The war lasted for more than half a year, as Emperor Kangsheng suddenly fell ill after spending a night with Consort Hu. The Empress’s son Lin Wang Murongxian falsely passed an imperial decree to abolish the crown prince and make him the crown prince instead. At that time, half of the capital’s great families supported the ascension of Lin Wang Murongxian. 

The situation at that time was exceptionally critical, but what they did not expect was that Crown Prince Mu Gukun, who was supposed to be trapped at the border, would suddenly return to the capital with a team of troops. The Crown Prince’s side, led by the Dai family, cooperated with the Crown Prince from the inside and the outside to invade the palace, arresting Lin Wang Murongxian for imprisoning the Empress.

For ten days, the capital was filled with shouts of killing. Emperor Kangsheng, who was already in a coma for a long time, did not see what happened outside the palace. Two months later, Emperor Kangsheng died of illness, while Lin Wang Murongxian committed suicide in the prison, the Empress committed suicide by taking poison, and the Empress’ maternal family was ordered by Murong Kun to be beheaded. 

In order to not make the situation more unmanageable, Murong Kun listened to the advice of old man Weng, Old General Dai, and others, and only executed the Empress’ maiden family, not doing anything to the other families that supported the now already dead Empress. But not doing anything didn’t mean that Emperor Yongming forgot. It was also during this period that Dai Qiyou was poisoned and later lost their child.

In the most brutal ‘battle’ for the crown prince, the Marquis of Hengyuan Mansion did not support Lin Wang Murongxian, but they also didn’t support Emperor Yongming. The Marquis of Hengyuan was a cunning fox, so he would always only choose the side most beneficial to them. The situation at that time was too risky for the Marquis of Hengyuan to support anyone, so he simply chose to stay out of it. In a neutral stance, he kept himself out of the matter. 

The rejection of his family’s woman into the palace after the ascension of Emperor Yongming angered the Hengyuan Marquis. Although he didn’t go against Emperor Yongming, he also would definitely not support the political views of Emperor Yongming either, but watched Emperor Yongming’s difficulties with the country’s economic recovery with a cold eye. 

Therefore, after Wei Chunlin, the current Marquis of Hengyuan, received the verbal order asking him to enter the palace for a banquet the next day, he couldn’t help but speculate about the Emperor’s intention behind this move. “Hongru, Hongzheng, what do you think the Emperor’s intention is in this matter?” Wei Chunlin asked his two oldest sons in his study. Wei Hongru was his eldest son and Wei Hongzheng was his eldest son from concubine.

After Wei Hongwen left Xiushui Village, he returned to the capital directly. What Shao Yunan said to him, pointed him to the most suitable path for him. Wei Hongwen was not stupid, he naturally knew to choose what was the best for him and his brother. Returning to the capital, Wei Hongwen can be said to have ‘returned without success,’ and also with Shao Yunan’s ‘breakdown.’ 

The Marquis of Hengyuan could only be said to be quite unhappy about this.  It’s nothing to have Shao Yunan’s ‘breakdown,’ but the people behind Shao Yunan were the Empress and the Emperor! The marquis of Hengyuan scolded his son for his incompetence and unfinished work. Although he did not put the Emperor and the Empress in his eyes, he would not be foolish enough to directly confront those two. Wei Hongwhen who was scolded badly just said “I quit,” turned around and left.

Scolding his son was just natural justice for the father, but the son didn’t dare to give his father face. It could only be said to be looking for death. If he doesn’t want to do it, he will let some other people do it! Marquis Hengyuan was not a vegetarian either, so he immediately deprived Wei Hongwen of all his powers, and temporarily entrusted it to his eldest son, Wei Hongru and his concubine born brother Wei Hongzheng. 

Wei Hongwen was also a hard-tempered person. He had worked hard for the Marquis of Hengyuan and earned a lot of money. If they want to deprive it, they can deprive it. In a fit of rage, Wei Hongwen packed up his things and left the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion without letting anyone know where he was going.

Outsiders said that Wei Hongwen was stupid and he should just endure his father’s anger for a while. Why bother to have such an unpleasant fight with his own father? Not to mention after all the credits were taken away, not much real power was left. The man at the helm of the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion’s business, who was  considered the richest man in the country, has so much power and wealth, but Wei Hongwen actually rejected it, no longer wanting it. 

Forget it, if he just didn’t want it. He also ran away from home. His father was none other than the Marquis of Hengyuan. Does he still expect his father to invite him back home? The most important thing was the son. Wei Hongwen was the first son of the main wife, but so what? Let’s not forget that the marquis now has a new wife and that wife also has a real first son.

After Wei Hongwen left the Marquis Mansion, Wei Hongru also lowered his profile a lot. The attitude of the people in the mansion towards him, the eldest son, also changed. Therefore, Wei Hongru behaved very calmly, calmly facing the undercurrents against him in the mansion.

Before Wei Hongru could speak, Wei Hongzheng preemptively said, “Father, from this child’s point of view, the Emperor is showing his favor to the Marquis Mansion. The Empress and Emperor made a lot of money from the new tea and wine, but isn’t the quantity also limited? Not to mention, they limited sales only to the capital. For more business access, they can only rely on our Hengyuan Marquis Mansion, so the Emperor may want to ask you to open up sales for the new tea and wine.

Wei Hongru sneered in his heart and said calmly on the surface, “I thought the Emperor’s move was to alert and remind father.”

“Remind me / father of what?” Wei Hongzheng and the Marquis of Hengyuan asked at the same time. Wei Hongru looked at Wei Hongzheng and said, “Father, Wei Hongzheng is buying the new tea and wine sold by the Empress at a high price to sell to the merchants from the Mountain People Tribe and the Xianlu Kingdom. Although doing so can earn a lot of money, it is bound to annoy the Empress. Since the Emperor favors the Empress, he won’t ignore it.”

Wei Chunlin knew about this. When Wei Hongwen left the capital on the third day of the lunar new year to go to Shao Yunan, Wei Hongzheng took advantage of Wei Hongwen’s absence to persuade his own father, the Marquis of Hengyuan, to let him buy new tea and wine at a high price. Wei Chunlin naturally knew that this move would annoy the Emperor and Empress, but with his own wife whispering to him, plus the lure of high profits, he acquiesced. Now that Wei Hongru said this in front of him, Wei Chunlin naturally could not say he allowed it.

Wei Chunlin frowned and Wei Hongzheng immediately stood up and said, “Father, I’m talking about business. Even if the child doesn’t accept it, someone else will. The merchants from the Mountain People Tribe and the Xianlu Kingdom offered ten times higher prices and for some, even a hundred times. How can this be regarded as stealing business from the Empress? The Empress can also send someone to buy it back.” Wei Chunlin immediately made a hesitant expression since there was some truth to it.

Wei Hongru simply shut his mouth when he noticed this. Wei Chunlin did not like Emperor Yongming, who loved a single man so much that he didn’t even want children if it wasn’t that man’s. In a family like theirs, the main wife still has to choose other women, since only women can ensure the reproduction of children.  But Emperor Yongming, as the Emperor, made a man his Empress and favored him deeply, not worrying about an heir. 

Wei Chunlin also knew that the Emperor did not trust the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion. In contrast, his trust belonged to the family behind the Empress, the Emperor’s beloved. If the Emperor was not good, the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion may still be fine, but if the Emperor is doing well, the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion will not be good for long. So in his heart, Wei Chunlin supports Wei Hongzheng’s move.

Wei Chunlin said to Wei Hongzheng, “It’s right to talk about business in business, but after all, it’s the Emperor and the Empress. As subjects, we still have to give the face we should give. If you want to accept it, you can, but you can’t compete with the Empress for business. If you can’t get the goods there, you can negotiate with the merchants of the Mountain People Tribe and the Xianlu Kingdom.”

“Yes!” Wei Hongzheng proudly looked at Wei Hongru who did not say anything. Wei Hongru was not angry, but in his heart, he laughed at his father and Wei Hongzheng’s short-sightedness.

Then, Wei Hongzheng said, “Father, I heard that the governor of Chinan Prefecture Yang Yan, ordered that the tea in the entire Chinan Prefecture is not allowed to be picked privately before the rainy season and Qingming. This Yang Yan is Jiang Kangning’s senior brother, so I think that this new tea will not be picked before the rainy season. Therefore, they plan to pick the tea leaves after the rainy season. If this is true, there are not many days left.”

Wei Chunlin pondered, and Wei Hongzheng tried his best to say, “If your son can make a deal with these merchants from the Mountain People Tribe and the Xianlu Kingdom before the new batch of tea is out, I am sure your son can make an even better deal. No matter how much tea the  Empress has in his hands, he can still only buy and sell in the capital. The merchants outside the capital are all in our Hengyuan Marquis Mansion’s hands.”

Wei Hongru sternly said, “You really want to think that the Empress is dissatisfied with our father and the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion?”

Wei Hongzheng snorted coldly. “The Emperor and the Empress should not interfere with business transactions. Didn’t all civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty do business and not deal with state affairs? The Emperor and Empress should worry about their family, country, and the world, and not block other people’s wealth.”

“Hongzheng!” Wei Hongzheng shut his mouth, but still showed his disdain for Wei Hongru. Wei Chunlin, however, did not lecture Wei Hongzheng on his disrespect for the Emperor and Empress and just said, “You still need to be more cautious.” Then, he said, “Hongru, tomorrow you will come to the palace with me.”

“Yes.” Since his father didn’t listen to what he said, Wei Hongru simply stopped talking. Seeing Wei Hongzheng’s flamboyant appearance, Wei Hongru sneered in his heart.

Since there was nothing important to do anymore, Wei Chunlin asked his two sons to leave. Wei Hongzheng did not leave, but after Wei Hongru closed the door and went out, he said in a low voice, “Father, this son wants to send someone to Xiushui Village again. We need this new tea. This  year, the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion must take part in it.”

Wei Chunlin hesitated, Wei Hongwen’s failure to accomplish anything must have been heard by the Emperor and the Empress already and he didn’t want to confront them directly. Wei Hongzheng said, “Father, this son will be careful. It’s just some peasant, so I just need to pay him some more money. Presumably, the Empress didn’t pay that person that much.”

Hearing this, Wei Chunlin said, “This matter should not be too widely publicized. That person, after all, belongs to the Empress. Don’t do anything out of line. It would be best if we get this new tea, but if that person refuses, it is also fine.” Wei Hongzheng confidently said, “Don’t worry father, this child will definitely give it to you. The Hengyuan Marquis Mansion will get the tea!”

Wei Chunlin smiled in satisfaction and Wei Hongzheng became even more sure when he saw this. No matter what method he would need to use, he would ask that peasant boy to hand over the new tea! 

Edited by: Jaisland

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