The mysterious gift Consort Hui mentioned was one million taels of silver.
Over the years, the Great Qi treasury has been depleted; it is outwardly magnificent but inwardly rotten, and has long been unable to produce any silver.
This million taels of silver came at just the right time.
The new emperor's coronation ceremony is scheduled for the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month.
After a period of internal turmoil, the capital city and palace of the Great Qi Dynasty began to undergo orderly repairs following the snow.
After sending the late emperor's coffin into the imperial mausoleum, Yuan Yuan finally had a moment to catch his breath.
That day, after settling the 30,000 troops left to guard the capital in a camp on the outskirts of Beijing, he rode his horse back to the capital leisurely, basking in the warm winter sun.
Before they were even outside the city gate, Chi Ying rode up and asked, "It's the tenth day. Shall we go see Jiang Chi?"
Looking at the towering East Gate a hundred meters away, Yuan Yuan was somewhat dazed: "Ten days?"
"Mm." Ying nodded.
Yuan Yuan remained silent, stopped his horse, and looked up at the city wall a hundred meters away.
The city walls, which have stood through several dynasties, are tall and ancient, resembling a giant beast with its jaws wide open.
From a distance, the ancient bricks of the city wall are still stained with mottled dark red bloodstains.
The more than one hundred heads of the Yuan family seemed to still hang on the wall, swaying gently in the wind, carrying mournful whispers...
The Hai family, Consort Hai, Jiang Chi... none of them will escape!
Yuan Yuan narrowed his eyes and instructed the accompanying generals, "Go to the Fourth Prince's residence."
"yes!"
A group of people sped towards the Fourth Prince's residence.
These days, the capital is bustling with activity as Imperial Guards help the Ministry of Revenue and the common people repair houses.
Wherever Yuan Yuan went, the Imperial Guards would stop their work and bow and worship with curiosity and admiration.
The young general, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, rode on horseback.
Despite possessing an astonishingly beautiful face, he exuded a deathly, chilling aura.
well……
A soft sigh drifted on the wind.
The horse stopped outside the Fourth Prince's residence.
Yuan Yuan dismounted, looked up at the plaque above the door, and said coldly, "It's an eyesore. Take it down."
"yes!"
Several imperial guards immediately stepped forward to fetch ladders and tools.
Yuan Yuan lifted his foot and entered the gate.
The Fourth Prince's residence was extremely well-maintained and covered a vast area.
After the death of the former crown prince, Jiang Chi has been greatly favored in recent years, and the emperor would bestow upon him many treasures during festivals.
These treasures decorated the Fourth Prince's residence to be even more luxurious than the palace of the favored concubine in the imperial court...
Jiang Chi's aesthetic preferences are either bright red, purple, and green, or golden.
As soon as Yuan Yuan entered the mansion, he was almost dazzled by the golden pillars in the front yard...
He glanced coldly at the pillar and asked, "Is it gilded?"
Beside him, Chi Ying replied, "Real gold."
Rumor has it that in the past two years, the fourth prince, Jiang Chi, has been deeply favored by the emperor and has been living a life of extravagance, with all the tableware in his mansion made of gold bowls and silver chopsticks.
Not only that, he also scavenged gold everywhere, and used it to make two gold-plated sheets to cover the pillars in his mansion...
The imperial guards, who were used to fighting enemies in the military camp all year round, had never seen such a scene before.
Gold, used to cover pillars?
One by one, they stared wide-eyed at the massive, five-meter-tall pillar that was as thick as two people could hug...
Yuan Yuan squinted at the pillar for a moment, then said to Chi Ying, "Take a few men, dismantle the gold, weigh it, and put it into the national treasury."
Upon hearing this, Ying chuckled softly, "Alright."
Hearing the laughter, Yuan Yuan turned to look at him and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Ying regained her expression and said with a smirk, "Besides the Fourth Prince's residence, I know of other places where there is gold."
"How about I dismantle them all for you?"
Are there others elsewhere?
Yuan Yuan frowned: "Tear them all down!"
A hint of a smile played in Chi Ying's eyes: "Okay."
Yuan Yuan flicked his sleeve and stepped inside.
Jiang Chi was locked up in his courtyard.
Outside the courtyard, there were over a hundred highly skilled imperial guards.
As Yuan Yuan entered, he happened to see two burly-looking imperial guards fastening their belts as they walked out…
The two were still chatting—
"We're really at a disadvantage, it's only our turn today..."
"Exactly! It's bad luck to eat other people's leftovers!"
"Forget it, it's good enough to have someone to try something new..."
As he was speaking, he suddenly looked up and was startled: "General!"
Seeing the two of them, Yuan Yuan subconsciously took a step back, his toes hidden under the hem of his long robe.
He frowned and looked at the two of them coldly: "Jiang Chi, is he still alive?"
"Reporting...Reporting to the General, he's still alive!" The two imperial guards were so frightened they could barely speak.
Yuan Yuan was renowned for his ruthlessness and decisiveness, and all the Imperial Guards were quite afraid of him.
Two years ago, he went from being an unknown junior member of the Imperial Guard to storming into the enemy camp and taking the head of the enemy general.
Later, he continued to make contributions.
In just two years, Yuan Yuan was promoted to General of the Western Feather Army...
A general once rebuked him for being too reckless, saying he would send a message back to the capital to have the court remove him from his military post and imprison him...
Unexpectedly, he swung his soft sword and beheaded the man on the spot.
From then on, no one dared to question him anymore...
The two imperial guards looked at Yuan Yuan cautiously and said with a forced smile, "General, there are people serving His Highness the Fourth Prince while he washes up inside the room."
"Would you like to wait a bit before going in?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yuan felt a churning in his stomach.
He said coldly, "Step back."
The two imperial guards, who were already afraid of him, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that he was allowed to leave, and saluted, saying, "Your subordinates will leave immediately!"
After saying that, he slipped away as if his feet were greased.
Yuan Yuan stood in the courtyard and pulled his sleeves together.
Seeing his appearance, Chi Ying looked worried: "How about we come another day?"
Or should I have him moved to another courtyard?
Yuan Yuan shook his head.
He said coldly, "I just feel disgusted."
Chi Ying frowned slightly and lowered her voice: "A Yuan, I'll go in your place. You wait for me here..."
“No need!” Yuan Yuan coldly interrupted him: “I have been waiting for this day for many years.”
Upon hearing this, Chi Ying said nothing more.
He took out a snow-white handkerchief and handed it to him: "Take this."
Yuan Yuan initially wanted to refuse, but seeing the courtyard gate so close at hand, he accepted the handkerchief anyway...
Jiang Chi's courtyard is filled with red plum blossoms.
The flowering season has arrived, and the flowers are blooming in twos and threes, redder than blood.
An indescribable smell lingered in the air.
As soon as the talent stepped into the courtyard, Yuan Yuan's stomach began to churn violently.
His lips were pale, and his brows were furrowed.
Suddenly, a green plum blossom, about to bloom, appeared beside me.
Yuan Yuan glanced sideways: "What's this?"
Chi Ying replied, "I saw it in the corner. Take it; it smells pretty good."
Yuan Yuan: "..."
He raised his hand and broke off another branch of red plum blossoms, then continued walking forward.
"Creak..."
The wooden door was pushed open by the imperial guards at the entrance.
A foul smell wafted over.
Yuan Yuan subconsciously picked up a handkerchief and covered his mouth and nose.
Looking down, I saw bloodstains and water stains everywhere in the room...
Jiang Chi, wearing only a thin purple undergarment, lay limply on the ground.
Hearing the door open, Jiang Chi stirred.
He braced himself on the ground, slowly raised his head, and through his disheveled hair, revealed a pair of bloodshot eyes and a wide-open mouth dripping with saliva: "Ahhh! Ahhhh..."
Yuan Yuan curled his lips and said coldly, "Jiang Chi, do you still like this return gift after so many years?"
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