The feeling of powerlessness did not just come today, but this moment made Gu Yanxi feel particularly uncomfortable.
He knew what was going on but could do nothing. He knew that his uncle was sliding towards the abyss step by step but he could not pull him back. He knew that Daqing was in danger of collapse but he could not stop his uncle from fulfilling his ambitions.
He had clearly done so many things over the years, but when he thought about it carefully, he found that those things were not important at all, and he could not do anything about the truly important things.
He said he wanted to protect Ah Zhi, but he dragged her into the quagmire invisibly. Now he still needs to comfort him that he is not so useless.
How could he really be that useless
Gu Yanxi raised her head with a resolute expression, "Azhi, I will do better."
Hua Zhi rested her head on the man's chest and nodded vigorously. She just didn't believe that the two of them together could not conquer an emperor whose fighting power was continuously declining.
Before dark, Gu Yanxi returned to the Prince's Mansion and then rode out of the city at full speed.
As soon as he left, Lai Fu arrived. Chen Qing followed the prince's instructions and replied, "The prince got news about the remnants of the Chaoli clan and went to investigate overnight."
Many thoughts flashed through Lai Fu's mind, and for a moment he didn't know whether the prince left at this time intentionally or unintentionally, but this reason was really hard to find any fault with.
As expected, the emperor was unhappy but could only endure it, "He went alone?"
"Yes, I heard from Chen Qing that no horse can match Lin Ying's speed, and the prince didn't bring anyone with him."
"Did you say whether you can come back tonight?"
"I'm afraid it's impossible. Chen Qing said that the prince went to Yuzhou."
It's Yuzhou again. Could it be that it has become the Chaoli tribe's lair? The emperor was furious. Thinking of tomorrow's grand court meeting, he felt that the Chaoli tribe was even more hateful. If they were not restless, why would Yan Xi leave overnight? If Yan Xi was there, why would he have to worry about tomorrow's court meeting
"Go to the Seven Stars Division and ask the court officials about their movements today."
"yes."
Hua Zhi didn't ask how intense the court meeting was, but Zhu Haodong came to Hua's house specifically to tell her the details.
"The censors did not dare to say that the emperor was wrong. They only brought up the floods in the south and the droughts in the north, and also brought up the case of the granary shortage that was being investigated. This was a rare occasion when all the civil and military officials disagreed with this matter, but the emperor still insisted on his own way and forcibly issued several decrees. In the court, one censor hit his head against the pillar on the spot."
Hua Zhi had expected that this matter would not end well, and had thought that blood might be shed, but she had not expected it to be in this way. "Did Grandfather make a statement?"
"Father didn't object openly, he just helped secretly. Zhi'er, we don't want you to take this job. It won't benefit you at all, and if you're not careful, you'll be involved in a lot of trouble."
"I know." Hua Zhi knew very well that once the court officials knew that she had become the emperor's mistress, they would point at her nose and scold her, saying that she was a kind person. Who knows what kind of unpleasant words would be spread by then. Probably no one would think that she was forced into a desperate situation. Even if they knew, they would think that she was restless and that was why she caused all this. As for the reason why she did this, no one would care.
"But it's settled, right?"
Zhu Haodong's face was extremely grim. He had not yet entered the imperial court, so he did not have so many concerns. "You are always smart. Do you have any way to get out of this?"
"I have no choice. The emperor is using the Hua family and the Zhu family to threaten me. I can only move forward and cannot retreat."
Thinking of the imperial edict that was passed down to his family, Zhu Haodong felt even more depressed. "What on earth is the emperor thinking? He really believed that you could turn stone into gold? Why didn't he let you try to turn a piece of gold on the spot? You can make money and even earn enough money to repair a river? Does he really think you are a god of wealth who has come down to earth to experience disasters?"
Hua Zhi smiled so much that her eyes curved up, "Uncle, have you been reading any storybooks recently?"
Zhu Haodong glared at her, "How can you still laugh at this hour?"
"Don't worry. I can't do anything else but come up with a few ideas. I'm not the one who's going to execute them. I can't control how far they can go. I'm not the one who has to worry about it. I'm not in a hurry."
After the most anxious period, Hua Zhi has calmed down in the past two days. When a person is calm, he or she will figure out everything. It seems that a huge thing is on her shoulders, but what she really needs to do is to make money. The initiative of this matter is in her hands. She controls how to do it and to what extent. The emperor can only use the Hua family to pressure her verbally, and as long as he still wants to use her, he will not really do anything to her.
Knowing this, Hua Zhi felt more confident. Isn't it just about making money? This is what she is least afraid of.
But her uncle's worry still filled her heart with warmth. It could be said that the Zhu family suffered because of her. She would accept it even if the Zhu family became alienated from her and avoided her because of this. But they did not. She made a heavy note of it in her heart, thinking that one day she would have to repay the Zhu family for their kindness. Even if she could not repay it, didn't the Hua family still have so many people
"By the way, my son Wen received a name card from the Wei family today, saying that the Wei family will hold a forum in three days. Do you think the Wei family dares to do this? Aren't you afraid that no one will attend the forum?"
"I received it, too." Facing her uncle's surprised gaze, Hua Zhi smiled, "It should be said that the Hua family also received it."
"What is the Wei family trying to do? Show off their power? Isn't that a bit too ugly?"
Either he wanted to humiliate the Hua family, or he wanted to announce to everyone that the Wei family would replace the Hua family, or maybe both. But no matter which one it was, Hua Zhi would not recognize it!
"Uncle, please tell my cousin about this and ask him to help spread the word about the Wei family's deeds. We will help him gain fame."
"Okay, I'll definitely get it done for you."
He did not ask any more questions, and Hua Zhi did not say that she would attend the meeting. Instead, she talked about business matters, "I heard that the soap is selling very well."
"Yes, the palace's housekeeper came to me today to order some goods, saying that the ladies in the palace love them very much, and the various mansions are also scrambling to get them. Now the workshop can't supply them with what it produces in one day. I am already preparing to expand the workshop."
This thing is a consumable and is unique. It would be a waste to produce it in a small workshop. If the recipe was not given to the Zhu family, she would probably use it to fill the hole of the emperor. If she did it on a large scale, it would be a very profitable business.
Thinking of this, Hua Zhi said, "Uncle, think about how big the Daqing Dynasty is, but now you can't even supply the capital. You have a lot of money but can't make any money. Don't you feel bad?"
"You can't become fat in one go, let's take it slow." Zhu Haodong touched his chest while saying, "I didn't feel it until you said it, but now I feel really bad after hearing what you said."
Hua Zhi's heart suddenly moved, "Uncle, why don't you let me handle this business."
"What are you going to do?"
"Of course we should do it on a larger scale, but the dividends need to be redistributed." The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was feasible. Hua Zhi's eyes lit up. "I'll think about it again. I'll tell you when I'm done."