Chapter 215 – The Tip of the Iceberg

Chapter 215 - The Tip of the Iceberg

Li Ying thought about how his lord dealt with subordinates who made mistakes and involuntarily shivered. "Good brother, you have to teach me more..."

Gao Sheng put on an act of reluctance. "Cough, cough. It's not that I can't teach you, but you have to treat me to two jars of premium Peach Blossom Snow."

"I'll treat you, I'll treat you. That's settled." Li Ying was eager to learn to avoid any future missteps.

Only then did Gao Sheng nod in satisfaction and began whispering instructions into his ear.

Compared to the tranquility at Xie Mansion, the outside world was lambasting it mercilessly.

News of Xie Yuan's wager with Prince Bei of Dongrong Country at the palace banquet spread like wildfire through the streets. Officials who had refrained from criticizing Xie Yuan at the banquet unleashed their fury once they returned home. This was even more so for commoners who heard the news.

The criticism reached its peak after a group of ministers went to the emperor last night to try and stop the wager but failed.

"Initially, we thought he was different from his father, but it turns out, a rat's son knows how to dig holes!"

"Hush, lower your voice. Aren't you afraid of being overheard by one of the Lord of Hell's minions? You don't know, but I've heard that nearly every day, several corpses are carried out of Xie Mansion!"

"Pah! I'm not afraid. What do I have to lose but my life? But I won't stand idly by while our Great Shen's kingdom is destroyed by this corrupt official!"

"This martial arts competition absolutely cannot take place! If it does, what future will there be for our Great Shen?"

Speculation flew like snowflakes, and the servants at Su Mansion were no less engaged in hushed discussions.

When Su Rong came to see Su Youyue, she happened to overhear some of these conversations and immediately scolded the servants.

After Su Youyue had disciplined those maids and servants previously, no one dared to show disrespect to Su Rong. They all meekly agreed after her reprimand.

Despite this, Su Rong was still fuming as she ran to Su Youyue's courtyard.

"Big Sister, Brother-in-Law isn't a corrupt official, right?"

Su Youyue was drinking tea when she heard this and choked, coughing several times before regaining her composure. "You, you little girl, who is your Brother-in-Law?"

Su Rong blinked. "It's Lord Xie. Everyone says he's a corrupt official, but I don't believe it. How could someone Big Sister likes be a corrupt official?"

Looking into the stubborn eyes of the little girl, Su Youyue knew that she must have heard something else. Otherwise, why hadn't she asked about it during the banquet where she had also heard similar comments?

"I..." Su Youyue wanted to explain that Xie Yuan wasn't the person she liked, but she didn't know where to start or how to explain the complicated relationship between herself and Xie Yuan.

After much thought, she could only sigh and address Su Rong's question. "If it's just about today's wager, I can tell you that Xie Yuan is definitely not a corrupt official. This wager wasn't his idea; it was the emperor's."

Su Rong was stunned, not expecting that the mastermind behind the wager was the emperor.

Then, weren't those ministers who argued with the emperor just wasting their time?

After explaining to Su Rong, Su Youyue felt a sudden stirring in her heart.

In her previous life, she, like others, firmly believed that Xie Yuan was a corrupt official. However, the longer she spent by his side, the more she realized that things were different from what outsiders said.

Now, thinking back, could Xie Yuan's actions when he was labeled a corrupt official in other instances also be explained in the same way?

Perhaps many of the things he did were what the emperor wanted to do but couldn't directly. He had to carry them out on the emperor's behalf.

Recalling her previous life, Emperor Baili Hongxuan's hands seemed clean, dedicated to the people, which earned him excellent public reputation.

But now, it appeared that the new emperor's character was not so simple...

Indeed, many things in this world were not simply black or white...

Su Youyue didn't want to delve too deep into the explanation for the little girl because even she couldn't fully understand the matters of the imperial court. So, she could only stroke the little girl's hair bun. "You should know that from now on, our Great Shen will become increasingly prosperous under the emperor's leadership... Of course, Lord Xie deserves credit as well."

In her previous life, Great Shen became stronger and stronger, reaching a point where it could stand on equal footing with Dongrong Country by the time of her death. This was closely tied to the emperor, but also crucially dependent on the presence of Xie Yuan, a powerful minister.

What everyone saw of Xie Yuan now was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Su Youyue knew well the extent of his abilities to turn the tide with a mere flick of his wrist. He could make resolute criminals kneel and beg for mercy, easily solve cases that ordinary people found unimaginable, and manage his subordinates with impeccable order. He also had an extensive network of informants spanning the entire continent.

Anyone who learned a bit more about him would realize the depth of the abyss hidden beneath his calm exterior, where lives were extinguished without a trace.

Su Youyue's gaze was far-reaching. After understanding that the wager wasn't Xie Yuan's doing, Su Rong became giddy. "I knew Brother-in-Law wasn't a corrupt official!"

"Su Rong!" Su Youyue scolded the little girl. "Who taught you to call him that!"

Su Rong hadn't been scolded by her elder sister in a long time, but she wasn't scared this time. Instead, she was puzzled. "Isn't Big Sister's marriage to Lord Xie scheduled for three months from now? Soon, Lord Xie will be my Brother-in-Law. Big Sister, don't be shy. I'll only call him that in private. No one else will hear!"

"..."

Who said she was shy!

Su Youyue nearly exploded. She pinched the soft cheeks of the little girl. "Don't call him that. Whether our marriage happens is still uncertain!"

Su Rong wasn't hurt by the pinching. Seeing her usually mature elder sister suddenly acting lively made her happy.

However, upon hearing her words, Su Rong couldn't help but wonder. "Big Sister, you don't want to marry Lord Xie?"

Of course, Su Youyue didn't want to. It wasn't just that she didn't want to marry Xie Yuan; she didn't want to marry anyone!

If her fiancé were someone else, she would have broken off the engagement long ago.

But it was Xie Yuan...

Aside from everything he had done for her, she was becoming increasingly embarrassed to bring up breaking the engagement. Even if she did, she doubted he would agree.

He seemed accommodating in other matters, but in this case, he was surprisingly forceful and unwilling to accept refusal when it came to their marriage.

To Su Rong's question, had it been some time ago, Su Youyue could have answered with unwavering certainty that she would not. But now, she didn't know how to respond.

Didn't she want it to be useful?

In her previous life, he forced her to accompany him in Xie Mansion for sleep, and this life was no different.

Forget it, if she truly couldn't refuse this marriage, anyway, they had already slept together in her previous life. What would be different in this life?

Recalling the suffocating scene of their final, decisive parting in her previous life, Su Youyue suddenly felt a pang of pain in her heart, an indescribable sense of grievance welling up within her.

When had he ever respected her thoughts and feelings in front of him?