On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

As soon as Nangong Min left, Lu Dehao couldn't wait to come over and peek at the contents of the letter.

"Brother, what good news has come from the palace? You look so happy."

Lin Yi casually tossed the unsigned letter onto the table, picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and said slowly, "Nangong Xiong is getting desperate. He's preparing to call on all the officials to donate money to support his 200,000-strong army that's there to defend the emperor."

Lu Dehao's face darkened: "Holy crap? This sounds plausible! Why are you laughing, brother? This is no small matter."

Lin Yi put down his teacup, leaned back in his armchair, and looked at Lu Dehao, asking, "Do you think it's reliable?"

"That's definitely reliable!" Lu Dehao counted on his fingers. "Brother, think about it. Which of these officials in the capital isn't rolling in money? Take Qian Deguang, the Vice Minister of Revenue, for example. His hometown has thousands of acres of fertile land in Jiangnan, and his family's silver is piled up like mountains! And that Prime Minister Liu Wentao, don't be fooled by his usual aloofness. How much bribes has he received behind the scenes? If these people really put in some money, each contributing a little, it would be more than enough to cover the military expenses of an army of 200,000."

Lin Yi listened quietly as he calculated the accounts, without interrupting.

After he finished speaking, he sneered, "Hmph, you're right, they do have money. But tell me, what gives them the right to give that money away?"

Lu Dehao was taken aback and scratched the back of his head.

"His Majesty has issued a decree! His Majesty has spoken, how dare they refuse to pay? That would be a grave crime of disobeying an imperial edict!"

"What cards does Nangong Xiong have left? He can't even leave the palace; his every need—eating, drinking, and using the restroom—relies on my manor's approval. What can he use to punish the officials? His mouth?"

Lu Dehao blinked and remained silent.

Although he was quite clever in handling affairs, he was still lacking in the intricacies of court politics, and couldn't even compare to Nangong Min. He frowned and thought for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what was wrong with the matter.

People like that are born to be wage earners.

"Brother, even if His Majesty is in dire straits now, he still holds the title. Those civil officials talk about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism every day. Now that His Majesty is in trouble, they should at least show some respect, right?" Lu Dehao said tentatively.

"Dehao, you're still too young. You don't understand the minds of these civil officials. What do they want to be officials for? To leave a mark on history? For the sake of the people? Bullshit! They study hard for ten years, scrambling to squeeze into the court, all for the sake of promotion, wealth, and securing a position for their wives and children!"

Lin Yi took another sip of tea, smacked his lips, and said, "Once the money's in their pockets, it's their life. You're asking them to hand over their lives to fight a battle with an uncertain outcome? Do you think they'd do it?"

Lu Dehao still didn't understand.

"But... if the emperor loses, won't they also suffer the consequences?"

"No, you're wrong." Lin Yi shook his head. "If Nangong Xiong loses, they'll still be officials under a different emperor. That's how the powerful families remain, despite the changing emperors. As long as they have money and land, whoever becomes emperor will have to use them to govern the country. They're shrewd; they would never bet their entire fortune on an empty shell like Nangong Xiong."

Lu Dehao finally understood completely and gasped, "Hiss... Big Brother means they'll just give Nangong Xiong a perfunctory answer?"

Lin Yi sneered and nodded.

"Heh, just you wait and see. If these people can actually pull out real money at tomorrow's morning court, that would be a miracle. Nangong Xiong thinks he can fool others, but he'll end up becoming a laughingstock himself."

Lu Dehao grinned: "Hahaha, shall we just sit back and watch the show?"

"Watching a play?" Lin Yi glanced at him. "Ha, I never watch plays, I have to perform them."

"What do you mean?" Lu Dehao suddenly realized something, and jumped up as if he'd been stepped on. "Holy crap, bro, you're not planning to double-cross me, are you?"

Hahahahaha.

......

As night fell, the palace was brightly lit.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the dragon desk in front of Nangong Xiong was piled high with account books.

These are all lists of his private funds.

"Twelve luminous pearls from the South China Sea, valued at 300,000 taels..."

"Two pairs of blood coral from the Western Regions, valued at two hundred thousand taels..."

"Fifty pieces of calligraphy and painting by renowned artists of the previous dynasty, valued at 500,000 taels..."

With each number he read out, his heart bled, a pain even greater than when he gave Lin Yi his betrothal gifts.

These are all rare and precious treasures that he painstakingly collected from various places since he ascended the throne.

Normally, he wouldn't even dare to glance at them twice, afraid of damaging them. And what happened? That old scoundrel Liu Wentao actually made him sell all these treasures to pay the wages of those uncouth soldiers!

"Damn Lin Yi! Damn traitor!" Nangong Xiong cursed through gritted teeth, even breaking the vermilion pen in his hand in two.

It's all Lin Yi's fault. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in such a terrible state.

Sun Fu, standing to the side, quickly picked up the broken pen and advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your health is of utmost importance. As long as the rebellion can be quelled and the Great Zhou Dynasty preserved, what do these material possessions matter? Once the world is at peace, won't all the treasures of the land belong to Your Majesty?"

Nangong Xiong was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

He certainly knew that Sun Fu was right.

But knowing it doesn't hurt me; it really does.

"I've emptied my coffers! If Liu Wentao and his ilk dare to play any tricks on me, I'll exterminate their entire family!"

Sun Fu lowered his head and echoed repeatedly, "Your Majesty is wise. With Your Majesty setting an example and the Prime Minister taking the lead, all civil and military officials will surely be grateful and eager to donate. The military pay for this army of 200,000 will definitely be raised."

......

The next morning, before dawn, civil and military officials gathered outside the Jingyun Gate of the palace.

Because Lin Yi had blocked supplies, even lamp oil in the palace had to be used sparingly, making the entire square dark and oppressive. Officials gathered in twos and threes, whispering and talking amongst themselves.

"Have you heard? The matter of donations will be discussed at the morning court session today."

"How could we not have heard? The Prime Minister sent someone yesterday to let us know. He said he'd be funding 200,000 troops to support the emperor, and we'd have to foot the bill."

"What kind of mess is this! The imperial court can't even pay salaries, and now they want us to pay out of our own pockets? My family is almost starving!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Are you out of your mind? This is the tune His Majesty personally set, who dares not to take it?"

Liu Wentao stood at the front of the crowd, wearing a slightly worn official robe, his hands tucked into his sleeves, eyes closed, resting.

He knows these people's true nature best.

I have no money, but you can take my life.

But he must perform well today, otherwise he won't be able to explain himself to Nangong Xiong, and he won't be able to count on the loyalist army.

"Attend court—"

With a loud, booming shout from Cai Ming, the officials lined up according to their rank and filed into the main hall.

After Nangong Xiong appeared, all the officials knelt down in worship.

"Long live the Five Emperors! Long live the Five Emperors! Long live the Five Emperors!"

"My beloved subjects, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Nangong Xiong raised his hand and cut straight to the point: "This morning's court session will not discuss anything else, only one matter. The traitor Lin Yi has blockaded the capital, plotting treason. I have already issued a secret decree to mobilize 200,000 troops to the capital to quell the rebellion. However, before the army can move, supplies must be prepared. The national treasury is currently empty, and this military expenditure hole will have to be filled by all of you ministers and me."

At this point, he stood up and waved his hand. Sun Fu immediately stepped forward with an account book in his hand and read it aloud.

"His Majesty, with the well-being of the realm at heart, and in order to quell the rebellion, has specially ordered the sale of all rare treasures, gold, silver, and valuables from the imperial treasury to fund the military. The total value is... three million taels!"

These words caused an uproar in the imperial court.

Three million taels?!

"His Majesty has emptied the imperial treasury!"

"This...this is a huge investment!"

The officials whispered among themselves, their faces filled with shock. After all, no one had expected Nangong Xiong to be so ruthless this time, even taking out his own savings for his funeral.

Seeing their reaction, Nangong Xiong gave a cold smile.

Even the emperor himself has gone bankrupt, and you ministers still have the nerve to hide it?

So he turned his attention to Liu Wentao, who was standing at the head of the group, and signaled to him that he could begin.

The latter immediately understood, took a step forward, knelt down with a thud, and shouted, "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty sacrificed your family for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty, truly a wise ruler for all ages! We, your subjects, could never repay Your Majesty's kindness even with our lives!"

After speaking, Liu Wentao turned to face the officials, took out a large piece of yellow silk from his sleeve, and unfolded it with both hands.

"Fellow colleagues! His Majesty has set an example; now it is our turn to serve the country loyally! I have specially prepared this merit silk; today, please write down the amount of your donation on it. This silk will be hung in the Imperial Ancestral Temple in the future, so that future generations may see our loyalty to the emperor and our love for the country!"

After saying this, he walked to the writing brush and ink held by the eunuch beside him, picked up the brush, dipped it in thick ink, and wrote a line of large characters at the top of the silk.

After finishing writing, he turned around again and announced loudly.

"As the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, I should take the lead and am willing to donate all the cash in my household and sell my ancestral home and land, totaling... 50,000 taels of silver!"