Dividing the Spoils

"Wow—"

Everyone gasped, some aloud, some silently.

Pan Yun and Chen Wen entered the treasure vault together, hands on their hips as they stared at the mountain cave full of riches.

Miao Zhen and the other two, along with the soldiers, stood obediently outside the cave, though they could not help rising onto their toes to peer inside.

So much money—

Pan Yun's heart ached even as she rejoiced. "This is all the wealth of our Ming Dynasty's people."

Chen Wen nodded seriously. "Rightfully reclaimed."

The two did not allow anyone else inside. Instead, they first circled the treasure hoard once.

Chests covered the ground. When opened, they revealed silks, satins, and fine fabrics—everything one could want—and they had been preserved rather well.

The colors remained vivid. Judging by the patterns, they should have been fashionable within the last two years.

Perhaps there were simply too many things and not enough chests. Gold, silver, porcelain, and similar items had been left scattered about, while pearls, books, paintings, and silks had been stored in chests.

To prevent anyone from fishing in troubled waters amid the crowd, the two of them stubbornly opened every single chest.

Then they discovered several chests of spices among the treasure, all of them quite precious.

With a snap, Chen Wen opened one chest and saw it filled to the brim with gemstones mixed together. Thinking he had seen wrong, he closed it, then opened it again.

Looking at the treasure with its strong foreign flavor, Chen Wen vaguely felt that something was off. "Didn't they say this treasure had been extorted from the common people?"

As Pan Yun counted, she said, "Who says they could not have robbed a few merchant ships?

"Besides, perhaps they used the money they robbed from our Ming Dynasty's people to