Chapter 226 Emptying the National Treasury
The Regent's Study in the capital city.
Minister of Rites, Lord Sun, held the newly drafted wedding ceremony itinerary.
His withered old hands trembled like dry leaves in the wind, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead, quickly soaking the carpet beneath his feet.
"Your Highness..."
Minister Sun swallowed hard, his voice trembling, as if he were about to faint:
"This...this gift list...is it a bit...excessive?"
He pointed to the dense, seemingly endless handwriting on the form, his heart pounding:
“According to ancestral rules, even for the grand wedding of the emperor and empress, the betrothal gifts should not exceed 180 loads. But this… this list says…”
"how?"
Pei Yunjing sat in a large armchair, casually toying with a luminous pearl in his hand. He raised his eyelids and glanced indifferently at Minister Sun:
"I feel it's not enough."
"Not...enough?!"
Minister Sun almost knelt down on the spot.
This list already includes tens of thousands of taels of gold, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, thousands of bolts of brocade, and countless jewels and jade artifacts... This is already enough to empty half of the Ministry of Revenue's treasury. How could it possibly be enough?!
"Your Highness, this is a serious breach of regulations!"
Minister Sun earnestly advised, "If the historians record this, they will probably say that you are... extravagant and disregard the law of the land!"
"Over the limit?"
Pei Yunjing sneered and slammed the luminous pearl in his hand onto the table with a "smack".
What was it like when she married into the royal family?
His voice suddenly turned cold, and a deep sense of guilt and resentment flashed in his eyes:
"There was no wedding procession, no wedding ceremony, and she was even carried in locked in an iron cage. Why didn't anyone talk to me about rules and etiquette back then?"
"Now I will give her the best wedding in the world. Who dares to talk to me about overstepping the bounds?"
Pei Yunjing stood up, walked to Sun Shangshu, snatched the gift list, and then pulled out a thick booklet from the shelf next to him—a list of spoils from the war that destroyed the Northern Rong kingdom.
"Add this as well."
He tossed the booklet into Minister Sun's arms, his tone as casual as if he were dealing with a pile of junk:
"The things looted from the Northern Rong royal court included that jewel-encrusted wolf king's golden sword, more than a dozen boxes of top-quality Hetian jade, and other tribute items from the Western Regions such as glass cups and coral trees..."
Add them all.
"And the land deeds, shops, and fertile fields in the Regent's private treasury..."
Pei Yunjing waved his hand and gave a number that would drive every woman in the world mad with envy:
"To make up 999 loads."
"If you raise your head even slightly, I will hold you responsible."
"Nine...nine hundred and ninety-nine?!"
Minister Sun rolled his eyes and this time he really fainted.
Nine is the ultimate number; nine hundred and ninety-nine represents longevity and supreme honor.
This is hardly a betrothal gift delivery.
This is clearly a package deal, giving half of the Great Sheng Kingdom, along with the entire wealth of the Northern Rong, to that princess!
...
Three days later, the day for paying taxes will take place.
The entire capital city was in an uproar.
People crowded the streets early in the morning, and even climbed onto rooftops and treetops, just to witness this legendary betrothal ceremony that was "unprecedented and unparalleled in history."
"They're here! They're here!"
With a loud shout, deafening joyful sounds resounded through the sky.
The betrothal procession, which set off simultaneously from the Imperial Treasury and the Regent's Palace, resembled an endless red dragon, slowly meandering along the wide Imperial Street of the capital.
Each betrothal gift was carried by two strong men dressed in wedding attire, covered with a red silk embroidered with gold, yet still unable to conceal the glittering jewels emanating from within.
The first batch of brides has already been taken to the "temporary bride's home" in the south of the city (a luxurious villa that Pei Yunjing specially prepared for Tang Li as her wedding place).
And the last lift... didn't even take him out of the Regent's Palace!
"My God! How much stuff is there?"
"I heard there were a full nine hundred and ninety-nine bearers! They circled the capital three times and still hadn't finished!"
"Look! Those are tributes from the Northern Rong! That luminous pearl is as big as a fist!"
"And those land deeds—I heard half the shops in the capital are in there!"
The people were stunned, and exclamations of amazement rose and fell.
This line is way too long.
The situation was so severe that even the Imperial Guards responsible for maintaining order were exhausted, and the transportation in the capital was completely paralyzed.
Ten miles of red bridal procession? No, this is a hundred miles of red bridal procession!
In the teahouse, several scholars watched this scene, forgetting to even wave their folding fans, each looking dazed.
"Has...has the Regent gone mad?"
"This is hardly a wedding!"
An old man stroked his beard, looked at the endless red silk, and let out a heartfelt sigh:
"This is clearly... giving the entire vast empire to the princess as a betrothal gift!"
"From now on, the most honorable person in the Great Sheng Dynasty will no longer be the one on the dragon throne."
"But rather, the lady who is about to move into the Regent's Palace."
In the separate courtyard.
Tang Li looked at the betrothal gift boxes that almost filled the courtyard and even reached the gate, holding a gift list thicker than a dictionary in her hand, and laughed so hard that her lips almost cramped up.
"I'm rich..."
She was holding a golden Buddha statue, her eyes shining.
"Now, even if Pei Yunjing goes bankrupt, I can still support him!"
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