The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 115

“Do you know that Qian Lai was killed?” The Emperor suddenly asked, his dark eyes fixed on Zhao Jide.

Zhao Jide immediately looked up, his face full of astonished confusion: “What?” The Emperor’s lips twitched slightly. It seemed he truly did not know.

“When you escorted Da Liu to the capital, you did it under a flashy pretense, even attracting a lot of martial artists to help. Were you that afraid of the Duke?” Zhao Jide smiled bitterly.

“The Duke has great power, and opening a private gold mine is a serious crime. Once it’s confirmed, the Duke wouldn’t allow me to report this to the Emperor. I am loyal, but I don’t want to implicate my family.”

Pausing for a moment, Zhao Jide gathered his courage and continued, “I have served in Yuzhou for sixteen years. I am probably the only top scholar in the Great Yan Dynasty who hasn’t been transferred since taking office.” His tone was filled with deep resentment.

“I don’t know if it’s because I lack ability or if I offended someone. If I offended anyone, it was only the Duke. Sixteen years ago, Your Majesty originally appointed me as the magistrate of Zhendin. According to the usual process, anyone performing well in this position would have a chance to be promoted to the Capital Magistrate.” Clenching his fists, Zhao Jide added, “But I don’t know why the current Capital Magistrate, Magistrate Jiang, is considered better than me. He was in the exam cohort before me. He wasn’t even in the top fifteen, let alone a top scholar. And yet he…”

Zhao Jide’s anger grew as he spoke. Finally, he took a deep breath and stopped, kneeling there with an expression of grievance and determination.

Just a quarter of an hour before the Emperor summoned him, he had received a note. It was from his friend, the Minister of Justice. The note was simple: “The Capital Magistrate committed a crime.”

Han Bo had promised him that if he cooperated well with the Song family in this matter, the Song family would use their connections to secure the position of the Capital Magistrate for him. Could this be his chance?

Having been under house arrest, Zhao Jide didn’t know what was happening outside. However, he knew that if he were to be appointed as the Capital Magistrate, it meant the current Capital Magistrate had to be removed. It must be the work of the Song family. He didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.

But did the Song family know about his relationship with the Minister of Justice? When the Song family sought his help, he hadn’t mentioned the Minister of Justice… The Song family did large-scale business, so perhaps they had their own connections with the Minister of Justice. It was hard to speculate in the royal study, so Zhao Jide quickly cleared his mind, focusing only on appearing aggrieved.

The Emperor looked at him, frowning. Zhao Jide had served in Yuzhou for sixteen years, transforming it from a poor county into one of the most prosperous in the Great Yan Dynasty. This demonstrated Zhao Jide’s capability. Moreover, there was a merchant family in Yuzhou that had expanded its business nationwide. Without the preferential policies given by Zhao Jide, their business could never have grown so large. However, Zhao Jide had served in Yuzhou for sixteen years. Other officials were generally transferred every three years. Only Yuzhou…

The Emperor had once asked the Duked several ministers why the local official in Yuzhou hadn’t been transferred. What did they say at that time… Frowning, the Emperor couldn’t recall. It wasn’t something significant enough to stick in his memory. Whoever held the post was fine as long as his imperial authority remained stable.

Rubbing his temples, the Emperor asked, “Didn’t you submit transfer applications?”

Zhao Jide replied, “Of course I did, but did Your Majesty ever see them?” His tone carried some resentment.

The Emperor knew Zhao Jide was upset and didn’t mind, especially since he indeed hadn’t seen any applications. What did this mean? It meant someone had intercepted them.

Gazing at Zhao Jide, the Emperor smiled, “So, you’ve harbored resentment against the Duke for a long time because of this and want to frame him?” Zhao Jide’s eyes widened.

“Frame? He has committed so many heinous crimes. Do I need to frame him?” Zhao Jide’s voice rose in agitation.

The Emperor looked at him coldly, “So, you also know a lot about the Duke’s actions in Yuzhou?” Zhao Jide’s heart skipped a beat.

In his excitement, he had overlooked the Emperor’s suspicious nature. Clenching his fists, Zhao Jide continued, “Opening a private gold mine, isn’t that heinous enough? Your Majesty, do you know how many laborers I found in the mine? Do you know how many families were destroyed by the Duke’s greed?” His face twitched slightly from emotion.

“Every laborer captured, behind them could be children crying for food, a wife in labor with no one to care for her, or parents lying sick with no one to look after them…”

Before Zhao Jide could continue, the Emperor raised his hand to stop him. What did these things have to do with him? Common people were just lowly lives.

If the Duke’s actions were truly to protect his dragon veins, then sacrificing a few commoners… Well, that would be their fortune! Moreover, if sacrificing a few commoners could ensure the stability and prosperity of the Great Yan Dynasty, the sacrifice would be worth it. As the Emperor, his considerations had to be for the greater good.

“How long has that gold mine been operating?” the Emperor asked, changing the subject.

“Five years. Da Liu was the Duke’s man from the beginning,” Zhao Jide replied.

The Emperor rubbed his fingers. “Five years. Does Da Liu know how much gold was mined in total?”

“Da Liu doesn’t know the exact amount. The account books are with the Duke. However, he roughly estimated at least a hundred tons.” The Emperor narrowed his eyes, contemplating. The royal study fell silent again.

At this moment, a young eunuch suddenly announced from outside, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience.” The Emperor, his thoughts interrupted, rubbed his temples and looked towards the door. Why was the Crown Prince here? To plead for the Capital Magistrate?

With a slightly cold expression, the Emperor said, “Let him in.”

As soon as the Crown Prince entered, he sensed the peculiar atmosphere in the royal study. According to the usual script, such an atmosphere meant two things.

Either Zhao Jide had angered the Emperor. Or he had angered the Emperor. Obviously, it wasn’t the first scenario because Zhao Jide’s expression was calm. In fact, when he stepped forward, Zhao Jide even saluted him. So, it meant the Emperor had an issue with him?

Following the usual narrative, this issue was probably because he had visited the Capital Magistrate’s residence after being sent back by the eunuch. The Emperor was always suspicious.

He was present when gold was discovered at the Duke’s Estate. And now, gold was found at the Capital Magistrate’s residence. Following the old plot, such situations usually led the Emperor to suspect him of having ulterior motives. Understanding the situation, the Crown Prince felt at ease.