Chapter 325: Chapter 270: An Empty Affair

Xiao Yanci looked at the people he sent out returning and asked eagerly, "How did it go?"

The subordinate reported, "Returning to the master, today many villagers were catching monster insects to sell, and the person responsible for purchasing was an official from the Ministry of Revenue. They first purchased monster insects from the people, then sold those monster insects to various large restaurants. The restaurants held a small auction for the right to sell monster insects, with the highest bidder winning, and Lin’s Restaurant obtained the exclusive purchase rights at a high price of five thousand taels."

"What are exclusive purchase rights?" Xiao Yanci heard this term for the first time.

"Only Lin’s Restaurant can obtain the monster insects purchased by the Ministry of Revenue. Lin’s Restaurant launched this delicacy on the same day, selling one portion for two taels of silver. Now the Ministry of Revenue has posted a notice saying that this monster insect can only be purchased by the court, and Lin’s has to buy it from the court."

Xiao Yanci frowned, "Someone actually eats such monster insects, aren’t they afraid of being poisoned?"

Xiao Yanci didn’t believe in superstition, so he prepared a carriage, planning to go see the countryside for himself.

In a past life, he had seen these monster insects in the fields, knowing how destructive they were. Precisely because he knew, he was very aware that if they weren’t eradicated, this year’s crops would surely be lost, which would be a disaster for the court and the people.

Su Yaoguang handed over the stall for monster insects for the court people to handle, allowing her to relax.

The aftermath was as she expected. The insect disaster was under control, and those monster insects were almost extinct. Some clever people even kept two plots of land specifically to raise them. Needless to say, these parts of the savvy populace were about to escape poverty.

The next day, Zhou Wangshu returned from the morning court, saying that the Emperor praised him in front of the civil and military officials. He told the Emperor that it was Su Yaoguang’s idea, so the Emperor would soon send rewards.

Xiao Yanci’s plan for exterminating insects was angrily rebuked by the Emperor on the spot for disregarding the lives of the people. The Emperor’s impression of him plummeted. Originally, the Emperor’s impression of Xiao Yanci had improved, but now it had reverted back to square one.

Zhou Wangshu held the materials in his hand, his eyes full of astonishment.

"Yaoguang..." Zhou Wangshu called out to Su Yaoguang.

Su Yaoguang walked over, hugged his neck from behind, and rubbed against him.

"What’s wrong?"

"Come and look at this."

Su Yaoguang saw Zhou Wangshu hand her the booklet, took it in confusion, unfolded it, and carefully read the contents.

Once she finished reading, her expression was dazed.

This was the investigation material regarding Xiao Yanci.

She had spent a lifetime as husband and wife with Xiao Yanci, doing so many things for him, and only now did she realize that even his name was fake.

Moreover, he was actually the descendant of a criminal official.

His family was undergoing the hardship of forced exile.

If the news about Xiao Yanci being the descendant of a criminal official were spread, could this man ever recover?

Zhou Wangshu kissed Su Yaoguang’s forehead, "I’m by your side. No matter what happens, you don’t need to bear it alone."

Su Yaoguang held him tightly, "Wangshu, I’m lucky to have you, lucky it’s you."

If it weren’t for Zhou Wangshu, she feared she would not believe in men and love in this world anymore.

Because of one Xiao Yanci, she did not believe in men of this world or true love of this world, which was unnecessary.

She had always been good; it’s those who betrayed genuine intentions who weren’t.

In a past life, Xiao Yanci and Jiang Yihuan secretly engaged behind her back. Nobody hindered them in this life, yet they each had their own connections to cling to instead.

"Husband, what do you want to do?"

"Prime Minister Wang, that old rogue, is extremely deceitful. My people couldn’t uncover his issues. However, for such a formidable figure in the bureaucracy, he couldn’t possibly turn pure white; his current cleanliness has only one explanation, which is that he’s very well disguised."

"Husband wants to follow the trail of Xiao Yanci to uncover Prime Minister Wang’s big scandal?"

"Exactly. Since the source needs purification, it’s best to release the tiger back to the mountain. This way, we can follow the tiger’s head to find the true culprit."

Xiao Yanci had such big leverage falling into their hands, dealing with him wouldn’t be difficult, so for now, they would hold back.

Su Yaoguang didn’t understand court matters; she merely knew that people like Xiao Yanci were unfit for office, and if he were in power, it would be a disaster for the common folk.

Zhou Wangshu recalled once-seen scenes, his gaze lingered on Su Yaoguang.

Su Yaoguang sensed something odd in his gaze, looking at him questioningly, "What’s wrong?"

Zhou Wangshu held her hand, saying, "Let’s go out to the night market tonight; it’s been some time since we visited."

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