It was not known that Shen Yun had always been adept at reading people's expressions.
Seeing Wang Enze staring at him as if in thought, his expression changing unpredictably, Shen Yun roughly understood:
He was wary of him.
Shen Yun cupped his hands in a salute, using his official title: "Censor, this matter is temporarily settled, but the affairs of Bazhou are still undecided. Perhaps..."
Wang Enze was jolted back to clarity by the reminder.
Yes, now was not the time for internal conflict.
Even if they were to clash, they would have to wait until after they had defeated their common enemy.
If they started undermining each other now, there would be no need for further planning; everything would have already reached its conclusion.
Being intelligent people, there was no need for further words. The two looked up, met each other's eyes, and smiled knowingly.
The case of Jiangning Prefecture was settled. Liu Qiaosheng, as the local prefect, should have governed well. However, due to his greed, he allowed the Huang family to purchase a large quantity of raw silk and satin from the Jiang family at a low price, which was then sent to the Imperial Weaving Bureau in the capital.
This caused a price increase of thirty percent, a deceptive act for personal gain, and a crime that could not be forgiven, resulting in a sentence of exile.
As for the Huang family of Jiangning Prefecture, they were the masterminds. Their entire family was executed, their property confiscated and entered into the national treasury.
As for the Jiang family, who supplied the Imperial Weaving Bureau, they remained as they were, bestowed with a plaque for being outstanding merchants throughout the empire, becoming imperial merchants.
News of this reached Su Xiaoqi while she was sitting in the courtyard talking with Shen Yun.
Shen Yun said:
"Now that the drought has eased, and with the grain transported from Jiangnan along the river, this disaster can be alleviated to some extent.
However, the issue of seeds after the disaster is a major problem."
These were not significant problems for Su Xiaoqi.
She told Shen Yun that the "Granary of the World" shops had already begun selling seeds.
The prices were extremely low, making them affordable for most.
Even if they couldn't afford them at the moment, there was no need to worry; they could obtain seeds on credit.
It was just as she had implemented in Zhaojia Village and Yizhou Prefecture.
For every liter of seed borrowed, only one liter of grain needed to be repaid upon harvest.
Anyone could see that the Granary of the World was not selling seeds at all; it was practically giving them away.
Su Xiaoqi knew that she had to use her spatial abilities to benefit everyone, so she was very resolute about this matter.
She rejected several versions of He Qiulei's plans for selling seeds.
Finally, this method was decided upon.
"My wife's benevolence is admirable. Your husband thanks you." Shen Yun stood up, embraced Su Xiaoqi, and kissed her.
Su Xiaoqi glared lightly, "Is this how you express thanks?"
He spoke nicely, but in reality, he was taking advantage of her.
Shen Yun simply held her and nibbled on her ear.
Su Xiaoqi's body trembled, and with a soft "ying," she collapsed into his arms.
At this moment, Shen Yun happened to mention the follow-up to the Jiangning Prefecture case.
Su Xiaoqi listened but didn't take it to heart.
She was very clear about her own background.
These were all court affairs, unrelated to a young woman like her.
"Does my husband still intend to pursue this?"
Shen Yun shook his head, "He is the Crown Prince." Like a towering mountain, they could not shake him.
As long as Emperor Xingzhao did not depose him, he would remain a mountain pressing down on them.
Even if they were to raise evidence and shout in court now, not only Liu Qiaosheng was involved in this matter, but Duke Huang of the imperial court was also involved.
He even took a larger share of the profits than Liu Qiaosheng.
And Crown Prince Liang Xinran stood behind Duke Huang, making him untouchable.
Therefore, even if they spoke out at the risk of their lives, they would only anger the Crown Prince.
"What a pity," Su Xiaoqi sighed.
But there was truly nothing they could do.
Not to mention Shen Yun, even she knew that the Crown Prince had Consort Huang in the palace to whisper sweet nothings in the Emperor's ear.
In the imperial court, the powerful Duke Huang spoke for him.
Furthermore, he himself had already entered politics.
Their desire to bring him down with this minor incident was simply wishful thinking.
"What about the Bazhou matter?" Su Xiaoqi was unwilling to give up.
"I heard someone offered a plan, and he has already found a scapegoat," Shen Yun sighed softly.
Liang Xinran was too cunning.
And ruthless.
He used people and discarded them as casually as choosing what to eat or drink daily.
He had no regard for those he heavily relied upon.
He would eventually fail.
Su Xiaoqi also learned from Shen Yun about Zhao Xiaohua's entry into the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.
"What did she say?" Su Xiaoqi's heart tightened, sensing that Zhao Xiaohua had a grand scheme.
Shen Yun thought about the words she had spoken and hesitated whether to tell Su Xiaoqi everything.
After all, when he was with Wang Enze, he had no intention of telling him.
This was his source of information, unrelated to Wang Enze.
Moreover, he had clearly sensed Wang Enze's wariness of him. If he knew that he could even obtain information from the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, Wang Enze would definitely be even more on guard.
Therefore, he only hinted at it slightly, without revealing any details.
But Xiaoqi was different.
She was his wife.
Shen Yun's hesitation made Su Xiaoqi nervous.
She said, "Did Zhao Xiaohua say something?"
The pressure she could currently think of was Zhao Xiaohua.
With Shen Yun's abilities, he likely wouldn't care about others.
But Zhao Xiaohua was different.
She had lived through a lifetime before, and because she had been by Shen Yun's side in her previous life, she had an extraordinary insight into many matters.
Therefore, Su Xiaoqi was very wary of her.
Furthermore, she knew of Zhao Xiaohua's feelings for Shen Yun. If he hesitated to speak, it must be related to Zhao Xiaohua.
This was why she boldly guessed, and upon seeing Shen Yun's face slowly turn red.
Su Xiaoqi knew she had guessed correctly.
"Did Zhao Xiaohua offer a plan to the Crown Prince?" Su Xiaoqi thought of Zhao Xiaohua now, who was ambitious.
She dared to provoke even someone as predatory as the Crown Prince.
Truly fearless of death.
"She followed us before and witnessed our actions. She has secretly reported Dean Lu and Censor Wang to the Crown Prince."
"So she bypassed you?" Su Xiaoqi hit the nail on the head.
Shen Yun nodded, "Her intentions are unfathomable. I still don't know her reasons for doing this."
Shen Yun was somewhat troubled by this.
He did not want to be calculated by Zhao Xiaohua.
Especially he did not want to make his wife angry because of her.
"I understand. Even if you didn't say it, I could guess," Su Xiaoqi nodded.
It seemed Zhao Xiaohua's feelings for Shen Yun were quite persistent.
Even in such a situation, she still wanted to protect him.
But she didn't consider that the Crown Prince, holding a high position, was not so easily dealt with.
It would be better not to get anything out of it and instead end up in trouble.
Seeing that Su Xiaoqi was not angry, Shen Yun felt relieved, and a smile flickered across his clear and handsome face.
But soon he thought of something else.
Did Xiaoqi's lack of anger mean she didn't care about him?
This realization made Shen Yun somewhat depressed.
He would have preferred his wife to be angry and jealous.
It was a pity that his wife was simply too rational.
Su Xiaoqi noticed that Shen Yun no longer had his usual calm and composure in front of her.
Moreover, his emotions were easily revealed. She couldn't help but smile faintly, deliberately sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned close to his ear, saying:
"Husband, actually, I am very angry."
As if playing a trick, she blew into his ear as she spoke, stirring Shen Yun's emotions, making him unable to bear it. He let out a low growl, swept her into his arms...