Protect Our Clan Leader

Chapter 1046: Chapter 65: The Grand Scheme! The True Foundation of the Wang Family’s Prosperity (Request for Monthly Ticket)_3 Chapter 1046: Chapter 65: The Grand Scheme! The True Foundation of the Wang Family’s Prosperity (Request for Monthly Ticket)_3 This “farce” had Ping’an Town’s elite and commoners avidly consuming the spectacle.

Zhao Yuanqing, who failed to secure a marriage proposal and got kicked out, and the An Duke’s Mansion became the talk of the town, with the prestige of the Second Class Prominent Family plummeting greatly.

The Little Princess Xue Ning is of the Great Heavenly Proud; it would be normal even if she married into an Overquality Prominent Family. The Zhao Clan tried to climb socially above their status, which would not have been an issue, but why directly propose marriage without even winning over the young lady?

The result, naturally, was extremely embarrassing.

…

Inside the Zhuozheng Pavilion.

Old Yao was sharing local gossip vividly on the side.

Emperor Longchang, however, was half-reclining in his Taishi Chair, greatly enjoying the tales, his face flushed with delight, even the wrinkles on his face seemed to have smoothed out.

“Hehe~ Xue Ning has really slapped their faces well, beautifully indeed,” said Emperor Longchang, surrounded by five wolf pups, chuckling coldly, “The Zhao Clan, these years, have indeed become greedier. Now, a Second Class Prominent Family is probably not enough to satisfy their appetite.”

Old Yao immediately shut his mouth; he dared not respond to that.

Emperor Longchang continued on his own, “Old Yao, it is not that I lack the magnanimity to tolerate others. As the situation on the foreign battlefields is getting tense, I could only wish for more capable families to share our concerns.”

“But the Zhao Clan has had too smooth of a development over these thousands of years. All their growth and strength are built on suppressing the living space of other families, and they have grown accustomed to this method.”

“I remember, Old Yao, your spy, what’s his name?”

“Jiang Yusong,” Old Yao said softly.

“Right, right, Jiang Yusong. He once sent back a piece of information about Wang Shouzhe criticizing me behind my back. He said something about how the strength of a prominent family should not be built on suppressing others’ living space, and that I was wrong for allowing such internal strife among prominent families.”

“A true Imperial Household should lead and guide the Top Grade Prominent Families to grow and strengthen. And a real Top Grade Prominent Family should lead the Middle Grade Prominent Families to prosperity, and the real Middle Grade Prominent Families should also benefit their region. You remember these words, don’t you, Old Yao?”

“This servant remembers,” Old Yao quietly chuckled, “I remember Your Majesty was so furious you threw a cup, saying you would personally lead an expedition to Ping’an Town to severely punish that traitor Wang Shouzhe.”

“Right, right, right, that scoundrel was indeed very hateful, always speaking ill of me behind my back,” Emperor Longchang recalled the infuriating “slandering” and still felt his teeth itch with anger.

If his will had not been firm, he might have begun to doubt himself as an inept emperor because of Wang Shouzhe’s criticisms.

“Eventually, there were some good words…” Old Yao seemed rather helpless as he tried to console.

“Hmph, if it weren’t for his few ‘sensible’ remarks, I would have had him beheaded long ago.” Emperor Longchang grumbled a few words in irritation, but his expression gradually calmed, “However, some of his words were slanderous. But some, upon careful consideration, still hold some truth.”

“If the Zhao Clan truly had the capability, they could emulate the ancestors to expand territories and establish a kingdom of their own; I would only admire them. Not only would I not obstruct them, I might even sponsor them. But in the end, they are too engrossed in manipulating power, always thinking about how to exploit the nation for more benefits, ultimately falling short.”

“If I hadn’t intentionally suppressed the Wang family and supported the Zhao Clan, would they have reached today’s heights?”

“Now that they’ve grown powerful, aside from our Imperial Household, being the only Second Class, no one could curb them anymore, indeed a significant influence. I’m still alive, and they have already started their little schemes. If I were to… hehe, De Xin is already old, Yong’an is an indecisive wastrel, and with Kang Commandery Prince’s straightforwardness, could he really hold down the Zhao Clan?”

“Your Majesty!” Old Yao also seemed a bit anxious, “Then what should be done?”

“Old Yao, don’t worry. I was just speaking casually, just venting to you since we are all alone here,” Emperor Longchang then said with a relaxed smile, “In any case, regardless of who succeeds the throne, the foundation of my great Da Qian must remain stable. The Imperial heart, hehe~~” …

While the political clouds shifted and currents surged beneath in Shangjing City, almost at the same time, in the remote corner far from Shangjing City—Ping’an Town—a quiet undercurrent was also secretly rising.

In a neat and tidy hotel room, which was only about forty to fifty square meters, two tax inspectors conducting undercover inspections were sprawled on their individual beds, resembling two overly sun-dried fishes, about to lose their vitality.

On the table next to their beds, and on the beds themselves, were piled up numerous ledgers, visitation record notebooks, empty bottles of Waking God Pills, counting rods used for verifying data, and all sorts of sundry trivial items.

Clearly, the two had just gone through a ferocious “battle,” with both their energy and physical strength reaching a critical point, currently in a state of utter exhaustion.

Not counting the travel time, since their arrival in Ping’an Town, nearly half a month had passed. In order to catch the evidence of the Wang family’s tax evasion and complete their task swiftly, they had hardly rested in this half-month, constantly relying on Waking God Pills to forcefully sustain their spirits while working.

By now, even the Waking God Pills were almost ineffective.

It is known that in such undercover operations, apart from needing to act covertly, the most critical aspect is the need for speed, not giving the opponent time to react. Otherwise, for local strongholds like the Wang family, once they begin to cover up evidence upon realizing what’s happening, even if the three government branches acted together, digging out anything would become very difficult.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com