The Ministry of Revenue treasury
This was the foundation of the Jin Kingdom. Ordinary people were not permitted any farther inside.
At that moment, only Xiao Yu and Emperor Jinyuan were in the passage.
He sat in his wheelchair as Emperor Jinyuan personally pushed him farther in.
Xiao Yu wore a peculiar expression.
What an honor for me, Xiao Qi'an! The emperor is actually pushing my wheelchair himself...
Father, you can't scold me for this!
I'm not trying to disrespect the foolish emperor. He insisted on pushing me himself, and I couldn't refuse!
Emperor Jinyuan snorted.
What an act.
You're clearly enjoying yourself.
Your grin practically stretches to the back of your head.
No one in this world has ever made me lower myself like this...
I'm doing all this for the people of the Jin Kingdom!
Half an hour later
Xiao Yu stared at the sign ahead, its words "Silver Vault" glaringly clear, and his eyelids twitched furiously.
"Emperor Uncle..."
He turned to Emperor Jinyuan. "I'm not an official of the Ministry of Revenue, after all. Going any farther would probably be inappropriate..."
"With me accompanying you, you can go anywhere!"
After speaking, Emperor Jinyuan caught the unmistakable reluctance on Xiao Yu's face and frowned slightly.
"What? I've personally pushed you all the way here. What more could you possibly be unhappy about?"
The corner of Xiao Yu's eye twitched. "I wouldn't dare..."
Can I say I don't really want to go in...? I just feel like there's a huge trap waiting for me!
Xiao Yu had always trusted his instincts. "Emperor Uncle, I'm suddenly having a little trouble breathing. I'd like to go outside for some fresh air."
With that, he turned his wheelchair and tried to leave.
The next moment, Emperor Jinyuan opened a ventilation hatch, then held him firmly in place.
"I'm in no hurry. Take your time and breathe."
Xiao Yu was speechless.
Looks like the foolish emperor is determined to push me into this trap...
Fine, I'll go in with him and have a look!
Maybe I'm overthinking it. Perhaps he just wants to let me pick out a few treasures...
Xiao Qi'an, calm down. Don't scare yourself.
"Emperor Uncle, I've rested enough. Let's go in..."
Rumble-
Emperor Jinyuan opened the concealed door and pushed Xiao Yu inside.
Looking at the empty vault, Xiao Yu felt his heart sink, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
"Qi'an, don't you think something is missing here?"
Emperor Jinyuan suddenly spoke.
"I don't know," Xiao Yu said. Nor did he want to know.
Emperor Jinyuan dispensed with the pleasantries and held out his hand. "Hand it over."
Xiao Yu rolled his wheelchair back a little. "Emperor Uncle... hand what over?"
He averted his gaze. "I truly don't know what you're talking about, Emperor Uncle."
Damn it! I knew the foolish emperor had an ulterior motive when he suddenly started being so nice to me... Sure enough, he's got his eye on my private treasury!
"Xiao Qi'an!"
Emperor Jinyuan's face darkened. "Don't think I don't know you went and cleaned out the vice minister of war's residence!"
"I hear you emptied the entire place. What, were you planning to pocket it all?"
Xiao Yu stiffened slightly. "What are you talking about, Emperor Uncle? I don't understand."
"Stop playing dumb and hand it over!" Emperor Jinyuan exposed his act.
"Don't make me add a complaint about you to the dispatch I'm sending to the Prince of the Southern Garrison's household!"
Xiao Yu was speechless.
How impressive! The ruler of an entire kingdom, tattling like a child. Have you no shame?
Emperor Jinyuan was unbothered.
With the national treasury empty, his heart felt empty too, leaving him deeply uneasy.
So he would do anything to fill it.
"Here. There were three million taels of silver in total. I'll turn over two million."
Xiao Yu came clean. "I'm sending the rest to the Southern Border. Winter is almost here, and they need more winter clothes and food."
Now that I have money, I can't let Father and the soldiers at the Southern Border go hungry through another winter.
"That bastard! The national treasury is empty, yet a mere vice minister of war had that much silver!"
Remembering how Li Zhong constantly pleaded poverty at court, Emperor Jinyuan grew so furious that his vision went black and he nearly passed out!
"Calm down, Emperor Uncle."
Xiao Yu handed him several account books Qinggeng had found in the Li residence's storeroom. "I have evidence of the minister of war taking bribes, embezzling funds, and selling offices and titles. Do you want it?"
Emperor Jinyuan stared at Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu's gaze flickered, and he felt inexplicably guilty.
What? Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not using public affairs to settle a personal grudge. I'm ridding the people of a menace!
I just remembered how, during the enemy attacks a few years ago, Li Zhong kept deliberately withholding Father's provisions and military supplies. Father and his men often had to fight on empty stomachs, and they nearly died several times!
Worse still, he repeatedly slandered Father at court, planting suspicions in the foolish emperor's mind...
Fine, I admit it. I am using public affairs to settle a personal grudge! It's his own fault for bullying Father and his men!
After hearing Xiao Yu's thoughts, Emperor Jinyuan felt the account books in his hands grow even heavier.
He had even dared to withhold the soldiers' supplies... Li Zhong truly deserved to die a thousand deaths!
News that the Li residence had been stripped bare, and that Li Zhong had entered the palace to ask the emperor to investigate the thieves, quickly spread among the powerful officials.
The next day, an imperial decree jolted the entire Li household awake-
The criminal official Li Zhong had sold offices and titles, embezzled funds, accepted bribes, and formed factions for personal gain...
His crimes were too numerous to record and beyond forgiveness!
His nine degrees of kinship were to be exterminated as a warning to others!
Li Zhong collapsed to the ground.
He was finished!
His entire family was finished!
The emperor's bedchamber
Xiao Yu lay with his hands folded over his chest, blinking, unable to fall asleep.
He turned his head.
Looking at the figure on the Dragon Bed, a trace of resentment flashed through his eyes.
I understand that damned emperor less and less. Is he still wary of me, or does he trust me too much?
He actually made me spend the night in his bedchamber...
According to Eunuch De, even the sixth prince, whom the foolish emperor usually dotes on most, has never been given this honor!
I don't get it.
Xiao Yu looked away.
The foolish emperor's mind is impossible to fathom!
The corner of Emperor Jinyuan's mouth twitched.
Just sleep when you're told to sleep. Stop being so picky.
I'm only keeping you here as a good-luck charm so I can sleep in peace...
But you're too noisy!
How did that blockhead, the Prince of the Southern Garrison, and Grand Tutor Su's gentle, virtuous daughter produce such a treasonous little chatterbox? You prattle on all day until my head aches!
...No.
I need to sleep!
I have morning court tomorrow!
Tsk! A hostage has no rights. The foolish emperor gets the bed, and I get a couch. I'm so pitiful!
Speaking of which, the emperor's bedchamber is enormous. It's more than twice the size of the Eastern Palace!
It's just somewhere to sleep. Did it have to be this big? Even getting up to relieve yourself is inconvenient...
Emperor Jinyuan was speechless.
Are you going to let me sleep or not?
Whoosh-
Hearing the sound, Xiao Yu rolled over!
Oh! A little mouse has slipped in!
At that, Emperor Jinyuan immediately tried to get up, only to find that he could not open his eyes...
Forget it.
With that brat here, no one will be able to hurt me.
I'll just sleep in peace.
I still have court tomorrow!
Thud-
Qi Yunheng's eyes widened.
He had not expected anyone else to be in the foolish emperor's bedchamber tonight... much less someone immune to his knockout smoke!
One moment of carelessness, and he had been tackled to the ground!
Fury blazed in his eyes as he snarled at the person sprawled on top of him, "Get off!"
Just as he thought, this malnourished body of his was incapable of accomplishing anything!
Unfazed by the fury in his eyes, Xiao Yu held him down. "The foolish emperor may be no good, but a kingdom can't go a single day without a ruler. You can't kill him yet."
If he could be killed, I'd have done it ages ago. You wouldn't have had a chance!
Looking closer, this fellow seems familiar. Who was he again?
Only then did Qi Yunheng realize.
This was the same meddlesome, crippled prince's heir from that day!
Sure enough, nothing good ever happened when he ran into this person!
He's such an eyesore. I might as well kill him!
With that thought, Qi Yunheng slipped the dagger from his sleeve and slashed at Xiao Yu!
Oh! So he's here to kill me?
A gleam flashed through Xiao Yu's eyes.
You've got guts!
He had recovered some of his cultivation over the past few days. An ordinary person would not find it so easy to kill him.
Suddenly, he caught a smell.
That stinks... What is that smell?
Xiao Yu looked at Qi Yunheng, lowered his head, and sniffed at his neck.
Then he abruptly asked, "How many days has it been since you bathed?"
"You need a wash!"
Qi Yunheng froze.
When he recovered, embarrassment turned to rage. He shoved Xiao Yu away and glared viciously at him. "None of your business!"
Then he scrambled away, leaping out the window!
Xiao Yu rubbed his head.
His mother had told him that boys had to keep themselves clean. Only by washing until they smelled nice could they grow up and marry a sweet-smelling wife!
He hadn't said anything wrong.
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