There were so many of them, and their presence was so imposing, that when they crowded together, people naturally took them for the center of the gathering.
So when they all fell silent in unison, those standing around them unconsciously held their breath as well.
Even the air seemed to freeze.
The Upright Officials stared into midair with strange expressions, momentarily unsure whom to look at first.
Only one thought filled their minds-
Oh, so it was because the genuine article was in his hands...
Then they immediately came to their senses.
Wait.
This "I" of his-he was a grave robber?!!
A breathing, walking treasury!!!
After being influenced by the little girl for so long, the Upright Officials instantly arrived at the same thought she did-
[Then he must be really rich!!]
Exactly!!
Not just rich-all that money was ill-gotten!
Ill-gotten money that should have belonged to the court!!
The Former Dynasty's Imperial Family had lived extravagantly, and its princes and powerful ministers had inherited that same greed down to their very bones. Precisely because of that, the late emperor had seized the opportunity to rise in rebellion and overthrow the old regime in one stroke.
But that was not the point.
The point was that, according to rumor, after taking the throne, the late emperor had found little gold or silver in their residences.
At the time, they had already suspected that the missing wealth and jewels had been hidden long beforehand in tombs built in advance, waiting to accompany their owners into eternal sleep once their allotted years were up.
After word of this leaked, grave robbers among the common folk began springing up one after another like bamboo shoots after rain.
They traveled in groups of three or five, kept to their own ways, and operated outside