Chapter 1209: TangNing Lodging complaints (2/2)

That afternoon, Tang Zijin sent someone to invite Ning Jing into the study and instructed her to come alone. Little Tang Tang was still napping while Tang Li was working on his weapons in a corner. Ning Jing gave the servant girl a look before sneaking off. But she had hardly entered the study and sat down when Tang Li appeared at the door. He walked in front of Ning Jing and stared at her, unmoving.

Ning Jing knew what he meant and quickly explained herself. “I saw that you were busy, so I didn’t disturb you.”

Only then did Tang Li moved to stand behind Ning Jing. He didn’t sit down until she pulled him to a seat, but instantly bowed his head when he did, as if lost in his own world. It was obvious that he never left it except for Ning Jing and little Tang Tang.

Lady Tang had gotten used to this ages ago, but Tang Zijin only felt his temper flare at the sight! What had his son, the Tang Clan Head, been reduced to?

“Old father, didn’t you have things to ask?” Lady Tang spoke up.

Ning Jing was surpised. She thought Lady Tang would know what Tang Zijin wanted her to do, but it looked like she’d been summoned here too.

“Who was in charge of purchasing the latest batch of weapons due from outsider sellers?” Tang Zijin got straight to the point, his tone stern.

When spring came, the Tang Clan was required to hand over a large shipment of weapons to the royal court. Because there were problems with the raw materials last time, they had to repurchase the items and have them shipped to the Tang Clan, thus delaying the delivery by a month. Judging from past speeds, it would be an impossible task for the workers to finish them on time.

Lady Tang was left fretting until Ning Jing suggested the Tang Clan sell off their weapons and buy some others to fix up and re-make with the seal of the Tang Clan. These could be sent off to the royal court instead. By now, their purchases had already reached the storehouse. Ning Jing came up with another idea: to have Lady Tang raise the salaries of the workers so they could keep working until New Year’s Eve. According to her calculations, they should be able to make the deadline by then.

But what did Tang Zijin mean by coming back to pursue this matter?

Before Ning Jing could speak up, Lady Tang immediately said, “It was my idea!” As she spoke, she shot Ning Jing furious looks, hinting to her that this wasn’t as simple as it looked.

“You?” Tang Zijin smiled coldly. “Since when did my wife turn so clever? How could you purchase so many weapons at such a low price?”

Tang Zijin, what do you mean by this? Are you saying you’ve always thought I was stupid?” Lady Tang suddenly lost her temper and slappd the table.

Tang Zijin coughed a few times, then went on, “Wife, someone’s told the whole story to His Highness already. I was expressly sent here to investigate the matter, but you two still won’t tell me the truth! How am I supposed to help you out? Did you guys purchase secondhand weapons or not?”

Lady Tang and Ning Jing were both alarmed by his words.

The war had just ended, so the various military factions were in desperate need of more weapons. Ning Jing’s own arms trade had long ran out of goods, or else she wouldn’t need to buy weapons from other sellers. She had contacted an arms dealer with weapons in stock only after difficulty, but found out his goods were all secondhand. They had been picked up off the battlefields and re-polished.

Ning Jing and Lady Tang had discussed the matter and its pros and cons before decided to purchase the lot.

Growing uneasy, Ning Jing asked, “Who tattled before we even delivered the goods to court?”

“Let’s not talk about that now. Since the Tang Clan is in charge of manufacturing the Great Qin’s weapons, each and every one of its tools belongs to the imperial court!” Tang Zijin’s face was stern. “Ning Jing, the past cannot be compared with the present. You can say things like that here, but if word spreads, even the empress won’t be able to protect you!”

Although his words were unpleasant to hear, they were full of logic. The Tang Clan was in control of Great Qin’s weapons, including its manufacture, storage, and shipment to various military factions. After Han Yunxi gave her orders, the Ministry of Revenue had given the Tang Clan silver, making it part of the Ministry of War. If one followed Ning Jing’s logic and considered the weapons not part of the imperial court before they reached the palace, then who did they belong to otherwise? Privately amassing arms or providing others with weapons was a massive crime. Others could even accuse them of treason with such actions!

Ning Jing was an intelligent girl, so she understood the implications. In the past, Long Feiye and Han Yunxi could call the shots for everything. Now they called the shots for all of Great Qin, but they couldn’t declare dictatorship over all issues without reason. Their decisions had to earn the approval of the majority as well.

Ning Jing admitted faintly, “This matter isn’t mother’s fault. It was my idea. I was planning to wait until the New Year’s to report it to the empress. The country’s just been established and many aspects are still being developed. The empress has long emphasized increasing income while reducing expenditures. These secondhand weapons can be re-polished and used anew, so why should we waste them?”

“But the imperial court gave enough silver to create a set of weapons,” Tang Zijin reminded coldly.

“The cost of the secondhand weapons isn’t even a third of the allocated funds. I’ve already calculated the costs and kept accounts in my study. I will send up the account books at the same time we deliver the weapons,” Ning Jing said sincerely. She wasn’t lacking for silver and had plenty of money in her own private accounts. She would only help Han Yunxi save money, not waste it.

Tang Zijin only shook his head. “Ning Jing, your one moment of brilliance will lead to a lifetime to idiocy! The ones accusing us claim the Tang Clan was acting of its own accord and executing matters first before reporting them to the emperor. They say we deceived our superiors and deluded our subordinates, thus looking down on the might of the emperor! Tell me, should this old man hand you over to the court, or offer up my wife instead?”

Ning Jing and Lady Tang were both shocked. How can...this be?

Tang Zijin added, “Do you know who made the accusation to the emperor?”

“Who?” Lady Tang asked hastily.

Tang Zijin broke into an icy smile. “Someone from Cloud Realm Trade Consortium!”