Chapter 46: The Fisherman Gains Benefit
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Qin Chuanyun and Xiao Ming were both taken aback.
They had expected Wang Chengchou’s first words to be a defense of himself, yet he had unexpectedly confessed right away.
Xiao Ming looked at Wang Chengchou with interest and chuckled. “Master Wang, I haven’t even questioned you yet. Why are you already admitting guilt?”
“Your Highness, some days ago, I inspected my estates in the various prefectures and discovered that my nephew, Wang Xuan, had been hoarding plow oxen and selling them at exorbitant prices to the common folk. I have always been devoted to assisting Your Highness since the implementation of the Land Cultivation Decree, but alas, I have failed in my judgment of people and allowed such a grave mistake to occur. I implore Your Highness to punish me!” Wang Chengchou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead while kowtowing.
Qin Chuanyun sneered, “Master Wang, you’re truly calculating. In such a short time, you’ve already found yourself a scapegoat. You’ve never liked Wang Xuan, and now you’ve killed two birds with one stone—clearing yourself of guilt while eliminating Wang Xuan.”
“What do you mean by that, Master Qin? The Wang and Qin families have always coexisted peacefully. Why must you be so venomous and seek to destroy my Wang family?” Wang Chengchou growled.
It was true that Wang Shijie had mentioned the illegal salt trade in front of Xiao Ming under Wang Chengchou’s instructions. In the past, Xiao Ming had always favored the Wang family, allowing them to navigate Qingzhou effortlessly. There were even times when Wang Chengchou had treated Xiao Ming with condescension.
Back then, Xiao Ming had indeed been an incompetent fool, living lavishly off the Wang family’s silver. But times had changed—after his severe illness, he had undergone a drastic transformation overnight. Not only was he now a shrewd ruler, but he also keenly adopted the strategies of Pang Yukun. Wang Chengchou was no fool; he knew Pang Yukun was no ordinary man, and it was likely that many of Xiao Ming’s actions were influenced by him.
Now, the Qin family was growing wealthy under Xiao Ming’s patronage. If this continued, in just a few years, they would surpass the Wang family. At that point, the Qin family would wield power just as the Wang family once had, using Xiao Ming’s influence to suppress them.