In Hesheli's view, the social hierarchy was scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with merchants having the lowest status. Therefore, Hesheli did not consider what he did to be a big deal.
Tong Guowei continued, "Do you know that today in court, almost all the censors are impeaching me for not managing my household properly, saying that our Tong family has a corrupt reputation and that's why we married someone like you who competes with the people for profit. Do you know that what you've done violates the laws of the Qing Dynasty..."
After Tong Guowei finished speaking, Hesheli was truly stunned. She hadn't thought it was a big deal, so how could such a huge mistake have occurred?
"Sir, it's not that serious... is it?" Her voice trailed off.
Hesheli was also frightened.
Tong Guowei glared at her: "Do you think this is serious or not? Today, almost all the censors in the court were asking me if your family was starving and you were short of food and clothing, which is why they made you do this kind of thing."
Hesheli asked again, "Master, this won't have any effect on you, will it?"
She still knew what she had to rely on: her own family was unreliable, so she could only rely on her husband's family.
Do you think it will have any impact?
"Then, sir, what should we do now? I know I was wrong, I really do."
She was just a stay-at-home woman, without any extraordinary abilities or wisdom, only some cleverness. Now it seems that it was this cleverness that ruined her.
Seeing her like this, Tong Guowei was furious at her lack of self-control: "If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? Why didn't you think about whether you should have done it or not when you did it? Why didn't you discuss it with me?"
"Isn't it because I was afraid you wouldn't agree?"
"You guessed I would disagree. Why would I disagree? If it were a good thing, would I disagree? You don't even know how to think before you act."
"My lord, I truly know I was wrong."
With a sigh, Tong Guowei said, "Let's wait and see what His Majesty decides."
Empress Hesheli then said, "His Majesty is your own nephew, surely he wouldn't do anything to me, would he?"
She was, after all, Emperor Kangxi's maternal aunt. It's not so heartless to punish her for the sake of a few merchants!
Tong Guowei glared at her but didn't say anything. He was indeed thinking that something was wrong with this matter. He, who was his bedmate, didn't know what Hesheli had done, and it hadn't been long. Moreover, she wasn't the only one who had done this. But judging from the censor's attitude, it seemed like it was done intentionally.
"You stay in the yard and reflect on your actions. You are not allowed to go out again without my permission. As for the affairs of the backyard, leave them to the eldest son's wife."
Hearing this, Hesheli could only accept it, as she was in the wrong!
"Yes, sir."
If this matter affects the Tong family's fortunes, her future will be even more difficult. She only hopes that this matter can be minimized and resolved quickly. She really won't dare to do it again.
Tong Guowei spoke for a while and then left for his study in the front yard. He was still angry and couldn't concentrate on official business. At this moment, Longkodo came over.
"Father, I just heard that you have confined Mother to her quarters. What happened?"
Nothing major happened in the manor. Hesheli had given birth to several good children and held a high position in the manor. It was unusual for her to be confined to her quarters. Longkodo felt that something was wrong and came over to inquire about the situation.
Longkodo was one of Tong Guowei's favorite sons, so when Tong asked him about it, he didn't hide it from him.
"Your mother... that's how it is."
"Father said that one of the people Mother is dealing with lives near the garden His Majesty is going to build?"
Tong Guowei knew quite a bit about this matter. He was being "scolded" in various ways by the censors in court. He was fairly familiar with who Hesheli was and what she did to him.
"That's right."
"What was that person's name, Father? Do you remember?"
Tong Guowei was taken aback when he heard this. Could it be that the person really had some kind of background? But he hadn't heard of any new, untouchable figures emerging in the capital!
"I think her surname is You, but I've forgotten her given name."
Longkodo now understood why his mother had been impeached.
“Father, have Mother prepare gifts and personally go to apologize to that young master You.”
Tong Guowei was puzzled upon hearing this: "What's going on? That man surnamed You is just a businessman." Even if they were in the wrong, they shouldn't have come to apologize in person!
“That young master You is indeed just a businessman, but he has a very close relationship with His Majesty. I saw with my own eyes that His Majesty treats Mr. You more like a brother.”
Tong Guowei was shocked to hear this. If that was the case, then his wife's impeachment was not unjustified. It would be good if the reason could be found, but he was afraid that the reason could not be found.
"You're in charge of preparing the gifts. By the way, you should know that Young Master You, right?"
"We exchanged a few words."
"Yes, you can go with your mother then."
"good."
"Remember to be sincere."
It's obvious that this was His Majesty's idea, and it's just that his wife was unlucky to have offended someone she shouldn't have.
From beginning to end, neither the father nor the son truly reflected on their wrong behavior; instead, they felt unlucky to have offended someone they shouldn't have.
Without Hesheli's interference, Sangzhu also found people, and Youqing began to have people take care of the farmland. Using the same fertilizer formula, while the people from the Ministry of Works nearby were busy building gardens, Youqing had even more people on her side, working hard to cultivate and fertilize the land.
Everyone's busy now.
"Master, Madam Tong has arrived with the Third Young Master Tong, and they have brought many gifts."
Why did she come here?
"I reckon they've come to apologize. I asked Sister Chengying, and a few days ago in court, the censor brought up Madam Tong's matter, which made Lord Tong lose face."
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