Chapter 478
~ GOT CAUGHT ~
Many of the officials in the Imperial Palace came and went with excitement on their faces.
Qi Ming was proclaimed, “Greetings, Your Royal Highness Ling Wang.”
“I remember that Yi Bao Xuan has a store in Jiangnan as well.”
Qi Ming nodded, “Reporting to Your Royal Highness, there is a storefront. May I know what Your Highness has requested of me?”
“Yi Bao Xuan originated from Jiangnan. How’s its influence in Jiangnan?”
“When Yi Bao Xuan was established, His Royal Highness Jin Wang said that he could step on Ni Yun Fang to climb up, so wherever there is Ni Yun Fang, there must be Yi Bao Xuan. Although the reputation cannot be compared with Ni Yun Fang, the influence is not bad.”
A bright light flashed in Ling Wang’s eyes. He was confused and thought that he had actually picked up a treasure. “Alright, use Yi Bao Xuan’s manpower to spread the news that there is a problem with the Jiangnan salt tax and strive to spread it all over Jiangnan.”
Qi Ming was a little surprised: “Is there a problem with salt tax in Jiangnan?”
Ling Wang nodded, “There’s no harm in telling you now. Yang Lian has already told me that the Jiangnan salt tax revenue is very poor. The deficit in Jiangnan salt tax revenue is serious, and the total should be several million silver taels.”
“Several million silver taels? This silver isn’t a small number. After checking the salt tax some time ago, a group of evil salt merchants was found. In just a short time, another problem occurred, and these people’s courage is a bit too great. The Emperor will be furious when he hears this news.
“Last time, I was calculated by Jin Wang and suffered a huge loss due to the salt tax. This time, I want to make sure Jin Wang returns the favor. “You should hurry up and do it.”
“Yes.”
Shortly after Ling Wang’s orders ended, Mu Yunyao received the news.
Liu Liang stood on one side: “Misstres, do you need Qi Ming to do something secretly?”
“No need. Whatever orders Ling Wang has to give, all of us will follow. Since we have decided to let Ling Wang and Jin Wang fight, we will not interfere so easily. After so many years of rivalry between Ling Wang and Jin Wang, none managed to get many advantages. Many of which were mediated by the Emperor. If we were to intervene rashly, it would easily arouse the Emperor’s attention. Let them fight amongst themselves. Ling Wang will definitely not give up in such a good situation.”
“Yes.”
In just a few days, the news of the problem with the Jiangnan salt tax had spread like wildfire. After the Emperor heard about it, he was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation. But, no one expected the Emperor to hand over the task to Yue Wang.
After Mu Yunyao heard the news, she was stunned for a moment before tightly furrowing her brows.
Jin Lan was slightly worried. “Miss, are you alright?”
“It’s okay. It’s just a bit of an accident. Where is Grandmother now?”
“The Grand Princess and Madam are admiring the flowers at Liufang Garden. You planted a few new camellias flowers a few days ago, and the Grand Princess is very fond of them. She goes to Liufang Garden to admire them every day. Would Miss like to take a look as well?”Mu Yunyao stood up and walked two steps before suddenly shaking her head. “No need. I think we’ve already made most of the custom-made clothes in Ni Yun Fang, right?”
“Yes, we have enough manpower, so the speed of making clothes is a bit faster.”
“Let’s go to Ni Yun Fang to take a look and make these dresses as soon as possible. The weather is getting hotter this year, and it won’t be long before people start wearing spring dresses.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Mu Yunyao arrived at Ni Yun Fang. With her help, they could finish the clothes faster and faster. As she got busy, she forgot about her worries. When Jin Lan reminded her, she realized that the sky had already darkened. “Miss, the Grand Princess, and Madam have sent people to ask if you can return to Qinfang Garden as soon as possible.”
“Alright, I understand.”
Mu Yunyao stretched out her shoulders and wrists. After washing her hands, she headed downstairs.At the entrance of Ni Yun Fang, a carriage was quietly parked. When Mu Yunyao came down, the carriage’s curtain was slightly opened, revealing the handsome face of Yue Wang. “Yunyao.”
“Your Royal Highness Yue Wang…”
“I’ll take you back.”
Mu Yunyao was stunned. She looked around before nodding and replying, “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”
After getting on the carriage, Mu Yunyao looked at the Yue Wang but hesitated to speak.
Yue Wang took the lead and spoke: “You should have heard about it already. Imperial Father has assigned me to go to Jiangnan to investigate the salt tax case. Tomorrow morning, I will set out on my journey to Jiangnan.”
“So fast?”
“This is an urgent matter. There have been rumors spread over Jiangnan, and the consequences are dire, so we can only set out as soon as possible.” Seeing Mu Yunyao’s serious expression, Wang Yue couldn’t help but chuckle. “No need to worry so much. It’s not for nothing that I had spent so much time and effort in Jiangnan. I will investigate this matter thoroughly and quickly, then return to the Capital. ”
“Of course, I’m not worried about Your Royal Highness’s ability. It’s just that … The Jiangnan Salt Merchants were deeply rooted in their roots. Last time, e took advantage of the time, place, and people, so our plan succeeded. The rumors spread ahead of time this time, and the Salt Merchants were prepared. I am afraid that things will change drastically.”
“With you behind me, I can’t bear to let anything happen to me.” Yue Wang looked at Mu Yunyao, and his eyes seemed to wish for nothing more than to turn into a river of gentle water.
Mu Yunyao’s ears turned slightly red. She was anxious and angry in her heart, “I’m not joking. Your Royal Highness must be extra careful in this business.”
“Well, I know. Did Yao’er have a way to earn silver taels this time? The Salt Merchant in Jiangnan pits for nothing. ”
Hearing Yue Wang’s words, Mu Yunyao couldn’t help but find it funny. “Your Royal Highness thinks of me as a gold rake for silver? Jiangnan Salt Merchants are not stupid either. How can they let us do all the calculations? But if we want to squeeze out silver from them, there’s a way to do it.”
“Dump silver?”
“Extracting money from them is never as exciting and thorough as directly raiding the house. Your Royal Highness’s temperament has always been an upright and cold person. This time, the reason the Emperor sent you to Jiangnan may have been due to this reason.”
Yue Wang slightly narrowed his eyes. “That’s reasonable. I like this errand. Yao’er, you can just quietly wait in the Capital for your good news.”
Mu Yunyao nodded and suddenly laughed, “I once heard a scholar tell a joke, saying that he plundered the home of a greedy official and copied out five hundred thousand silver taels. As a result, the official in charge of raiding the house drew thirty percent, the person in charge of handling affairs below drew twenty percent, and the official who raided stole and hid 10%. The rest of the money will be taken care of, and only 90,000 silver will be given to the Emperor in the end … The Emperor then took a look and saw that the corruption was not too much, which lightened the responsibility of the officials by quite a bit...”
“Yao’er, don’t worry. If you want to be greedy, I will have to be greedy myself. I definitely won’t let anyone else take advantage of me.”
“Your Highness’s words are really righteous and confident.”
“After following Yao’er for a long time, it is inevitable that the closer I get to her.”
Mu Yunyao raised her head and glared at him. “I can’t help Your Royal Highness with anything else, but I can lend a few of my people. I received a letter from Lady Ding a while ago, and she wrote that a group of good accounting experts had collected in Ni Yun Fang. If Your Royal Highness needs them, you can immediately go to Ni Yun Fang and ask for them.”
“Well, Yao’er has thought it through thoroughly.”