Chapter 156

"Eldest Young Miss Qin, please have a seat," the Chief Treasurer said, gesturing for Yueqian to sit. The Qin family was considered friendly with his own family, so this gesture of goodwill was appropriate.

Moreover, their objective today was not to confront her. The royal decree sent to them merely aimed to explain that the actions taken by Mu Heng actually had the support of the palace.

Mu Heng would be credited as the one who executed the plan, while the Emperor would be seen as the one who issued the command, showcasing his wisdom and benevolence by thinking of the people’s welfare, which led to such positive results.

Naturally, if the nobles were to be angry, they wouldn’t be angry at the Emperor. He could claim that the situation had escalated and that many people had already joined in. If he were to cancel it now, he would face the wrath of the populace. Thus, the nobles would continue to be upset with Mu Heng, while the Emperor would receive the credit.

Although some officials felt that the Emperor had intervened too late, allowing the situation to spread extensively, they couldn’t voice this directly. They could only swallow their displeasure and plan to take it out on the powerless. After all, nobles were like this in the first place!

For those stronger than themselves, they could only smile, but for those weaker, they became targets for their frustrations.

Upon hearing the Chief Treasurer’s words, Yueqian smiled slightly. The young woman didn’t sit immediately but gently touched Mu Heng’s arm and pretended to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

This charming and adorable gesture left many staring in amazement, especially the followers who were there to protect their masters.

"How could you say that, Chief Treasurer? Now that Qian’er has become Brother Mu’s wife, please call me Furen Mu." What was this disgusting display of affection?

No matter how beautiful Yueqian was, such shameless behavior embarrassed many men. And because she was like this, Young General had never shown her any importance!

However, that was a fool’s thinking. Not only did Mu Heng not reject her words or touch, but he also smiled contentedly.

"My wife is very understanding," Mu Heng said warmly. His gaze and demeanor seemed to slap the faces to those around him, almost making a “slap” sound.

In an era where men led, how could Mu Heng show such gestures to his wife? It seemed to diminish his dignity. What he should have done was to show sternness, teaching his wife a lesson in front of many to ensure she remembered her place. That was what was considered proper. This Mu Heng was probably uneducated; didn’t he see others behaving differently? How could he let his wife act so coquettishly in public? Wouldn’t people think he had bought a woman from a brothel to serve him?

"Uh..." The Chief Treasurer hesitated slightly. He glanced at the others, who were now all wearing disdainful expressions, and fell silent.

"Mu Heng and Furen Mu, please have a seat," the royal secretary, who had remained silent throughout, said with an emotionless tone.

Yueqian gave a small bow and invited her husband to sit beside her. This was the first time a woman had joined such an important discussion about state matters, so the others were not used to it. The royal secretary, eager to complete his task quickly, took charge of addressing the important matters.

"I’ll get straight to the point. I have received a royal decree from His Majesty to discuss your support for the “association” you are currently establishing. However, this matter has significantly impacted the well-being of many people and may cause unrest in the capital or even in other cities. Therefore, it cannot be left to you, Master Mu, to handle alone.

"From now on, the government will take over this matter. His Majesty is aware of your good intentions towards the people, and he will certainly send you a reward. Additionally, both of you will be granted titles in recognition of your assistance to His Majesty."

The royal secretary finished speaking in one breath. Though his speech was lengthy and filled with praise, the gist was that they were to hand over their operations to the government and then wait for a small token of appreciation from the Emperor.

This selfish statement, if it weren’t Mu Heng and Yueqian’s original intention...would they have agreed?

Mu Heng glanced at his wife, who still sat calmly smiling beside him. It seemed she wanted him to take the lead in this matter. Even though she was from the capital and more familiar with these people, she still respected him enough to let him decide. Mu Heng felt a small warmth in his heart. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"It is an honor to serve the Region. How will the government take over from here? I already have some staff managing the operations. If the government takes over, I fear those people might..." Mu Heng expressed concern for his employees, but it was merely a performance to show that he was still engaged in the conversation.

If he gave in too easily, it might make them realize that the actions were intentional, wouldn’t it? Moreover, there was only one month left until the princess from the Bai Region would arrive near the capital. So during this month, he didn’t need to do anything else.

Yueqian and he agreed not to stand out too much. Otherwise, instead of being able to leave for the Bai Region, they might be kept in the Du Region for a long time. Or worse, if he were promoted and had to serve in the government, it would be a disaster, as royal decrees couldn’t be refused.

But if he remained low-key during this period, when the Wang from the Bai Region arrived and wanted him to assist, as an ordinary citizen, there would be nothing to hold him back. The claim that he lacked ability would be dismissed because of this matter. The townspeople knew well about this, and even the Emperor awarded him. With such clear evidence, no one could find fault with him.

As for Yueqian, her reputation was now exactly as intended. She was seen as a woman lacking manners, clinging to her husband and being overly infatuated with him. When her husband decided to invest in helping the villagers, she sold her mother’s dowry shops to support him.

Some people said that she sold all her dowry shops to support her husband’s ideas. It was said that if her husband called a bird a tree, she would agree that it was a tree flying in the sky.

When the Qin family heard about this, they were embarrassed. It was impossible to reclaim the shops. Such matters reached the Emperor. Later on... His Majesty bestowed valuable rewards and praised her for sacrificing her wealth to support her husband’s work. She received royal cloth and several valuable jewelry items, worth many gold coins!

"If it weren’t for the fact that a royal gift couldn’t be easily sold, and if there weren’t a truly compelling reason, that thing shouldn’t be sold. It would be like disrespecting the giver. Therefore, Yueqian had to keep it, even though her heart ached to exchange it for a lump of gold.

Returning to the current situation, after hearing Mu Heng’s question, the people around them let out a sigh of relief. They initially thought they would have to argue with Mu Heng and the fearsome Yueqian for a while. Unexpectedly, Mu Heng appeared to be a simpleton, and Yueqian, who seemed to be infatuated with her husband, said nothing at all.

It must be said that the contributions of these two were indeed significant. After they found out that all the investment money came from Yueqian, who had sold her inherited shops for this purpose, it was clear to even the foolish person that this was an investment expected to yield substantial returns.

Unexpectedly, she not only showed no concern but also didn’t even ask about the rewards the Emperor would give. Was she not afraid? If the Emperor only gave her trivial items, she would end up with nothing!

But this was good. Whatever! This was very favorable for them. Returning to report this would certainly earn them considerable credit.

Suddenly, they had gained a substantial reward from minimal effort. This was truly a grand prize, and they anticipated receiving much praise at the next court meeting.

“Don’t worry about that, Master Mu. The staff who worked with you before will be recommended to continue in their roles and will be given special governmental positions.”

“Master Mu is truly a kind-hearted person, caring for the villagers as well as the workers. No wonder you came up with such a brilliant idea.”

The high-ranking officials, who usually wouldn’t flatter those beneath them, now did so because the matter was of great importance. Seeing that Mu Heng was foolish, they all shamelessly flattered him.

Mu Heng feigned scratching his neck in embarrassment. Soon, the meeting concluded without breaking a sweat. After Mu Heng left, the officials nearly burst into laughter.

“Although we’ve gained the right to oversee things today, we should proceed as quickly as possible. If the Mu family changes their mind...”

“Of course, Royal Secretary. I will proceed as quickly as possible. This matter will be formalized with signatures to prevent any errors.”

“As for announcing this matter, I will expedite it as well. Once the Emperor bestows the rewards, the rumors will spread even further. In the meantime, we will gradually leak that the government was involved from the beginning, not just Yueqian’s investment.”

“Good. I will quickly return to report to His Majesty.” They all dispersed quickly, fearing that their good fortune might slip away if the two reconsidered.

The next day, the rumors spread widely. Some people claimed that the association was established with government support from the start and that this was the Emperor’s will, with Mu Heng merely executing the plan. Others suggested that Yueqian’s sale of her shops had ulterior motives from the beginning, possibly aiming to gain credit and contribute everything she had.

Some believed Yueqian wasn’t like that, but rather, she was so obedient to Mu Heng that she supported whatever he did. Many noted that she had become much calmer than before. She no longer caused scenes in the market, didn’t go shopping for expensive things, or looked down on the poor. It seemed marrying a poor man was the right path for her.

The matter concluded well, leaving everyone happy, including Yueqian and Mu Heng. However, when some people are happy, others inevitably suffer.

At the Qin Manor right now, the family head’s face showed signs of anger. He had called another family meeting after Yueqian sold all the shops managed by the first furen and thwarted their plan to pressure her back into the family.

Now there were rumors that she had allied with the government. The Qin family had been leading the opposition to the association’s creation, not wanting the lower classes to resist, as they believed themselves superior. If the commoners had the right to resist, it would make their work much more difficult.

However, when they saw the secret operational fees, they realized it was a significant amount of money. Despite their dislike for the commoners having a chance to resist, the money was within reach.

Since Yueqian sold the shops that should have generated income for the Qin family, the association she funded should belong to the Qin family, shouldn’t it? However, before they could take any action, the ministers, the chiefs of both departments, and the royal secretary had already taken control of the business.

Not only did they gain money, but they also earned prestige!

In the meeting, the Emperor continuously praised them. With such recognition, doesn’t this mean he has lost all hope of vying for the next ministerial position? Will he remain just an official, a chief, forever?

Why does that ungrateful daughter only ever benefit others! Doesn’t she have Qin blood in her veins?!!Of course, those responsible are often unaware of their own faults. Qin Mazhu never considered that Yueqian left because of him.