On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Guo Ao swallowed hard.

Don't be fooled by the fact that 10,000 taels of silver may not seem like much. In reality, a fourth-rank official in the Great Zhou Dynasty only received a few hundred taels of silver a year.

That's equivalent to a hundred years' salary, and that's for an official.

If it were an ordinary farmer, he wouldn't earn ten thousand taels of silver even in ten lifetimes.

This is not an exaggeration at all. For example, if a farmer can earn ten taels of silver a year, he is considered a relatively well-off family in the Great Zhou Dynasty. He has no worries about food and drink, and may even be able to take a concubine.

It takes ten years to earn one hundred taels of silver, and a hundred years to earn one thousand taels.

Therefore, never underestimate corrupt officials; their illicit income is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Guo Ao sighed and said, "Have you ever counted how many people like this there are?"

Liu Wentao didn't answer, only saying, "Quite a few."

"Sigh." Guo Ao put down his cup, feeling utterly distressed. "Prime Minister, is there really no other way?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Liu Jing, as if hinting at something.

Liu Wentao, of course, knew what he meant, and snorted coldly, "Hmph, isn't your sister also in the Prince's mansion? What good is it?"

"Tsk, that's true."

That's right, Guo Fu is in the Prince's mansion. I don't know how she's doing, but she's definitely not doing well.

Otherwise, I wouldn't be stuck here feeling so stifled.

Besides, given her personality, if her sister is thrown out like a scapegoat this time, she'll definitely hate the Guo family to death.

"Prime Minister, what do you think Lin Yi will do after he gets this list? Will he really go and search every single one of them?"

"Definitely, but it won't be a case of investigating today and confiscating the goods tomorrow. He has to investigate slowly, and only take action after verifying everything."

How did you know?

"Nonsense. If everyone were dealt with at once, there would be no one to do the work in the court, and the country would be paralyzed. Lin Yi has never rebelled, which shows that he identifies with the Great Zhou and doesn't want it to fall apart. Therefore, after obtaining the list, he will definitely target those officials without powerful backers or who have already lost power, making an example of them."

"...You've thought things through quite clearly."

"If I can't even see through this simple matter, then what have I been doing for twenty years as prime minister? It would have been a waste."

Guo Ao nodded and sighed, then stood up.

After today, the Great Zhou court will be completely changed, and from now on, it will be Lin Yi's one-man show.

He was even more powerful than the emperor.

Because the emperor now leaves even the palace, while he can indulge in debauchery outside and go wherever he wants.

"Prime Minister, I shall take my leave."

"Um."

After saying that, Guo Ao bent over and lifted the cotton curtain at the door. A cold wind rushed in, making people shiver, and then disappeared into the night.

Liu Jing hesitated before approaching Liu Wentao and whispered, "Dad."

"Um?"

"Are you really not going to regret it?"

Liu Wentao did not answer her question, but got up and walked to the old desk by the window.

The desk was small and dilapidated, and it was unclear which abandoned house it had been moved from; a piece was even missing from one corner.

Several old books and a worn-out pen were scattered haphazardly on top.

Liu Wentao opened the drawer under his desk, rummaged around for a while, and finally pulled out an old booklet without a cover.

"Father, what is this?"

"This was written a few years ago, back then... just in case, as a life-saving measure."

Liu Jing leaned closer to take a look.

The booklet was opened, and it was filled with tiny, densely packed characters, with names on every page followed by a string of records.

The document details how much silver someone received in which year, from what channel it came, and through whom it was obtained; some entries even specify the location of the hidden silver.

Liu Jing felt a chill run down her spine.

If this thing is discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Father! How could you bring something like this into the palace? What if it gets found during a search..."

Liu Wentao interrupted with absolute certainty: "No."

Liu Jing was secretly alarmed, knowing that her father had served as prime minister for twenty years and must have a lot of dirt on many people.

She even had vague guesses about it before.

But she never imagined that her father would actually write these things down in a booklet and carry it with him.

Liu Wentao opened the booklet and read through it page by page.

Liu Jing stood beside him, looking at her father's gray hair and sunken cheeks under the lamplight, and felt a heavy weight in her heart.

How many people are on board?

Thirty-seven.

"hiss……"

Thirty-seven corrupt officials were distributed among the six ministries in the capital, local prefectures, and even the military.

Liu Jing had never felt her back so cold before.

Liu Wentao said, "With these things in hand, Lin Yi has essentially gained control of half of the imperial court's lifeline."

Liu Jing bit her lower lip.

"Father, besides that, Lin Yi has one more condition."

"Anything else?" Liu Wentao asked, somewhat puzzled, because what he possessed was exactly what Lin Yi wanted most. "What else?"

"All the remaining assets of our Liu family must be handed over."

Liu Wentao paused.

"Did he know we still had something?"

Liu Jing shook her head: "He didn't say he knew, but the fact that he made this condition means he already guessed it."

"Hehehe..."

Liu Wentao's smile was tinged with sadness.

Indeed, when Lin Yi ransacked the Prime Minister's residence, it appeared that he had turned the entire family's assets upside down.

But as the prime minister, it's impossible to keep everything in one place. Lin Yi understood this principle well, but he didn't know exactly how much.

Liu Wentao was definitely reluctant to part with it, after all, it was the capital for the Liu family's comeback.

"How about this, Jing'er? I bet Lin Yi doesn't know how much money we have, so let's hand over the three estates in Chaoge as a way of making amends."

Liu Jing was taken aback.

Chaoge County is several hundred miles away from the capital.

"These are private properties. Not only Lin Yi, but even your mother doesn't know about them. One of them is registered under the name of a distant relative, your second uncle's cousin, Liu Degui, the one who sells tofu. The land deeds and house deeds are in his name, but they actually belong to us. It's about 300 mu of land, two houses, and various kinds of money and jewelry..."

Liu Jing was startled.

Indeed, she had no idea about it.

Liu Wentao then described the situation of two other estates, which, in short, amounted to approximately 160,000 taels of silver.

Give it all to Lin Yi.

Not only did Liu Wentao feel sorry for her, but even Liu Jing thought it was too much and not worth it.

"Dad, are we really going to give it all to Lin Yi?"

"Give it to him."

"But Father..."

"Jing'er." Liu Wentao walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Listen to me, that money has been sitting there for over ten years, and I haven't used it. Do you know why?"

Liu Jing shook her head.

"Because I dare not use it, especially the gold I've hidden away. If I use it, it will leave a trace, and a trace will be discovered. The thing a prime minister fears most is being caught red-handed. So from the day I buried that gold, I knew it might never be used."

He released his grip and took a step back.

"Give them up now, in exchange for my son's life—no, for a chance—I think it's worth it."

"Dad..." Liu Jing's tears finally fell.

She endured it all night, ever since she left the Prince's mansion, and has been enduring it until now.

But when she heard her father say it was worth it, she couldn't hold back any longer.

She choked back tears and said, "Father, do you know...?"

"I know that from now on, the Liu family will become a pariah, hated by everyone, but it doesn't matter. Your brother is still here; he is that seed!"

Liu Wentao said this while standing next to the oil lamp that was about to go out.

The lamplight flickered, casting shifting light on his face.

"My biggest mistake in life was playing peacemaker for twenty years," he told himself. "Trying to please neither side while benefiting from both. In the end, both sides treated me like a dog, and even the emperor used me as a tool."

Liu Jing didn't reply, but tears kept falling down her face.

"But your brother is different. He's only sixteen, he's nothing yet, he hasn't made any mistakes, he's like a blank sheet of paper."

"Twenty years from now, most of these old men in the capital will be dead, and new rules will be established. By then, your brother will be thirty-six, in the prime of his life. He won't need the title of prime minister; as long as he can be an honest official, support himself, marry, have children, and continue the family line... that will be enough."

Liu Jing wiped her face with her sleeve.

"Father, I understand."

"Good that you understand." Liu Wentao turned around, folded the booklet and several other slips of paper with addresses written on them together, wrapped them in an old cloth, and handed them to Liu Jing. "Take these things. Go to the Prince's Mansion in three days. Don't rush. Rushing will only make Lin Yi think that our Liu family is desperate. You need to make him feel that you've thought things through before you go."

Liu Jing nodded and carefully tucked the cloth bag into her bosom.

"Father, I understand."

"There's one more thing."

"What?"

"Don't tell your brother about this yet."

Liu Jing was taken aback: "Why?"

"He's too young; he can't keep things to himself. If you tell him, and he reacts negatively, what if someone asks?"

"Okay, I understand. I won't tell him."

"Hehehe..." Looking at his daughter nodding vigorously, Liu Wentao smiled knowingly: "Jing'er, you've grown up."

Liu Jing lowered her head, unsure of what to say.

Her father never praised her from childhood to adulthood.

Back when she lived in the Prime Minister's mansion, she was a wealthy young lady who studied music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework.

Nobody thought she needed to take on any responsibility.

But now all the burdens are on her shoulders alone.

Indeed, only those who have experienced hardship can mature quickly.