Chapter 263: Black Hearted Thief
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As Mingzhu walked back into the room, Yuwen Chu had already tidied up and was about to leave. Mingzhu symbolically straightened his tassel, and Yuwen Chu smiled at her, saying, “What did you tell them? It sounds lively.”
Mingzhu smiled with her eyes crinkling, “I’m saving money for entertaining guests on your behalf.” She figured if she made them go broke once, they wouldn’t dare scheme again in the future. She knew well that a penny-pincher could make even a hero cower; without money, one had to behave. She had firmly in mind the lesson from Zhou Nushi about the illegitimate son. What was that compared to this? Another person in her place might have served a cup of poison long ago. She really was too soft-hearted and kind.
Yuwen Chu playfully tapped her nose, saying, “Stingy. Aren’t you afraid of losing face? I’m curious. You never lacked money when you were little, and I don’t lack money either. You’re in charge of the household accounts now, so is it really that hard to drop a few coins?”
Mingzhu blinked, “It’s because of your good teaching, Your Highness. Not a single penny of money that shouldn’t be wasted is wasted. They have everything they need for food, drink, and clothing from the household. I won’t mistreat them, and I won’t lose face. I’ll keep an eye on things. Once they’re drained, I’ll make up for any shortfalls.”
Yuwen Chu found her amusing. Without money, nothing could be accomplished. He understood this principle well. Even passing a message or sneaking something in required a bit of money. Without it, these women with complex backgrounds would be constrained. But as a man, and with these women as his nominal concubines, he had to take care of them properly to save face. Plus, they couldn’t cause any waves. He had to remain low-key. Thus, he often turned a blind eye to things.
But now was different. He had married Mingzhu, and there seemed to be a subtle conflict with that imperial uncle. It seemed like he didn’t need to stay low-key anymore. So it might be best to clip these women’s wings sooner rather than later. Mingzhu’s method seemed childish, but it was effective. However, it was only a banquet. They couldn’t really make people go broke over it.
Yuwen Chu decided to give Mingzhu some advice, “Do you really think one meal will make them go broke? You underestimate me. Would I mistreat people? Who doesn’t have some savings? Not to mention, even a hairpin is worth a lot of money. Even if it’s just an old piece of clothing, you can sell it for a few coins.”
Mingzhu rolled her eyes. What did His Royal Highness Ying Wang mean by this? Did he think she wasn’t ruthless enough, so he suggested that she find another way to strip these beauties of everything they had? His Highness was truly ruthless. Who said he was gentle and kind to the women in his household?! Clearly, he was a black hearted thief!
Suddenly, Mingzhu felt refreshed and wanted to ask Yuwen Chu, “What does His Highness mean? I’m dumb and don’t understand. Please enlighten me.”
Yuwen Chu sternly broke free from her hand, “Go away, don’t bother me. How would I, Ying Wang, understand such petty calculations against women? I wouldn’t do such things! I have important matters to attend to. Hurry up and write your invitations! If you want to host a banquet, you must do it properly without losing your dignity. Both substance and form must be handled well. Otherwise, you can wait for me to collect the rent from you.”
Mingzhu watched him walk away with a pretentious air, laughing heartily as she leaned back on the couch. After rolling around a bit, she sat up with a smile. She hadn’t expected His Royal Highness Ying Wang, who always appeared serious, to be so amusing.
Zheng Momo entered, smiling, “Why is the Wangfei so happy?”
Mingzhu smiled, “Zheng Momo, come quickly, I have something to discuss with you…” She explained her thoughts, and Zheng Momo smiled, “What’s difficult about this? Leave it to Li Quanxin. He’s been idle for years and has been specially researching the women of the northern garden. He knows who’s wealthy and who’s truly destitute. Let him handle it, and nothing will go wrong. There’s no need to strip them completely. Leave them some room. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good if they’re pushed too hard. This way, it will appear that the Wangfei is kind-hearted.”
“That makes sense.” Mingzhu called someone in to prepare writing materials and began to write invitations for the Wangfei and others.
Zheng Momo smiled, “There’s another good thing I want to tell the Wangfei. I don’t know why, but recently, the prices of oil, caustic soda, spices, quartz sand, borax, lime, and other items have quietly increased. The business of Bo Lai Wu has been booming, and many merchants from out of town are asking about Bo Lai Wu! It’s being rumored outside that Marquis Changxing’s Mansion is making a fortune this time. Second Miss Jiang is indeed a heroine among women, a hero among women, a female hero among the red dust!”
Mingzhu pursed her lips and smiled. This was just the beginning. Jiang Shanshan’s ambition was indeed great, unwilling to fail, with lofty aspirations! If she wanted fame, she would give it to her; if she wanted wealth, she would give it to her. When the time came, she wouldn’t even have the chance to quit.
Yuwen Chu arrived at Tingxue Building. As soon as he finished handling matters, someone from the palace came. It was a little eunuch from the mansion of Imperial Consort Min, who whispered, “Your Highness, the palace maid who followed the princess out of the palace couldn’t bear it and finally confessed. She said that when the princess went out of the palace that day, she bought a very expensive book intending to give it to you, but it was taken by someone surnamed Liao on the street. Second Miss Jiang of Marquis Changxing’s Mansion said that the person was a swindler and wanted to report to the officials to have him arrested. The princess disagreed, causing a conflict. It seems that the person lived in Huaihua Alley, and she couldn’t say more.”
“A book, surnamed Liao?” Yuwen Chu frowned. How coincidental. Princess Funing rarely left the palace. She just happened to buy a book, and it was taken by someone on the street? It seemed like someone was deliberately setting a trap for Funing.
After sending the messenger away, Yuwen Chu called Jing Song, “Go and find out where Princess Funing went that day and what happened. Find out everything. Especially the scholar named Liao who lives in Huaihua Alley. We must find out who he is.”
Jing Song went to investigate, and in the evening, he returned with a report, “It’s this year’s new top scholar, Liao Guang, Liao Hanlin. The book that Princess Funing gave him was called ‘Night Conversations in the Desolate Garden’. It’s said to be a precious manuscript left by his ancestors. It was lost before, but it was finally found. However, he didn’t have the money to buy it back, so he often went to pester the owner of the bookstore. He happened to meet Princess Funing buying this book that day, so he followed and said he wanted to give her the money for the book. He also asked where Princess Funing lived, but she refused to tell him. Instead, she asked where he lived.”
“Liao Guang, huh,” Yuwen Chu smiled coldly, “What a coincidence.”
“What does Your Highness mean?” Jing Song asked.
Yuwen Chu said calmly, “Let’s watch and see what happens.” Liao Guang was a good person, and he had been eyeing him for a long time. But he was unresponsive. This might be an opportunity, but not necessarily.
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