Chapter 231: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
**Chapter 231: The Emperor is Not a Fool**
The emperor is not a fool.
Long before the information about Suisui reached him, he had already noticed the issues at hand.
However, he had seen plenty of fortunate children before. Moreover, since the child was being raised in his brother's residence, what did he have to worry about?
So, at first, he didn’t pay much attention to it.
It wasn’t until Marquis Huguo explained the matter regarding the lump coal in detail that the emperor became intrigued.
The Marquis didn’t speak about dreams or fantasies, but instead attributed it to the child's merit.
But could the emperor not see that there was definitely more to it?
Marquis Huguo wasn’t particularly clever; with just a few leading questions from the emperor, he ended up revealing everything.
Afterward, he realized he had said too much.
But that was just the way he was, so it wasn’t his fault!
The emperor was piqued by the child.
This child was rather interesting.
In the previous dynasty, they placed a higher value on literature than on military matters, leading to a plethora of scholars and a plethora of various writings and accounts.
The number of tales and folktales in the marketplaces was beyond counting.
There were countless stories about strange supernatural occurrences.
Although the founding emperor had destroyed quite a few during his conquest, it was impossible to eradicate all of them since they lived in the imperial city.
Thus, the emperor had seen many such tales.
While he personally did not believe in these things, he still held a certain reverence for them.
This child, Suisui, was rather fortunate.
Her entry into the Prince Qi's residence was indeed due to her connection with his brother.
If he thought about it another way, a connection to his brother meant a connection to himself, to the Feng family, and to the dynasty.
So, look, the heavens still favored him.
Since Suisui was still a child, the emperor didn’t want to pry too deeply into her affairs.
Although the world was not entirely peaceful, the state was quite stable, and the emperor felt he could afford to be magnanimous...
However, he shouldn’t exploit the value of a child too much.
Besides...
That was a child favored by the heavens; if he were to extract value from her recklessly, wouldn’t that be a bad idea?
What if the heavens retaliated and he, as emperor, couldn't bear the consequences?
Having thought this through, the emperor felt he understood the situation.
Marquis Huguo's intentions were not hard to guess, and he could easily see who had commissioned him.
However, he didn’t plan to expose it, wanting to save face for both his brother and the Marquis.
After all, in a way, Marquis Huguo was also his brother.
And cousins were still family.
With these thoughts in mind, the emperor pretended to ponder for a moment before nodding: “This child has merits and should be rewarded. Moreover, this coal is indeed important; we must continue to mine it. Not just in Qingzhou, but if other places are discovered, we should also attempt to mine there. But there is one thing…”
At this point, the emperor paused, his expression turning serious.
Marquis Huguo was startled and asked nervously, “Please enlighten Your Majesty.”
The emperor quickly replied in a deep voice: “Don't overdo it.”
This was a double entendre.
Not only did it mean not to over-extract resources and risk undermining the foundation of the empire, but it also meant not to overly punish the Chen family.
It wouldn’t do to have the scoundrels die too easily.
After all, there was still a fake one in the capital waiting for them to deal with.
If they were all dead, wouldn’t that just make things easier for that fake?
Therefore, lives must be preserved.
Marquis Huguo, who was not very bright, suddenly showed remarkable understanding and replied, “Yes, I shall obey your orders.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the palace, the news had not yet reached Prince Qi’s residence.
As evening approached, the rain stopped, revealing a beautiful rainbow.
Suisui had seen rainbows before but hadn’t appreciated them much, as she always had to get back to work.
But now, as her two older sisters held her hands and her brothers protected her while they watched the rainbow, Suisui spun around joyfully.
The children gathered around the rockery, chattering excitedly. Feng Xuanbin and Feng Xuanrui even climbed up to get a better view.
The two of them scrambled up and down quickly.
Suisui, delighted by their enthusiasm, tried to follow them.
However, as she was about to climb, she realized she was wearing a new dress and thought, “I won’t climb anymore! I won’t climb anymore!”
It wouldn’t be good to ruin her new outfit.
She liked this dress very much.
Feng Xuanrui had no intention of forcing his sister to climb.
If it weren’t for the dangers of climbing and his own height limitations, he would have happily carried her.
He just felt he was still too weak!
Reflecting on this, Feng Xuanrui resolved to eat two bowls of rice that night!
As night fell and the rain stopped, Master Shen and Physician Liu prepared to head home.
Although Liu Hemeng and Shen Huatang were reluctant, they happily said goodbye to Suisui, reminding her they would see each other again tomorrow.
Though Suisui felt a little sad, Feng Xuanrui quickly approached her with a beautiful drawing: “Sister, let’s make kites!”
Upon hearing this, Suisui was quickly distracted.
The children went off cheerfully to play.
Physician Liu and Master Shen walked together for a while when suddenly, a servant from Master Shen's residence ran up, breathless, clearly having something urgent to report.
Master Shen remained calm, signaling for the servant to speak.
Since Master Shen had a good relationship with Physician Liu, the servant knew this matter...
Couldn’t be considered a family disgrace, so he could share it.
The servant hesitated but then decided to be honest: “The Xie family has encountered some trouble; the eldest madam was injured in the head. Someone close to the madam was worried, so they sent someone to inform Shen Langzhong. The old madam, upon hearing the news, was concerned and sent me to ask if the master would like to go and take a look.”
The Xie family referred to the residence of the Minister of Justice, Master Xie.
As for Shen Langzhong's residence, that was Master Shen's cousin's, who happened to be the maternal family of the eldest madam of the Xie family.
In simpler terms, the eldest daughter-in-law of Master Xie was Master Shen’s niece.
Master Shen had a good relationship with his cousin, and he had watched his niece grow up.
Now that she had been injured, it was indeed necessary for him to go and see.
However, since he hadn’t sent a formal invitation, it would be impolite. After considering this, he said, “Let’s head back to the residence first; we can send a letter tomorrow.”
The servant nodded obediently, “Yes, sir.”
Physician Liu, curious, chimed in: “Do you know who caused the trouble at the Xie residence?”
Master Xie was known to be serious and stern, with little warmth in his demeanor.
Both internally and externally, he maintained strict discipline.
Logically, with him around, nothing should go amiss in the household.
Yet, the fact that the eldest madam had been injured indicated that something significant had occurred.
Physician Liu, having some speculations, asked.
The servant was unsure how to respond.
Master Shen shot Physician Liu a glare: “You always love to stir up trouble.”
Physician Liu shrugged off the glare with a smile: “Oh, I’m just concerned about my niece; I want to know what happened.”
Master Shen nearly rolled his eyes, then muttered softly, “It’s probably related to the Jin Yang Marquis’s residence.”
The servant nearly turned purple, almost instinctively agreeing.
Physician Liu caught on and realized that it truly was connected to the Jin Yang Marquis's residence.
If that were the case…
He certainly wouldn’t mind helping out his good friend with some strategies.
As the night deepened, the story continued to unfold.
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