I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

With the national treasury empty, treacherous officials seized the opportunity to cause trouble!

The news of Ye An'an's pregnancy was like a spring breeze dispelling the gloom over the Eastern Palace.

These days, Xiao Jingshi has become a complete "foolish father." He would lie on Ye An'an's stomach and listen for a long time, then ask with a serious face, "An'an, why can't I hear anything?"

"It's only been a little over a month, you'd be a ghost if you could still hear it!" Ye An'an chuckled and pushed his head away.

When she couldn't eat, he would personally cook her a bowl of tomato and egg soup, carefully bringing it to her bedside. There was no trace of the prince's majesty in that manner.

However, this joy was ultimately just a brief calm before the storm.

That evening, Xiao Jingshi had just coaxed Ye An'an to sleep and was about to leave the palace when a secret guard delivered the latest military report. He stood under the eaves outside the palace, unfolding the memorial in the afterglow of the setting sun, his face gradually darkening.

"The garrison in Jiangzhou has been without food for half a month, and the soldiers are subsisting on wild vegetables..." "Three counties in the south have been breached by barbarians, and the people are displaced..." "The imperial army's pay has not arrived for two months, and morale is low..."

Lines of shocking words pierced his heart like knives. Xiao Jingshi gripped the memorial tightly, his knuckles turning white. He looked up to the south, his eyes blazing with fury.

The national treasury is empty, the soldiers are starving, and those corrupt officials are still vying for power in the court!

"Your Highness, the morning court is tomorrow..." Yun Qing whispered a reminder from beside him.

"I know," Xiao Jingshi said coldly. "It seems some people really don't want Father Emperor to personally lead the army."

The next morning, the court session began.

As dawn broke, civil and military officials gathered outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The early spring breeze carried a chill, but it could not dispel the anxiety in everyone's hearts.

"Open the hall—"

As the eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out, the palace doors slowly opened.

Xiao Yuanzheng, dressed in a dragon robe, sat upright on the dragon throne, his face ashen. He had been wearing this expression for the last few morning court sessions—the empty treasury left this powerful ruler with nowhere to use his strength, driving him to the brink of madness with frustration.

"My beloved ministers, do you have anything to report?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Minister of Revenue rushed out of the ranks, weeping, and knelt down in the center of the hall.

"Your Majesty! This old minister is guilty! This old minister is incompetent!" The over seventy-year-old minister knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "The national treasury is truly empty! To prepare provisions for Your Majesty's personal expedition, this old minister has emptied his own coffers, diverting every penny he could! But now the soldiers at the front have not received their pay for two months, and the garrison in Jiangzhou is even surviving on wild vegetables! If this continues, we will collapse on our own, even without the barbarians attacking!"

The Minister of Revenue's weeping plunged the entire court into a freezing atmosphere.

The officials looked at each other, none daring to speak. Everyone knew the national treasury was empty, but they hadn't expected it to have reached this point.

Xiao Yuanzheng gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. His plan to personally lead the expedition had been delayed time and time again, and this feeling of powerlessness—wanting to fight the enemy but having no money to spare—made the emperor feel extremely frustrated and angry.

"These mere barbarians! How can I tolerate such humiliation!" Xiao Yuanzheng roared. "Is there really no other way?!"

Dead silence.

The entire court was completely silent.

Just then, an old but powerful voice rang out: "Your Majesty, this old minister has a memorial to present."

Everyone turned to look – the speaker was none other than Lin Wenyuan, the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty.

The veteran official, a man who had served three dynasties, slowly stepped out of the ranks, a profound smile on his face: "Yesterday, this old minister had a chance encounter with Zhang Wanjin, the foremost merchant in the capital. Upon learning of the court's predicament, Master Zhang, deeply grateful for the Emperor's grace, is willing to donate his entire fortune to contribute to the Great Liang. He is willing to donate twenty million taels of silver to fund the army!"

"What?!"

"Twenty million taels?!"

The imperial court was instantly in an uproar. Fifty million taels of silver! This was like a godsend! Keep in mind that the Liang Dynasty's annual treasury revenue was only three million taels; twenty million taels was enough to cover the entire expenses of a medium-sized campaign!

"Minister Lin, is what you're saying true?!" Xiao Yuanzheng exclaimed excitedly, standing up abruptly from his throne. "Is Zhang Wanjin truly willing to donate such a huge sum of money?!"

"Absolutely true." Grand Tutor Lin stroked his beard, his smile growing even deeper. "However... Master Zhang also has a small request."

The atmosphere inside the hall froze subtly.

Everyone knows there's no such thing as a free lunch. What does Zhang Wanjin want in exchange for fifty million taels of silver?

"Master Zhang has a daughter named Zhang Qinghe, a beautiful and well-educated woman of both beauty and talent," Grand Tutor Lin's voice slowly echoed in the hall. "Since childhood, she has admired His Highness the Crown Prince and often says that if she could marry into the Eastern Palace, she would be willing to be a lowly maid. Master Zhang cherishes his daughter and has earnestly petitioned His Majesty to bestow Zhang Qinghe upon the Eastern Palace in marriage. He only requests the rank of concubine; the Zhang family would be eternally grateful!"

These words plunged the court into dead silence once again.

But this silence was completely different from the one before—if the previous silence was one of shock and excitement, this one was one of eeriness and subtlety.

All eyes turned to Crown Prince Xiao Jingshi.

Xiao Jingshi stood at the head of the civil officials, dressed in a black court robe, his face expressionless. But those who knew him well could see the icy glint in his eyes, as if it could freeze a person into an ice sculpture.

How could he not understand what this meant?

This is hardly the work of a royal merchant who admires the Crown Prince; it's clearly a meticulously planned political transaction!

Zhang Wanjin colluded with Grand Tutor Lin, attempting to buy a position in the Eastern Palace for fifty million taels of silver. This would completely bind the Zhang family, the leading imperial merchants of the Liang Dynasty, and the civil official group headed by Grand Tutor Lin, to the Crown Prince's cause. Ostensibly, it was a sacrifice for the country, but in reality, it was a scheme to build their own political alliance!

What's even more insidious is that they chose the perfect timing—the national treasury was empty, the soldiers at the front were running out of food, and the Emperor's plan to personally lead the army was repeatedly delayed. At this juncture, who would dare refuse to offer 500,000 taels of silver? If the Crown Prince refused, he would be disregarding the soldiers at the front and the greater good of the nation!

What a clever tactic of using someone else to do the dirty work! What a clever tactic of moral blackmail!

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable!" Just as Xiao Yuanzheng hesitated, the Minister of Rites stepped forward. "If the Crown Princess has any objections, wouldn't the affairs of the Northwest border be affected? Sending someone to the Eastern Palace at this time is against etiquette. Moreover, she is a merchant's daughter; how can such a lowly person be allowed to enter the Eastern Palace!"

"Minister of Rites, you are mistaken!" Grand Tutor Lin immediately retorted. "The Zhang family's daughter entering the Eastern Palace can also share the burden of the Crown Princess. Besides, what's wrong with a mere concubine's rank, not a secondary consort?"

"But--"

"Your Excellencies!" Grand Tutor Lin interrupted the Minister of Rites, surveying the court with a passionate voice, "The nation is in peril! Our soldiers on the front lines are fighting valiantly! They can't even get wild vegetables to eat, and they could starve to death on the battlefield at any moment! Are we here arguing about a woman's marriage? How can we face the heroic souls who sacrificed their lives for the country?! His Highness the Crown Prince, as the heir apparent, should prioritize the well-being of the nation! Fifty million taels of silver—how many lives could that save? How many soldiers could that feed before going to battle?!"

These words were spoken with righteous indignation, instantly seizing the moral high ground.

The officials in the court whispered among themselves, many revealing expressions of agreement. Indeed, with the nation in peril, His Highness the Crown Prince couldn't possibly disregard the greater good for his own personal feelings, could he?

Xiao Yuanzheng also fell into deep thought. He looked at Xiao Jingshi with a complicated expression.

He knew it was a deal, but he also knew the court truly needed the money. Fifty million taels of silver was enough to restart the plan for the emperor's personal expedition!

The atmosphere in the main hall grew increasingly tense, with everyone waiting for the Crown Prince to make his statement.

Xiao Jingshi slowly raised his head, his cold gaze sweeping over Grand Tutor Lin, then over the restless civil officials, and finally landing on Xiao Yuanzheng on the dragon throne.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Grand Tutor Lin is right," Xiao Jingshi's voice was not loud, but it silenced the entire hall. "When the country is in crisis, we should prioritize the overall situation."

A smug look flashed in Grand Tutor Lin's eyes.

However, the next second, Xiao Jingshi's words made his expression change drastically.

"Since the Zhang family is so devoted to the country, then we must not wrong Miss Zhang," Xiao Jingshi said calmly. "The rank of a concubine is too low and unworthy of the Zhang family's fifty million taels of silver. I suggest that Father Emperor grant Miss Zhang the rank of a principal wife, what do you think?"

These words caused an uproar throughout the court!