After finishing the fried vermicelli at the stall, Su Wen went to the patrol office.
The reason he specially made a trip was because he learnt yesterday that Emperor Zhou had already dealt with the matters of the Patrol Office.
The Patrol Office was about to welcome a new sky, a new reign. As expected, Su Wen saw Sun Wei the moment he entered the gate.
He had an expression of distress.
When he caught sight of Su Wen, Sun Wei hurriedly went forward and said in a low voice, "Lord Su, the Royal Censor has already given us an order. Everyone has to return the benefits we stole! If we don't return them, we'll be thrown into prison and serve an equivalent sentence to what we've taken; even if we return the benefits, we'll still be stripped of our duties and will never be hired again! What should we do now?"
Su Wen raised his eyebrows. This was the final punishment Emperor Zhou was going to give them? With so many people affected, his methods were considered harsh.
After all, many things were not decided by the will of the subordinates. They had no say nor power to sway the decisions of the higher ups.
IBut with this punishment, it would seem like the entire Patrol Office's roster would be shuffled to welcome a totally new batch of
people.
Yan Luoying was really going to be busy now!
Su Wen patted Sun Wei's shoulder and said with a smile, "This is such an important matter, so it's already considered an act of magnanimity by the law for you to keep your heads.
Furthermore, I've also heard that you only need to refund half of the spoils! As long as you have not squandered them freely, it shouldn't be a problem!"
Sun Wei smiled bitterly. Returning the benefits was not difficult, but no one wanted to lose their job!
In this day and age, people in the public sector were considered superior to others in public.
"Lord Su, please look at this matter and see if there's still a chance to turn this around. I'm willing to return the benefits, but I don't want to lose this job. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please don't look down on it."
As he spoke, Sun Wei took out a stack of banknotes from his chest pocket. This was nearly all of his wealth after he returned the money.
Su Wen took it and looked at it. It was about 10,000 taels. After returning half of the money and deducting his daily life expenses, for him to still have so much in savings showed that he had been pretty greedy all these years. However, to Su Wen, this amount of money was not enough for even his daily expenses. He stuffed it back into Sun Wei's arms as he smiled. "This amount of money is enough for your retirement, why bother?"
Sun Wei helplessly said in a low voice, "This is quite a bit of money, but if I don't have a job, sooner or later I'll have nothing. No one will think too highly of me."
"How many years have you been here then?"
"Fourteen years!"
It had taken Sun Wei more than ten years to get from a mere soldier to the position of deputy garrison commander. However, it was indeed as difficult as ascending to the heavens if he wanted to be promoted once more. "Do you know everyone in the Eastern District?" Su Wen continued to ask.
Sun Wei was a little confused, not knowing what this young master was up to.
However, he still answered honestly, "How can I not be familiar with them? After so many years, I basically know everything like the back of my hand."
Su Wen looked around and said, "Okay, you go and return the money first, then wait for me at the Jade Cloud Teahouse."
Sun Wei was overjoyed and quickly left.
Su Wen continued to walk in, observing the panicked expressions of all the guards inside.
Many of the people present came and went in a hurry.
After entering, Su Wen realized that Yan Luoying was not around, thus he sat down first. After a period of time, Yan Luoying returned with a group of people!
These people quickly began to take over the positions of the original patrolling guards.
When she saw Su Wen, Yan Luoying pursed her lips and commented, "Oh? Why isn't Lord Su with Miss Yiyi?"
Su Wen smiled and said, "I heard that His Majesty has already dismissed all the guards in the Eastern District. I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to handle it, so I came to take a look. I'll go find her later!"
Yan Luoying's heart almost stopped.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Yan Luoying turn her head away, Su Wen asked with a smile, "What's with these people then?"
Although Yan Luoying was angry, she still explained, "This is under His Majesty's orders. We have just selected some useful people from the capital's military registry. While His Majesty has removed all of the people from the Patrol Office, he has in turn increased the salaries paid out to the guards, so many people are willing to apply. These people will take over and maintain security for now. If there are any unsuitable ones, we will restore them to their original positions and look for others. We have to get through this period first."
"Looks like you'll be busy these days!" Su Wen smiled.
Yan Luoying said sourly, "That's right. Who can compare to Young Master Su? He goes out with Sister Muyu today, and tomorrow, Miss Yiyi. The job at the Patrol Office is just like going to fish in the sun for three days but hanging out the nets for two of them. Meeting you is even harder than meeting His Majesty." "Don't worry, I still have something on. I'll take my leave first!" Su Wen smiled and left, leaving a flabbergasted Yan Luoying behind. She sighed helplessly and continued with her work.
Even though she was complaining, she still did not tell Su Wen to come in on time. She also did not say that Su Wen had to stay behind to take care of work. Instead, she took care of everything by herself.
To her, the toughest hurdle had already passed. The rookies she had transferred over were completely within her control.
The Jade Cloud Teahouse was not far from the patrol office, just around the corner. At this moment, on the second floor of Jade Cloud Teahouse, Sha Qinghe, Du Ping, and Wang Dalong were seated together.
Looking at the Patrol Office from afar, they could see many people walking out dejectedly. "Haha, these bastards have all been fired." "Serves them right. They've been bullying us all these years." "However, I have to say this to the two of you. Other than watching the show today, we have to agree on some things first. While we'll let our brothers take revenge on the guards, there cannot be any loss of lives. Let's see Su Wen's attitude first. After all, this guy is not to be trifled with!"
At the mention of Su Wen, the three of them had solemn expressions.
Gritting his teeth, Du Ping replied, "That fellow's background is tough, and he's vicious. Wen Jinming was killed by him, and if he really wants to deal with us, it's akin to crushing an ant. In the future, you guys have to be more careful when dealing with matters of the Eastern District. But we've already agreed that the brokerage business will be mine, while the underground prostitution and gambling dens belong to you guys!"
Although the Great Zhou Dynasty allowed human trafficking, brothels, and gambling dens, this kind of business was too profitable.
Thus, any sort of related business would require some form of approval and monitoring from the government. It was impossible for ordinary people to get involved.
However, there was no lack of darkness everywhere. These people from the gangs would secretly run some businesses that could not be approved to amass riches.
At this moment, Sun Wei also entered the teahouse and went upstairs.
As soon as he went up, he saw the trio seated there. Sun Wei's expression immediately changed and he turned around to go downstairs.
"Yo, isn't this Lord Sun?"
Du Ping stood up and shot forward, grabbing Sun Wei's arm.
Sun Wei said coldly, "What are you doing?" "Come and have a seat, have a seat!" Du Ping smiled as he dragged Sun Wei to the table. Looking at the three gang leaders in front of him, Sun Wei knew that he was going to be in trouble.
As expected, Du Ping grinned. "I heard that Lord Sun and the rest have been dismissed?"
"What does that have to do with you?" Sun Wei said coldly.
"How is it none of my business? This surnamed Sun, have you forgotten? Last year, you arrested 16 of my brothers! You even punished them one by one!" A vicious expression appeared on Du Ping's face as he whispered, "What's wrong? Do you want to just let such matters slide?".
Sha Qinghe also sneered and said, "That's right. That year, I just shipped a woman over, and before I even had a chance to taste it myself, I let you and that Wen Jinming take her away! You even punished me with two thousand taels of silver!"
Sun Wei clenched his teeth and said, "You're forcing a woman to be a prostitute!"
Sha Qinghe's eyes flashed with an ominous glint. "So what? Do you believe I'll kill your entire family sooner or later?"
Sun Wei was rendered speechless.
At this moment, a voice came from the staircase. "Kill the entire family? Good lord, I haven't seen a good show of this genre before!"
Su Wen walked up the stairs with Zhao Jin and Chu He behind him.
"Lord Su!" Sun Wei quickly stood up.
Behind him, the faces of the three gang leaders darkened.
Du Ping was the first to react. He immediately stood up and smiled. "So it's Lord Su. We were just joking with him."
Pa!
Zhao Jin stepped forward and slapped him. He cursed, "F*ck, do you think my young master is an idiot?"
Du Ping covered his face, but he did not dare to retort.
At this moment, Zhao Jin turned his head and instructed Chu He, "Do you see that? As a guard, we have to teach this kind of person who thinks he's smart and has a relatively low status. We can't let Young Master take action. We have to teach him a lesson ourselves!"
Chu He remained expressionless, as if he did not hear anything.
Su Wen sat down and looked around. There were no other customers on the second floor.
Sha Qinghe and Wang Dalong also stood up, before giving a bow. Su Wen smiled and said, "The three of you sure have guts. Sun Wei has just been stripped of his job and you're already thinking about his whole family?" Seeing that Du Ping was being beaten up, no one dared to play dumb. Sha Qinghe hurriedly said, "We were wrong. We didn't know that Lord Sun was under you, Young Master Su. We definitely won't do it again."
Pa!
Sha Qinghe was beaten up!
It was Chu He who had slapped him. It was the same slap that Du Ping had gotten!
Sha Qinghe's face immediately swelled up.
Feeling wronged, Sha Qinghe groaned, "I'm telling the truth!"
Chu He turned to look at Zhao Jin and asked coldly, "Sun Wei isn't Young Master's person, so that guy's determined to be smart. Is there a problem?"
Zhao Jin facepalmed and whispered, "Take a look first. Learn… don't try!"
"Got it." Chu He retreated to the side expressionlessly.
Only the aggrieved Sha Qinghe was left.
Su Wen smiled. "The new guard slipped his hand. Boss Sha won't mind, right?" Sha Qinghe endured the pain and smiled apologetically. "I don't mind! It's okay!"
Su Wen continued, "But what he said is right. Sun Wei is currently not my man, but I think he is not bad, so I plan to take him in as my subordinate. Although he is not part of the main family, he is still a servant of the Su family. Sun Wei, are you willing?"
Sun Wei quickly said, "This lowly one is willing!"
Sun Wei knew that he had to quickly find someone to cozy up to.
Furthermore, it would be even better if he could suck up to Su Wen. Su Wen turned to the three gang leaders and smiled. "The three of you sure have guts. You like to kill people's entire family, right? I'll let you guys know something today. If I find out that you dare to take revenge on any of these guards who have been expelled, I'll look for you. If you can't give me an explanation or a conclusion, I'll kill your entire family! Remember, it's your entire family. I don't care who did it, as long as I find out that someone is taking revenge on them and you don't have a reason, then your entire family will be gone!"
The trio's expressions changed drastically. This was too unreasonable! What Su Wen implied was that no matter who took revenge, even if it was not the three of them, so long as they did not know what was going on, they would be blamed. "Young Master Su… this… this is really making things difficult for us," Wang Dalong said.
Su Wen looked at him from the corner of his eyes and coldly said, "Then do you think it's not difficult for you to kill Sun Wei's entire family? Even if it's difficult, you have to do it for me! Otherwise, you can take all the scumbags under you and get out of the city!"
The three of them looked at each other in dismay. However, everyone knew that they could not win against him. Moreover, in front of Su Wen, they were nothing. "Got it. Young Master Su. Should we leave now?" Du Ping probed.
He did not want to stay here any longer. Su Wen glanced at the three of them from the corner of his eye and said, "There's one more thing. From today onwards, I don't care about your private businesses, but you have to remember a few of them. Firstly, regarding the brokerage business, you cannot steal, kidnap and snatch. It must be done willingly by both parties. If someone offers you a stolen good, you have to report it to the authorities immediately.
Secondly, it's the same for prostitution. If I find out that you're forcing a woman into prostitution, I'll show you my 'methods' to deal with you. Thirdly, regarding the gambling dens, you're not allowed to offer loans. These three are the rules I set for your business. If anyone breaks the rules, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Su Wen knew that there were many things that could not be put an end to.
This was an inevitable product of the times.
Even if he killed these three bastards, there would be new people coming up to replace them the next day. These private businesses could not be stopped.
However, at the same time, he could not allow them to do as they pleased. Otherwise, it would be a calamity for the commoners.
Du Ping, Sha Qinghe, and Wang Dalong's expressions changed drastically!
Once the rules were established, the amount of money obtained would be greatly reduced.
To put it bluntly, the brokerage business would allow them to earn the difference in the price they sold it for. However, if one were to steal, kidnap, or snatch, the profits would be completely different. If the product was stolen, the price sold would be much lower. It was the same for private prostitution.
Lending out loans were mostly about loansharking. With high interest and the help of the gang members, money would naturally roll in.
Su Wen's rule had cut off most of their funds.
However, since they were under the same roof, they had no choice but to lower their heads. In front of Su Wen, none of them dared to say no.
After hesitating for a while, the three of them nodded.
Su Wen continued, "Also, even if you guys follow the rules, don't look for me if you get caught by the patrol guards. I can't be bothered."
To put it bluntly, Su Wen would not give these people the free pass. At this moment, the trio's expressions changed again. Since they had to abide by the rules but could not be at ease, other thoughts immediately arose in their hearts. Su Wen smiled and said, "Don't panic. Since I cut off your path to wealth, I will also give you a new one. From tomorrow onwards, you can ask your subordinates to record all kinds of new information about the martial world and the capital every day. You can compile them and send them to Sun Wei.
As long as each piece of news is passable, I will give you ten taels of silver. But to be clear, if the news is repeated, whoever hands it over to Sun Wei first will be considered to have it."
The trio's eyes lit up.
After thanking him profusely, they took their leave.
After the three of them left, Sun Wei frowned and said, "Young Master, if you do this, I'm afraid these three people will deliberately come up a lot of useless information!"
This guy changed his character so quickly that he was already calling him Young Master.
Su Wen sneered and said, "That's why I said that you'll only get money if you get accurate information! As for whether the information is worth it or not, isn't it still up to you to decide? Besides, most of the news spread fast. How many information pieces do you think we need to accept so they can get enough money?" Sun Wei thought for a moment and said, "Actually, these people don't have much spare cash on hand. Although they do dirty business and earn money quickly, they have a lot of subordinates and their expenses are also high. If each person can earn around 1800 taels of silver a month, that should be enough."
"Then set 3,000 taels as the limit, and the sum given should average around 1,200 taels. You can decide the exact quota." Su Wen looked at Sun Wei and said, "You are also from the public sector, but now that you have been expelled, it is impossible for you to enter the sector again, so just follow me.
Also, you have been in the patrol office for many years. From these people who have been expelled, pick some who are smart and hardworking and follow you. This salary will be based on the salary of the current Patrol Office.
Every day, you will carefully choose the information you want, and then you will divide the information into categories and send the useful information to me. Also, you have to keep an eye on the business of these three people, so that they won't disobey my rules."
Su Wen's thoughts were simple. He needed information!
No matter what era it is, intelligence was always important.
He was even very sure that Su Changqing had his own source of information.
However, establishing his own intelligence network was not an easy task for Su Wen.
Because that would require too much manpower and would cost a lot.
However, these three gangs were different. They had all sorts of people and were very well-informed. Although most of the people they interacted with were people of low status, they could still obtain a lot of useful information.
Such information was useless to them but it might be useful to Su Wen.
This was also the reason why Su Wen paid a discount compared to normal intel gathering. Of course, the accuracy and authenticity of the information would be 'discounted' as well.
But it was better than nothing.
As for the guards, even though they were fired, Su Wen understood that many of them had no say in this matter.
To put it bluntly, if the officials above you asked you to collect money, who would dare not to?
After receiving it and sending it up, who wouldn't take the leftovers?
No one was a saint. They needed to feed their family.
Even though the entire office underwent investigation and was judged guilty of corruption, it didn't mean that these people could not be used.
At the very least, these people were familiar with the Eastern District.
They had their own sources where they could obtain information.
They were practically ready-made intel gatherers. "Yes, this subordinate understands." Sun Wei cupped his hands in salute.
He felt relieved. With Su Wen as his backer, no one would dare to take revenge on him.
After the three of them left the teahouse, Du Ping cursed, "What bad luck! How much money can we earn from this rule?"
Sha Qinghe laughed coldly. "What, you still dare to not follow? You might think you've lived long enough, but I haven't!" Du Ping replied, "Why don't we go somewhere else? Let's stay far away from this evil young master." "Hur hur." Wang Dalong ridiculed bluntly, "Do you really think that you're some kind of outstanding person who can do whatever you want wherever you go? With our skills, who do you think we are? It's already good enough that we have something to eat now. If this fellow really wants to take us down and frame us for some crimes, you and I will have to bear the consequences!"
Wang Dalong's eyes flashed with a glimmer of wisdom as he spoke. He then smiled and said, "Actually, there's also one benefit to this."
Du Ping sneered, "What benefits? That Su fellow's heart is so black that he wants us to follow the rules, but he doesn't even want to cover for our business. He's clearly saying that he won't care even if we're captured by the Patrol Office!"
Wang Dalong smiled and said, "It's true that he won't care if we get captured by the Patrol Office, but can the guards really find out where our secret places are? Especially these newcomers, how much do they know about the Eastern District?
Taking a step back, even if we get caught, there's no need for the three of us to take the blame. We'll at most lose some money. The advantage I'm talking about is that from today onwards, you and I will no longer have to worry about our territories getting stolen!"
"This Su Wen is an understanding person. He knows that private business cannot be banned. He wants us to act according to the rules and gather information for him. But if we are really destroyed, wouldn't his arrangements be wasted?"
"Therefore, if anyone really wants to extend their claws into our territory in the future, we will look for him! He definitely won't leave us in the lurch! Besides, isn't he here to collect intelligence? Let's do it well. Not only can we earn money, the better it is, the more this fellow values us. As time passes, we might even be able to succeed in asking him for assistance." Wang Dalong's eyes flashed with excitement.
It had to be known that the battles at the bottom level were also a bloody storm.
After hearing Wang Dalong's words, Sha Qinghe praised, "Dalong, you're indeed worthy your name[1]! Why didn't I think of that? If that's the case, we might have some
gains."
After calming down and seriously pondering, Du Ping's thoughts changed and he excitedly said, "If that's the case, then it's pretty good. Let's save up for a few years and try to get closer to that Su fellow. If he agrees, then we might be able to send our sons to the government and get an official position. At that time, we might be able to make a comeback!"
The lower class had their own schemes.
They naturally did not have the courage to fight with Su Wen.
Su Wen initially thought that they would only agree with him on the surface, but in the end, Su Wen did not expect that these people would actually come up with the idea of cozying up to him!
Su Wen also came out of the teahouse. Sun Wei bid farewell to him and went to settle his own matters. There were many things that he needed to do, such as contact his past subordinates and also set up a residence as a place to gather information.
Meanwhile, Su Wen stretched his back as he got onto the carriage.
He still had to go to the palace. After all, the Emperor had just asked the Seventh Princess to call for him yesterday. If he were to sneak away again, Emperor Zhou would really get furious this time.
"This emperor is too petty. Can't I have something to do? Is he happy, chaining me to the palace every day?"
Thinking about how he was going to spend another boring afternoon, Su Wen couldn't help but curse.
In the royal palace, Su Wen met up with Emperor Zhou and bowed weakly. "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Zhou smiled. "Why? You don't like coming?"
"Like, I really love to come here," Su Wen said against his will.
"It's good that you want to come. Wanrou, you'll still be responsible for teaching him court etiquette today. His bow just now doesn't have any style at all. He still has to practice properly!"
Zhao Wanrou smiled lightly and replied, "Understood."
She then led Su Wen out of the main hall.
Emperor Zhou shook his head and said, "This Su Wen is overly mischievous. He is even more sly than Su Changqing when he was young."
As he spoke, he sank into his memories. "When I first met Changqing, he had cheated me of twenty taels of silver. But now, I can no longer return to that point."
As one got older, one tended to like reminiscing about the past. "Also, there recently seems to be a rumor that I am looking for Changqing to discuss the reconstruction of the Secret Shadow Guard. Who spread this?"
The old eunuch in the shadows shook his head as he replied. "I don't know. There are always many rumors floating in the imperial court."
Emperor Zhou frowned and said, "What's the benefit of spreading this rumor? Are you going to elevate Su Changqing and make me afraid? Or are they going to use this opportunity to set a trap for him and make him take the initiative to interfere in the matters of the Secret Shadow Guards? Or are they planning to make me reveal information about the Secret Shadow Guards?"
The old eunuch was silent. He couldn't guess just what those people behind the scenes wanted.
Emperor Zhou thought for a while and suddenly laughed. "It can't be that Su Changqing passed it on himself, right? I've already confiscated more than half of my family's wealth. He doesn't have any money to spend and thus wishes to accumulate wealth again?"
The old eunuch could tell that Emperor Zhou was joking. He also smiled apologetically and said, "That's possible. Recently, there have been quite a few people giving gifts again to Minister Su!"
Emperor Zhou was puzzled. "You said that Su Changqing is famous for accepting gifts but not doing anything. Why are these guys so shameless? Rushing to send him money?"
Emperor Zhou really could not figure this out. Instead, the old eunuch had some guesses. "Although Minister Su has always accepted gifts without doing anything, he has done a lot of things to deal with dissidents. Giving gifts might not necessarily be to ask him for help, but it should be to express goodwill as they are worried about the re-establishment of the Secret Shadow Guards. This can also allow them to ferret out any possible information."
That hypothesis sounded quite plausible. Even at this moment, there were still people queuing up to give Su Changqing presents at his doorstep. Su Changqing didn't avoid them. He left his gate wide open and he didn't refuse anyone. However, most of them couldn't even see Su Changqing. They just handed the list of gifts they were sending to the guards. In the eyes of the common people, Su Changqing's corruption had reached insane levels.
[1] Dalong also means great dragon
In Cloud Gazing Tower, Xie Yiyi gently held her cheeks.
Her eyes were fixed outside the window.
On the other side facing her, the Third Prince was talking to himself.
"Miss Yiyi, this capital's delicacies…"
Xie Yiyi answered without missing a beat.
But inwardly, she thought to herself, 'How boring.' Although the Third Prince was only proficient in cultivation, he was not a crude boor. After all, he came from the royal family and was rather polite in front of Xie Yiyi.
However, Xie Yiyi wasn't too interested in the topic he was talking about.
Xie Yiyi's thoughts involuntarily returned to that day. She thought of Su Wen's shameless and indolent appearance, and then she thought of the Eldest Imperial Prince's aggrieved expression, but his helplessness at the situation.
Although Xie Yiyi was at a loss when it happen, she couldn't help but let out a laugh when she thought about it.
This smile stunned the Third Prince.
"Miss Yiyi, is there anything funny about what I just said?" The Third Prince was confused.
Xie Yiyi hurriedly waved her hand and said, "No, no. I just thought of something interesting."
Third Prince said with a smile, "Then why don't you tell me, Miss Yiyi? Let me hear it too."
"This…"
"You idiot, she's clearly trying to get you to scram, why are you still being so serious?" At this moment, a figure appeared at the door. It was Su Wen.
The Third Prince turned around and frowned, "Who allowed you to come up?" Su Wen rolled his eyes. "What? Is this your house? Do I have to tell you that I'm here?"
As he spoke, he walked to the side of the table and sat down. He turned to Xie Yiyi and instructed, "I'm thirsty. Get me a cup of water."
He behaved as if it was only right and proper. Those who did not know would think that Su Wen was the owner of this place instead.
The Third Prince frowned even harder.
However, Xie Yiyi still went to get some water. After all, Su Wen was a guest and it was not overboard to get a cup of water.
She picked up the teapot on the table and gently filled it up before placing it in front of Su Wen.
Su Wen raised his head and said seriously, "I can't drink this water."
Xie Yiyi was taken aback. She couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
"Too sweet."
Xie Yiyi smiled. "Young Master Su, this is tea. There's no sugar inside."
"You're the one smiling too sweetly." Such mushy love words might have been commonplace and even awkward in the later generations, but to a girl like Xie Yiyi who had never heard of such things in this age, it sounded very interesting.
People, in particular, liked to be praised.
Xie Yiyi couldn't help but smile.
The Third Prince said angrily, "Su Wen, you are too impudent!"
Su Wen turned to look at the Third Prince and asked with a smile, "Isn't Miss Yiyi's smile sweet?"
Another loaded question.
If he said that it was sweet, how could he say that Su Wen was being impudent? However, if he said that it was not sweet, it would cause Xie Yiyi to be unhappy.
The Third Prince did not think too much and immediately replied, "Of course not…"
After saying those three words, he suddenly reacted. If he said that it wasn't sweet, would it not be equivalent to digging his own grave?
He forcefully turned back. "Of course not… for you to say! Miss Yiyi's smile is indeed very sweet, but you and I are both court officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty. We must abide by etiquette, so how can you say frivolous words?"
At this point, the Third Prince regained his senses. He had just praised Xie Yiyi for her sweet smile. Wasn't this also a frivolous phrase?
After all the twists and turns, he still ended up digging his grave!
As expected, Su Wen playfully said, "Your Highness, you seemed to have praised Miss Yiyi for her sweet smile as well."
"Hmph! Su Wen, you better not be so sharp-tongued. It's better for you to be more polite!" After saying that, he turned to look at Xie Yiyi and said in a deep voice, "Miss Yiyi, I still have something on. I'll take my leave first!"
The Third Prince could tell that if he continued to stay, he would not be able to gain any advantage from Su Wen. Seeing the Third Prince leave angrily, Su Wen picked up the cup on the table and took a sip. He smiled and said, "This child gets angry too fast."
Xie Yiyi stared at the cup in Su Wen's hand and asked, "Young Master Su, didn't you just say that Yiyi's smile was too sweet and you can't drink this? Why are you drinking it now?"
Su Wen chuckled and said, "Because there was an outsider here just now, I naturally had to be more reserved. Now that an outsider has left, I would like your sweetness to seep all the way into my heart." Xie Yiyi smiled. "Young Master Su, do you even know how to be reserved?"
The two of them started chatting.
In another room, Honorable Xie gritted his teeth. "This little rascal is full of frivolous words. He actually managed to make Yiyi happy!"
As Xie Yiyi's mother, she naturally knew that Xie Yiyi was truly happy, and not giving a fake smile.
However, she also realized that the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had not come for the past two days. Even their servants had not been dispatched.
Clearly, they had already withdrawn from the fight for Xie Yiyi.
On the other hand, the Third Prince was very diligent.
Initially, Xie Dajia thought that the three princes had come to an agreement because Su Wen never came back after that day. Xie Dajia also thought that Su Wen had also left.
However, Su Wen came again today and from his words, it was clear that he had no fear of the Third Prince.
At this moment, Xie Dajia realized that the Crown Prince and the Second Prince might not have come to an agreement with the Third Prince. After all, whether it was in terms of reputation or influence in the imperial court, the former two had no reason to give way to the latter.
"If Su Wen can make the Crown and Second Prince concede, it seems like Su Changqing's power is even greater than I imagined," Xie Dajia muttered to herself.
She actually didn't know much about the situation in the royal court. After all, for someone like her, the royal court was but a distant thing. In her impression, royal power was paramount, so she subconsciously set her sights on the princes. But now, it seemed like the difference between a prince and an emperor was too great.
She could also tell that Su Wen, the son of the Prime Minister, was truly fearless in front of any prince.
Most importantly, her main target, the Crown Prince, seemed to have withdrawn. Only the Third Prince was still hanging around. Just like what Su Wen said on the first day, whether a prince could ascend to the throne was the most important. If a prince couldn't become the emperor, he would at most remain as a prince.
And most of the princes were akin to idle Kings with no power nor positions. For a moment, Xie Dajia hesitated in her selection.
Choose to control Su Wen? Or the Third Prince?
This was the choice she needed to make at the moment.
But was this choice difficult to make? One was the current prime minister, with authority over the court, while the other was a prince whose future was uncertain.
From the looks of it, Su Wen seemed to fit her choice better.
On one hand, Su Wen and Xie Yiyi were chatting happily, and on the other hand, Xie Dajia was calculating. Time slowly passed in Cloud Gazing Tower.
By the time Su Wen left the Cloud Gazing Tower, it was already very late.
Chu He and Zhao Jin were waiting outside the building the whole time.
Upon returning to his residence, Ning Shuang came forward to report, "Young Master, Master is here. He has been waiting in the front hall for a long time."
"My father? What is he doing here? Is he giving me money?"
Su Wen immediately ran into the front hall.
Su Wen came to the front hall and saw Su Changqing seated quietly. "Father, why are you looking for me?" Su Changqing smiled and said, "Why? Can't I come and see my own son?"
Su Wen laughed dryly in response.
Su Changqing's expression gradually turned serious as he said, "The rumors have already spread. The Eldest and Second are currently having a wait-and-see attitude, but you don't have much time. You must take down that woman before the two of them discover the problem. Once the Secret Shadow Guard is established, the situation in the court will once again be in turmoil. Although my position is stable, my authority in certain matters may not be comparable to the Secret Shadow Guard."
Su Wen asked curiously, "Who is the commander of the Secret Shadow Guards?"
Su Changqing shook his head and said, "I don't know who it is exactly, but according to my deduction, it might be Si Tu."
"Situ? Only a surname and no name?"
"Surnamed Si, named Tu!" Su Changqing said with a distant gaze, "I haven't seen this guy for almost 20 years."
Su Wen frowned. "What's so special about this person?"
Su Changqing smiled. "He should be a Heaven Rank expert by now, right?"
"Huh?"
Looking at Su Wen's surprised face, Su Changqing started talking about Si Tu's background. "Thirty years ago, Si Tu was His Majesty's personal bodyguard and was one of His Majesty's most trusted people. However, in an accident that year, he lost a leg to protect His Majesty. At that time, His Majesty had yet to ascend the throne. For him, His Majesty knelt at the entrance of the previous emperor for three days and three nights without eating or drinking. The previous emperor was kind and made an exception to send him to the Martial Pavilion in the palace!" "In the early years, he could still be seen occasionally, but after that, all traces of him disappeared." "Initially, I thought that he was already dead. However, a few days ago, His Majesty unintentionally mentioned that this fellow's cultivation had broken through and should be coming out soon. Combined with the reconstruction of the Secret Shadow Guard, I'm guessing that this person should be the commander of the Secret Shadow Guards."
At this point, Su Changqing sighed and said, "The Secret Shadow Guard is a way for His Majesty to purge the government officials, deter the ministers of the court, and gather power.
Even if it was me, His Majesty would not allow me to interfere. The person in charge of the Secret Shadow Guard must be someone that His Majesty trusts absolutely. It's also best if they don't have any friendship with the court officials, lest they do things unfairly. This Si Tu is just right."
"Furthermore, in Si Tu's position, mere money and bribes would not be able to move his heart. It would also ensure the reliability of the Secret Shadow Guards. If it were someone else, they might end up like the current Royal Censor."
When Su Wen heard this, he smiled bitterly. "Then how is your relationship with him?"
"It's still passable."
"He won't investigate you, will he? Everyone knows about the news that you've been receiving a lot of gifts recently!"
Su Changqing was however confident, "His Majesty won't let him investigate me."
Su Wen touched his chin and said with a smile, "Father, speaking of this, have you gained a lot these two days?"
"Not too bad a haul." Su Changqing looked at Su Wen and asked curiously, "What do you want?"
"Since we're meeting… share half?"
"Scram!"
"This is… my home!"
Su Changqing couldn't be bothered with him and instructed, "Hurry up and make the best use of your time. The Third Prince is a stubborn donkey. Tomorrow, there will be someone playing out in the imperial court. We will use His Majesty's hands to suppress him a bit more."
Su Wen was overjoyed. On the morning of the second day, someone presented a memorial to the Zhou Emperor.
"Recently, the Third Prince has been going to Cloud Gazing Tower every day and has been staying there for half a day. It is unbecoming of the royal family to hang out with a showgirl. Please reprimand him, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Zhou immediately summoned the Third Prince!
In the end, the eunuch who was responsible for sending the decree found the Third Prince at the Cloud Gazing Tower.
By the time he arrived, two hours had passed.
Emperor Zhou looked at the Third Prince and asked coldly, "Why are you going to Cloud Gazing Tower everyday?"
When the Third Prince saw Emperor Zhou, he was like a mouse seeing a cat. The usual arrogance he had was gone as he knelt on the ground. After a while, he replied, "Lady Yiyi of the Cloud Gazing Tower is extremely beautiful. The first time I saw her, I was extremely fond of her and wanted to bring her into my residence!"
Emperor Zhou was apoplectic with rage!
"I have praised you for your diligence in martial arts in vain! Today, you wasted so much time on a woman! How can you achieve great things like this? You will be grounded for three days! Only when the Yan Country's diplomatic delegate arrives for the banquet will it then be canceled!"
"Yes!"
The Third Prince had no choice but to bow and accept the order!
After the court session, even when he had entered his royal chambers in the inner palace, the Zhou Emperor's anger had yet to dissipate. "The third is a useless piece of trash! She's just an artisan, if you like her, just send someone to bring her into the residence. How can you let someone send a memorial up to the court? Where should I put my face?"
That's right. Emperor Zhou was not angry because the Third Prince took a fancy to an artisan, but because the Third Prince had received a complaint sent in by someone in the royal court.
This made the haughty Emperor Zhou feel that he had lost face in front of the ministers.
"Go and check! What's up with this Yiyi who is selling her artistic talents!"
Under Emperor Zhou's command, the information was quickly delivered to Emperor Zhou.
Everything that had happened in the past few days was written clearly on it.
The more Emperor Zhou read on, the more he frowned. "Xie Dajia? Is she plotting against my sons?"
"The eldest and the Second have all retreated, but the Third Brother is still involved?"
Emperor Zhou closed the memorial and pondered for a while. Suddenly, he cursed out loud, "Su Changqing, this shameless person. He actually bothered to join in the fight between the younger generation for women?"
The old eunuch whispered, "Should we call Minister Su over?"
Emperor Zhou closed his eyes slightly and gritted his teeth. "Why do we need to call him over? To tell him that I fell for his trap? The third is also a real piece of work. Since you're not afraid of Su Changqing and have your eyes on that woman, you can just bring her straight into the residence. No matter what happens after that, you at least get to take her first before talking about love with her! Now that he has been grounded for three days, that Su Wen will definitely take advantage of the situation!" The old eunuch shook his head helplessly. If the Third Prince were to do this and be accused of kidnapping a commoner girl, wouldn't he as the Emperor have to mete out an even more severe punishment?
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Su requests an audience!"
The Zhou Emperor narrowed his eyes instantly!
Why was this fellow seeking an audience with him?
He currently had a bellyful of anger!
"Let him in!"
Su Changqing entered and greeted the Emperor. Emperor Zhou gritted his teeth and asked, "Why have you come to see me?"
Su Changqing didn't seem to notice the abnormality in Emperor Zhou's emotions. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I recently obtained a precious treasure and brought it to you for you to see if it's authentic!"
Emperor Zhou sneered and said, "What treasure? Can it be that you, Su Changqing, can't tell if it's real or fake? Your family's treasures are not any less than those in my palace."
"It's the Gray Cloud Crane Pine Painting from the former dynasty's Divine Brush Sword Immortal, Xu Maozhi!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhou's eyes widened. This treasure had extraordinary origins. Xu Maozhi started out as a famous painter. Later on, he stepped into the path of cultivation and wielded his brush as a sword. Thus, he was given the title of Divine Brush Sword Immortal. In his later years, he started to infuse his sword intent into his paintings, elevating them manifolds.
This Grey Cloud Crane Pine Painting was one of his works!
"Quickly show it to me!" Su Changqing waved his hand slightly, and two people carried a box into the hall.
He smiled and said, "The sword intent on this thing is too sharp. I have never practiced martial arts, so I can't touch it. It's hard to tell if it's authentic or a fake. Your Majesty, please take a look!"
At this moment, the duo took out the painting scroll and slowly pulled it open.
Su Changqing quickly ran to the old eunuch at the corner of the hall and said with a smile, "Please protect me." As soon as he finished speaking, sword intent shot into the sky!"
Sword intent soared unabated into the sky as the painting unfurled. A faint sword chime could be heard from the void.
Emperor Zhou's eyes shone brightly as he muttered, "This Gray Cloud Crane Pines Painting is majestic and imposing. It's filled with sword intent and has fused the sword intent into the brush strokes. It's truly a rare treasure. If I meditate on it, perhaps I can comprehend some of the essence of Xu Maozhi's sword intent from it. A treasure! A worthy treasure!"
Su Changqing, who was hiding behind the old eunuch, smiled and said, "Looks like this painting is real?"
"It's authentic! It's indeed a real piece. Whether it's the power of the brush or the sword intent, it can't be forged! I didn't expect Minister Su to have such a precious treasure!" Emperor Zhou looked at Su Changqing and said with a smile.
Su Changqing quickly said, "This was brought back from the Southern Ocean a few days ago by the trade caravan. I don't know how this treasure ended up in the ocean, but this time, I'm not sure if it's authentic or fake, so I brought it here for Your Majesty to see. However, since it's real, why not leave it in the palace? After all, I don't cultivate martial arts, so I can't look at it at home. It's useless to keep it here, and it'll only attract attention. Your Majesty, please show mercy to me and take this into the palace!"
The old eunuch looked at Emperor Zhou and saw a hint of joy in his eyes. It was obvious that Emperor Zhou was very satisfied with Su Changqing's performance. He sighed to himself. This Su Changqing could be said to have truly mastered how to placate the Emperor.
"Alright, since this thing is making things difficult for you, I will accept it!"
Emperor Zhou waved his hand and the painting scroll closed. Someone came up to take away the painting.
After everyone left, Su Changqing returned to the front of the Zhou Emperor and knelt down. He kowtowed and said, "I have sinned. Your Majesty, please punish me!"
A hint of amusement flashed in the eyes of Emperor Zhou. "What crime have you committed?"
Su Changqing said in a deep voice, "These few days, I have been spreading rumors in the imperial court, saying that Your Majesty has summoned me to discuss the matter of the Secret Shadow Guards. Actually, I want to use this matter to help Su Wen fight for Miss Yiyi against the three princes! Your Majesty, please punish me!"
Emperor Zhou laughed coldly and said, "You really love your son. You even helped him to plan this!"
Even though he was displeased, he felt much better in his heart instead. It was like this most of the time. A superior wasn't afraid that his subordinate would have some thoughts, but if his subordinate took a superior to be an idiot, then it would be a completely different matter.
Although Su Changqing had given Emperor Zhou his favorite gift today, it was impossible for him to just get off scot free just like that.
On the contrary, if he had just given the gift and left, he would make the Zhou Emperor think that he was brushing him off with a mere gift!
Could it be that a subject could do something that the emperor did not like, but in private settling it with a gift? Then did the word Emperor even mean?
Su Changqing's attitude of seeking forgiveness made Emperor Zhou much more relieved.
Su Changqing explained, "The reason why this subject is like this is not entirely because of my son! That Miss Yiyi is inextricably linked to that Xie Dajia. As for her, this subject knows of her origins and that she has a martial background. His Majesty even had the Martial Inspectorate monitor her movements. For such a person to attempt to send a woman to the prince's side, there must be a motive! The three princes are young. If they really bring this woman into the residence, they might fall into some strange trap. We have to guard against it!"
"I was just thinking about how to deal with this matter when my son begged me again and again. My heart softened and I agreed to lend him a hand. This can also be considered as putting an end to the ambitions of Xie Dajia!"
Emperor Zhou smiled. "Aren't you afraid that something will happen to Su Wen?" Su Changqing said righteously, "It is a fortunate thing for a minister to suffer calamity on behalf of his master! The three princes may be the future masters of Great Zhou, and we cannot afford to lose them. If my son really suffers calamity because of this, it will be considered a meritorious deed for Great Zhou!"
Emperor Zhou pondered for a moment and waved his hand. "Forget it! Let this matter pass like this! However, I think Su Wen and Yan Luoying's marriage is still not suitable. This Su Wen is a lustful person and in a short period of time, he has already taken in two concubines consecutively. Yan Luoying is getting betrothed due to her merit after all.
Last time, she rejected the marriage because Su Wen took in that prostitute from the brothel. This time, Su Wen is going to marry someone who sells her artistic talents. This is not appropriate. However, Changqing, don't worry. I will not mistreat this child Su Wen. I see that he and Wanrou have been very close recently and the two of them are quite compatible. When his engagement with Yan Luoying is annulled, I will bestow the Seventh Princess to him!"
Su Changqing lowered his head, understanding flashing across his eyes.
As expected, Emperor Zhou already wanted to cancel the engagement between Su Wen and Yan Luoying "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!" Su Changqing's eyes were full of gratitude as he said," Your Majesty loves him like your son, I… I am very grateful…"
As he spoke, two drops of tears even rolled down his cheeks!
Emperor Zhou was very satisfied and immediately ordered, "Pass the decree, let Yan Luoying enter the palace!"
Not long after, Yan Luoying entered the palace.
Upon seeing Emperor Zhou, Yan Luoying bowed. Emperor Zhou smiled and said, "Luoying, I summoned you to the palace because I have something to tell you."
As he spoke, he glanced at Su Changqing, who was beside him, then turned his head and said, "Minister Su here told me something interesting today about Su Wen. He has taken a fancy to this dancer Miss Yiyi, and wants her to become his concubine. I've thought about it. This Su Wen is indeed a little too frivolous."
Yan Luoying looked indifferent as she said softly, "Didn't Your Majesty say last time that it's not a big deal to be a lustful youth?" Emperor Zhou: "???"
Su Changqing: "??????"
Both of them were smart people, so they could tell that something was off with just one sentence!
Emperor Zhou frowned slightly and said, "But there must be a limit to everything."
Yan Luoying replied, "There's only two concubines, it's not considered much. The Great Zhou Dynasty has always been like this. Even a landlord in the countryside has four or five concubines, let alone Su Wen who is the son of the prime minister!"
Emperor Zhou looked at Yan Luoying, whose face was calm as she said these words. He felt that things were getting more and more wrong. He planned to cut to the chase.
He smiled and said, "But didn't you tell me last time that you don't want to marry Su Wen? I also feel that the two of you are indeed not on good terms. I have already discussed this marriage with Minister Su. As long as you agree today, I will cancel the engagement for you. You can choose any of the descendants of the capital's nobility!"
Yan Luoying looked up at Emperor Zhou and clenched her fists.
The opportunity to annul the engagement was right in front of her.
Should she… annul… the engagement?
Yan Luoying felt that her heart was being squeezed.
That bastard always had a wicked smile on his face. His eyes lit up whenever he saw a beauty.
He was even clamoring for concubines.
At this moment, she was also unclear about her relationship with that annoying Wu Muyu. But now, Yan Luoying felt her heart ache at the thought of having nothing to do with this bad guy.
These days, because she was worried about her gains and losses, she became more hesitant in some of her actions.
The atmosphere in the hall turned somewhat stagnant.
Emperor Zhou remained quiet, only staring at Yan Luoying. Finally, she opened her mouth, "I feel that this marriage… doesn't need to be changed!" Yan Luoying's eyes flashed with relief and she straightened her back. The moment she spoke, it meant that she had made her decision!
There would not be any more hesitation or regret on her part!
The palace hall turned silent like the deep waters.
Su Changqing looked down and wisely chose to remain silent. Emperor Zhou frowned. The corners of his eyes twitched, but no one knew what he was thinking
Yan Luoying's words were beyond their expectations.
This was especially so for Emperor Zhou. He didn't understand why Yan Luoying, who hated Su Wen and didn't want to get married, had changed in just a few days.
Was she interested in the Su family's power?
Or did Su Changqing do something here?
However, he would never have thought that this was how things were sometimes. For matters of the heart, a man and a woman could change their relationship through one sentence of one event.
After thinking for a while, Emperor Zhou stared at Yan Luoying and said slowly, "What if I say that I have decided to annul this marriage?"
Yan Luoying knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the ground. She said, "Although Yan Luoying is not from a scholarly family, she knows shame. Her heart now already belongs to Su Wen, and she will not tolerate anyone else. If Your Majesty wants to change my engagement partner, I would rather die!" She raised her head and looked at Emperor Zhou with determination. Anyone could tell she wasn't just speaking empty words.
"You… alright, step down. This marriage will continue like this for now. If you want to change your marriage… you can come and find me anytime!" Emperor Zhou was naturally unwilling to force Yan Luoying to die.
That was all he could say.
Yan Luoying immediately left. After she left, Emperor Zhou yelled at Su Changqing, "Tell me! Did you do something to make Yan Luoying change her mind?"
Su Changqing immediately replied in a wronged tone, "I didn't, I really didn't do anything this time!"
The old eunuch also opened his mouth to persuade, "Your Majesty, according to this old servant, Yan Luoying didn't seem to be faking it just now. It seems like she really is in love with Young Master Su!"
With a third party persuading him. Emperor Zhou finally calmed down a little. He recalled Yan Luoying's expression and grudgingly agreed with the old eunuch.
But he was still very angry! This feeling of things being out of his control was not a nice feeling! Yan Luoying was too stubborn!
But he knew he needed someone like that.
He looked at Su Changqing from the corner of his eyes and said angrily, "You old brat, you allowed Su Wen to fool around with women too much. How many days has it only been? He's certainly not idling around. On one hand he's going after Miss Yiyi, and on the other he managed to seduce Yan Luoying to the point that she is hell-bent on having him. His ability to fool around with women is impressive!"
Su Changqing knew that he was unhappy and needed an outlet to vent his anger. He did not defend himself and immediately knelt on the ground, shouting, "This subject is guilty! This subject has failed to teach my son properly and caused trouble for Your Majesty!"
Emperor Zhou gritted his teeth and said, "Let's do this first. Young people want something fresh every day. Perhaps after seeing so many young heroes in the capital, she will eventually change her mind!"
Su Changqing stole a glance at him and said in a low voice, "Then Your Majesty… about Her Highness Seventh Princess… what should we
do?"
Emperor Zhou's eyes were lifeless as he muttered, "That's right, there's also my daughter… Seventh Princess… What should I do… how would I know what to do? Get lost, get lost quickly! I'll order you to go back and give Su Wen ten slaps! Let him know how powerful he is!"
The barest hint of amusement could be seen in Su Changqing's eyes as he bowed. "Yes! I will go back and discipline my dog son now!"
As Su Changqing retreated, Emperor Zhou closed his eyes.
Yan Luoying suddenly changing her mind was as good as disrupting his entire plan.
"What do you think we should do?" Emperor Zhou asked the old eunuch.
The old eunuch wryly smiled. Who knew what to do about this matter?
Yan Luoying was determined to die if forced to marry someone else, so they definitely could not force their way through with the current plan. However, the Seventh Princess was, after all, a member of the royal family. Under the control of the emperor these few days, she was very close to Su Wen. Seeing that they had already developed feelings for each other, although the royal family was heartless, they were still humans after all. It was not like they did not possess any familial ties.
"This old slave does not know…"
The eunuch chose to keep his mouth shut. After all, it didn't matter how he dealt with the situation. Someone would end up being hurt.
Emperor Zhou opened his eyes and asked, "Is Wanrou in the palace today?"
"She went out early…"
"Where did she go?"
"I believe she should be at Su Wen's residence. Princess Wanrou is only familiar with very few people outside the palace…."
When he heard this news, Emperor Zhou wished he could slap himself. Why did he have to let the Seventh Princess come into contact with Su Wen first?
But that was not what he was more concerned about.
He calmed himself down and narrowed his eyes. "Let Wanrou continue to interact with Su Wen first. I will think of a way to get some young heroes from the capital to get acquainted with Yan Luoying. I don't believe that Su Wen and Yan Luoying have a stronger relationship than gold."
The old eunuch replied. "Perhaps Young Master Su doesn't want to marry Miss Yan. If he were to cancel the marriage…"
Emperor Zhou sneered and said, "From the looks of it now, that brat is just a little lecher. With Yan Luoying's looks, would a lecher not want to marry her? Knowing him, he'll probably choose to marry her so he can use her whenever he feels like it.
Taking a step back, even if this brat really doesn't want to marry Yan Luoying, from the looks of Yan Luoying's attitude today, if Su Wen were to mention breaking off the engagement, she would still choose to kill herself. Even if she doesn't die and the marriage is annulled, she might still hate me in her heart. How can I be at ease letting her lead troops into battle in the future?"
"Using people also means using their hearts. If you can't subdue their hearts, how can you use them as you wish? I didn't force Su Wen to marry her back then because I had such considerations. Now, I can't forcefully break them up! I have to use a gentler method!"
Emperor Zhou sighed.
While he was racking his brains, Su Wen was also busy at home.
Zhao Wanrou was currently at his residence, but so was Wu Muyu!
The two of them entered the courtyard one after another. They were both rather surprised to see each other there.
After all, the two knew each other.
Zhao Wanrou was the older one, thus she took the initiative and smiled, "Little Sister Muyu, why are you here?"
Wu Muyu smiled. "Brother Su has been working very hard recently. In addition, Sister Yan is busy with work and has no time to take care of Brother Su, so I made some lotus seed porridge and made some pastries for him to try."
Zhao Wanrou wasn't stupid. What kind of women had she not seen in the palace?
The moment the latter explained herself, she knew that this lady had already taken a liking to Su Wen.
Zhao Wanrou frowned slightly. She did not care how many concubines Su Wen had, but the problem was that Su Wen was not the emperor!
Wu Muyu and Yan Luoying were both daughters of the nobility, while she was a princess from the royal family. Within the three of them, only one was able to openly wed Su Wen and have the title as his official wife!
Especially since she was a princess of the royal family. If Su Wen chose to marry someone else, the chances of her marrying him would be extremely low!
Moreover, Emperor Zhou had been creating opportunities for her and Su Wen to be alone recently.
How could Zhao Wanrou not guess Emperor Zhou's intentions? He wanted her to date Su Wen.
She had to fight even if she didn't want to! Most importantly, Zhao Wanrou quite liked Su Wen too.
"I remember that Su Wen likes to eat meat! I'm afraid your lotus seed porridge and pastries are not to his liking." Zhao Wanrou smiled and casually replied. However, the meaning behind her words was that Wu Muyu did not understand Su Wen.
Wu Muyu wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled, "He can eat some to fill his stomach first. If I were to prepare meat and bring it over, it'll turn cold and give off a fishy smell. Aren't we at the residence now? I'll make some meat for Brother Su later. I have to fill up his belly, my mother said that as a woman, she should be able to serve her husband well. What she makes is naturally different from what the servants make!"Zhao Wanrou looked at Wu Muyu's food box as she smiled. "Sister Wu, but you are not serving your husband."
Wu Muyu said softly, "Sister Yan and I are like sisters. Brother Su is her husband. Sister Yan is busy with work, so I'll take care on behalf of her."
At this moment, Su Wen came out. When he saw the two of them, he asked with a smile, "What are you two talking about? Why aren't you entering the residence? It's quite cold outside."
Wu Muyu let out a cry of surprise and knocked on her own little head. With a face full of self-reproach, he said, "Aiya, I was only concerned about replying to Your Highness, but forgot about the lotus seed congee. It must be cold in such cold weather. It's all my fault, Muyu deserves to die."
Zhao Wanrou raised her eyebrows. This girl looked like she was blaming herself, but she was secretly hinting that the lotus seed porridge was cold because Wanrou had stalled her.
'What a Wu Muyu! I underestimated her!' Zhao Wanrou thought to herself.
She chuckled. "Sister Muyu, don't blame yourself. Perhaps your Brother Su doesn't like lotus seed porridge? Su Wen, don't you think so?"
Su Wen smiled and said, "It's alright. I might not like hot porridge, but I do like cold porridge!"
Zhao Wanrou secretly rolled her eyes at Su Wen and walked into the house. When she walked past Su Wen, she whispered, "You really offend no one!"
Su Wen smiled but did not reply. The three of them entered the residence.
Zhao Jin and Chu He emerged from the shadows.
Chu He whispered, "Brother Jin, why do I find their words so awkward? I keep feeling like something's wrong."
Ever since Chu He had been brought to see the world by Zhao Jin last night, the way he addressed him had changed.
However, his poker face was still as cold as ever.
Zhao Jin rolled his eyes at him and said, "You heard them? I didn't hear them. Us bodyguards actually don't need ears! And we don't need to discuss such things behind our backs. Remember that."
"Alright! Brother Jin, why don't we spar? It's so boring every day." "If you're bored, go knock your head against the wall. Why are you thinking of sparring? Don't you know how expensive the things in the residence are? Are you gonna pay if you break them?"
Upon mentioning this, Chu He smiled bitterly. "I can't even hit a wall. It's too expensive!"
On the other hand, Sun Wei had already organized his subordinates.
At this moment, they were reading the information gathered by the gangs in their hands one by one.
"The Minister of Revenue's dog is dead."
"There was a murder case in the Western District. The victim was Mi Shang's daughter, Liu Wei."
"The son of the assistant minister for the Ministry of Rites spent the night at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion last night. It's said that he was a toothpick."
"The drinks at the Entertainment Pavilion are half price today."
"A servant of the Third Prince's family was beaten and was carried away for medical treatment…"
These people were really well-informed. There were all kinds of news handed to them, be it real or fake news. Whichever the case, they just reported it to the higher-ups.
Sun Wei classified the news into different categories. People in the martial world were one type, people in the bureaucracy were another type, and gossip was the last type. He sent them all to Su Wen's residence.
At this moment, Su Wen had already hidden himself in his inner residence.
After sending Zhao Wanrou and Wu Muyu off, Su Wen laid on Cui Yumian's lap and felt much better.
"These two people have been acting weird all morning. Their words are loaded with guns and sticks. It's giving me a headache!" Su Wen complained.
Cui Yumian smiled. "Isn't it all because they fancy you, hubby? How else would they be so hostile to each other?"
"It's the hardest to accept the favor of a beauty. His Majesty has so many wives. Wouldn't he be frustrated to death every day?" As Su Wen spoke, he suddenly realized something. "No wonder he's so hardworking. He must be using this matter to escape from the harem. Why else would he be so excited to work? Every day, he goes to court before the sun rises. It's been decades."
Cui Yumian hurriedly covered Su Wen's mouth and said, "Don't spout nonsense. If word gets out, it'll be a disaster!"
Su Wen smiled. "Aren't you the only one here?"
Cui Yumian shook her head and said, "Husband, there are no absolutes in everything. Since you're now working in the royal court, you must be careful and not slip up!"
Su Wen nodded with a smile. Cui Yumian's virtuousness made him feel very comfortable.
He closed his eyes. "Alright, let me take a break now. I still have to go to the Cloud Gazing Tower later, and also have to enter the palace in the afternoon to get more teachings."
Just as he spoke, Ning Shuang knocked on the door. "Young Master, Sun Wei sent some letters over."
As she spoke, she handed over Sun Wei's message.
Su Wen opened it and saw that all the words written on it were incomprehensible. Cui Yumian, who was watching by the side, also had a head full of fog trying to understand the words.
Su Wen then got up and took a book from the shelf, before lying back on Cui Yumian's lap. He compared the words to the book he just took.
This was a common method of writing messages in code to prevent spying.
Even if they were intercepted by someone in the middle, there would not be a situation where information was leaked.
Cui Yumian stood up and was about to leave when Su Wen smiled. "Where are you going?"
Cui Yumian said seriously, "Husband, I don't know what these things are, nor do I want to know. If I know a little more, this thing will have a higher chance of being leaked! It's naturally best if I don't know!"
As he watched Cui Yumian leave with a determined expression, Su Wen shook his head and looked at Ning Shuang. He said with a smile, "Help Yumian more if you have nothing to do. If she really advances in the family in the future, I'm afraid she will suffer with her personality."
Ning Shuang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Young Master. I know what to do."
"Come, Young Master just happens to be missing a thigh pillow. Let Young Master lie down for a while."
In the Crown Prince's residence, the prince was smiling very happily. "Third brother, this fellow, doesn't know when to stop. Today, in court, he was reprimanded by Royal Father and was grounded for three days! Good ban, what a great ban!"
Zhou Bin frowned and said, "It might not be a good thing. Although he was reprimanded today, he was only grounded for three days. It's not a big punishment." The Crown Prince waved his hand and said indifferently, "It's not like that. Today, he was grounded for three days and reprimanded in front of everyone. Thus, Third Brother has already formed a grudge with the Su Family. With his personality, he's destined not to submit. As such, Su Changqing will do his best to stop Third Brother from ascending the throne no matter what. This means that from now on, Third Brother will have another great enemy!"
Zhou Bin shook his head and said, "The Third Prince doesn't have much influence in the imperial court. What His Majesty values is his martial arts talent! This is also his greatest capital. Even if Su Changqing's influence in the imperial court is heaven-defying, I'm afraid it's hard to target him."
The crown prince sneered and said, "You're underestimating Su Changqing too much. Father does indeed value Third Brother's martial arts talent and often praises him, but what kind of person is Su Changqing? He has followed Father for dozens of years and is one of Father's most trusted people. He has an imperceptible influence on Father.
For such a person, he only needs to occasionally say a few words about Third Brother, and it's enough to make him suffer. What's more, Su Changqing is someone who understands Father's thoughts very well. As long as he seizes the opportunity and his words manage to sway Father's heart, Third Brother will never have the chance!"
"As the saying goes, one would rather offend a gentleman than a villain. This is the principle. If you offend a crafty sycophant like Su Changqing, how would he allow you to ascend the throne to cause trouble for him? Third Brother has made a huge miscalculation this time! Besides, the three of us don't go to brothels such as the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Does that Honorable Xie still have a choice now?"
The crown prince said gloatingly, "Third Brother has lost a concubine and made a great enemy. Unless his cultivation reaches the state of communing with the Gods and has the potential to ascend to heaven, he won't stand a chance!"
At the Cloud Gazing Tower, Honorable Xie's expression was ugly. The Third Prince did not appear today as well.
Yet Su Wen came.
"Tell me, why would the Third Prince come to Cloud Gazing Tower all the time for no reason? He was reprimanded by His Majesty and was even grounded. Who knows when he will next come?" Su Wen said to Xie Yiyi as if he was joking.
However, Xie Dajia, who was next door, was vexed upon hearing that.
If it was really as Su Wen said, then her plan had completely failed.
Su Wen chatted with Xie Yiyi for a while before leaving as well.
After he left, Xie Dajia entered Xie Yiyi's room before solemnly asking, "Do you think that kid is telling the truth?"
Xie Yiyi smiled. "I think it's true. After all, there's no need for him to lie. If it's really as he said, His Highness won't be coming for at least a few days."
Modest Xie sighed in resignation. "From the looks of it, Su Changqing is quite powerful. Even the prince has to give in to him. Yiyi, what do you think about marrying Su Wen?"
Xie Yiyi said softly, "I don't know. But now that all my cultivation has dissipated, there's no turning back."
Her words were true. Now that her skills were gone, what would happen if she entered the martial arts world again?
Xie Dajia thought about it before making a decision. "Then it's settled. When Su Wen comes again tomorrow, you can discuss the marriage with him. After the marriage, you can use your Mental Demon Charming Body to control him and make him listen to you."
Xie Yiyi looked at her mother and frowned. "Mother, didn't you say that Su Wen has already seen through our thoughts? Why can't we be honest with him? Why must we control him?"
Honorable Xie said in a low voice, "Men are the most unreliable when it comes to talking, especially people like Su Wen. Do you think he looks reliable? It's better to control him so that we can feel more at ease."
In the Third Prince's residence, the feathered fan man looked at the Third Prince and gloated. "I told you not to offend Su Changqing. Are you being grounded now?"
The Third Prince glared at him in response, "So what if I'm grounded for a few days? Send someone to tell Miss Yiyi that I have something to do in the capital and will return in three days!"
He was too embarrassed to say that he was grounded. He even thought that Xie Yiyi didn't know and wanted to lie to her.
The man with the feathered fan shook his head and said, "You don't have to say it. I reckon Su Wen has already informed Miss Yiyi."
The Third Prince's expression changed as he slammed his palm down, shattering an Eight Immortals Table!
(TL Note: Search eight immortals table on Google for the picture)
He angrily said, "This bastard, it's all because of him and his father. Otherwise, why would Royal Father ground me?" The man with the feathered fan looked at the Third Prince and said seriously, "Your Highness, in my opinion, you should forget about it! Since His Majesty has already grounded you, it means that His Majesty is dissatisfied with your current actions. Why make His Majesty angry over a woman? Even if you wish to use cultivation to seize the throne, you still need His Majesty's approval."
The Third Prince closed his eyes in despair. How would he not know?
However, Xie Yiyi's voice, smile, and dancing figure kept flashing past his eyes!
"There's no need to persuade me. I've made up my mind!"
Su Wen walked out of Cloud Gazing Tower and headed straight to the Royal Palace, planning to just go through the motions.
Upon greeting Emperor Zhou as usual, Su Wen realized that Zhao Wanrou was not around today and Emperor Zhou had a strange expression on his face.
He kept sizing himself up, thinking about something
"Your Majesty, are we not going to practice etiquette today?" Su Wen probed.
Emperor Zhou tapped his fingers on the table and sighed. "Su Wen, I've thought about it today. I'm in the wrong. You are like my nephew and I should have taught you diligently when I summoned you into the palace. It's just that I couldn't bear to do it. However, little did I know that the more I acted like this, the more I harmed you… Your actions are too frivolous. How can you become the pillar of the country in the future? Come, let's copy the Noble's Aspiration ten times today to correct your morals!"
Su Wen's expression changed! The Noble's Aspiration was one of the books written by sages in this world.
It revolved around how as a noble, one should aspire to uphold morals and how they should give back to the country. The book set all sorts of standards for one's actions, what they should do when faced with problems, and what kind of attitude one should adopt.
Su Wen wanted to sleep after reading this book, let alone write it ten times.
'What's wrong with this old man? How did I provoke him again?' Su Wen was dumbstruck as a question arose in his heart.
Why did he suddenly decide to flip the chessboard?
Was it because his initial plan to horse around resulted in him actually getting into trouble? That's not my problem!
At this time, a eunuch delivered a brush and paper, as well as a thick book of the Noble's Aspiration!
Emperor Zhou said leisurely, "Don't be anxious. Copy them properly, stroke by stroke. Study the principles in the book well. If you're thirsty and hungry, tell the eunuch. He'll give you food. When you finish copying will be the time you go back. Alright, go to the side hall!" "Thank you, Your Majesty," Su Wen replied weakly and followed the eunuch to the side hall.
Seeing Su Wen's depressed mood, a smile flashed across Emperor Zhou's eyes! "Haha! I've finally vented the anger in my heart! You brat, you've made me so angry!" Emperor Zhou was as happy as a child with a bunch of candies.
Su Wen entered the side hall and the eunuch placed a pen and paper in front of him, before standing to the side.
Su Wen tilted his head and looked at him. "I'm hungry. Get me something to eat!" The eunuch was stunned. "Lord Su, but you haven't written anything yet?"
"Can't I be hungry even if I haven't started writing anything?" Su Wen said matter-of-factly.
The eunuch was speechless. What kind of person was this? He didn't even write a single word before he wanted to eat. However, Emperor Zhou had given his instructions, so the eunuch quickly went to get some pastries.
Su Wen took the plate and started to stuff it into his mouth. As he ate, he said, "Your food is not good. I don't like sweet food. Besides, this thing can't fill my stomach. Go and tell the rpya; chef to prepare a lamb leg, some Hundred Flowers Dew, and a persimmon brisket soup. First stew the persimmon till it has completely melted and then cut a few pig ears to mix it with the cold vegetables. I heard that there's still some demon beast meat in the palace, right? Get the chef to prepare some as well. Also, prepare some steamed buns and rice cakes, I don't eat noodles. Make more, I eat a lot."
The young eunuch was speechless.
As he spoke, half a plate of pastries had been eaten. How could he not like it? If he didn't like it, why did he swallow even the plate as well?
However, he was also clear that he could not afford to offend Su Wen. Emperor Zhou had already said that they had to serve him well.
More importantly, Emperor Zhou did not expect Su Wen to be so rude!
He was wondering what would happen if Su Wen had to copy till midnight. If he didn't give him something to eat or drink, it would be unreasonable.
After the eunuch left, Su Wen suddenly saw a figure appear at the door.
It was precisely Zhao Wanrou.
She smiled. "Why? Is Young Master Su hungry?" Su Wen nodded and said with a bitter expression, "I'm not actually hungry, but I have a long battle today. I have to eat my fill first!"
Zhao Wanrou was greatly surprised. When she found out that Su Wen had to copy the Noble's Aspiration ten times, she could not help but cover her mouth and laugh lightly. "Serves you right for presenting yourself properly!"
However, even as she spoke, she sat down at a table beside him. She gently picked up a pen and began writing, "Eat first. I'll help you write."
Su Wen hurriedly said, "No need, it's useless even if you write it. The handwriting will be different!"
Zhao Wanrou looked up and blinked her eyes mischievously. She smiled and said, "Wouldn't there be a problem if there's only one type of handwriting?"
To have only one type of writing… Wouldn't she have to write it herself?
Su Wen looked at the girl in front of him and didn't know what to say.
"I think I'll just do it myself."
Su Wen was about to snatch the pen and paper when Zhao Wanrou's figure flashed, and she had already brought the pen and paper away.
Her movements were extremely swift, and Su Wen's eyes lit up as he praised, "Good movement technique!"
He knew that Zhao Wanrou had learn martial arts, but he wasn't sure what her cultivation level was. From the looks of it, she was at least at the 2nd or 3rd Stage of Star Rank, which was already considered above average.
Of course, she could not compare to Su Wen.
Zhao Wanrou smiled. "If I say I'll copy, I'll copy. You can just chat with me here."
As she spoke, the girl sat back down at the table and started copying every word.
Su Wen went forward and found that the girl's handwriting was very neat and tidy, much better than his.
At this moment, the eunuch returned. Upon seeing Zhao Wanrou, he hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, Seventh Princess."
Without even lifting her head, Zhao Wanrou said, "Go and stand guard outside. Don't let anyone else in."
"Well…" The eunuch looked troubled.
Su Wen smiled. "Hurry up and get out. My father is not to be trifled with!"
Upon hearing Su Wen's words, the eunuch could only leave helplessly.
He stood at the door and looked around fearfully.
What he was doing now was obviously not in line with Emperor Zhou's intentions. However, in his opinion, the son of the prime minister and the Seventh Princess would only be reprimanded if he complained about them. However, for him, he might disappear from the palace at any time.
Inside the side hall, Zhao Wanrou wrote as she asked, "Do you know why Father punished you to copy books?"
Su Wen was puzzled. "How would I know? He suddenly asked me to copy them for no reason."
Zhao Wanrou said in a soft voice, "This morning, Father summoned Luoying into the palace and brought up the matter of breaking off the engagement!"
Su Wen was overjoyed and smiled. "The engagement is canceled? That's great! But why has no one told me?"
However, he immediately frowned. "But what does this have to do with me copying books?"
In his impression, if Yan Luoying could break off the engagement, she would definitely agree.
As for the intimacy that Yan Luoying showed him at the Eternal Music Pavilion, in Su Wen's eyes, it was just a battle between Yan Luoying and Wu Muyu.
However, Su Wen could not figure out the relationship between copying books and ending the engagement.
"Yan Luoying refused." Zhao Wanrou's tone was a little heavy as she said, "She even threatened to kill herself if Father forcefully annulled the engagement."
"Is this woman crazy?" Su Wen exclaimed.
This was completely out of his expectations.
What was Yan Luoying trying to do?
Zhao Wanrou rolled her eyes at Su Wen and grumbled, "I still have to ask you about this. If you didn't go and flirt with Yan Luoying, why would she do this?"
Feeling aggrieved, Su Wen pointed to the sky and swore, "The Heavens are watching. When did I ever tease that woman? There's absolutely no such thing!"
"What about Wu Muyu?"
"Um… this… actually has a little truth to it… the main thing is she's kind of cute…"
The Seventh Princess stopped writing and turned around to face Su Wen. She smiled and asked, "Is she cuter or am I cuter?"
The girl in front of him had smooth skin and a high nose bridge. A faint fragrance entered his nose whenever he breathed in.
Su Wen's heart raced.
However, this question was difficult to answer.
"Your styles are different… You are not cute, you are more elegant… your temperament is more outstanding…" Su Wen racked his brain for words and suddenly missed his bald language teacher.
"Hmph, that mouth of yours is unreliable!" The Seventh Princess continued to copy the book. As she copied, she said, "In short, Father was in a bad mood today, so it should be because of this. Perhaps he felt that if you didn't provoke Yan Luoying, she wouldn't be like this, so he punished you by asking you to copy!"
Su Wen flew into a rage. "How can there be such a logic in this world? He was the one who forced me to be together with Yan Luoying, and he was the one who transferred me to the patrol office. So, he's blaming me now?"
"You're not convinced?"
"No!"
"Then go and talk to the emperor…"
"He's an elder after all. Am I that rude?"
I, Su Wen, am not afraid of him. I just don't want to be rude!
Late in the night, the copies of Noble's Aspiration which Su Wen 'wrote' were also sent to the Zhou Emperor's study.
Emperor Zhou smiled and said, "This brat is quite diligent. Looking at the situation, he probably hasn't had much rest. I came to see how this brat's writing is and whether he has Su Changqing's style of writing."
Su Changqing was considered a famous calligrapher of the Great Zhou Dynasty. His handwriting was extremely neat and beautiful.
Emperor Zhou took the copy and looked at it. His expression gradually turned into a frown.
His tone turned cold, "Su Wen wrote this?"
The eunuch dropped to his knees. "No… it's…"
He stammered, but Emperor Zhou was too lazy to listen. He casually ordered, "Kill him!"
Suddenly, the eunuch's neck seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand. With a crack, there was no more sound coming from him.
A guard immediately came in and dragged him away.
Emperor Zhou sighed. "Even the servants in the palace want to deceive me. What do you think is going on? Do I look so gullible?"
The old eunuch did not reply.
He knew that Emperor Zhou was in a bad mood today. Otherwise, this eunuch would not have died.
Emperor Zhou said, "I also know that it's hard for these subordinates to do it, but there are some things that they can't hide!"
After saying that, Emperor Zhou looked at the copy in his hand, "The handwriting hasn't changed. Wanrou is trying to tell me that she doesn't want to give up on Su Wen. This child has always been depressed and antisocial, but since she started interacting with Su Wen, she became a lot more joyful. It's indeed a good thing. Her stubbornness hasn't changed, but Yan Luoying… sigh…"
He sighed helplessly.
However, Emperor Zhou immediately turned furious once more.
"This little rascal! He thinks himself so carefree, not even bothering writing a single word! It's all written by my daughter!"
Only now did the old eunuch open his mouth, "How does Your Majesty plan on dealing with this?"
Emperor Zhou closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before saying, "Send the decree. Tell that little bastard that there's no need for him to enter the palace from tomorrow onwards. Stay away from me, the more I see him, the more vexed I get! However, he still have to attend the banquet to welcome the envoys!"
Obviously, Emperor Zhou was a man of many things, but an educator was not one of them.
He mused, "It's time to change his position in the Patrol Office as well. We have to separate these two fellows. Su Wen and Yan Luoying have done a meritorious deed by reestablishing the Secret Shadow Guard. Pass down the decree that from today onwards, Su Wen will be promoted…"
At this point, Emperor Zhou paused, and then continued, "Promoted to… the Profound Language Pavilion as a Lecturer! A Primary 5th Rank Official!"
A smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Rascal! Who told you to be so cocky! I'll throw you together with those smelly and stubborn scholars! I'll disgust you to death!"
"When you send the imperial decree, pass on another decree in my own words. Tell him that if he dares to do the same thing as when he was at the Patrol Office and neglect government affairs, I will punish him!"
The old eunuch asked, "What about Yan Luoying?"
"There's no rush for her. Just leave her in the Patrol Office!"
In the end, Emperor Zhou muttered, "If not for my magnanimity, I would have chopped off this brat's head!"