Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

“Father, once you get back, burn that profit-sharing contract immediately. From now on, the profits of all wool textile mills and wool processing plants in Yanmen Pass will have nothing to do with my Duke of Lu’s mansion.”

"You must also make it clear to your family members that this matter will not give others cause for criticism!"

At the entrance of Yangcheng Palace, Hou Qianya's cold voice from inside the carriage immediately displeased Hou Junji, who was sitting in front of her.

"Oh dear, you spendthrift woman! Do you know how much profit my Duke of Lu's mansion made last month? A whopping 270,000 strings of cash! In just one month, we..."

"How long has it been since His Highness granted my Lu State Duke's Mansion a share of the profits?" Hou Qianya interrupted coldly.

“It’s been almost a year! The cellars of the Duke of Lu’s mansion are now overflowing with money. You even had a treasury built at Yanmen Pass for this purpose, with millions of strings of cash. Heh, Father, can’t you think about this?”

Hou Qianya lowered her voice slightly, though.

However, the coldness and disappointment in her voice still managed to escape through her teeth.

"Why did Your Highness transfer all the Turkic wolf cavalry from Yanmen Pass?"

"Why did His Highness suddenly double the budget, ordering the Zhenbei Road to expedite the construction of several breeding areas and disperse the Turkic residents of the Yanmen Pass breeding area?"

"Why was I appointed by His Highness as the Yellow River Water Conservancy Prison Officer, tasked with monitoring the laborers by the Bingzhou New Army, yet His Highness repeatedly rejected my application to join the New Army and handle firearms?"

"Why did the Taiyuan City Guard apply for and pay the Jingyue County Forge for weapons and armor in March of this year, but when the agreed time came, Jingyue County delivered the weapons and armor to Datong, Shuozhou, and Dingxiang City, where the military supplies funds had not yet arrived?"

With each rebuke and question from Hou Qianya.

Hou Junji's face gradually turned pale.

“It has been a full year since the last dividend distribution of my Lu State Duke’s Mansion. In that year, my Lu State Duke’s Mansion has accumulated assets of over a million strings of cash. However, how much treasury silver can the Wang family of Taiyuan, with its vast fortune, possibly contribute from all its assets?”

Hou Qianya took a deep breath; the fabric of the dress she was clutching with both hands was already soaked with sweat from her palms.

"All the assets of the Wang family of Taiyuan, and even all the gold, silver and copper coins within the clan, except for the monthly operating expenses, are all deposited in the Royal Bank... Father, the fact that we are still alive is already a testament to His Highness the Crown Prince's boundless grace!"

"A million coins a year? You should be content and retire gracefully!"

"Could it be that we have to wait until the breeding and animal husbandry industries in Zhenbei Road are fully developed, so that the profits of wool textile factories and wool processing plants will increase tenfold, allowing the Duke of Lu's mansion to earn tens of millions of strings of cash a year, and then Father, you will still hold the power of the hundreds of thousands of troops guarding Yanmen Pass?"

Hou Junji: "..."

I never thought it was a big deal.

Anyway, she was completely loyal to His Highness, and all she thought about every day was making her daughter the Crown Princess and then the Empress.

This made their Hou family the second most powerful clan in the land.

After being questioned by his daughter, Hou Junji snapped out of his daze and broke out in a cold sweat.

He hurriedly lifted the curtain of the carriage, his eyes anxiously and nervously searching for something on both sides of the road.

Several sharp gazes that were originally fixed on the carriage immediately turned away the moment he looked over.

This caused Hou Junji to break out in a cold sweat.

Jinyiwei!

Although these people were not wearing the flying fish robes, they were hidden among the ordinary people of Taiyuan Prefecture, just like the peddlers and laborers on the street.

however.

How could Hou Junji feel unfamiliar with the aura of these people?

He sat back in the carriage in horror, swallowing hard.

"This... I have always been loyal to the royal family and His Highness the Crown Prince, why would I be suspected like this?"

Hou Qianya sighed softly.

"Does loyalty mean one cannot be suspected? When the Buddhist monks rioted, Prince Lu was still His Highness's uncle, yet he was still so frightened that he was bedridden for days."

“Father, before the Turks reached the Wei River, you sold your property to support the dynasty and kidnapped the five clans and seven noble families to contribute money and effort. Afterwards, His Majesty shared some of the benefits of Haiyan with you and the other uncles of the Prince of Qin’s mansion.”

"Why did Fang Xiang and his group collectively give up and request an imperial decree to stop after only six months of excessive profit-making?"

"Even Uncle Cheng, the Duke of Lu, who is known for his love of money, is among them?"

"Father, you always say that Duke Lu is a reckless fool, that he only got to where he is today because of his bravery on the battlefield and the merit of saving His Majesty. You say he's a brainless person... Is he really reckless and ignorant?"

Hou Junji: "..."

The carriage axle whirred and turned, causing the bells on the eaves to jingle pleasantly.

However, this pleasant sound gave Hou Junji the illusion that he heard swords clashing and metal clanging.

My body trembled.

"Then, the transfer of the Turkic wolf cavalry, the dispersal of the Turkic residents, the distribution of armor and weapons to the major passes and cities around Yanmen Pass, and the rejection of your application to join the new army... are all these things His Highness is doing to guard against me?"

His expression was panicked, and his fear reached its peak when he saw the Imperial Guards outside the carriage, who were clearly responsible for monitoring their Duke of Lu's mansion.

Based on his understanding of the current crown prince.

Once the Imperial Guard is deployed against someone, it means that His Highness is prepared to carry out a brutal purge.

Hou Qianya leaned one arm against the car window, propping her head up with it, her expression complicated.

Upon hearing this, he sighed.

Having a father who is always sighing and acting recklessly, I feel utterly exhausted.

“How could I know? Perhaps Your Highness was already hinting to you, Father, when you transferred all the Turkic wolf cavalry from the beginning, but a whole year has passed and you still haven’t realized it.”

"Even the fact that the cities surrounding Yanmen Pass changed their uniforms in advance did not raise any alarm in you."

Hou Qianya let out another long sigh, looking out the window at the receding street scene of Taiyuan Prefecture.

"Reunion Festival, Reunion Festival... If Father hadn't been wiser today, I'm afraid my daughter, you, and the entire Hou family would have truly been reunited."

Amid Hou Junji's trembling self-doubt, the carriage finally came to a stop in front of a luxurious mansion in the west of Taiyuan City.

Just then, Hou Junji, pale-faced, got off the carriage with the help of Hou Qianya.

A group of figures walking towards them startled Hou Junji so much that all color drained from his face instantly.

"Jin, the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."

Hou Qianya's expression changed slightly, but she remained relatively calm and bowed slightly to the person in the lead.

"Greetings, Commander Qian."

Standing at a full two meters tall, resembling an iron tower, Qian Lou, the fierce general summoned by Li Chengqian from the simulated world, and the father of Qian Yingying, stared intently at Hou Qianya, the "opponent" his daughter had mentioned.

Nod slightly.

"Hmm, the Duke of Lu doesn't look too well. Is something wrong?"

Hou Junji: "..."

I'm heartbroken that my dividends have been cancelled; my legs are weak from the sight of you all standing before my Duke of Lu's mansion...

"Hehe, thank you for your concern, Commander Qian. My father traveled all the way back from Yanmen Pass, and although he was tired from the journey, he is fine... Commander Qian, is there something you need?"

Hou Qianya spoke with a smile, even though Hou Junji, whom she was supporting, was visibly trembling with fear.

She remained poised and elegant at that moment.

Qian Lou twitched the corner of his mouth and moved slightly away.

Behind him was a high-ranking official from Taiyuan Prefecture, being escorted by several Imperial Guards.

"This neighbor of the Duke of Lu's mansion, Lord Jiang, is incredibly audacious. He dares to collude with merchants for personal gain and even attempts to evade taxes. I, the commander, have been ordered to bring him back to the imperial prison for interrogation and investigation."

The Jinyiwei's style of interrogation before investigation made Hou Junji's heart, which had just breathed a sigh of relief, clench again.

"Hehe, then my daughter and I will not disturb Commander in the course of his duties."

Watching Qian Lou and his men disappear completely, Hou Junji finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Supported by Hou Qianya and the servants, they entered the mansion.

Drink water to calm your nerves.

As he watched his daughter order someone to bring a brazier and then retrieve the profit-sharing contract from the secret room in the study, his eyes reddened.

"Alas, even the goose that lays golden eggs cannot compare to the value of this contract..."

Hou Qianya rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"This contract is not much different in weight from the one that grants the 'Severing the Execution'!"

"Wow!"

As the contract documents were thrown into the brazier, they immediately began to rise.

Hou Qianya took a deep breath.

"Tell the people in the clan who are in the treasury at Yanmen Pass to immediately load all the money onto carts and transport it to Taiyuan Prefecture to be deposited in the Royal Bank. Also... go to the Commerce Department and ask Xiao Rui if he has any engineering projects that can benefit the region and require investment."

"Even if the return is small, a longer period is acceptable..."

Yangcheng Palace, Imperial Kitchen.

The aroma was enticing. It was rare for His Highness the Crown Prince to be in the Imperial Kitchen today. Chu Dahai and the imperial chefs there were full of energy as they worked.

"Did she really say that?"

Qianlou nodded: "Yes, Your Highness. As soon as Miss Hou returned to the Duke of Lu's mansion, she burned the profit-sharing contract and sent people directly to the New Policy Implementation Department and the Commerce Department to request some project proposals for building bridges and roads for the surrounding towns and villages."

Li Chengqian smiled slightly, pinching a few roasted peanuts and popping them into his mouth to chew.

He nodded in satisfaction.

"Hehe, you know, that old geezer Hou Junji, his wife passed away early, and he was always away leading troops, how did he manage to raise such a smart and outstanding daughter?"

Qianlou didn't respond; it wasn't his place to comment.

Wang De, who was serving Li Chengqian a plate of cold dishes, was all smiles.

"Perhaps it's because the Hou family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke, which is why they are so fortunate."

"Hahaha, I think that even a wisp of smoke isn't enough. It's more like a huge fire has broken out, and there's no water source nearby. Tsk tsk tsk..." Li Chengqian shook his head with a smile.

I picked up a refreshing slice of smashed cucumber with my chopsticks and chewed it.

He hesitated for two seconds.

"Send an invitation to the Duke of Lu's mansion, inviting Hou Qianya to come to Yangcheng Palace to enjoy the moon and watch a play on the night of the Reunion Festival."

"Hmm, let's send an invitation to Wang Yuyan of the Wang family and Wu Shun of the Duke of Ying's mansion as well."

As he spoke, he glanced at Qianlou to the side.

"A few outfits will be sent over from Yangcheng Palace in a little while. Let Yingying choose one carefully. She can attend the Reunion Festival with me on that night..."