Chapter 533 Keep dreaming

Qin Mo stood in Wang Yushi's Fengning Palace for the first time, looking left and right, looking up and down, constantly surveying the spacious and simple hall, which was in stark contrast to the group of court officials standing respectfully with their hands at their sides around her.

"Is this really a place an empress should live in?" Qin Mo looked around for a long time and finally realized that apart from being desolate, this place had no special features. She couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"What brings you, Your Highnesses and Ministers, to my Fengning Palace?" Wang Yushi finally emerged from the back hall. After sitting down, she barely lifted her eyelids. Her cold voice was a perfect match for the desolate hall, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.

"Your Majesty, the Holy Temple has sent an envoy to inquire about this year's aid. We are unable to make a decision and humbly request Your Majesty's guidance!"

"This matter is not under my jurisdiction, nor am I qualified to handle it. Lord Xiao, you've come to the wrong place!"

“This…” Xiao Xinyan turned around and glanced at Prince Yan, Qin Mu, while cursing him in his heart.

The Prince of Yan insisted on Qin Yuanze's ascension to the throne, and for several days he used all sorts of underhanded tricks to cause a huge commotion with the Empress. Now that he is in trouble, he has sent Xiao Xinyan to step in and get scolded. It is truly hateful.

The Prince of Yan is the Grand Commander of the Central Army, in charge of the army but not the government. Matters like the Temple's aid are indeed not under his jurisdiction and should indeed be handled by the Cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue. However, it is obvious that his group is not favored by the Empress. Why should Xiao Xinyan clean up the mess for the Prince of Yan?

Xiao Xinyan remained silent, lowering his head and imitating Qin Mo, tugging at his sleeves and touching his chest, thoroughly examining the white mourning clothes he was wearing. He had to admit, the material of these mourning clothes was really quite good!

Seeing Xiao Xinyan feign ignorance, the Prince of Yan said helplessly, "The envoy from the Holy Temple has proposed doubling this year's aid; otherwise... they will have to negotiate peace with the orcs!"

"Hmph! They've been enemies for a thousand years and they're talking about making peace? Does their Holy Temple really have no shame? Let them negotiate, let's see how they'll resolve this thousand-year-old feud!"

"...Your Majesty, for many years, the Western Continent has been the main force that has been restrained by the orcs. If the Holy Temple really makes peace with the orcs, then the orcs' military force will inevitably turn towards our Great Xia, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"

“Resisting the orcs is the duty of the Central Army. This is something that Prince Yan can discuss with the generals. There’s no need to ask me! Does anyone else have anything else to say?” Wang Yushi waved her hand, annoyed, and started to shoo people away. She had been feeling the baby move in her womb these past few days and was playing with the child in her belly when she was called out by a group of people dressed in mourning clothes. She was really annoyed.

"Our Great Xia has an alliance with the Holy Temple, to watch over and help each other against the orcs. This year's aid was also promised in advance by the late Emperor. Now that the national treasury is empty, we hope that the Empress will open the inner treasury and provide 12 million taels of silver..."

"Your Highness Yan is joking. Let alone the fact that the Imperial Treasury doesn't have that much money, even if it did, the Imperial Treasury belongs to His Majesty. With His Majesty gone, it becomes the Imperial Household's treasury. The Imperial Household is currently without a master, so who would dare to touch the money in the Imperial Treasury?"

"With His Majesty's passing, the Imperial Family naturally places the Empress in high esteem... Isn't the Empress currently in charge of the Imperial Treasury?"

"I am merely managing the Imperial Treasury on behalf of the new emperor. I have not touched a single penny of it. Besides, it's not like I haven't managed the Imperial Treasury before, but I've never heard of using imperial funds to subsidize the Holy Temple. The Holy Temple's aid is always drawn by the Ministry of Revenue every year, so why should I be the one to provide it this year?"

Qin Mu had anticipated trouble today and hadn't expected the Imperial Treasury to pay for all ten million taels of silver. However, he hadn't anticipated that Wang Yushi would disregard the Temple's threat and be so adamant, intending not to contribute a single penny.

Before the Minister of Revenue could speak, Wang Yushi coldly added, "Speaking of which, there is another matter. A few days ago, when I reviewed the imperial treasury accounts, I discovered that a large amount of silver had been taken by the court under various absurd pretexts. I wonder what explanation you gentlemen have for this?"

Xiao Xinyan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and replied, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Treasury has been under the management of Chief Eunuch Li for some time now. If Your Majesty has any questions, we hope you will ask Chief Eunuch Li to come out and verify the specific accounts with us. After all, Chief Eunuch Li..."

"After all what?" Wang Yushi's phoenix eyes narrowed, radiating a cold light.

"After all, Steward Li has not paid us many of the promised sums of money, or has only given us a portion, so the accounts are naturally in disarray!"

Wang Yushi narrowed her phoenix eyes even more, staring at Xiao Xinyan and questioning him in a cold voice: "Lord Xiao, are you saying that Li Ji embezzled money? That he swallowed this money?"

"We have no way of examining the accounts of the Imperial Treasury. This humble subject is incompetent. I beg Your Majesty the Empress to investigate!" Xiao Xinyan bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, silently praying, "I hope that news is true!"

"Hmph! Li Ji has already followed the late emperor in death, so there's no way he can testify. You gentlemen are truly cunning!"

"Your humble servant would not dare!"

"Your humble servant is terrified!"

Xiao Xinyan and the others bowed deeply, their expressions filled with extreme fear, but inwardly they were overjoyed. With their creditors dead, the court officials were rapidly calculating how much benefit they could gain, and the temple's aid was no longer in a hurry, since the generals like the Prince of Yan would hold them off if the orcs attacked.

The Prince of Yan, disregarding the matter of the Holy Temple's aid, asked coldly, "May I ask, Empress, when did Li Ji die? Did he truly follow His Majesty in death willingly?"

"Willingly? How could such a despicable servant be so loyal? He incited His Majesty to take forbidden drugs and indulge in sensual pleasures, causing His Majesty's untimely death. It would be too lenient for me to kill him; he should be executed by slow slicing!"

"Li Ji was a close attendant of the late emperor... How could the empress...?"

"What? I can't manage the servants in the palace? Do I need you, Prince Yan, to manage them for me?"

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