A Good Country Wife
Chapter 556 - 550_1

Chapter 556: Chapter 550_1

Huangfu Jing’s expression softened considerably upon hearing that Lin Yue had taught Zhao Erhu about this matter. The coldness in his eyes dissipated quickly, replaced by a smile. However, Huangfu Jing somewhat disdained Zhao Erhu’s constant reference to "wife," finding it rather vulgar. After all, Erhu did come from humbler origins, and even though he had become a wealthy merchant by now, he still retained a bit of a country bumpkin’s naivety. Nevertheless, the term "wife" sounded quite novel to him.

"Your wife is indeed smarter than you. Telling the truth was the right thing to do. Did she instruct you on anything else?" Huangfu Jing asked, his curiosity peaking. Thinking back on his limited interactions with Lin Yue, he considered her a bright and insightful woman. With such a capable wife by his side, it was no wonder that Zhao Erhu, a man from the mountains, had managed to amass such wealth from nothing.

"Well, my wife also said, ’The world is big, but the Emperor is the greatest of all. My only loyalty lies with the Emperor, and I must not misplace my allegiance.’" After saying this, Zhao Erhu cautiously watched Huangfu Jing’s expression, reasoning that the Emperor’s earlier reaction indicated he had made the right move; however, he still needed to be careful not to overplay his hand.

As expected, Zhao Erhu’s words were very much to Huangfu Jing’s liking. Huangfu Jing burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this and made sure to affirm, "That’s right too. Listening to your wife is a wise decision, she is definitely smarter than you."

"The Emperor is right. My wife is indeed very smart. She studied a lot with her brother in the past, and she loves reading books. She enjoys all kinds of books. This time when I went to sea, I even brought back a whole chest of books for her. She knows so much that her knowledge is unmatched by ordinary people."

Zhao Erhu did not actually like exposing his wife in public, so why was he praising his wife to the Emperor? He only wanted to take this opportunity to establish a record before the Emperor, to make him aware that his wife’s intelligence and her abundance of creative ideas were due to her extensive reading, and not for any other reasons. In this way, if their family’s dealings were ever revealed, it would prevent the Emperor from suspecting anything improper about his wife—a quite possible scenario, considering their affairs were not entirely secret and anyone determined enough could uncover them.

My wife is right; the Emperor is truly remarkable. The fact that the Princely Heir of Marquis of Zhenbei had people visit their house was supposed to be secretive, yet the Emperor still came to know of it. Therefore, Zhao Erhu had no illusions about keeping his family’s affairs from the Emperor; he could only try to manage things in other ways.

"All these are your wife’s views, but what about you? What are your thoughts? This clearly was your business transaction with the Princely Heir of Marquis of Zhenbei, and I have intervened and taken the lion’s share. Don’t you feel even a bit resentful? No matter what you think, just speak frankly. Even if you speak incorrectly, I shall forgive you without punishment."

Zhao Erhu thought to himself, only if I were a fool would I speak the truth. In reality, if I were to say, "To speak the truth, I am actually very willing and happy to have the Emperor’s involvement; I couldn’t wish for a better scenario such a good turn of events."

"Oh? Why is that?" Huangfu Jing looked intently at Zhao Erhu’s expression, seeing that he was indeed sincere in his words, which somewhat surprised the Emperor. Considering Zhao Erhu’s humble background, the Emperor couldn’t help but underestimate Erhu’s understanding of the benefits involved.

"It is obvious that with the Emperor on our side, we have the greatest backing possible. Who in the world is greater than the Emperor? From now on, the silver that would have been used to facilitate relations within the court can be spared. No one with any sense would dare to trouble the Emperor. Moreover, being valued by the Emperor is such an honor—something many people can’t achieve no matter how much silver they spend. If it had been in the past, commoners like us wouldn’t dare to dream of seeing the Emperor with our own eyes. When I go back and tell the people in my village, they will surely be envious. I can consider myself as having brought honor to my ancestors."

Zhao Erhu said this with a bit of showing off, his tone and expression vivid. His wife told him that the highest art of lying is to tell a lie so well that you believe it’s true. And his words weren’t even that much of an exaggeration; they simply elevated the respect towards the Emperor to another level, making him seem down-to-earth.

"Although that statement is frank, it’s also very true. However, it’s not like there aren’t people who go out of their way to trouble Us. Those old men in the Censorate have nothing better to do than to look for faults with Us. So even though We are involved in this business, you all must still act with caution and discretion and not make it known. Otherwise, those old men will keep making a fuss in front of Us day in and day out, which can be very annoying. Of course, once you help Us to earn silver to fill the treasury, we will be able to shut those old men up."

"So does the Emperor mean that commoners like me cannot use Your name in our dealings?" Zhao Erhu felt the Emperor sounded helpless in the face of those old men from the Censorate. It seemed they really were formidable. However, if even the Emperor’s name couldn’t be used, then being the Emperor was rather uninteresting. What would be the benefit for them if the Emperor got involved? It would just be a case of gaining advantage without putting in the work, which seemed dishonest. But Zhao Erhu only dared to think this to himself.

Huangfu Jing was much more sophisticated than Zhao Erhu, sparring daily with those ministers and playing political games. It was difficult for him not to be keen. Though Zhao Erhu thought he kept his composure well, Huangfu Jing still saw through him.

Seeing Zhao Erhu like this, Huangfu Jing was actually pleased, thinking that he was a useful person. If he had to deal with those who only flattered him mindlessly, getting excited even when there was no benefit for them, those are the ones he would be wary of. Merchants prioritize profit, so why would they make a losing deal? Those who seem too selfless often have the biggest schemes! Zhao Erhu’s mind was solely focused on the silver, clearly showing no other ambitions, especially when told he couldn’t use the Emperor’s name. His well-hidden struggle and reluctance, as well as the pained expression that he tried so hard to conceal, amused Huangfu Jing. This fool thought that being the Emperor only came with such trivial benefits. How adorably naive.

Therefore, you really can’t guess the Emperor’s mind with ordinary thinking. It’s not enough to just flatter, nor is it okay to not flatter at all. You have to get it just right, which really puts people in a tough spot, doesn’t it?

With a twist in his thoughts, Huangfu Jing began to view Zhao Erhu more favorably. Even the little uneasiness he had felt about Zhao Erhu due to Lin Yue vanished. In the end, the Emperor cared most about his realm and sovereignty.

"Look at you, with such a petty bearing. Don’t assume We don’t know about your little schemes, thinking you’ve hidden them well when they’re all over your face. You think because We only enjoy the benefits that We are of no use, don’t you? Is that the kind of person We are? That’s the thinking of a villain. Since We have been involved in this business and taken the larger share, naturally, We will play Our part. Don’t measure Us by your foolish standards!"

While saying this, Huangfu Jing gave Zhao Erhu a disdainful glance. He had taken a liking to Zhao Erhu, and so he spoke more. But he also vented the frustration he felt dealing with court politics on this ’fool,’ scolding Zhao Erhu at every slight mistake. It showed how stifling being the Emperor could sometimes be, especially since he had not had enough time to deal with some of those stubborn old court figures.