Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

Chapter 428 | A Plea for Help Across the Ocean: The Collapsed CFO

The shrill ring of the holographic phone abruptly shattered the tranquility of the waves lapping against the shore on the Hawaiian beach.

The rhythmic sound of the waves seemed to be ruthlessly cut off at this moment, replaced by a sharp and rapid electronic buzzing.

Li Chengqian, who was reclining on the chair, suddenly felt his eyelids twitch.

He was slumped in the heavy shade of the parasol, completely lacking any semblance of decorum, his head resting comfortably on Wu Meiniang's warm, supple, and slender legs.

Wu Meiniang's flawless, jade-like hands were gently resting on either side of his temples, kneading them softly along the meridians.

The sudden noise made Li Chengqian's completely relaxed nerves tense up abruptly.

He muttered an impatient grumble, his brows furrowed tightly, causing even his aviator sunglasses to tilt to one side.

"Who is it, nagging me so early in the morning? Can't I have a few days of peace and quiet?"

Li Chengqian didn't even bother to open his eyes. His right hand groped aimlessly in the air, his fingertips brushing against the air, creating a faint rustling sound.

Upon seeing this, Wu Meiniang parted her red lips slightly and let out a faint laugh.

She obediently stopped what she was doing, extended her slender index finger, and gently tapped the holographic green button that was floating in the air.

"Whoosh—"

With a soft rustling sound of data streams, a translucent pale blue holographic screen instantly opened in the void.

The horrific scene inside the underground control room of the Tang Dynasty's central bank in Chang'an was, in that instant, laid bare on this sun-drenched foreign beach.

In the light screen, Lao Lu, the financial director of Datang, was kneeling undignifiedly on the cold floor tiles.

His official hat, a symbol of the prestige of a first-rank official, was completely tilted to the right, and a few strands of gray hair, stuck together with sweat, were messily plastered to his forehead.

His magnificent purplish-red official robes were now covered in wrinkles from being gripped so tightly, and a button had even popped off the collar from the violent struggle.

Old Lu's plump, round face was now crisscrossed with sweat and tears.

Fear gripped him; his lips were bloodless and trembling violently, his whole body tense like an old quail shivering in the cold wind.

"Your Highness! Help! The Tang Dynasty is collapsing!"

Upon seeing Li Chengqian, Old Lu reacted as if he were a dying man grasping at a last straw, his voice hoarse and strained.

He cried and screamed as he desperately pushed the alarm tablet, which was flashing a crazy red light, toward the camera.

The red markings on the tablet were nearing the bottom black line, and each flash was accompanied by the sickening electronic alarm from the underground control room.

His disheveled, lost-dog appearance contrasted sharply with the azure sky, white sand beach, and swaying green coconut palms behind him.

This creates a stark contrast, almost like a nuclear explosion.

The maids of the Eastern Palace lying nearby gasped in unison when they saw this scene in the holographic projection.

They had never seen a high-ranking official like a shrew rolling on the ground and wailing. They were so frightened that they looked at each other in dismay, and even the fruit plates they were holding began to tremble slightly.

"Your Highness! Those powerful clans have brought out all the money they've saved up over centuries for their funerals!"

Old Lu frantically scratched at the floor, his fingernails scraping against the white marble with a harsh, grating sound. He was in a state of emotional collapse, convulsing violently.

"They smashed windows at the gate with thousands of boxes of gold! The Western Branch is empty! The Southern Water Province is empty! The headquarters' reserves are about to run out!"

Old Lu's voice was filled with despair, his face streaked with tears and snot.

"His Majesty refuses to see me, and Lady Wu is keeping a close watch on the stock market in the Taiji Hall. This old minister is truly at his wit's end!"

As he spoke, he pounded his head on the ground, each impact clearly transmitted through the quantum network to the beaches of Hawaii.

"The entire population of Chang'an is watching us. If the Tang Dynasty's central bank can't provide them with gold to exchange for their gold today, the entire empire's credit will be completely destroyed in a second!"

"When that happens, paper money will become worthless, and the Tian Shu credit points will become fraudulent accounts. Those troublemakers will definitely tear down the central bank building!"

"Your Highness, the Tang Dynasty is on the verge of bankruptcy! You can't abandon this old minister!"

Old Lu's lamentation sounded particularly abrupt amidst the sound of the waves, causing the tassels on the parasol to tremble slightly.

In the underground control room, the operators, who had been pale-faced, now saw His Highness the Crown Prince across the ocean through Lao Lu's webcam.

Looking at Li Chengqian's dissolute attire, which would never have appeared in the Tang Dynasty, a faint glimmer of hope rekindled in their previously despairing eyes.

Everyone unconsciously lowered their breathing.

They stared intently at the young man's micro-expressions on the screen.

Everyone is waiting for this crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, who once created countless miracles of cutting-edge technology, to reveal a trump card that could overturn the chessboard in this financial storm that could destroy the country.

The atmosphere in the control room was tense.

In this deathly silence, even the sound of coolant flowing through the pipes became clear.

However, faced with Lao Lu's tearful complaint, which was enough to make the emperor overturn the table.

Li Chengqian didn't even straighten up.

He simply raised his left hand lazily and pulled down his black aviator sunglasses.

He revealed a pair of clear, deep eyes, yet with a deep sense of languor.

There was not a trace of panic in his eyes.

It was as calm as if you'd overheard that Aunt Li's chickens next door had laid one less egg today.

Li Chengqian slowly turned over, his movements as deliberate as a salted fish turning over in the sun.

He moved his head off Wu Meiniang's plump thighs and rested it on his right arm.

His left hand naturally extended out.

Wu Meiniang, who was serving at the side, gently raised her beautiful eyebrows.

Her soft, boneless hands rummaged through the ice bucket beside her.

Then, he handed Li Chengqian a glass of chilled coconut juice that had been prepared beforehand and was steaming with fine white vapor.

On the surface of that emerald green coconut shell, a small purple straw was delicately inserted.

Li Chengqian took the coconut juice, feeling the icy chill in his palm.

He leisurely put the straw in his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and took a big, forceful sip.

The cool, sweet liquid slid down his throat.

The irritability he felt upon waking up dissipated almost instantly.

Li Chengqian smacked his lips and even provocatively burped at Lao Lu through the screen.

This unhurried and relaxed atmosphere made the life-or-death crisis of the entire Tang Dynasty's central bank seem like a child's game.

Old Lu's cries came to an abrupt halt.

He remained in the kowtow position, mouth agape, staring blankly at Li Chengqian in the holographic projection.

For a split second, the CFO even wondered if he was hallucinating from fear.

The Tang Dynasty is on the verge of bankruptcy, yet His Highness the Crown Prince is still drinking coconut juice.

Li Chengqian turned over, took a glass of chilled coconut juice with a small umbrella-shaped insert from Wu Meiniang's hand, took a sip, and slowly uttered two words: "What's the rush?"