TGCFNM -Chapter 516 We Must Be Prepared

Next, after Chu Ling and the others explained the situation at length, Wan Xing finally understood where those tonics had come from.

So he ordered Steward Zhu to take people with him and store all the tonics away.

“You still want to sell items bestowed by the imperial family?” Wan Xing almost laughed in anger. “What if one day the Empress Dowager suddenly issues a decree asking whether the things she granted you are still there? If you can’t produce them, do you want to lose your head?”

“But if they’ve all been given out, can she still ask for them back?” Chu Ling frowned unhappily.

Wan Sanjin nodded vigorously from the side. “We were even planning to sell some and use the rest to stew chicken soup.”

Wan Xing thumped his chest to calm himself down, then instructed Steward Zhu, “Store the items properly for them. Without my permission, don’t let them take any.”

Steward Zhu immediately nodded. Without caring about how tired he was after the journey back, he asked Steward Liu for a horse and rode straight to the bank to bring people over.

“The Empress Dowager suddenly bestowed so many things. Don’t you think that’s strange?” Wan Xing couldn’t help asking.

“It is strange,” Chu Ling admitted—she had thought of that much. “But I didn’t expect she might want them back.”

“The Empress Dowager must be quite old by now,” Su He suddenly said.

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin exchanged a glance and nodded firmly.

Chu Ling said, “She’s definitely very old. She just looks a bit young, but she’s probably close to the end.”

Wan Xing: “……”

So these people were already thinking that once the Empress Dowager died, the things would belong to them?

“Items bestowed by the imperial family will never be taken back. But if you lose them or sell them, that’s considered challenging the dignity of the imperial family and disregarding imperial grace. The punishment would be even more severe,” Wan Xing said earnestly.

Wan Sanjin leaned closer, resting against his elder brother’s shoulder, and whispered, “So when the Empress Dowager dies, we can sell them then?”

Wan Xing: “……”

He had figured it out—reasoning with them was useless. It would be better to simply set rules.

“If you truly need tonics, you can take them, as long as you give a clear reason. But selling them is absolutely forbidden,” Wan Xing said with a serious expression.

“But listen, big brother,” Wan Sanjin pulled over a chair and sat opposite Wan Xing, analyzing earnestly. “Think about it. Even if we sell the items, we’d be selling them to the Wan family anyway. Then if the palace really shamelessly comes to check, we can just take them back from the Wan family’s shop and show them, right?”

At first, Chu Ling thought that made sense—but somehow it also felt a bit off.

“Oh, so you sell everything to me, take the money and go enjoy yourselves, but the medicinal ingredients are still technically yours. And because the palace might inspect them, I can’t even dispose of them freely?” Wan Xing said, unable to stop himself from raising his hand to strike.

Wan Sanjin quickly jumped away from the chair and hid behind Chu Ling. “Big brother, our lord is poisoned right now. Don’t get close—be careful you might catch it.”

With just one glance, Wan Xing could tell the dark purplish color on Chu Ling’s face was unnatural—it was far too even. What fool would fall for that?

“If I couldn’t even see through such a trick of yours, what business would I be doing? I might as well go chop trees instead,” Wan Xing said. Thinking about how he had worried about them all the way back made him feel like he had gone mad.

Did this bunch need worrying about?

No—they didn’t need worry. They needed a lesson!

“You’ve always been able to withdraw money freely from the Wan family bank, and I never interfered. But starting today, I’ll inform Uncle Hong not to let you take money whenever you like,” Wan Xing said. Seeing their expressions instantly change, he felt much more satisfied. “If you want to use money in the future, that’s fine—but exchange it with calligraphy.”

“Exchange it with calligraphy?” Chu Ling asked.

“Mhm. It has to be normal writing that people can read. For every sheet, I’ll give you three copper coins. The more you write, the more you earn.” Wan Xing looked at the thunderstruck expressions on the two people opposite him, and the frustration in his chest immediately dissipated.

These people really needed money to keep them in line.

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin exchanged a glance, both feeling as if the sky had collapsed. Then they silently turned their heads at the same time to look at Su He.

Seeing their expressions, Su He quickly stepped back and distanced himself from them. “I’m not writing. I have money.”

“Don’t even think about bullying Xiao Hua and Zhang Dong. Only the two of you will write.” With that single sentence, Wan Xing practically issued them a death order. Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin’s expressions immediately worsened.

“Oh, and to prevent you from slacking off, I need to set some rules.” Wan Xing gestured with his hand. “A normal sheet of paper should have at least forty or fifty characters. Since you two will definitely try to write less, I’ll set the minimum at thirty characters.”

Wan Sanjin froze.

“I knew you’d try writing just one character per sheet. Don’t even think about it!” After ruthlessly cutting off their escape route, Wan Xing called them over to sit down and began talking about serious matters.

Chu Ling held up her pitiful face in her hands. She hadn’t even started writing yet and already felt exhausted.

“How are things on Prince Qi’s side?” Wan Xing asked, his expression turning serious.

Chu Ling’s eyes lit up. “We exchange money for information.”

“Ten taels of silver. If you try to bargain, I’ll deduct one tael each time.” Wan Xing crushed Chu Ling’s hope the moment he spoke.

Chu Ling felt it was such a pity, but she was also afraid Wan Xing would really refuse to pay. So she recounted how she had gone to Prince Qi’s residence the previous night, and then later to the Court of Judicial Review to see Prince Qi. At the end, she said with a strange expression, “When Prince Qi said he never expected the former Crown Prince to commit suicide, I suddenly thought of Xuanyuan Zheng, who died in the imperial study. It was just as sudden and without warning.”

Wan Sanjin remembered. “At the time, didn’t the Empress Dowager say he poisoned himself? I wondered if it might have been a gu worm, so I came back and asked Su He.”

Su He looked at the others. “Based on Sanjin’s description, it doesn’t sound like death by poisoning. It sounds more like strangulation or being choked to death. But Sanjin also said no one laid a hand on him—he just suddenly died.”

Chu Ling sighed. Of course no one did it. It was a malicious ghost that killed him.

Wan Xing glanced at Chu Ling, then turned to Wan Sanjin and Su He. “Sanjin wouldn’t have seen it wrong, and Coroner Su probably wouldn’t guess incorrectly either. So he might have died for some reason we don’t know about—or can’t even imagine.”

“However, since the Xuanyuan family has already been exterminated, there’s no point dwelling on this matter anymore.” Wan Xing’s expression grew solemn as his fingers unconsciously tapped the table.

Wan Sanjin gave him a curious look.

“…What kind of relationship do you have with Young Master Xiao?” Wan Xing suddenly asked.

“Not good, not bad,” Chu Ling replied. “But earlier he did try to recruit us into his faction.”

“Right now, Young Master Xiao should be worried about himself,” Wan Sanjin said with a slight frown. “After all, Prince Qi was the one who framed the former Crown Prince, and he’s already confessed.”

Chu Ling shook her head. “Not necessarily. Because His Majesty still hasn’t issued a clear decree to reopen the case of the former Crown Prince’s rebellion.”

“If His Majesty is unwilling to admit that he made a mistake, then even if the evidence is conclusive, the case will at most stop with Prince Qi,” Wan Xing said softly.

Chu Ling instinctively felt that the Emperor would absolutely never admit he was wrong.

“Also, it seems Young Master Xiao may have received news of Prince Qi’s imprisonment and is hurrying back,” Wan Xing continued, looking at Chu Ling. “Chu Yue has always wanted to kill Young Master Xiao, yet now she’s unusually quiet. That isn’t normal.”

“Is it because she was poisoned and it’s inconvenient for her to act?” Wan Sanjin guessed.

Chu Ling shook her head. “Chu Yue won’t stop until she achieves her goal. A little poison wouldn’t slow her down.”

“Then something’s not right,” Wan Xing said, his brows knitting together slightly.

“We must make preparations.”