Divorced woman with child travels through time

"Zhao Qi sent someone? That's strange!" He Tianxia stopped what he was doing, his narrow eyes half-closed as if he were asleep, but in reality he was full of calculations. "Check him later to see if he has any other plans."

"Yes!" The subordinate then left.

He Tianxia leaned back in his armchair, his hand supporting his forehead. His eyes darted around, unsure of what to do. The Emperor had been testing him lately. Ever since the Empress Dowager passed away before the new year, the Emperor had been uneasy, like a frightened rabbit. Was he really afraid or just pretending?

He went through a lot of trouble to be transferred to the capital, all for the sake of further advancement, and no one could stop him.

He Tianxia picked up the jade pot on the table and played with it in his hand with amusement. In fact, the emperor's life wasn't easy either, he knew that, but so what? If you're in a position, you have to bear the weight of it. It wasn't easy for him either. The people above were suspicious, and the people below had big appetites. If it weren't for the income from Jiangnan, he wouldn't be doing well either.

The network of relationships in the capital is intricate and complex; it's too deep for him to figure out since he's just arrived. It's best to be careful.

The capital is now mainly divided into three factions: the newly appointed young officials led by the emperor, the old ministers led by Prince De, and the military officers led by Prince Gong. The three factions are intertwined and interdependent. For example, Prince De himself disdains to flatter the emperor, but his eldest son, Zhao Lue, is quite favored by the emperor in the court.

Although the second son, Zhao Qi, was somewhat uneducated and incompetent, he was skilled in business and had a handsome appearance, which made him very popular with women. He often made friends with people and was very comfortable in the palace, coming and going freely. His nominal sister was very fond of him and often spent time with Zhao Guangjun, the son of Prince Gong. Zhao Guangjun was a notorious playboy who preferred male prostitutes and often stayed out all night.

There are often rumors that killing too many people will result in many spoiled children in future generations. I don't know who started this saying, but it is probably aimed at the claim that Prince Gong only had one son.

He Tianxia snorted coldly. What do these ignorant people know? What man only has sons in public? He knew that Prince Gong had several young children raised in a separate residence. The ones in public were just to deceive people and deliberately leave them a weakness.

Prince De's two sons, one on the left and one on the right, are probably trying to get ahead without putting all their eggs in one basket. So, if Zhao Qi is acting on Zhao Guangjun's orders and gives a woman to his father, wouldn't it be a natural thing for him to inherit the title once his father dies?

He Tianxia broke out in a cold sweat and instantly understood: Prince Gong cannot die, at least not now. He hasn't even settled into his position yet. The position of deputy commander is not enough for him. He should die when he becomes the commander-in-chief of the palace!

And the Huang family hasn't sent any messages lately. Did they ask for too much money last time and damage our relationship? We can't squeeze any more out of the Huang family. Maybe we should find another one?

He Tianxia pondered for a moment, then picked up a note from the table. It was from a promising young man recommended by the Huang family who wanted to take up a post as prefect in a certain place in Henan Prefecture. There was a small note underneath that said he would be paying 30,000 taels of silver.

"Hmph, they really are out of oil. Looks like I should go to another place." He Tianxia's eyes crinkled into a smile. He took out his pen and marked it as correct. He flipped through the back fold and found several silver notes inside. He Tianxia counted them briefly and found that they totaled exactly 30,000 taels.

After putting away the silver notes, He Tianxia felt a little better. He sat up straight, took another note from the long table, and began to annotate it. The table was full of about a hundred notes, many of which were requests for official positions, which was one of He Tianxia's main sources of income.

They were all his sons. Inside the Huang residence, Huang Zhongzheng pointed at his kneeling sons and began to curse them.

"Tell me, are you even remotely useful? Look at Wang Erniu, that adopted son, he can do everything. And look at you? You can't even catch up with the hottest food. Where's the gold mine? Where have you even gotten to?"

"Dad, those people who deserved to die are all dead. Where am I supposed to find out?" Huang Zhong's eldest son, Huang Xuwen, muttered. His large belly felt heavy. He shifted his knees and leaned back on the prayer mat.

“Investigate Huang Yi’s relatives, and the Wang family too. Aren’t you keeping an eye on that Chu Yi? That Huang kid died in the Wang mansion, he must know something!” Huang Zhong couldn’t help but tap his head, getting angry at his expression. “Get up. By the way, get some of those women out of your room. I heard rumors yesterday that someone was carried out of our mansion. How embarrassing!”

"Okay, Dad! I'll go keep an eye on him right away." Huang Xuwen scrambled to his feet, dusted himself off, and left.

"And you, second son, the household expenses have been decreasing lately, you need to think of a solution too."

The second brother, Huang Xuyu, rolled his eyes and whispered, "What can I do? Our family's mines only produce this much. We can't find the Lin family's gold mine. Once we've mined it all, it's gone."

"If we didn't learn from the Wang family's business practices, their workshops would be springing up everywhere." Huang Zhong, exhausted from cursing, sat down in a chair and leaned back, panting heavily.

“Sure, Dad, why don’t you make the connection? We can partner with Madam Chen and open a shopping mall in Longyan. I guarantee the business will be great.” Huang Xuyu said, standing up and sitting down next to him to pour himself a cup of tea.

The third and fourth brothers knelt down and cursed silently, but dared not speak out.

Huang Zhong glanced at him, said nothing, his aging, drooping eyelids lifted slightly and then closed again, giving off a sinister feeling.

Huang Xuyu paused, not daring to speak again.

Huang Zhong sighed and said, "Do you think I don't want to cooperate with them? Unfortunately, we're not on the same side as them, and I don't dare to take the risk. That General He up there looks amiable, but he's actually a ruthless killer. I advise you not to have any bad intentions and to go back!"

"Yes!" Huang Xuyu curled his lip, took his leave, and snorted. "Hmph, they won't even let me make money. What a coward."

"Third son, fourth son, it's not that I'm saying this, but even though you're married, don't spend all your time in that harem. You still need to study hard. Putting aside everything else, you must pass the provincial examination. Once you pass the provincial examination, I can give each of you an official position. That way, I can give you an explanation. Do you understand?" Huang Zhong rambled on and on.

The two young men below had long been impatient. When he started talking about the boss, they looked at each other, lay on the ground, and made an eight with their hands. The other one quickly made a six. Before they could even finish their argument, they secretly started playing rock-paper-scissors.

Upon hearing him mention the end, the two quickly sat up straight and obediently replied in unison, "Understood!"

"Sigh, never mind, go down!" Huang Zhong had seen them long ago. These two little ones were pampered and loved growing up, what could they possibly know? It's a good thing they stayed at home and didn't go out into the streets. It's just that he had so many sons, yet none of them were successful.