CHAPTER 308: CHAPTER 308: PLEASE DON’T MAKE THINGS HARD FOR HIS MAJESTY

Qi Yunye discovered after bringing Zhao Dahe along for a few days that he had a considerable talent for business.

"If you don’t pursue a career in officialdom, I’ll have a successor for my business," Qi Yunye lamented slightly.

He also knew that the family needed someone to pursue a career in officialdom.

Moreover, even if they didn’t consider the Duke Qi Mansion, the Zhao Family would definitely want Dahe to pursue officialdom.

After all, among the younger generation of the Zhao Family, Dahe was the most outstanding.

As for Zhao Zhiyan, Qi Yunye hadn’t interacted with him, but he had gathered a lot of information about him.

Quite good at studying, but currently only limited to being very good at studying.

He belongs to those who are well taken care of by their parents, have not experienced much, and focus solely on reading the classics.

In the officialdom, at least initially, he would not be as good as Zhao Dahe.

"Pursuing a career in officialdom won’t prevent me from inheriting my uncle’s legacy," Zhao Dahe said firmly, "My mother taught me not to put all my eggs in one basket."

Qi Yunye couldn’t help laughing, "Good boy, your ambition isn’t small, but that’s also quite good."

Better than someone like him who doesn’t strive for advancement.

Zhao Dahe was unaware of Qi Yunye’s inner thoughts. If he had known, he would surely have asked without hesitation: You call this not striving for advancement? What would count as advancement then? If not striving for advancement allows one to control nearly half of Zhou Country’s wealth, striving for advancement would mean truly being able to rival a nation in wealth.

At that point, Emperor Jing would likely be uneasy.

"For now, you should focus on your studies, and after the autumn exams, you can gradually make plans," Qi Yunye said, "Your mother instructed me before she left to keep a close watch on you."

"Of course."

He had boasted to his mother before, promising to secure the top scholarly honor.

As a man, he must keep his word.

——

Recently, the Grand Princess had been very agitated.

One batch of subordinates after another reported their matters.

Not a single good thing, everything was bad news.

The business dealings under her name were hindered to varying degrees, not enough to be crippling, but the losses were quite significant.

Moreover, even after she dismissed a batch of people and replaced them with a new group, the losses couldn’t be stopped.

In business, it’s normal to occasionally incur losses.

But to lose entirely is abnormal.

Someone was targeting her.

What made the Grand Princess apprehensive was that her people couldn’t find out who was behind it.

This made the Grand Princess very uneasy.

Meanwhile, several complaints were filed with the Jingzhao Mansion against the retainers of the Princess Mansion.

These were the very retainers whom the Grand Princess valued most.

The Grand Princess was arrogant and disregarded others.

Her retainers naturally followed her example, even exceeding it.

Crimes like forcibly seizing women, occupying land, and bullying others were countless.

The Jingzhao Mansion, concerned about the Grand Princess’s power, did not act immediately upon receiving the cases but reported them to the Grand Princess side first.

However, somehow the matter was presented before Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing scolded the Capital Prefect harshly in court.

He asked the Capital Prefect whether Jingzhao Mansion was his or the Grand Princess’s. Should he allow the Grand Princess to become emperor?

Even with all the ministers kneeling, Emperor Jing’s anger was not quelled, and he left the hall in a fury.

"A-le, did I make a mistake?" Emperor Jing asked Noble Consort An, feeling remorseful.

He had been too indulgent with his elder sister. In recent years, she had become increasingly unrestrained.

Look at what her retainers have done.

"Your Majesty, what happened?" Noble Consort An asked.

The harem must not interfere in politics, and Noble Consort An, as a qualified concubine, always remembered this rule.

Although she already knew about the complaints against the Princess Mansion’s retainers and the censors impeaching the Grand Princess at the early court session today.

But she had to pretend not to know, to be a good listener, allowing the emperor to release some of his anger through venting.

After Emperor Jing’s venting, he felt less suffocated in his chest.

"I don’t understand state affairs, but I know that without rules, nothing can be accomplished," Noble Consort An said, "Otherwise, things will fall into chaos."

"A-le, you are right," Emperor Jing was silent for a while.

"As a woman with limited insight, my views are just my own. Ultimately, your Majesty has a balanced scale in your heart, and it’s not my place to comment," Noble Consort An said as she poured tea for the emperor.

Indeed, after reading the petitions, Emperor Jing had already made up his mind.

A prince breaking the law is subject to the same punishment as a commoner.

Although the crimes were not committed by his elder sister, the retainers were under her care, and her first duty was to properly restrain them.

So, she couldn’t escape the charge of negligence.

As for those retainers, there must be an explanation given to the suffering people.

Upon returning to his study, Emperor Jing personally drafted an edict, instructing Shuangxi to read it at the Grand Princess’s residence.

First, the Grand Princess’s title was to be revoked, and her lands confiscated.

Second, stern punishment for those retainers, with no pardon from anyone.

These retainers were the confidants cultivated by the Grand Princess over the years. This severe punishment affected eighty percent of them.

Moreover, each case had ample evidence. The heinous ones were sentenced to execution, and the rest didn’t fare much better, facing tattooing and exile.

Such individuals, unless there was a general amnesty, would spend their lives laboring in bitter cold regions until death.

Even if they were fortunate enough to encounter a general amnesty, the tattoos on their faces would doom them to never rise again.

"This, is this the emperor’s decision?" the Grand Princess couldn’t believe.

For such a small matter, her title was revoked.

It should be known that there was no comparison between a princess with a title and one without. What was more difficult for the Grand Princess to accept was the confiscation of her lands!

The extravagant expenditures of the Princess Mansion were more than half funded by the land’s taxes.

Without these taxes, how could the enormous Princess Mansion sustain daily life?

Moreover, she had been busy recently finding suitable young men for Bao Ping, and several whom she fancied were already in the process of courting.

At such a critical moment, receiving these punishments would disrupt Bao Ping’s marriage prospects.

"The censors and court ministers reacted too strongly. Censor Huang nearly shed blood in the hall today. The ministers’ opinion was to demote the Grand Princess to a commoner!" Shuangxi said fluently, "The current punishment is what the emperor secured through his efforts."

The implication being, be content. If it weren’t for the emperor’s affection for his sibling, the consequences would have been far more severe.

"I want to see the emperor," said the Grand Princess.

"Your Highness, the emperor is already under a lot of pressure, don’t make things difficult for him. His Majesty wants me to convey that you should cooperate with the Jingzhao Mansion to conclude the cases quickly. Only then can this storm be pacified soon," Shuangxi said earnestly.