When the final tally was tallied, all the confiscated assets amounted to approximately one billion Gold Soul Coin.
Looking at this string of numbers, Yu Tianheng frowned deeply—these people, whether in high positions or with hereditary titles, should have been the pillars of the empire, but instead, they used their positions to line their own pockets, colluding with Prince Xue Xing and eroding the foundation of Heaven Dou.
Now, confiscating these riches for the national treasury, though a Thunder measure, is a way of healing the empire from its deepest wounds.
The next day, when Yu Tianheng stepped into the imperial study in the morning dew, Xue Qinghe had just finished the morning court session. Behind him, the imperial guards each carried a large box, and the golden light that occasionally leaked out from the gaps in the bag made the gold brick floor dazzling. These were the Gold Soul Coin obtained from the raid on Xue Beng Beng's henchmen and nobles the day before, and of course, this was only a part of them.
"Your Majesty, the seized funds have been tallied, totaling 1.2 billion Gold Soul Coin, along with a number of treasures and antiques. The list is here." Yu Tianheng presented Xue Qinghe with a thick ledger.
Xue Qinghe took the ledger, and felt its weight as soon as his fingertips touched the cover. He turned the pages one by one, his brows gradually furrowing. " The Prince Xue Xing's mansion has a hundred million hidden in its underground vault alone? And this Blood Moon Duke's Mansion, there are even three boxes of statues cast from melted Gold Soul Coin in its storeroom?"
Yu Tianheng bowed his head and replied, "Yes, I personally inspected it. There are two hundred million buried under the floor tiles of the Blood Moon Duke's Mansion's warehouse, sealed in specially made ceramic jars. If the floor tiles hadn't been pried open, it would have been impossible to discover them."
Xue Qinghe's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the ledger, his knuckles turning white. Having been the crown prince for many years, he had long heard of the undercurrents in the court and the corruption among the nobility, but when he saw these strings of numbers with his own eyes, he was still stunned into silence for a moment. Twelve billion Gold Soul Coin were enough to fill the entire royal treasury and enough to ensure that millions of poor people would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives.
He closed the booklet, his fingertips tapping lightly on the smooth cover. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he was secretly astonished: these parasites entrenched in the empire have really become this rich, truly... filthy rich.
Inside the imperial study, the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of sandalwood.
Xue Qinghe traced the unfolded map of the empire with his fingertips, his gaze falling on the areas marked with different colors—the five provinces directly under the empire were deep gold, while the other five provinces were covered in light yellow and pale red, belonging to four kingdoms and one duchy respectively.
"1.2 billion Gold Soul Coin are enough to support a thorough overhaul." He spoke slowly, his voice carrying an undeniable determination. Upon hearing this, Yu Tianheng, standing below, flashed a knowing look in his eyes.
Xue Qinghe emphasized the lighter-colored areas with his finger. " The Star Luo Empire is far on the border, and the Spirit Hall is too powerful to be shaken. It would be unwise to attack them now. But these 'states within a state' within the empire have been entrenched for too long."
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at Heaven Dou City beyond the palace walls. "Of the ten provinces, I can only firmly control five. The remaining five provinces are controlled by four major kingdoms, including the Balak Kingdom, and one duchy. Those four kingdoms are powerful and self-reliant, intercepting most of the tax revenue; that duchy even dares to make its own decisions regarding the appointment and removal of officials, nominally a vassal state, but in reality a separatist. If this continues, where will the imperial prestige be?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Tianheng seemed to be deep in thought.
In the Heaven Dou Empire, only five of the ten provinces can be controlled. The core reason for this lies in the long-standing internal division and power fragmentation, which can be understood from the following aspects.
The historical tradition of enfeoffment: During its expansion, the Heaven Dou Empire enfeoffed meritorious nobles, generals, or local powers, allowing them to manage parts of the territory (such as establishing kingdoms or duchies).
These forces initially served as allies of the empire, but over time they gradually evolved into "states within a state," gaining control over local military, political, and tax collection powers, and their dependence on the central government diminished.
Those four kingdoms and one duchy had long managed their territories, accumulating a powerful military and economic foundation.
They intercepted taxes, appointed and dismissed officials at will, and even possessed an independent Soul Master Legion. Their strength was enough to rival the Heaven Dou Empire, and the central government gradually lost direct control over these regions.
The specific reasons may include internal power struggles within the royal family, decision-making errors by the previous emperor, or external threats (such as the restraint from the Spirit Hall ). The central authority of the Heaven Dou Empire once declined, making it unable to curb the expansion of local forces, which led to the solidification of the separatist situation.
Therefore, although these five provinces nominally belonged to the Heaven Dou Empire, they were actually governed by local forces, resulting in a fragmented state where "the empire only controlled five provinces."
In the history of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Ye was a rare and accomplished monarch who always wanted to restore the glory of the Heaven Dou Empire and take back all the empire's provinces by force.
However, this cannot be implemented for various reasons. For example, the four kingdoms and duchies have long cultivated their territories and possess independent military forces (including Soul Master Legions) and economic foundations. If a forced attack is launched, it may trigger a protracted civil war, causing the empire to suffer heavy losses. Xue Ye needs to weigh the costs and benefits of the war to avoid losing more than he gains.
This is an internal cause, but external factors have a greater impact!
At that time, the Spirit Hall was the strongest force on the continent and posed a threat to both empires. If the Heaven Dou Empire were to go to war, the Spirit Hall might take the opportunity to infiltrate or weaken it, which was something Xue Ye did not want to see.
Compared to direct military action, Xue Ye may prefer to maintain superficial stability through appeasement and checks and balances.
Although these local powers are independent, they are nominally still subordinate to the empire. If the balance is broken rashly, it may trigger greater turmoil and affect the overall rule of the empire.
Therefore, based on a balance of internal and external situations, Xue Ye chose to temporarily tolerate local separatism rather than forcibly sending troops to reclaim the territory.
If Xue Ye's successor, Xue Beng, were to ascend to Xue Beng throne, he would most likely act in the same way and would be unlikely to launch a rash attack.
But Xue Qinghe is different; his true identity is Qian Renxue of the Spirit Hall.
The identity of " Xue Qinghe " was a disguise from the start, lacking the natural legitimacy that comes with royal blood.
As local powers, the four kingdoms and duchies were extremely wary of the royal family (especially "outsiders") and found it difficult to genuinely submit. Subduing these separatist forces by force would not only eliminate potential opposition but also establish authority and strengthen the legitimacy of their rule through the achievement of "unifying the empire."
Furthermore, Qian Renxue's core objective is to help the Spirit Hall control the continent, and the Heaven Dou Empire is an important pawn in this game.
Fragmented kingdoms and principalities are like "internal threats" to an empire, as they disperse resources and weaken overall strength.
Only by achieving internal unity can the Heaven Dou Empire form a cohesive force and become a powerful tool for the Spirit Hall to confront the Star Luo Empire and suppress other forces. From this perspective, eliminating internal divisions paves the way for external expansion.
Furthermore, unlike Xue Ye's appeasement and checks and balances, Qian Renxue inherited the Spirit Hall's strength and decisiveness (especially after growing into Angel God ).