Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 295: Will Consort Qin Help Us?

Chapter 295: Chapter 295: Will Consort Qin Help Us?

Murong Jiu suddenly smelled the invisible scent of gunpowder.

She belatedly realized that Lou Zixi seemed to be questioning Jun Yuyan?

Why? Was it because he was defending her?

Jun Yuyan simply responded in a muted voice, "The Liu Family is agitating the tenant farmers, and I will handle it properly."

Lou Zixi cracked a slight smile, "If that is so, I can rest assured. The Princess Consort’s major plans concern the fundamental welfare of the people, and I too hope that the people can live and work in peace and contentment."

"Is that so?" Are you truly concerned about the people?

Jun Yuyan chuckled noncommittally.

Lou Zixi returned the smile, "Of course."

Murong Jiu frowned slightly, what sort of verbal sparring were the two engaging in?

Why was there suddenly a feeling of crossing swords?

However, the two quickly shifted the topic, discussing the goods brought by the overseas merchant convoy and the newly built port in Tianjin Guard.

Great Yan had not banned sea merchants, and with Murong Jiu’s strong development of maritime trade, Tianjin Guard, the closest to the Capital City, had become one of the hottest ports, having constructed many large docks, all bustling with vibrancy.

Many laborers from the Capital City had gone to Tianjin Guard to make a living.

Tianjin Guard was also the junction of river and sea transport; business thrived, and river transport was several times more prosperous than before.

It was said that just the taxes collected by Tianjin Guard after the New Year could match half a year’s worth of taxes from the Capital City, and it was steadily increasing. Of course, among these, the taxes paid by Murong Jiu’s chamber of commerce accounted for ninety percent.

Unfortunately... Murong Jiu inappropriately remembered the Prince Rui’s Mansion that the Emperor had built for the Third Prince.

Because the state treasury was slightly more abundant, the Emperor had increased the scale of Prince Rui’s Mansion’s construction, which was not yet complete, but everyone in the Capital City knew of its luxurious extent.

Now the Imperial Court seizing these silvers to develop canals and promote water conservancy would have been beneficial to both the state and its people.

Unfortunately, the Emperor had no such awareness; he only thought about how he could compensate his most beloved son.

At that moment, Lou Zixi said, "Our chamber of commerce recently encountered quite the suppression."

Murong Jiu asked, "What happened?"

Upon this, Manager Chai’s smile also sank, and he said, "Princess Consort, if you did not come today, I had planned to go to the Prince Mansion to find you. We have lost quite a few good men these days; they were all leading figures going to the Western Regions’ merchant convoy."

Murong Jiu clenched her hand, "Where did it happen?"

"In the Western Regions! Trouble started as soon as they reached the Western Regions. Not to mention the goods were robbed, but they also specifically targeted the leaders for killing, and there is one merchant convoy that completely lost contact. There was no one to meet them there; it seems the entire team had an incident."

Murong Jiu first thought of Na Kesi, the Western Region Prince.

That person was very cunning and deceitful; she didn’t know if he was still in contact with the Second Prince, or if it was under the Second Prince’s instructions.

The merchant convoy of the Western Regions was very important; whether it was silk, porcelain, tea, or colored glaze—they were all favored items by the nobility there, and the spices from the Western Regions were also in demand here, and moreover, it included the cotton seeds that Murong Jiu most wanted.

"Princess Consort, this matter is tough to handle. I am willing to go to the Western Regions myself."

"What? You? No way, no way, the Imperial Examination results are about to be released soon, followed by the final palace examination. How can you leave the Capital at this time? I won’t agree,"

Murong Jiu shook her head, resolutely refusing to allow Lou Zixi to go to the Western Regions.

The round trip would take several months, not just ten or fifteen days.

Jun Yuyan suddenly said, "Don’t worry about this for now; besides going to the Western Regions, there’s another way."

Manager Chai asked, "What way?"

Murong Jiu also had a flash of insight. The two looked at each other and tacitly said the words "Consort Qin."

Manager Chai suddenly realized, "Oh right, Consort Qin is the Princess of the Western Regions, but how would she help us?"

Jun Yuyan said, "We will figure out a way."

Murong Jiu nodded in agreement.

She first thought of the fact that everyone has vulnerabilities, and Consort Qin’s child, being her greatest vulnerability. Of course, in Consort Qin’s eyes, this child might be her greatest reliance.

SinCe the Western Region Prince could harbor such great ambition, why couldn’t the Princess of the Western Regions? Carrying a "Dragon Seed," wouldn’t she consider the thoughts of becoming the Empress herself, and her child the Crown Prince? Even better, upon the Emperor’s death, she could rule as the regent.

This outcome wasn’t impossible, was it?

The Emperor’s most favored Third Prince was somewhat unreliable and also injured; other Princes were not favored by the Emperor. As long as Great Yan hadn’t appointed a Crown Prince, anything was possible.

However, Murong Jiu was very certain that the child in Consort Qin’s womb definitely wasn’t the Emperor’s.

As long as they could disclose the true father of the child, they would essentially have Consort Qin in their grip.

For now, it seemed hard to find that man, but was it as hard as solving issues by going to the Western Regions? Although the Western Regions were a vassal state of Great Yan, it was still someone else’s turf. A strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake, and even if people were sent to the Western Regions, there might be no return.

Murong Jiu said to Lou Zixi, "You don’t need to think about going to the Western Regions. Do you remember what I told you before?"

Lou Zixi remembered something, pursed her lips, nodded, and bowed, "Zixi dares not forget."

Jun Yuyan frowned slightly but said nothing.

Murong Jiu then said to Manager Chai, "Send a message to our brothers in the Western Regions, tell them to prioritize their safety. Regardless of whether the goods are traded or not, they should return to the Capital City first. In my presence, everyone’s lives come first."

After saying this, she paused before continuing, "Tell our brothers to try and bring back the ashes if they ensure their own safety."

Manager Chai sighed, nodded seriously, and reassured the Princess Consort.

Upon returning to the Prince Mansion, Murong Jiu paced back and forth in her room, contemplating her strategies.

She couldn’t let her people die in vain. Although her merchant convoy offered generous compensations in silver, human life was a major issue, concerning several families behind the scenes.

Jun Yuyan consoled her, "Ah Jiu, I will personally send someone to investigate Consort Qin. As long as someone has done something, they would have left traces behind. Don’t worry too much for now."

"Sigh," Murong Jiu sat on a chair, "I know hurrying won’t help. Whether we can make money is a minor issue, I must provide an explanation for those who have passed away."

"I know."

At that moment, a guard came with a report from outside.

Jun Yuyan instructed the person to report from outside the door.

It turned out to be the news about the current situation of Murong Jian’s family, brought back to Murong Jiu’s attention.

"Didn’t you say you can eat two more bowls of rice? I let them gather this information as entertainment for you, so don’t be too disheartened. Some things are unavoidable. You don’t know, but initially, Father Emperor believed in the words of an old Taoist and wanted to close off sea trade. If it weren’t for the realization of earning profit through maritime trade and taxes, he would have already banned it. Maritime trade is more lucrative than land trade; if worse comes to worst, we just won’t use the route through the Western Regions."

Murong Jiu showed a look of surprise. She really hadn’t known about this. She asked curiously, "When did this Taoist thing happen?"

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