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

Chapter 148 Take a bite

Seeing her husband so remorseful, Madam Fan sat down next to him and gently took his hand.

“We are husband and wife, and we are one. How can you say such a thing? I was willing to leave the capital with you and take the children with me back then, and I am even more willing to come back with you now.”

Hearing her words, Xie Wei felt a warmth in his heart, and his eyes were filled with emotion.

Fan's gaze softened further, filled with comfort and encouragement.

“You are the eldest son in the family. With such a thing happening, your mother-in-law has passed away, your younger sister has entered the palace, and your father-in-law can't be relied on. Now your younger sister can only rely on you. Since your husband is heartbroken for not being able to protect your mother-in-law, the more important thing now is to protect your younger sister well, so that there will be no more regrets in your heart!”

"I'm not as steady as you, nor as thoughtful as you. Luckily, you're by my side; otherwise, I don't know what I would be like today." Xie Wei held his wife's hand.

These words come from the bottom of my heart.

What Madam Fan liked about him was that he was willing to listen to advice and could see his own shortcomings, unlike other men who were stubborn and self-willed, never listening to their wives and thinking that women were short-sighted.

Xie Wei truly respected and loved her. Even after all these years of marriage, their relationship remained excellent. Xie Wei had no concubines, let alone maids.

This wasn't Fan's doing; it was Xie Wei's way of never touching other women.

It was for this reason that Lady Fan was willing to accompany him back to the capital.

"Why bring this up? As your wife, I should naturally think more about you and consider your needs, just as you always protect me and the children," Madam Fan said softly.

Seeing that Xie Wei was completely calm, Madam Fan brought up Xie Jiu at the opportune moment.

"Last time, when Consort Jieyu bestowed gifts upon me in the palace, it was Qingfang, the maidservant of Consort Jieyu, who personally delivered them. She spoke to me at length, and I felt sorry for Consort Jieyu."

"My sister has had a tough time. That Wu Que is an absolute beast. If I had known what he was planning, I would have torn him to pieces!" Xie Wei's face was gloomy.

Madam Fan sighed, "Yes, it is because she entrusted the wrong person that my younger sister has suffered so much. In fact, the Emperor does not like Father to be an official in the court, but he is reluctant to take action because the Xie family's influence is too deep. Now that my younger sister is favored, the relationship between the Emperor and the Xie family has eased. Now that you are working in the capital, you must not offend the Emperor. When you are working with Father, you should keep some distance."

"But the Emperor has instructed me to work with my father to arrange the reception of the envoys from the Western Chi Kingdom," Xie Wei said.

Working together, it's natural that you can't separate.

The people from Xichi Kingdom will arrive in Kyoto in ten days at most.

"Although we work together, my husband doesn't have to do everything according to his father's instructions."

After thinking for a moment, Madam Fan said in a low voice.

"If there is anything inappropriate, and besides, although receiving the envoys from Xichi Kingdom is no small matter, the other party will not send any high-ranking officials. Father-in-law is the Grand Secretary of our dynasty, so naturally he cannot lower himself to personally entertain them. Wouldn't that make our Great Jing Dynasty seem too eager and lose its status? At that time, my husband will have to take more responsibility. Father-in-law will definitely give instructions on how to proceed, but my husband should also think about it carefully."

Xie Wei nodded slightly after hearing this.

"Don't worry about that, I certainly won't blindly obey my father."

"But we must be mindful of our methods and not make it too obvious," Madam Fan gently reminded her. "When you entered the palace that day, I'm sure I already told you everything."

When the topic of his visit to the palace to see Xie Jiu came up, Xie Wei remained silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh, his face turning somewhat somber.

Although he didn't respond to his wife's words, he nodded even more solemnly.

This means you've taken it to heart.

The palace remained peaceful for the next few days.

Although the concubines were unhappy that Zhao Xingjin had visited Xie Jiu and posthumously conferred the title of First-Rank Lady of the State upon Lady Yang, they were somewhat relieved to see that Xie Jiu was not allowed to serve them in bed afterward. However, it seemed that Consort Chen's favor had waned, while Consort Zhuang and Consort Liu, who had just been released from their confinement, were serving her more often.

In contrast to the tranquility of the inner palace, things were not so smooth in the imperial court.

Several dishonest people were identified within the Ministry of Revenue.

It was after Wei Zhang's subordinates submitted a memorial impeaching him that Zhao Xingjin ordered the Dali Temple to handle the case.

Led by He Xunzhi, a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, several officials in the Ministry of Revenue were imprisoned and investigated for selling household registrations and embezzling bribes.

Xie Mingshen returned to his residence with a gloomy expression, but before he could do anything, news spread from the Dali Temple that He Xunzhi claimed that he dared to sell household registrations and accept bribes because he was protected by Chief Minister Xie.

That's not hard to find out. By all accounts, he was Xie Mingshen's student. When the candidates went to the capital to take the imperial examination, they visited high-ranking officials everywhere, begging for protection. He Xunzhi visited the Xie family's gate.

Xie Mingshen saw that he had good aptitude, so he took him under his wing. Now he has been in the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue for a full eight years. Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is a fifth-rank official. It is not easy to get to this position. It would be very difficult to get promoted further.

However, He Xunzhi said that Xie Mingshen promised him that he would be promoted to Vice Minister of Revenue in a few years, so he had done a lot of work for Xie Mingshen over the years.

After the news spread, all eyes immediately fell on the Xie family.

During this period, because Xie Jiu was favored, Xie Mingshen had a smooth career in the court. He first submitted a memorial impeaching Liang Yu, the Minister of Rites, and managed to get the task of receiving the envoys from the Western Chi Kingdom from the Ministry of Rites to his own hands.

In the imperial court, even though Prince Heng personally spoke on behalf of his father-in-law, Minister Liang, he could not obtain leniency for the Minister of Rites, who was still dismissed and investigated.

Then the emperor issued another decree, summoning his eldest son back from Lizhou to help him. Now both father and son are extremely busy, and it seems that Xie Wei will be given an important position upon returning to the capital.

Even after Lady Yang passed away, she was posthumously granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady.

This family, young and old, living and dead, all received imperial favor, making countless families in the capital envious.

As a result, many people started thinking about sending their daughters to the palace, hoping that if one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs would benefit from it.

But the better you do, the more envious people there will be. So now He Xunzhi has suddenly bitten Xie Mingshen hard and dragged him down with him, which has attracted many people who want to watch the show.

"That old bastard Wei Zhang, how dare he scheme against me like this!"

Inside the study of the mansion, Xie Mingshen angrily flicked his sleeve and swept the teacup off the table.

The teacup shattered instantly, with shards of porcelain flying everywhere.

Xie Wei frowned deeply. "Father, how credible are He Xunzhi's words? After all, he was once your disciple. If he doesn't clarify this, outsiders will definitely see you as his backer, and it will be difficult for you to escape the implication."

Upon hearing this, Xie Mingshen sat down, his face hidden in the backlight, making it impossible to see his expression.

"He did indeed do a few things for me in the Ministry of Revenue, but none of them mattered, and they all happened before the current emperor ascended the throne. The reason he's so persistent in pursuing me is probably because Wei Zhang instructed him. Wei Zhang has always been eyeing my position as Grand Secretary. When the emperor and I weren't very close, he had a good chance. But now that your sister is favored and the emperor and I have a much better relationship, he's probably getting more and more anxious and wants to drag me down with him as soon as possible."

"Then what about the resale of household registrations and the bribery?" Xie Wei pressed, adding, "I guess he harbored resentment because his father didn't step in to protect his life, so he maliciously framed him."

A dark glint flashed in Xie Mingshen's eyes, and then he spoke in a deep voice.

“Of course I would not have bribed him, and the claim of reselling household registrations is utter nonsense. I will explain this to the Emperor at court tomorrow, and the Emperor will certainly not believe He Xunzhi’s empty words.”

Hearing him say that, Xie Wei didn't ask any more questions.

Xie Mingshen told him to leave the study, and then immediately called the butler in.