"That damned wicked husband!"

"I... am your sworn enemy!"

Upon hearing Ying Zheng recount the wicked husband's decision, Meng Can's shrill screams echoed through the empty, solemn hall, sending chills down everyone's spine.

Just then, the wicked husband arrived at the entrance of Zhangtai Palace. Hearing the screams and curses from inside the palace, which sounded like the howls of wild beasts, he instinctively stopped in his tracks.

"Meng Can!"

The wicked man kicked open the palace door, stood at the entrance, pointed at Meng Can, and shouted, "I think you've gotten too cocky lately. It's one thing to curse me behind my back, but you have to make sure I hear it?"

Meng Can's eyes widened, burning with rage. He straightened his back and glared back at the wicked husband without fear. Although his voice trembled with anger, every word clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"You treacherous minister, I, Meng Can, will have a good talk with you today!"

The wicked man's face froze, and he was quite surprised. What had Meng Can done to dare to criticize him to his face?

Ying Zheng and his court officials were all stunned to see Meng Can dare to publicly rebuke the wicked husband. They secretly gave him a thumbs up.

"Well done, Meng Can!"

"You didn't lose face!"

"Give him a good scolding! This good-for-nothing son of a bitch doesn't know the value of money!"

As if they were out of control, everyone couldn't help but shout out their innermost thoughts.

Completely lost in the murmur of the crowd, Meng Can clenched his somewhat frail fist and said coldly, "Everyone says that you, the wicked husband, are brave and unparalleled throughout history. Today, I, Meng Can, will put my words here."

"If you dare to touch the national treasury's money, I'll show you my fist, the size of a casserole dish, today."

Upon hearing this, the wicked man immediately revealed a sinister smile, looking at the brave and fearless Meng Can with a playful gaze, almost bursting into laughter.

Instantly, the atmosphere inside the hall became extremely tense.

The guards outside the palace gates quickly reached out and closed them, while the ministers inside retreated, none daring to utter a sound, for fear of becoming the next target of the wrath.

"Fine, very well!" the wicked man said through gritted teeth. "Since Meng Taicang is so confident, why don't we have a one-on-one duel right now?"

"If you win, I will not touch a single hair of your national treasury, but if I win... ha...."

The cold laugh sent a chill down Meng Can's spine, but his reason returned instantly, and he became clear-headed.

"This...hehe...."

Meng Can gave a sheepish smile and awkwardly changed the subject, "Grand Commandant, it's not that I'm stopping you, nor that I'm unwilling to spend money on the people."

"But do you know that if we follow your logic, the national treasury will not be able to retain a single penny, and the consequences will be something we absolutely cannot afford?"

At this point, Meng Can made a concession in a negotiating tone, "Grand Commandant, don't think I, Meng Can, am stingy. I can exempt taxes, and I can even ask the national treasury to pay for seeds and farming tools, but the repair of houses... I really can't afford it."

Meng Can looked pained. Such a concession would leave the national treasury extremely empty, but due to his wicked husband's tyranny, he had no choice but to do so, trying his best to leave some reserves for the national treasury.

The wicked man chuckled, then asked with considerable curiosity, "May I ask you all how you learned of what I, the Grand Commandant, said in the city? I arrived at the palace right after I finished speaking, and the news traveled even faster than I did?"

"This...this..." At this moment, everyone's faces suddenly turned ashen, as if they were suppressing laughter. "Grand Commandant, it's...it's..."

"It's me, Grand Commandant!" a voice rang out from the crowd, and Yang Duanhe walked out with a beaming smile.

"Oh, Old Yang??" The wicked husband raised an eyebrow, his curiosity growing. "Tell me, how did you know?"

"Grand Commandant, you really have a bad memory. Didn't you ask me to set up the Black Ice Guard?" Yang Duanhe said with a smug look on his face, as arrogant as could be.

"I see." The wicked man suddenly realized, a look of shock flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected that the Black Ice Platform had been established in such a short time.

"Good, keep up the good work! Don't just swagger around in your own territory!" The wicked husband first praised, then his tone became encouraging.

Yang Duanhe, having received praise from his wicked husband, became serious instead. "Don't worry, Grand Commandant, time is just a bit tight. In the future, we will definitely make the Black Ice Guard have the same capabilities as Yu Xianyang in various places."

The wicked man nodded, then looked at Ying Zheng on the high platform, wanting to observe his attitude, only to see that Ying Zheng's face was also full of pain.

"Your Majesty, you feel sorry for him too?!" The wicked husband said with a hint of mockery.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng shook his head forcefully, forcing a fake smile on his face. "I am concerned about the disaster victims, so I will not begrudge any money. You are only doing this for the people, so why should I begrudge any money?"

"Just as you said, money can be earned back, but if you lose a person, you lose everything."

The wicked man chuckled inwardly, then said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the news of the great victory in Kucha must have already reached the palace?"

Ying Zheng nodded slightly, a smile involuntarily appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, the wicked man said again, "Since that's the case, the distribution market can be established immediately. What is a little disaster relief money? It's just a drop in the ocean."

Just as Ying Zheng was about to smile, Meng Can poured cold water on his hopes, saying, "Grand Commandant, perhaps you're being too optimistic."

"Putting everything else aside, just building a reputation will take who knows how long!"

"Not to mention the time it would take for barbarians from all over the country to get to Kucha. Given the current state of the national treasury, it simply cannot support that."

Meng Can was right. This era was not like later times, where transportation was not as convenient. You could travel all over the world by plane in the blink of an eye.

However, since the wicked man dared to make such a boast, he must have been absolutely certain of it. He smiled confidently and said, "What's the big deal? Since I dare to say this, I must be absolutely certain of it."

“It will take time for the distant tribes to arrive, but the thirty-five tribes of the Western Regions are also incredibly wealthy. We can harvest their wealth in the short term and then perfectly fill the gap when the barbarians from further away come upon hearing the news.”

At this point, the wicked man's smile widened. "The thirty-five tribes of the Western Regions are quite wealthy. As long as we cater to their tastes, we can definitely extract an astonishing fortune from their pockets."

"oh?"

His confidence drew curious glances from Ying Zheng and everyone else present.

"May I ask, Grand Commandant, what methods do you intend to use?" Han Fei asked loudly, his face full of curiosity.

His words undoubtedly expressed everyone's thoughts, and everyone eagerly awaited the wicked husband's answer.

"secret!"

The wicked man's lips moved slightly as he uttered two infuriating words.