Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 147

"Your Majesty, I respectfully send you off!"

After Zhao Xingjin left, Xie Jiu's expression vanished, leaving only a chill.

Qingfang quickly got up from the ground and helped Xie Jiu into the house.

Chunrong was quick and efficient. She dispersed the crowd of onlookers in the courtyard, then went inside and closed the door.

"Now that the Emperor has returned, he will surely investigate the Ministry of Revenue, won't he?" Qingfang asked softly.

Xie Jiu took the teacup Chunrong handed him and took a sip. "Of course. This matter involves a lot, from the shallow to the deep. What we see and what we don't see, His Majesty knows better."

Having met Zhao Xingjin today, regardless of what happened before, this last matter is the most important.

Whoever does something for Xie Mingshen will die.

Let's have someone investigate from Zhao Xingjin's perspective and see if Xie Mingshen will protect this person.

"I will keep a close eye on this matter, Consort, please rest assured," Chunrong said softly.

Xie Jiu nodded and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the harem, the concubines were unaware of what had happened in Ninghua Palace. They only saw that Xie Jiu had been told by the Empress Dowager that she was no longer fit to serve the Emperor, yet the Emperor still went to see her because of a bowl of white fungus soup.

This incident was already enough to make the concubines in the harem feel sour, but when they heard that Zhao Xingjin had issued an edict posthumously conferring the title of First-Rank Lady of the State upon Xie Jiu's mother, Lady Yang, it caused an even bigger uproar in the harem.

Many noblewomen never received an imperial decree in their entire lives. Even though it was a posthumous title for Lady Yang, it was still an honor and a sign of being deeply favored by the emperor.

In the eyes of the concubines, Yang was able to receive an imperial decree and posthumous title because Xie Jiu was favored.

Your Majesty is showing favoritism by extending your affection to everything connected to the house.

But at Chengming Palace, Zhao Xingjin's mind was not on the women of the harem at all.

At this moment, someone has already been ordered to investigate the Ministry of Revenue.

The Ministry of Revenue also controls the purse strings, so it's no small matter if the people inside are dishonest. But that's not the point. The real issue is that there are many suspicious points surrounding Yang's death, and Xie Mingshen is the prime suspect.

This falsification of household registration might also be related to Xie Mingshen.

If you investigate further, you'll always find something surprising.

Just as Xie Jiu said, Zhao Xingjin is perceptive enough to investigate on his own; how he investigates is not her concern.

Fukang Palace.

When the Empress Dowager heard that Zhao Xingjin had posthumously conferred the title of First-Rank Lady of the State upon Xie Jiu's mother, she couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"Next year's imperial concubine selection must be organized properly. There are too few people in the palace, and the emperor's eyes are always on one place. As time goes on, even the fake will become the real thing. As the saying goes, those involved are confused, while bystanders see clearly. I can't speak to the emperor as I used to. I have to think of another way."

Tan Hui stood to the side and said, "The Empress Dowager is doing this for the Emperor's own good. The Emperor will surely understand the Empress Dowager's intentions. However, this servant thinks that if the Empress Dowager wants to select people to enter the palace, she should choose those whose backgrounds are known to the Emperor. There are quite a few good girls in the Empress Dowager's family."

As she spoke, seeing that the Empress Dowager's expression did not change and she did not stop her, she continued.

"In terms of kinship, being related to the Emperor by marriage and being able to enter the palace to accompany him is like strengthening family ties. Furthermore, it will bring you closer to Your Majesty, making it easier to relay messages between you and the Emperor in the future."

After hearing this, the Empress Dowager lowered her eyes slightly.

"I originally did not want the Jiang family to enter the palace, partly because I was afraid of interference in politics by the maternal relatives, but what you said makes some sense."

He paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Send word back to them that they should select some talented and beautiful young women of good character."

"Yes." Tan Hui nodded.

At that time, the Xie family mansion...

When the imperial edict posthumously conferring honors upon Lady Yang arrived, the entire household was taken aback.

Xie Mingshen, along with Xie Wei and the Fan couple, accepted the imperial decree. On the surface, they showed grief at the loss of their wives, but in their hearts, they were happy.

Of course he was happy. Zhao Xingjin wouldn't posthumously confer titles on Lady Yang without reason; it was naturally because he favored Xie Jiu.

Xie Jiu now holds the power to assist in managing the six palaces and is favored by the emperor. Now that Xie Wei has returned to the capital, he will pave the way for his son. Father and son will look after each other in court, and there will be people in the palace speaking to the emperor.

Everything was going in the direction he had hoped for.

If Xie Jiu were to become pregnant and give birth to a prince, then half of the bloodline of the Xie family would be in the future of the Great Jing Dynasty.

Thinking of all this, Xie Mingshen's greed intensified.

He was tired of being the chief minister who still had to obey the emperor's orders; he wanted to truly take control of the government.

“Father-in-law, go back and rest. You and your husband have been busy with state affairs all day. I have someone prepare some nourishing soup to replenish your qi and lungs. I will have someone send it to you later. Your cough has not yet healed. The weather is dry now, so you still need to be nourished.”

Madam Fan spoke softly, her face showing concern.

Xie Mingshen held the imperial edict in his hands and nodded slightly.

"You've been so thoughtful. You haven't had a proper rest since you came back. You've been taking care of all the household chores and the two children. You should also take care of yourself."

"I'm only busy with domestic affairs, nothing like the worries and anxieties you and my husband have about the court. You don't need to worry about me," said Madam Fan, displaying her virtuous nature.

Xie Mingshen was quite satisfied with his daughter-in-law. After exchanging a few more polite words, he left.

After he left, Madam Fan took Xie Wei back to the courtyard where the young couple lived.

"Honestly, you should at least put on a good show. How could you look at your father-in-law like that?" Madam Fan said helplessly as she closed the door.

She had seen it; when Xie Mingshen held the imperial edict posthumously conferring honors upon Yang Shi and wept in sorrow, the coldness in Xie Wei's eyes was far too obvious.

In other words, Xie Wei was standing behind Xie Mingshen at a good angle, so he wouldn't be seen.

If this gets seen, given Xie Mingshen's suspicious nature, who knows what kind of trouble it will cause.

"I just can't stand his hypocritical attitude. Wasn't Mother's death caused by him?!" Xie Wei shouted in a low voice.

Madam Fan frowned and immediately glared at him. "Yes, but so what if you know? Do you have solid evidence? What can you do? He probably has solid evidence that his mother poisoned him. Your rash and impulsive actions will only make things worse!"

These words dampened Xie Wei's anger considerably.

Seeing that he had calmed down a bit, Madam Fan sighed, stepped forward, pulled him to sit down, and gently comforted him.

“I know the hatred in your heart. My mother-in-law treated me very well, how could I not hate her? And what about the little sister in the palace? Doesn’t she hate her? Compared to you and me, she has probably suffered far more grievances to get to where she is today. The little sister is so favored by the Emperor, yet she still tells you that you must endure for the time being in order to act prudently. It is clear that what you want to do is not so easy.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Wei couldn't help but slam his fist on the table a few times, his face filled with resentment and helplessness.

"I only hate that I have such a vicious father. I am so useless that I couldn't even protect my mother and sister. I have also dragged you three children into this mess and forced you to come back to this filthy place with me!"