Chapter 27: Calculation

The Duke of Lu proudly raised his head. He was proud of his son; even if he wasn’t scholarly, he was still useful to the Duke’s residence.

Everyone smiled, even Xie Yunzheng, who breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he was still unconvinced. If he had married Yongjia, he wouldn’t have needed to offer so much.

They discussed other matters in the room, and Xie Yunzhao patiently listened. The morning had already passed.

As he left, he scoffed inwardly. He hadn’t become any kind of useless heir.

There was one good thing, though. Rongrong hadn’t made plans with him today, so he could use the council meeting as an excuse to visit the Grand Princess’s residence.

Lu Ziqian waited at Xie Yunzhao’s Linfeng Residence until the afternoon, but he didn’t return. The polo match was tomorrow, and the invitations would be too late if they were sent later. There was no time to wait for Xie Yunzhao to choose, so he had to send the invitations out first.

Shen Shurong was busy with the treasury accounts. When she heard he had arrived, the weariness from the morning vanished, and she quickly had him ushered in.

Jinzhi greeted Xie Yunzhao with a smile. Lately, the Junzhu had been going out without her, and she had grown increasingly anxious. “Young Master, you’ve arrived. The Junzhu has been waiting for you.”

Xie Yunzhao merely nodded slightly, still showing no warmth towards her.

Shen Shurong waved her hand. The maids were used to it; they poured tea and left.

“Brother Yunzhao, why have you come?” Shen Shurong blinked. Did he want to see her every day?

“Something came up,” Xie Yunzhao said, meeting her gaze as he sat down at her desk. He felt like she could see right through him. “This morning, the Crown Prince proposed at the family meeting that the tax exemption for soldiers’ families be abolished.”

Shen Shurong nodded. She knew about this, but the Crown Prince would only propose it after his ascension. Xie Yunzheng supported it.

“Your family supports it?”

“Yes, not only that, they want to use the treasury’s lack of funds as a reason. They want me to talk to you about it.”

Shen Shurong frowned. Didn’t he know the disadvantages?

“Do you support it too?”

Xie Yunzhao chuckled. “Why would I support them? But I didn’t oppose it. I asked them to come up with a plan, and when they do, we’ll disagree. The longer we delay, the harder it’ll be for this to happen.”

Shen Shurong leaned forward, studying his expression. He always surprised her, disregarding the benefits for the Duke of Lu’s family.

The Duke of Lu commanded an army of 100,000 men, and the tax exemptions for their families were a significant amount.

If they really revoked the exemptions, the Duke of Lu’s family could save a considerable amount on military expenses. As for the extra taxes collected, both the Crown Prince and the Duke of Lu would likely profit.

Xie Yunzhao was stunned by her gaze. “Isn’t that right? Do you really think the treasury can profit from this?”

Shen Shurong shook her head. “No, the treasury is for the benefit of the people, not for exploiting them.”

Xie Yunzhao felt relieved. He knew Rongrong wouldn’t do that.

“But Brother Yunzhao, have you considered how long we can delay this? If they agree to give us 90%, do we still have a reason to delay?”

Xie Yunzhao frowned. “Rongrong, do you have a plan?”

Shen Shurong fell silent. She did, but… “My plan might not be good for the Duke of Lu’s family.”

Xie Yunzhao waved his hand, unconcerned. “As long as the Duke of Lu’s family doesn’t fall, it doesn’t matter.” If the Duke of Lu’s family fell, he would be even less worthy of Rongrong.

Shen Shurong shook her head. “It won’t be that bad. At most, they’ll be scolded a bit; there’s no real harm.”

She would let the soldiers accumulate anger, until it reached the breaking point, and then she would expose Xie Yunzheng’s scheme.

She wanted to see Xie Yunzheng lose the hearts of the Xie family army!

Xie Yunzhao didn’t care about the consequences; even if there were benefits, he wouldn’t take them. He said generously, “What’s this? It can’t hurt us. Just tell me, and I’ll handle it!”

“The more widely this is publicized, the better. It needs to be known throughout the army.”

Xie Yunzhao didn’t understand. “Using the treasury’s name, wouldn’t the treasury be hated?”

Shen Shurong explained, “We cooperate, and it will make the Crown Prince and the others think we urgently need this tax revenue.”

“But using the treasury’s name, the final petition to the emperor must be made by the treasury. Whether we petition, and when, will be our decision.”

Although she would be criticized, there was one thing she hadn’t mentioned: she wouldn’t petition for this decree. Not petitioning would place the responsibility on her and Xie Yunzhao.

When the time came, all the soldiers who had criticized them would realize it was the very people they scorned who protected them.

Xie Yunzhao understood, and this indeed allowed for better control.

The Duke of Lu was about to take a nap when he suddenly felt uneasy, unaware that his beloved son and daughter-in-law were plotting against his interests.

Xie Yunzhao spent the evening helping Shen Shurong with the accounts. After they finished dinner, he went to Linfeng Residence, where Lu Ziqian had already been worn out by waiting.

Xie Yunzhao felt no guilt. He dismissed Lu Ziqian with the same air as if he were merely being charitable for letting him stay a night.

…

The next morning, Xie Yunzhao planned to pick up Shen Shurong and had Lu Ziqian go check on the venue setup.

Lu Ziqian wanted to ask something: could he stop playing with Xie Yunzhao?

Ever since that guy got engaged, he seemed to have transformed. It was as if there was only one thing in his world: revolving around women, which was so pathetic.

Xie Yunzhao entered the venue with Shen Shurong and immediately spotted the Crown Prince sitting in the center of the viewing platform.

Shen Shurong frowned, looking at him as if she had seen something disgusting. “Didn’t we say not to invite anyone from the palace?”

Xie Yunzhao noticed her displeasure and called for Lu Ziqian. “How did the Crown Prince get here?”

“Second Young Master, I didn’t invite him. I didn’t even send an invitation to the palace. They came on their own, and I didn’t prepare a table for them.”

“The two Commandery Princes are here as well. They’re in the garden admiring the flowers.”

Xie Yunzhao lowered his head, apologetically looking at Shen Shurong. “Rongrong, I specifically instructed not to invite anyone.”

Though he didn’t know the reason, he felt he hadn’t handled this well.

Shen Shurong suppressed her disgust and forced a smile. Could she really avoid them forever?

“It’s fine; if they’re here, just treat them well.”

She was dressed conveniently today, ready to compete, but now she didn’t want to show off in front of that scoundrel.

Instead of heading to the viewing platform, she turned and went to the nearby garden.

Watching her back, Xie Yunzhao felt guilty. Rongrong must be angry with him.

At this moment, he wanted to beat the Crown Prince to a pulp.

The Crown Prince was sipping tea when he suddenly felt a chill, tightening his robe, but then thought he was being overly sensitive. It was summer after all.

Shen Shurong arrived late, and the noble ladies had already surrounded the two Commandery Princes, flattering them. “The Third Commandery Prince is the best match for Young Master Xie. If it weren’t for status, how could the Commandery Princess compete with a daughter of a minister?”

Why was Xie Yunzheng everywhere? Thankfully, he wasn’t present today; otherwise, she would have turned around and gone back to the residence.

“Well, the Young Master has a bright future. He couldn’t possibly marry into the royal family.”

“Exactly.”

The Third Commandery Prince basked in the praise, enjoying the mockery directed at Wan’er, as if saying that she was inferior to him.

The ladies were chatting happily, oblivious to the noble girl behind the flower bushes, shaking with rage.

“Young Master Xie deserves the best in the world.”

“Yes, she may not have grown up in the capital, and who knows how petty she is?”

“Enough!” Shen Shurong couldn’t stand hearing Xie Yunzheng praised. The more she listened, the more nauseous she felt.

The Third Commandery Prince suddenly turned his head. When did she arrive?

“If he can’t make it into the royal family, it’s fine to marry down; no one is stopping him.”

The Third Commandery Prince felt humiliated and furious. Was she insulting him?