Chapter 80: Heavy Shadows (Part 2)
"What did you say? Cui Xi dared to be unfaithful to me?" The anger on Princess Taiping's face immediately turned into murderous aura. She squatted down and asked with a whip on Li Gu's chin.
"I sent someone to check Cui Xi. Someone in his family has been doing peat business recently, and it is very large." Li Gu's face was not as scared as a little. She looked at Princess Taiping pitifully like a kitten, and reported in a low voice.
"Yes!" Princess Taiping's wrist increased and picked Li Gu's chin higher.
The other party's words are not considered evidence. It is abnormal that big families like Bolingcui have not had dozens of industries that can make money under their name!
Even if the entire Cui family turned to Princess Taiping and the elders of the clan could not take out all the details of the family's internal operations to ask her for instructions. Otherwise, Princess Taiping would become the leader of the Cui family, and how could she have time and energy to control other things?
"I sent someone to check. The reason for the rise of peat in Chang'an City was that the stove and water stoves were used in large quantities last year." Li Gu was picked so that half of her neck was crooked into a tree branch, but she still looked flattering. "There are three main people doing peat business now. The owner behind the one is Guo, the owner behind the family is Ren, and the owner behind the third one is Cui Shangshu. Moreover, the opening of Cui's peat was almost the end of last year. However, it did not cause any suppression from the other two companies!"
Since the stove and the water stove were first launched by the Military Equipment Supervisor. It is normal for the two peat shops to be named Guo and Ren respectively. However, Cui Shi, the Minister of Rites, who had no penny to the Military Equipment Supervisor, could quickly discover this new business opportunity and send people to it and not be excluded by the joint efforts of the Guo family and the Ren family. This is too abnormal!
The abnormal affairs must be a monster. Even the Great Tulleman opened a treasure pavilion to sell glaze and flower dew, and knew how to fight to suppress Wang Liuli and Liushen Trading Company. The Cui family suddenly sold peat in Chang'an City, which was impossible not to violate the interests of the Guo family and the Ren family. However, the other two companies did not join forces to deal with it. How could the reasons behind it not be vigilant?
In an instant, a clear vein appeared in front of Princess Taiping, and there was no evidence for every key point. But this vein was "reasonable" so almost impeccable!
Cui Xi carried her on her back and reached some kind of deal with Zhang Qian. Therefore, Zhang Qian pointed out the way to make money by selling peat, and helped him persuade the Guo family and Ren family to "make a clear way". It is even possible that the Guo family or Ren family could even send experienced employees to bring Cui's friends into the industry!
Therefore, in return, Cui refused to do his best when assisting Li Gu in dealing with the Liushen Commercial Store. He even might secretly leak information to Zhang Qian, resulting in the Zhenbao Pavilion being passive everywhere and losing before the battle!
"Why didn't you report this to me earlier?" The shame and anger of betrayal quickly surged throughout his body. He wrapped his whip around Li Gu's neck with both hands, and Princess Taiping gritted her teeth.
"Master, I have no evidence. I dare not report randomly. After all, Cui Shi is the Minister of Rites who is of great use to the master in the court. I dare not let the gap between the master and him!" Li Gu supported the ground with both hands and responded in a low voice. It was not interesting to repeat it, and she was already in trouble.
"You..." Princess Taiping's hand jumped around, but she didn't tighten the whip.
Li Niang's words are right. Cui Xi is not his own slave after all, and he cannot punish him at will. Although the relationship between the two parties is similar to the lord and the minister, in fact, it is a greater component of cooperation or mutual utilization. If there is no conclusive evidence on his side, Cui Xi will scold or suppress him, which will definitely make the person disinterest and eventually completely out of his control.
In addition, even if I have conclusive evidence now that Cui Xi and Zhang Qian and others are in secret communication, they can no longer threaten their lives and their father's lives like before. First of all, the elder brother is not like his mother, and he will no longer easily confiscate his ministers' homes and exterminate his clan. Secondly, his current influence is far less than when his mother was the emperor!
"Master, Cui Shi is stupid, don't be angry!" Li Niang rubbed her head against Princess Taiping's hand. Regardless of her movements and voices, she was like a begging for mercy. "It's not worth getting angry for this idiot. Zhang Qian's side can make him a little fortune. And what you can give him to is what he needs most. He doesn't know how to cherish it now, and he will kneel down to beg for the master sooner or later!"
"Well, you are smart!" Princess Taiping touched Li Niang's head with her hand, and stood up in deep thought, "Come on, carry her down and apply medicine. By the way, find a doctor to show her, don't hurt your muscles."
"Yes!" The maids who were silent outside the door whispered to rush in, lifted up the rooster, turned around and left.
"Thank you for not killing me!" At this moment, Li Niang was finally sure that she had completely escaped. She raised her head with difficulty and thanked Princess Taiping. Then, she turned her eyes and fell into a coma again.
"Bitch! Don't die, otherwise I will definitely crush you to ashes!" Princess Taiping finally felt a hint of pity in her heart. She looked angry and threatened loudly.
No one could respond, and the unconscious girl was quickly carried away by the maids. The huge study room immediately became empty, and the spring breeze penetrated through the window also faintly had a hint of coldness.
Feeling the chill in the wind, Princess Taiping felt more and more depressed. Cui Xi was a capable general who personally pushed the position of Minister of Rites and had been loyal to her over the years. If even Cui Xi had a strange intention to her, then the other guys who had received her favor and always believed that she would be more reliable than Cui Xi.
The culprit of all this was his brother, Emperor Yingtian Shenlong Li Xian. In order to obtain her support and go to deal with the "Five Kings" such as Zhang Jianzhi, Li Xian did not hesitate to give him the title of Princess of the State of the State of the State of the State, and he went to and from the palace at any time to recommend officials, and the transcendent status of not having to bow to the queen when he saw the "Five Kings". After the "Five Kings" were killed, Li Xian calmly took back most of the privileges. Now, except for the empty title of Princess of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State of the State
Thinking about this, the reason why Cui Shili is so excited is better explained. After going up the six ministers, there are only a handful of officials such as the third rank of the minister of the school, the left and right servants, and the subordinate servants. When his influence on the court was far inferior to that of the past, Cui Shi continued to follow him and could no longer go further. His control over him would naturally decrease significantly.
Although he is close to Zhang Qian, although he cannot get Cui Shi promoted, he can bring a lot of money to the Boling Cui Shi. With enough money on hand, Cui Shi can of course please others, and even directly join the stupid woman Wei Wushuang.
"I will meet King Ding!"
"Your Majesty is careful at your feet!"
"Prince, be careful of the steps, I will open the door for you!"
...
At the door of the house, the maids' greetings suddenly sounded, making Princess Taiping's mood become more and more upset.
Without asking, she could guess that the person who came was her husband, Ding Wang Wu Youji. Although the couple had been married for many years and had two men and two women in their names, the relationship between them was far from being close.
Thinking back to the beginning, because she wanted to marry Wu Youji, her mother Wu Zetian directly gave the latter's original wife to death. After marrying Wu Youji, because the latter deliberately neglected her, she soon fell in love with her. She gradually had lovers such as Zhang Zongchang, Gao Jian, Cui Shi, etc. around her, which quickly became a nameless marriage.
However, because of the special status of the Wu Li family, she and Wu Youji could not get along like ordinary people. Therefore, the two tacitly chose not to bother each other.
Usually, the main hall, study room and master bedroom of the home are all used by her. Wu Youji will never visit unless invited. In the back garden where Wu Youji lives, there are more than 40 houses of all sizes. Whether it is singing every night or cultivating immortals and elixirs, it has nothing to do with her.
But today, Wu Youji suddenly ran to the study to find her when she had suffered a big loss. How could she be kind? I am afraid that even if she is not capable of taking advantage of the situation, she would have to laugh at her in person to obtain some false satisfaction!
"Mrs. She is so hard to work hard. She can't put down her book in the study?!" The fact seems as if she had expected, Wu Youji's first sentence after getting started was sour and hard, without any warmth between husband and wife.
Princess Taiping's thick eyebrows immediately stood up. She crossed her arms and hugged her chest, and responded with a sneer: "It's just a matter of repairing the sheep, but I didn't expect that King Ding would make a joke! I used to be easily deceived because I read less. So today I learned from my mistakes and found a few books to read them."
"I've been deceived? My wife is the princess of the Datang town. Who dares to deceive you? Could it be that he ate a pound of leopard gall?" Wu Youji was not angry at the hostility in Princess Taiping's words. He smiled and continued to tease with a soft voice.
"I don't know if he eats a leopard's courage. But some people are so brave today that they are a bit too big!" She glared at Wu Youji coldly, and Princess Taiping continued to sneer. "What, I want to ask me about a crime of making a fortune? Or is it that your money to refine elixirs and support your relatives is not enough, so I want to borrow some for the time being?"
"I dare not, I dare not. I have my own reasons for what my wife does. I have never asked about it before and will never ask about it in the future." Wu Youji smiled, his head shaking like a rattle. "As for the money for alchemy, haha, I have broken all the alchemy furnaces last year and vowed not to take any pills anymore. How could it be that there was not enough money?"
"It's the wife's side!" He paused deliberately, and his smile closed, and his face suddenly became solemn. "If you need money and emergency response, you might as well tell me about it. Although no one under your husband's command knows how to manage the industry, after all, there are still a thousand households in the real title, and they are still subject to a dispersed position in Kaifuyi and the three departments!" (Note: Kaifuyi and the three departments, the civil servants are dispersed from the first-rank position, and the salary is very high.)
"Oh, you want to lend me money to respond to the emergency, haha, it's really rare?" As if suddenly hearing the biggest joke in the world, Princess Taiping smiled so hard that she leaned back and forth. Until her belly started to twitch, she let go of her arms and raised her hand to wipe the tears from the laughter. As a result, if she didn't wipe it, she would have wiped her tears.
Whether it was her or Wu Youji, she had never lacked money in her life. The so-called loan was completely a couple who were running for each other. Wu Youji liked to refine alchemy, and she liked to help her relatives and friends, and was squandered. However, Wu Youji's job was a first-rank, a title of title, a title of King Ding, and an annual salary, a title of household and a job land, and the amount was very huge. As long as you didn't gamble, it was impossible to spend all your income.
Not only did she have a salary, a land and a ban, she also controlled many industries, and she was so much money that she had no place to spend. How could she need outsiders to help her?
However, for the eighteen years since the two got married, Wu Youji has been ignoring her. But today, she finally thought about giving her money, so how could she not feel wronged?!
Unexpectedly, Princess Taiping, who often draws her sword to kill people, would cry. Wu Youji was at a loss. After a while, she asked in a low voice: "What's wrong? Isn't it just two treasure pavilions? Even if you pay all the goods inside, it's only a matter of 100,000 or 200,000 yuan. What's more, it makes you so sad?"
"Woo" Princess Taiping became more and more sad when she heard this, and she choked up and said, completely different from the previous female overlord!
Seeing this, Wu Youji didn't know how to comfort her. She was stunned for a long time and then said softly: "Forget it, it's just a loss of money and avoid disasters. Children have titles, but they are still real titles. If you can't use you, I will leave money for them. As for yourself, I'm still me, I'll no longer practice alchemy, and I can't lack your daily expenses."
"No, no!" Princess Taiping felt wronged and resentful again. She raised her hand and wiped her face twice, shook her head vigorously, "Behind the other party, my prince is supporting him. I lost this time, and if I want to win back, I may not find any chance."
Although she hated Cui Shi for being unfaithful to her, in fact, she listened to all the advice Cui Shi had before leaving. Liushen Trading Company sent the mirror into the palace with great fanfare, obviously trying to ask the emperor to support her. Regardless of whether she was pretending to be a tiger, as long as the mirror was taken away by Li Xian, in a short time, anyone who wanted to cause trouble for Liushen Trading Company would be equivalent to sweeping the face of Emperor Shenlong!
In addition, since the Five Kings were eliminated and Wu Sansi was also destroyed by the prince, her status and existence as the princess of the country were no longer as good as before. But she could not rush into the palace, pointing her brother Li Xian's nose with a horse whip, and scolding her for not having to pay any debts! In desperation, she could only count her grievances and anger on Zhang Qian's head.
"The emperor's brother supports him? Are you talking about Zhang Qian?" Wu Youji was also a sensible figure back then. Although his wife's tragic death later did not ask about the world, his mind and vision did not transform. After hearing Princess Taiping's cry, he immediately smiled and shook his head, "What's wrong with that? You are equivalent to losing to the emperor! Besides, Qin Mo had been dormant for thousands of years before he sent him to the world, and he would definitely have a good backup plan for him. After counting the power of the emperor's brother, your strength is not originally an advantage. And you didn't even know yourself and your enemy, how could you win?"
After hearing what Wu Youji said, Princess Taiping's grievances immediately weakened a lot. She sniffed and explained in a low voice, "No, it's not that I didn't expect the emperor to help him. But this person is really cunning! He obviously has a cheap way to make glass, but he refused to take it out earlier. He insisted on cheating me into the game and thought he was sure to win, so he suddenly bit me a big bite!"
"He didn't mean to bite you, but Qin Mo needed to find someone to establish his authority. Last time it was the White Horse Sect, and he accidentally jumped into his trap and helped him witness Qin Mo's skills at the cost of dozens of monks' lives. And this time, you just dug a trap, and you couldn't wait to jump down!" Wu Youji smiled and continued to express his words. His eyes were bright and peaceful, as if he had already penetrated everything in the world.
"You mean, Liushen Commercial Bank was originally a bait he deliberately threw out?" Princess Taiping was shocked and her tears came to an abrupt end.
From this perspective, everything is more "clear". No wonder Zhang Qian clearly knows how to make glazed glass, but outsources the bottle of flower dew to Wang Liuli for supplying it.
No wonder Liushen Commercial Bank, from the time it opened to the time when it was on the verge of bankruptcy, only one kind of goods was sold. But today, dozens of novel tricks suddenly emerged out of thin air.
No wonder Liushen Commercial Bank's rules for investing and expanding shares were so roughly formulated. It turned out that it was deliberately trying to attract outsiders to spy on it, and then by interrupting the hand that reached out, it was erecting the reputation of "not afford to offend", and it would be done once and for all!
No wonder……
And the more clearly you can see, the more uncontrollable Princess Taiping’s hatred towards Zhang Qian.
The princess of the country, who once personally promoted the emperor to the throne, and also made the ministers of various ministries retreat. Now, he was played with by a craftsman who had no foundation and could only make iron and smelting glass! How can he bear this tone?!
If Zhang Qian was born in the five surnames and Qiwang, it would be too embarrassing for the princess to be his stepping stone for the family behind him. But he is also a wild boy in the countryside who can't even remember where his parents live. He has to go to this point with bare hands!
"You, after so many years, your temperament has not changed at all!" After all, in the same courtyard, a couple who had been in the same courtyard for 18 years, whether in name or not, Wu Youji is familiar with Princess Taiping's temper. From her sudden sharp eyes, she guessed what she was thinking.
Therefore, he smiled and shook his head gently. "Why, we are not young anymore. Take a step back and the vast sky is wide! He climbed to a high position only by relying on the favor of the emperor's brother, and may not be able to stand firm. You don't need to take revenge at all. Maybe one day he will fall down and fall to pieces. And the more anxious you are to vent your anger, the more the emperor's brother will protect him."
"That's the case, but I can't stand this tone!" Princess Taiping's silver teeth were clenched, her brows were raised, and her right hand unknowingly held the hilt of the sword again. "Also, if you don't deal with him, maybe others will bully me!"
"Who dares? You are the princess of the country!" Wu Youji refused to support her statement, but continued to persuade her to calm down. "Although you lost in the mall, you may not be sure of it. Your advantage lies in the court. Fighting with him in the mall is equivalent to using your own weaknesses to attack others' strengths!"
"Court?" As if suddenly being enlightened, Princess Taiping's eyes suddenly shone brightly, "It's really feasible to deal with him in the court! However, his secretary is a leisurely position and does not have to do anything at all, so it's difficult to make mistakes. What's more, when you arrive in the court, the emperor can support him at any time."
"Depending on your temperament, I advise you not to fight him anymore. You are jade, he is a stinky stone. You use jade to smash the stone, no matter how you smash it, it's not cheap!" Wu Youji was anxious and waved his hand with a frown.
"No, I must smash it. Otherwise, I will not be the princess of the country!" Li Lingyue refused to lose face in front of her husband, but instead became increasingly determined to take revenge to the end.
"Oh, I really admire you!" Wu Youji's persuasion was fruitless. As long as he sighed and shook his head, "If you want to take revenge, it may not be possible to suppress him? He is so young and promising, isn't there a better place to serve the country? Back then, Wu Yanxiu provoked you, and you moved your mouth and asked her mother to send him to the Turkic marriage, almost letting him go and never return. Why is it now a stubborn thing!" (Note: Sending a man to marry is a pioneering move during Wu Zetian's reign, historical facts, not fabricated.)
"Send him to marry him?" Princess Taiping was confused and frowned. Then, a shiny light shone in her eyes, "You mean, find an opportunity to praise him! Or use a knife to kill people? This method is good, I didn't expect it just now!"
"You are the ones who are in the authorities!" Wu Youji refused to take credit, smiled, sighed and shook his head, "And I am the one who is bystanders. After all, between you and me, it is still a couple. You have been used by others, and I cannot continue to hide at home."
After saying that, he sighed again and waved to Princess Taiping with distraction: "Okay, don't be sad. Sitting in your position, who is just a matter of killing? There is no need to get angry with yourself. I'm not worried about you today, so I came to take a look. Since you already have the idea to vent your anger, I will go back to practice. I haven't calmed down to do the homework assigned by Taoist Master Baiyunzi today!"
"You, you, are you leaving now?" Princess Taiping instinctively stretched out her hand and went to Wu Youji's sleeve. But she pulled it away and was stunned. Tears filled her eyes in an instant.
"You, you're fine, I, I won't stay! Otherwise, if you don't do it well, you will have to argue again. Let the children know and feel uncomfortable with it!" Wu Youji turned his head and looked at her and smiled embarrassedly. Then, he exhaled in the sky, "Let's go, take care of yourself. If you have any obstacles you can't overcome, come to me. I can't help with anything else, so I can't come up with an idea."
After saying that, he turned around, speeded up, and never looked back.
"You..." A sudden apology immediately filled Taiping's heart. She wiped her tears with her hands, and her heart was sore and painful.
Looking at the back, Wu Youji was still as tall as the two met for the first time. However, the hair behind his head had completely turned pure white. When the spring breeze outside the door was blown, it suddenly became dazzling.
The other party's words are right. His temperament is indeed a little too strong, and the other party is too stubborn. Therefore, for the past eighteen years, most days, both parties can only be nominal couples. A longer distance, but they will think more about each other's goodness.
If she could do it again, she would never have liked Wu Youji to her mother, Wu Zetian.
The willfulness back then hurt him and himself.
……………………
"I swore that I will not forgive any of them!" When my legs entered my room, Wu Youji's body suddenly staggered and slowly squatted on the ground.
The furnishings in the house are extremely luxurious. They are completely in line with the identity of a prince. However, he turned a blind eye to all the luxury. He struggled to stand up, raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and staggered towards the head of the bed. He slowly took out a sachet from under the pillow and smiled with tears in his eyes, "It's soon, it's soon, Aru, don't worry, the people of the Wu family are about to die. The people of the Li family are about to die. Whether it's the Great Zhou or the Tang Dynasty, they will be buried for you that day! They will come to apologize to you, and I will come. You will wait, wait! You will see with your own eyes that mother and son are slaughtering each other, husband and wife are turning against each other, and brothers raise their swords to each other. You will see with your own eyes that everyone in this city will die without a place to bury!"
Chapter completed!