"Little Prince, please don't be polite. These were the instructions from my young mistress! If you don't accept them, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself when I go back!"
Of course, this was just a polite remark, and Zhe Wanchuan naturally didn't take it seriously.
"Since that's the case, then my brothers and I won't stand on ceremony. If you need anything in the future, just say the word!"
"Farewell, little prince!"
All the senior eunuchs were taken away. Among the hundred or so young eunuchs, it was as if in an instant, only those who were groaning on the ground remained.
"Throw them out and clean up quickly, we still need to welcome guests!"
Seeing that the young dukes and princes had already left, Zhe Wanchuan sneered and pointed at the figures lying on the ground as he spoke.
"Yes!"
The shop assistants no longer hesitated. They stepped forward in pairs and threw out the eunuchs who were groaning on the ground.
Half an hour later, by the time Li Yan received the news, his six god-sons had already been thrown into the Kaifeng Prefecture.
And the imperial clan descendants led by Zhao Youyi were still waiting outside the courtroom.
This sudden news instantly stunned Li Yan.
"Fools, a bunch of fools! Who told them to provoke those people!"
Li Yan knew in his heart that no matter how favored he was in the palace, if he had conflicts with so many imperial clan descendants, the Emperor would still unhesitatingly stand with those imperial clan descendants.
After all, behind these people stood the entire imperial family.
And he, at most, was just a eunuch who was somewhat trusted by the Emperor.
What's more, in this matter, the people under him had no grounds whatsoever.
"Your Grace, what should we do now?"
"What to do? What to do? How would I know what to do!"
Li Yan, now exposed, was truly frantic. This matter had completely escalated.
He had originally intended to let his subordinates cause some trouble for the Zhe family.
But he never expected that while he didn't find trouble for the Zhe family, his own troubles were growing larger and larger.
These people were detained in the Kaifeng Prefecture. Looking at the current situation, if he didn't go, he feared these subordinates would never return.
But the problem was, those people were not easy to deal with.
Even as the most favored eunuch by Emperor Huizong, he would likely face some humiliation upon arrival.
"Damn Zhe family! We are mortal enemies! Prepare the carriage, and I will accompany you to the Kaifeng Prefecture!"
After cursing through gritted teeth, Li Yan finally made up his mind.
There was no other way. These subordinates of his knew too much about his affairs. If he were to arrive too late and these brats were to say something they shouldn't, he would truly be finished.
"Sir, Li Yan has taken people to the Kaifeng Prefecture!"
As soon as Li Yan set off, it took less than a quarter of an hour for Yuan Xingchi to receive the news.
"Have our people withdraw. From now on, our people should not intervene in this matter. Also, send someone to find the Zhe family's head shopkeeper. If they come to cause trouble in the next few days, just let them cause trouble. Whether they smash things or capture people, we just need to endure it!"
"If we just endure it, won't that old man become more presumptuous?"
Hearing Yuan Xingchi's words, the coachman immediately protested.
"Don't you understand yet? We need the image of victims right now. Just wait and see, the more frantic he is in the next few days, the greater the loss he will suffer in the end. If he dares to smash all the shops in Bianliang city, then he will not be far from death!"
"You mean..."
"Don't worry, the other gift the Lord prepared for him is about to arrive. Alright, don't waste time here, you should hurry and inform the Zhe family's head shopkeeper!"
"Yes!"
Two hours later, Li Yan finally walked out of the Kaifeng Prefecture with his god-sons, crestfallen.
He had suffered a great loss of face today. Not only had he lost face, but he had also paid out five thousand strings of cash to barely resolve the matter.
Five thousand strings of cash was a small matter, but the problem was that he had lost too much face.
"You guys, tomorrow you will each lead your men and smash all the Zhe family's other businesses in Bianliang city!"
After returning to his mansion, as soon as he entered the door, Li Yan couldn't help but say through gritted teeth.
"Yes!"
Having suffered such a great loss today, Li Fu's two front teeth had been knocked out by Zhao Youyi.
Already filled with resentment, upon hearing Li Yan's words, he naturally wished he could lead his men out right away!
"Godfather, but we just got into trouble, shouldn't we..."
Although he knew he shouldn't say such things at this time, Gong Jiu couldn't help but say it in a low voice.
"Endure what? Don't I look like I've lost enough face?"
After saying this through gritted teeth, Li Yan returned to his room.
For four consecutive days, Li Yan's god-sons led several hundred eunuchs to attack everywhere, directly smashing all twelve of the Zhe family's businesses in Bianliang city to the ground.
For a time, Li Yan's fierce reputation made no one dare to provoke him.
Many people began to sympathize with the Zhe family, and many also secretly mocked that this was clearly a noble military family, yet in the end, they were bullied by a eunuch to the point of not daring to raise their heads.
On the morning of the fifth day, at the grand court assembly, Emperor Huizong sat on his throne, with officials lined up on both sides.
Facing the thick stack of grain collection documents placed on the Emperor's desk, everyone was silent.
Although Cai Jing had officially taken office as Grand Minister of Works, facing the empty national treasury, even a skilled cook could not prepare a meal without ingredients.
What troubled the Emperor even more was that in less than a month, it would be the first month of the year.
If no solution was found, the court might not even be able to pay the salaries of the officials!
"Your Majesty, according to this old minister's suggestion, the only way out for now is to temporarily borrow from the wealthy merchants and magnates in private. After this period, we can think of other solutions..."
Seeing that no one had anything to say, Cai Jing gave a wry smile and stepped forward directly.
Who asked him to become the Grand Minister of Works?
At this time, he could only step forward and take the blame...
"Grand Minister of Works speaks easily, but borrowing at this time, how will the court repay it later? Will our great Song dynasty, this vast nation, ultimately default on the debts of a few commoners?"
As soon as Cai Jing finished speaking, someone immediately stepped forward to sabotage.
Upon hearing this, even Cai Jing, who had weathered many storms, felt his old face flush.
Wasn't it him who had done such a thing last time?