SFS Chapter 392 The Cuckold Emperor (4)
Chapter 392 The Cuckold Emperor (4)
Liu Yan was stunned. Could it be that Ning Ning was so heartless?
Her annual food and clothing expenses are more expensive than those of the princess. If the money is not paid by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Liu family will never be able to afford it!
The housekeeper said awkwardly, "The officials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that you have spent a lot of money over the years, young lady, and you have to pay it back. They are sorting out the accounts these two days, and they will come to the mansion to settle the accounts after they are sorted out."
"What?! How dare these wicked slaves humiliate people like this!"
Liu Yan was filled with grief and indignation. She felt that the gazes falling on her were like sharp arrows, leaving her nowhere to hide.
But a few outspoken ladies and young ladies started talking about her. Although their voices were not loud, they were still clearly heard by her in such an awkward and silent occasion.
Mrs. Wang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had long been fed up with her, so she took the opportunity to teach her cousin a lesson, "Look, what did your sister tell you before? Girls in the boudoir should respect their status and must not accept things from unrelated men. Otherwise, if the marriage fails, everyone will not know whether to call you Miss or Madam!"
Mrs. Li, the wife of the Minister of Justice, also said, "For a family like ours, who can be short of a few silver coins? We should live frugally, not put on airs, and not let others look down on us."
"Yes, my sisters taught me that."
Liu Yan was so angry that her chest rose and fell violently. "Don't gossip here. The emperor spent it on me voluntarily. The friendship between the emperor and I since childhood is not something you can understand!"
Madam Wang snorted coldly: "Friendship? Since you don't want to be a concubine, why do you use the emperor's money? Isn't this a double-entry?"
Madam Li also said, "The money of the Imperial Household Department is the royal treasury. Since you are not a member of the royal family, how can you use it? The officials in the Imperial Household Department are also of different ranks. Why do you call them slaves? Are they your servants?!"
Others also discussed, "That's right, she has made such a big move in the past few years, how can she fill the hole in the Ministry of Internal Affairs!"
"I heard that she refused to enter the palace and was removed from the selection list. I thought she had returned all the money, but I didn't expect that not only did she not return it, but she also held such a grand banquet, and the money was still paid by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is really, tsk tsk..."
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have come here today. I ended up eating something that someone bought on credit!"
Liu Yan's eyes were red. "Shut up! I will find a way to solve it. Don't bother with me."
Madam Wang laughed and said, "What can you do? Are you hoping that the Emperor will help you again?"
She was born into a good family, and her husband was also a close minister of the emperor. He had been in contact with Ning Ning a lot in the past few days. When he came back, he couldn't help but sigh to her, saying that the emperor had been in charge of government affairs recently with clear thoughts and extensive conversation. In this way, he really had the demeanor of a wise ruler, and was no longer obsessed with Liu Yan as before. So when many people were confused and thought that the emperor was just angry with Liu Yan, their family had some confidence in their hearts.
I’m afraid that even if Liu Yan wants to enter the palace now, the emperor will not allow it.
Liu Yan felt even more ashamed after being exposed by her, and immediately shouted: "Even if I don't rely on the emperor, I can still get through this difficult time!"
As she spoke, she stood up and left. The stewards hurried over to stop her, "Hey, why are you leaving right now?"
"Just give me a definite time for when the bill will be settled!"
"Whether we are from the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Liu family, we businessmen want hard cash!"
"Why hold a flower viewing party if you don't have money? Why put on airs if you don't have money!"
Liu Yan was so angry that tears started streaming down her face. "You ungrateful slaves, don't even think about me patronizing your business again! Go to the Liu Mansion tomorrow to collect your money!"
"Hey, are you leaving now? We have already made a deal. We must get the money tomorrow!"
"Humph, it would be a blessing for us if a customer like you didn't come to patronize us!"
This incident instantly caused a stir in the capital, and was much more lively than the flower-viewing banquet. Soon it reached the palace, and the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department told him the whole story in vivid detail.
Ning Ning, "You have nothing else to say? Can't you see that I have so many memorials to review?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I just don't know what your Majesty means. Do you still want Miss Liu to pay back the money she owes you?"
"Of course. You will go and pass on the order tomorrow. If Liu Yan is short of money, the Liu family will pay back the money she owes. Not a penny less!"
The original person was really ridiculous. In order to please Liu Yan, he actually allowed her to withdraw the royal money at will.
Not to mention that she is not a concubine. Even if she is, the expenses of concubines in the harem have their own regulations. How can she be allowed to be extravagant and wasteful!
It is because of the gradual violation of rules that the government has become increasingly weak!
Therefore, the Liu Mansion, which was already very lively tomorrow, became even more lively after the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrived, like boiling oil in a pot, and it completely boiled!
Liu Yan was also stunned. "Emperor, did the emperor really say that? He wants me to pay back all the money he owes me?"
"Miss Liu, the emperor has even issued an order, how could it be false? Do we dare to forge the imperial decree?"
Liu Chang said with a bitter face, "But we owe three hundred thousand taels of silver. How can we afford it?"
He didn't even notice that this stupid girl actually used so much silver!
"Lord Liu, this is your fault. Your daughter is not married yet, and all her expenses should be borne by the family. In the past, His Majesty did not care because he knew your daughter well. But you shouldn't keep owing money to her. Does His Majesty have to help your Liu family raise their daughter?!"
"I dare not, I absolutely dare not, I just said something wrong. It's all because of my poor teaching. I didn't know she spent so much money, which made it difficult for me to collect it all at once."
"We don't care. We are here on the emperor's orders. If you don't pay back the money within three days, we will confiscate your property and pay off the debt!"
Liu Yan was so angry that her eyes turned red. "You don't have to say anything irresponsible. At worst, we can just sell our property and pay you back!"
But even though she dared to speak so boldly, her sister-in-law could not stand it, "Dad, Mom, this mansion will be left to our master in the future. How can you use up all the money in the family just to support my little aunt!"
When she got married, she thought that she would have a sister-in-law who would be the queen in the future and she would be able to benefit from it. But in the end, she didn't get any benefit, and instead had to pay off the debt.
Liu Yan was so angry that she was about to explode. "Dad, Mom, you just watched my sister-in-law throw a tantrum! I didn't use all the money by myself. I often bought supplements to honor you. I took mom and sister-in-law with me when I made jewelry and new clothes. I also held various banquets to help the family build connections. You didn't say anything at the time, so why are you blaming me now? I, I - uh!"
She was so angry that she fainted!
The people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that if they couldn’t pay the money back in three days, their house would be confiscated.
And those merchants who came to collect debts were even more rude. They said they would not leave unless the money was paid back, making the mansion more chaotic than a vegetable market!
For the sake of face, Liu Chang could only order all the cash in the account office to be taken out and the accounts of the merchants to be paid first. Then he pulled Liu's mother and whispered, "You go to see Madam Shoukang and ask her to test the emperor's attitude and say that Yan'er is ignorant and did not mean to offend the emperor. Please ask the emperor to calm down. As long as the emperor can forgive us, I will send her to the palace immediately. No matter what position she holds, I will obey the emperor's will."