Upon hearing that he was an old acquaintance, and had come specifically to find Cai Tao, the servants of the Cai household did not dare to be too presumptuous.
After all, everyone knew that Cai Tao had been in a bad mood lately, and if things were mishandled, it could lead to serious trouble. Naturally, everyone had to serve him with utmost care at this time.
"Sir, please wait. We will go in and announce you immediately!"
After the two servants exchanged glances, one of them immediately clasped his fist and said.
"An old acquaintance named Yuan?"
Upon hearing this, Cai Tao was stunned.
"Does that person have some difficulty walking?"
However, he quickly reacted.
"Indeed, that's him!"
The Cai family's subordinate quickly replied.
"You mere dogs almost ruined my great undertaking! Quickly open the main gate. I will personally go to invite him!"
Upon remembering his past actions, Cai Tao's spirits instantly lifted.
Since returning to Bianliang City, he had indeed become somewhat arrogant.
He originally thought that no one would dare to bring up this matter, as Cai Jing had been overbearing for so many years.
Anyone who dared to cause him trouble would likely have long since perished. Yet, he never expected that things would eventually develop in an uncontrollable direction.
Wang Fu and Cai You, using him as a lever, had directly made him the target of public criticism.
At this moment, he even felt like a rat crossing the street. It seemed as if any official who did not impeach him during the morning court felt ashamed to show their face.
Because of this, even though he stayed at the Cai mansion and did not go out, he was constantly berated by Cai Jing.
On one hand, Wang Fu and Cai You were fanning the flames from behind the scenes. On the other hand, it was true that the officials had suffered under him for a long time. The combination of these two factors had made the public outcry exceptionally large this time.
Even Cai Tao himself did not know how he would extricate himself from this situation at this moment.
"Yes, sir!"
Although they did not know what had happened, the Cai family servants exchanged glances and then headed outside.
"Mr. Yuan, it's been a long time!"
A moment later, accompanied by the creaking sound of the gate opening, Cai Tao came out from the main gate of the Cai mansion, laughing heartily.
"Your Excellency is too kind. I am merely a carefree scholar of the jianghu, how can I possibly deserve such a grand reception from Your Excellency!"
It was Yuan Xingchi. No one expected this fellow to put on such a grand display for him. This was Cai Jing's residence, and at this moment, countless people in Bianliang City were watching.
Looking at it this way, without even needing to investigate further, he could almost confirm that Cai You's words about this person being arrogant and overbearing were likely true.
"Hahaha, sir, if you had arrived a few days later, even if I wanted to, you would not have been able to enjoy such courtesies!"
Cai Tao said, as he took Yuan Xingchi's hand and led him inside.
Because of Cai Tao's troubles, the subsequent renovation work on the entire Cai mansion had now been temporarily suspended.
"Although the situation is troublesome, it has not reached that point yet. Your Excellency seems to be overly worried!"
Hearing the probing tone in his words, Yuan Xingchi immediately understood that this fellow was testing him.
However, he did not reply immediately, as he was not the one in a hurry at the moment.
"Does sir have a solution?"
As the two of them walked into Cai Tao's study, Cai Tao impatiently asked.
After all, only Cai Tao himself knew how difficult these past few days had been. At this moment, upon hearing that Yuan Xingchi had a solution, he eagerly asked without hesitation.
"As for the solution? It is right here, but I don't know if Your Excellency is willing to part with it!"
Yuan Xingchi said, as he slowly took out a small booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Cai Tao.
Taking a deep breath, Cai Tao no longer bothered with airs and graces. He quickly stood up, received the booklet handed over by Yuan Xingchi with both hands, and began to read it carefully.
However, after reading the contents within, he was stunned.
This booklet did not contain any brilliant strategies. Instead, it was a copy of an old memorial, and this memorial was so disreputable that even in the daily records, they wished to tear it up and discard it.
As the renowned artistic emperor, Zhao Ji naturally understood all the efforts he had made over the years. However, now that things had reached this point, once the emperor made a statement, the matter would become rather troublesome.
Therefore, up to this point, the Emperor had maintained an eerie balance and had not spoken.
"I wonder what sir means by this..."
After reading for a long time, Cai Tao still frowned, then looked up at Yuan Xingchi again.
"Does Your Excellency know what the Emperor's expression was when he saw this memorial back then?"
Seeing his puzzled eyes, Yuan Xingchi did not say much. Instead, he changed the subject and asked again.
"The Emperor at that time..."
His words instantly reminded Cai Tao. This memorial was written by Cai Jing to the current Emperor several years ago.
However, the background at that time was indeed somewhat different from the present.
Back then, Cai Jing's power was immense, and the entire court was filled with fear and silence.
Under Cai Jing's strong push, the court's salt ticket system quickly suppressed the opposing voices.
If he remembered correctly, when this memorial was written, there were several large denomination money tickets tucked within it.
And the Emperor did not get angry in the end. Instead, he accepted it with a laugh and then showed it to the ministers, saying that this was a tribute from Grand Tutor Cai.
Tribute!
Upon remembering this, Cai Tao let out a long sigh of relief. At this moment, he finally understood the crux of the matter and Yuan Xingchi's intention.
"Mr. Yuan is indeed a wise man. If not for your guidance, I would surely have met my demise today!"
Cai Tao said, as he quickly stood up and bowed respectfully to Yuan Xingchi.
"Your Excellency is too kind. I am merely a broker, I do not deserve such politeness from Your Excellency!"
As Yuan Xingchi spoke, he also stood up and returned the bow.
"Is there anything Cai can do for Your Excellency?"
This matter was originally just a thin veil of paper. After Yuan Xingchi had pierced it, Cai Tao immediately had a way to deal with it.
Compared to his life and his father's position as prime minister, at this moment, no matter what Yuan Xingchi wanted, he was prepared to pay a heavy price.
"Then I shall not be polite?"
"Sir, please speak your mind!"