Chapter 179: The Opposition
With only days to the Coronation, several memorials complaining about how the Huang family head does business illegally and evading taxes reached the Emperor and a full scale investigation was ordered by the Emperor on the Huang family businesses and the assets of the Huang Head family’s assets were frozen.
There were even complaints speculating that Huang Zedong hired assassins to murder the entire Ran family to take over their businesses. The Ran Family ran a successful chain of medical stores throughout the kingdom. They were so profitable that many merchants were eying on them like vultures. So when the Fox of the Business world--Huang Zedong who wore an Eagle Emblem, snatched all those stores right under their nose, they could not digest it and sent complaints to the Emperor. Their reasoning was that even before the Ran family’s corpses went cold, Huang Zedong had gotten hold of all their businesses - some, he bought with half price and others, he just took it for himself as no one claimed it. So how was he sure of the fall of the Ran family if he wasn’t the one who arranged it? So investigations on the Huang family were run by the Justice Department on full scale.
While the investigations were going on, Huang family announced the death of Huang Shengli, the adopted son of Huang Feiye because of illness and also the extra information that he was actually the Third Prince who was exiled from the capital eleven years back. That caused a huge uproar in the court that challenged the loyalty of the Huang family once again. Many suggested for Huang AoTian to step down from his post as the Prime Minister and of course AoTian was not willing. The Emperor’s stance was ’innocent until proven guilty’ and no one dared to talk back to the Emperor.
With only two days for coronation, Minister Sheng, the head of the Finance Ministry along with some other ministers and his supporters staged a demonstration against the instation of Huang Mingxia as the Empress. They kneeled in front of the Emperor’s courtyard and asked him to think thrice before making a decision about the Empress.
Minister Sheng belonged to the neutral faction as he never aligned with the Huangs or the Rans. With the sudden shift in power towards the Huang family and with the various investigations going on, he felt the need to do something to stop the Emperor from making a Huang daughter as Empress.
Meanwhile,
Xing who had gotten the courtyard of her favourite person... Her Hero - The Tianshi Emperor, tried to find anything about the details of their legendary love story. Well technically it was his wife’s courtyard but as long as she was alive he only stayed here. That’s something.
The first thing she did was check all the rafters in the rooms of the courtyard and sadly she wasn’t able to find any ’Treasures ’ now.
Did all my luck run out? She wondered.
Bai Li who had gone for a stroll came back with all the news happening in the outer court. Xing didn’t know if it was the form of the old lady he took but she could see he was actually very gossipy... Really... He was like those old ladies who’d peek in their neighbours’ home for stories to share with their other old friends... Eek!
But it made her pass time. Turns out Shengli had really followed her advice and made it seem like the Huang family had abandoned him. All he had to do is find Shihong and act pitiful to join his gang.
Xing was swinging in the swing with backrest and cushions that made it so comfortable to be in. Shengli prompted her to change the curtains to her liking but since she refused, he brought this swing to be hung inside her study since he noted she liked the swing in the other temporary courtyard she stayed. This swing was made with imported White sandalwood that emitted a soothing fragrance that reminded her of home since her brother really loved sandalwood and their home usually smelled of sandal wood. And purple and gold embroidered cushions made it so comfy and Xing felt enveloped by the design of the swing and she’d just end up napping sitting in this swing.