Repudiating a Good Wife Is Out of the Question

167. Coupons Stamped with Prince Xing’s Seal

Translator: Sissy That Walk

“We will make it public tomorrow anyways, it doesn’t matter that I’m telling you this today.” Cao Mo continued his bamboozlement.

Cao Le heard the key word ‘grain coupon’, but he had no idea what it looked like or how it worked, so he asked, “Can I have a look at the coupon?”

Cao Mo looked around and said in a mysterious way, “They are all in Prince Xing’s hand, he will hand them out personally, each coupon is unique.”

“How many coupons are there in total?” Cao Le asked anxiously, dying to find out.

“I have no idea.” Cao Mo shook his head.

“Good brother, can you ask around for me? We have a cousin who is also a grain merchant, he begged me, you see… …” with that he stuffed a one-hundred-tael-banknote in Cao Mo’s hand.

Cao Mo’s lips curled, “This is the first time you ask me to do something for you without a nasty attitude, isn’t it?”

“I will give you even more banknotes once you show me what the coupon looks like.” Cao Le showed a fawning smile.

Cao Mo rolled his eyes, pretending he was considering, “Wait for me, let me try my luck.”

Cao Le dared not stay in the yard, so he said, “Meet me outside the gate, be quick!”

… …

Cao Mo burst into laughter as soon as Cao Le left. Yao Wenyuan asked Cao Mo curiously, “What’s wrong with you today? What are you on?”

“Nothing… nothing… it’s just so funny… …”

Cao Mo straightened his collar and rubbed his cheeks before he reported that he was here to see Prince Xing.

“Come in!” Prince Xing was still lying in bed with a headband.

“Your Highness, are you feeling better?” Cao Mo asked cautiously.

“Better? How can I feel better when I heard the rumors from outside?” Prince Xing looked livid.

Cao Mo smiled, “Yeah, there were some rumors, but I’ve explained the whole thing to the merchants, I’m sure they have come around.”

“Why do I always feel I’m doing everything under you and your husband’s instruction?”

“Your Highness!” Cao Mo knelt down, “How dare we! All we ever wanted is to relieve you of the daily worries, please enlighten us if we are not doing a good job.”

“You may rise, I trust the people who work for me.” with that Prince Xing pulled away his headband and asked, “What brings you here?”

Cao Mo walked to Prince Xing and whispered, “Cao Le is here, he kept asking me about our plan.”

Prince Xing’s face darkened, “How much does he know?”

“Little. The thing is he has misunderstood me, he thinks people can only donate grain by coupons, and then you can gain some benefits with the coupons in hand. He is  making a real effort to get some coupons now.”

Prince Xing squinted his eyes, “And you want to leave a mistake uncorrected, letting him spread the word?”

“What’s the worst can happen? Why not just take the wrong and make the best of it, we can see the merchants’ reaction. If they are only willing to donate grain when they can have some benefits, we can just allocate some land to them as they wish, bottom line is, they need to pay tax no matter what.” a cunning smile flashed across Cao Mo’s face.

In modern language, that was just the difference of District Manager and Area Manager, the government would ensure stable tax revenue no matter where the merchants’ lands were.

Prince Xing nodded and asked, “And I guess you want Xiao Yugui to be in charge, right? So you don’t want to have a finger in the pie?”

Cao Mo chuckled, “You are right, Your Highness. I wouldn’t have suggested my father-in-law if not for the Lus! You and my husband’s hands would be tied if the Lus were in charge of this. I figured we better do this together and solve the problems once and for all.”

Prince Xing now felt reassured, Cao Mo was right, all matters were connected. The cheating scandal in the imperial examinations would end up with nothing definite if it weren’t Xiao Yugui who was going to take charge.

“Good, I trust you completely on this one.” with that Prince Xing lifted a hand at Eunuch Liu, signaling Eunuch Liu to hand the grain coupon box to Cao Mo.

Prince Xing then rubbed his cheek and muttered, “I need to see Imperial Physician Zhang again, my tooth is killing me.”

Cao Mo squinted his eyes, he knew Prince Xing was faking it, he had put a walnut in his mouthand acted like his cheek was swollen.

‘Such dedication, Prince Xing, but I don’t buy it.’ thought Cao Mo.

… …

Cao Mo checked the coupons, each coupon now was stamped with Prince Xing’s personal seal, he picked a coupon and tore it in two, he kept the stud and gave the other half to Cao Le, “It takes me great effort to get this, don’t show this to anyone else! The stud is in Prince Xing’s hand, and you just need to show the half in your hand to get benefit.”

Hearing that, Cao Le beamed with smiles, he put the half coupon into his sleeve and ran away.

Cao Mo laughed himself into convulsions until Xiao Yi walked towards him.

“Mo, I’m sure they will be forging the coupons in no time.”

“No, they dare not!” Cao Mo showed Xiao Yi the stud, “You see, this is Prince Xing’s private seal, forging Prince Xing’s seal is a capital offence. Even the Lus dare not do this. I’m just showing them there’s nothing they can do do ruin our plan.”

… …

Imperial Concubine Fair leaned on her futon and studied the stud in hand, “This little thing? What can they do with this little thing?”

Prince Ning frowned, “Apparently only people with the coupon can donate grain. I’ve consulted my aides, no one knows what this is. Our people can’t sneak into their temporary residence, it’s Cao Le who has found out this coupon, it’s not easy to get more information.”

“Useless! We can’t forge this coupon now that it’s stamped with Prince Xing’s seal!”

“We can use my seal!” Prince Ning said indignantly.

“Hold on, that’s a leap in the dark! What if this is a trap, let’s just wait and see. This Cao Mo, repeatedly had he ruined our plans, it’s time we finished him!”

Prince Ning nodded.

Imperial Concubine Fair looked livid, “I’ll keep this stud, you go take care of that Cao Mo, Cao Mo is Prince Xing’s right-hand man, Cao Mo’s husband Xiao Yi naturally is Prince Xing’s left-hand man, surely Xiao Yi will be doomed as soon as Cao Mo is out of the picture. Prince Xing will no longer be a force to be reckoned with by then.”

Clatter.

A young maid had dropped a teacup outside the door and the eunuch was scolding her. Imperial Concubine Fair was annoyed by the noise, she pressed her forehead and said to her son, “Do things neatly, not sloppily! Get Cao Yuqi out of the picture if he is useless!”