After breakfast, Pan Yun followed Zhu Qiyu into the imperial study.
The imperial study was where the emperor conducted his affairs. Its center was used to receive ministers and was spacious enough.
After sending everyone out, Pan Yun displayed a portion of the assets they had confiscated.
Cheng Jing remained in the room. Oh, and beyond Pan Yun's sight, two hidden guards were crouched somewhere within the imperial study.
Thus, all four people in the room were dazzled by the glitter of gold, silver, jewels, and treasures.
The emperor reached out to touch the half-human-height golden Buddha sitting cross-legged. He gave it a push, yet could not budge it.
Pan Yun drifted over gloomily and said, "I poked it. It was cast from solid gold. Xue Shao weighed it—it was exactly two hundred jin, not a tael more, not a tael less."
The emperor's hand trembled. "Solid gold?"
"Solid gold."
The emperor who possessed all under Heaven looked at the golden Buddha differently. Normally, a golden Buddha this large and this heavy should have merely been wrapped in a layer of gold leaf, should it not?
Yet it was solid.
Two hundred jin of gold—how many taels of silver would that be worth? How many things could it accomplish?
Pan Yun said, "Xue Shao and An Chen said this did not count as anything valuable. Gold and silver were the two least valuable things in that pile."
The emperor's breathing quickened. "Xue Shao said, how much money would be needed to resettle Guangdong's military households?"
"His Majesty, rest assured. So long as the money is put to practical use, at least sixty percent of these confiscated assets can return to the national treasury. It will be enough for the Imperial Court to do many things."
The emperor paced in circles