Nonsense!
‘I don’t believe her for a second! Regardless of anything, I just won’t believe it, and that’s that! The recent lessons are still etched into my skin; this Stinky Dragon’s schemes are bottomless! If I believe her, I’m finished! Refusing to believe a single word is the only way to protect myself! A grand show prepared for me… Hmph! What a liar!’
Seeing “Prince Hao of Qin’s” swift, thunderous counterattack, Yu Wenhua Ji couldn’t sit still.
“One thing is one thing, Your Majesty. These corrupt individuals who bring disaster to the nation and the people will naturally receive their due punishment. However, matters must be handled one by one. Otherwise, everything will fall into chaos, and nothing will get done.” Yu Wenhua Ji stepped forward, his tone respectful, but his gaze pierced “Prince Hao of Qin,” his eyes filled with threats.
Prince Hao of Qin owed his current position and his ability to fish in troubled waters to become the Emperor to Yu Wenhua Ji… and now he actually looked like he was about to bite the hand that fed him. This was behavior Yu Wenhua Ji could not tolerate!
Thus, he used his eyes to threaten him, his intention clear—’You dog, you’d better remember who your master is. Don’t force me to change emperors.’
Qiao Xiaoxian raised an eyebrow. “What the hell are you glaring at?”
Yu Wenhua Ji almost choked.
‘Is this bastard crazy? He… he actually dares to speak to me like that?’
Cold killing intent immediately became impossible to suppress. Yu Wenhua Ji signaled the Imperial Guard on both sides with a look, clearly prepared to depose the Emperor if things didn’t go his way!
“Oh, right. About the National Treasury,” Qiao Xiaoxian said with a smile.
Yu Wenhua Ji’s fire was instantly extinguished, his face turning a deep shade of purple from stifling his rage.
That was right—the matter of the National Treasury hadn’t been resolved yet!
Before retrieving that batch of treasures from the National Treasury, he couldn’t completely break ties with this trash Emperor. Otherwise, even if he truly became the Emperor, the Kingdom of Dasi wouldn’t last long!
“I was just about to mention that matter,” another minister, whom Yu Wenhua Ji had arranged beforehand, stepped forward and said. “I have heard that the National Treasury is currently empty and that Your Majesty took all the treasures from the treasury to please a Concubine…”
Qiao Xiaoxian’s brows knit together. “Where did you hear that?”
“Huh?” The minister froze, sensing something was wrong.
“The contents of the National Treasury are a top secret of the court. You are not an official guarding the treasury, so where did you hear such rumors? To spread such lies here in court is nothing short of inciting the masses with demonic talk!”
Qiao Xiaoxian gave a cold laugh and raised a slender hand. “Drag him away! Chop him up!”
The minister never expected that saying just one sentence would give the foolish Emperor an opportunity to sentence him to death. For a moment, he was scared out of his wits, his body turning cold as he shrieked, “Prime Minister, save me! Prime Minister! You were the one who told me to say that!”
Yu Wenhua Ji felt his scalp tingle at being sold out so quickly.
He roared in anger, “Enough! Your Majesty! You know better than anyone whether the National Treasury is empty or not!”
Qiao Xiaoxian looked at him with great interest.
“The Kingdom of Dasi has only recently emerged from the Epidemic Poison! Our economy and defense forces took a massive hit not long ago! Now that things are recovering, it is a time when everything needs to be rebuilt. We need a vast amount of money to support our recovery! Otherwise, I fear the army will lose heart, the nation will no longer be stable, and Your Majesty will not sit peacefully on that throne!” Yu Wenhua Ji said with an air of great righteousness.
Seeing that force didn’t work, he switched to using the situation to pressure them.
Jiang Ke’er blinked, very curious about how Qiao Xiaoxian would respond this time.
“The items in the National Treasury are indeed a bit… insufficient,” Qiao Xiaoxian nodded, frankly admitting it.
Hearing that the foolish Emperor had finally softened and revealed the truth, the various ministers felt as though they had seized an opportunity. One by one, they began to chatter loudly.
“Your Majesty! This cannot be!”
“The National Treasury is the fundamental guarantee for the normal operation of the Kingdom of Dasi!”
“How can the treasury be used for the sake of a woman? It’s simply absurd!”
“If this continues, I fear the world will fall into chaos! Your Majesty will also be infamous for ten thousand years, cursed as a Foolish Monarch!”
These words were meant both as a threat to Qiao Xiaoxian and as a message for Jiang Ke’er. Every word was a frantic hint—’Your husband is in huge trouble! It’s dangerous! You must take out those treasures to save him!’
Jiang Ke’er felt the gaze of those ministers observing her in secret. She grinned and pointed at Qiao Xiaoxian’s nose.
“Hahaha! Serves you right!”
The ministers, Yu Wenhua Ji, and Qiao Xiaoxian were all speechless.
“I told you not to act so cocky just because you had a little money. Now it’s all gone, isn’t it? Are you scared? Beg me!” Jiang Ke’er stood with her hands on her hips, shouting with total confidence.
She didn’t know if it was an illusion, but the ministers and Yu Wenhua Ji felt like those words weren’t just directed at “Prince Hao of Qin,” but at them as well.
‘Beg me?’
‘Hey, doesn’t that make you mad?’
**[You have received 1,000 Villain Points from Yu Wenhua Ji]**
Yu Wenhua Ji’s mouth twitched.
The personality of this “Number One Calamity” seemed a bit different from what he had imagined…
How could she still be so lively after being completely taken advantage of?
And also, don’t you have any feelings of affection or pity for the husband who saved your life—that handsome Emperor?
Logically speaking, no woman should be able to resist, right?
This didn’t make sense!
He felt that this was probably because the situation wasn’t intense enough, so he gave another look to the surrounding ministers.
Yu Wenhua Ji’s lackeys understood and immediately increased their efforts, starting to howl even more intensely.
“Your Majesty! The nation is in peril!”
“Your Majesty! Rebel armies are rising everywhere. The Kingdom of Dasi absolutely cannot afford internal strife right now!”
“If the National Treasury remains empty, it won’t be long before Your Majesty ends up like King Zhou of old—invaded in the Imperial Capital and finally burned alive on a terrace while holding a Fox Demon!”
“Your Majesty! If you remain obsessed, I fear the Kingdom of Dasi will be forever severed from Shenzhou!”
‘Act, keep acting.’
Having grown used to Qiao Xiaoxian’s acting, Jiang Ke’er felt that if Qiao Xiaoxian raised a dog, its acting would be more natural than theirs.
“Sigh, fine.”
Jiang Ke’er really couldn’t take it anymore; these guys were making her head hurt with their noise.
Yu Wenhua Ji and the ministers all knew that the treasures from the National Treasury were currently in Jiang Ke’er’s hands. Thus, the moment Jiang Ke’er spoke, her words were more effective than the Emperor’s. The scene immediately fell into a solemn silence.
“The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every individual!”
At this time, there were still 1,000 years before Gu Yanwu would be born; no one had heard this theory that filled one with such a sense of mission. It was even 1,200 years before Liang Qichao would be born, so no one had yet organized this grand theory into an eight-character motto.
Thus, Jiang Ke’er’s single sentence immediately stunned everyone present.
A mere Concubine was actually able to utter such spirited words. This immediately made people look at her in a new light, and they even had a sudden realization—’No wonder this person could charm Prince Hao of Qin to the point where he abandoned his public persona; this Calamity perhaps has more than just a pretty face!’
It even commanded a small amount of respect.
Jiang Ke’er stood up. Qiao Xiaoxian gently supported her from the side, as if she were the most noble ruler in this Great Hall.
“Indeed, the National Treasury of the Kingdom of Dasi is currently empty. We cannot pay the army’s wages, and I fear the world will soon fall into chaos and the army will mutiny… Therefore, what you all said is correct. The urgent priority is to fill the National Treasury to help the Kingdom of Dasi survive this time of crisis!”
The righteous aura in Jiang Ke’er’s demeanor looked far more authentic than that of the howling Great Scholars and officials from moments ago!
‘You’ve finally seen the light!’
Yu Wenhua Ji was almost moved to tears… It was coming; this moment was finally coming!
‘Once you hand over the treasures from the National Treasury, I will immediately send out the troops to depose this disobedient, rogue Emperor! From then on, the world will belong to my Yuwen family!’
“Because the rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every individual!” Jiang Ke’er raised her voice, looking sincerely at the ministers below. She then continued, “Therefore, everyone… please donate.”