go to Master Wang’s place again today to get some more money. Last time we asked for too little, I regretted it! Grape wine is such a valuable thing, it can’t be sold for just 800 taels. This time, we must ask for more money."
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