Chapter 460 Are You Not Happy?
Xiao Muheng looked gloomy and asked Liu Anyao: "What did my father-in-law say?"
When Liu Xiang was mentioned, Liu Anyao's expression froze slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"As soon as you got into trouble, I returned to the Liu Mansion overnight, wanting my father to plead for you, but my father told you to take good care of your injuries, make money, and wait for the opportunity." Liu An Yao frowned.
His father is their only hope now. If they don't even save him, Xiao Muheng will never be able to turn things around.
The more Liu Anyao thought about it, the angrier she became, and she didn't sleep well the whole night.
She thought Xiao Muheng would be even more panicked after hearing what his father said.
But when Liu Anyao looked at Xiao Muheng, she saw that his face was grim. He was not at all flustered as she thought. Instead, he was lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
Xiao Muheng: "I know what the Prime Minister means."
Liu Anyao was stunned: "What does my father mean?"
How could she not know?
Xiao Muheng glanced at Liu Anyao, thought about it, and felt that husband and wife are one. Since the Prime Minister has not completely given up on him, Liu Anyao is a bridge between him and Prime Minister Liu, and he should let her know what to do in the future.
"The emperor has punished me by not allowing me to serve as an official in the court, but I have no chance during his reign. If the second prince ascends the throne, it will be my time to return to the officialdom, so my father-in-law asked me to wait for the right opportunity. The second prince wants to compete for the position of crown prince, and in addition to connections and power, the most important thing he cannot do without is money."
When Liu Anyao heard that Xiao Muheng could return to the officialdom after the Third Prince ascended the throne, her eyes lit up, and then she said worriedly: "But the emperor fined us 10 million taels of silver. Although it is not to the point of bankruptcy, the Xiao family is also seriously injured."
No longer as prosperous as before.
Xiao Muheng's heart was bleeding, but if he did not obey the emperor's order, he would only have to wait to lose his head.
The people who harmed him had set him up with a death trap, where he would either lose his life or have his heart gouged out.
Power and money, all gone now.
"If you lose money, you can earn it again." Xiao Muheng almost vomited blood when he said this.
This is easier said than done, but only he knows how difficult it is to do.
But now he can only rely on money to help him turn things around.
If he could help the second prince become the emperor, he would be a great hero. But if he couldn't even provide money, he would soon become a useless person.
How could Xiao Muheng be content with a mediocre life?
Liu Anyao nodded, not quite understanding what was going on, and her irritable mood improved a little.
She still has hope of turning things around.
"Then you should take good care of your injuries first, sir."
Xiao Muheng endured the pain from his back and said, "The emperor ordered me to come up with 10 million taels within three days. You have to work harder today and check the account books to see how much cash you can get."
Liu Anyao nodded with an unpleasant expression: "What if there is not enough left?"
"Call the shopkeepers here, I will discuss with them and first withdraw the liquid funds from the shops and then sell a few shops."
Don't tell him who wants to harm him, he will definitely skin that person alive to vent his hatred.
The towering palaces rise and fall, and the golden glazed tiles shine brightly in the sun.
In the morning, the princes went to the Cining Palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, and then had lunch at their respective mothers' homes. In the evening, there was a palace banquet.
The second prince came with his second queen and two concubines, the third prince came with his principal wife and Chen Ruijin, the fifth prince came with a concubine, and the seventh prince and Chu Jinyan were alone.
The Sixth Princess had just given birth to a child and was still in confinement, so she was unable to enter the palace, and her husband also waited until the palace banquet in the evening to come.
After sitting in the Cining Palace for a while, everyone dispersed.
Because the Seventh Prince's biological mother died early and there was no concubine to raise him, he went to Jingren Palace after leaving Cining Palace. He was about to invite Chu Jinyan to go with him, but as soon as he walked out of the Cining Palace, he was called away by the eunuch serving in Qianqing Palace.
Needless to say, it must be Emperor Chengde who ordered people to wait in the Cining Palace.
Watching Chu Jinyan's figure going away, Chu Yici curled his lips in jealousy and said sourly: "Father really dotes on my eighth brother. I can see him in the evening, but he actually called him alone now."
The only response he got was the whistling cold wind.
Chu Yici glared at his eunuch with gritted teeth: "I'm asking you a question, are you dead?"
The eunuch's mouth twitched slightly, and he said, "Your Highness is absolutely right."
Chu Yici: “…”
What should I do if I really want to replace such a perfunctory eunuch?
He took a few deep breaths, then went to Jingren Palace with a dark face, and the young eunuch hurriedly followed him.
In the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Emperor Chengde was standing in front of a desk with a scroll of painting spread out on the table, and he was admiring it with a smile on his face.
"Your son pays homage to His Majesty, Father." Chu Jinyan stood in the hall, bowed respectfully and said.
His handsome features were as cold as the wind outside the palace.
Emperor Chengde looked at him and waved at him: "Come, take a look at this painting of rivers and mountains from the previous dynasty. Wow, it's an authentic one."
There was a floor heater burning in the hall, and it was warm as spring.
Chu Jinyan untied the fox fur coat on his body, and a palace maid immediately came forward to take it, and then he walked forward.
"Where did it come from?"
"That old fox Liu Sheng sent it."
Chu Jinyan raised his eyebrows slightly: "Plead for his son-in-law?"
"That's not what I said." Emperor Chengde shook his head: "But sending someone to deliver this painting to the palace clearly shows that it's good, and that's almost what I meant."
Chu Jinyan lowered her eyes, a faint light flashed in her eyes: "So for a painting, you plan to let Xiao Muheng off easily?"
Emperor Chengde sneered, "My words are golden. How can I go back on my word after the imperial decree has been issued? Don't I want to save face? Since he didn't say anything, I will pretend that I didn't see it. I want to see if he dares to plead for that bastard in front of me."
So in the end it’s just because of face?
"Are you happy to get ten million taels?" Chu Jinyan suddenly asked.
"Ahem..." Emperor Chengde choked and raised his head to glare at his son resentfully: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Chu Jinyan glanced at Emperor Chengde indifferently, and then clasped his fists and bowed without any sincerity: "Your son apologizes to the emperor."
Emperor Chengde was stunned: "...What did you do wrong?"
"The fire in the Imperial College was set by Sheng Xian, your son."
Emperor Chengde's mind suddenly buzzed, and everything went blank. He stared at Chu Jinyan in a daze.
What did he just hear?
The fire was set by his beloved son.
Emperor Chengde stroked his forehead weakly, with a look of despair on his face.
My late emperor, do you think that I have been living too comfortably, so you sent this little bastard to torture me physically and mentally?
Emperor Chengde pointed at Chu Jinyan with a shaking finger, and was so angry that he couldn't speak clearly.
"You...you...you...you are crazy. For Xiao Muheng, you actually dared to set fire to the Imperial College. Aren't you afraid of causing unmanageable consequences?"
"No, I picked the most central school. If it's destroyed, I can rebuild it. This not only slaps Prime Minister Liu in the face, but also prevents Prime Minister Liu's son-in-law from entering the court again. Then Xiao Muheng drains the Xiao family's assets to pay compensation, which not only fills the national treasury but also increases the income for your father's private treasury. Not to mention the previous points, the money goes into my own pocket in the end. Wouldn't your father be happy?"
He was not acting rashly or without regard for the consequences.
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