The bedroom of Funing Palace.
When Cao Bin came in, the emperor was looking through the evidence of the Zeng family's crimes that he handed over.
Most of these are true, but there are also some letters that Cao Bin deliberately imitated other people's handwriting to eliminate the suspicion of Master Pang.
Before going to Xixia as an envoy, his family bought a copy of "Full Language Proficiency in Writing".
Whether it is Xixia script or Khitan script, there is no pressure on him.
After an unknown amount of time, the emperor asked seriously: "Cao Bin, tell the truth, are all these evidences true?"
In terms of solid evidence, Cao Bin was somewhat confident that the emperor could not find anything.
But since the emperor asked such a question, he definitely didn't believe that Pang Ji was innocent, and he almost knew that things had reached this point.
Therefore, Cao Bin did not intend to hide it and said cautiously:
"The official pardons me, but I have forged several of the letters..."
Seeing the emperor's expressionless face, he felt a little uneasy. If the emperor pursued the matter seriously, he might also be implicated by Pang Ji.
Suddenly the emperor laughed suddenly, pointed to the stool on one side and said:
"Be honest, sit down and talk."
When Cao Bin heard this, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Without being polite, he sat down on the stool and asked:
"The officials won't kill the grand master, right?"
"The Grand Master is just greedy for money and has no intention of collaborating with the enemy. Moreover, he has rarely done such things in the past two years."
The emperor laughed dumbly and said:
"Pang Ji has a son-in-law like you, which is considered a sign of his good deeds. If you hadn't saved him desperately, I'm afraid he wouldn't even be able to pass the Kou Zhun test."
As he said this, he looked over the Zeng family's criminal evidence again and muttered:
"There are many changes in the court now, so it is not appropriate to involve too many people. If the punishment is heavy, someone will take the opportunity to cause trouble..."
"Forget it, just blame Pangji on those traitors in Zengtou City."
"But we can't let Pang Ji become an official at old age and return to his hometown with great reputation."
"I will issue an edict to remove the noble title from both his father and son."
After speaking, he looked at Cao Bin and said, "Do you think I handled it appropriately?"
Seeing that the emperor actually asked for his opinion, Cao Bin was quite flattered. He quickly thanked him and said with tears of gratitude:
"Wei Chen thanks the imperial family for their great kindness..."
When the emperor saw him acting like this, he suddenly laughed with satisfaction:
"Okay, get up. Pang Ji is also my father-in-law. I still miss my old relationship."
Cao Bin pondered for a moment, took out two formulas from his pocket, bowed and said:
"In the official family, I would like to present you with the perfume and soap formula."
The emperor suddenly became interested and asked:
"These two businesses can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, right? Are you willing to do so?"
Cao Bin said firmly: "I am willing!"
The core craftsmanship of perfume and soap is all in the hands of Cao Bin. It is a monopoly business and extremely profitable.
Without Taishi Pang standing behind him, there would definitely be a lot of covetous people.
Although they wouldn't do anything to Cao Bin, he didn't want to put all his energy into business.
At this time, dedicating business to the emperor is the best choice.
He also didn't believe that the emperor would not leave him any benefits.
In this way, you can not only tie up the interests, but also please the emperor, why not do it?
Cao Bin added: "Officials should not underestimate these two businesses. If workshops were built throughout the Song Dynasty, there would be at least millions of dollars in revenue every year."
This statement immediately surprised the emperor and he said in disbelief: "Can you really make money like this?"
Although the Song Dynasty was rich, with tens of millions of dollars in taxes every year, its expenditures were not small, with military expenditures alone reaching more than 30 million dollars.
Coupled with redundant officials and redundant expenses, the palace was actually very strapped, and the emperor had no money to spend at all.
Seeing Cao Bin offering such a profitable business, the emperor was overjoyed for a moment. The more he looked at Cao Bin, the more he liked him. He pondered for a long time and said:
"How can I take advantage of you? Let's follow the way you and Pang Ji operate, and I will split the balance with you 70/30."
The two discussed the details, and the young eunuch came in to report: "Guan family, lunch is ready."
The emperor told him: "Go and ask Pang Shunrong to come over."
Cao Bin was about to retire, but the emperor stopped him and said happily:
"You can have dinner with me in the palace today and give Pang Shunrong some relief."
Although Cao Bin had attended palace banquets before, this was the first time that he was treated to a meal by the emperor alone.
Most of the people who can receive this honor are important officials of the imperial court, and Cao Bin can be regarded as setting a precedent.
After a while, Concubine Pang followed the little eunuch in.
This was the first time she met the emperor after she was demoted. She felt a little uneasy and didn't know what had happened.
It's not surprising that she thought this way, it was because after the Pang family's incident, there was so much bad news that she was a little frightened.
But seeing Cao Bin sitting next to her, she couldn't help but feel relieved and a little surprised.
I don’t know when Cao Bin was so valued by the emperor.
After saluting, the emperor waved and said:
"My beloved, come and sit."
Seeing a flash of surprise in Concubine Pang's eyes, the emperor didn't pay attention and said with a smile:
"I have forgiven your father's crime, now you can rest assured."
Seeing that Concubine Pang didn't react for a moment, Cao Bin hurriedly explained:
"The officials are kind and considerate of the friendship between the empress and cannot bear to investigate the grand master's past sins."
"Now that Grand Master and Brother Yu have returned to their hometown, they can enjoy their wealth and live happily ever after."
When Concubine Pang heard this, her eyes turned red and she quickly thanked her. Now she was finally relieved.
When the emperor saw this, he was very satisfied. Then he remembered something and asked Cao Bin:
"I heard that Kou Zhun asked the Queen Mother to act as a matchmaker to arrange a marriage between Juncai and the eighth sister of the Yang family?"
When Concubine Pang heard this, her expression was startled, and she quickly looked at Cao Bin, suddenly feeling a little scared.
If Cao Bin marries Sister Yang, it will be equivalent to severing ties with the Pang family, and he will immediately feel like he has lost his support.
However, she could understand it and could only sigh secretly.
Now that Grand Master Pang has lost power and is covered with stigma, if Cao Bin marries the Pang family, not only will he not be able to get help, but his future will also be affected.
It is reasonable to cancel the engagement with the Pang family. After all, Cao Bin has helped the Pang family so much.
Upon hearing the emperor's question, Cao Bin quickly said:
"Back at the official residence, the Grand Master has entrusted the sister of the Pang family to me, and Wei Chen plans to get married to her in the near future."
Hearing this, not only Concubine Pang's heart trembled, but even the emperor was shocked.
"Juncai, actually...you don't have to be like this."
Concubine Pang quickly advised.
Cao Bin said indifferently: "Cao has been engaged to the Pang family since he was a child, how could he break the promise?"
The emperor said nothing, but looked at Cao Bin with even more satisfaction, as if looking at a treasure.
Whether from the perspective of personal sensibility or from the perspective of a superior, Cao Bin's marriage to the Pang family was something the emperor would like to see.
He is also more willing to see Cao Bin's friendship-oriented side...
Although the taste of this royal meal was very ordinary, the atmosphere was very harmonious.
After dinner, Cao Bin was about to leave, but the emperor asked:
"Juncai, how is your Qi training recovery going?"
