Chapter 843: Hitting the Mark by Accident

Fan Tong had been thrown out by Chief Historian Deng not long before, when suddenly Prince Ning appeared at Tong Huaqiong’s doorstep.

Tong Huaqiong found Prince Ning’s visit unbelievable.

In her memory, she had no dealings with Prince Ning.

Was it possible that Prince Ning was visiting to thank her for taking care of the Crown Prince at the Gu Family?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

If Prince Ning wanted to express gratitude, he would have visited when she first came to Shengjing, why wait until now.

Could it be that Prince Ning wanted to win over Tong Huaqiong and make her a pawn in his money-making schemes?

The people of this era looked down on merchants yet couldn’t live without their gold and silver.

The princes especially, whether rebelling or gaining public support, needed money.

While merchants had relatively low status, they would choose high-ranking, powerful individuals as supporters to reduce resistance in expanding their commercial territories.

Both sides found mutual benefit, like the Fifth Prince and the East Wind Pavilion.

Tong Huaqiong respectfully welcomed Prince Ning into the residence.

As a loser in the struggle for the throne in the previous life, Prince Ning didn’t die but was exiled from the capital.

He hadn’t returned even when Man Er became the Empress.

What does that signify?

It signifies that the Crown Prince’s position is very secure.

Prince Ning was destined never to reach that position.

Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong felt reassured.

So no matter how much Prince Ning tried to win her over, she wouldn’t side with him.

She wouldn’t become Prince Ning’s money pouch.

Rather than investing in an adult prince, it was better to invest in a promising Crown Prince, not to mention she was paving the way for Man Er, not the Crown Prince.

“Manager Tong.”

“Manager Tong.”

Prince Ning originally wanted to address Tong Huaqiong as Mrs. Gu, but upon realizing the emperor referred to her as Mrs. Tong, he quickly changed his wording and called her Manager Tong, just like everyone else.

Tong Huaqiong was suddenly startled by Prince Ning’s address and smiled, “What instructions do you have, Prince Ning?”

Prince Ning’s face remained smile, without any flaws, as he said: “I wouldn’t dare give instructions; I am here to apologize.”

Tong Huaqiong was so shocked she almost stood up.

A prince coming to her house to apologize, did he lose his mind or what? In her memory, Prince Ning hadn’t offended her at all.

“Recently, some lunatic scholar appeared out of nowhere, claiming he would use my influence to sabotage your youngest son’s spring exam. I came specifically to clarify that I don’t know this lunatic scholar and have no power to ruin anyone’s spring exam.”

“What is the spring exam? It is an exam to select talents for Dasheng. I am not so foolish as to meddle in spring exams, and moreover, you and I have no grievances or animosity. There’s no reason for me to target your youngest son. Manager Tong, if you’ve heard any rumors outside, don’t believe them, and certainly don’t doubt my intentions.”

Prince Ning felt utterly wronged.

As soon as he attended court in the morning, the Imperial Censor accused him of having evil intentions and trying to meddle in spring exams.

Prince Ning was dumbfounded by this baseless accusation.

He wouldn’t dare even if you gave him ten times the courage.

The emperor’s gaze at the time was like a knife, frightening Prince Ning into kneeling and begging forgiveness.

After the court session, the emperor kept Prince Ning back for a scolding.

Accusing him of meddling in the spring exam, being too petty to accept the Crown Prince, and targeting the Crown Prince by attacking his grandmother’s family.

For personal goals, he would go as far as destroying a potential talent for Dasheng.

The reason the emperor considered Jingzhe a potential talent was that upon receiving the impeachment against Prince Ning, he ordered an investigation into Jingzhe’s academic performance at the Imperial College.

What they found was astonishing: from a child student to scholar to the provincial exam, he continuously topped the list three times in a row.

The last outstanding individual was the well-favored Lu Zhaoyang.

Aging makes one extremely superstitious.

Lu Zhaoyang was the only kirin talent achieving triple crowns during the Dasheng era, and now another potential triple crown scholar emerges, making the Old Emperor believe this is heaven’s recognition of his governance.

So, upon hearing that Prince Ning wanted to meddle in the spring exam and ruin Jingzhe’s future, he nearly wanted to dethrone Prince Ning.

Prince Ning, turned upside down by the scolding, thought more and more of it seemed wrong, suspecting an idiot under him had a conflict with Tong Huaqiong or Jingzhe, couldn’t fight, couldn’t outargue, and used his name to suppress the other.

Little did they know they’d hit an iron plate.

Tong Huaqiong dared to provoke even the Prince Yu Mansion when she first arrived in Shengjing.

Now, having established herself in Shengjing, provoking someone from Prince Ning Mansion was nothing.

Prince Ning swore and vowed he had no courage or intention to mess with the spring exam, insisting on being wronged and promising a thorough investigation to provide the emperor an explanation.

He began the investigation right after leaving the palace.

Chief Historian Deng knew this was caused by Fan Tong’s actions. Since Fan Tong was recruited by him, he wouldn’t dare tell Prince Ning the truth after receiving the task to investigate, fearing Prince Ning’s suspicious nature might lead to his death.

Chief Historian Deng, after investigating, reported back to Prince Ning, claiming it was caused by a local scholar who went mad after repeated failures, speaking nonsense.

As for Fan Tong, no one knew where he had gone hiding.

Chief Historian Deng swore to cripple Fan Tong’s legs and cut out his tongue if he found him.

Prince Ning was speechless upon hearing this conclusion.

This was really like having a pot descend from the sky while sitting at home.

Prince Ning immediately went to the palace to present his case to the emperor and then hurried to Tong Huaqiong’s house.

After all, the emperor said that if the rumors spread outside and reached the Gu Family’s ears, and if it distracted Jingzhe, causing him to fail the exam and resulting in Dasheng losing a second triple crown kirin, Prince Ning would be held accountable.

Tong Huaqiong listened to Prince Ning’s apology, thinking to herself that Prince Ning still didn’t know it was she who disseminated the rumor that Fan Tong threatened Jingzhe in Prince Ning’s name.

Her initial plan was to let Prince Ning hear and have him finish off Fan Tong.

Unexpectedly, it accidentally reached the emperor.

As a result, Jingzhe’s path through the spring exams became smoother; he probably now had special attention and protection, with no one daring to sabotage him.

“Your Highness is gracious to come in person to apologize. Actually, you don’t share any blame; since it’s the rantings of a lunatic scholar, naturally it can’t be taken seriously.” Tong Huaqiong looked sincere.

Prince Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

…

Having incorporated the East Wind Pavilion, Tong Huaqiong’s business expanded further.

Though rumors circulated that she relied on the Crown Prince to annex the East Wind Pavilion, she didn’t care about public opinion at all.

All along her journey, skeptical voices never ceased.

She wasn’t influenced by external noises in the slightest, conducting business as it should be, expanding her business map as it should be.

Liu Qingsong sent news from the frontier that their business was thriving at the border.

Currently, Dasheng and Mo Bei reopened mutual trade, presenting significant business opportunities in the market.

And Gu Dashu, appointed by the court as the Customs Supervisor, was set to officially take office at the border, primarily overseeing the mutual trade between the two countries.

This position was the result of Gu Dashu’s years of perseverance in Mo Bei.

In the beginning, he had many choices, but he chose the most challenging role of Customs Supervisor.

This position could mean separation from one’s hometown for others, but for Gu Dashu, it was an excellent opportunity for career advancement.

As a result, Gu Dashu felt a surge of enthusiasm for taking office at the border.

The appointment was set for April.

Wait until Gu Taohua’s marriage was settled, and meanwhile Gu Jingzhe would take his spring exam.

“Mother, rest assured, I will do my best and not bring you shame.”

Gu Dashu received a brand new official uniform from the Ministry of Personnel, and wearing it, he looked quite the part.