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墨書 Inktalez
Three days later, the Emperor sent someone to teach Prince Xiao Xuan the details and considerations. When Prince Xiao Xuan saw Eunuch Wu, his smile nearly reached his ears, but it vanished instantly after he heard the news.
Pouting his lips and crossing his arms, he said angrily, “I knew it! If there were any good tasks, they wouldn’t fall to me! He’s fine; I treat him like a brother, and he treats me like a pigeon. Hmph! I won’t do anything that offends people.”
He was about to chase Eunuch Wu and the others away when Eunuch Wu, feigning helplessness, smiled broadly.
“Your Highness, don’t be anxious. The Emperor mentioned this matter earlier; it was you who insisted on taking it. Now that the imperial edict has been announced to the world, it would not be appropriate for you to back out at this time.”
“What’s inappropriate about it? I won’t do it! If there’s something, let my royal brother come find me.”
As he turned to leave, someone blocked his path. Prince Xiao Xuan looked at Eunuch Wu with displeasure.
“I’m truly sorry, Your Highness. This old servant is just following orders. Since you are unwilling to accept this task, the Emperor said he wouldn’t force you. However, all the gifts you’ve received during this time must also be taken back. Come on! Move them out!”
Upon hearing this, Mu Xuan rushed to block Eunuch Wu and his men.
Eunuch Wu smiled even more happily at this sight; clearly, the Emperor knew Prince Xiao Xuan's weaknesses well.
Sure enough, in an instant, Prince Xiao Xuan went from being domineering to looking as wilted as a frostbitten eggplant, his expression more sorrowful than crying.
“No! Who said I wouldn’t do it? I am a man of my word; how could I be someone who goes back on my promises? Now that my royal brother wants to back out, it’s too late. Alright, alright! Didn’t you come here to teach me something? Hurry up; I’m busy!”
Eunuch Wu chuckled at this.
“Apologies for taking up your time.” Taking up your time for receiving gifts.
Reluctantly, Prince Xiao Xuan entered the room. However, his displeasure quickly faded with the arrival of gifts, and the Emperor even promised to double his rewards.
…
Soon it was the day of the Chamber of Commerce election. Many wealthy merchants gathered in front of Wangjing Tower. Since Wangjing Tower had the largest venue in the capital and served the best food, it was chosen for the event. The location was naturally selected by Prince Xiao Xuan; other things weren’t important—what mattered was that the food had to be good.
Otherwise, just thinking about it made him feel stifled; he had to cheer himself up.
Of course, not everyone could be selected as an Imperial Merchant; qualifications needed to be screened first. Those with insufficient assets or who were of no use to the royal family naturally wouldn’t be chosen. Nevertheless, many still signed up to compete for a chance.
After all, being part of the Imperial Merchant is a matter of great prestige, and it will only lead to greater success in the future. They would stand a head taller than other merchants, and it wouldn’t be surprising if some officials showed them a bit more respect.
Who wouldn’t want such honor? In the past, it was all about connections and money, but now there was a rare opportunity for fair elections. What if immense wealth and fortune came their way?
To ensure the fairness of the selection process, the Emperor personally dispatched people to supervise the selections across various regions. After several rounds of screening, many individuals qualified to participate in the selection at Wangjing Tower.
Those who made it into Wangjing Tower were generally quite capable; among them were some previous Imperial Merchants and several newcomers.
The selection took place on the first floor of the grand hall, with the best view from the third floor. The judges sat on the first floor, while the second floor had some elegant seating but no private rooms. The third floor and above featured private chambers.
In one of the private rooms on the left side of the third floor, Mu Tingxiu coldly gazed across at the opposite room, where Mu Junze and Su Che sat. Feeling Mu Tingxiu's gaze, they ignored him and continued enjoying the delicacies from Wangjing Tower. Mu Junze even affectionately wiped Su Che's mouth.
With a cold snort, Mu Tingxiu turned and headed to the fifth floor, where the judges rested. The selection had not yet begun, and Prince Xiao Xuan and others were still on that floor.
Originally, Mu Tingxiu was not allowed to enter the fifth floor. To ensure fairness during this selection period and until the results were announced, no one was permitted to meet with judges privately.
However, when Mu Tingxiu went up, Prince Xiao Xuan happened to see him. Not wanting to let him go alone, he followed Mu Tingxiu to the third floor.
"I didn’t expect you would actually agree to this," Prince Xiao Xuan said with a helpless pout.
"Ah, life is tough. The prince sells his skills out of necessity. If only my elder brother cared for me more..."
At this point, Prince Xiao Xuan made a gesture indicating money before continuing.
"How about bribing me a little?"
Mu Tingxiu raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mu Junze across from him. Prince Xiao Xuan naturally followed his gaze but showed no reaction.
"What? If Brother third bribes you, you can help Brother third?"
Prince Xiao Xuan chuckled at this, lazily leaning back in his chair with an expression of indifference.
"My dear Brother third, you know very well that my elder brother asked me to be the chief judge for fairness and justice because he knows I won’t favor either of you; I won’t take sides since you are both my good brothers. As for your matters, that’s between you two; just don’t involve me."
"How about this: for one spot, you tell me who you want in, and I’ll let them in. But similarly, Second Brother and Brother Seven will also have someone come in."
Mu Tingxiu smiled and waved his hand, and soon Zhong Xian approached with a small pouch. Mu Tingxiu tossed the pouch to Mu Xuan and said,
"Your Second Brother's money bank has some things that are too conspicuous here. I know you've been short on cash lately, so take this and spend it. As for bribing anyone, there's no need for that; just be fair and just. It's been a while since I've seen you, and I haven't had the chance to talk since you returned. Now go on and get busy; Brother Third won't make things difficult for you."
Mu Xuan glanced at the pouch and then at Mu Tingxiu, grinning widely.
"I knew Brother Third would treat me well, heh heh."
With that, he bounced away like a child. Watching Mu Xuan's departing figure, Zhong Xian looked puzzled.
"Your Highness, why not take this opportunity to slip someone in..."
Mu Tingxiu gazed through the gauze curtain toward Mu Junze's room and replied softly,
"As he said, he won't favor anyone. It was my oversight; I didn't expect him to return at this time and let the emperor take advantage of it. But that's no problem. Since it has come to this, let's compete based on strength. Everything is already set; in the future, we might not need to rely on this method anyway. Besides, even if we don't use bribes, it doesn't mean our people won't get in; it’s better to use this opportunity to put some pressure on the Su Family."
Zhong Xian paused for a moment before realizing something.
Right! With that quota, the Su Family would definitely gain entry, which would completely ruin their plans. However, if everything were fair and just, as long as the Su Family didn't meet certain qualifications, they would surely be eliminated.
Their side had more than one candidate, and besides, there was one family that would definitely enter the Chamber of Commerce regardless; they didn't need to worry about that. Sometimes it's not about having many people but having the right ones.
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