Dragon's Origin

Chapter 381: The Emperor Shifting Blame (Part 1)

How would Uncle Su and Aunt Su deal with this? Someone wanted to carve up their business. Blocking someone's wealth is like killing their parents; it's an irreconcilable hatred, let alone outright robbing them. How would the Emperor and Empress handle it?

Wang Sheng didn't believe that the Emperor didn't know about what was happening today, or that the three old royal protectors didn't know. They were just trying to see who couldn't wait to jump out. Such a good opportunity, why not catch a few more fish? Did they want to let them hide in the deep waters?

"Don't worry, they will definitely have a way to deal with it." Wang Sheng comforted Mei'er, telling her to rest assured, "Don't forget their status."

"I know they are royalty," Mei'er was still a little worried. "But I'm afraid that many members of the royal family are involved this time! If the Emperor also has ideas, I'm afraid it won't be so simple."

The Emperor having ideas? Wang Sheng hadn't thought about that possibility. However, now that he thought about it carefully, Wang Sheng felt that the Emperor didn't have the guts, and there was no need.

Half of this business originally belonged to the Emperor. Even if he coveted the remaining half and seized it, did he have suitable people to operate it? Without Wang Sheng's planning, without Mei'er and the experienced shopkeepers she brought, did the royal family want to make money? What a joke!

It's not that Wang Sheng looked down on these royal people. So many royal estates and such a large capital city—if they were given to Wang Sheng, he would have been the wealthiest person around long ago. But when managed by the royal family, what else did these guys know besides digging food out of the land? They were good at scheming, but they used it all on deceiving their superiors and concealing things. How many of them truly had the royal family's interests at heart?

Perhaps the royal family was inherently possessive, wanting to scoop everything into their own bowls. However, with Mei'er in charge, they could earn 100 million a year, with 50 million going to the Emperor. Taking it all might mean it all belonged to them, but they would only earn a maximum of 10 million a year. Couldn't the Emperor do the math?

If they were truly capable, these cosmetics were originally the Empress's health regimen. Why hadn't they taken them out before to make money? They just didn't have the business acumen.

Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that the Emperor might have a momentary lapse in judgment, but what did that have to do with Wang Sheng? If he got anxious, he could shoot the Emperor from miles away and then go to any principality or Worry-Free City. What could the royal family do?

In summary, Wang Sheng felt that the possibility of the Emperor acting himself was small, so he could just wait for the results with peace of mind.

When he first received the news of someone's disappearance, the Emperor was also extremely angry. Doing this in the capital city was clearly disrespecting him, the Emperor. He immediately flew into a rage and ordered a thorough investigation.

The court's forces spread out like a net in an instant. But when the people he sent out reported back the next day, the Emperor realized something was wrong.

The industry clearly belonged to Runzi Workshop, a collaboration between the Empress and Mei'er, so why was it being controlled by people from various families? And they were calling it protection? What were they trying to do? Were they rebelling?

What angered him the most was that when Wang Sheng and Mei'er rushed to those manors, the people inside didn't even let Wang Sheng in to take a look. What were they trying to do?

But before he could erupt in thunderous rage, several princes suddenly requested an audience together, along with several important officials. The combined power was something even the Emperor had to consider.

These princes were all members of the royal family, and two of them were even the Emperor's uncles in terms of seniority, a generation older than the Emperor. With so many people jointly requesting an audience, the Emperor couldn't even refuse.

"Your Majesty, this old minister will just ask you one question. Does this world still belong to the Su family?" After the greetings, the oldest member of the family, Prince Cheng, opened his mouth tremblingly.

"Of course, this is the Su family's world!" No matter how much the Emperor disliked these people, he still had to nod at this question. This was a matter of righteousness. No matter the reality, he couldn't deny it verbally.

"Since this is the Su family's world, even if our Su family is now confined to a corner of the capital, we can't let outsiders seize our wealth, right?" Old Prince Cheng said righteously, "The salt and sugar business concerns important military and national affairs, so it was nationalized. But this Runzi Workshop is extravagant and indulgent. If those with ulterior motives are allowed to control it, wouldn't it ruin the foundation of our Su family's world?"

"Then what does Uncle mean?" The Emperor was already extremely angry in his heart, but there was no hint of anger on his face. Instead, he asked with a smile.

"Even if it's not nationalized, it must be managed by loyal and reliable people, so as to prevent the great country from being taken advantage of by outsiders." The old prince still had the attitude of being for the Emperor and the Su family's world. "There are also many good men among the royal family who are willing to share the burden for Your Majesty. Please approve!"

"Handing Runzi Workshop over to the hands of the royal family and important officials?" The Emperor sneered in his heart, asking aloud, "But this Runzi Workshop has a small share belonging to the Empress. What should be done about that?"

"The Empress's share, of course, is still the Empress's share." As soon as the old prince heard this, he immediately felt that there was a chance. He hurriedly patted his chest and guaranteed, "As for the rest, it can't be made cheaper for outsiders."

"Outsiders?" The Emperor frowned slightly when he heard this title, then it flashed and disappeared. He raised his head and asked the old prince, "Even if I nod, it won't be so easy, right?"

"As long as Your Majesty doesn't speak, everything else will be left to us, and we will never embarrass Your Majesty." Feeling that the Emperor was already tempted, the old prince and the others were overjoyed. In the end, it was just a matter of interests. Wang Sheng could give the Emperor gold coins, and so could they. But wouldn't it be more reassuring for the Emperor to have gold coins in the hands of the royal family and important officials than in Wang Sheng's?

A bunch of fools! The Emperor now wanted to laugh in anger. They dared to touch anyone's industry. If they really angered Wang Sheng and he launched a poison gas bomb in the capital, wouldn't hundreds of thousands of people die with them?

However, this group of guys was more than capable of ruining things than accomplishing them. If they were really united, they could cause some small troubles in the court, and even the Emperor would have a headache. Although the Emperor had shown enough strength, the court was the court, and not everyone could prioritize the Emperor's interests.

If he really took action, these guys would resist, and the Emperor would have to have a headache for many days. Not to mention the loss of strength caused by internal friction. The distance he had managed to close with the principalities with great difficulty, was it going to widen again?

The Emperor was struggling to decide whether to stop these greedy guys when Chief Li hurried in from outside and handed the Emperor a piece of paper. The Emperor unfolded it, took a look, and immediately smiled.

"Last year, Runzi Workshop gave the Empress more than 150 million gold coins in dividends." The Emperor said to everyone with a smile, "As long as Uncle guarantees that the Empress will receive no less than 100 million gold coins each year, I will pretend I don't know about this matter."