Hearing this, Su Wan'er was also stunned. When did she develop the habit of showing her emotions so openly?
But looking at Si Junlin's expression, it didn't seem like he was testing her...
Of course, she couldn't tell Si Junlin her true thoughts. So she casually made up an excuse to fob him off.
"I was just thinking about how hard the common people in the world must be living under the monopoly of the imperial merchants."
Si Junlin gave her a faint look. Obviously, he didn't believe what she said.
By now, Su Wan'er's expression had returned to normal. So it was impossible for Si Junlin to read any message from her face.
Well. Knowing what kind of person the woman in front of him was, Si Junlin decided to give up. There would be plenty of time in the future. He believed that one day, Su Wan'er would tell him what was hidden in her heart.
"It seems that you've gotten quite used to your current position," Si Junlin said, following her words.
Su Wan'er let out a sigh of relief. She didn't want Si Junlin to know that she had inexplicably felt this strange emotion because she thought the emperor was so pitiful.
She took Si Junlin's words as a compliment.
"I wouldn't dare. I just think that since I've taken on this position, I should shoulder more responsibilities of it," Su Wan'er said. She would never admit that she was worried about the emperor and his kingdom.
Looking at Su Wan'er's evasive eyes, Si Junlin thought he understood.
So that's it. "Well, since you're concerned about the kingdom and the people, I'll tell you."
"If I were still on the throne, I would first confiscate the property of the imperial merchant's family and then openly punish Concubine Hua," Si Junlin said simply. But his words sent chills down Su Wan'er's spine.
This man... was truly a terrifying one. No wonder he had managed to survive among so many princes and finally ascended to the throne.
Su Wan'er suppressed the panic in her heart caused by Si Junlin's words and expression, and said to him, "It can't be that easy to confiscate the property of the imperial merchant's family, can it?"
Those who could become imperial merchants were surely not easy to deal with. Confiscating their property was equivalent to taking the lives of an entire family. As imperial merchants, how could they not resist?
The imperial merchant's family controlled the business pulse of the whole country. If things really got out of hand, the business in the Jin Kingdom might come to a standstill.
Si Junlin seemed very relaxed. His words sounded like he was talking about something as trivial as "what to have for lunch" rather than a major event that could determine the fate of the country.
At this moment, Su Wan'er really wanted to pry open Si Junlin's head to see what was inside. How could he treat such an important national event so casually?
Si Junlin seemed to sense the atmosphere around Su Wan'er. He looked up at her and said to her in a slightly teasing tone, "Does the empress think I shouldn't do this?"
Su Wan'er nodded. Whether it was from the perspective of emotion or reason, this shouldn't be done.
Si Junlin smiled. "A new emperor brings in new officials. Concubine Mei was the second daughter of her family back then. The eldest daughter of her family married my elder brother. From this point of view, the person they hoped would ascend to the throne was my elder brother, and I was just their last resort.
Si Junlin recalled for a while and then continued, "Moreover, back then, in order to help my elder brother ascend to the throne smoothly, she didn't hesitate to pass my information to him. If I hadn't blocked her way of sending messages at the last moment, I wouldn't be where I am today. This is the first reason."
"Second," Si Junlin held up his second finger and continued, "their family has not been very well - behaved recently. Just recently, they even dared to secretly manufacture weapons and sell them to the Western and Northern Frontiers without informing the court. What do you think they're up to?"
"Are you trying to force them to rebel?" Su Wan'er asked.
Si Junlin looked at the lotus pond outside the window. The contemptuous smile on his lips was obvious. "Even if I am, so what? She should have been prepared to be discovered when she dared to spread the palace secrets."
Su Wan'er looked at Si Junlin's profile. Cold sweat began to break out on her back. She didn't dare to imagine what Si Junlin would do if she were in Concubine Hua's situation.
Si Junlin didn't hear Su Wan'er's response for a long time. He turned to look at her and found that she was looking at him in horror. He really didn't understand what she was thinking.
"Hey, are you okay, Empress?" Si Junlin stood up and came in front of Su Wan'er, waving his hand in front of her.
Su Wan'er came back to her senses. "I'm fine. Then... Your Majesty, are you going to take action now?"
"The secret guards I sent to investigate have already found a lot of evidence. If you really want to take action... I can help you," Si Junlin said.
Su Wan'er instinctively wanted to refuse, but just as the words were about to come out, she suddenly stopped.
She thought that although this matter was to avenge her, in the current situation, wasn't it actually to help him?
Thinking like this, she accepted it with a clear conscience.
"Then, please, Your Majesty, tell me the information about Concubine Hua's family as soon as possible. As for the rest, we can discuss it later," Su Wan'er said and was about to get up and leave.
Seeing that Su Wan'er had agreed, a look of satisfaction flashed in Si Junlin's eyes. He said this for two reasons. One was to dispel Su Wan'er's hesitation, and the other was to make it easier for her to accept his help.
He had heard from Qing Cao that in order to avoid any interaction with him, Su Wan'er had even abandoned the secret guards he had given her.
This was not a good thing. If Su Wan'er didn't use the secret guards he gave her, wouldn't he lose the chance to make deals with her in the future? Just thinking that they would drift further and further apart and finally become strangers made Si Junlin feel extremely frustrated.
In order to avoid such an outcome, Si Junlin decided to advance the plan to get rid of Concubine Hua's family.
This was really tough on the secret guards with the gold tokens. They suddenly received a message from the emperor last night, asking them to speed up the collection of evidence against the imperial merchant's family.
The secret guards, who had never learned the meaning of "resistance", could only speed up their work.