N-A-A Chapter 191 The Counterattack Has Arrived
Chapter 191 The Counterattack Has Arrived
Shen Shixi's appearance gave Lin Guiyou a powerful and moving experience.
She had never seen anyone so cool.
Like a hero draped in colorful clouds, descending from the sky.
In short, Cao Wenlan was a madman who committed adultery, robbery, vandalism, and other heinous crimes.
He heard a melodious voice singing a tune he had never heard before. When he came in, he saw Shen Shixi and Lin Guiyou, the "young couple." The man was handsome and dashing, and the woman was bright and charming. Just thinking about how they could serve him together made him feel like he was in heaven.
So what if these two are dressed smartly?
He appears to be an unrefined merchant, and in this city of Bingzhou, as long as he doesn't run into any imperial relatives, he can act with impunity.
"Let me go! I've already told you, my father is the governor. If you're capable of serving me well, I'll grant you a complete corpse. If you dare to touch me, I guarantee you won't leave Bingzhou City alive."
"Did you hear me? You're telling me I can't leave Bingzhou City!" Shen Shixi stomped on Cao Wenlan, who screamed so hard he almost fainted.
All the men present, including the bodyguards, felt a chill run down their spines and their legs tightened.
Cao Wenlan rolled on the ground in pain, yelling, "Kill him! Kill him! If any of you dare let him go, I'll kill your whole family!"
However, all the people who came with them were taken into custody by Shen Shixi's men.
The commotion quickly alerted the Imperial Guards, and the area was surrounded. Qin Zhenye, the commander of the Imperial Guards, rushed over in person. When he saw Shen Shixi, he was stunned for a moment and speechless. He waved his hand and said, "Take them all to the Emperor."
If it were just ordinary people causing trouble, he would handle it, but since it concerns Consort Chen, he wouldn't dare to act on his own.
Shen Shixi and Cao Wenlan were alright, but Cao Wenlan was eager to escape the clutches of this devil. Only the father and daughter who sang for a living followed along with a death wish, their expressions numb, like two walking corpses.
If you fall into the hands of officials, is there any way to survive?
In the yamen, rather than accusing the charitable organization of being a cult in front of the emperor, Cao Ruiyuan would rather accuse Shen Shixi of secretly cultivating power under the direction of Prime Minister Pei.
"Your Majesty, this matter is of utmost importance. If this continues, won't the thirteen regional military governorates of Bingzhou, Youzhou, and Jinzhou only know the leader of the Shantang and not the Emperor of the Great Zhou?"
"Besides, the title of 'boss' is really disrespectful. What kind of person can be called 'boss'? 'Old' means respect, and 'boss' means boundless. Does this mean you want to be above the imperial power?" Prime Minister Pei said.
Many people echoed this sentiment.
If the emperor didn't know that the charity was opened by Shen Shixi, or that the "boss" was Shen Shixi, he might actually be a little nervous. What was the purpose of winning people's hearts in this way?
But since it was Shen Shixi, he was thinking, "Boss, what kind of idiotic title is that?"
"As far as I know, charitable institutions are used to provide relief to the elderly and children who have no one to rely on. However, they are not given relief for nothing; instead, they are made to earn food through labor. What is wrong with that?"
Li Yuanke knew perfectly well that the scoundrel must have acquired some valuable assets that these people had their eyes on.
Li Yuanke was well aware of Cao Ruiyuan's character.
In several charitable halls near Beisha, Shen Shixi acquired wool spinning machines. The charitable halls bought wool cheaply from Beisha, washed it clean, spun it into wool yarn, knitted sweaters and blankets, and then sold it at a high price.
The washing process, spinning wheel, and weaving techniques are all secrets that the charity would never disclose to outsiders.
Cao Ruiyuan had tried various means to coerce them, but the charity had a large number of people and was backed by Shen Shixi. Cao Ruiyuan couldn't figure out their true strength and dared not act rashly.
"Your Majesty, we cannot look at this alone. As far as I know, Shantang is actually dealing with the Beisha people. I am also worried that they are colluding with Beisha and becoming spies for Beisha. If it comes to that, several vassal states will be in danger."
Cao Ruiyuan's words were shocking, and the court officials who did not understand them joined in boycotting the charitable hall.
Pei Xiangdao asked, "Do you have any clue who this leader of the charity is?"
Cao Ruiyuan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Li Yuanke didn't ask any questions.
Prime Minister Pei then said, "Are you going to hide this from His Majesty as well? This concerns the fate of the nation; if it leads to disaster, can you bear the responsibility?"
Cao Ruiyuan looked constipated. "Your Majesty, I am incompetent. I have only heard that the leader of the charity is an extremely formidable figure, and I dare not offend him easily. Therefore, I dare not speak frankly."
The emperor smiled. "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
The Duke of Ying also saw something amiss and quickly chimed in, "Your Majesty, this concerns the safety of the border towns and is no small matter. We must find out the details and come up with a plan for how to handle it."
Before the regulations could be drafted, Li Fude arrived. "Your Majesty," he said, "Commander Qin requests an audience, saying he has apprehended two groups of troublemakers in the city!"
He glanced at the emperor with great sympathy, and the emperor, understanding his meaning, sighed and said helplessly, "Let them all in!"
Seeing his son being carried in, barely breathing, Cao Ruiyuan disregarded his impolite behavior before the emperor and rushed to him, crying, "Son, what's wrong?"
Cao Wenlan was in excruciating pain. Seeing his father, he wailed, "Father! Someone has stepped on my balls! You must avenge me!"
Before Cao Ruiyuan could understand what was going on, Li Yuanke's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Shen Shixi in disbelief.
That bastard!
He didn't doubt the second person at all.
"Who, who is it?"
Cao Ruiyuan was so angry he wanted to rebel. He only had this one precious son, and how could anyone in Bingzhou City dare to do that!
Shen Shixi ignored him and calmly bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Lin Guiyou also knelt down, and tugged at the stunned father and daughter busking. Their knees hit the ground with a thud, making the listeners' teeth ache.
After the ceremony was over, Shen Shixi said to Cao Ruiyuan, "Lord Cao, what a fine son you have raised! In broad daylight, in front of everyone, he not only flirted with me and Consort Jin, but he also tried to forcibly take us back to his residence."
Fortunately, Commander Qin arrived in time; otherwise, both I and Consort Jin would have been in grave danger.
So, the person who stepped on the egg became Qin Zhenye, and no one doubted it, since stepping on someone's egg is not something a woman would do.
Qin Zhenye: ...
He opened his mouth, then said, "Fine, it's me, it's me!"
Cao Ruiyuan suddenly felt breathless, his gaze darting away. "I'm afraid... I'm afraid it's a misunderstanding!"
Shen Shixi sneered, "Misunderstanding? Misunderstand what? Misunderstand that I and Consort Jin are merchants? Is it really fair and proper for your son to do such a thing?"
Cao Ruiyuan knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, I had absolutely no such intention!"
Cao Wenlan also cried, "Your Majesty, I only heard someone singing, and I just wanted to ask the singer to come to my house and sing for me. Who would have thought that it was...it was Consort Chen!"
Just then, the old father who was singing looked up and said, "Young Master Cao must have misheard. The singer is not Consort Chen, but my daughter. It has nothing to do with Consort Chen."
Shen Shixi and Lin Guiyou both looked at the old father with surprise.
The little girl looked at Shen Shixi with tears in her eyes, her eyes shining, "Yes, it was me singing, I'm just a singer, it wasn't Consort Chen who was singing."
Consort Chen may listen to music, but she cannot sing it herself.
Cao Wenlan's explanation fell apart. Ignoring his pain, he retorted urgently, "It's obvious someone taught you to sing. How could someone as lowly as you sing such a beautiful tune?"
"It was I who sang, it was I who sang, not Consort Chen!" The little girl kowtowed repeatedly, terrified out of her wits.
Everyone could see that although this young girl was afraid of death, she would protect Consort Chen even at the cost of her own life.
Lin Guiyou pulled her back, "Alright, alright, don't hurt your head. You're the one singing, not Consort Chen."