Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 542 Wei Xiaobao, this traitor, is unlikely to achieve great things~
"Father-in-law~"

"Please wait, sir!"

Jia Lian hurried to catch up and bowed respectfully, saying, "Please wait a moment, sir."

The last time he came to deliver an imperial edict, Xia Shouzhong was all smiles, but now he had a cold look on his face and his nose in the air.

"Having delivered the imperial decree, I am now returning to the palace to report back."

"What, are you trying to stop us from returning to the palace?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare~" Jia Lian waved his hands repeatedly, cursing inwardly his family members who had pushed him out to offend people.

He took a breath, gritted his teeth, and took out the several hundred taels of silver notes he had just obtained from Lin Dao a few days ago from his sleeve.

He handed over the large sum of money, saying, "Please have some tea with my father-in-law."

Most eunuchs throughout history were actually quite law-abiding.

Since you've given me the money, whether the matter can be accomplished or not is another matter, but at least I'll be treated well.

Unlike those scholars who secretly take bribes while maintaining a respectable facade in public.

They took the money but didn't even give me a friendly look!
"Hmm~"

With just a glance, Xia Shouzhong was immediately certain that what was handed to him was a 50-tael note from Yongchang Bank.

He took it with a silky touch, tucked it into his sleeve, and casually pinched its thickness.

Satisfied~
"It turns out it was Young Master Lian in person~"

Xia Shouzhong immediately performed his face-changing skill, his cold expression turning into a smile. "What is it?"

Such an exaggerated change left even Jia Lian, who was quite worldly-wise, stunned.

Fortunately, he quickly regained his senses, bowed respectfully, stepped forward, and lowered his voice.

"May I ask, Your Excellency, has His Majesty been angered?"

Xia Shouzhong came to deliver an imperial edict, the contents of which were quite simple.

At the request of the Jia family, the previous purchase of the estate outside the pass was cancelled.

In other words, Zhuangzi has been returned to your Rongguo Mansion.

As for what happened, it's actually quite simple.

The Jia family is making various efforts to regain their place in the elite group.

The nobles, led by Prince Bei Jing Shui Rong, generously stated that it was no problem for them to return, as they had known each other for many years and couldn't be completely heartless.

The Rongguo Mansion only needs to do one thing.

That is, to buy back the estates that had been redeemed from the imperial court.

They made it very clear: Zhuangzi has returned, and we are all still on the same side.

The bunch of fools in the Rongguo Mansion gathered together again to discuss their matter.

These clueless fools ultimately concluded that it was just a few estates, nothing serious.

For the emperor, it was utterly insignificant.

If we buy it back, we can satisfy both sides.

After all, Jia Yuanchun was already very close to becoming an Imperial Noble Consort. Could the Emperor possibly not care about their marital relationship at all?

At that time, Grandmother Jia suggested asking Lin Daiyu's opinion.

However, this was met with strong opposition from Madam Wang and others.

In their words, this is a matter for the Jia family, and has nothing to do with the Lin family.

Besides, what's the point of asking the younger generation about such a big matter? Wouldn't that make them seem incompetent?

Seeing that everyone insisted, Grandmother Jia did not arrange for anyone to go and find Lin Daiyu, who was ostensibly returning to the Lin residence to handle matters but had actually gone to the Guandi Temple with Lin Dao.

They tentatively submitted a memorial to the emperor, and as a result, Xia Shouzhong came to deliver an imperial edict that the redemption was revoked, and the Jia family would return the redemption money to the estate.

The wording in the imperial edict was somewhat too harsh.

Xia Shouzhong's face was as cold as winter frost.

This was hard for the Rongguo Mansion to understand; they were just a few estates, not a few cities!
Why did it have to come to this?
That's why Jia Lian was kicked out and asked why.

After hearing Jia Lian's words, Xia Shouzhong looked at him as if he were a sand sculpture.

Why are you asking me something so obvious?

Are you kidding me?

He quickly realized that the Jia family members were truly incompetent!

Xia Shouzhong's eyes were filled with pity.

Jia Yuan, who plays a hero, is incredibly skilled and leads thousands of troops across the world.

Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua were also heroes of their time, firmly controlling the various units of the Beijing Garrison.

If it weren't for the Emperor Emeritus's underhanded tactics back then, Prince Yizhong might have succeeded!
If that were the case, there would be no emperor now.

But at this time, the Jia family's sons...
Thinking of all this, Xia Shouzhong's pity turned into contempt.

For the sake of those several hundred taels of silver, Xia Shouzhong still said a few words.

"Young Master Lian."

"The most important thing between husband and wife is mutual trust and support."

"If one is fickle and opportunistic, then divorce is inevitable sooner or later."

"Tell me, is this true?"

After saying that, he shook his head and looked around. "Recently, the rebel Wei Xiaobao has been causing a lot of trouble. I should return to the palace to report as soon as possible."

Jia Lian stood there, stunned, watching the carriage depart, surrounded by a group of imperial guards.

After a moment, he muttered something.

'You, a eunuch without a teapot spout, how could you possibly understand the concept of husband and wife?'

'Divorce?'

'Divorce her!'

Xia Shouzhong was indeed worried that the rebel Wei Xiaobao was lawless and that everyone in the capital was living in fear.

Only the heavily guarded imperial palace could give him a sufficient sense of security.

In reality, the lawless rebel Wei Xiaobao, whom he spoke of, was in the palace at that moment.

There are many courtyards in the palace, many of which are vacant and uninhabited year-round.

The reasons are varied and numerous, some even being legacies of previous dynasties.

Anyway, nobody lives here.

At this moment, Lin Dao was in a dilapidated and deserted courtyard room.

He was adjusting the instrument in front of him.

This is a receiving instrument used to receive pinhole cameras placed hundreds of meters away in the Imperial Study.

Infiltrating the palace, or even the imperial study, was no big deal for Lin Dao.

He himself knew best that the emperor's bedroom and study were the places with the most secrets.

The secrets of the imperial bedchamber are mostly private matters, and Lin Dao is not interested in the privacy of the Great Zhou emperor.

Therefore, a camera with a built-in microphone was installed in the Imperial Study. He certainly didn't use the kind found in hotels; it was a truly high-quality, military-grade device.

At this moment, Lin Dao, wearing a headset, was sitting on a small stool, staring at the screen in front of him.

"Brother Royal."

On the screen, the chubby Prince Zhongshun is cursing the nobles, "These scoundrels dare to coerce the Emperor! They deserve to die!"

"okay."

The emperor, with his narrow eyes, sat on the dragon throne and sneered, "Even my father has personally spoken to me. The fools of the Jia family have willingly handed me their weapons. What else can I do?"

The fools of the Rongguo Mansion thought that by submitting a tentative memorial, they had obtained the imperial decree to return the estate to them.

All I can say is that they were incredibly stupid.

The game and the struggle here are deadly, yet no blood is shed!

The struggle between the nobility and the emperor was brutal and fierce.

The emperor wanted to reclaim power, but the nobles were unwilling, and they even brought out the retired emperor.

The emperor had previously spoken a few words in defense of the Jia family, but once the Jia family's memorial was submitted, everything was beyond repair.

The Jia family was used by the nobles as a dagger to stab the emperor!
"Brother Royal."

King Chungshun then said, "That virtuous concubine, why not depose her?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" The emperor waved his hand. "It's not the right time yet. When the time comes, hmph!"

When the time comes, it won't be a waste anymore.

He was genuinely very angry.

I thought the Jia family had come to us willingly to curry favor, and that they had even been vouched for by the Emperor Emeritus.

But when the Jia family's memorial arrived, it was a resounding slap in the face.

Not only did it make the emperor lose face in front of the retired emperor, but it also made him a target for numerous nobles to launch a fierce counterattack.

This hatred in his heart was enough to keep the emperor from eating for two days, given his naturally vengeful nature!
"The nobles' counterattack has begun."

Prince Zhongshun grumbled, "I suspect that this Wei Xiaobao was created by the nobles."

Hearing this, Lin Dao, who was sitting on a stool, chuckled softly.

He took out a mosquito coil and a lighter.

‘Click! ’

With a clear sound, flames rose.

Two young servants passing by heard the noise outside the courtyard and fled in terror.

This courtyard is a notorious haunted house. I've heard that many people have died there over the years, and it's terrifying to pass by on ordinary days.

At this moment, a crisp sound came from the courtyard, which should have been quiet. Who wouldn't be afraid?

The conversation inside the imperial study continued.

"Brother Royal."

King Chungsun had a very close relationship with the emperor, addressing him as "brother" instead of "Your Majesty."

"If all else fails, let's just take action."

"Anyway, we've already won over enough people. Let's launch a raid on Iron Net Mountain and wipe out the entire world."

The emperor did not speak, but simply picked up his teacup and drank the tea.

After a moment, once he put down his teacup, he finally spoke.

"It's not yet time."

The emperor was a master of political maneuvering.

This can be seen from the fact that he was able to break through among many princes and inherit the throne in the turbulent environment caused by Prince Yizhong's misdeeds.

After years of patient endurance, they launched their attack and shaped the world.

He had been plotting for many years to wrest the power that belonged to the emperor back from the retired emperor and the loyal followers of the former Prince Yizhong.

Given his personality, he wouldn't act unless he was absolutely certain.

Once launched, it almost certainly means success.

"The matter of the traitor Wei Xiaobao."

The emperor mentioned the elusive rebel Wei Xiaobao.

"I don't think this person is the kind of person a noble would do."

“You’ve been to the Guandi Temple in the south of the city, so you must have seen the terrible state of the place.”

"Yes." Even the usually carefree King Chungshun's expression turned solemn upon hearing this. "It was extremely tragic."

"Hundreds of yamen runners and constables, along with soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison, including Qiu Liang, were almost completely wiped out."

"According to those who were lucky enough to escape, the traitor Wei Xiaobao used a repeating firearm."

"The sound was like thunder, and the spray of the herb was like a bucket of water being poured out."

King Chungshun's face showed surprise. "It's possible that someone is delirious for saying such a thing."

"But that's what all the dozens of survivors are saying~"

"Hmm," the emperor responded.

"This traitor is very strange."

"Since it is a rebellion, we should recruit soldiers and horses and conquer cities and territories."

"But all his men were beaten up, and he didn't show up."

"Instead, they came all the way to the capital to kill those beggars?"

"I really can't understand what this person is thinking."

King Chungshun laughed and said, "This man is unlikely to achieve great things."

"After becoming a rebel, instead of thinking about expanding his power, he spends all his time busy acting as a righteous official."

"There are so many filthy things in the world that no one can manage them all."

The emperor snorted but said nothing more.

"correct."

King Zhongshun changed the subject and asked again, "How is the matter of the King of Qin choosing a consort going?"

"No rush," the emperor waved his hand. "Take your time."

The King of Qin was the emperor's eldest son and the son he valued most.

Although he has no title of Crown Prince, he has the power of one.

This can be seen from the titles bestowed upon the King of Qin.

He must be extremely careful in choosing a wife for the King of Qin.

Lin Dao listened for a while, but since there was no important information, he started the recording program.

After packing my things, I set off.

The Jia family's misfortunes are about to begin; he's going to collect interest.

(End of this chapter)