Chapter 170: The Emperor just happened to pass by and took all the credit—what kind of situation is this

Jiang Rong felt that if things were truly as her mother described, then if she were to receive the Emperor's favor, wouldn't she be the one profiting?

Besides, her greatest crisis right now was being suppressed by the Chamber of Commerce.

Even if the City Lord could help her uphold justice tomorrow, what about afterward?

The Chamber of Commerce and other families would still unite to suppress the Jiang family, or rather, seek revenge.

Jiang Rong thought carefully: the reason Zhang Wanshan, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, could bully her so much was precisely because he had the Prefect backing him.

The Prefect was an existence who held great power over the region, a giant that a common merchant family like hers dared not offend.

But the problem was, while they couldn't afford to offend the Prefect, in front of the Emperor, wasn't he just a dog?

As long as she obtained the Emperor's favor, who would dare bully her?

Furthermore, her mother was currently embroiled in the trouble of colluding with demons and was being watched by the Lin Chengjian.

How terrifying was the new Lin Chengjian? She was the Emperor's trusted aide. Relying solely on this layer of connection, let alone in Shanghe City, the Lin Chengjian was extremely formidable even in the Imperial Capital.

The reason for this was simply that she had received the Emperor's care.

Now that the Emperor was right by her side, she could also go and beg for the Emperor's care; this was very reasonable.

Moreover, Jiang Rong had seen Li Chen's appearance. To say a woman isn't attracted to beauty would be a lie; it's just that you haven't grown into someone who could make her feel that way.

Just now, while chatting, the way Jiang Rong looked at Li Chen was already filled with longing, though she hadn't even realized it herself.

Now that her mother brought up the topic of becoming an Imperial Consort, Jiang Rong was very tempted, her heart beating rapidly.

No matter how she looked at it, if she became an Imperial Consort, it would be a huge gain.

Her mother had also said that this opportunity might only come once.

Just as Xie Minjun was preparing to increase the intensity of her persuasion, Jiang Rong said, "Then I will listen to Mother. I'll go change my clothes and give it a try! But if the Emperor doesn't take a fancy to me, there's nothing I can do."

Hearing this, Xie Minjun revealed a relieved smile.

As a mother, she was originally embarrassed to do such a thing, but seeing how things were, her daughter was not only not repulsed but actually somewhat fond of the idea, which was even better.

As for what kind of women Li Chen liked and what his hobbies were, Xie Minjun knew very clearly.

"Rest assured, think about it this way: if the Emperor didn't like you, why would he chat with you so much?"

Hearing her mother's words, Jiang Rong felt much more at ease.

After changing her clothes, Jiang Rong, accompanied by her mother, arrived at Li Chen's room.

That she could have her mother's company, Jiang Rong could still understand.

She was indeed very shy, and many things were difficult to bring up.

That she would subsequently receive her mother's guidance, Jiang Rong could understand, even if she felt embarrassed.

It was just that, in the end, why did her mother stay behind as well? This, Jiang Rong found difficult to understand!

The next morning, Jiang Rong had things to do, and unable to bear the immense pressure, she left the Jiang Fu first.

In Jiang Rong's view, with City Lord Ding Tianming helping this morning, there shouldn't be much of a problem.

When she needed Li Chen, she would then invite Li Chen out to help.

Such a small matter wouldn't trouble Li Chen to solve; she wanted to win some dignity for herself!

By the time Jiang Rong arrived at the shop, Lin Mo had already been waiting there for a long time.

He knew Jiang Rong had been deceived by Ding Tianming, but he didn't say it directly.

He wanted to wait until Jiang Rong was bullied in every way before he stepped in to resolve the situation, so as to demonstrate his capability.

Seeing Jiang Rong appear, Lin Mo immediately stepped forward to greet her: "Good morning, Eldest Miss. Eh, Eldest Miss, what happened to you?"

Lin Mo had noticed that Jiang Rong's walking posture was a bit off.

Jiang Rong immediately waved her hand to indicate: "I caught a cold last night, my stomach is uncomfortable, and I took a tumble. It's not a big problem."

She couldn't very well tell the truth.

Lin Mo thought that the Jiang Fu was full of female dependents, and Jiang Rong wasn't the type of loose woman, so he didn't think much of it.

At the same time, at the Jiang Fu.

Li Chen had just walked out of his room when noisy sounds came from outside.

It seemed that government soldiers had charged in, and the Jiang Fu's maids didn't dare to block them.

Seeing the surging government soldiers, the beautiful lady Jiang Ningyue and the young daughter-in-law Dong Zhiqing, who were preparing breakfast, were both quite frightened.

Especially the official authority on Lin Yue'e, that powerful aura and that "strangers keep away" expression were naturally enough to make ordinary people afraid.

Learning of Xie Minjun's whereabouts from Jiang Ningyue, Lin Yue'e headed to the backyard to make an arrest.

As a result, just as she walked into the backyard, she saw a familiar figure walking toward her.

The two aggressive government soldiers beside Lin Yue'e were preparing to make an arrest, wanting to perform well in front of this new Lin Chengjian.

As a result, when Lin Yue'e saw this person, she knelt directly on the ground and said respectfully: "Your subordinate Lin Yue'e pays respects to Your Majesty!"

This scene left the government soldiers somewhat stunned, but Lin Yue'e was the Emperor's confidante and had the Emperor's waist medallion; she couldn't possibly have recognized the wrong person.

In an instant, the courtyard was filled with people kneeling.

Even those maids only then learned that Li Chen's identity was the Emperor.

Li Chen was a bit bewildered; what happened?

I've only been resting at the Jiang family for a few days, and the Jiang family's female dependents are all here voluntarily; you don't have to bring people to arrest me, do you?

"Everyone rise. Why have you come to the Jiang family?"

Li Chen was quite calm. While heading to the hall to eat breakfast, he listened to Lin Yue'e reporting from the side.

While Lin Yue'e was reporting, Li Chen even handed her some food, and she continued her report after finishing it.

This scene left the surrounding people stunned.

The government soldiers thought to themselves: It seems Inspector Lin is truly the Emperor's confidante; this relationship is truly extraordinary.

With the Emperor present, they naturally stood straight.

By the time Li Chen had eaten his fill, he already knew roughly what had happened.

There were two matters.

First, this morning, someone took evidence to the Lin Chengjian's office to report the Jiang family's First Lady, Xie Minjun, for colluding with demons.

Second, also this morning, someone went to the Lin Chengjian's office to report that City Lord Ding Tianming and Chamber of Commerce head Zhang Wanshan were colluding to secretly deal with the Jiang family.

Lin Yue'e thought that since Ding Tianming and Zhang Wanshan couldn't run away, she would first come to arrest Xie Minjun, and then go to the Chamber of Commerce to uphold justice.

Seeing Li Chen in Shanghe City, Lin Yue'e was not surprised; they had both set off from the Imperial Capital around the same time.

It was just that she hadn't expected to see Li Chen at the Jiang family.

But thinking about it, it made sense; the Jiang family had an Imperial Consort and was indeed related to the Imperial family.

Li Chen also knew about Xie Minjun's matter; she had taken the initiative to confess to Li Chen herself.

In fact, the final right of interpretation for such matters truly rested with Li Chen; Li Chen could handle it however he wanted.

Even Lin Yue'e could only stand obediently to the side.

Beside the Jiang Fu, Jiang Ningyue and Dong Zhiqing looked at Li Chen with immense adoration.

Lin Yue'e, who had such a powerful aura, was as obedient as a kitten beside Li Chen.

Even though the two of them had never questioned Li Chen's identity, the aura Li Chen was now displaying was enough to make countless people on the scene tremble with fear.

With so many people here, Li Chen said: "I am already personally investigating the matter of Xie Minjun colluding with demons. As for the Chamber of Commerce, I will accompany you to take a look."

Li Chen would undoubtedly favor the Jiang family; there was no problem with that at all. After all, the Jiang family was either mother-in-law and daughter-in-law serving him earnestly, or mother and daughter working hard to serve him.

Moreover, what Xie Minjun did could be considered understandable; Li Chen would just punish her severely when the time came.

As for Jiang Rong, who was being targeted by the City Lord and the Chamber of Commerce head, she was also Li Chen's newly taken consort.

Through Lin Yue'e's account, Li Chen knew that the other side was completely bullying others by relying on their power.

Coincidentally, Li Chen also liked to bully others by relying on his power.

He didn't believe that in this country, there existed anyone more powerful than himself.

Hearing Li Chen say this, Lin Yue'e immediately took her people to accompany Li Chen as he left the Jiang family and headed toward the Chamber of Commerce.

Li Chen said he would accompany Lin Yue'e to take a look, but Lin Yue'e wasn't foolish enough to think Li Chen only intended to accompany her.

The female dependents of the Jiang Fu, seeing Li Chen's departing back, felt a sense of security that was simply overflowing.

In their view, there was no problem that this man couldn't solve.

All dangerous troubles vanished into thin air in front of Li Chen.

While Xie Minjun was still sighing, Jiang Ningyue and Dong Zhiqing were both discussing how to serve Li Chen tonight; soon, Xie Minjun joined the conversation as well.

Even the Imperial Consort Wu Nanzhi, who was nearby, felt: with the initiative of the Jiang family's female dependents, it's no wonder the Emperor could take care of them.

In a luxurious area of Shanghe City, there was a magnificent building; this was the Shanghe City Chamber of Commerce.

Being able to be located in this place showed that Shanghe City's commercial development was still very good.

When Li Chen arrived here, before he had even entered, he heard a clamor inside.

In the Chamber of Commerce's council hall, Jiang Rong was also furious.

Clearly, she had seen with her own eyes yesterday that the Zhang family's warehouse contained the silk raw materials that the Sun family was originally supposed to provide. How could City Lord Ding say today that he had sent his subordinates to check, stating that the warehouse was empty and they saw nothing? If she didn't believe it, Jiang Rong could take people to check right now.

Now, even if Jiang Rong were foolish, she knew they were colluding!

If this were in the past, Jiang Rong would already be in despair.

But now it was different; Jiang Rong looked at them fiercely, thinking: Fine, you forced my hand!

I originally intended to reason with you as an ordinary person, but what I got in return was targeting!

Jiang Rong indeed didn't like bullying others by relying on power, but someone insisted on bullying her like this. You think I have no backing? What a joke, just you wait!

Jiang Rong was now going to invite Li Chen over; once Li Chen arrived here, she would see the look on their faces!

But just at this moment, a team of government soldiers charged in from outside.

While the entire Chamber of Commerce was at a loss, the government soldier at the very front shouted loudly: "His Majesty has arrived!"

In an instant, the entire area knelt down, and the sound of welcoming the Emperor resounded throughout the entire Chamber of Commerce.

The representatives of the various families in the Chamber of Commerce could see a young man with an upright posture and an extraordinary, transcendent air walking from the entrance into the council hall.

His appearance brought with it a super-strong pressure, making the people present bury their heads almost to the ground.

That terrifying momentum was like a deity descending to the mortal world, making heaven and earth tremble together!

That's right, Li Chen had clearly activated his meridians; he had both the pressure of supreme imperial power and the pressure of the Sage Realm.

Bullying people? I'm quite good at that.

Either one of these two identities was not something you could withstand, let alone both together.

!

And following behind Li Chen was the new Lin Chengjian, Lin Yue'e.

These merchant families didn't even dare to offend Lin Yue'e, let alone the Emperor Li Chen, who was in front of Lin Yue'e.

Most people on the scene didn't know why the new Emperor Li Chen would come here.

The moment she saw Li Chen, Jiang Rong's sense of happiness was almost overflowing; it was truly a case of getting what she wished for. This time, she had truly grabbed onto a big thigh!

It was fortunate she listened to her mother's advice; otherwise, she would be in trouble today!

Lin Mo, who was nearby, was very surprised; this was completely beyond his expectations.

According to the script he had planned, Jiang Rong should be very desperate right now, not knowing what to do. The appearance of the Lin Chengjian Lin Yue'e should have been fine, and the next part would be the scene where I, Lin Mo, cooperate with the Lin Chengjian to show off my skills. The problem is, why did the Emperor come too?

Li Chen walked directly to the main seat of the Chamber of Commerce and sat down; this was very reasonable.

"Everyone rise. I am on a micro-tour today; you all continue chatting, I'll just join in the fun."

He said it very casually, not taking this place seriously at all.

With Li Chen's status, he truly didn't need to care too much.

With the Emperor suddenly arriving at the Chamber of Commerce hall, everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Just as Shanghe City Lord Ding Tianming and Shanghe City Chamber of Commerce head Zhang Wanshan were preparing to curry favor with Li Chen, Lin Yue'e spoke: "Everyone, this morning, this official received a report stating that City Lord Ding Tianming and Chamber of Commerce head Zhang Wanshan were colluding, uniting with the Sun family to suppress the Jiang family, and that Ding Tianming abused his power to move evidence privately."

As she spoke, Lin Yue'e waved her hand, and several government soldiers walked in from outside the door.

They were pressing several people into the Chamber of Commerce, along with some silk raw materials.

Seeing these few people, Zhang Wanshan knew he was done for.

Because these were precisely the people he had arranged to transport the silk raw materials yesterday.

The next second, Jiang Rong witnessed what is called the face of a merchant and how they trim their sails to the wind.

The first to speak was a merchant with a round figure and a smiling face.

He stood up and spoke righteously: "This Ding Tianming and Zhang Wanshan usually rely on their great power to bully us small-time merchants, and this time they actually joined forces to suppress the Jiang family. This is simply outrageous! I hope His Majesty and the Lin Chengjian can uphold justice for us!"

He was considered quick-witted, remembering that the Jiang family still had an Imperial Consort named Jiang Ningyi.

No matter what, she was still a relative of the Emperor; the Emperor coming here was mostly to support the Jiang family.

Once he said this, the people beside him immediately began to express their own attitudes as well.

Immediately following, another merchant dressed in a gorgeous long robe with a thin face spoke.

His words carried a bit of indignation, but more of a feigned righteous posture: "Your Majesty, this Ding Tianming and Zhang Wanshan not only colluded but also abused their power, privately altering evidence in an attempt to cover up their crimes. Now that the evidence is conclusive, I hope Your Majesty can punish them severely without leniency, to serve as a warning to others!"

The last one to stand out was a cunning-looking man, but his voice was loud and powerful as he said: "Your Majesty, Lin Chengjian, although I am a merchant, I also understand the word 'morality.' The behavior of these two, Ding and Zhang, is simply an insult to our merchant families! I hope His Majesty and the Lin Chengjian can seek justice for us victims!"

Hearing these words, Jiang Rong sneered inwardly.

Just a moment ago, I spoke for a long time, and none of you paid any attention to me, even kicking me while I was down and telling me not to make unreasonable trouble.

How is it that as soon as His Majesty arrived here, you all started supporting me unconditionally?

And these righteous words, the three of you are really shameless enough to say them.

Over the past few years, you haven't received a small amount from swallowing the Jiang family's industries, have you?

It's probably because you saw that His Majesty came to support me, so you turned against them.

Otherwise, usually, these people were just lackeys in front of Ding Tianming and Zhang Wanshan.

Now, everyone's gaze in the Chamber of Commerce hall was directed at Li Chen, waiting for this supreme one to speak.

Li Chen yawned and said: "I'm just here to take a look; you all handle it yourselves."

Li Chen was just here to scare people; he couldn't be bothered to manage so much.

Anyway, I'm just sitting here; I'll just ask if you're afraid.

Since Li Chen had spoken, Lin Yue'e, as the most loyal subject, began to ask for Jiang Rong's opinion.

Seeing this, the crowd of merchants became even more convinced that the Emperor was definitely supporting the Jiang family.

Those who had just spoken well of the Jiang family and denounced the two, Ding and Zhang, all looked at Jiang Rong with pleading eyes.

However, Jiang Rong hadn't yet experienced the expansion brought by power; she just told Lin Yue'e to trouble Lin Yue'e to handle it impartially and return justice to the Jiang family.

Because Jiang Rong had always felt she was in the right; you bullied me in various ways, and I accepted it; business is just like that.

But maliciously targeting me, not fulfilling contracts, and when I investigated it myself, the one surnamed Ding even played me! This is going too far!

Jiang Rong just wanted to vent this pent-up anger.

Seeing that she had said so, Lin Yue'e followed the normal procedures.

As an official, she was very familiar with this set of processes and began to make judgments based on the results of the investigation on the scene.

Ding Tianming abused his power; not only would his position as City Lord be revoked, but he would also be fined and thrown into jail, with his conviction based on subsequent investigations.

Hearing Lin Yue'e's verdict, Ding Tianming pleaded guilty, with no intention of quibbling.

If one were to ask why he didn't resist with his strength?

This was a matter of nuance; Ding Tianming felt that with a Sage Realm Emperor sitting there, what kind of resistance could he put up? Wasn't this just asking for death!

His charge wasn't actually that serious, because he hadn't caused any substantial harm; let alone fighting back, if he even talked back and made His Majesty unhappy.

It was originally just being locked up for a period; it wouldn't be good if it turned into a capital crime.

As for Chamber of Commerce head Zhang Wanshan and the Sun family head, they would accept further investigation by the Lin Chengjian and be punished according to the Chamber of Commerce's regulations.

Neither of them had any major crimes; it was just a commercial dispute, so it could be handled normally.

Zhang Wanshan and the Sun family head knelt on the ground, indicating they would cooperate with the investigation and apologize to Jiang Rong one by one.

Here, Zhang Wanshan and the Sun family head performed very intelligently.

If other merchant families were thrown into such a mess, they would definitely throw the blame directly onto Ding Tianming, saying he instructed them to do so.

That way, the two of them wouldn't have to be punished, and all the blame would be thrown onto Ding Tianming.

But the problem was, their crimes weren't that serious, so they could just bear it themselves.

If they offended Ding Tianming at this time, once Ding Tianming was released, they would have a hard time.

It wasn't worth causing big trouble over such a small matter.

If it were truly a capital crime, the two of them would definitely bite Ding Tianming hard.

Just like that, the Chamber of Commerce turmoil subsided directly because of Li Chen's appearance.

Now Zhang Wanshan definitely couldn't be the head; core members immediately suggested electing Jiang Rong as the new head.

Not only that, those merchant families that had once swallowed the Jiang family's industries returned the industries to Jiang Rong under various pretexts, and the profits from these past few years were also doubled and returned.

Those who didn't have a direct conflict with the Jiang family all began to curry favor with the Jiang family, talking about cooperation and the like with Jiang Rong; once a contract was signed, it was for decades.

One could say the character of the representatives of the merchant families wasn't great, but their vision was.

With Jiang Rong's appearance and conditions, it wasn't impossible for her to become an Imperial Consort.

Don't wait until you get cleaned up by Jiang Rong; it's better to admit defeat now and curry favor with Jiang Rong.

As for why it was currying favor with Jiang Rong instead of Li Chen?

It was because they were too lowly; they didn't even have the qualifications to curry favor with Li Chen.

Those who could be dogs for Li Chen were not ordinary people.

So they could only curry favor with Jiang Rong in front of Li Chen to make Li Chen feel pleased.

The most uncomfortable person on the scene was none other than Lin Mo.

Because he didn't succeed in showing off!

Originally, today was the time for the Chamber of Commerce to let him shine; all the layouts were for him to stand out and show off, winning the favor of the beauty.

As a result, the Emperor who was just passing by took all the credit—what kind of situation is this!

And just now, he noticed that the way Jiang Rong looked at the Emperor carried not only a trace of gratitude but also endless joy.

This showed that Jiang Rong had a good impression of the Emperor.

If this Emperor took the opportunity to take down his goddess, then it would be a disaster.

Lin Mo was thinking about how he could turn the situation around and not let his goddess be taken a fancy to by the Emperor.

Or he had to find a way to tell Jiang Rong that this matter was actually him helping, not the Emperor!

At this moment, another team of people charged in from the entrance.

This team was aggressive, their armor majestic and awe-inspiring!

Everyone on the scene was surprised; who dared to disturb the Imperial Carriage?

As a result, the leading powerhouse rushed over and performed a slide-kneel, kowtowing before Li Chen: "Your subordinate, Shanghe City Prefect Zhang Zhishan, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 171 =====