On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Lin Yi has been having a pretty leisurely time these past few days. He spends his free time reading books, playing with his dog, and teaching Mi Mi Pilates in the evenings. His life is comfortable and a little bit romantic.

That day, as usual, he sat in the octagonal pavilion reading a book, while Mimi fanned him and fed him cherries.

Yifei was sitting across the stone table making tea. When she saw this, her face turned red. She thought to herself, "In broad daylight, the two princes are being too improper."

At this moment, Sun Fu rushed in, led by Lin An. Mi Mi tucked in her collar and retreated with Yi Fei.

Sun Fu knelt before Lin Yi and said, "This servant Sun Fu greets Your Highness."

Lin Yi hummed in agreement, slowly setting down his teacup as if the person kneeling before him was not some powerful official, but an ant.

Sun Fu's heart pounded. He thought to himself, "This kid's aura is getting more and more frightening. A few years ago, when he was still the heir apparent, he would always greet me politely as 'Eunuch Sun.' But now, I've been kneeling here for half a day, and he hasn't uttered a single word."

This is the taste of power, it's wonderful.

Get up.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Sun Fu stood up, but his back was still bent, like a shrimp.

Lin Yi felt disgusted by his fawning manner.

Who knows how much malice lies hidden beneath that smiling face?

"Speak, what is it?"

Sun Fu hurriedly pulled out a scroll wrapped in bright yellow silk from his sleeve, held it with both hands, and raised it high above his head: "Your Highness, this is the dowry list that His Majesty has prepared for the Princess, and he has specially ordered me to bring it here for Your Highness to review."

Lin Yi said "Oh" without much reaction and reached out to take it.

Sun Fu watched from the side, his heart pounding in his chest.

He had gone to great lengths to persuade Nangong Xiong to agree to this deal, practically emptying half of the emperor's private treasury. If Lin Yi was still not satisfied, he really wouldn't know what to do.

Lin Yi's gaze swept across the list line by line, and when he saw "Night Pearl of the South China Sea" and "Preface to the Poems Composed at Lanting Pavilion", he gave a cold smile.

Nangong Xiong was truly driven to the brink this time, otherwise he wouldn't have brought out so many good things.

You should know that any one of these treasures could be enough for an ordinary person to live on for ten lifetimes.

It seems that sealing off the palace was the right move.

He glanced at the list from beginning to end, then casually tossed it onto the table and said nonchalantly, "It's passable."

When Sun Fu heard those five words, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Just passable?

Every single item in this list is a priceless treasure. His Majesty was so distressed by this list that he couldn't eat for days, and all you gave him was a "good enough" evaluation?

Have you no shame?

Sun Fu cursed Lin Yi's ancestors for eighteen generations in his mind, then forced a smile on his face: "I'm glad you're satisfied, Your Highness."

"Hmm." Lin Yi nodded, put down his teacup, and tapped his fingers lightly on the stone table, as if he was thinking about something.

Sun Fu felt a pang of anxiety upon seeing this.

Oh no, this kid's going to cause trouble again.

As expected, Lin Yi spoke up: "The dowry is settled then. However, I have one more condition."

Sun Fu's face was almost twitching, but he forced himself to ask, "Your Highness, please speak. As long as it is within my power, I will do it even at the cost of my life."

"No need for death." Lin Yi waved his hand. "Lately, I've felt that the capital is in a state of chaos and needs to be cleaned up. Especially those casinos, they're a scourge. How many people have lost everything and even died because of gambling? It pains me to see them like this."

Sun Fu was stunned.

Are you feeling upset?

You killed so many people, deposed the prince, sealed off the palace, and turned the entire capital upside down. And you tell me you feel bad seeing other people's families torn apart?

No, I've noticed it. Why do you people who hold great power like to show off so much?

Why are you pretending to be a servant like me? Is that really necessary?

"Your Highness has the world in your heart and cares for the people; you are truly a blessing to all." Sun Fu had no choice but to go along with Lin Yi's words.

Lin Yi waved his hand: "Alright, stop flattering me. What I mean is, let His Majesty issue an imperial edict."

"Your Highness means..."

"From this day forward, private casinos are prohibited within the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and all existing casinos must be shut down. Anyone found operating a casino privately will have their entire family beheaded. Anyone involved in gambling will be punished, ranging from having their hands cut off to being beheaded."

"Hiss..." Sun Fu gasped.

I thought to myself, "Isn't this too cruel?"

Moreover, this matter is not so simple. Behind every casino, large and small, in the capital are powerful families, who are also a significant source of their wealth. Lin Yi's actions have effectively cut off everyone's source of income.

This is going to offend the entire court of officials!

What exactly does he want to do?

Sun Fu couldn't understand, so he tentatively asked, "Your Highness, this matter has far-reaching implications, I'm afraid..."

"What? Is it difficult?" Lin Yi looked at him coldly. "I am doing this for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Does anyone dare to oppose me?"

"Uh, that's not what I meant," Sun Fu quickly explained. "I just felt that this matter is of great importance and requires careful consideration."

"What nonsense about planning!" Lin Yi slammed his hand on the table, saying domineeringly, "The gambling den is shady, causing families to be ruined and wives and children to be torn apart. That's the reason! Go back and tell Nangong Xiong that he has to issue this imperial decree, whether he likes it or not! Otherwise, the Princess can forget about marrying into the family, and you can continue eating cornbread in the palace!"

This is already a blatant threat.

Sun Fu gritted his teeth, knowing there was no room for negotiation.

Lin Yi never plays by the rules, and he's ruthless and capable of anything. If you really push him too far, he doesn't care about powerful families or the entire court; he'll just flip the table.

"Yes, yes, this servant understands," Sun Fu said humbly. "This servant will go back and report to His Majesty immediately, and will certainly convey the Prince's message."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Yes, thank you, Your Highness." Sun Fu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, bowed, and turned to leave.

Sitting in the carriage on the way back to the palace, Sun Fu closed his eyes and pondered.

He really couldn't guess what Lin Yi was planning. Could it be that he wanted to be a righteous official, ridding the people of evil?

impossible!

This kid is more cunning than anyone else; he must have some other purpose in doing this.

That was... a trap to make His Majesty offend those powerful clans?

Hmm, that's possible.

Although Lin Yi currently wields considerable power, his foundation is still weak, and he lacks connections within the court. Those powerful and influential families are deeply entrenched and have always been targets of the emperor's efforts to win them over. If His Majesty were to issue an edict to offend them all, Lin Yi wouldn't even need to lift a finger; the officials alone would devour him.

How clever!

Those powerful families didn't know what was going on. They only knew that the imperial edict was issued by His Majesty. When their interests were harmed, the first person they would hate would definitely be His Majesty!

What a clever tactic – using someone else to do the dirty work, diverting the blame eastward!

This Lin Yi is so young, yet he is so cunning!

It seems I must consider him the biggest obstacle to my rise to power.