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

Chapter 165 Reaping Benefits

"Next time, you should show some sincerity."

Xie Mingshen chuckled.

"Today they seem to have come to beg us to speak on their behalf before the Emperor, but in reality they are testing us to find out the Emperor's bottom line."

"So, Father's refusal to back down just now was to make them give up and abandon their plans?" Xie Wei asked.

To everyone's surprise, Xie Mingshen shook his head.

“Of course not.” Xie Mingshen’s eyes flashed with calculation. “I just told them that this matter is difficult to handle.”

If you want him to take action, you have to offer him plenty of benefits.

Xie Wei understood the implied meaning.

I originally thought Xie Mingshen was really going to do something for the court this time, but I never expected that he was still the same as before.

Xie Wei lowered his eyes, concealing the disappointment and displeasure in his heart.

However, even the seasoned Xie Mingshen noticed something unusual about him.

"What, you still think what your father did was wrong?"

"You have your reasons," Xie Wei said coldly.

Xie Mingshen stared straight at him. "You've been in Lizhou for three years, but you haven't made any progress. You still haven't figured out the principles of being an official."

These words immediately ignited Xie Wei's anger.

However, the words his wife, Madam Fan, had said suddenly echoed in his mind, and he immediately calmed down.

Taking a deep breath, she lowered her head and said to Xie Mingshen, "Father is right. I'm back in the capital now and I'm already learning to adapt. Father, please give me some time."

This reaction surprised Xie Mingshen somewhat.

Then the gloom in his eyes lessened considerably. "You've become sensible. I've told you long ago that the officialdom is not as clear-cut as you imagine. If you want to survive and rise to a high position, you have to be more tactful. It's all about human relationships and social interactions."

"Son, I've got it." Xie Wei nodded.

Xie Mingshen then waved his hand, "Alright, you can go back now. Think carefully about the matter of Xichi Kingdom. The Emperor will definitely want to talk to them again."

After hearing his explanation, Xie Weicai got up and left.

When he returned to his own courtyard, he saw his wife teaching their daughter to read.

The son is older and has already been sent to a proper early education program, while the daughter is only two years old, and Madam Fan takes care of her personally every day.

"You're back." Madam Fan looked up and greeted him with a smile.

It was in that instant that I noticed something was wrong with his mood.

She immediately picked up her daughter and went over, asking softly with concern, "What's wrong? You seem so downcast. Did those people from Xichi Kingdom cause some trouble?"

"I suppose so." Xie Wei took his daughter, took Fan Shi's hand, and walked to the table to sit down. "They came to the manor wanting Father and me to speak on their behalf to the Emperor. Father didn't agree and planned to put them out there until we saw their sincerity."

"Sincerity?"

Fan was puzzled, but after thinking about it carefully, he understood.

"This is not a good idea. If we accept benefits from the people of Xichi, we will inevitably be suspected of colluding with the enemy and betraying our country."

“He’s always been careful in his work, so he must have a way of making sure no one notices anything amiss,” Xie Wei said.

Back when Emperor Hui was in power, Xie Mingshen had already taken many benefits from other envoys who came to the court.

However, at that time, Xichi was a relatively powerful country and did not need to curry favor with Xie Mingshen, the chief minister, so he had not yet had any interests involved with Xichi.

Madam Fan frowned. "That's true, but this is still a bit too audacious."

"It hasn't been done yet, and we don't know if the Xichi people will follow his plan," Xie Wei said in a deep voice. "But we still need to tell Jiu'er about this."

Fan agreed with this and immediately nodded.

“It’s the end of the year, so it’s perfectly normal for the maternal family to give some gifts. Consort Jin has just been promoted, so we should also send a congratulatory gift. Leave this to me.” Using Xie Jiu’s promotion as an excuse to send gifts, Xie Mingshen naturally had no objections.

Not only did they have no objections, but they also added some more, and had the Fan family arrange for someone to deliver them as well.

Xie Mingshen's desire to curry favor with Xie Jiu was quite obvious.

The next day.

Several large boxes were neatly arranged inside Anqing Hall.

It will take two more days to clean up Jingming Palace, and Xie Jiu hasn't moved there yet.

"Your Highness, the young mistress said that there is a set of jewelry here, which was specially made by a craftsman for Your Highness. It took a lot of effort. Your Highness must take a look at it in person."

Chunrong presented a wooden box to Xie Jiu.

Xie Jiu's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, and she immediately said, "Since we're free right now, Qingfang, you can continue tidying up outside, and Chunrong, come in with me to try on these new jewelry pieces."

The two maids responded and went their separate ways.

Inside the room, Xie Jiu took out the jewelry from the box and found a short secret letter in a hidden compartment at the bottom of the box.

After reading the above, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. He certainly won't be so honest. Given the chance, he'll be the same as before."

As he spoke, he threw the note into the brazier next to him and burned it.

Chunrong was puzzled, but then she followed Xie Jiu's instructions.

"Go and see if His Majesty is free today. I haven't properly paid my respects to His Majesty at Chengming Hall since my promotion."

"Yes."

Seeing that she didn't reveal anything, Chunrong didn't ask and left briskly.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study, Zhao Xingjin had just dismissed a group of ministers who had come to pay their respects.

This includes the Xie family father and son.

"It seems the Xichi people didn't get any benefits from their trip to the Xie family yesterday," Zhao Xingjin said with a hint of sarcasm.

Because Xie Mingshen and Xie Wei did not speak up for the Xichi people today, they only reported the situation from yesterday.

Yang Zhian bowed and offered a cup of tea. “The Xichi people have always made a lot of money coming to our territory. Now that Your Majesty is not indulging them, they are naturally unhappy and will try to get more benefits in return. Otherwise, how will they go back and report? So, they will probably continue to put in more effort.”

“You noticed it all.” Zhao Xingjin took the teacup and sipped it. “I’d like to see what they do.”

Yang Zhian didn't respond to this, only gave a couple of forced laughs, and then brought up the matter of Anqing Hall.

“Your Majesty, Chunrong, who serves Consort Jin, came by and said that Consort Jin has not yet properly paid her respects to you since her promotion. If you have time, the Consort would like to come to Chengming Palace.”

When Xie Jiu was mentioned, Zhao Xingjin nodded without much hesitation.

"Then let her come and have lunch with me."

He now understands Xie Jiu's personality; he rarely comes to see him unless there's a reason.

Seeing that he agreed, Yang Zhian immediately sent Qingdong to deliver the message.

About half an hour before lunch, Xie Jiu arrived at Chengming Hall.

We need to leave time to talk, right?

"My concubine pays your respects to the Emperor."

"Get up." Zhao Xingjin waved his hand, then looked her up and down. "You look good today. You looked a bit haggard a while ago, which shows that the tonics are working. We should have the imperial kitchen continue to prepare bird's nest for you every day."

Xie Jiu smiled, got up and sat down in the empty seat next to him.

"With Your Majesty's command, how could the kitchen staff dare to neglect their duties? Moreover, I am now their superior, so naturally I dare not be negligent. It is Your Majesty who only remembers that I need to take supplements, but you yourself have not eaten properly. You got drunk at the banquet that night, which harmed your spleen and stomach. I heard that you were busy all day yesterday and did not eat much either."