Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 202 Reputation
Su Qingwan thought to herself that the monarch possessed supreme power and often would not listen to honest advice, not to mention that what she had just said was that the court might be defeated, the emperor must be unhappy.

Su Qingwan has always been tactful. Seeing this situation, she stopped talking to avoid further irritating the emperor.

On the way back to the palace, Lu Jing and Su Qingwan talked about gold and silver notes.

Lu Jing looked worried and frankly admitted that the implementation of gold and silver notes would encounter many obstacles.

Su Qingwan deeply understood this. The reason why the clans were unwilling to subscribe was that they were afraid of taking risks. Once the imperial court was defeated, the wealth they invested would be gone.

Su Qingwan narrated: "The clans are always good at calculating in the face of the world situation and have never chosen the wrong camp. Their family strategy is usually to bet on many parties, and most of the time they can choose the right master, so that the family can prosper for a hundred years. The Lu family is the head of the clan, and the eldest prince is the nephew of the Lu family and the only candidate for the crown prince. It is reasonable for the Lu family to lean towards the imperial power. But they dare not rely on this for the rise and fall of the whole family, so someone in the Lu family must secretly contact my brothers. This is the opportunity you and the emperor have been waiting for, right?"

Lu Jing nodded slightly, his expression solemn.

The emperor wanted to clear the way for the eldest prince to ascend the throne, so he had no choice but to take a risky move and use the gold and silver notes to force the clans to make a clear choice and to distinguish between loyalty and treachery. Su Qingwan knew their overall plan and made relevant suggestions at the right time.

Su Qingwan continued, "If the gold and silver notes can be widely circulated among the people, it may be able to effectively mobilize the enthusiasm of the clans. You may wish to give it a try. If private merchants enthusiastically subscribe to the gold and silver notes, it will not only boost the morale of the people, but also allow the people of the world to be closely connected with the court and work together."

Lu Jing thought for a moment, then nodded and agreed: "Okay, I will convey this suggestion to the emperor."

As soon as the princess returned home, the housekeeper of the Lu family was already waiting in the house. With a big smile on his face, he said, "The elder has been talking about not seeing the young master for a long time. He misses him so much and hopes that the princess can bring him back to the house to stay for a few days."

The eldest princess's husband was the youngest son of the cabinet minister, and was born to his wife in her old age, so he was very much loved. The husband married several concubines and had many illegitimate sons and daughters. The cabinet minister and his wife loved the youngest son, and since they rarely saw the young prince Nianqing, they shared some of their love for the youngest son with the illegitimate sons and daughters, and raised them to be as spoiled as their legitimate children.

Nianqing was bullied a lot in the Lu family and was not very happy to live in the Lu family. She usually lived with the eldest princess in the princess's mansion. The eldest princess knew in her heart that the elder missed Nianqing but wanted to discuss important matters with her, so she replied lightly: "I know!"

The eldest princess turned around and asked Nian Qing if she wanted to go to the Lu family, and Nian Qing shook her head without hesitation.

The princess did not force him, and told him to review his lessons at home. Recently, Nian Qing has become more calm and quiet, and rarely communicates with her, which makes the princess a little worried.

She looked at her son who was concentrating on reading under the lamp at night, and felt a sense of sadness in her heart.

If it weren't for the tragic incident in Huainan, she would have been the happiest woman in the world. Nianqing would have been able to thrive under the guidance and companionship of her father and would not have been trapped in the world of Kyoto.

She wondered to herself, should she believe Xiaowu?
At least for Nianqing, she had to choose to believe Xiaowu. Meanwhile, in the palace, Su Qingwan was concentrating on cutting paper. Qingyun hurried in and reported softly: "News came from outside the palace that the eldest princess went to the Lu family."

Su Qingwan looked calm and said calmly: "Your Highness and the Emperor have a deep brotherly love, and she loves Nianqing very much. She will make the right choice."

The gold and silver notes were about to be implemented, and all the major clans were waiting and watching. She was looking forward to what the Lu family would do.

The next day, the emperor ordered the Ministry of Revenue and the Grand Council to jointly promote gold and silver bills, which could be subscribed by clansmen and ordinary people. As soon as this decree was issued, it caused an uproar in the court. While clan officials were still arguing in the court about the rationality of promoting gold and silver bills, Xie Zhaolan, vice president of the Beijing Chamber of Commerce, led thirteen wealthy merchants from the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce to the Ministry of Revenue and subscribed to gold and silver bills worth one million taels of silver and two million kilograms of grain. The officials of the Ministry of Revenue were stunned, and the entire court was also shocked.

The emperor was very pleased in the Golden Throne Hall and praised Lu Shaoqing highly: "It is said that merchants value profit over sentiment, but when Dayuan was in danger, I didn't expect that merchants would come forward and generously donate money. Lu Shaoqing manages the family well, and his daughter-in-law Xie Zhaolan understands the greater good and shares the hardships with Dayuan. She is truly a loyal and righteous person. I specially grant her a plaque of 'Loyal and Courageous' to honor her virtue."

Lu Shaoqing was a little confused for a moment. Lu Feng and Xie Zhaolan were discussing divorce, Lu Jing had already agreed, and the divorce papers were almost signed, but Xie Zhaolan suddenly donated such a large sum of money to help the country and was once again awarded an imperial plaque.

Lu Shaoqing vaguely felt that Xie Zhaolan seemed to be a real blessing to the family, but not to her husband. In this case, there seemed no need to divorce.

Lu Jing's lips curled up slightly, and he was secretly wondering what his eldest sister-in-law was up to? How could she donate such a large sum of money to the Ministry of Revenue so easily?

Normally, she was dissatisfied with the court. When Lu Jing was practicing martial arts, he heard her and Lu Zhu scold Jinyiwei, Jingdu prefect, and even the emperor. She had no good feelings towards the court. But now she led the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan to donate a huge sum of money. It seems that she is well-informed!

Qingyun was full of doubts and couldn't help asking Su Qingwan: "Miss, why are we giving such a large sum of money to the court? What if they default on the debt? If the court loses, won't the money be wasted?"

Su Qingwan chuckled and explained: "I am a businessman after all. Since I have placed a bet, I am naturally somewhat confident."

Qingyun curled her lips and muttered, "That's true. If the court wins, the gold and silver notes can be exchanged for real gold and silver. If the southwest wins, you are the princess and you are still the winner. No matter which side wins, I will not lose."

Su Qingwan just smiled and said nothing. This war was originally planned by the emperor and her father. From the fact that her brothers fought all the way to Zhongzhou without losing a single soldier, it can be seen that this was clearly a carefully choreographed drama. It would be foolish not to take advantage of the situation to bet on a sure win. She not only wanted to win, but also to win beautifully and earn a good reputation.

When the identity of the Princess of Huainan is revealed in the future, she will be able to negotiate with the emperor with this great achievement. After all, if the Xie family did not raise their arms, the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan would not easily subscribe to the gold and silver notes.

The emperor, in the throne room, seemingly inadvertently hurled accusations at the mulberry tree: "It is said that merchants value profit over affection, but when Dayuan was in danger, it was these merchants who stepped forward and generously donated money. My dear ministers, you own the most fertile land in the world, run the most profitable shops in the capital, and have luxurious clothes and delicious food at home, but when it comes to loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, you are not as good as these merchants. This really makes me sad!"