Soon, Su Xiaoqi regretted it.
Because of her momentary soft-heartedness, she was directly pulled into the bathtub by Shen Yun.
Afterward, in the bathroom, a great water fight ensued.
"Ah, Husband, what are you doing splashing water on me?"
"Wife, I'm sorry, your husband did it unintentionally. Since you're already wet, and it's cold, wearing wet clothes will catch a chill. Hurry and take them off, and let's wash together..."
Su Xiaoqi thought it made sense. She was wearing a down jacket, which was heavy when wet. She quickly took it off. Soon, her inner clothing also became wet.
Thus...
"Shen Yun, I think you have ill intentions!" Su Xiaoqi gritted her teeth and brandished her small fists at Shen Yun in the large bathtub.
Shen Yun smiled like a thousand-year-old fox, "My wife misunderstands. Your husband merely cannot bear to see my wife toiling so hard, so I wish to help rub your back. How is it, is the pressure just right?"
"Just right... Mmm... Just right for your big head, you... you, where are you rubbing..."
"Oh no, Husband, good Husband, please let me go, ah..."
Su Xiaoqi was exhausted. She lay on the edge of the bed, looking at Shen Yun with a face devoid of life, her eyes filled with infinite grievance. She accused him, "You, you, you are too much! You promised it would be once, but it's been once, then once more, and once again..."
Shen Yun knew he had been a bit too reckless earlier. He quickly hugged Su Xiaoqi and kissed her forehead, apologizing in a low voice, "Wife, I was wrong, I was wrong, I won't dare to do it again. I just haven't seen you for a night, and I was worried you wouldn't be able to sleep without me. I think of you all the time, my longing has become an illness, and seeing you is like taking an antidote. I couldn't help but be a little greedy..."
"You, you, you still know you didn't sleep all night, yet you're so energetic. I think next time the Emperor should summon you to discuss matters again, then you'll see..." Before Su Xiaoqi could finish speaking, Shen Yun sealed her lips. He really disliked Su Xiaoqi mentioning the Emperor now. It reminded him of the old Emperor's covetousness for his wife, which made him very displeased.
Su Xiaoqi saw that he was thinking about the palace incident again and lowered her eyes with a hint of guilt. Shen Yun, feeling heartache, quickly embraced her, "Wife, this is not your fault. It's his wicked heart." One couldn't possibly make the victim bear responsibility. Su Xiaoqi was very worried that Shen Yun would think it was her fault that Emperor Xingzhao had developed intentions towards her. Fortunately, Shen Yun had sound judgment and didn't restrain her with the theory of the victim being guilty. Otherwise, she would have significantly downgraded her opinion of him.
"Husband, you're so good." Su Xiaoqi pecked Shen Yun's cheek. Then she suddenly remembered something. "Husband, Kong Shan is already dead. Before he died, Wang Enze dug up so many things from him. Even the Crown Prince was affected by his testimony. Have you seen it?"
Shen Yun nodded, saying that of course, he had seen it, as he was also nominally assisting in the investigation. Su Xiaoqi tentatively asked, "Did you see anything about me in it?"
Shen Yun gazed intently at Su Xiaoqi. Seeing her eyes flicker, he immediately understood. When he read the confession卷宗 (juànzōng - files/records) from Kong Shan, he had seen his confession concerning Su Xiaoqi's sudden disappearance at Huangjue Temple. He had a bad feeling about it, so he re-transcribed a copy, deleting and altering parts related to Su Xiaoqi and destroying the original卷宗. Someone before him should have seen it, but since there was no evidence left, and as long as he looked after his wife well in the future, there shouldn't be any problems. Shen Yun said with great certainty, "There's nothing. Wife, you don't need to worry."
Su Xiaoqi gained courage from Shen Yun's gaze. Perhaps he had seen it and made arrangements to make them disappear. She thought for a moment and then asked, "What about Marquis Dingbian?" The relationship between the Crown Prince and Kong Shan was still questionable. However, Marquis Dingbian was a confirmed case; surely nothing would happen? "The old Madam of Marquis Dingbian's mansion has already entered the palace to request punishment for the Madam and Heir of Marquis Dingbian's mansion." This was the normal procedure. Whoever caused the trouble would be held responsible. Everyone now knew that the Heir of Marquis Dingbian's mansion was not his biological son, but if the people of Marquis Dingbian's mansion didn't speak up, even the Emperor couldn't interfere in their family affairs. Now that the matriarch of the Marquis's mansion had stepped forward, this matter was settled.
"Does this mean the Heir of Marquis Dingbian has been deposed?" Su Xiaoqi asked tentatively. Shen Yun replied, "He has gone mad. Madam Huang, being desperate for a child, corrupted the noble family's bloodline. She has been punished and sent to the ancestral temple, forbidden to enter the capital city for eternity." Su Xiaoqi gave a soft "Mm." She couldn't quite describe what she felt. Schadenfreude? No. Logically, the Heir of Marquis Dingbian had harassed her before, even getting into disputes and fights with them. He only gave up after seeing that she had the backing of the Duke of Yu's mansion and the Princess's mansion. And his mother, Huang Yaru, had pointed fingers at her and tried to bully her using her status from the very first meeting during the Dragon Boat Festival. Hearing that both mother and son had fallen into misfortune, she should have been happy. But her heart was very calm, as if she had never known them, let alone had any enmity. Su Xiaoqi quickly let go of them and continued to ask, "What about the others?" Kong Shan had brought out quite a few people. And because of Kong Shan's incident, even those who hadn't been implicated were conducting self-examinations at home. Blood tests, physiognomy, Taoist rituals... In short, monks were no longer trustworthy, but there were still monks in temples to believe in. People could always find a place to place their hopes.
"Some indeed had their bloodlines mixed up, while others were wrongful convictions. However, more often, people suffered great losses silently for the sake of family reputation. The family still had its share of expenses." This was likely the most common outcome. As Kong Shan had said, he had performed countless fertility rituals in the capital for over twenty years. Even if only one woman was deceived per ritual, that was twelve in a year. Over twenty years, that was over two hundred. The proportion was quite high, but very few cases were exposed. Therefore, most people, although suspicious, did not raise the issue. For noble families, face was paramount. As long as others did not actively expose their flaws, no one would willingly reveal their shortcomings. However, even so, afterward, many families in the capital had children go missing, or were divided and expelled from the main family. Those who didn't know would think the family was unlucky, while those who did would smile knowingly. This was how those large families used their own methods to purge those not belonging to their family bloodline. Experienced, established noble families could handle these matters without leaving a trace. Of course, this was a story for later. For now, the 'Dragon Robe Frame-up Case' had temporarily come to an end, and it was time to deliver the goods to the Ministry of Revenue.
Before Su Xiaoqi could send someone to their door, Minister Xu Shijie personally came to visit. Because he had been notified by Shen Yun in advance, he waited at home. As soon as Xu Shijie entered, he saw Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi sitting upright, waiting for him. He was taken aback for a moment, then adjusted his robes and walked in with steady steps. After the host and guests exchanged greetings, he asked, "Are the three hundred thousand pieces finished?"
Su Xiaoqi was thinking about how to phrase her words. Before she could finish, Xu Shijie said nervously, "They aren't finished? Oh, ten days was really too tight. It's alright if they're not all done. How about this, you continue working on them. In the past, the Ministry of War would arrange for the production, and it would take at least three months to gather them. If we work for ten or half a month, it's still considered doing our best. It's just a pity for those soldiers, in such cold weather." Xu Shijie was subtly disappointed. But he quickly comforted himself. No matter how much it was delayed, three days ago he had sent someone to check the progress, and twenty-six thousand winter clothes had already been made. Even if they made fewer in these three days, the remaining forty thousand pieces would not cause too much delay. Therefore, Xu Shijie could still comfort himself as usual, without putting too much pressure on Su Xiaoqi. They were already very excellent.
As he spoke, he saw Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun exchange a look and smile. "Minister Xu, you worry too much. All thirty thousand pieces are finished and have been inventoried. They have already been transported to the estate outside the city and loaded onto carts. With your command, they can be escorted to the northern frontier."
"All, all done?" Xu Shijie had some doubts about Su Xiaoqi's strong execution ability, so he quickly looked at Shen Yun. "That's right, all thirty thousand pieces are done. This is the completion register after production. Each piece has a unique mark, indicating the size and quality inspection symbols." Shen Yun handed the prepared ledger to Xu Shijie. As he flipped through it, the information on the thirty thousand winter clothes was clearly and meticulously recorded. He was filled with shock. Not only had they finished the work, but they had also kept such detailed accounts. And there were many things he had never heard of before.
Seeing Xu Shijie continuously flipping through the ledger without speaking, Su Xiaoqi couldn't wait and asked with a smile, "Minister Xu, how is it? Are you satisfied?" Xu Shijie exclaimed, "Good, good, you have done very well." As Xu Shijie spoke, he flipped to the end. The cost price was forty thousand taels. This was because the cost of each garment was at least over one hundred and thirty wen. However, on the final statement, Su Xiaoqi had crossed out an extra ten thousand taels. "This is..." Xu Shijie had a vague guess in his heart.