To divorce his wife, the top scholar preferred being cuckolded to wearing a red hat.

The banquet was reaching its climax, filled with laughter and joy.

Suddenly, imperial guards brought in a woman, and everyone's eyes turned to her.

"What happened? That woman doesn't seem to be from the palace. What did she do to deserve this?" People began to whisper among themselves.

Some people were more perceptive: "Could it be related to what happened in Qingzhou? If it weren't related to what happened in Qingzhou, the person wouldn't have been brought here."

"Could there be another reason for the outbreak in Qingzhou?"

"Wait and see how things develop, and don't make any rash statements."

For a moment, everyone held their breath, wanting to see what had happened.

“Your Majesty,” Eunuch Gao brought the woman up, “this woman is a wealthy merchant. According to her, there are other secrets about the situation in Qingzhou City. She has something to say to Your Majesty.”

The Emperor didn't even lift his eyelids: "Oh? Who brought her into the palace?"

"She wanted to go to the palace herself, and even said that if what she said was false, she was willing to offer 300,000 taels of silver to the national treasury."

"Then let's hear what she has to say." Only then did the Emperor look at the woman kneeling on the ground.

The woman was plump with long, glossy black hair. She knelt on the ground with proper posture and bowed: "This humble woman, You Susu, greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress. Long live Your Majesty!"

"Today is a welcome banquet I am holding for the heroes who fought against the epidemic in Qingzhou. What are you doing barging into the palace like this?" the Emperor asked.

"I know this is a capital offense, but even at the risk of death, I will tell the Emperor the truth about Qingzhou City. What the Emperor has heard is merely a embellished version of events. I have the truth to report to the Emperor and will expose the actions of a certain merchant guild in Qingzhou City, which are not acts of kindness but rather acts of profiteering."

Su Mingyue looked at You Susu who had appeared there and sneered inwardly.

Therefore, You Susu was also a person of Princess Zhou Wenjun of Western Qi. Zhou Wenjun's plan in Qingzhou City failed, so at the welcoming banquet, she tried to shift the blame to the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce to enrage the emperor.

"Oh." The Emperor raised his voice at the end: "Who are you? You seem to know a lot about the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce's support for Qingzhou. A-Zhan, Princess Su, you are heroes of Qingzhou City. Is what she said true? Come and listen to us."

The dignitaries in the hall all pricked up their ears to listen, their eyes gleaming with the anticipation of gossip.

This is someone openly trying to sabotage the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce, but secretly trying to target Prince Zhan and Su Mingyue. They're trying to cool things down because they've become too popular lately.

"I am You Susu, a merchant. When the epidemic broke out in Qingzhou City, I immediately began preparing supplies to be sent there. However, I was told that Qingzhou City would only accept supplies from the Kyushu Merchant Guild, and would not accept supplies from any other unrelated individuals. At first, I didn't take it seriously, thinking that this was the court's way of ensuring safety."

The moment I refused the woman's offer of supplies, someone from the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce contacted me, asking if I intended to donate the supplies to Qingzhou City. They said they could try to get them in, but under the name of the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce. The supplies I had painstakingly purchased ended up being sold to the Chamber of Commerce for almost half the purchase price.

I've heard that the merchant guild sells its goods to Prince Zhan at exorbitant prices, making several times their initial investment in a single transaction. Your Majesty, isn't this fraud? Such a merchant guild shouldn't exist. Their existence makes doing business much more difficult for us merchants.”

"What?! Such a thing exists?" Lord Wang exclaimed in surprise. "The Kyushu Chamber of Commerce played a crucial role in the recent epidemic in Qingzhou City. Now you're telling us that the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce was in Qingzhou City not for the sake of the people, but for personal gain and profit? This…!"

“I had heard before that the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce was autocratic and that if you didn’t join their chamber, you were no match for them. You either had to join them or you couldn’t do business because of their suppression. I thought those were just rumors, but I didn’t expect them to do this even in the face of the pandemic. It’s outrageous.”

"That's right. So, during the epidemic in Qingzhou City, the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce must have made a fortune by relying on their exclusive privileges."

"That can't be right. I heard that the Prince specifically approached the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce to supply Qingzhou City. If it weren't for the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce's great capabilities, able to mobilize a million medicinal herbs with a single order, I'm afraid that even if Princess Su could write the prescription, she might not be able to brew that much medicine. With nearly a million people in the city, you can imagine the demand for medicinal herbs."

"Many of these medicinal herbs are said to be quite rare, and even if you have money, it's not easy to buy them. Even so, the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce still transferred them to the people of Qingzhou City."

"Medicinal herbs are one thing. There's also the matter of providing porridge to keep people warm and fed. In the early stages of the outbreak, due to a lack of understanding of the unknown disease and panic, a lot of money was spent on buying medicinal herbs. Later, the whole family contracted the disease, lost their source of income, and fell into hardship. If it weren't for the timely appearance of the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce providing porridge, many people would have starved to death instead of dying from the epidemic."

As You Susu listened to their discussion, she curled her lips and said, "Some of the things you're talking about are fabricated by them at their expense, just to make everyone believe that the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce has done a lot of good deeds. It's also undeniable that they're willing to spend a little money to put on a show for the people in order to improve their reputation."

But their ultimate goal is to make exorbitant profits and exploit the national crisis, filling their chambers of commerce's coffers to overflowing size, even exceeding the national treasury's. What exactly does a mere chamber of commerce want to do with all that money? Who is behind it?

"Your Majesty, this commoner has come to the palace today, risking her life to report them. I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the Nine Provinces Merchant Guild's activities in Qingzhou City, and how much silver they have earned there. Who introduced the Nine Provinces Merchant Guild to the Prince? Was the Prince deceived?"

You Susu's words immediately brought Xiao Zhan into the picture.

Everyone looked at You Susu with complicated expressions after hearing her words.

A mere woman dares to publicly challenge Prince Zhan. Does she truly possess evidence, or is this a deliberate act to weaken Prince Zhan's power?

“Your Majesty, I believe this woman is spouting nonsense, deliberately distorting the truth and insulting our meritorious officials. She should be given thirty strokes of the cane and banished from the palace. The matter of Qingzhou has been thoroughly investigated, and the rewards have already been bestowed. Her actions today are clearly ill-intentioned, an attempt to sow discord between Your Majesty and the Prince. She is not to be trusted.” Su Sihai stepped forward to speak in Xiao Zhan’s defense.

When the others saw Lord Su step forward to speak, they all echoed his sentiments.

The Emperor looked at them, his face expressionless. After a long while, he turned to Xiao Zhan, his tone ambiguous: "Ah Zhan, this woman came in and tried to distort the truth, attempting to sow discord between me and you. I know your character best, and I certainly don't believe her. Guards, drag this woman away, give her thirty strokes of the cane, and then banish her from the palace."

“Your Majesty,” Xiao Zhan stepped forward, “why not let this lady finish speaking? I would also like to hear what she has to say.”