When he handed over the memorial, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review trembled with fear.
The thin shirt worn in late summer was soaked with cold sweat, for fear of upsetting the young emperor.
However, Si Jin only glanced at the memorial before agreeing very kindly:
"Hmm. Sure, send him to the palace."
Gu Linyuan: ? ? ?
He paused for a moment, somewhat doubting his own ears.
He subconsciously stared at the handsome young man on the dragon throne.
Her gaze was sharp, as if trying to pierce through his perpetually feigned, alluring eyes.
Find a little bit of the reason for your own indecisiveness.
But no.
The young king's gaze was firm; he didn't even glance at him twice, but lazily put down the memorial and said:
"The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is willing to go to great lengths for his friends, and his spirit is truly commendable."
I admire it greatly and cannot bear to refuse.
I was even so moved that I considered making Yun Muyan my empress.
Oh, right.
According to the laws of our dynasty, how much dowry should be prepared for the Empress when she enters the palace?
I don't remember very clearly.
However, I think that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who is in charge of criminal punishments, must know more about it than I do.
Since you brought this up, then your family will take all of Yun Muyan's dowry.
Uncle Gu, if you're going to marry your aunt, then you won't allow me to marry the Empress? That's not fair!
The young emperor maintained a smile throughout his speech.
I can't tell if it's genuine or feigned.
In short, all the officials and civil servants now saw his smile.
I subconsciously felt that nothing good was going to happen.
They all lowered their heads and remained silent.
The feeling of attending court was even heavier than that of visiting a grave.
Some quick-witted individuals had already grasped the meaning behind Si Jin's words—
During the Tianqi era, when an empress got married, she had to prepare a dowry of at least 100,000 taels of gold.
Gold is much more valuable than silver.
One hundred thousand taels of silver is enough to empty the entire fortune of a high-ranking official in the imperial court.
Therefore, the people who could become empresses in the Tianqi Dynasty.
Either their family had been officials for generations.
Or perhaps they accumulated wealth over generations, becoming so rich that they could rival the wealth of a nation.
His Majesty's sudden order for the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to produce 100,000 taels of silver is no different from confiscating his property.
Upon hearing that he was to prepare a dowry, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review panicked.
He quickly lowered his head, explaining awkwardly:
"Your Majesty, Yun Muyan is not a member of my family. Why would you ask me to…?"
"Oh? She's not a family member? Then why are you so worried about her getting married?"
"They've even brought the matchmaking to me."
Si Jin stared intently at the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes and brows.
Those who saw it felt a chill run down their spines.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review then realized that the young emperor was not willing to take a concubine.
He hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy:
"Your Majesty, I am merely inquiring on behalf of a friend. If you do not wish for this, I may simply withdraw this memorial."
Please have mercy! Please have mercy!
Upon seeing this, Gu Linyuan's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled down a little.
It turns out that Jinjin was just trying to punish this person indirectly.
He is more...
Before I could finish thinking about the word "虑" in "多虑," I heard Si Jin say:
"Hey, what crime has the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review committed in worrying about the affairs of my harem?"
There's no need to recall this memorial. I'm quite happy to establish an empress; I'm so happy I can't wait.
"Look, is seven days enough time to prepare the dowry?"
Producing 100,000 taels of gold in seven days?!
How is this possible?!
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review simply could not afford that much money.
His face turned dark and then pale, and he was so anxious he was about to cry.
But the more pained he looked...
The more Si Jin sat on the dragon throne, the sweeter her smile became.
The young emperor was like a tormented collector.
He observed with great interest a small work of art that he had casually made.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review pleaded desperately, even kowtowing until his head bled, but he still couldn't change Si Jin's mind.
In the end, she had no choice but to slink back home, sell her house and land, and borrow money to scrape together her dowry.
He was filled with regret. Why had he helped Yun Mu Nian provoke this petty, smiling tiger?
In the end, he ended up bankrupt!
… …
Late at night, Si Jin returned to her palace after reviewing the memorials, as was her custom.
Close the palace doors and remove your inner garments.
Just as she was about to get into bed, a large hand grasped her slender waist.
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