Chapter 1036 - 1038: Conversation in the Imperial Study Room_1
Bai Ruozhu sneered loudly, "Under the whole heaven, all land is the Emperor’s; Capital City is likewise His Majesty’s territory. If the Emperor himself has not forbidden me from staying in the Capital, who do you think you are? Do you believe yourself to be greater than the Emperor? Or perhaps you think the family backing you is greater than the Emperor? How presumptuous!"
Onlookers were taken aback, thinking to themselves that this female shopkeeper wasn’t one to be bullied easily. The man dared to cause trouble just now, and she dared to escalate the issue, pinning a heavy accusation on him right away.
"You, what nonsense are you spouting? We..." The man was startled, nearly letting slip a revealing comment under Bai Ruozhu’s pressure—this detestable woman!
Just then, someone suddenly spoke up, "Wang Tianzuo, what brings you to cause trouble here? As a son of the noble Wang Family, why are you bullying a woman?"
Bai Ruozhu looked over. The speaker was someone she had met once before—it was Leng Bin, the brother of Miss Leng Jinse. Although she’d had little contact with him, he seemed to get along quite well with Jiang Yichun in private.
"Leng Bin, you’re asking for death!" the troublemaker shouted furiously.
Bai Ruozhu said with a smile, "It turns out to be a young master from the Wang Family. I wonder when Master Wang became interested in doing business—so interested that he would come here personally to compete for it."
She had actually realized from the beginning that this man was no ordinary person because, though his attire was not overly lavish, it did not resemble that of a mere servant. Even more, she felt that he looked somewhat familiar. Thanks to Leng Bin’s reminder, she realized that this man bore some resemblance to Wang Tianyou, who had caused trouble for her in Jiangnan—likely, they were brothers or cousins.
"I have no interest in taking your measly business; I don’t even deem such lowly matters worthy of my attention. It is you, with your malicious heart, who caused the death of my aunt. I won’t let you get away with it!" Wang Tianzuo shouted, prompting a buzz of whispered speculation among the crowd.
Laughing heartily, Leng Bin retorted, "Wang Tianzuo, have you lost your mind? Everyone in the Capital knows how your aunt died. She passed away because her internal organs burst from anger. At that time, Miss Bai was still far away in Beiyu City—how could she have killed your aunt? It’s utterly ridiculous."
Bai Ruozhu bowed to Leng Bin and said, "Thank you, Master Leng, for speaking up for justice. If the guests here are unclear about the matter, they are welcome to inquire freely—I, Bai Ruozhu, would not dare bear such an accusation."
Most of those present that day were commoners or people from moderately wealthy families, many of whom were not aware of the cause of Wang Miaoshuang’s death, and the Wang Family, feeling it was somewhat embarrassing, had hushed up the incident.
But Wang Tianzuo was too impulsive, stirring up trouble to the point where Wang Miaoshuang could not rest in peace even in death.
In reality, the Wang Family had no intention of troubling Bai Ruozhu, at least not at the present. The patriarch of the Wang Family was not as foolish as Wang Tianyou. Jiang Yichun was in the limelight, and it was not convenient for them to bother Bai Ruozhu and her husband. Still, Wang Tianzuo, who often heard his younger brother, Wang Tianyou, complain about how Bai Ruozhu had mistreated him in Jiangnan, harbored deep resentment. Today was just a coincidence when he happened to pass by and noticed Bai Ruozhu had opened a toy shop, prompting him to impulsively jump out and make a scene.
Unfortunately, his impulsiveness did him no favors. Not only did he fail to gain an advantage, but he also risked causing trouble for the Wang Family.
Wang Tianzuo wanted to say more when suddenly, a young man and woman hurried over. The youth grabbed him and said, "Cousin, don’t talk nonsense here; be careful, or Uncle will punish you by making you copy texts again."
The girl bowed apologetically toward Bai Ruozhu and said with an embarrassed expression, "Sister Ruozhu, my cousin has misunderstood you. I apologize to you on his behalf."
It was Meng Hanhong and his sister Meng Jinse who had arrived. Bai Ruozhu was taken aback to see them here and asked, "You haven’t left for Beiyu City yet?"
"We will return in a few days," Meng Jinse said, avoiding eye contact as if it were inconvenient to speak more with Bai Ruozhu there.
Bai Ruozhu understood the difficulty Meng Jinse faced, being caught in the middle of the conflict between the Wang Family and herself.
She nodded at the two of them and said, "It’s okay, take him away."
After Meng Family’s siblings took Wang Tianzuo away, the onlookers continued their shopping. Although no one believed Wang Tianzuo’s words in the end, his claims had some effect, and the buying frenzy had somewhat subsided.
Bai Ruozhu once again paid her respects to Leng Bin and inquired about Leng Wanhua’s condition. Leng Bin replied with a smile, "The little sister has been anxious to return and find you. She should be back in Capital City in another six or seven days."
"That’s wonderful. At that time, I’ll host a feast for you and Wanhua to thank you, Master Leng, for your righteous assistance just now," Bai Ruozhu said.
Leng Bin unfolded his folding fan and fanned himself a few times gracefully. "No need to thank me. Our Leng Family has a score to settle with the Wang Family. My action was just to vent for my own people."
Bai Ruozhu knew he was being polite, so she didn’t say much more, as the meal was a certainty.
In the following days, the Toy House continued to do booming business, so much so that even the masters in the palace heard the news. In the Imperial Study Room, the Emperor played with the Nine Linked Rings in his hands and asked Jiang Yichun, "Didn’t your wife tell you how to solve this? Surely there’s a trick to it?"
The corners of Jiang Yichun’s mouth lifted slightly, "She didn’t tell me, saying that it would be no fun if the answer was too easily known."
A smile was also on the Emperor’s face as he put down the Nine Linked Rings and raised his eyebrows, "Someone can finally handle you, lad. Seems like you can’t do anything about her."
Jiang Yichun’s smile grew even wider, "Women are to be cherished. If there’s no way, then there’s no way."
For a moment, the Emperor looked lost in thought, as if something had come to mind, and he murmured softly, "Women are to be cherished, it’s just that I can’t cherish enough."
"To cherish one is enough; any more would be too hard," Jiang Yichun’s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, but it still brought the Emperor back to his senses.
"Haha, are you suggesting that I shouldn’t grant you any concubines?" The Emperor laughed heartily again, as if mocking Jiang Yichun for not knowing how to enjoy himself.
Jiang Yichun didn’t say a word, his lips pressed tightly together, clearly saying no, he was not accepting it.
Tang Yin found it very interesting, picking up a Rubik’s Cube and twisting it, he casually said, "Rest assured, Bai Ruozhu’s secret skill contribution was valuable, and at a crucial time she even saved a loyal official’s descendant, preventing Prince Duan’s plot. She also presented a large batch of herbal medicine toothpaste to the palace. Such a loyal person, I will not make things difficult for her."
Jiang Yichun breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, the Emperor did not intend to cause him trouble.
"However..." the Emperor’s voice lengthened a bit, then paused, "An imperial censor has submitted a memorial impeaching you, saying that you neglected filial piety by leaving Elder Jiang Ge bedridden from anger, while your wife is only concerned with her business and did not visit the Elder. Danliang Country has always valued filial piety, whether it was the Former Emperor or myself, we both place great importance on this aspect. Such accusations are indeed disadvantageous for you and your wife."
Jiang Yichun’s face changed, and he opened his mouth to say that he had long severed ties with the Jiang Family, but the Emperor stopped him with a raised hand.
"I know what you want to say, but no matter what has happened in the past, you can’t change your blood ties, nor the fact that you bear the Jiang surname. Don’t be too stubborn; it makes things difficult for me as well," the Emperor said while sighing. However, the subsequent words made Jiang Yichun’s face grow even colder.