Chapter 95
Ma Jun Tea House
On the second floor of Ma Jun Tea House, where private rooms were designed for guests seeking tranquility or discussing business matters; in one of those private rooms, two n sat in conversation.
"Master Mu, the position of Left Side Chancellor rightfully belongs to you. You needn’t worry so much," Shin Wang said with a friendly smile, his sharp eyes montarily revealing a cunning glint as he looked at the person before him.
"You flatter , Your Highness," Mu Cui Ming responded with a humble smile. "This position requires soone with great skill. My accomplishnts are but ager; how could I compare with other officials?"
For the past few days, Mu Cui Ming had been constantly visiting and building relationships with officials from various families, seeking supporters to help him secure the position of Left Side Chancellor. He had to offer many gifts and bribes as well. Thus, it was impossible for him not to be interested in the position, but he felt it was prudent to humbly decline at first.
Hearing Mu Cui Ming’s words, Shin Wang’s smile widened. "You are too modest, Master Mu. Today, Ben Wang invited you for tea because Ben Wang has sothing to discuss with you."
"Regarding the position of Left Side Chancellor, Ben Wang will support you. You need not worry."
“Cough, cough.”
Mu Cui Ming, who had been sipping his tea, choked and coughed for a mont. He quickly lifted his sleeve to wipe his mouth and looked at Shin Wang in shock. Seeing the sincere smile on Shin Wang’s face, Mu Cui Ming’s heart raced. If Shin Wang supported him, the position of Left Side Chancellor would be within reach!
But why would Shin Wang help him?
Was it to recruit him as an ally?
Or was it because of...his daughter?
"I...I don’t understand why Your Highness would help ," Mu Cui Ming asked directly, swallowing hard.
The matter of forming factions was significant and required careful consideration. A misstep could lead to great losses. If he accepted Shin Wang’s help, he would inevitably beco one of Shin Wang’s people. Therefore, he needed to understand the reason and gauge the other’s intentions.
"Rest assured, Master Mu. Ben Wang wants to help you because Ben Wang sees you are a man of talent. It would be a sha not to support you,"
Shin Wang replied casually. He knew well the real reason. The Mu family was currently gaining power. His initial plan was to bring the Mu family to his side after all. If he could make them feel indebted for his help, they would likely beco his allies.
Moreover, when the Mu family owed him, Shin Wang could use this to negotiate the engagent with the eldest young miss of the Mu family again. If this engagent succeeded, how could the Mu family ever escape his grasp?
Mu Cui Ming glanced down at the teacup on the table, pondering for a mont. “Regarding this matter...what does the Mu family need to do in return, Your Highness?”
Where there was gain, there must be loss. Mu Cui Ming understood this principle well enough. Before agreeing with Shin Wang, it was better to ask directly so he could weigh the pros and cons.
“Originally, Ben Wang did not intend for you to repay , but since you bring it up, I do have a desire of my own,”
Shin Wang said with a light laugh, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “If Master Mu could pave the way for Ben Wang to form a relationship with Eldest Young Miss Mu, that would be wonderful...”
Xuan’er?
Upon hearing this, Mu Cui Ming understood imdiately that Shin Wang wanted to help him because he wished to court Xuan’er, his eldest daughter. If he rembered correctly, Shin Wang had approached him about an engagent several months ago, but the Mu family couldn’t agree because another dragon was also interested in his eldest daughter.
Mu Cui Ming could not afford to have problems with either of these dragons!
This ti, in exchange for the position of Left Side Chancellor, he only needed to help Shin Wang get closer to his eldest daughter, without promising an engagent.
Besides, there were still nearly two years before Mu Qingxuan could be betrothed. If she and Shin Wang fell in love before then, the Emperor could not bla him. It would appear that Shin Wang insisted on the relationship himself!
Furthermore, Shin Wang had the powerful support of the Empress Dowager. The royal court was currently peaceful, so siding with Shin Wang wasn’t risky. If trouble arose, the Mu family could simply feign ignorance and avoid involvent!
Yes!
This exchange was all benefits.
He would get a promotion, and his daughter could potentially beco a royal consort. The Mu family’s future would be bright!
“Since Your Highness is so sincere, I gratefully accept your kindness,” Mu Cui Ming said, bowing slightly with hands clasped in gratitude.
Seeing his plan going smoothly, Shin Wang smiled. “As long as Master Mu understands my sincerity, that is enough.”
They both lifted their teacups in a toast to confirm their agreent. As Shin Wang sipped his tea, the image of a beautiful maiden flashed in his mory, her delicate fragrance lingering as if it were still in the air.
Eldest Young Miss Mu...it won’t be long now!
Mu Manor
Late the sa night, Uncle Wang’s man, who had been monitoring Ma Jun Tea House, sneaked in to report the news to Mu Yingying at her quarters. Upon hearing the report, Mu Yingying imdiately frowned, her big, round eyes reflecting her frustration, and her small lips curving downward in displeasure.
Uncle Wang’s man reported that earlier that afternoon, her father had t with Shin Wang in a private room. They talked for a considerable amount of ti, and although he didn’t know the details of their conversation, Mu Yingying could guess most of it.
Lately, the issue that had been troubling her father the most was the position of the Left Side Chancellor. So, whoever her father t with during this period, it must have been about the promotion!
As for Shin Wang, if he really wanted to help her father get promoted, it wouldn’t be difficult at all, since he had the Empress Dowager backing him, pressuring the Emperor, and he himself and Right Side Chancellor controlling the political winds at the royal court.
Thus, it was clear that if her father received the backing of these influential figures, it would significantly complicate her plan to push her elder brother to beco the Left Side Chancellor.
If Mu Yingying’s guess was correct, it ant that Shin Wang had an ulterior motive for helping her father. Previously, Shin Wang had sought to betroth her eldest sister, aiming to make her the future Wang Fei. Now, by assisting her father, it was likely that the Mu family had beco a pri target for Shin Wang’s faction...
As Mu Yingying pondered these events, she idly traced the rim of her teacup with her finger, her big, round eyes staring blankly at the surface of the tea. She then looked up and asked the man in black who had delivered the news.
"What was the deanor of both parties when they left the room?"
"Miss, both appeared to be on very good terms. Shin Wang was smiling as usual, but Mu Cui Ming seed much more delightful than he had been in recent days. He looked relieved, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Before heading ho, he even stopped by Ru Feng Restaurant to drink,"
Reported the man in black, who had been closely observing Mu Cui Ming, detailing the locations, deanor, and expressions ticulously.
Upon hearing this, Mu Yingying imdiately displayed a cold smile. It seed her father had accepted Shin Wang’s deal, hence his delightful deanor. Knowing her father’s self-serving nature, he would have accepted Shin Wang’s assistance without hesitation. Although Mu Yingying didn’t know what Shin Wang wanted in return, it was surely nothing good!
Recalling Shin Wang’s previous failed attempt to arrange an engagent with her eldest sister, she was concerned that her father would agree if the topic was raised again. Mu Yingying would never let that happen!
Now that the Mu family had beco a pri target for Shin Wang’s faction, avoiding them would be impossible. The only way to bind political power among nobles was through marriage. If Mu Yingying’s guess was correct, Shin Wang’s desire to engage her eldest sister was surely for this reason.
Moreover, seeing that her father was already leaning towards Shin Wang, Mu Yingying decided to let them have their way. However, the Mu family that would align with Shin Wang would not include the three siblings!
Once the three siblings could separate from the family, she would support the Mu family in aligning with Shin Wang, and then she would settle all scores at once!
"Go and inform our people infiltrated in the royal court to start taking action. Have them spread rumors among the officials that His Majesty favors appointing my elder brother as the Left Side Chancellor to gain support."
"As for our agents among the Right Side Chancellor’s faction, have them sow discord among the enemies. The more they fight amongst themselves during this ti, the better. We want to keep them too preoccupied to counter our plan for the Left Side Chancellor’s appointnt."
Mu Yingying ordered the man in black with a stern voice. Since her father had Shin Wang’s backing, she couldn’t afford to remain idle. Even though the Emperor was on their side, reducing the pressure and ensuring smoother operations would be beneficial for her.
"Yes, Miss,"
the man in black replied, using his lightness skills to swiftly exit the quarters. Once the room fell silent, Su Su, who had been waiting outside, entered with the docunts Mu Yingying had ordered to be compiled long ago.
"Miss, these are the financial routes and areas under Shin Wang’s control that you requested our people to gather a month ago."
Mu Yingying raised her eyebrows slightly. How convenient. She had been contemplating how to trouble Shin Wang to keep him from ddling in her plans soon. The critical information needed to disrupt her enemy had just been compiled. She received the docunts and began reading them without haste, taking nearly an hour to go through all the information thoroughly. A mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"Shin Wang has enough free ti to help father, so I think I should give him sothing to deal with. Consider it a little interest repaynt..."
Mu Yingying said, laughing. Her big, round eyes sparkled with amusent. She loved causing trouble!
Once her eldest brother beca the Left Side Chancellor, many things would fall into place, marking a significant turning point.
Therefore, no one should stand in the way of her plan!
Su Su, standing nearby, glanced at her young mistress’s cunning deanor and silently pitied the unfortunate souls involved.
Whenever her young mistress laughed like this, trouble was always brewing for soone...
Five days later, chaos erupted in the southern part of the region. A notorious group of bandits ambushed many caravans transporting goods. These bandits operated so mysteriously, like ghosts, that the authorities couldn’t track them down at all.
The reason this incident turned into a major issue was that the caravans being ambushed by the bandits were not ordinary rchant or civilian transports, but entirely under Shin Wang’s enterprise!
Both important and less significant goods, in large and small quantities, from ventures openly under Shin Wang’s na or secretly controlled, were all ambushed by these bandits. This caused significant losses to Shin Wang’s businesses in the southern region. When goods could not be transported to businesses in the south, operations ca to a halt, forcing many of Shin Wang’s businesses to shut down abruptly. Not only did he lose trade opportunities, but the goods being transported were stolen, resulting in severe financial losses!
This forced Shin Wang to take action. He had to travel to the south by speed horse to plan and investigate the mysterious bandits himself. After questioning all the guards of the caravans, he found that they only knew the bandits wore black, with no other clues available.
Upon considering the situation, Shin Wang was enraged. These bandits targeted him specifically—what bandits ambushed a caravan transporting goods and didn’t kill anyone? Moreover, the ambushed caravans were exclusively his.
The longer this went on, the greater the losses he incurred. Initially, the bandits only ambushed caravans transporting goods, but when Shin Wang ordered a halt to the transports, the bandits shifted tactics, simultaneously raiding all his major businesses in the south!
This sudden attack caught Shin Wang completely off guard, leaving him unprepared for defense. Ultimately, besides the vast amount of stolen goods, many large businesses were ransacked and unable to operate, resulting in losses exceeding two million taels!
The incident closely mirrored the troubles previously faced by the Su family, leading Shin Wang to strongly believe the bandits were the sa group involved in the Su family’s misfortune.
What pained him more was knowing both incidents were orchestrated by the sa person, yet despite his efforts to uncover the culprit, the bandits vanished without a trace after the raid, leaving no clues.
Previously, when the Su family faced such troubles, Shin Wang had laughed at their misery, never expecting the sa to happen to him!
These events left Shin Wang fuming for a long ti, as if soone in the shadows was manipulating him. With the enemy lurking in the darkness, despite his utmost efforts to track down the culprits, Shin Wang ultimately grasped only emptiness. By the ti the situation cald down, the royal court eting to appoint the new Left Side Chancellor had already passed. When Shin Wang returned to the capital, he was shocked to learn about the news. The plans he had set in motion before leaving the capital had completely fallen apart.
That was because the new Left Side Chancellor wasn’t Mu Cui Ming as planned, but Mu Gongzhen!
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