Ch 301: Rapid Spread
The Emperor carefully looked at the numbers above, not quite believing it was true.
The Emperor was aware of Shen Fei asking Zhang Guangzheng to handle the toilet paper matter, and he hadn’t paid it any mind.
He even thought that business was somewhat beneath him, but unexpectedly, he was quickly proven wrong.
“Feng Bao, go and summon Dong Hui, who is in charge of the glass workshop at the Imperial Estate, I have something to discuss with him.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Dong Hui was completely innocent, yet trouble found him.
After Tang Zhi Ling started his shift today, he felt like everyone was staring at him.
Even Ministers who previously pretended not to see him now greeted him.
Tang Zhi Ling found this strange, barely making it to the end of his shift.
“Wu Yang, go and discreetly find out what’s going on with those people.”
“Yes, Marquis!”
Tang Zhi Ling didn’t know that his current identity had already been exposed in Jingdu. It could be said that overnight, the common people and officials of Jingdu all learned his true identity.
After Wu Yang went out, he quickly returned.
He didn’t need to specifically inquire; he could already hear the common people’s discussions.
“Hey, did you hear? Lord Tang is the Emperor’s Old Master’s brother!”
“You know too? I just heard the news this morning.”
“Oh, oh, about the same. I really didn’t expect it, the Previous Emperor could actually do such a thing!”
“Hahaha, what’s so surprising about that! He is the Emperor after all. Any woman he wants, who dares to refuse!”
“……..”
After Wu Yang returned, he reported the matter to Tang Zhi Ling.
Upon hearing this, Tang Zhi Ling’s face turned sour.
“Let’s go for a stroll around the city.”
“Yes, Marquis!”
Sitting in the horse-drawn carriage, Tang Zhi Ling carefully considered who might have spread this rumor.
Tang Zhi Ling felt this was definitely premeditated. Even if many officials had guessed his identity yesterday at the Bei Jing Prince’s Mansion, it wouldn’t have reached the point where the entire city knew within a single night.
Even more sensational news in the past hadn’t achieved this effect.
Tang Zhi Ling went to several tea houses and found that the people were all discussing him.
He was now a hot topic. He remained in the horse-drawn carriage while Wu Dan and Wu Yang went to investigate.
“Marquis, everyone is talking about you.”
“Let’s return to the mansion!”
“Yes!”
Wu Yang drove the horse-drawn carriage towards the Marquisate.
When Tang Zhi Ling arrived home, it was already dark.
Shen Fei had settled the accounts today; the mansion’s storehouse was full of silver.
Shen Fei planned to show Tang Zhi Ling before putting all the silver into her space.
Seeing that Tang Zhi Ling’s face wasn’t good upon his return, she approached him, “Tang Zhi Ling, you don’t seem very happy. What happened?”
After arriving home, seeing Shen Fei’s concerned expression, Tang Zhi Ling took her hand, “It’s nothing major. Come, let’s go inside and talk.”
Shen Fei nodded, then called out, “Cai Xia, serve dinner!”
“Yes, Madam!”
The first thing Tang Zhi Ling did after returning home was to change out of his official robes, putting on casual clothes before sitting at the dinner table.
Shen Fei, thinking about the silver she had received today, excitedly shared with Tang Zhi Ling, “Tang Zhi Ling, we’ve made a fortune this year! Guess how much money we have?”
Seeing Shen Fei’s sparkling eyes and her eager expression for praise, Tang Zhi Ling guessed, “Twenty thousand taels?”
Tang Zhi Ling roughly calculated the income from the shops in the outlying regions.
Shen Fei smiled sweetly and shook her head, “Close to one hundred and twenty thousand taels of silver! That’s just from the business, not including your salary!”
Tang Zhi Ling, remembering his half-year salary penalty, lightly coughed, “Let’s not think about the salary for now. I’ve been penalized half a year’s salary; I won’t receive any salary until April next year.”
Shen Fei, now wealthy, waved her hand grandly, “It’s fine, I don’t care about your measly salary anymore, hahaha!”
Tang Zhi Ling: “…….”
Although it was true, it was still a bit disheartening to hear!
Dinner was quickly served. Little Fubao sat in the baby chair, watching Tang Zhi Ling’s dejected expression, a smile playing on her lips.
“Eat quickly, after we’re done, I’ll take you to see our family’s silver.”
Tang Zhi Ling nodded, “Okay!”
Thus, the family quickly finished dinner and then went to the storehouse together to check their silver.
Seeing so much money, Tang Zhi Ling put aside the strange events of the day.
He never expected that Shen Fei’s unreliable idea would be so profitable.
Seeing chest after chest of silver, he was astonished.
In the past, Tang Zhi Ling had only seen silver notes, but silver notes were just paper; they were nowhere near as impressive as this much silver.
At first, Zhang Guangzheng asked Shen Fei whether she wanted silver or silver notes.
Shen Fei directly refused the silver notes. She had a space herself; storing silver was very convenient.
If it were silver notes, she couldn’t use them in a hurry.
“Shen Fei, compared to you, my role in this family doesn’t seem very significant.”
Tang Zhi Ling felt somewhat dejected, mainly because his wife was too capable; he felt like he was a kept man.
Shen Fei and Little Fubao both looked over, and Little Fubao sighed at Tang Zhi Ling’s listless appearance.
Little Fubao came to Tang Zhi Ling’s side and tugged at his pants, “Hold me!”
Tang Zhi Ling looked down, met his baby’s gaze, bent down, and picked up Little Fubao, “Baby! You seem heavier.”
Little Fubao, who wanted to comfort Tang Zhi Ling: “…….”
Oh, forget it!
“Tang Zhi Ling, you are the most important. If it weren’t for your identity, our family’s business might have already been taken over by others, the business wouldn’t have been protected.”
Tang Zhi Ling knew this reason, “I know, but that’s not my own doing.”
“Hey, Tang Zhi Ling, you don’t know, identity is also a kind of strength; let’s just look at the results.”
Tang Zhi Ling: “…….”
He wasn’t comforted.
“Tang Zhi Ling, why aren’t you very happy since you came back?”
Shen Fei didn’t want Tang Zhi Ling to be too downcast, so she began to change the subject.
Thinking about the news he heard today, Tang Zhi Ling’s face grew even worse. “Shen Fei, today everyone outside was talking about me; many common people were discussing me. I feel something is wrong; it feels like someone deliberately spread it.”
Shen Fei couldn’t think of the reason for a while.
“Let them talk. In a few days, there will be something new to cover it up.”
Tang Zhi Ling shook his head, “I don’t think it’s that easy. After all, this is related to the Imperial Family.”
Shen Fei thought of the Previous Emperor and laughed unsympathetically, “Hahaha, Tang Zhi Ling, I think you’re just a scapegoat. Believe it or not, the people they’re gossiping about the most are the Previous Emperor! Maybe they’re talking about his womanizing! Hahaha!”
Shen Fei’s schadenfreude was too obvious; while laughing, she suddenly gasped for air, “Oh, I can’t laugh, hahaha, I can’t laugh!”
Tang Zhi Ling: “…….”
Shen Fei was right; he also heard some things in the horse-drawn carriage, and it was true that more people were talking about the Previous Emperor’s womanizing.
Little Fubao: “…….”
