Divorced woman with child travels through time

"Hehe, Uncle? Please rise!" Zhao Jian helped him up and said with delight, "Wang Erniu is indeed a good general! I just never imagined that corruption in our dynasty had become so outrageous!"

"I always thought that the money was only in the hands of the powerful families, so I spared no effort to crack down on them. Who would have thought that this little eunuch could embezzle hundreds of thousands of coins from the military pay? What's even more hateful is that a mere grain officer in the camp could embezzle more than 80,000 taels at will. It's a huge joke!"

Zhao Jian's smile didn't reach his eyes. His veined fingers held the flatbread close to his eyes, examining it closely. "Do you know how many people are surviving on coarse flatbread and sweet potatoes? These people are utterly despicable!"

Song Wujin's heart tightened, and he immediately knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, it is my fault for dereliction of duty!"

"Get up! Did you not expect there to be such a path? I didn't either!" Zhao Jian stood up, turned his back to the bright sun outside, and said in a clear and firm voice, "However, Wang Erniu has opened a good door for me. It's not that my Great Song Dynasty is short of money, it's just that some of it has been hidden away!"

He suddenly turned around, the sunlight behind him making him seem to glow. "Starting today, investigate! Investigate corruption, confiscate property, and replenish the national treasury. You must do this personally, without delegating to anyone else. Only when we have money will I have the confidence to do things!"

"Yes! Your Majesty, this matter has priorities. If there are many corrupt officials, the government office will be emptied out in no time. In that case, the staff shortage will not be a good thing."

"What you said makes some sense. You can decide what to do. It's good to admit your mistakes and correct them."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will handle this personally and will act with due care."

Song Wujin hurriedly retreated, his body covered in a cold sweat. Upon returning to his residence, he immediately summoned his wife.

"Oh dear, my husband, why did you call me over in such a hurry?" Madam Song came over slowly, holding a handkerchief.

"Return the gifts you received yesterday immediately!" Song Wujin flipped through the notes on the table, thinking about where to start.

"Why? Everyone else is accepting them. I won't return them!" Madam Song glared and couldn't help but throw her handkerchief down.

"Nonsense! The palace gave me orders that if you don't want to be the wife of the Imperial City Guard anymore, you should ask to be divorced tomorrow!" Song Wujin's forehead veins throbbed, and he slammed the document heavily on the table with a "bang!" If it weren't for the fact that they were husband and wife, he would have divorced this stupid woman long ago.

Song Wujin rarely gets angry, so this outburst was quite frightening.

"Yes!" Madam Song knelt down in fear.

After calming down, Song Wujin ignored her and started reading the letter. He glanced back and saw that Madam Song was still kneeling pitifully.

"Alright, you can go now. Go and make the arrangements. All the gifts must be returned, and you need to clean up the mess. I'm going to be the one to do the dirty work, so I can't let others use this as an excuse." Song Wujin waved his hand, telling her to leave.

Madam Song stood up with difficulty; her legs were a little numb from kneeling for so long. She tentatively asked, "Then, my husband, may I say hello to my brothers from my maternal family?"

Song Wujin glanced at her. "Fine, you can spread the word. Let the money go wherever it's supposed to go, and let them hand it over. The national treasury is empty right now. If they knew what was good for them, I wouldn't have to be so ruthless. Three days, only three days. Go!"

"Yes, I'll go right away." Madam Song hurriedly ran off.

Song Wujin shook his head as he watched her retreating figure. Although she was stupid, at least she was obedient.

Soon, rumors spread throughout the capital that the Imperial City Guard was about to take a major step and crack down on corruption. Even the brother-in-law of the Imperial City Guard Commander had turned away those who came to offer gifts.

Prince De's Mansion.

Zhao Qi's servant came to report.

"General, the things we sent to the palace have been returned."

"Oh~ that's quite something." Zhao Qi put down his cup with a half-smile. "It seems the rumors are true. Go tell Madam that we should also put on a show. But I'm afraid the noble ladies in the palace can't stand such restraint. Let's see if Song Wujin can really handle it, haha!"

In Quanzhou, Wang Erniu received news of Prince Gong's death three days later. He greeted Ouyang, and the two immediately met.

"So? Was it really someone surnamed He who did it?"

“It’s absolutely true. But if He Tianxia comes out into the open, he will definitely deal with you. He’s probably furious about your expansion of the army by 50,000!” Ouyang Junyan waved his hand. “There’s another matter. The higher-ups have also learned your methods. It’s likely that a bloodbath is about to break out in the capital.”

"That's a good thing." Wang Erniu smiled. "Those in power are used to a life of luxury and don't know the hardships of ordinary people. They should be made to suffer a bit!"

“It’s a good thing, but I’m afraid that Song Wujin isn’t capable enough. After all, he’s not from the officialdom. If it weren’t for his good sister, he wouldn’t even be able to get this position as the commander of the Imperial City Guard. I’m worried about His Majesty!” Ouyang Junyan frowned and expressed his concerns.

“The Emperor is a good Emperor, but you don’t need to worry. You have to think about it. If Song Changrong, a mere prince, can find someone like me to be his personal guard, then the Emperor will surely have powerful protectors.” Wang Erniu was optimistic.

"But Song Changrong died at the hands of his own people, so that's not necessarily true!"

"You have to believe in the government's methods. How could someone who can sit in that position be an ordinary person?"

"Sigh!" Ouyang Junyan sighed. "Then what should we do?"

"Never mind all that. I'll take care of the barracks, and you take care of the people. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. Just be careful that the man surnamed He doesn't send anyone over. With his temperament, how could he let this go so easily!" Wang Erniu finished his tea in one gulp and prepared to leave.

“That’s true!” Ouyang Junyan felt that he was worrying too much, so he followed Wang Erniu’s example and swallowed his tea in one gulp. He was just about to take his leave.

Then, the guards came upstairs with a "clack-clack-clack!" sound.

"General Wang, your wife has sent word that you should return home. She says a young man at home has been shot with an arrow, wounding his right leg!"

"What! So fast! Let's go!"

Before Ouyang could speak, Wang Erniu waved his hand and hurriedly went downstairs, rode away on horseback.

Ouyang Junyan was startled and hurried home as well.

When he returned home, he saw Ouyang Jin and Madam Jiang happily sharing the mirror that the Wang family had sent, and he was finally relieved.

"My lord, you've come at the perfect time! Look at this! I heard it's worth a thousand gold pieces. This Madam Chen is truly generous!" Madam Jiang presented the mirror to him like a treasure, her eyes crinkling as she showed him her reflection. "I'm the only one in Quanzhou who owns one."

"I'm glad you like it, Madam!" Ouyang Junyan pushed the mirror back without much interest and pulled Ouyang Jin over, saying, "Jin'er is all grown up now. You must protect your mother well in the future. Don't go out to play around lately, and try to avoid going to the Wang family's place too!"

Jiang Mingyue was always quick-witted. "But what's going on with the Wang family?"