The Tyrant of the Great Qian Dynasty: Not only will I refuse to arrange a marriage alliance, but I w

Su Zhe stood on the steps in front of the dragon throne, holding a blank imperial edict.

He did not ascend those nine steps to reach that supreme position, yet the shadow he cast upon him was more terrifying than that of any emperor who sat upon it.

Inside the Golden Palace, the deathly silence was replaced by a more oppressive somber atmosphere.

The breathing of the officials rose and fell, heavy and suppressed, mixed with the soft rustling of their silk robes, weaving together a symphony of fear.

Many officials' backs were already soaked with cold sweat; their dark official robes clung tightly to their skin, sticky and icy.

"Then... will my name be on it?" A white-bearded official from the Ministry of Works asked his colleague in a trembling voice, his lips devoid of color.

"Silence! Lord Wang, watch your words!" The person next to him hurriedly interrupted him, but couldn't help glancing at the scroll in Su Zhe's hand, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "His Highness hasn't spoken yet; don't lose your composure!"

They lowered their heads, glancing at each other out of the corner of their eyes, their faces filled with fear.

Everyone believed that their name might appear on that blank piece of paper in the next instant.

This unresolved situation, brewing silently among the crowd, is more mentally agonizing than a direct naming and shaming.

Finally, an elderly official in the queue buckled at the knees and began to sway uncontrollably. If his colleague hadn't caught him in time, he would have collapsed in front of everyone.

This subtle commotion was like a stone thrown into a taut lake.

In the suffocating silence, a corpulent Vice Minister of Revenue named Qian Kun could no longer bear the pressure and collapsed heavily to his knees with a thud.

He lay sprawled on the ground, tears streaming down his face, banging his forehead against the floor tiles with a loud "thump-thump" sound.

"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me!"

Qian Kun's cries sounded particularly jarring in the empty hall.

"Your Majesty, I was merely momentarily confused and deceived by that traitor Zhao Kang! My loyalty to the Great Qian Dynasty is as clear as the sun and moon! My devotion to Your Majesty is witnessed by Heaven and Earth! I beg Your Highness to spare my life, considering my past service, even if I have not rendered any great service!"

He cried and pleaded, "Your Highness, I am willing to offer up all my possessions, begging only that you spare my life! My family still has some meager assets, which I am willing to donate entirely to help fund the army!"

Qian Kun's actions were like a breach in a dam, triggering a chain reaction of collapses.

"Thump! Thump!"

One after another, seven or eight more officials knelt down. They didn't even care about their colleagues in front of them, pushing and shoving each other, vying to be the first to kowtow to Su Zhe and beg for mercy.

"Your Highness, I was merely momentarily confused, blinded by greed!"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to offer my entire fortune to help the soldiers defending the city! I beg for your mercy!"

"Your Highness, please show mercy! We know we were wrong!"

In an instant, the sounds of crying, shouting, and kowtowing filled the Golden Palace, turning the solemn and dignified court into a noisy marketplace.

These high-ranking officials, who usually prided themselves on their demeanor and shrewdness, trampled all their dignity underfoot in order to save their lives.

Faced with this scene, Su Zhe did not show the slightest satisfaction.

He looked coldly at the people kneeling on the ground, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Give up your family fortune?"

His voice wasn't loud, but the words he uttered had a penetrating weight, silencing all the crying and shouting.

"That's the hard-earned money you've been exploiting for years, even decades, the blood and sweat of millions of people," Su Zhe swept his gaze across the faces of every kneeling official. "It never belonged to you from the very beginning."

"Now, you want to use this dirty money that doesn't even belong to you to buy your own lives?"

Su Zhe let out a contemptuous sneer.

"Tell us yourselves, is this deal a good one?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the kneeling officials stopped crying, and the light of hope on their tearful faces quickly dimmed.

They thought that by voluntarily confessing their crimes and handing over their assets, they could have a glimmer of hope, but they never expected that Su Zhe would not consider this a bargaining chip at all.

Qian Kun, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was so frightened that he almost lost his mind. He could sense a strong killing intent in Su Zhe's emotionless words.

He ignored the blood on his face and kowtowed even more desperately, the sound of his forehead hitting the gold bricks growing louder and louder.

"Your Majesty, I know my crime! Your Majesty deserves to die ten thousand times!"

Eager to prove his worth, he stammered, "Your Highness, I am willing to serve you like a slave! The city's defenses are strained, and money is needed everywhere. I know that! I know which granaries in the capital are full, and which cellars are stockpiled with grain!"

To save his life, he recklessly betrayed everything he knew.

"The Sun family in the west of the city are related to Zhao Kang by marriage. Their official business is silk, but they are secretly involved in the resale of government-owned salt! Their gold and silver treasures are piled up like mountains, enough to support the army for a month!"

"The Li family in the south of the city made their fortune by selling smuggled salt. I have personally seen that their cellars contain no less than 100,000 shi of grain! Enough to supply the entire city's military and civilians for half a month!"

"And then there's the Zhang family in the north of the city. They secretly do business with the northern barbarians, and their mansion must be hiding a lot of contraband weapons and supplies! Bows and crossbows, iron-rimmed arrows, and maybe even heavy armor!"

He spilled everything he knew, including all the dark secrets, without reservation, just to buy himself a chance to survive.

"very good."

Su Zhe's answer surprised everyone.

Surprisingly, he didn't get angry; instead, he said, "Very good."

He took a step and walked down the steps to stand in front of Qian Kun.

To everyone's astonishment, he actually bent down and personally helped the fat man, whose face was covered in blood, snot, and tears, to his feet.

"Minister Qian is a man of great integrity, which greatly comforts me."

Su Zhe patted Qian Kun on the shoulder, the gesture quite friendly. "You're pretty good, much more useful than those useless cowards who only know how to kowtow."

Qian Kun was stunned at first, then a surge of joy welled up in his heart.

He thought he had made the right bet, escaped a disaster, and even gained an important position!

"Your Majesty, I... Your Majesty, I kowtow in gratitude! I am willing to serve Your Majesty with my life, even unto death!" He was so excited that he was trembling all over. He was about to kneel down to express his gratitude, but Su Zhe grabbed him and prevented him from kneeling.

"Since you are so familiar with the situation of various families in the capital, then you will be the deputy to assist General Chen in handling the matter of confiscating the property of the traitors."

But Su Zhe's next words plunged him into despair.

Su Zhe's tone suddenly changed, his voice becoming chillingly cold.

"However, my rules are very simple."

He stared into Qian Kun's eyes and said, word by word, "For every piece of confiscated property you report, the national treasury will ultimately receive that amount. If even a single penny is missing from the accounts..."

Su Zhe paused, raised his hand, and gestured in front of Qian Kun, "I'll cut off one of your fingers."

The joy on Qian Kun's face froze instantly.

Su Zhe continued, "If anyone tries to bribe you and you dare to accept it, I will skin you alive and hang your skin on the city gate as a warning. If you dare to protect anyone, you will suffer the same fate as Wang Su."

"Did you understand?"

The color drained from Qian Kun's face, and a deeper fear than before crept onto his features.

He finally understood that this was not a reward, but a death sentence!

Even if it's done well, there's no benefit whatsoever, because the copied text should belong to the state anyway.

If he doesn't handle this well, he'll be the first one to die!

His lips trembled, his teeth chattered, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Su Zhe ignored him and turned to face all the officials, announcing:

"Effective immediately, the system of parliamentary proceedings is abolished, and a wartime cabinet is established in its place!"

"All decrees shall be dictated by me, recorded by the Cabinet, and implemented immediately. Anyone who disobeys shall be punished as a traitor!"

Upon the issuance of this decree, the officials were in uproar, yet no one dared to voice their opposition.

This is to completely abolish the system of three provinces and six ministries, and concentrate all power in the hands of Su Zhe alone.

He wasn't consulting with anyone; he was simply informing them of a result.

Oppose?

Looking outside the palace, Wang Su's bloodstains were still wet.

Who dares to object?

Su Zhe then appointed Wei An, the old eunuch who had always followed him, as the chief scribe of the wartime cabinet.

He then selected several officials from among those who knelt and begged for mercy but whose crimes did not warrant death, and filled them into the cabinet, putting them in charge of specific matters such as logistics and people's livelihood.

In this way, he firmly bound the interests of a group of people to his own cause.

These people have to do everything they can to survive.

Finally, Su Zhe looked towards the outside of the hall and gave his final order.

"Chen Baipao!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Take a thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders and follow Minister Qian to 'confiscate his property.'" Su Zhe emphasized the words "confiscate his property."

"Remember, all the confiscated grain, ironware, and medicine must be sent to the West Gate defenses immediately. Gold and silver can be dealt with later, but these military supplies cannot be delayed for a moment. We have no time to waste."

His gaze pierced through the layers of palace walls, looking towards the dark, imposing enemy camp outside the city.

A redistribution of wealth has begun.

This is more of a war against time, an emergency mobilization of resources.