Chapter 204 – The Black Peonnies

“Your highness, how many times that I have covering you in the throne because you are outside the palace with your empress? Now, there is a huge corruption inside the government vault, and it is related with the illegal banking in the capital. We should do something about it!” The prime minister is speaking harshly to the young emperor while he makes a word spy on his own hand.

“I will see the matter really seriously. I will not neglect the court order again soon, but I will need to check my empress now,” Jin Yu is telling the prime minister and stand up to leave the study. He is compiling the whole report on his table.

He is asking Li to bring the pile of finance report cover by the winter palace plan report. No one can know about his investigation to the corruption in the palace.

Apparently, there is a spy withing the eunuch and palace maid in the yellow palace under Eunuch Wang.

Prime minister already knows about it and try to sow discord between them and make the emperor too indulge into his harem life and neglect the court order.

However, the prime minister also hears about the angry empress because of Emperor jealousy. He is having a headache straight away to think about their marriage life.

The prime minister is so happy to find the new set of pastry sent by the empress to his mansion. The genius taste of the dessert makes him want more and more.

Ni Qing is already making the promotion for the set of new dessert for the tea house. She is also opening the new front store of the tea house to sell only for the array of pastry.

Meanwhile, they are doing a good renovation on the outdate decoration inside the tea house. Ni Qing is going all out into the renovation of the tea house.

They are hiring more people to work and try to stabilise the economic by making them to spend more to buy the dessert and sweet from the tea house.

Ni Sheng is making his wife to shop around and buy all the stuff from the small merchant and put it into the Ni mansion warehouse.

Mo Feng is following Ni Qing instruction to open a big pharmacy in the capital. He is providing a free doctor to the poor people and charge the money to the rich.

Meanwhile, Mr Zhao and wang Bo is coming to the palace as requested by the empress. Ni Qing just finished to mass produce the whole batch of pastry with Ni Sheng and Lin Yue.

Zhao Yu is going around the capital to access the whole situation and find the best front shop for the empress.

In his opinion, there is an activity to dump product in the market lately when the buying ability is low.

There are so little people in the market but most of the new merchant is coming and set up the stall in the market.

Zhao Yu is going back to the empress palace and wanted to discuss a solution. At least in the empress palace, there is no one outside the people already screen by Ni Qing.

Xiao Nie, Xi Kai and Wang Bo are cleaning the empress palace with the help of eunuch Wang and eunuch Li.

The spy in the yellow palace can’t get anymore information when the emperor is not residing in his palace any longer.

He is indulging himself with the empress as rumoured in the court. And no one can refute this rumoured when he is spending all his time in the empress palace.

Ni Qing, Lin Yue and Ni Sheng are resting after producing a big batch of dessert when Ni Sheng wife arrives in the palace.

Zhao Yu is arriving at the same time with Jin Yu who is kneeling and kowtowing in front of the empress.

The spy who is following the emperor checking from the front gate of the empress palace before Ni Qing is asking the front gate to be closed.

Consort Liang is arriving a little bit late with Mo Fan. He is following his wife to report about the mysterious lady who approaching everyone to invest into their business to gain almost 15% interest for their investment in the illegal banking.

“Eunuch Li, what we have to do when the emperor stays with the empress and what are they doing inside the palace?” the spy from minister Xuan is asking from eunuch Li as his superior.

“Ah, the empress is throwing a party. She loves to invite everyone to have dinner in her palace and have fun together. This is a normal thing happening in this palace,” Eunuch Li is telling the spy about the normal recurrence in the empress palace.

“Should I help inside or wait in here?” he is asking blatantly to the eunuch.

“no one can enter the Empress palace without get her approval. You all go back to the yellow palace until get summon by the big Wang,” Eunuch Li is leaving them and hurry to get something from the palace gate.

In the outside dining room, the emperor is kneeling in front of his wife. Everyone is shocked to see the head of the nation and three continent kneels in front of the empress.

“I do not think this humble subject allow to accept you apologize. I am not doing anything as you told me yesterday. Why should you feel sorry?” Ni Qing is informing him about his action.

“I am sorry. I promised to always listen to you, Please,” Jin Yu is begging to her in front of everyone.

“Fine. You are not allowed to refute my wish and do not ever tell me to become accessories in the palace. I hate it,” Ni Qing is telling him before she helps him to stand up.

“Your highness Qing, what do you want me to do?” Wang Bo is asking her.

“where were you? You supposedly to clean up my palace every second day. My palace is really dirty now!” Ni Qing is reprimanding Wang Bo who is treating Lin Yue for recuperation in the barrack.

“I will do it now. do not worry as long as you feed me with rice,” Wang Bo is asking for the reward before he disappear to get his cleaning stuff with Xiao Nie.

“Your highness, there is this lady who is going around and try to get as many as client to invest into her bank. If we are the merchant or business owner refused her then the thugs will come to our business and make problem within our business,” Mo fan is explaining to them on the table.

“Zhao Yu, did you manage to secure two front shops for my new business?” Ni Qing is asking Zhao Yu after all day spending in the capital.

“There are many new sellers on the street, and no one know where they come from. The local sellers feel their customer get snatch by the new seller when their price is lower than the regular seller. We have to ask help from the local triad to help us with the authority,” Zhao Yu is reporting to Ni Qing.

“Zhao, ask help to brother Ah Seh to get everyone get register in the market. He also needs to protect our bank include the black peonies to secure our business. Someone will make mess in our tea house soon,” Ni Qing is telling Mr Zhao about her prediction.

“I found the shop for bank which is located in the middle of the market and the shop for daily necessity for food will be only next to it. I have signed the deeds and you only need to pay the price,” Zhao Yu is reporting to the empress.

“Yue, I am taking out three chests of gold from the safe. I will return it a bit later with the interest,” Ni Qing is telling Lin Yue about the money.

“My family household account is with you so you can use everything inside the house. My household depends on your cold hand, your highness,” Lin Yue is nodding his head to his sweetheart.

“oke, Wang Bo, get the three chests of gold to Zhao tomorrow and use the money to pay for the shop and keep the rest. Zhao, I need someone like you to run the shop and the bank. Also, where is Bao Ni now!” Ni Qing is asking Lin Yue about the head of the black peony’s whereabouts.

“Are you talking the secret soldiers who ruthlessly do everything it takes to finish the job? They are on par with the emperor eagle troops,” Zhao Yu is asking the empress about the secret soldier who is really famous on this continent.