Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 143 The Emperor Grants Marriage
Early in the morning, Zhao Qixuan was sleeping soundly when he was rudely woken up by someone.

"Get up, get up." Helian Jing knew that Zhao Qixuan had a habit of sleeping naked, so he didn't dare to lift his quilt this time.

Zhao Qixuan muttered, "Stop disturbing me. I need to sleep."

Turn over and continue sleeping.

Helian Jing leaned close to his ear and shouted, "The fire is coming..."

Zhao Qixuan sat up suddenly and asked nervously, "Where is the fire?"

Helian Jing patted his chest and said, "It's a leak."

Zhao Qixuan saw that it was Xiao Jing who was teasing him, and he angrily said, "Xiao Jing, why are you coming to my place so early in the morning?"

He lay down and was about to fall asleep again, but Helian Jing pulled him up: "I haven't slept all night, just waiting for dawn, Lao Zhao, you have to help me this time, otherwise I will die."

Zhao Qixuan listened to the seriousness of his words and tried to cheer himself up.

"What's wrong? Are you in trouble?"

"No, I want to borrow money from you."

Zhao Qixuan clicked his tongue: "That's too formal! How much do you want?"

"Fifty thousand taels."

Zhao Qixuan's sleepiness was instantly scared away, and he asked in surprise: "Did I hear correctly? You want 500,000?"

Helian Jing nodded solemnly: "Five hundred thousand taels, after thinking about it, you are the richest person I know."

Zhao Qixuan thought to himself, even if I have money, I can’t afford such a high price from you!

"What is it for?" The amount was so large that Zhao Qixuan had to ask another question.

"I want to help Li Yao terminate the contract."

Zhao Qixuan was stunned for a moment, frowned and said, "You are trying to make fun of me so early in the morning, right?"

"I'm serious. Tianshangju has a new owner. Li Yao is very unhappy with what he's doing now. I have to help him."

Zhao Qixuan was stunned again: "The owner of Tianshangju has changed? How come I didn't know about it?"

"What else do you know? All you have in your mind now is Su Su, and you don't even come out to walk around."

Zhao Qixuan took a middle coat and put it on: "Tell me quickly, what happened? Who was so generous as to buy Tianshangju?"

Tianshangju is now like a treasure pot, and the price is definitely not cheap.

Helian Jing thought of his elder brother's warning that he must not spread it everywhere, so he said, "I don't know who it is, but Li Yao doesn't want to do it anyway."

"You mean, it will cost 500,000 taels of silver to cancel the contract?"

"More than that, it will cost 600,000 taels, and I still have over 100,000 taels myself."

Zhao Qixuan took a breath, looked at Xiao Jing with a complicated expression, and said, "Xiao Jing, you are serious, you fell in."

Helian Jing blushed: "What's the seriousness? Li Yao is my friend. Isn't it right to help a friend?"

"This is not the way to help a friend. Six hundred thousand taels, and you say you're helping without even blinking an eye?" Zhao Qixuan sneered.

Helian Jing: "Old Zhao, you have to think about it. If it weren't for Li Yao, you and Su Su would never be together! She helped you so much, and now she's in trouble, why don't you help her?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't help, I just think the price is ridiculously high. When other chefs terminate their contracts, tens of thousands are considered a lot, but Li Yao wants six hundred thousand? What a joke, is this some black-hearted guy who's crazy about money? Tell me, and I'll deal with him."

"How can those people compare with Li Yao. Li Yao is priceless. If it weren't for Li Yao, how could Tianshangju's business be so prosperous? It's not an exaggeration to say that Tianshangju is supported by Li Yao. Anyway, don't ask who this person is. I can't tell you, and even if I tell you, there's nothing you can do. Anyway, he wants this price now, and I will find a way to pay you back slowly." Helian Jing said.

Zhao Qixuan teased, "Hearing you say that, it seems like you're quite proud of Li Yao for offering this price."

"That's right. It would scare people to death if you told them about it." Helian Jing said proudly.

Zhao Qixuan was depressed: "Forget it, forget it, I can't tell you."

"Just tell me whether you want to lend it or not. If you don't, I will tell Su Su and we will join forces to plot against him." Helian Jing threatened.

Zhao Qixuan almost suffocated. Wouldn’t this cost him his life?
"I didn't say I wouldn't lend it to you. When will you ask for the five hundred thousand taels?"

This kid, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, has never lacked money to spend, and has never done business. He has no idea what 600,000 taels means, or how many people it can support. If it weren't for his booming business in recent years and his strong family background, who could afford 500,000 taels?

As for Li Yao, he was really grateful to him. If it weren't for Li Yao's resourcefulness, he and Su Su would have been together forever. Five hundred thousand taels was just a favor to Li Yao. Compared to Su Su, money and other things were just dirt in his eyes. There was nothing he couldn't bear to give up.

"Really? Lao Zhao, you are so loyal. I will remember your kindness. The sooner you give me the money, the better." Helian Jing was overjoyed.

Zhao Qixuan thought for a while and said, "Susu and I recently invested some money, and we don't have that much cash on hand. We need to wait a few days, seven days, is that okay?" "Okay, as long as we have money." Helian Jing smiled. Compared to three years, seven days is nothing.

Zhao Qixuan shook his head and smiled: "Look at your silly look. Okay, I'll help you. I hope you can invest 600,000 taels and bring this God of Wealth home."

The blush that had just faded away on Helian Jing's cheeks returned: "Nonsense, I don't want to bother with you, you go back to sleep, I have to go to the Ministry of War."

After breakfast, the old Marquis of Jing'an, Xia Zhuofeng, brought his second son, Xia Chunyu, to the palace to meet the emperor.

The emperor received him cordially.

"Your Excellency has been guarding the border for many years and maintaining peace in this area. I am very grateful for your hard work and great contributions."

Xia Zhuofeng stood up and said respectfully: "It is my humble duty to protect my country and I dare not betray the emperor's grace!"

The emperor and his ministers exchanged a few pleasantries and the topic turned to Xia Chunyu's marriage. The emperor also knew that the old marquis was about to return, so he waited until now to speak.

"It's been so many years, and the child left by the Seventh Prince is already sixteen years old. The Queen Mother has been asking me to pick a good husband for Liuli. I've looked around and found that Chunyu is the most suitable among all the princes and sons in the court. What do you think, my dear?"

Xia Zhuofeng had not been in the capital for many years, so he did not know Liuli's personality very well, but he knew that the Queen Mother loved Liuli very much. He had a close relationship with the Seventh Prince, but unfortunately the Seventh Prince passed away early, so this marriage was what he wanted.

"According to the Queen Mother's opinion, if this marriage goes through, Chunyu will be granted the title of King of Yixing and inherit the fiefdom of the Seventh Prince. You can choose another son to inherit your title." Without waiting for Xia Zhuofeng to reply, the Emperor threw out another tempting condition.

What is there to hesitate about? The emperor’s grace is so overwhelming that it is about to burst the sky.

Xia Zhuofeng was about to agree, but Chunyu behind him took a step forward and knelt down to kowtow.

Xia Zhuofeng thought, this bastard is even more anxious than him! Yes, Chunyu is not young anymore, he should have gotten married a long time ago. But what Chunyu said next almost scared him to death.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. However, I cannot agree to this marriage."

Xia Chunyu was neither humble nor arrogant, and his response was powerful and straightforward.

The emperor's face changed slightly. He didn't expect that Chunyu would refuse such a huge profit without hesitation. He had the courage to refuse.

"What are you talking about, little brat? Marriage is such a big deal, it's not your turn to decide. The emperor gave Princess Liuli to you because he appreciates you. This is a marriage given by heaven, others can't even ask for it. Get out of here." Xia Zhuofeng didn't wait for the emperor to blame him, but scolded his son first. When the emperor spoke, things would become serious.

Xia Chunyu raised his head, straightened his back, and said in a loud voice: "Forgive me for not being able to obey your command."

If Xia Zhuofeng hadn't been afraid of losing manners in front of the palace, he would have kicked him, you bastard, are you trying to rebel?
"Your Majesty, I am a poor parent. Please forgive me." Xia Zhuofeng said in panic. He was really scared and broke out in a sweat. His son was ignorant and he had to apologize to him. He thought to himself, I will beat you to death when I get back.

The emperor laughed and said, "My dear minister, please stand up. I just like Chunyu's straightforward personality."

"Chun Yu, you also stand up and speak." The emperor said with a smile.

"I also know that Liuli is a little spoiled and has a bit of a childish mentality. When she becomes a wife and a mother, she will naturally become sensible."

"Yes, yes, my son is not much better. He is very stubborn when he gets angry. It's all because I have been away from home all year round and neglected to discipline him." Xia Zhuofeng said, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead.

"Young people have a bit of temper and are normal to be impulsive. It's okay once you figure it out." The emperor said lightly.

Everyone was unanimously optimistic about Chun Yu. As long as he nodded, the emperor would not blame him.

Xia Chunyu said sternly: "Your Majesty, I really cannot agree to this. If I agree, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor."

The emperor was really annoyed. Why couldn't he be persuaded no matter how hard he tried? Once the emperor spoke, it was an imperial decree. Disobeying the decree was a capital crime.

"You little bastard, how dare you say another word?" Xia Zhuofeng was almost mad to death.

The emperor suppressed his anger and asked Chunyu, "What do you mean?"

Xia Chunyu remained calm and said, "Your Majesty, I have already been married in Black Wind Hill. The girl was from a good family and was abducted to the mountain by the Second In Command. I was forced to marry her due to circumstances. Although it was hasty, I had prayed to heaven and earth for her."

The emperor was surprised: "How come I have never heard you mention this before?"

Xia Chunyu said sadly, "She discovered the secret passage of the mountain stronghold. In order to inform me and stop Bai Chongye from escaping, she was held hostage by the second in command. In order not to drag me down, she jumped off the cliff and fell into Yanxia Lake. After the war, I searched for her all over the Yanxia Lake but couldn't find her. After much searching, I heard that a villager rescued a woman from the lake. I thought it was her, so I went to look for her. The villagers said that she seemed to have lost her memory and couldn't remember who she was. She left a few days ago..."

When talking about sad things, Xia Chunyu choked up.

The Emperor and Xia Zhuofeng both sighed when they heard this, saying that this woman was loyal, brave, and righteous, and her deeds were worthy of praise and admiration.

"Then you didn't continue your search?" Xia Zhuofeng asked.

"I have been looking for her, hoping to renew our old relationship. She fell into trouble because of me. If I abandon her and marry someone else, I would be an unfaithful and unrighteous person. Therefore, I cannot accept your grace. Please understand my Majesty." Xia Chunyu said sincerely.

The emperor pondered and asked, "What is this girl's name?"

If Chun Yu lied to him, he would never forgive her.

Xia Chunyu cupped his hands and said, "She is the eldest daughter of Ye Binghuai, the co-governor of Yangzhou. Her name is Ye Jinxuan."

(End of this chapter)