Time was tight for the Imperial Capital project. Long Fei Ye had already urged Tang Zijin twice. Everyone thought that Tang Zijin would stay in the Imperial Capital this year and not return to the Tang Sect for the New Year. But who knew that Tang Zijin would suddenly appear in front of Tang Li's courtyard on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month?
Ning Jing held little Tang Tang in one hand and Tang Li in the other. She bumped into Tang Zijin as soon as she stepped out of the door. Tang Zijin's face was taut and very serious.
Ning Jing was slightly surprised. Tang Li didn't react at all. Little Tang Tang, on the other hand, was very happy. "Grandpa … Grandpa …"
"Father, you're back." Ning Jing curtsied.
Unfortunately, Tang Zijin didn't pay attention to little Tang Tang or her. His gaze was fixed on his son. This was the first time he had seen his son since he found out that his son had lost his mind because of Ning Jing.
He had always been filled with anger towards his son, Tang Li. He expected better from him!
When he ran away from his marriage, he endured it.
Later, when he was poisoned by Ning Jing and had no choice but to marry her, he endured it.
He hoped that Tang Li could use Ning Jing to gain benefits from the Di Clan. He hoped that Tang Li could follow Long Fei Ye's "older brother" and earn some merit for the Tang Sect and a title of nobility. But what about him?! He actually lost his mind because of Ning Jing. He abandoned his parents and the Tang Sect. He was so stupid! This was intolerable!
Tang Li was indifferent to Tang Zijin's stare as Tang Zijin walked in step by step. This was quite similar to when he wasn't stupid. He usually wouldn't directly clash with his father. He would either let his father scold him or hide far away.
"Grandpa … Grandpa … Hug!"
"Grandpa, hug hug … hug …"
Little Tang Tang started to make a fuss. She wasn't sensible. She hadn't seen her grandfather in a long time and wanted him to hug her.
"Ning Jing, take the child away."
Tang Zijin didn't even look at little Tang Tang. Ning Jing's heart ached for little Tang Tang, but she didn't say anything. She carried little Tang Tang and was about to leave.
She wasn't going to get involved in the matters between the father and son. Tang Zijin wouldn't dare to do anything to Tang Li no matter what. Only Tang Li could anger Tang Zijin to death, but there was no possibility that Tang Zijin would anger Tang Li to death.
However, as soon as Ning Jing let go of Tang Li's hand, Tang Li took her hand and wanted to go with her. Ning Jing broke free and didn't make a sound.
Tang Li didn't hold Ning Jing's hand anymore, but he followed her out. His gaze never focused on Ning Jing. He walked past Tang Zijin, treating him like air.
Tang Zijin was finally enraged. "You unfilial son, stop right there!"
Ning Jing continued to walk, and Tang Li continued to follow. No one paid any attention to him. Tang Zijin waited for a long time. When he saw that there was no movement behind him, he turned around and saw that Tang Li had already walked out of the courtyard with Ning Jing.
"You unfilial son! You don't even acknowledge your father! "He was so angry that his face turned green as he chased after them. However, Tang Li didn't respond.
Tang Zijin couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Ning Jing, stop right there!"
When Ning Jing stopped, Tang Li immediately stopped as well. Tang Zijin sneered at this scene. Although he wasn't at the Tang Sect, he had always been concerned about Tang Li's situation. As expected, Tang Li would only listen to Ning Jing even if he was stupid.
"Someone come and take Tang Tang away. Today, Old Man will teach this unfilial son a lesson and wake him up!" Tang Zijin said loudly.
Little Tang Tang didn't understand what her grandfather was saying, but she could tell that he was scolding her father. She was so scared that she started crying. She broke free from her mother's hand and threw herself at her father.
Tang Li was stupid, but he still loved his wife and daughter. He hugged little Tang Tang and coaxed her, "Don't cry, don't cry. Daddy will take you to play. Don't cry, okay? "
"Okay." Little Tang Tang's childish voice was laced with sobs. Hearing it made one's heart melt.
Tang Li said to Ning Jing, "You, go too, okay?"
Tang Zijin was so angry that smoke could come out of his nostrils. Ning Jing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She asked loudly, "Ah Li, your father wants to talk to you. You stay here, okay?"
Tang Li immediately shook his head. Tang Zijin was so angry that he immediately swung his sword at Tang Li. Tang Li immediately dodged, his movements so nimble that Tang Zijin couldn't do anything to him.
The father and son chased each other around the courtyard. Ning Jing, who was originally in a heavy mood, suddenly laughed. Little Tang Tang was scared at first, but when she saw that her father wasn't hit, she giggled. "Daddy, run, run! Run! "
When Madam Tang heard the news and rushed over, Tang Zijin was already panting from exhaustion, leaning on his sword to rest. Tang Li was standing far away, staring at him blankly.
If she could ignore Tang Li's expression, this scene would be so familiar to Madam Tang! She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She had forgotten that ever since Tang Li was a few years old, Tang Zijin couldn't catch up with his son.
"Master, when did you come back? Why didn't you tell me?" Madam Tang asked.
Tang Zijin turned back and said coldly, "Thanks to you!"
When he finished speaking, he angrily stormed off, leaving Madam Tang at a loss.
They hadn't seen each other for more than half a year. It was fine if Tang Zijin didn't miss her, but how could he give her that attitude? Madam Tang felt wronged and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Tang Zijin, stop right there! What did you just say? "She angrily chased after him.
Ning Jing sighed in relief. She knew that Tang Zijin was henpecked. She thought that as long as her secret didn't get out, at least Madam Tang would still stand by her side. With Madam Tang as her mother-in-law, Tang Zijin shouldn't be able to make things difficult for them.
However, Ning Jing quickly realized that she had underestimated the situation. In the afternoon, Tang Zijin sent someone to invite Ning Jing to the study and told Ning Jing to go there herself.
Little Tang Tang was still sleeping, and Tang Li was at the side fiddling with his hidden weapons. Ning Jing gave the servant girl a look and secretly slipped away.
Who knew that just as she entered the study and sat down, Tang Li would appear at the door. He walked in front of Ning Jing and stared at Ning Jing without moving.
Ning Jing knew what he meant and hurriedly explained, "I saw that you were busy, so I didn't want to disturb you."
Tang Li then retreated behind Ning Jing and stood there. He only sat down when Ning Jing pulled him to a seat. He lowered his head as soon as he sat down, as if immersed in his own world. Clearly, his world was only open to Ning Jing and little Tang Tang.
Madam Tang was already used to it, but Tang Zijin was getting angrier and angrier! What had his son, the Master of the Tang Clan become?
"Husband, didn't you have something to ask?" Madam Tang spoke up.
Ning Jing was very surprised. She thought that Madam Tang would know what Tang Zijin wanted from her, but now it seemed that Madam Tang was also here because of Tang Zijin.
"Who was the one who proposed to sell the latest batch of weapons?" Tang Zijin got straight to the point, his tone extremely strict.
After spring, the Tang Clan had to hand over a large batch of weapons to the imperial court. Last time, there was a problem with the raw materials, and they had to buy new materials. In addition, the transportation to the Tang Clan had been delayed for almost a month. According to the previous schedule, they wouldn't be able to make it in time no matter how hard they tried.
Madam Tang was very frustrated, so Ning Jing suggested that the Tang Clan buy the weapons from other arms dealers, modify them slightly, and print the Tang Clan's logo on them before handing them over to the imperial court.
At this time, the large batch of weapons had already been stored in the warehouse. Ning Jing suggested that Madam Tang increase the wages of the disciples so that they could work until New Year's Eve. Ning Jing had calculated that as long as they followed the schedule, they would be able to deliver the weapons on time.
What was Tang Zijin's intention for pursuing this matter?
Ning Jing was about to answer, but Madam Tang beat her to it. "It was my idea!"
As she answered, she gave Ning Jing a look. Ning Jing immediately sensed that things weren't so simple.
"You?" Tang Zijin sneered. "Madam, when did you become so smart? How did you manage to buy so many weapons at such a low price? "
"Tang Zijin, what do you mean by this? Did you think I was stupid all this time? "Madam Tang was furious and slammed the table.
Tang Zijin coughed awkwardly. "Madam, someone has already reported this matter to His Highness. I came back especially to investigate this matter. Why aren't you telling me the truth? How can I help you? Are the weapons you bought secondhand? "
Madam Tang and Ning Jing were both shocked by these words.
The war had just ended, so the major arms dealers were in short supply. Ning Jing's own arms dealer was also out of stock. Otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to find someone else to buy them. She had finally managed to contact the Chen Clan's arms dealer who had stock, only to learn that the weapons were second-hand. They had been picked up from the battlefield and cleaned and polished.
Ning Jing had discussed this matter with Madam Tang. After analyzing the pros and cons, they had decided to buy the weapons back.
Ning Jing was no longer calm. Coldly, she asked, "The weapons haven't been handed over to the imperial court yet. Who reported this?"
"Regardless of whether the weapons have been handed over or not, since the Tang Sect is in charge of the Great Qin's arms, every weapon in the Tang Sect's possession belongs to the imperial court!" Tang Zijin's expression was cold and stern. "Ning Jing, times have changed. It's fine if you say this here, but if word gets out, even the empress may not be able to protect you!"
Tang Zijin's words weren't pleasant to hear, but they were very reasonable.
The Tang Sect controlled all of Great Qin's armaments, including the production, storage, and distribution of armaments with the military. After Han Yunxi gave the order, the Ministry of Revenue gave the Tang Sect money, and the Tang Sect was considered part of the military.
According to Ning Jing's words, the Tang Sect's weapons didn't belong to the imperial court before they were handed over. Then who did the Tang Sect's weapons belong to? Keeping weapons for themselves or providing them to others was a serious crime. People would definitely accuse them of treason!
Ning Jing was a smart person, and she immediately understood what Tang Zijin meant. In the past, Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi could make all the decisions on their own. Now that they were the empresses of the Great Qin Empire, they could even dictate the affairs of the Great Qin Empire. However, they couldn't dictate for no reason. Their decisions had to be respected by the masses.
Ning Jing calmly admitted, "This isn't Mother's fault. It was my idea. I originally planned to wait until after the New Year to report this to the empress. The empire has just been established, and there are many things waiting to be done. The empress has long advocated increasing sources of income and reducing expenditure. These second-hand weapons can still be used after re-polishing them. Why waste them? "
"The imperial court gave us the money for a first-hand weapon," Tang Zijin said Coldly.
"Second-hand weapons cost less than a third of the cost of a first-hand weapon. I've already accounted for this debt, and the account book is in my study. When the weapons are handed over, I'll send the account book along with them. " Ning Jing spoke seriously. She didn't lack money, and she had a lot of money in her private savings. She would only help Han Yunxi save money, and she wouldn't be greedy.
Tang Zijin shook his head. "Ning Jing, you might be smart for a while, but you'll be muddle-headed for a lifetime! The person who filed the complaint said that our Tang Clan acted on our own, acted first and reported later. We deceived our superiors and our subordinates, and despised the imperial authority! Tell me, should this old man hand you over, or hand over Madam? "
Ning Jing and Lady Tang were both stunned. How … could this be?
Tang Zijin continued, "Do you know who filed the complaint to His Majesty?"
"Who?" Lady Tang asked hastily.
Tang Zijin laughed coldly. "Someone from Cloud Realm Trade Consortium!"
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