Chapter 166

Chapter 166: Spreading Wicked Rumors

After hearing Meng Yang out, Qi Shu Xian’s first reaction was that Meng Yang had gone mad.

What Mo Bei cold disaster? What Precognitive Dream?

Qi Shu Xian had heard that some women, after a miscarriage, grew trapped in grief and formed inner demons. But someone like Meng Yang, who kept insisting she had a Precognitive Dream, was something Qi Shu Xian saw for the first time.

Yet when Qi Shu Xian met Meng Yang’s gaze, he could not be fully sure.

“If Heir Apparent doesn’t believe me,” Meng Yang said, “then not today, but tomorrow, a prince will be born in the Imperial Palace.”

Meng Yang knew this because that prince’s birth date was truly unlucky. It happened to fall right when the cold disaster first showed signs.

Later, when the cold disaster grew worst, the Imperial Court could not provide enough relief grain and warm clothing. Many people pinned the blame for the cold disaster on that prince, the Sixth Prince.

Meng Yang spoke with certainty.

Qi Shu Xian half believed and half doubted, until that night, when Qi Shu Xian found out that the Imperial Palace truly did have a new prince born to a low-ranked Imperial Consort.

Qi Shu Xian came again to Wei Yang Courtyard.

“Heir Apparent believes me now?” Meng Yang smiled softly.

But because Meng Yang had miscarried, her face looked sallow and yellow. Qi Shu Xian felt no beauty in it at all, and in any case, his mind was not on that.

“Everything you said before was true?” Qi Shu Xian asked. “Mo Bei will really suffer a severe cold disaster? Did you foresee anything else?”

“I wouldn’t dare lie to Heir Apparent.” Meng Yang’s voice sounded earnest. “It’s true. As for anything else… Heir Apparent should first hear what I plan to do next.”

Meng Yang explained that the Third Prince ordered her to raise silver, and that she planned to use the Mo Bei cold disaster to make money.

“In a cold disaster, the need for warm clothing will definitely soar,” Meng Yang said. “I already had people check the price of cotton. Around the capital, cotton is two hundred wen per jin. But in places that produce cotton, it must be cheaper.”

“As long as Heir Apparent stockpiles enough cotton in those places before the news of the cold disaster breaks, then once the news breaks, demand will grow and the price will climb.”

“Then Heir Apparent can sell the cotton and earn the difference…”

“Shut up!” Qi Shu Xian sprang up. “Spreading wicked rumors!”

“You actually want me to profit from a national disaster!”

Qi Shu Xian seized Meng Yang by the throat.

Hoarding goods, driving up prices, squeezing profit out of the suffering of commoner… Qi Shu Xian’s fingers tightened little by little, and his eyes filled with killing intent. “I used to think you were kind and gentle. I never expected that for silver, you could think of something this utterly insane!”

As a Sheng Kingdom official who ate the ruler’s salary, Qi Shu Xian could never do such a thing.

Qi Shu Xian suddenly remembered that when he first met Sheng Zhi Wan, the two of them once spoke about their visions of a flourishing age.

“Across the Thirteen Prefectures, there would be no wolves or tigers on the roads, and both public and private granaries would be full.”

Qi Shu Xian once promised that he would do what he could for that vision.

The words still rang in his ears.

Qi Shu Xian’s grip tightened again.

Meng Yang’s face turned deathly pale. Meng Yang clawed at Qi Shu Xian’s hand in terror. “Heir Apparent… don’t you want to know… what else… I foresaw?”

Qi Shu Xian’s fingers loosened. “Speak!”

Meng Yang gasped for air. “I also foresaw that the Third Prince… will one day sit in that seat!”

“What?” Qi Shu Xian’s voice rose.

Tears filled Meng Yang’s eyes. Meng Yang covered her neck, looking as if she might cry at any second. “Otherwise… what did Heir Apparent think? Why would I cooperate with the Third Prince?”

“I spent so long with Heir Apparent, so I knew Heir Apparent was upright and honorable. After hearing my plan, Heir Apparent would definitely look down on me, hate me, and even want to kill me…”

“But I couldn’t care about anything else.” Meng Yang’s voice trembled. “I’m only a woman. My sky is Heir Apparent. I only wanted Heir Apparent to be well.”

In truth, when Meng Yang first cooperated with the Third Prince, Meng Yang really had not remembered it. Meng Yang’s grasp of history was terrible.

Only later, when she forced herself to recall, did she barely remember that after Emperor Chong Sheng, the next Crown Prince seemed to be the third.

“Heir Apparent should think about the Third Prince,” Meng Yang said, tears slipping down her lashes. “Think about the merit of backing the dragon. It’s only three hundred thousand taels. If Heir Apparent doesn’t stockpile cotton early, then when Mo Bei suffers, the commoner might hold silver in their hands and still not be able to buy cotton to survive…”

As Meng Yang spoke, her tears fell harder. Meng Yang tilted her head slightly and looked up at him.

Qi Shu Xian’s heart softened in the end.

Meng Yang was not entirely wrong. If no one knew about the Mo Bei cold disaster and no one stockpiled cotton early, then when the time came, perhaps no amount of silver could buy a life-saving bundle of cotton.

And it was only three hundred thousand. If he earned enough and stopped quickly, it should not cause serious consequences.

At most, it was opportunism.

With that thought, Qi Shu Xian finally wavered.

Qi Shu Xian sighed. When Qi Shu Xian saw the bruises on Meng Yang’s neck, he pulled Meng Yang into his arms. “Fine. I know you meant well for me. We’ll do it this time, but only this once. Tomorrow I’ll send trusted men to Zhi Zhou, Yuan Zhou, and Lin Zhou to stockpile cotton.”

“Yes.” Meng Yang answered from within his embrace. “Heir Apparent must remember to gather enough cotton within half a month. It’s fine even if it costs a little more.”

“…Alright.” Qi Shu Xian agreed.

Meng Yang bit her lip and brought up something else. “Heir Apparent today… did Heir Apparent take a fancy to any little wife?”

Qi Shu Xian froze and looked down into Meng Yang’s eyes, full of nervous shyness.

Qi Shu Xian rubbed the top of her head with his fingers. “Jealous?”

“I…” Meng Yang shook her head and leaned into Qi Shu Xian. “I know I shouldn’t be jealous. It’s just… I…”

Meng Yang’s voice softened. “I should be content. Like this is already very good.”

Retreating to advance. Wasn’t that what men liked – a woman who was weak, soft, and treated him as her whole world?

*At the Princess Residence, after the last guests left, even Sheng Zhi Wan did not expect her congratulatory banquet to be so lively.

Far more people came than she expected. Among the connections that used to visit the Duke Residence, nine out of ten came to the Princess Residence instead.

Marchioness Shun Yang even told Sheng Zhi Wan that the Duke Residence sent out invitations yesterday.

So the Duke Residence wanted to compete with her?

In the end, the one who lost too badly was the Duke Residence.

Sheng Zhi Wan chuckled, then heard that Shopkeeper Lin asked to see her.

Shopkeeper Lin only came yesterday to deliver a batch of capable workers. If Shopkeeper Lin came again now, there had to be another matter.

Sheng Zhi Wan ordered Shopkeeper Lin to wait in the front hall. When she arrived, she saw Shopkeeper Lin had brought someone with him.

Sheng Zhi Wan dismissed the other maids and kept only Ting Lan. She also had Liu Shang stand guard at a distance.

Only then did the person kneel. “Princess, congratulations on opening your residence.”

“Get up and talk business,” Sheng Zhi Wan said.

The person rose, and Ting Lan’s eyes widened.

It was Du Yi Zhi.

Du Yi Zhi came to report two matters.

The first was the cotton purchase. Following the Princess’s instructions, Du Yi Zhi already shipped the first batch of cotton by water to the docks of each prefecture in Mo Bei.

But now several Mo Bei waterways, especially the Ji Zhou route, already began to freeze. Water transport no longer worked, so the remaining second batch of cotton could only be moved overland.