Chapter 833 - 836: Parting Ways Here

Chapter 833: Chapter 836: Parting Ways Here

Hua Shunming tapped the date at the back of the memorial. "I merely hinted at my intentions by summoning him back to Shangjing, yet this old fox has already guessed it.

"By submitting this soap recipe, Gu Wenheng is also assuring our Royal Family that he harbors no disloyal intentions and refuses to be dragged into the struggles for imperial power.

"But he still underestimates me, I..."

The words caught in his throat. Hua Shunming felt that he wasn’t being quite fair. A few years ago, he had only declined his share of the sea trade profits a few times before happily accepting it.

And as for this soap recipe, the other party had written it into the memorial. He had already read it and was now having the Crown Prince review it, acting as if he had already claimed the item as his own.

He winced inwardly. It truly damaged his image as the Emperor.

But the temptation was too great. Even though he owned the world, he was personally poor, and his private treasury wasn’t even full yet.

Thinking about this, it seemed Gu Wenheng really had him figured out completely. His mood suddenly soured.

"Old fox, he really is an old fox," Hua Shunming said, suddenly looking at Hua Zhang with a complex expression. "I don’t know whether it’s a blessing or a curse to place such an old fox by your side. However, the only thing to be thankful for is that this man has a righteous heart. For the sake of the common people, he will only ever do his utmost."

As for whether he would scheme against the Emperor? Hua Shunming patted Hua Zhang’s shoulder and said affectionately, "I will try to teach you everything I can. With your intelligence and wisdom, even if you don’t expand our territories, you will be more than capable of maintaining them.

"As for the royal grandson, it is also time you found him a few good teachers. When the time comes, name your candidates, and I will help you vet them."

"Yes," Hua Zhang replied. He wondered if he was already being despised before even ascending the throne. Should he be glad that his royal grandson was still young?

The little royal grandson, who had only just learned to crawl and walk, was left utterly speechless.

"Then about Mr. Gu..." Hua Zhang still remembered the purpose of his trip.

"You can lend a hand in this matter, but do not get too involved," Hua Shunming said. He hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to come directly to him about this; the original plan would have to change.

The Crown Prince was purely filial. Despite facing such a massive temptation, he brought it straight to him, unlike the Fifth Prince, who was planning to hide in the shadows and silently make a fortune.

Comparing the two, Hua Shunming grew even more satisfied with his choice of heir.

"As for this memorial, take it back with you," Hua Shunming said, tapping the memorial in the Crown Prince’s hand. Since the world would eventually be handed over to the Crown Prince anyway, there were some things he no longer wished to keep a tight grip on.

Hua Zhang suddenly felt as if the item in his hands was burning hot. His tone grew urgent. "Father, I..."

"I will teach you another lesson today," Hua Shunming reminded the Crown Prince, pointing at the memorial. "You are the Crown Prince, and the world will be yours in the future, but you must not put all your eggs in one basket.

"The National Treasury belongs to the world. It is watched closely by the court officials and the common people. As an Emperor, if you want some decision-making power, apart from holding military authority, this is also indispensable."

Although taking these things from Gu Wenheng’s hands was somewhat shameless, he really was too poor of an Emperor, and there were simply too many places where Silver was needed.

He still needed to save some face, though. Hua Shunming coughed lightly. "You must keep Gu Wenheng’s loyalty in your heart. When the time is right, bestow some grace upon him."

Hua Shunming gave himself a mental thumbs-up. "The Crown Prince is receiving the benefits, so he will be the one paying off the debt later. It is happily decided!"

"As you command," Hua Zhang replied.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Jin Qianqian’s people evacuated very quickly. By the time Meng Haotian and his group led their men to the workshop, the place was already completely empty.

Looking at the swept-clean workshop, they stood there, at a loss for what to do.

They had exhausted so much manpower and wealth, yet gained nothing, and they might have even offended someone in the process.

To their already crumbling families, this was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.

"Did we come to the wrong place?" Huang Mu’en asked, feeling his limbs go soft as he clung to a final sliver of hope.

Li Cong gritted his teeth, his heart filled with immense regret. Why had he gotten involved with these families in the first place? "Did we come to the wrong place? Don’t you know?

"Everything is ruined now. We’ve all lost."

Even with their assets drastically shrinking back in Yongchang County, they still could have lived affluent lives.

It was all because he had been too greedy, yearning to return to his former glory. Now, he had nothing left.

They had people keeping an eye on this place the moment they arrived in Shangjing. There was no reason for such a massive blunder to occur.

Wu Nanping’s face looked awful as he immediately found an excuse. "And you claimed the news didn’t leak! Look, everyone has run away.

"We only told Marquis Bai about this. We’ve been together day in and day out these past few days, so the problem must lie with him."

Truth be told, he was the one who had proposed this plan in the first place. Knowing he didn’t have the capacity to withstand the wrath of the other families, he could only shift the blame elsewhere.

Meng Haotian scolded loudly, "So what if it is? Can we run over and confront him about it? Even if he has fallen out of the Emperor’s favor, he is still a First-Grade Marquis!

"Right now, we need to hurry up and figure out an escape route. If we delay, it will be too late."

Meng Haotian questioned them with a cold face, "Don’t you guys find it strange why we are always one step behind?"

Silence fell over the group.

"Gu Wenheng and the others managing to stay a step ahead of us—isn’t it because they anticipated this long ago?" Meng Haotian didn’t believe Bai Jinglie would set them up. The most plausible explanation was that they had once again fallen into a trap Gu Wenheng had laid out for them in advance.

It had been the same in the past; they had unknowingly made wrong moves step by step.

They thought they would catch him off guard this time, but they hadn’t expected the exact same result.

"Dammit, what do we do now?" It would likely be very difficult to protect themselves. If they had to cough up money to avert disaster once again, their combined fortunes wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Huang Mu’en said, "I suddenly remembered that back in Yongchang County, my nephew is getting married soon. The wedding date is approaching, and it wouldn’t be good for me, his uncle, to be absent.

"I’ll leave these matters in your hands. I’m setting off today."

With that, he quickly left with his men. Li Cong sneered, "Who would believe his nonsense? Back when his second brother had just passed away, they were already plotting to seize the family assets under their own names. As if he’d eagerly attend a wedding banquet..."

Saying this, he violently slapped his thigh and cursed loudly, "That son of a bitch, he’s slipping away first!"

Meng Haotian sighed. "That is indeed a way out. If you all want to leave, do so quickly.

"It’s just that having offended Marquis Bai, we won’t dare set foot in Shangjing ever again.

"As for whether scores will be settled with us later on, that will depend on our own luck."

Li Cong asked, "Does it make a difference whether we run or not? Even if the four of us kneel before him and let him vent his frustration, it might not be enough to appease Marquis Bai’s fury.

"In that case, I might as well stay in Shangjing and enjoy a few good days. I’ll consider it my final indulgence before death."

Meng Haotian glanced at Wu Nanping. "What are your thoughts?"

Wu Nanping replied, "Do our best and leave the rest to fate. We already made arrangements for our families before we came here. Now, we’ll see whose skills are superior.

"Master Meng, Mr. Li, I will take my leave now. I hope fate will allow us to meet again."