Repudiating a Good Wife Is Out of the Question

161. Cao Le is Humiliated Again

Translator: Sissy That Walk

Xiao Yi finished his exams seven days later, he came back home and slept the whole day and night.

Eunuch Liu from Prince Xing’s manor came to invite them to see Prince Xing the next morning.

“Mo, it’s time you told me the truth, what are you up to?” Prince Xing lifted a hand, signaling to the servants to leave the room.

Cao Mo smiled faintly and said, “There’s an easy way out, food coupon!”

Cao Mo was well aware that was a big leap for the time they were in, but issuing food coupon could concentrate all the resources in the age of material shortage, administrative means like this is for maximum efficiency, emergency period calls for extreme measures.

Xiao Yi presented Prince Xing a box with a smile, “Please have a look, Your Highness!”

Prince Xing opened the box, what came to his sight was a pile of newly printed coupon, each coupon was about three cuns long, one cun wide, (a cun is three point three centimeters), there was an ear of wheat on the coupon as well.

Prince Xing felt the coupon in hand, it was made of special paper and ink.

“This can be used to raise grain?” Prince Xing lifted a coupon and asked with disbelief.

“Correct. Grain shops should have this coupon if they want to deal with grain in their shop, otherwise that’s illegal. We can stabilize the price on one hand and check the amount accurately, we will have a clear picture how many kilograms of grain are on the market. No more vicious competition and forcing up price among the grain shops. Plus this coupon can be used to exchange for real grain, transportation expense takes up ten percent of the total price when the officers transfer grain from Hubei and Hunan. A coupon like this can reduce the transportation expense, there’s no loss on the way either. One stone, many birds. The coupon can also used as silver in good years, National Treasury can take a break too.”

Xiao Yi took a sip of tea and continued, “The grain shops can buy coupons with silver, there’s a number on each coupon, we have an account book to record this, no one can play tricks. And we can use the silver to buy grains from the shops, it sounds a bit troublesome, but the Ministry of Revenue will only fund us after the war.”

Prince Xing couldn’t agree more, lack of fund was the only thing he felt anxious about, he wasn’t afraid of working hard at all.

Hubei and Hunan could be a pilot region, Imperial Censors couldn’t say anything. The only flaw in the system was some people might say they were doing this for the benefit of themselves, but Prince Xing decided to ignore that possibility for raising army provision was the top priority. The minister of the Ministry of Revenue couldn’t criticize him as long as he could raise the army provision peacefully.

“All right, we can have a try now that you have it figured out. Yi, you are all better now, let’s depart tomorrow!” Prince Xing patted the box, he thought he could use this system in other regions if it worked in Hunan and Hubei region.

… …

The two went back home happily and they decided to report this to Xiao Yugui, to their surprise, they found Cao Le kneeling in Osmanthus House when they arrived.

“Brother, help me out, Yan just had a miscarriage, I didn’t do anything, I’m so wronged!”

Cao Mo frowned, he knew who did this, Lady Lu did this as a warning to himself. Lady Lu knew they would report to Xiao Yugui after they came back, so this actually was a message sent to Cao Mo, ‘There’s nothing I can do to you, but I have ways to punish your brother!’

Cao Mo also knew Lady Lu had already made Cao Le a mere figurehead when he married Xiao Jin, Cao Le was now like Lady Lu’s dog, Lady Lu would throw him a bone when she was in a good mood, and she would take it out on Cao Le when she was upset.

Cao Mo noticed Lady Lu’s triumphant look, he was about to defend Cao Le when Xiao Yi stepped forward and bowed to Lady Lu, “Madam, I know this is my younger brother’s domestic issue, but as his brother, I have to say something. Jin is entering the Imperial College soon, by punishing his wife in public is no difference than telling everyone that Jin is a muddle head in selecting a wife like Cao Le. Plus, Dowager Xiao agrees to the betrothal as well, people would probably criticize Jin for being unfilial, please let this go for Jin’s future.”

Lady Lu glared at Xiao Yi, she regretted for not having poisoning Xiao Yi to death when she had the opportunity. ‘You wish to kick me and my son out, and you are acting like you are doing this for us!’

“Big brother is so right, please just punish me in some other way!” Cao Le kept rubbing his knees for he had already kneeling for about an hour.

“Humph! You two act like you have nothing to do with this, I’m telling you, there’s no one else but your good wife Cao Mo who would ask people to scare Yan. Poor Yan had a miscarriage because of that!”

Lady Lu shifted the blame to Cao Mo, what she said translated as ‘I’m punishing you because of your brother, you should hate him instead of me’ in Cao Le’s ears.

Cao Le was glad that Lady Lu threw him a bone, he pointed at Cao Mo and shouted loudly, “How could you! I have been kneeling on the ground of you! Cao Mo!”

Xiao Yi cast a cold glimpse at Cao Le, “You should refer him as your sister-in-law, I’ll send you back home and ask you father to teach you some manners if you make that mistake again!”

Cao Le feared Lady Lu, but he feared Xiao Yi more. He knew his father wouldn’t take his side.

“Sister… sister-in-law,” Cao Le corrected himself, but then he added, “But I’m getting the punishment because of you.”

Cao Le felt dwarfed as he just called Cao Mo sister-in-law.

Lady Lu stamped her foot with frustration, “You useless piece of junk, get lost! Jin will repudiate you if you carry on like this!”

Cao Le felt so emotional, he had been living in an abyss of misery since he married into this manor, he fawned upon Xiao Jin, but Xiao Jin showed him the cold shoulder, he fawned upon Lady Lu, but Lady Lu treated him like a dog. Cao Le was a man, and he was a Xiucai(one who passed the imperial examination at the county level), Cao Le felt so humiliated.

Cao Le clenched his fists, “There’s no good man in this manor!”

With that he left the yard while he glared at Lady Lu.

… …

Xiao Yi and Cao Mo walked into Xiao Yugui’s study.

Xiao Yugui had heard the argument in the yard, by he didn’t care to meddle, he found it quite amusing actually, he was glad to use Cao Le to upset Cao Mo thus Xiao Yi would listen to him more.

Xiao Yugui took a sip of tea and asked the two, “Have you met Prince Xing?”

“Yes, father.”

Xiao Yi bowed slightly, “His Highness is departing tomorrow, me and Mo are going as well, but there should be someone to take care of our household.”

Xiao Yugui cast a glimpse at Cao Mo, “What do you think?”

“Third Aunt Liu Heng is adept in managing household, why not ask him to take over for a month while we are away, we will be back soon now that Prince Xing is in charge.” Cao Mo replied confidently.