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

Chapter 196

Since Zhao Xingjin wanted to use Xie Jiu to arrange things for Xie Mingshen, he naturally didn't want the other party to know that it was his instruction.

Therefore, Xie Jiu was very thoughtful. When sending messages outside the palace, he indicated that he wanted to take the initiative to share the emperor's burdens.

Xie Mingshen received the message but was not troubled at all.

He had been avoiding the Xichi people for some time, and this was a good opportunity to meet them openly.

Inside the meeting hall, the Western delegation was already delighted with the news Gao Sui had brought back.

However, they were still worried that Zhao Xingjin might be bluffing, or that Gao Sui might have guessed wrong, so they had some concerns. At this time, Xie Mingshen sent an invitation, which gave them a chance to verify.

That very evening, Xie Mingshen hosted a dinner at a restaurant, inviting Shangguan Yi and Zhao Zaiyan to drink.

Xie Wei originally wanted to go along, but Xie Mingshen found an excuse to stop him.

Knowing that her father had his own agenda, Xie Wei didn't insist.

After seeing Xie Mingshen off, he returned to his own courtyard and talked with his wife and children behind closed doors.

"I wonder if he will do a good job with the task assigned by Her Majesty," Madam Fan said softly, her gaze falling on her two children not far away.

The brother and sister are playing with building blocks.

Xie Weisui looked at the child, her gaze softening. "Since he wants to do business with the Xichi people, he naturally needs to know their price range. He will definitely ask, but he may not tell Your Majesty the truth."

If they wanted to make a profit, why would they quote the real price?

"The Emperor has a tight grip on the military situation in Dingzhou, and I'm afraid few people in the court know the full picture. I am somewhat worried, though. If things there are truly troublesome, it might be difficult to negotiate," said Madam Fan, her face showing concern.

"No way." Xie Wei was very firm on this point. "These pirates are just undisciplined barbarians. Besides, Dingzhou doesn't have any easy-to-defend cities. If my Great Jing army can't even win this little battle when they recover, then there's no point in talking about fighting against Xichi."

Upon hearing this, Madam Fan felt it made sense and relaxed somewhat. She then brought it up.

"When I first entered the palace to pay my respects earlier, Her Majesty asked me to secretly contact Princess Heyi of the Qing'an Marquis's Mansion and ask her to help Da Jing negotiate customs duties through Prince Gao Sui of Xichi. Now that Dingzhou is in turmoil, the Emperor intends to take this opportunity to establish his authority. At that time, I'm afraid Prince Gao Sui will regret not listening to Princess Heyi and signing the treaty earlier."

The reason they haven't signed yet is simply because they think they can negotiate a lower price. Unfortunately, they're too ambitious and have gone too far in their dealings, which has already displeased Zhao Xingjin. Once the matter in Dingzhou is resolved, Zhao Xingjin's attitude towards Xi Chi will only become more assertive.

It seems unlikely that a marriage alliance will lower tariffs.

Xie Wei lowered his eyes. "Since Your Highness has been in contact with Princess Heyi, it's possible that you might lend a hand in her marriage. It's hard to say."

Originally, Xie Jiu asked Princess He Yi to help him sign the treaty as soon as possible, which would also facilitate Xie Mingshen's cooperation with the people of Xichi and obtain evidence of Xie Mingshen's treason. However, now that the matter in Dingzhou has been involved, the situation is about to change again.

If Gao Sui suffers a loss, he will feel that Princess Heyi was indeed thinking of him, and he will naturally feel regret and guilt, which will benefit Princess Heyi.

In fact, Xie Jiu had already thought about these things.

She was already planning to try to get some benefits from Zhao Xingjin on Xi Chi's behalf, and then give the credit to Zhao Zhiyu, so that Gao Sui would have a better impression of his fiancée.

This can be considered her thank-you gift to Zhao Zhiyu.

The next day.

Xie Jiu then received a message from Xie Mingshen. After reading it, Xie Jiu was somewhat surprised.

Because the amount of tariffs that Xie Mingshen obtained from the Xichi people seemed quite reasonable, and was basically consistent with Xie Jiu's estimate.

That means the news is most likely accurate.

But Xie Mingshen wanted to take a portion of the profits from the sale of iron ore in Dajing from the Xichi people, didn't he?

The lower the tariff, the higher the profit for the Westerners, and the more profit they would receive. So why is a reasonable figure given instead of simply underreporting?

“He is still cautious,” Xie Jiu said, then stood up. “Go and ask the Chengming Palace. If His Majesty has time, I will send some soup over.”

Chunrong responded and withdrew.

During this period, Zhao Xingjin was only dealing with matters in Dingzhou, so he was naturally quite free. Therefore, Xie Jiuren arrived at Chengming Hall very quickly.

After hearing the news coming in from outside, Zhao Xingjin's eyes flickered, and he immediately spoke.

"Although it's still much lower than what I wanted, it's still an amount they dare to say."

"From this perspective, it seems that my father did not have any ulterior motives," Xie Jiu continued. "However, when His Majesty asked me to inquire about this matter, my brother mentioned that my father has been frequently away from the mansion lately. I asked the steward and the servants, but they could not explain it clearly. I still have some doubts in my heart."

Since Zhao Xingjin already had some suspicions about Xie Mingshen, Xie Jiu didn't intend to keep it a secret for too long.

Revealing even a little bit would allow Zhao Xingjin to notice something amiss.

However, Xie Jiu didn't actually need to intervene. From the very beginning, Zhao Xingjin had Xie Mingshen in charge of liaising with the Xichi people, just waiting for him to make a mistake.

This is why Zhao Xingjin acted so assertively in his talks with the Xichi people. If he weren't assertive, why would the Xichi people have asked someone to speak well of him?

If we're looking for someone, Xie Mingshen is the most suitable person to contact, as he happens to be the father of the favored concubine Xie Jiu and also the person in charge of receiving the delegation.

In particular, Zhao Xingjin also knew that Xie Mingshen had dealings with the Xichi people when Emperor Hui was in power, which made it even easier for them to get mixed up together.

So when Zhao Xingjin heard Xie Jiu's words, he turned to look at him.

"Your brother told you?"

"Yes." Xie Jiu nodded. After a moment of hesitation, she said softly, "Brother, you must know that there was another reason for Mother's death. When my sister-in-law entered the palace on the first day of the lunar month, she asked me about it. My sister-in-law is intelligent. After Mother passed away, she took care of the household affairs and found clues from some of the old servants who had served Mother."

He paused after speaking, then continued.

"Furthermore, the relationship between my father and my elder brother was not good to begin with. If it weren't for the Emperor's decree, my elder brother probably wouldn't have returned to the capital."

"Are you trying to say that your brother and father aren't on the same side?" Zhao Xingjin asked directly.

At the same time, he stared at her sharply, as if trying to find some answers in her face.

This oppressive aura caused Xie Jiu's throat to tighten slightly, but she still met his eyes.

"Whether Your Majesty believes it or not, my brother and I are different from my father. Your Majesty must have dealt with my brother in government affairs these days and must have felt it. My brother has the world in his heart, is loyal to the emperor and loves the people. He is definitely not a selfish and self-serving villain like Xie Mingshen who only cares about his own glory and power."

"Besides, Xie Mingshen killed our mother. How could my brother not hate him? Now he probably only wants to avenge our mother, just like me. Otherwise, why would he tell me all this?"