Chapter 148: The Empress (1 / 2)

Xu Yanmiao had barely left the capital with the Imperial Sword when, shortly after, the Minister of Works found himself subjected to a scathing reprimand from the emperor.

“Those who receive official salaries should not compete with the commoners for their livelihood! Do I need to make you copy this phrase ten thousand times and then eat the words?”

“You’ve already risen to the rank of Minister of Works. Is your household really that desperate for money?”

“I know you officials always have some private enterprises in your hands, and I’ve usually turned a blind eye to it—but your wife, she’s something else. Her business acumen rivals that of Tao Zhugong (an ancient business magnate). Should I bestow her the title of ‘The Da Xia Dynasty’s Wealthiest Merchant’ as well?”

The Minister of Works kept his head bowed and gritted his teeth to endure the lecture.

He didn’t dare to explain that his wife had a natural love for commerce and, in order not to cause trouble for him, always concealed her identity. No one even knew she was the Minister of Works’ wife, and she had never leveraged his official position for personal gain. That said, her proximity to him still gave her certain advantages. Even if she never actively asked, nor he actively shared, their daily life together allowed her to glean policy trends from him and seize the opportunity early.

“Your Majesty! I will have my humble wife dissolve her business immediately and present all illicit gains to the court. This oversight is my fault.”

There were numerous ways to punish officials or their families for engaging in commerce: demotion, dismissal, salary cuts, or confiscation of property… The exact punishment was entirely up to the discretion of the ruling power.

The Minister of Works, not daring to hope for leniency, added, “I failed to manage my household and request to have my official hat removed and return to civilian status to atone for my sins.”

“Enough. That won’t be necessary,” the emperor said casually, still holding his brush as he reviewed documents. “Three months of public shaming while wearing a cangue, plus a hundred lashes, to set an example for others. That will suffice.”

The Minister of Works reacted as quickly as lightning. The moment the emperor finished speaking, he dropped to his knees to express his gratitude.

—This was far better than the dismissal he had anticipated.

“Your Majesty is merciful, but I must not take this lightly! Please allow me to use my family’s private wealth to atone for my crime. If Your Majesty channels it for the benefit of the people, it might slightly reduce my guilt.”

The emperor gave him a sidelong glance, understanding that if he didn’t accept the offer, the entire family would remain uneasy. He nodded and added, “If any of your wife’s dowry businesses are involved, they do not need to be handed over.”

While officials and their families were not allowed to engage in commerce, the dowry businesses of their wives were exempt from this rule. However, such businesses were typically modest in scale, managed through ledgers, and never grew as vast as regular commercial enterprises.

Simply put, running a small shop for side income was acceptable; building a nationwide chain and amassing mountains of gold and silver was not.

Hearing this, the Minister of Works felt even more genuine gratitude. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!”

The emperor glanced at the position of the sun.

At this hour, it was time for him to dine with the empress.

“Enough. You may leave now.”

After dismissing the Minister of Works, the emperor hurriedly headed to the Empress’s Palace. Upon seeing Xiangyang present, his cheerful expression immediately turned to one of annoyance. Xiangyang was clinging to Empress Dou with a cheeky grin, refusing to leave.

The Old Emperor: “…”

His own daughter. Endure.

When the dishes were served, the emperor pretended not to see this infuriating third wheel ruining his one-on-one time with his “Empress.” He ate while casually chatting with her about court matters.

“That Xu Yanmiao, honestly, such a headache. Out of all the capable merchants in the world, why did he have to fixate on the Minister of Works’ wife?”

Though he sounded like he was complaining, his expression didn’t show any real dissatisfaction. In fact, his tone carried a hint of amusement and closeness.

The Princess of Xiangyang sat at the table, seemingly well-behaved, lips tightly sealed like a clam. After listening to her father’s words, she glanced at him repeatedly, sensing there was some deeper meaning behind his words, but she couldn’t quite figure it out.

Empress Dou chuckled softly. “Perhaps the child thought, seeing how you brought Hua Chun into court, then made Shengxian an official, didn’t care about the matter of a female consort, and even let Xie Luoshui sail abroad, that you support women entering the court.”

Her words cut straight to the truth. The Princess of Xiangyang suddenly had a moment of clarity, her eyes widening as she stared at her father.

The emperor, oblivious to her reaction, continued proudly, “I knew it—youngsters can’t be relied on entirely. His method is good, but asking the Minister of Works’ wife was not the right approach. It’s up to me to extract the essence and discard the dregs.”

Fire flared in the Princess of Xiangyang’s eyes.

Her father was still her father, after all! Talking about “so many capable merchants in the world,” when what he actually meant was “so many capable male merchants in the world!” He clearly didn’t think women should be involved in politics!

She was about to slam the table in protest when her mother’s glance extinguished her fury. Pouting, she sat back down and stabbed at her food with her chopsticks.

Then she heard her mother speak in a gentle tone: “You’re right. Men govern the outside, women manage the inside. It has always been so.”

The Princess of Xiangyang blinked, suddenly recalling something Xu Yanmiao had said to her once during a conversation.

“Has always been so… is it really true?”

Her mother continued, “However, Your Majesty, can you truly trust these other merchants?”@@novelbin@@