Repudiating a Good Wife Is Out of the Question

166. The Rumormonger

Translator: Sissy That Walk

Cao Mo’s carriage was even more ingenious than the vehicle he used to transport compressed biscuits, it looked like a turtle shell from the outside, while it was equipped with a dismountable carriage inside, equally valuable as a stepping-stone for offense or a strong point for defense.

Cao Mo asked a few guards to dismount the vehicle and then he instructed them to assemble it into a normal carriage. Four banners were hung at each side, Cao Mo improvised the slogans.

The front banner read: Rumormongers Are Rebels!

The left banner read: Don’t be the victim of any rumor, believe in and only believe in the government!

The right banner read: All the details are still under planning, any news about the new office is rumor!

The back banner read: Any contribution is entirely voluntary!

“All right, now park the carriage at the gate!” with that Cao Mo got in the carriage, eight guards pressed the pedals hard and charged towards the gate.

Xiao Yi was at the gate, trying to appease the merchants. All of a sudden he heard the merchants murmuring: Don’t be the victim of any rumor, believe in and only believe in the government! Rumormongers Are Rebels!

“It must be Mo… …” Xiao Yi was amused.

The crowd was all attracted by this huge vehicle, Cao Mo held a loudspeaker made from paper and shouted, “Attention! Everyone! Gathering a crowd and making disturbances is great disrespect to Prince Xing, please write a report or file a complaint if you have any question or concern, we will make an reply as soon as possible! Please come to me now, I’m Cao Mo, yeah, that Cao Mo, but I won’t just resign or give up my title as Shizi Madam! Come confront me if you have any problems!”

The crowd gazed at each other in speechless despair for a while, then an old man stepped forward, he started his speech by copiously quoting authoritative works, then he asked, “How dare you, a male wife, offer any advice to His Highness Prince Xing?”

“Yeah, I don’t have what it takes to be Prince Xing’s right-hand man, but you have it! And you choose to gather a crowd to engage in an affray! But that’s not how it works, it not like you have what it takes because you are loud! We are all well aware that our country is faced with a crisis, what we need to do is to be united as one instead of making a scene here and there! Why not contribute what you have and weather the hard times!” Cao Mo countered the old man with his loudspeaker in hand.

The old man turned red with guilty.

“I won’t punish you for I know you are here because you care, but I do need to find out who in the crowd is asking me to quit my position?”

Silence.

Cao Mo shook his head, then he handed his loudspeaker to a guard, the guard kept repeating the question until the crowd dispersed with only one person standing still.

“It’s him!” Cao Mo exclaimed with disbelief.

Cao Le looked around and took to his heels when he realized he was the only one left, but Xiao Yi grabbed him in time.

“Why do you spread rumors to create trouble?” Xiao Yi confronted Cao Le.

Cao Le picked himself up from the ground and replied brazenly, “You two and father-in-law left the capital city like heroes, leaving all of us worried sick at home. Grain merchants in the capital city are talking about the situation in the region as well, Dowager Xiao asked me to come here and find out what you guys are up to.”

Cao Mo sneered, “What are we up to? You will find that out soon, the thing is, why are you so anxious about this, you are not a grain merchant!”

Xiao Yi glared at Cao Le, “Out with it! Remember, leniency to those who confess, don’t think I can’t find out your true motives!”

Cao Le was a bit scared, but he soon regained his composure as he recalled what Auntie Lu told him, “It’s Dowager Xiao who has sent me here, go ask around.”

Xiao Yi shook his head, he had seen Cao Le talking with a grain merchant in the crowd just now and he was hiding his true intentions… …

‘It must be one of the Lu ladies who has sent him, who can it be! And it must be him who kept shouting Cao Mo should quit his position!’ thought Xiao Yi.

“All right, there’s not much I can do to help you now that you refuse to tell us the truth. Father is inside, let me take you to him and greet him yourself!” with that Xiao Yi grabbed Cao Le by the collar and dragged him all the way to Xiao Yugui’s room.

Cao Mo was surprised to see that, he had always seen Xiao Yi as a meek kitten, but Xiao Yi turned out to be a fierce tiger!

Xiao Yugui had been pouting in his own room since they settled down, he was exhausted from the trip, so he expected better a cordial reception from the local government. But to his surprise, they were welcomed by a strike and a cold temporary residence.

Xiao Yi knocked on Xiao Yugui’s door and asked to see him.

Xiao Yugui was dumbstruck to see Cao Le, “Why aren’t you at home serving on Jin? What are you doing here?”

Cao Le stuck out his chest and said, “The grain merchants in the capital city are all saying that it has been suggested that all the grain merchants should donate at least one hundred and twenty thousand kilos of grain to the army by the Shizi Madam, otherwise their entire family will be thrown into jail. Many grain merchants have appealed to Dowager Xiao for assistance, Dowager Xiao sent me here to find out the truth, I have Dowager Xiao’s letter as evidence.”

With that Cao Le produced a letter and handed it to Xiao Yugui.

Xiao Yugui fumed as he read the letter, “Nonsense! We just arrived here, we haven’t talked about any plan yet the rumors in the capital city are so vividly described already!”

“Father, don’t worry. Mo has already told the grain merchants that they can write reports and letters to us if they have any suggestions, we will get to it soon.”

Xiao Yugui clenched his jaw to suppress his anger, “Cao Le, go home and tell them, don’t buy this nonsense! Prince Xing has it all figured out, it’s not like you can just donate grain as you wish when grain coupon is implemented.”

“Father, please stop!” Xiao Yi interrupted Xiao Yugui.

It wasn’t until then did Xiao Yugui realized he had blurted out the huge secret, he glared at Cao Le, “I will mute you for the rest of your life if you dare mention one word to other people!”

Hearing that, Cao Le broke out in a cold sweat and shook his head violently.

With that he withdrew the room, he asked Cao Mo who was waiting outside the door, “It’s your idea, right? The food coupon, what’s in it for you?”

“Of course the coupon can benefit people who donate, huge benefit! But don’t tell anyone!” Cao Mo suppressed the laughter.

“I knew it, you and your crooked ways. I’m just asking because I don’t want to be implicated!” Cao Le looked dead serious.