When Wei Hongwen received the news, he hurriedly rushed back to the capital, only to be met by the sealed Hengyuan Marquis’ residence. Wei Hongwen was in a great hurry, so he then went to see Lord An at Yunlong Pavilion. Lord An only said one sentence to him, “Don’t worry.” These words caused Wei Hongwen to faint on the spot. He had been traveling without eating or drinking for days, and as soon as he relaxed, he couldn’t hold on any longer.

After Wei Hongwen ‘woke up,’ he gobbled down a meal, then took a bath, changed his clothes, shaved, and got himself ready. After he disguised himself, he followed Lord An to the Grand General’s residence.

The Empress was suffering from abdominal pain and as soon as Lord An, who had just received the news, rushed to the Grand General residence, he burst into tears in front of the Empress, lamenting how he, a servant, was not by his side during the Empress’ most painful moments. The Empress could only smile wryly and in the end, he could only say that as long as he conducted his business well and sold the tea and wine at a high price this year, it would be the greatest filial piety to him. Only then did Eunuch An reluctantly accept it.

When Wei Hongwen entered the Empress’ room, he immediately knelt down. After a while, the Empress, who was not yet dressed in formal attire, emerged from the inner room. Wei Hongwen immediately kowtowed and said, “This humble one, Wei Hongwen, pays his respects to His Majesty, the Empress.”

“You may rise.”

“This humble one carries the weight of guilt and dares not stand.”

The Empress sat down, and Eunuch Jin immediately offered a cup of honey pomelo tea. After taking a sip, the Empress said, “You may rise.” Wei Hongwen kowtowed again and then stood up. The Empress drank another sip of pomelo tea and asked, “Are you here this time for your elder brother, your father, or the Marquis of Hengyuan?”

Wei Hongwen bowed and said, “This humble one has come this time for my elder brother and also for my father.” He did not mention the Marquis of Hengyuan. His statement made it clear that, in the face of his family’s lives, the title of Marquis was of little importance.

The Empress finished his honey pomelo tea and put down the empty teacup. He looked somewhat satisfied and said, “Wei Hongzheng has committed a grave offense and the son shares the blame with the father. The Emperor was furious about this matter and although he did not immediately order the execution of the entire family, it’s because he values your loyalty and that of your brother Wei Hongru.”

Wei Hongwen was shocked and looked up. The Empress continued. “The fate of the Marquis of Hengyuan’s residence is in the hands of the Emperor and you should focus on your responsibilities. It is now the season for picking and processing spring tea. You should start preparations. Your brother, Wei Hongru, acts prudently and will be assigned other tasks by me.”

Throughout the conversation, the Empress did not mention the Marquis of Hengyuan. Wei Hongwen wanted to ask, but saw the expression on Grand Tutor An’s face, so he remained silent. Kneeling down again, Wei Hongwen said, “This humble one will heed Your Majesty’s orders. I thank Your Majesty for your graciousness.”

Wei Hongwen’s meeting with the Empress was very brief. Afterward, Eunuch An escorted him out of the Grand General’s residence through a side entrance. He admonished him, “The Emperor and His Majesty value both you and your brother greatly, but when it comes to your father, you should not insist. The Emperor may not execute him, but he cannot stay in the capital. You should prepare yourself.”

Wei Hongwen expressed his gratitude and bowed, saying, “Thank you for your guidance, Lord An. I know what I need to do now. However, I would like to see my elder brother before leaving the capital.” Eunuch An shook his head. “You are now also a criminal and you cannot show yourself. Wait until the Emperor’s verdict for the Marquis of Hengyuan’s family is issued and then you can reveal yourself.”

“I understand and I apologize for troubling you, Lord An. I will go back, make the necessary preparations, and then depart. Please help me deliver a letter to my elder brother.”

“Of course.”

When Eunuch An came back again, the Empress had not yet gone to bed. Eunuch An immediately came forward and said, “Your Majesty, Wei Hongwen is leaving the capital tonight. He asked this slave to bring a letter to Wei Hongru. This slave could not bear to disappoint him and promised.”

The Empress said calmly, “You have always been prudent in your actions. If you have agreed, then you have agreed. I want Wei Hongwen and his brother to continue their work, but we should not alienate them.”

“I have already reminded him that Wei Chunlin may have his life spared, but cannot stay in the capital.” The Empress nodded and continued. “Shao Yunan was injured by Wei Hongzheng. You should have Eunuch Jin select some fabrics and jewelry from my private treasury in Fuli Village and send them to him.”

“Yes, I also plan to choose some items to send to him. He is my nephew now and I cannot ignore his injury. Your Majesty, it’s getting late and you should rest.” However, the Empress did not mention resting and instead asked, “An, what do you think of Shao Yunan’s business proposition with Dasi Kingdom? The situation with my health has stabilized and I need to provide a response to Shao Yunan and his associates.”

Eunuch An replied, “Your Majesty, to be honest, my business acumen is far inferior to Shao Yunan. I believe that as long as we follow Shao Yunan’s lead in business, we can’t go wrong. Look at the mahjong parlor he had us establish. Initially, I thought it wouldn’t make much money, but in just a short time, it’s been generating significant profits and providing us with valuable information. So, listening to his advice is certainly a wise choice.”

He doesn’t want us to engage in direct business dealings with Dasi Kingdom involving real gold and silver. He limits the quantities. I think it makes sense. Dasi Kingdom is full of bandits and making them wealthy wouldn’t benefit the Great State of Yan. I believe Shao Yunan is thinking long-term. If he hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have thought of it. Dasi Kingdom has many valuable resources and if we can obtain them for our Great State of Yan, we will certainly profit immensely. The Hengyuan Marquis’ residence is nothing compared to what we can achieve in the future. Our national treasury could surpass his tenfold.”

The Empress was amused by Eunuch An’s flattery, but he quickly composed himself, saying, “Indeed, Shao Yunan’s business acumen far surpasses that of Wei Hongwen and his associates. You may respond to him. However, I will assign someone to oversee this matter. Tell him to wait for some time until the designated person arrives to proceed.”

Eunuch An asked, “Your Majesty, do you mean…” The Empress replied, “Let ‘him’ handle it.”

Edited by: Jaisland

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