The capital city, the national treasury.
The Empress held the golden abacus, her slender, jade-like fingers moving rapidly among the golden beads as she muttered incantations, constantly calculating something.
Behind her stood many eunuchs.
Beside her, Qin Chuan looked at her miserly appearance and couldn't bear to interrupt.
"Ha...finally finished calculating!"
The Empress tossed the golden abacus casually onto the eunuch, who quickly caught it.
"Qin Chuan, this time you brought me back more than 1.8 million taels of silver, plus countless gold and jade jewels. I am very happy, I am really happy!"
"Now... my national treasury has more than six million taels of silver!"
The Empress was overjoyed and raised her hands, looking rather lively and cute, not cold at all.
Qin Chuan looked at her, trying not to laugh.
The Empress met his gaze, but her eyes darted around slyly as she walked over and said, "Qin Chuan, I owe you two million taels of silver. I'll pay you back in a few days. You won't mind, will you?"
Qin Chuan shook his head, thinking to himself, what's the use of me caring...?
The one who owes money is the boss.
The Empress patted his shoulder with a smile, "That's right, one should be more magnanimous..."
With a lingering fragrance lingering on her sleeves, she brushed past Qin Chuan and continued, "By the way, I have already ordered people to vacate the previously empty Ning Prince's Mansion and hang up the plaque for 'Yan Prince's Mansion.' You can move in anytime. If you need anything, just tell me and I will have it delivered."
Originally, the Empress wanted to build a new palace for Qin Chuan, but Qin Chuan said it was unnecessary to waste resources and manpower. So the Empress changed the Ning Prince's Palace, which had been empty in the capital for a long time, into the Yan Prince's Palace.
Qin Chuan had no objection to this.
The Imperial Preceptor's residence is already luxurious enough. This former Prince Ning's residence is at least three times larger than the Imperial Preceptor's residence. What more could one ask for than such a large house?
The Empress pursed her lips and said, "By the way, I will send twenty eunuchs and two hundred Imperial Guards to take care of your daily life and protect your safety."
She had originally intended to send palace maids, but when she remembered Wan Chun saying that the palace maids admired Qin Chuan, she gave up the idea.
Qin Chuan bowed in gratitude, then asked, "Your Majesty, has Xiao Yue returned?"
The Empress paused slightly, her lotus steps faltering, a hint of displeasure on her face: "What? You miss her?"
Qin Chuan hurriedly said, "No, it's an important matter that the Dali Guard needs to handle. Your Majesty, may I speak with you about this privately?"
The empress turned around and gave the eunuchs a look.
The eunuchs then withdrew.
In the national treasury, only Qin Chuan and the Empress remained.
The Empress said calmly, "Speak."
Qin Chuan took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to the Empress.
After reading the letter, the Empress's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent, and her imperial face was filled with rage: "You, Li Zongmin! How dare you collude with the Xiongnu!"
Qin Chuan said, "That's why I asked Xiao Yue if she had returned. After all, Dali Guard is responsible for monitoring officials and patrolling and arresting criminals. It's best to leave this matter to Xiao Yue."
The Empress sneered, "There's no need to wait for her to return. I'll have Xiao Yun send the Imperial Guards to arrest her."
At this point, she waved her hand, and the eunuchs quickly ran over from a great distance.
"Go and call Xiao Yun here!"
The eunuch accepted the order and left.
Soon, Xiao Yun, dressed in military uniform and handsome young, arrived before the Empress and Qin Chuan.
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Yan."
Xiao Yun bowed and awaited the Empress's words.
The Empress handed the letter to Xiao Yun, saying, "Li Zongmin is colluding with the Xiongnu. This is a letter he wrote to Tuqi. Take this letter with you... You should know very well what to do."
"yes."
Xiao Yun took the letter and strode away.
Qin Chuan knew very well that Li Zongmin's crime of secretly colluding with the Xiongnu was equivalent to treason, and the people in the Right Chancellor's Office would definitely be arrested. As for how many people would be arrested and killed, that would depend on the Empress's mood.
The Empress can handle this matter however she wants; he has no intention of interfering.
After the Empress finished speaking about capturing Li Zongmin, she paced back and forth, saying, "The Southern Xiongnu have lost 100,000 cavalry this time, and they no longer have the strength to fight me. I have ordered Zhang Chaozong, Ma Yuxiang and other border generals to launch a full-scale attack to wipe out the remaining forces of the Southern Xiongnu. Is there any problem with that?"
Qin Chuan had actually wanted to do the same, but he hadn't thought it through at the time. He hadn't expected the Empress to have such a strategic vision, so he said, "Your Majesty is wise."
The Empress frowned and gave him a reproachful look: "Why won't you open your heart to me? Sometimes I feel you are very close to me, and sometimes I feel you are very far away. I really can't see through you..."
"Your Majesty, I..."
Qin Chuan's heart was filled with emotion and excitement.
I thought to myself, does she mean by saying this that she wants to develop feelings for me?
It seems there's a good chance of getting married...
Thinking of this, he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lay bare my heart to Your Majesty. I will never again flatter or fawn upon Your Majesty. If I cannot change, you may use the Imperial Sword to stab me to death!"
"Who's going to stab you to death..."
The Empress snorted coldly, smiled, and then said, "Just don't lie to me like those ministers do in the future. I want to see your true feelings, do you understand?"
"I understand, I understand perfectly..."
"Good to know. Then... have dinner with me tonight."
"ah?"
Qin Chuan was surprised that the Empress had invited him to dinner again, and he let out a soft "Ah".
The Empress gave him a cold glare. "Again? What you just said went in one ear and out the other. I invited you to dine, and you're so unwilling? Ahhh, believe me or not, I'll really stab you to death with my sword!"
Qin Chuan immediately backed down, "Your Majesty, I will dine with you."
Inwardly, however, he couldn't help but think to himself, "Her temper flares up so quickly; she can change her mind faster than turning the pages of a book. If I really upset her, she might actually stab me to death..."
If someone like her were to actually marry, would she possibly become a concubine? What would happen to Ruyan then?
What if she gets upset and stabs Ruyan to death with her sword?
Thinking about this, Qin Chuan felt very conflicted, but couldn't think of a good answer.
How can one find a way to have it all, to be true to both the Buddha and the beloved?
Sigh, let's just take it one step at a time.
Marrying her was merely a means to save the country, but Ruyan gave him the feeling of home...
Although sometimes he really wanted to feed his second brother, he wasn't a heartless, lustful glutton. He really didn't want to let Ruyan down, since she treated him that way.
...
At night, Qin Chuan and the Empress were eating hot pot when the eunuch brought Xiao Yun in.
"Have they all been caught?"
Xiao Yun reported, "The entire Li family, numbering over three hundred, has been imprisoned in the imperial prison."
"Um."
The Empress responded with a faint "yes".
Xiao Yun withdrew.
"I have a question for you." The Empress took a sip of tea and looked at Qin Chuan.
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"I've met your wife once. Isn't she the daughter of that prefect, named Su Ruyan...?" the Empress said, her face expressionless.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Empress put down her chopsticks, her phoenix eyes fixed on Qin Chuan, a hint of coldness in her gaze: "If I were to ask you to divorce her, would you be willing?"
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