"I have no idea," Su Wanwan denied immediately.

The man made her feel threatened. "Still being stubborn. Looks like you still have the energy for another round."

Su Wanwan pressed her hand against his strong chest: "If these words reach the child's ears, how will you face anyone?"

The man didn't seem to care, easily pressing her hands above her head and doing whatever he wanted.

“I am demonstrating to him through my own actions that a ruler should not be too concerned about his reputation or act timidly.”

...

Lu Xingjian looked at a memorial advising him to take more concubines and sneered a few times.

"When did Li Han get involved with the Marquis of Shouning's mansion?"

Qian Ning replied respectfully, "Your humble servant is foolish and has only recently discovered that the two families have been in private dealings."

Lu Xingjian's expression turned slightly cold, and he quickly issued an imperial edict promoting Li Han from the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing.

Upon receiving this appointment, Li Han immediately became distressed.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is one rank lower than the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing.

In reality, the six ministries in Nanjing were all sinecure positions. Only officials who were squeezed out of the center of power were transferred to Nanjing. It seemed like a promotion, but it was actually a demotion in disguise.

"Master, have I offended the palace?" Li Han asked Li Dongqian as he stepped into Li Dongqian's room.

He also hoped to have the opportunity to be transferred back to Beijing to continue his post, and even more so, he hoped that Li Dongqian could help him come up with some ideas.

Li Dongqian glanced at him briefly.

"Don't think that going to Nanjing will allow you to enjoy a life of leisure."

“In recent years, Liu Jin has been embezzling, and people from all over the country have followed suit. Half of the silver in the government treasury is given to Liu Jin, and the other half is embezzled by the local officials.”

"These officials are now like frightened birds, afraid that the emperor will send an imperial envoy or a garrison eunuch to audit the accounts."

"The matter of Liu Jin has just been settled, and the Emperor will not investigate the accounts for a while. Do you think he can go on for the next few years without investigating?"

Li Han felt a chill run down his spine.

Liu Jin's biggest backer was the emperor. If the emperor was determined to kill him, he would only have one way out: death.

Ultimately, Liu Jin was nothing more than a tool in the emperor's hand, scavenging silver from all over the country to fill the Ministry of Revenue's warehouses and, incidentally, the imperial treasury.

In a few years, when the emperor has spent most of his money, he might resort to the same old tricks and squeeze money out of the emperor again.

Seeing that he had taken it to heart, Li Dongqian said meaningfully:

“Those officials are now living in fear and need an opportunity to help them balance this account.”

"When you go to Nanjing, you will inevitably have to make many visits to the officials in Jiangnan."

Seeing the hidden meaning in his words, Li Han immediately perked up: "I will definitely keep your advice in mind and dare not disobey it."

A cold glint flashed in Li Dongqian's eyes, and he nodded with satisfaction: "Go ahead, I've always trusted you to handle things."

Li Han left, sweating profusely.

Because of the Prince Rong's rebellion, he had a hard time proving his innocence and was almost convicted.

It was Li Dongqian who gave him the advice to bribe Liu Jin with a huge sum of money. Not only was he not convicted, but he was also promoted to a lucrative position in the Grand Canal transport.

Because he followed the teachings of his mentor Li Dongqian in everything, he remained steadfast even when Liu Jin wielded immense power, and was even promoted.

Now he wants to go further and return to the capital to be given important responsibilities again. He must listen to his mentor's advice then.

...

Zhao Sui was already the leader of the rebel army.

There was no other way; he had a strong army and plenty of money. He led his men to attack Laizhou County and looted the treasury almost effortlessly.

Zhao Sui's reputation soared as a result.

Liu Liu happily raised his wine bowl: "Following Brother Zhao, who knows, one day we might really be able to conquer an empire!"

Zhao Sui politely declined, saying, "Sixth Brother, you flatter me. We all came to join you because we admire your talents and abilities. In terms of leadership, Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother should be in the top two positions!"

Liu Liu's rough face flushed slightly, and he tugged at Liu Qi's sleeve.

"You say a few words too."

Liu Qi looked coldly at everyone present.

"Brother Zhao, I heard you brought back five hundred taels of silver on this trip?"

Yang Hu answered first: "How could there be any falsehood at this point? I, Yang Hu, will be the first to rush into the county treasury!"

Liu Qi took a deep breath.

It was Yang Hu who set fire to the county government office, forcing them to become outlaws.

Yang Hu was violent and bloodthirsty, and lacked common sense, so he would naturally blindly follow someone like Zhao Sui who had some education.

You might end up being sold out and still be counting the money for the seller.

The voices echoing Yang Hu's sentiments were endless.

Everyone sided with Yang Hu.

Even Liu Liu came to persuade Liu Qi, "Seventh Brother, we have all witnessed Brother Zhao's strength. He was able to plunder the county government without firing a single shot. This is a great boost to our morale."

Qi Yanming also advised, "Seventh Brother, don't we people in the martial arts world believe in winning people over with virtue? Brother Zhao's foresight is a good thing for us."

Liu Qi looked at Qi Yanming and Liu Liu with a look of anger at their lack of ambition.

Liu Liu is one thing.

Because of what Heying had said about Liu Qi's infatuation with his sister-in-law, the two brothers have been at odds ever since and have not brought it up again.

Qi Yanming had the closest relationship with the Liu brothers among all of them.

Qi Yanming lost both his parents at a young age and grew up with the help of the Liu family.

Later, he followed Liu Liu to become a disciple of Master Zhang, a grandmaster of martial arts in Bazhou, and learned martial arts skills. As a result, he earned money to buy a house, get married, and have children.

His wife and children, however, were killed by Liu Jin's accomplices.

His attitude towards court officials has changed from initial respect and dependence to a desire to eliminate them at all costs.

Zhao Sui smiled and smoothed things over, "Seventh Brother is a man destined for great things, so it's understandable that he looks down on a mere five hundred taels of silver. Next time, please lead the way for us, Seventh Brother, so we can pull off a big heist!"

Liu Qi sneered, took out a memorial to the throne, and threw it on the table.

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