Chapter 70 Not Even as Good as a Thief
The emperor cared about more than just the four words "evil Taoist destroying the country".
He was more concerned about the eighteen beautiful girls who died in the "Eighteen Levels of Hell" and took on his sins.
The Jade Girl is a lustful woman, which means that Zhang Tianshi has been deceiving him from the beginning to the end.
And Zhang Tianshi was the person found by Eunuch De!
Eunuch De felt a chill in the emperor's words.
But he was not afraid of the emperor's wrath at all, and bowed casually.
"Your Majesty knows best what Master Zhang is capable of. I think he was framed by his enemies, which is why he committed adultery with the Jade Girl. It seems someone wants to destroy your Majesty's heart for cultivation and cut off your path to immortality."
Of course he knew that Zhang Tianshi was a lustful man who spent his nights with beautiful girls.
But what does it matter? The palace is under his control and the emperor is just a decoration!
The emperor thought that since he started practicing Taoism, his health had been getting better day by day, and he was full of energy when having sex with several women at night.
Moreover, the weather in Beichen Kingdom was good and there had been no major incidents in the government, so they believed it.
"The 'Ghost Thief' is so audacious that he destroyed our national teacher and ruined our national destiny. This is truly a heinous crime! I have issued an imperial decree. Anyone who can catch the Ghost Thief will be rewarded with a million gold coins!"
When Qi Yanzhou saw that Eunuch De had deceived the Emperor with just one sentence, his heart sank.
But he still argued: "Your Majesty, no matter what the truth is, the people now firmly believe in the miracle. If you don't deal with Zhang Tianshi, if something goes wrong in the future, the people will think that 'the evil Taoist destroyed the country'."
He spoke politely, but the emperor could hear a threat in his words.
If Zhang Tianshi is not killed, any natural disasters or man-made disasters in the future will be his fault!
"Master Zhang is a Taoist. Now that he has been framed, I do not seek justice for him, but want to take his life. This is not what a wise ruler should do. Does Prince Chen want me to be a tyrant?"
With a big hat put on his head, Qi Yanzhou was finished.
"I am stupid, but Your Majesty is wise."
The emperor put away his displeasure and said, "Prince Chen, you continue to investigate the 'ghost thief'. I will let the second prince investigate the matter of Zhang Tianshi thoroughly."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone knew that the emperor wanted to protect Zhang Tianshi.
The officials of the Second Prince's faction immediately said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
The emperor looked at the Minister of Works, Gu Yuanshan, and said, "Minister Gu, immediately select a site to rebuild Ziyun Pavilion."
The alchemy room burned down and the tower was destroyed. It was unlucky and had to be rebuilt.
Gu Yuanshan stepped out to receive the order, "Your Majesty, I obey your command."
After saying that, he looked at Ye Jingchuan.
"I just wonder if Minister Ye will allocate money to the Ministry of Works?"
During the years when the emperor was obsessed with practicing Taoism and seeking immortality, he kept building Taoist temples, praying and offering sacrifices to heaven, and purchasing alchemy materials on a large scale, and the national treasury was gradually emptied.
If it weren't for the successive increases in taxes and the confiscation of the homes of some officials and merchants, I'm afraid they would have been unable to pay salaries long ago.
But the emperor didn't know this because Eunuch De had always been trying to cover up the truth.
Ye Jingchuan now gets a headache whenever he hears someone asking the Ministry of Revenue for money.
But he was well aware of the importance of Ziyun Pavilion to the emperor and did not dare to say anything against it.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue can only give the Ministry of Works 10,000 taels of silver at most."
Gu Yuanshan: "Are you kidding, Minister Ye? This ten thousand taels is not enough to buy the wood for building Ziyun Pavilion."
The wood used to build Ziyun Pavilion is the most expensive golden nanmu.
The emperor looked at Ye Jingchuan unhappily, "Minister Ye, are you dissatisfied with my rebuilding of Ziyun Pavilion?"
Ye Jingchuan immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty, please understand. I have absolutely no such intention, but..."
He was just about to say that the treasury was empty and that it would have to wait until after the autumn harvest before the treasury could be replenished through taxation, but he was interrupted by Eunuch De.
"Your Majesty, please do not be upset. Minister Ye is thinking for you. The rumor that 'the evil way will destroy the country' is spreading. It is indeed not appropriate to spend a lot of money to rebuild Ziyun Pavilion at this time. It will damage your reputation and may lose the support of the people."
What the emperor hated most was the word "people's hearts".
He is the ruler of the country, why should he care what those untouchables think?
"I seek the way of immortality for the sake of all the people in the world!"
"The emperor is devoted to the people, so the people will naturally remember his kindness. When the second prince clears the grievances for Zhang Tianshi, Ziyun Pavilion will not only be rebuilt, but also be repaired better."
Ye Jingchuan's eyes went dark when he heard this.
Even if we empty the national treasury, we can’t build a Ziyun Pavilion!
But it's good to delay it for a while. Once he is granted the title of marquis, he will no longer be the Minister of Revenue.
Although the emperor looked down on the people, he also knew the truth that "water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."
"An'er, I give you five days to resolve the rumors."
The second prince, his surname is Zhao and his name is Cheng'an.
"Yes, Father."
The emperor did not get a good rest last night, so after resolving some important matters, he retired from court.
After handing the memorial to Eunuch De, the civil and military officials left the Golden Palace and returned home.
Officials gathered in twos and threes, chatting about the "ghost thief".
"What on earth does the 'ghost thief' want to do? Not only does he steal things, he also kills people!"
"He clearly has a grudge against Master Zhang. If the Emperor wants to protect the Imperial Master, will that anger him?"
"So what if he's angry? The emperor is the true dragon emperor. No matter if he's a ghost or a god, he has to hold it in!"
"I hope the 'ghost thief' can be caught as soon as possible, otherwise we will be the next ones to be robbed!"
“…”
Qi Yanzhou was on the road to the palace, listening to the discussions of civil and military officials, and felt powerless in his heart.
These people clearly knew that Zhang Tianshi was a disaster to the country and deserved to be put to death, but they dared not say a word.
Not even as good as a thief!
***
Ningchuyuan.
“A-choo!”
Ye Chutang sneezed just as he was about to go out.
Shan Er asked with concern: "Miss, are you feeling unwell? Do you want to see a doctor?"
Ye Chutang smiled and rubbed Shan'er's head.
"One is thinking about me, two is scolding me, three is getting cold. This means someone is thinking about me."
"Miss, be careful with your words. If someone hears you, they will think you... you..."
Ye Chutang uttered two words, "Thinking of spring?"
Shan Er blushed when she heard this, "Miss, don't say such things anymore."
"Okay, I won't be back for lunch."
When Ye Chutang was leaving the Shangshu Mansion, he was stopped by Ye Anzhi.
His wounds had not healed yet, his face was bruised, and he walked with a limp.
"Stop, give my mother the antidote!"
When he looked at Ye Chutang, there was no desire in his eyes, only anger.
The Cultural and Museum Institute is not far from the Liuli Institute.
All night long, his mother wailed in pain, preventing him from sleeping.
Ye Chutang looked at Ye Anzhi, who looked irritated and yawned continuously, and knew that he was not concerned about Kong Ru.
She took out a black pill from the space and stuffed it into Ye Anzhi's mouth.
"What you just took was the Broken Heart Powder. In three days, you will be like Kong Ru, living a life worse than death."
Ye Anzhi widened his eyes in disbelief, "Are you crazy?"
After saying that, he immediately reached out to scratch his throat.
Ye Chutang broke Ye Anzhi's wrist first and kicked him to the ground.
"Remember, all the suffering you've endured is because of your mother. When Ye Anling gets married, if you can kill Kong Ru, I'll give you the antidote."
"By the way, don't spread the news of the poisoning and ruin my reputation, or you won't have the antidote."
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