The most shameful secret of the Liang Dynasty.
These words weighed heavily on Lin Wanwan's heart, like a massive boulder.
Looking at Xiao Che's somewhat lonely figure in the candlelight, and at the black iron gate in front of her that exuded a chilling aura, she couldn't help but feel a strong premonition.
What lies hidden behind the door is not gold or silver treasures, but a cruel truth that could shake the very foundations of the nation.
Xiao Che did not turn to look at her, but instead took out a simple, ancient-looking dragon-shaped jade pendant from his pocket. The pendant was entirely black, a symbol of the emperor's status.
He stepped forward slowly and gently inserted the jade pendant into the groove in the mouth of the black iron dragon.
"Click".
With a crisp click, the dragon's mouth and the jade pendant fit together perfectly.
Immediately afterwards, the eight Xuanjia Imperial Guards, who stood like statues, rose in unison. They split into two groups, walked to either side of the gate, and grasped the heavy winches on the gate.
"open--!"
With a deep command, the eight imperial guards exerted all their strength and began to turn the incredibly heavy winch.
"Crunch...squeak...crunch...squeak..."
A sickening metallic scraping sound echoed in the silent passage. The black iron gate, seemingly untouched since time immemorial, slowly and inexhaustibly rose upwards.
An old and empty atmosphere wafted in from the crack in the door, carrying the smell of decaying time.
Lin Wanwan held her breath, her beautiful eyes fixed on the ever-widening gap, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
Finally, with a loud "bang", the black iron gate was fully raised and fixed in the slot at the top.
A vast, unimaginably large underground space suddenly appeared before Lin Wanwan!
This is the imperial treasury of the Great Liang Dynasty!
For a moment, Lin Wanwan was so shocked by the scene before her that she was speechless.
It's too big!
This place is so big!
The dome was so high that it seemed to reach the horizon, and countless enormous luminous pearls were embedded in it like stars, illuminating the entire space as bright as day. Countless giant pillars, carved with dragons and phoenixes, supported this vast underground world, large enough to accommodate thousands of troops.
However, what truly shocked her was not the grandeur of the place, but rather its... emptiness.
It was completely different from the scene she had imagined—a mountain of gold and silver, a dazzling display of jewels and jade.
Looking around, most of the treasure vault was empty.
Countless enormous sandalwood chests, each large enough to hold a person, lay open, scattered haphazardly. Inside, there was no gold or silver, no jewels, only thick layers of ashes, thick with the dust of time.
The entire treasure vault was like the remains of a giant that had been looted, leaving only an empty skeleton, silently telling the story of its former glory and present desolation.
Lin Wanwan's pupils contracted slightly. She stared at the scene before her in disbelief. The ominous premonition in her heart turned into a cruel reality at this moment.
Xiao Che carried the lantern and slowly walked in, his footsteps echoing hollowly in the empty treasure vault.
Lin Wanwan followed behind him, each step feeling as if she were stepping on the fragile pulse of the empire.
She saw that only in a small area at the very center of the entire vault were there some things scattered about.
Several piles of gold ingots of varying sizes, a small pile of scattered silver coins, and several boxes containing various gemstones.
This amount of wealth might be considered an enormous fortune for a wealthy merchant.
But for the imperial treasury of a great nation, this amount of stuff is simply... pitifully meager!
Lin Wanwan finally understood the purpose of Xiao Che's question to her on the city wall.
How much gold is in the national treasury?
The answer is: almost none!
"Shocking, isn't it?"
Xiao Che's voice came from ahead, filled with endless bitterness and profound self-mockery.
He didn't turn around, but stated a fact that pierced his heart in an almost numb tone.
"In his later years, my father was ambitious and extravagant. He almost exhausted the national treasury's savings of a hundred years in order to build palaces and tour the country."
"After I ascended the throne, I was young and weak, and power fell into the hands of others. My uncle... my good uncle," he murmured, his tone filled with cold sarcasm, "he and his cronies, like a group of greedy termites, have completely hollowed out this seemingly magnificent empire from the inside out over the years."
He turned around, looked at the dumbfounded Lin Wanwan, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"So, Wanwan, now you know."
"This is the most shameful secret of my Great Liang Dynasty."
"An empty shell, outwardly glamorous but inwardly rotten. An emperor so poor that... all he has left is this dragon robe."
After saying that, he turned away from her again and said nothing more.
His silhouette, set against the backdrop of the empty treasure vault, appeared so lonely and so heavy.
Lin Wanwan looked at him, at his slightly trembling shoulders, and knew that he was trying his best to suppress his emotions.
As an emperor, he could not show vulnerability to anyone. Even with her, the only person he chose to share his secrets with, he still had to maintain his last shred of dignity.
But Lin Wanwan saw his inner thoughts, which he could not hide.
In her eyes, on Xiao Che's tall and straight back, in the emoji area above his head, there appeared for the first time such a sad and heartbreaking scene.
It was a chibi-style little emperor wearing a magnificent dragon robe.
He did not sit on the majestic dragon throne, but rather alone, curled up, sitting on a small pile of scattered gold coins.
Behind him lay a vast, empty, and seemingly endless dark treasure trove.
His small figure appeared so tiny and helpless in the darkness. He lowered his head, burying his face in his knees, his small shoulders trembling as if he were crying silently.
Beside the image was a line of text written in gray, filled with self-deprecation and melancholy:
[So poor he only had the dragon robe left.jpg]
At this moment, he was not the ruthless and cunning emperor he once was.
He was just a lonely man who inherited a mess from his father and had to carry the heavy shackles of the entire empire on his own.
Lin Wanwan's heart was pierced with pain.
That pity, like a tidal wave, instantly overwhelmed all her reason.
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