Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 217 Counterattack

When Consort Tong came to Emperor Qi Xiao to complain, Yuan Cuo was in the imperial study presenting his plans to leave the capital.

Emperor Qi Xiao frowned after reading it. "You'll be gone for at least half a year. Are you going to neglect the affairs of the capital?"

“What Your Majesty is worried about is that I plan to take my wife with me. Perhaps half a year will not be enough; it will take at least a year before we can return,” Yuan Cuo said seriously.

Emperor Qi Xiao immediately glared at him, "Nonsense! This is official business, not a trip for you and your wife to enjoy the scenery!"

"Besides, Liu Yuechu is also busy with her family's businesses and has trade ties with the Meng and Yan countries, so it's impossible for her to leave the capital."

“The Liu family’s businesses have all been shut down, so what else is there to worry about?” Yuan Cuo said. “His Majesty was unwilling for me to enter the court before, but the Liu family continued to do business. Now that you have gotten your wish, why don’t you let someone else take over the business? I’m going on a long trip with my wife.”

Emperor Qi Xiao: "???"

"When did this happen?" He asked Cheng Hai.

Cheng Hai was disgruntled. He knew that Yuan Cuo's initiative to pay homage to the Emperor was not a good thing; sure enough, he was waiting here.

"It happened the day before yesterday," Cheng Hai said. "Lady Liu sent a batch of Yan Kingdom trinkets to the Imperial Household Department, which caused Consort Tong to break out in a rash..."

"That's something for the Imperial Medical Academy to handle. Why shut down the Liu family's business?" Emperor Qi Xiao pressed.

Cheng Hai clicked his tongue twice. What else could it be? Because His Majesty dotes on her! But he only dared to grumble in his heart and could not say it out loud. "Consort Tong was just acting on impulse, and she was afraid that the Yan Kingdom might be up to something, so she sealed off the shop first."

"Then investigate carefully, and do what needs to be done after you've found out!" Emperor Qi Xiao was also very puzzled. Why was Consort Tong also at odds with the Liu family? Their household didn't have any connections with officials or merchants.

"They didn't check, they just sealed it off like that, and it was the Golden Feather Guards who sealed it off."

Yuan Cuo also included Zhang Xinyan, since the Golden Feather Guard was his man. "I have already appeased Yue Niang and asked her to relinquish the Liu family's business. Once we leave the capital, His Majesty can let someone else take over. However, the funds for this trip out of the capital will need to be allocated by the Ministry of Revenue. The Liu family's business has collapsed, and there is no way they can provide any more financial support."

"And the salaries of the Surveying and Mapping Bureau also need to be paid by the Ministry of Revenue. His Majesty's imperial grace is boundless; he will not shortchange those unfortunate people," Yuan Cuo said sarcastically.

Upon hearing the word "silver," Emperor Qi Xiao was furious.

Hearing that the shop was sealed off without investigation, he knew that this must have been something Consort Tong deliberately did to cause trouble.

"Alright, I'll have them remove the seals later. Don't try to make veiled accusations here; I can tell what's going on!"

"Even if His Majesty removes the seal, it's no use. The Liu family simply won't stand for it! Several head stewards, fearing for their lives, have all used the excuse of taking their families on a trip and fled the capital. After all, they've offended the eldest daughter of the Prefect of the Capital, His Majesty's favored concubine. One wrong move and they could lose their heads. Who would dare to come back and work here?" Yuan Cuo added this with every sentence, and Cheng Hai was afraid that if he said a few more words, he wouldn't be able to count them all on his fingers!

Emperor Qi Xiao's eyes were as black as holes, staring intently at him.

Yuan Cuo was not in a hurry. He stood there calmly, neither arrogant nor impatient, as if he didn't care at all whether the person in front of him would take his head in a fit of anger.

"I can't tolerate everything you do! You'd better know when to stop." How could Emperor Qi Xiao not know that he was standing up for Liu Yuechu?

He admitted that he felt guilty towards the son he couldn't acknowledge, but he wouldn't tolerate him being too unruly!

Yuan Cuo immediately said, "The dignified Prefect of the Capital has married off many of his concubine daughters to the mansions of several important officials as concubines in their old age. Does His Majesty want me to stop?"

"The Golden Feather Guards were arbitrarily mobilized by a concubine in the harem to shut down the imperial merchant's shops. Your Majesty has instructed me to stop here?"

"And the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department keeps many concubines in the south. Could you please tell me to stop?"

Yuan Cuo said with a sneer, "There's a reason why the Great Qi is ranked last among the Seven Kingdoms."

"It's enough!"

Emperor Qi Xiao slammed his fist on the imperial desk, furious. While the words weren't wrong, they were tantamount to stabbing him in the heart!

Cheng Hai hurriedly stopped Yuan Cuo, "It's just that Yue Niang suffered a little injustice, why do you have to come and criticize His Majesty? Lord Yuan, don't be arrogant because of His Majesty's favor, why don't you quickly apologize to His Majesty?!" His eyes were almost blind from talking so much.

Yuan Cuo smiled faintly and looked at Cheng Hai, saying, "It's not me who's being arrogant because of favor; in my opinion, it's more like Eunuch Cheng. How could you conceal so many hidden dangers without reporting them? Are you trying to support someone's rebellion?"

Yuan Cuo didn't even spare him.

Cheng Hai was so frightened that his knees buckled and he immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty, this servant knows nothing about this, this servant truly knows nothing..."

"So what do you know every day?"

"Even an outsider like him knows that the illegitimate daughter of the Prefect of the Capital has become a concubine in various mansions, but you, as the head of my secret guards, don't know?" The more Emperor Qi Xiao thought about it, the more frightened he became.

If Cheng Haidu starts to deceive him and refuses to tell him everything, then he, the emperor of Great Qi, is not far from death!

Cheng Hai gritted his teeth, watching Yuan Cuo standing calmly to the side, feeling incredibly aggrieved!

Although he was the head of the secret guards, it was enough for him to check the entanglements of the direct descendants of each household every day. Who would care how complicated the relationships of these illegitimate children were?

"It was my negligence, I am guilty!"

Emperor Qi Xiao sat on the dragon throne for a long while, then said, "You shouldn't leave the capital either. Cheng Hai is too busy, and he can't keep up with the mobilization of the secret guards. You should help him out."

"?!?!?!" Cheng Hai was shocked. He hadn't expected Emperor Qi Xiao to allow Yuan Cuo to interfere in the affairs of the secret guards!

If the Golden Feather Guards are the knife His Majesty has laid out before him, then the Dark Guards are His Majesty's sharpest sword.

Over the years, His Majesty has appeared to be incompetent and inactive, but in fact he knows the capital like the back of his hand. Even the act of saving Yuan Cuo's life from the Empress Dowager was something only the secret guards could carry out.

Yuan Cuo shook his head, "I am sorry, but I cannot comply. I am not qualified to interfere in the affairs of the secret guards."

Emperor Qi Xiao did not expect him to refuse. "Don't think that I have no one else to use and that I absolutely have to use you!"

Yuan Cuo remained composed. "Your Majesty, I was merely worried about embarrassing you. If I were to take over the secret guards, my first order of business would be to have them investigate that woman's identity. What do you say, will they obey or not?"

Emperor Qi Xiao stared at him silently for a long time before waving his hand and saying, "Get out, get far away from me. I don't want to see you for a while!"

He was really driven mad by Yuan Cuo.

Yuan Cuo accepted the order and left, giving Cheng Hai a defiant look as he went.

Cheng Hai was almost in tears from anger.

So what if they didn't immediately report the Liu family being bullied to His Majesty? Is it really worth being so vengeful?

As soon as Yuan Cuo left, Consort Tong ran over, crying, "Your Majesty... I really can't bear this injustice anymore..."

"If you can't stand it, then you don't have to. Go back to your parents' home!" Emperor Qi Xiao roared, startling Consort Tong so much that she stood frozen in the courtyard, too afraid to move.