[100,000 taels of gold!] [500,000 taels of silver!] [2,000,000 strings of copper coins!] [An assortment of jade and other treasures!] [Over 3,000 weapons!] [Two suits of gold-thread soft armor!]
Together, these things were worth a little over two hundred thousand taels of gold, an astronomical sum in Northern Liang.
This was a massive haul!
Even Lin Yi could not help feeling excited. This operation might lead to quite a few impeachment accusations, but an income of two hundred thousand taels of gold was more than enough to offset those so-called troubles.
If all two hundred thousand taels of gold were spent on grain, it would certainly pile up into a mountain, enough to feed Northern Liang City for several months.
With this money, anything he wanted to do would become much easier. After all, whether in ancient or modern times, it was impossible to get anywhere without money.
As for the jade and other treasures, Lin Yi had little interest in them and casually handed them over to his maid, Haitang. These glittering things made even the head maid narrow her eyes, which were filled with delight.
Heh, a woman after all.
He then looked over the confiscated weapons. Apart from a handful of fine pieces, the rest really were nothing special. It seemed not all assassins were wealthy, either.
The gold-thread soft armor, on the other hand, interested him somewhat. Supposedly, this stuff was amazing, but just how amazing was it?
"Ma Chao, what's the deal with this gold-thread soft armor? Can it really stop blades and spears?"
"My lord, that is somewhat exaggerated, but ordinary people would indeed find it difficult to pierce gold-thread soft armor. It is expensive. The people behind these assassins probably have considerable standing," Ma Chao explained quietly.
He then had someone bring up the gold-thread soft armor and handed it to his lord. This was a rare treasure.
"Their standing doesn't matter. Whether they're dragons or tigers, they'll lie down before me once they come to Northern Liang, or I'll make them pay."
Lin Yi waved a hand, giving it no thought.
Whatever their standing, it carried no weight in Northern Liang. If they established an assassin organization here, their aims were directed against Northern Liang, so there was naturally no way he could let them remain.
Northern Liang was a vassal state, with far greater authority than an ordinary provincial governor. Dealing with a few assassins was no problem at all.
So what if I killed them? Was I supposed to wait for them to kill me?
Uh!
Everyone exchanged looks. Only the heir apparent would dare say something like that. Anyone else who said it would probably have been beaten to death already.
Lin Yi paid no attention to their thoughts, instead turning his attention to the soft armor.
He examined the gold-thread soft armor in his hands closely. Its craftsmanship was indeed extraordinarily fine. Every thread had been polished perfectly smooth and was about as thin as a strand of hair. It was hard to imagine how it had been made.
From the look of it, these assassins really were no ordinary people. At the very least, they had powerful backing. Otherwise, they could not possibly have owned two suits of gold-thread soft armor, which required exceptional craftsmanship.
Probably not even every member of the Great Ning Dynasty's imperial family could have one, yet two had appeared here. How interesting.
However, this stuff was of little use to Lin Yi. With Wang Yue and Ma Chao around, ordinary people could not get anywhere near him.
Of course, he would not foolishly charge into battle himself, either, so to him, it was of little practical value.
An idea struck him, and he tossed out both suits of gold-thread soft armor, smiling. "Ma Chao, Han Song, you two have rendered great service this time. These two suits of gold-thread soft armor are your reward."
Wow!
Looking at the gold-thread soft armor in their hands, Ma Chao and Han Song both froze for a moment. Neither had expected the heir apparent to bestow such treasures on them.
"Thank you, my lord!"
After a moment's hesitation, Ma Chao accepted it.
With gold-thread soft armor, I can unleash even greater strength to help my lord. I am my lord's strongest armor.
Han Song, however, remained silent for a long time before finally accepting the gold-thread soft armor. He then knelt directly before Lin Yi and said solemnly, "Thank you for your reward, Your Highness. Whatever you ask of me from now on, I will give it my all."
A man would die for someone who appreciated his worth!
As a martial artist, he naturally knew the value of gold-thread soft armor. It was worth a fortune. This time, they had practically wiped out the entire Northern Liang City underworld, yet had obtained only two suits, which showed just how precious it was.
This was something one could only come across by chance, not seek out, yet the heir apparent had actually given him a suit. It was an immense favor.
To be honest, he felt he was unworthy of this gold-thread soft armor. Even high officials and dignitaries rarely got to see such a thing, let alone a mere guard commander like him.
His Highness was truly generous!
Beside them, Haitang was also briefly stunned. The heir apparent had actually bestowed such a treasure on Han Song. She could not help feeling a pang at the loss. This thing was worth a fortune.
Still, after this, Han Song would probably be moved to tears with gratitude toward the heir apparent.
To them, this was an extra life. How could they not be won over?
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for winning someone over through virtue, inspiring submission in Han Song. Loyalty increased by one hundred percent. Reward: Peerless Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Armor."
Holy shit!
Seeing this reward, Lin Yi's eyes lit up. He had only just given away two suits of gold-thread soft armor, yet he had actually been rewarded with heavenly silkworm treasure armor-and Peerless Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Armor at that.
"Name: Peerless Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Armor." "Description: Treasure armor crafted from legendary heavenly silkworm silk. As thin as a cicada's wing and virtually weightless, it is top-tier protective equipment." "Attributes: Impervious to blades and spears, water and fire!" "Status: Bound. (While bound, it can be equipped and unequipped at will.)"
What incredible Peerless Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Armor. This was insanely awesome.
Not only was it impervious to blades and spears, water and fire, but it could even be bound to him, then equipped and unequipped at will.
Simply put, he could put it on with a thought, without any effort at all. Wasn't that far too convenient?
Looking at Han Song, who stood before him so moved that he was about to cry, Lin Yi immediately felt much more favorably toward him. This fellow was quite the lucky star, bringing him such a fine treasure. It really was an unexpected delight.
He could not help smiling. "All right, it's just a little suit of gold-thread soft armor. To me, it's merely a treasure. But to you, it's a life. I'll still be counting on you to keep me safe."
"Rest assured, Your Highness. Unless they step over my corpse, no one will be able to lay a finger on you."
Han Song spoke with a solemn expression.
These were his heartfelt words, as well as the decision he had made. If anyone dared attempt another assassination, he would risk his life to protect the heir apparent.
"Mm."
Lin Yi merely nodded slightly at his words. Such things could not be accomplished just by saying them. In the end, they had to be put into action.
Oaths were the least trustworthy things of all. Ultimately, only at a critical moment could loyalty and treachery be revealed.
He instructed them, "Spread the word that, through my wisdom and prowess, I uncovered information about these assassins and decided to eliminate this scourge. The earlier deployment of troops was merely to eradicate bandits, so the common people need not panic."
With such a commotion, the common people had probably been badly frightened.
To keep them from letting their imaginations run wild, it would be better to give them an explanation.
Uh!
Hearing this, Haitang's lips twitched, but she did not find it surprising. On the contrary, she thought it only natural. That shameless tone was exactly like her heir apparent.
Still, this explanation was not bad. At least it held up.