Chapter 60
Half an hour later, Chu Huan escorted Meng Hang out of the treasury.
In the deep night, the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Works and others were outside. Lin You led a group of Jinyiwei to surround the national treasury. The group stared at Meng Hang as if he were the murderer of their father, and there was an extraordinary cruelty in their eyes.
Jia Yi and Cai Gang were not allowed to enter the treasury. When they saw them coming out, they hurried forward to guard Chu Huan. They glanced at Meng Hang out of the corner of their eyes, as if they were measuring whether his fighting power could hurt Chu Huan.
Meng Hang: “…”
I always feel that this group of people are like hungry wolves that have encountered a little white rabbit, and they want to skin and eat him whole.
The young man who dared to break into the national treasury was very nervous at this moment and glanced at Chu Huan again and again.
No matter how you look at it, she is in cahoots with these officials, so she should protect him, a thief, right?
Chu Huan had just found a partner and hadn't started working yet, so she couldn't let this group of people scare her away with their vicious looks.
"His name is Meng Hang, and he will be a non-staff member of the imperial court from now on."
Yes, we will be colleagues from now on.
Meng Hang puffed out his chest with pride, saying, "Even thieves will not be afraid of officials one day. Master, I, your disciple, have made great progress!"
Others did not let down their guard easily. No matter what his name was, it would not hinder this kid from committing the crime of stealing from the national treasury.
Does it mean that because they were too powerful and failed to steal, it doesn't count as stealing from the national treasury? The law doesn't count, but their minds do!
The Minister of Revenue hated anyone who tried to empty the national treasury. People like Miaoshoukongkong, who only spent money but never earned anything and made the whole world laugh at them, were his main targets of attention and precaution.
"Are you sure he didn't leave any note in there?"
Chu Huan: "I'm sure."
Meng Hang nodded repeatedly. He had already agreed to help Chu Huan, so why would he go back on his word?
Jianghu people are straightforward and honest, and they value integrity and loyalty above all else. They're much better than the cunning and treacherous people in the imperial court, right?!
The Minister of Works looked at Meng Hang's tattered nightgown and felt a little proud in his heart, thinking, "Finally, you have suffered a loss!" However, this pride disappeared when he confirmed that only the boy's outer clothes were torn and there was no blood.
The Ministry of Industry has gathered the best talents in Dasheng, but they are still not as skilled as a thief. How can this be tolerated?!
The Minister of Works clenched his fists until they crackled: Roll them all! Roll them all up! If you can't roll them to death, I'll roll them to death!
Many officials from the Ministry of Industry felt a chill all over their bodies, as if something bad was about to happen. Some people were even woken up by the cold while sleeping.
The Minister of Revenue was still worried. His sharp eyes scanned Meng Hang like a scanner, as if saying: I don't know if he stole anything.
Meng Hang: ???
Meng Hang:!!!
Hey - you old man, what are you looking at?
If it were any other young man, his self-esteem might have exploded due to the distrustful and suspicious look of the Minister of Revenue, and he would have given the Minister a good beating without thinking twice.
If someone had a more irritable temper, they might have started fighting on the spot.
But for Meng Hang, he was a thief, and a thief who wanted to become famous. He had even gone to the national treasury. Isn't it normal to suspect that he stole things?
"Miss Chu." Meng Hang leaned against the door with his arms folded nonchalantly, winking playfully at Chu Huan. "Do you think I stole anything?"
Seeing the boy's boastful attitude, like a child showing off to his friends after catching a giant lobster, Chu Hua casually guessed, "Yes."
【Tong'er, is there any? 】
The system loudly reported: [I saw it! He stole the two large night-shining pearls that the Minister of Revenue specially picked for you so that you can read well.]
[He also stole the hidden arrow that the Minister of Works had you hide in your sleeve for self-defense.]
[He has everything, all the evidence is there, he's caught red-handed, hurry up and arrest him!]
The smug smile on Meng Hang's face just now disappeared, and he observed the position of the speaker calmly.
The voice sounded like a child, not very old. It was already unusual for Chu Huan to appear in the national treasury at her age, and another child? This must be the emperor's son!
But... where is the emperor's son hiding? Why did we see him taking action?
The little guy has good eyesight. I wonder if he can learn his skill of using nothing but his bare hands.
Minister of Revenue: “…”
Minister of Works: “…”
What grudge does this guy have against Chu Huan? Why would he choose to steal things prepared for her?
At this moment, the two of them looked at Meng Hang with something strange in their eyes.
If he wanted to steal what Chu Huan had hidden in her sleeve, he would have to get close to her. Would he take advantage of her?!
Meng Hang had seen the same look in his fellow apprentices too many times. They were all on guard against him like they were a wolf, and would never let him get close to his junior sister.
Because he was too familiar, so familiar that it almost pissed me off, but now I recognized him at the first sight.
"I didn't!" Meng Hang's fair face turned red with anger. He had a special affection for his junior sister and would not easily change his mind!
Chu Huan turned her head when she heard the voice: "What's wrong with you?"
"I..." Meng Hang was about to speak, but the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Works, who had anticipated what he was about to say, covered his mouth together.
The Minister of Revenue narrowed his eyes and forced a kind smile on his shrewd face: "You've been holding him for three days. Are you tired? Go home and rest."
The Minister of Works explained their slightly unusual behavior: "Aren't we colleagues now? Let's bond together. You don't have to worry about us."
Meng Hang: ???
Meng Hang:!!!
Bah! I'm a thief, you're officials, who would want to be friendly with you? Shame on you!
Meng Hang opened his eyes wide, and struggled desperately using his hands and feet, "Mmmm--" You two just slandered my sincerity towards my junior sister, I don't want to talk to you!
If he hadn't been concerned that these two old men were older than his master and might not be in good health, and would easily fall down if he were to bump into them lightly, his struggle wouldn't have been so small.
The two ministers had served in the court for many years and had long mastered the art of covering their mouths. Lin You and a group of Jinyiwei were watching closely from the side, and they were not worried at all that Meng Hang would struggle and escape.
Chu Huan probably knew why they were so angry, so she waved her hand in agreement, "We're all colleagues, let's get along well."
The Minister of Revenue smiled and said, "Hey!"
The Minister of Works said politely, "Yes."
Turning around...
The Minister of Revenue threatened Meng Hang with his eyes: Just try to scream again!
The Minister of Industry warned quietly, "You'd better cooperate."
Meng Hang: “…” Master is right, you officials all have dirty hearts!
It's a pity that he has already agreed to cooperate with Chu Huan and jumped into the big dye vat of the court. Master, I feel ashamed of your teachings!
After confirming that the matter was settled, Jia Yi and Cai Gang hurriedly drove Chu Huan home. If they didn't leave now, they would run into the civil and military officials who were about to go to court.
On the other side, Meng Hang was dragged into a small dark room by two ministers.
Before he could protest, "You are trying to bully me in the officialdom!", the hand covering his mouth disappeared, and a stack of papers was stuffed into his hand.
The candle was not lit yet, so he couldn't see with his eyes and could only feel around with his hands.
This feels... not like a banknote, it seems like just ordinary paper?
No, it shouldn't be.
The previous Chu Huan who described herself as an ordinary businessman, was able to get the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Works to prepare night pearls and sleeve arrows for her. I don’t know how special she is. This one must be no ordinary one!
In the darkness, someone took out a tinder and lit a candle.
When the light came on, Meng Hang looked down and saw that it was just an ordinary stack of papers.
It was densely packed with records of conversations between two people, one of whom was Chu Huan, and the other was referred to by it.
Chu Hua: [Does this generation of Miaoshoukongkong have any hobbies or weaknesses?]
It: [You want to target this, let me take a look.]
[Meng Hang likes delicious food, mechanical devices, challenging things, and his junior sister, so he can use all of these.]
Meng Hang: ???
What the hell? Has Chu Huan's intelligence sources become so extensive?
This must be some little bastard!
Apart from those few of them who were together every day and were both brothers and rivals in love, no one knew him so well.
However, the following words deny this speculation.
Chu Hua: [I don't know how to manage the machinery, so I can only look at the Ministry of Industry. We'll go take a look and see if there are any loopholes, so we can make some upgrades and improvements.]
I have all the delicious food and wine, a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine, guaranteed to please him. As for challenging things, isn't that even easier? I'm afraid he'd be afraid of something so challenging.
【Hmm, what does his junior sister like? 】
It: [She likes shiny things. Hmm, isn't this a bit like a dragon?]
Chu Hua: [How difficult is that? I can have my glass factory make it for her. We can make whatever she wants. She can also make it herself if she wants.]
It: [I thought you were going to give her jewelry.]
Chu Hua: [Nowadays, there are all kinds of natural or artificial diamonds and gemstones, as well as various cutting methods. Even a zircon can be made to sparkle.]
[In ancient times...gems could be obtained, but they were too expensive, and the effects were limited.]
[It would be better to let her go to the glass factory and play around with it. She can make clear glass, frosted glass, colored glass, whatever she wants. Even if she wants to make a glass castle, that's fine.]
Wouldn't it be great if I could then introduce her to figurines and models, letting her personally enjoy the fun of building her own glass figurine kingdom?
It: [Meng Hang has been secretly in love with a junior sister for three years. He practiced secretly for a full fifty times but never dared to confess his feelings. He is so cowardly that I can't bear to watch him.]
If you help him win over the Junior Sister, he'll definitely listen to you and even dare to steal the Emperor's underwear.
Meng Hang: “…” That’s not the case.
It is not difficult to steal the emperor's underwear, the main thing is that principles do not allow him to be so obscene.
Ahem, if Chu Huan could really help him win over his junior sister, stealing from the Xirong treasury wouldn't be impossible.
Two shy blushes appeared on the boy's fair face.
At this moment, two big heads with sparse hair came up from both sides.
Minister of Revenue: "Did you see it?"
Minister of Works: "Do you know why I brought you here?"
"Oh——" Meng Hang was still immersed in a sweet dream and was almost scared to death by the two old faces approaching.
"Where did Chu Huan get these?"
The reason why he confirmed that it was not those fellow disciples who tipped off the secret was because they had no way of knowing how long he had been secretly in love with the junior sister and how many times he had practiced in secret.
The Minister of Revenue pointed to the word "it" on the paper and said, "It said so."
It? Meng Hang frowned, feeling that this matter was not simple.
"Is it that little kid?"
The Minister of Industry was still unsure of Meng Hang's character and whether he was reliable, so he said nothing more. "Don't worry about anything else. Just know that you must keep the fact that you overheard their conversation a secret, especially from them."
Meng Hang instantly understood the key: this was the reason why Chu Huan was treated specially.
These officials wanted to use the child's supernatural powers to achieve some ulterior motives, but Chu Huan and the child didn't know that their conversation was overheard by the officials.
That's a bit bad.
If Chu Huan was in a bad mood or suffered a loss, and just complained a few words, wouldn't they hear it?
Since they met in the treasury, Chu Huan has never let him down and is even helping him pursue his junior sister. He cannot let himself be bullied by these officials.
No, he had to find a way to notify Chu Huan secretly.
As soon as the two ministers saw Meng Hang's performance, they knew that he had already leaned towards Chu Huan in his heart.
The Minister of Revenue patted Meng Hang on the shoulder and said, "Chu Huan is the legitimate daughter of Chu Ping, the doctor of the Ministry of Justice. She is the fifth prince's study companion and a student of the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor."
So, what you are worried about does not exist, understand?
Meng Hang gasped. Wow, is he so powerful?
Hey, doesn't that mean he's got a really big leg to cling to? Master, your disciple has made it big!
The Minister of Works said, "There's no rush to explore the Imperial Mausoleum. You're proficient in machinery, so come to the Ministry of Works for a while and rebuild Chu Huan's carriage."
Meng Hang was shocked by the hidden meaning of this sentence: "Someone wants to kill her?"
The Minister of Works nodded and shook his head. There were many people who wanted to kill Chu Huan, but they just didn't succeed.
“It’s better to take precautions before they happen.”
The idea of modifying the carriage came after hearing that Ye Ziwen followed the carriage.
Jia Yi and Cai Gang are both experts at fighting ten at a time, and Chu Huan is surrounded by secret guards for protection. But who would complain about too many protective measures?
Chu Huan is now in the capital and is within their control. If she ever leaves the capital and travels outside, a good carriage full of mechanisms will be more useful than a dozen guards.
Meng Hang agreed: "Okay."
Afterwards, he decisively handed over the stolen night pearl and sleeve arrow to prove his craftsmanship.
The next day, Meng Hang was taken to the Ministry of Works by the Minister of Works himself.
The officials from the Ministry of Industry were quite curious to see him. They were all very friendly and introduced their names and expertise to each other. The atmosphere was quite warm.
Until the Minister of Works said: "Meng Hang destroyed the treasury's mechanism last night. Go and repair it."
The Ministry of Industry official looked at Meng Hang as if he were a prodigal: "Good boy, you've squandered it all? You didn't leave a single one?"
Meng Hang felt embarrassed for having added so much work to everyone's workload. He apologized profusely, "I didn't know we'd be colleagues back then. The mechanism is so powerful, I must have destroyed it all to get through, right? It was really unintentional. I'm so sorry, everyone."
Seeing that he apologized so sincerely and lowered his attitude so much, the officials from the Ministry of Industry were not so angry anymore.
That’s true.
They themselves never thought that one day they would become colleagues with Miaoshou Kongkong.
Moreover, the traps they made could leave even the most skilled thieves empty-handed and boast of their prowess! They are still very powerful.
In life, no one knows what kind of adventure will happen in the next second. Many people sigh secretly and feel a little uneasy.
Meng Hang wiped his sweat quietly. He couldn't offend all his colleagues on his first day at work, otherwise how would he live in the future?
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he heard the Minister of Industry say, "All those devices you racked your brains to come up with couldn't stop Meng Hang for even a quarter of an hour. Reflect on yourselves!"
Ministry of Industry official: “…”
Meng Hang: “…”
Meng Hang reacted quickly, slipping away like a jerk. The officials from the Ministry of Works grabbed their shoes and benches and chased him relentlessly, "Stop, Meng Hang! We promise we won't kill you!"
There is no difference between "I won't beat you to death" and "I guarantee to cripple you", how could Meng Hang dare to stop?
He ran to the Chu family.
When he slipped into Qianhuaju, Chu Huan had just finished breakfast and was yawning while reading a book. She was a little surprised to see him: "Huh? Why are you here?"
Meng Hang had a lot of grievances to complain about, and he just sat down and started talking.
Chu Hua: "The Ministry of Industry has gathered the top craftsmen from the entire Great Sheng Dynasty. How could they not be angry if you destroyed the mechanism they carefully prepared for so long?"
"There's no need to fight and kill." Meng Hang muttered, angrily biting the snack that Qingzhu prepared for Chu Huan.
Seeing that he seemed a little aggrieved and in need of comfort, Chu Huan called out, "Qingzhu, bring me the gift I prepared."
Qingzhu responded and went over to bring a small wooden box.
Who doesn't like receiving gifts? Meng Hang became interested: "What gift?"
Chu Huan: "Open it and take a look."
Meng Hang opened it with great anticipation and saw a lavender lotus bowl lying inside.
The palm-sized bowl is crystal clear, with a lotus flower placed on the wall. The petals and stamens are lifelike, without any traces of splicing or flaws on the whole bowl, as if it were made naturally.
Next to the bowl were several small transparent, green and red lotus flowers. The small ones were only as big as a copper coin, and the large ones were only as big as three copper coins. They were small, delicate and shiny.
This is for Junior Sister! Meng Hang was overjoyed.
Since the little junior sister likes shiny things, the master, his wife and several fellow junior brothers searched everywhere, but they only found some gems and simple glass products.
The latter is cheaper and mainly consists of some glass cups and glass bottles, which are more practical.
There is nothing so exquisite yet.
Before opening the gift, he thought: If the preparation is not to his liking, he will have to put on a good show so as not to disappoint Chu Huan who specially prepared the gift.
After opening the gift, he thought: "There's a girl I like, and she's really helping me pursue her! This boss, who's so influential and thoughtful, I'm definitely going to follow him!"
Meng Hang hugged the gift. He felt that since he had recognized this boss, he had to show some sincerity.
"Is there anything you particularly want? I'll go steal it for you!"
Chu Huan hesitated for a moment, "It will be a bit troublesome."
Is it still challenging? Meng Hang became interested: "What is it?"
Chu Huan: "The new Imperial Astronomical Observatory, Shanglu."
Meng Hang was stunned: "You want me to help you steal someone?"
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