Xia Qing truly had a thick skin, not even blushing when the Emperor exposed him, and simply continued, "This, of course, accumulates bit by bit. Just the profit from Gu's Soap alone is indeed little, but if you add some others, together it's still enough."
Seeing no change in the Emperor's expression, Xia Qing felt even more assured and spoke boldly.
According to his meaning, it was to find fault with a few merchants, extort a round of harsh taxes from them, and first resolve the issue of the border soldiers' wages.
Unfortunately, no matter how he hinted before, the Emperor wouldn't take the bait. The Emperor, now aging, acted increasingly benevolently, with methods too gentle, becoming somewhat indecisive.
The Emperor glanced at Xia Qing; it seemed he was bringing up old issues again.
The merchants of the world are countless, with many amassing fortunes at home. But if he really did that, those merchants would all be alarmed, possibly triggering immeasurable consequences.
