On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Nangong Xiong's face immediately fell, and his chin almost touched the table.

Fifty thousand taels?

You, the dignified Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the head of all officials, I spent three million taels of silver, and you only donated fifty thousand taels.

You're trying to fob me off like a beggar!

"Minister Liu," Nangong Xiong gritted his teeth, his long eyebrows twitching with anger, "you, as the current Prime Minister, only donated fifty thousand taels?"

Liu Wentao knew he would ask that question, so he quickly kowtowed to the ground.

"Your Majesty, please be wise! For forty years I have served as an official, always remaining incorruptible and never embezzling a single penny. This fifty thousand taels was barely scraped together by selling my ancestral property in the countryside and dismissing most of my servants! My loyalty to the Great Zhou is as clear as day!"

Nangong Xiong stared at his old face, which looked like it was about to cry, and felt a wave of disgust.

Although everyone knew he was honest and upright, how could someone as the head of all officials not have money? Even if he didn't embezzle, he still had to accept gifts.

However, Nangong Xiong did not continue to have an attack.

Liu Wentao, as a representative of integrity in the hearts of scholars across the country, has an excellent reputation. If he were exposed on the spot, the show would fall apart.

Moreover, he was counting on Liu Wentao to make contact with those powerful and influential families.

"Enough." Nangong Xiong took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "I know of the Prime Minister's integrity. It's truly commendable that he would sell his ancestral property to share the burden of the country. What about the other ministers? The Prime Minister has already taken the lead; how much do you plan to donate?"

Nangong Xiong glanced behind him.

This made the main hall quite lively.

Qian Deguang, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was the first to jump out, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Your Majesty! I have an eighty-year-old mother and a young child crying for food. My salary has long been suspended, and my family drinks thin porridge every day. I am willing to sell everything I own and donate...donate thirty thousand taels!"

Nangong Xiong's eye twitched slightly.

You, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a lucrative position in charge of the nation's finances, are only going to donate 30,000 taels to me?

Before he could speak, the other officials also jumped out one after another.

"Your Majesty! My family is so poor we can barely afford it. Last night we even dismantled our bed boards to use as firewood. I'm donating ten thousand taels!"

"Your Majesty, this humble subject will donate eight thousand taels!"

"Your Majesty, this humble subject will donate five thousand taels!"

"Your humble servant is truly out of money, but I will donate four hundred taels!"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, each feeling they had donated a considerable amount.

The last official, a seventh-rank censor, knelt behind and shouted, "Your Majesty, I am willing to donate fifty taels!"

"Pfft, cough cough cough..." Nangong Xiong was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Fifty taels!

You wouldn't even know this if you went to a brothel to tip a prostitute!

These bastards, they're always spouting lofty rhetoric in court, shouting about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism louder than anyone else. But now that it's time to hand over real money, they're all beggars!

Actually, it's not their fault; it's all Liu Wentao's fault for setting a bad precedent.

He donated 50,000 taels of silver; which official below him dared to surpass him?

To be richer than the Prime Minister means you are even richer than the Prime Minister!

Then tell me, where did this money come from?

Was it embezzlement, bribery, or oppression of the people?

Therefore, each of these people donated less than the last, for fear of causing trouble for themselves by donating too much.

Nangong Xiong was so angry that he trembled all over. He pointed at the group of people below and remained silent for a long time.

Sun Fu stood to the side, head down, secretly chuckling to himself.

Ha, I knew this would be the result.

These civil officials usually boast that they are incorruptible, but in reality they value money more than their own lives.

Besides, why do they become officials? Isn't it just for money?

Otherwise, they would all go into business.

After fussing around for half an hour, Sun Fu added up the numbers on the merit silk and calculated them.

"Your Majesty," Sun Fu said softly, "adding the three million taels from Your Majesty's private treasury, the officials have donated a total of... 350,000 taels. The total is 3,350,000 taels."

Upon hearing this number, Nangong Xiong felt a wave of dizziness.

The entire court, consisting of only a few dozen officials, managed to raise 350,000 taels of silver!

Even Liu Wentao's 50,000 taels were in there!

Food, pay, and rewards for an army of 200,000... what can this little bit of money do?

"Very well, very well indeed!" Nangong Xiong stood up, his eyes bloodshot, and roared, "Fine! Since you're so stingy with your money, don't blame me for not protecting you when Lin Yi storms in!"

"Ah!!" With that, Nangong Xiong shoved the memorial over the ground. "Court adjourned!"

Sun Fu quickly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Dismiss the court!"

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

"snort."

Nangong Xiong turned and left, but the officials paid no attention. They got up from the ground, exchanged glances, and slipped out of the hall.

Outside the palace, the sky was overcast.

Liu Wentao straightened his official robes and walked at the front, with Qian Deguang and Ma Jianguo quickly following behind on either side.

"Your Excellency, is His Majesty truly angry about what happened today?"

Liu Wentao snorted coldly and glanced at Qian Deguang: "Hmph, angry? He messed things up himself. If he doesn't use money to bribe the loyalist army, is he just waiting to die? I've already done more than enough by donating 50,000 taels. And you lot, you're all officials of the court, and some of you are even donating 50 taels. Your behavior is too disgusting."

Qian Deguang said with a bitter face, "Your Excellency, you've donated 50,000, how dare I donate more? Besides, donating this money is just throwing it down the drain. Whether our 200,000 troops can defeat Lin Yi is still uncertain. If we lose, we need to keep some money on hand to save our lives, don't we?"

Liu Wentao didn't say anything, but he completely agreed in his heart.

Those who manage to rise to the position of official in the capital are not fools; who would be willing to stake their entire fortune and life on Nangong Xiong?

Lin Yi now commands the Shenji Battalion, and there are 300,000 troops in the northern border.

If the loyalist army fails to capture the capital after a prolonged siege, and Lin Yi recalls the troops from the northern border, the capital will surely be plunged into chaos and death.

Therefore, having money on hand is the most important thing at this time.

As long as they have money and their lives are spared, they can simply find another master to serve.

"Alright, enough nonsense." Liu Wentao waved his hand. "Since you've written the amount on the merit silk, hurry up and send the money to my residence. I still need to compile a list and send it to His Majesty. Remember, don't delay. At this time, anyone who dares to renege on their debt will be killed by His Majesty."

"Yes, yes, I understand. I will go back and prepare immediately."

The officials dispersed.

In the afternoon, the area in front of Liu Wentao's Prime Minister's residence was bustling with activity. One carriage after another stopped at the gate, and servants carried boxes of silver inside.

In fact, this amount of money is not even a drop in the ocean for them.

Qian Deguang had over a million taels of silver hidden in his house, so taking out tens of thousands of taels was not even a fraction of what he had.

But even with these 30,000 taels, he carefully selected some loose silver of poor quality to send over, afraid that others would realize he was rich.

Liu Wentao sat in his study, listening to the butler report on the situation outside.

"Master, the silver from Minister Qian of the Ministry of Revenue has arrived, all in loose silver. Minister Ma of the Ministry of Works has also arrived, along with two boxes of copper coins." The steward checked the accounts one by one, holding the ledger.

Liu Wentao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slammed the teacup down on the table.

"These short-sighted fools. Our 200,000-strong army is our last hope. If the loyalist army is defeated, do you think that ruthless Lin Yi will let them go? Don't they know what methods Lin Yi uses to confiscate property? He leaves nothing behind—not a single gold or silver deed! They're unwilling to spend money now, but once Lin Yi invades, all their money will be his sooner or later!"

The steward chimed in, "Master is right. These officials won't learn their lesson until they're faced with the death penalty."

"Sigh." Liu Wentao sighed.

He was actually heartbroken about losing those 50,000 taels of silver, but he had no choice. As the head of all officials, he had to set an example.

Just then, the study door was suddenly pushed open.

The butler was startled and was about to start cursing when he saw that the doorman, Old Li, was covered in sweat, his face was pale, his lips were trembling, and he could barely speak.

"Master...Master! Something terrible has happened!" He swallowed hard, pointed towards the gate, and stammered, "Lin...Lin Yi! Regent Lin Yi has arrived with his troops!"