Jiang Miao was pinned down on the bed by Shen Yanqing for most of the day. When the two stopped, it was already dark outside and her voice was hoarse. Shen Yanqing half hugged her while feeding her honey water.
The young lady's lips were bright red and looked even more alluring after being moistened with honey. Shen Yanqing kissed the water droplets from the corners of her mouth, rubbed her lips and spoke in a low voice.
"What do you want to do with the Hou family?"
When a man has enough to eat and drink, he will naturally fulfill his promise.
Jiang Miao's bones were all sore. She changed her position in his arms to make herself more comfortable. She held her hands in his hair and spoke slowly.
"If you want Hou Shixian to return his daughter to Shopkeeper Qin, you naturally need to capture his weaknesses. There must be something dirty in the Hou family's business. As long as you can make him fearful and take the initiative to hand over Yuanyuan."
Jiang Miao knew that Shen Yanqing's secret guards were very skilled, and their information channels were all over the place. As long as he wanted to know, he would soon have it in his hands.
"good."
Jiang Miao asked Shen Yanqing to agree, and he sent secret guards to ask them to investigate as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, this investigation actually found something.
"Is the Hou family's food and grass shoddy?"
Shen Yanqing looked at the message sent by the secret guard, frowning, and a cold look flashed in his eyes.
In fact, all the grain and grass needed by the border officers were allocated by the Ministry of Household Affairs. However, because the national treasury was empty in recent years and the war was tight, the imperial court decentralized part of the grain and grass business to the merchants below. The Hou family also considered its relationship with the Liu family. Just get a piece of the pie.
After all, they were just minions. The emperor would not keep an eye on a merchant to check the accounts, so he let them take advantage of the loophole. Not only was the fodder for the war horses made of moldy bean cakes, but most of the food for people was also mixed with sand.
Shen Yanqing was furious. The border officers were risking their lives, so why would they send such food?
Jiang Miao walked in with tea and was met with his anger.
The folder sent by the secret guard was thrown to the ground. She picked it up and took a rough look at it. After reading the contents, Jiang Miao couldn't help but be furious.
"The Hou family...how dare they?"
Once such a thing is found out, you will be beheaded!
The imperial court spent a lot of money to buy grain and grass, but it never thought that the merchants below would be so brave and dare to fool even the emperor.
"The Hou family doesn't dare, but Prime Minister Liu does."
Shen Yanqing gritted his teeth. The relationship between the Hou family and the Prime Minister's Mansion was stronger than he thought. On the surface, the grain and grass business belonged to the Hou family, but most of the money went into the pockets of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Therefore, for so many years, the Hou family has been selling shoddy goods. No one has found out, after all, the Prime Minister's Office has the secret, who dares to touch this bad luck.
"It's Liu Yuan again!"
Jiang Miao's face turned ugly when she heard about the backers behind the Hou family. The Liu family seemed to be haunted, and they were everywhere.
"Ms. sir, what should we do about the Hou family?"
Since the Hou family can survive for more than ten years, Prime Minister Liu will never give up on them easily.
The matter between Shopkeeper Qin and Hou Yuanyuan is urgent, and Jiang Miao cannot just give up this handle.
"This is related to the war at the border. I will submit it to the emperor for his decision. You don't have to worry about the Hou family's affairs. They have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. When the matter is found out, the Hou family will not be able to survive. I will I beg the Emperor to let Hou Yuanyuan go and reunite her with Shopkeeper Qin."
"good."
Shen Yanqing moved very quickly. He finished writing the excerpt at night and submitted it the next day.
After reading this, Zhao Jing was furious. A small Hou family dared to deceive the imperial court. He would never believe it without Prime Minister Liu's push behind.
"Don't make any noise for now. The next batch of grain and grass will be delivered to the border in a few days. When the time comes, you will catch everyone and get the stolen goods, leaving the Hou family with nothing to say."
"yes."
Although the Hou family is a small chess piece in Liu Yuan's hands, the grain and grass business is very lucrative, and he has made a lot of money in recent years. If the Hou family is gone, it will be a heavy blow to the Prime Minister's faction.
Although Zhao Jing was angry, he was more happy. He had nowhere to start, and Shen Yanqing gave Liu Yuan another excuse.
"Why did you think of going to Chahou's house?"
Zhao Jing was curious. The Hou family was just a merchant, so it stands to reason that Shen Yanqing's eyes would not fall on them.
Shen Yanqing told all about the relationship between shopkeeper Qin and Jiang Miao and the grievances between the Qin Hou family, which made Zhao Jing feel sad.
"Shopkeeper Qin is also lucky to have met Miao Ya, otherwise it would be absolutely impossible for her to get her daughter back."
"Yes, Miaoya has always been kind-hearted and full of loyalty to her friends. Since Shopkeeper Qin has been friends with her for many years, Miaoya will naturally not see her in trouble and not help."
Shen Yanqing was a maniac about doting on his wife, and Jiang Miao was naturally good at everything in his eyes. Zhao Jing only praised her once, and he followed up with ten more. By the end of the compliment, Zhao Jing had a subtle look on her face.
Unexpectedly, this brother-in-law is still a strict wife.
However, as long as her own girl is not bullied, Zhao Jing is too lazy to listen to him showing off here, and waved her hand to let people go out. He, a single man, heard too much and was heartbroken.
After the others left, Eunuch Jixiang poured him a cup of tea. Zhao Jing rubbed the cup with her fingers, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
"Do you think it's time for me to choose a concubine?"
He will be twenty-five years old, and there is not even a single person in the harem who knows both coldness and hotness. In the past, when Rong Ning was not found, he felt guilty and had never thought about that kind of thing. But recently, everyone around him is in pairs. As a couple, even Mingzhen began to look at each other's husband's family. Shen Yanqing and Jiang Miao even showed off their affection in front of him every day. Zhao Jing admitted that he was sour.
He also wants his wife and children to be on the hot bed.
"Crack!"
The teacup in Eunuch Jixiang's hand almost fell to the ground, but fortunately he quickly retrieved it. This was the master's favorite blue and white porcelain, and he couldn't afford it if it fell.
"If the master wants to draft a draft, will this slave explain it to me?"
The ministers in the DPRK had been urging him for several years, but the master remained unmoved. The ministers had almost given up, but he finally figured it out.
The master's thoughts could not be guessed, and Ji Xiang did not think about why Zhao Jing changed his mind. However, once word spread that he wanted to choose a concubine, the capital would become lively again.
The harem is now empty. If anyone can win the honor and favor of the master, he will really fly up the branches and become a phoenix.
"Well, don't make it public yet. We'll handle this matter after the year."
The most important thing now is food and grass, and Zhao Jing doesn't want anything to go wrong.
"yes."
Prime Minister Liu's eyelids had been twitching these days. He rubbed his forehead and asked his subordinates.
"Is the food and fodder sent to the border ready?"
The Hou family's business can bring in a lot of money. He has guards to support, which requires a lot of money. The Hou family is inconspicuous, and no one knows about their business.
But Prime Minister Liu has been feeling flustered recently, always feeling like something is going to happen.
"You should keep an eye on him more, and you must ensure that nothing goes wrong, and let Hou Shixian keep a close eye on him. If anything happens, I will never spare him!"
"Yes, Mr. Prime Minister, put it down and my subordinates will keep an eye on it personally. Nothing will happen."
