Chapter 474
~ I WILL BELIEVE IT AS LONG AS YOU SAY IT ~
Yu Wang could not help but twitch his mouth when he saw Yue Wang’s serious look. Did he really think that he was an idiot that could not see his careful thinking? If it were an ordinary family, then it would have been fine. However, Yunyao was Imperial Aunt’s granddaughter, and she had a generation difference from Fourth Imperial Brother. He had to think of a way to persuade Fourth Imperial Brother. If this angered Imperial Father, then it would be detrimental to him.
Mu Yunyao followed Yue Wang to the study, and Eunuch Cheng brought over a charcoal pot and fragrant tea, placing them by Mu Yunyao’s side. “Young Miss, could you try this fragrant tea brewing method? Previously, you gave me some tips for brewing tea, so this servant went back to practice for a long time.”
The tea was almost finished. Fortunately, it wasn’t wasted and was given to Yu Heng and the other guards to drink. The critical consequence was that those kids would cover their stomachs and run to the toilet whenever they saw him. It’s really humiliating.
Yue Wang looked at Yu Wang: “Second Imperial Brother, didn’t you say just now that you would enter the Palace to pay respects to Imperial Father? It should be about the time now.”
Yu Wang smiled, “There’s no rush. I can go there later in the evening.”
Mu Yunyao slightly raised the corner of her lips. “When I came here just now, I heard Grandmother mumbling about Second Imperial Uncle. She said that it’s been a long time since she has seen you and paid respects to her at the Grand Princess’s Mansion.”
Yu Wang could not help but widen his eyes. These two people were not diligent in finding excuses and were obviously trying to chase him away.
“After I enter the Palace and pay my respects to Imperial Father, I will visit the Grand Princess.”
“That’s a pity. Grandmother saw Old Madam Chu today and heard that Miss Min also came with her. If Second Imperial Uncle went over to pay his respects now, you might even meet her.”
As soon as the Second Prince heard it, his eyes lit up. He and Min Fanghua, the eldest granddaughter of Elder Min, were engaged. But, because of Empress Dowager’s funeral and the national mourning period, they could only postpone the wedding. During this period of postponement, his relationship with Miss Min got along. Seeing that the wedding date was approaching, the Min family devoted themselves to teaching her various rules and not letting her go out. He had missed her a long time ago. But now, when he hears that he has the opportunity to meet each other, he can’t sit still.
There was a smile in Yue Wang’s eyes as he said, “Second Imperial Brother, hurry up and go. There’s no rush in paying respects to Imperial Father.”
“That’s great. I also miss Imperial Aunt too. It’s just right for me to go pay my respects.”
After Yu Wang left in a hurry, the smile in Yue Wang’s eyes vanished. “Yunyao, you came in a hurry. Your expression isn’t that good either. Did something important happen?”
Mu Yunyao pursed her lips. After remembering the matter from her memories, her first reaction was to come here and discuss it with Yue Wang. She didn’t even consider whether he believed her or not. What would he think after hearing his words?
Seeing her eyes flickering lightly, Yue Wang waited quietly with a look of hesitation on his face.
After a long while, Mu Yunyao finally made up her mind. “Your Royal Highness, I … I have something to say, and you may think it’s a little weird, but....”
“Yunyao, there’s no need to be like this between us. I mightn’t believe in anyone, but I definitely believe in you. If there’s anything you want to say, just say it.”
“For the past few days, I’ve been feeling uneasy. At night, I always had nightmares about a flood in Linjiang City. Afterward, the ship was transporting tax silvers sank directly into the river, causing all tax silvers to fall into the water and disappear without a trace.”
Yue Wang suddenly raised his head. “Linjiang City’s flood?”
Mu Yunyao nodded. When the incident happened in her previous life, she had struggled to survive in the Su family’s residence. Su Yuyi had taken donating silver to provide food to the victims and gained a superb reputation for kindness. Later on, the Su family had helped Su Yuyi set up a banquet, and she had been asked to attend with an exception. She knew there was a flood in Linjiang City when she heard about the discussion, which washed away a large amount of salt tax revenue. People along the coast had been displaced, and many victims had flooded into the Capital.
Initially, she only heard it once before the incident at Huguo Temple, where she almost lost her life. As a result, she had forgotten about this matter.
Today, she heard Jin Lan say that the weather was much hotter, and some scenes suddenly flashed into her mind. Before the river broke the wall in Linjiang City, the weather was exceptionally sultry for a while. Later on, when the matter of the river breaking through came about, many people said that the weather was abnormal. The heavens warned them, but unfortunately, no one could understand it.
Yue Wang involuntarily stood up and started pacing back and forth in the study.
Mu Yunyao retracted her gaze and waited quietly at the side for Yue Wang’s response. She could only bring this matter up in a dreaming way. She did not know how much Yue Wang would believe such an incredible thing.
After a while, Yue Wang suddenly stopped, “Yunyao, this matter is too important. We need to consider it further and think about it from a long-term perspective. The waters along the river are vast, and every February, when the ice melts, spring floods will occur. However, the winter rains in recent years have not been abundant, so it has not caused too much-hidden danger. This year should be no different from the previous years. But this time, the river broke through the wall and happened to wash away a lot of salt tax revenue. Thus, no matter how you look at it, this is not normal.”
Mu Yunyao suddenly raised her eyes, “Your Royal Highness believes what I say?”
“How could I not believe it?” Yue Wang looked at Mu Yunyao, his eyes filled with trust and resolution. “I already said that I will believe you as long as you speak. Moreover, this matter is too important, so you definitely won’t joke around.”
Mu Yunyao felt the warmth in her heart as she quickly looked away, “Then has Your Royal Highness thought of a way to deal with this?”
“I have been cleaned up Bu Xian Luo. Bu Xian Luo has been arranged for so long and consumed much in manpower and material resources. It’s about time to use some of our resources for useful purposes. This incident’s most likely due to the Jiangnan salt tax, so let’s start with the salt tax.”
Mu Yunyao shook her head slightly. “The Jiangnan salt tax is far too important and is beyond our reach. It would be difficult for us to shake up the many salt merchants in Jiangnan with just our power. It would be better to find another way and find someone to make an opening for us.”
Yue Wang stopped, turned around, and looked over, “What you mean is … Yang Lian, Liangjiang salt transport envoy?”
Mu Yunyao nodded. “That’s right. Doesn’t Your Royal Highness feel that everything is too coincidental? The news spread that there was a problem with the salt tax in Jiangnan, and soon after, Liangjiang’s envoy, Yang Lian, returned to the Capital with Su Jin. We suspect that the silver in Jin Wang’s hands came from an illegal source, so we could said that Yang Lian and Jin Wang had contact... Things have always had a reason, and I don’t believe there will be so many coincidences.”
“Imperial Father recently intended to reinstate the Su family and praised Yang Lian, Liangjiang’s envoy. He wanted to transfer him to the Ministry of Public Affairs, temporarily replacing Su Wenyuan, who retired as the Minister.”
“The Minister?” Mu Yunyao was puzzled. The Minister of the Ministry of Public Affairs had just taken it back from Su Wenyuan but now was going to hand it to Su Jin’s husband, Yang Lian. Wasn’t this the equivalent of swapping his left hand for his right? Is there any difference?
Yue Wang saw her frown, and his expression turned serious: “Recently, the First Prince and the Third Prince have been fighting, and Jin Wang was defeated in battles. Even though he proposed the method to reform the plow, he was still unable to gain much momentum.”
“Even if the previous incident had some impact on Jin Wang, it would not have caused his men to be unable to lift their heads. Unless … Jin Wang did it on purpose?”