Herumrennen und kleinere Rollen spielen

Kapitel 17

"Oh? My dear minister is the most virtuous prime minister of our dynasty. There is no need for such modesty. If you are foolish, how could our Longyao Kingdom lack talent?" The fox said with a smile, seemingly in a good mood. However, the next second, he frowned and his voice turned cold and authoritative: "Guards, seize Han Xuanqi!"

Before Han Xuanqi could understand what was happening, he was rushed into the hall and taken away by the guards, shouting, "Your Majesty, what crime have I committed? Your Majesty, do not listen to the words of treacherous officials..."

Faced with this sudden turn of events, the officials in the hall began to whisper and murmur amongst themselves. The officials from the Han clan were especially shocked and frightened.

"What?" I mimicked the fox's lazy tone, "Do you colleagues want to plead for Han Youshi, or do you think that even the Emperor doesn't need to be taken seriously in this Qianqing Hall?"

Everyone fell silent, standing with their heads bowed, and the hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The dragon fox smiled at me, raised his handsome eyebrows, then turned his face away and said coldly, "Han Xuanqi has colluded with a neighboring country and plotted a rebellion. Throw him into the Heavenly Prison immediately. General Mu, quickly lead your troops to surround the Han residence and send all members of the Han clan there for strict guard. I will personally handle this case. Before the verdict is reached, no one is allowed to approach the Han residence unless they have a token personally granted by me. Minister Yun, the government affairs that have been put on hold because of this matter will be handled by you."

His voice wasn't loud, but it exuded a compelling aura. He was a born king. With just a few words, no matter if you were a powerful minister who held sway over the court, a veteran who had served three generations of emperors, or a powerful minister with countless disciples, everything would vanish into thin air.

The fox so suddenly detained Han Xuanqi during the morning court session, then quickly surrounded the Han residence and placed all relevant personnel of the Han faction under house arrest, without a single leak. It was swift and decisive, leaving the other party no chance to breathe or struggle.

Sure enough, within a few days, the fox issued a yellow proclamation to the world, listing Han Xuanqi for eighteen major crimes and sentencing his entire family to execution. Immediately, the capital was gripped by fear of Han, and officials who had previously been on good terms with him trembled with apprehension, lest they be implicated. The fox, feigning benevolence, decreed that the case be closed and not pursued further, and the political situation quietly returned to calm. I knew the fox had achieved his goal; he didn't want any dramatic changes in the court. After all, those officials who were on good terms with the Han family weren't actually surnamed Han. Their past favors were merely political opportunism and flattery, just as they were now fawning over me after realizing I was the emperor's favorite. Such people were nothing to fear, and the fox wouldn't even deign to give them a second glance.

Watching a powerful clan vanish in the blink of an eye, seeing the once all-powerful forces become so weak before the imperial authority, all because they were subjects, all because they had no military power, the emperors always treated them with the whims of giving and taking. And this giving and taking was only a fine line, depending entirely on how you grasped the measure of being a subject.

Thinking about this, I reflected deeply on myself again. I absolutely must not follow in that old scoundrel Han's footsteps!

Erlinzi and I led a group of people to raid the Han family mansion. I stared wide-eyed at the mountains of gold, silver, and rare treasures before me, practically drooling. Countless times I fantasized about the classic scene of Wei Xiaobao and Duolong raiding the mansion, imagining Erlinzi as pragmatic as Duolong. Then I'd coolly say to Erlinzi, mimicking Wei Xiaobao's tone, "How much of Han Xuanqi's estate is recorded? Send anything not recorded directly to my house, and let me check for counterfeit silver to avoid damaging the national economy." Unfortunately, I wasn't as thick-skinned as Xiaobao, and Erlinzi was a hothead. I could only watch helplessly as box after box of gleaming silver and sparkling jewels was packed and sent to the national treasury.

From morning till night, the jewels were so dazzling they almost blinded me, yet I couldn't find a single piece of silver. I was quite indignant and couldn't help but glare at Erlinzi a few times, adding a look of resentment to my face. But a blockhead is a blockhead; the kid just scratched his head, not understanding what was going on, and turned around to direct people to put this in this box and that in that box.

Han Xuanqi's wealth was truly immense. Our large group spent an entire day looting it. By the time the last cartload of gold and silver arrived at the palace, it was already completely dark. A veteran of three reigns, he was truly something else. The fox, showing some remorse for our hard work, treated us to another meal of the imperial chefs' exquisite cooking.

"Brother, I never imagined that Han Xuanqi was such a corrupt official. His assets are equivalent to five years of the national treasury's revenue." Erlinzi still looked incredulous.

"Wrong, that was before I became prime minister. Since I implemented the reforms, it can only offset three years' worth of national treasury revenue at most." I firmly believe this.

Sigh, so many worldly treasures have slipped through my fingers, and I'm still feeling down about it. Actually, I'm not that greedy, but as I looked around, I took a liking to a few things. For example, that large, gleaming gold mirror, so much clearer than the bronze mirror I have at home; that crystal-clear amethyst plate with carved dragons and phoenixes—it would be perfect for holding fruit; those egg-sized luminous pearls—if I put them in my room, I wouldn't need to light those damned candles to read at night; and then there's… Sigh, thinking about it is pointless, so pointless indeed.

I casually picked up a few bites of food, but found them rather unappetizing.

"Third brother seems a bit restless. Are you tired?" the fox asked with concern, though a sly smile played on his lips.

I shook my head, thinking that the fried shrimp balls in front of me looked a lot like that luminous pearl. Sigh.

"Feeling unwell?"

I continued to shake my head, thinking that the white jade tofu in front of me looked a lot like a jade paperweight. Sigh.

"The food isn't to your liking?"

I shook my head again, feeling that the Ten Fresh Winter Melon Gu in front of me looked exactly like the jade candlestick in Old Man Han's house. Sigh.

"Is it because he still misses those jewels?"

I nodded. Only when I heard the fox and Erlinzi laughing did I realize what I had done, and my face flushed red to my neck. That damned fox, so cunning and treacherous indeed. I picked up a piece of golden milk pastry with my chopsticks, imagining it was the fox, and took bites with a satisfying crunch.

"Isn't the national treasury under your management? Pick whatever you like." The fox smiled brightly, his eyes clear and his whole being as radiant as the warm sun.

"Really...really?" I looked at the dragon fox, somewhat lost in his smile. Sigh, I'm getting more and more like a fool. Even the most handsome guy is someone I see every day; I shouldn't be acting like a lovesick fool anymore. How embarrassing!

"And...and...Second Brother also put in a lot of effort today." I kindly asked for a reward for Er Linzi. Brothers should share good fortune, right? Although the fox took the lion's share, even a small portion is priceless.

"I don't want to, I'm not like you!" Damn it, Erlinzi doesn't appreciate my efforts at all.

Erlinzi, do you really think I'm asking for a reward for you? I'm only letting you carry some things for me and escort me home because you're tall, strong, and have decent martial arts skills. Since you won't listen to reason, I'll try a softer approach.

I looked at Erlinzi with a pitiful and expectant expression, and said miserably, "Second Brother, I...I want you to come with me to pick things out!" I was pleased to see Erlinzi pause for a moment, then blush slightly. Hmm, where should I hide all that stuff? It's my private stash! If I move it back to the Yun Mansion, it'll become public property. Maybe I should hide it at Qianzui Residence, and hire a few guards to watch over my private home and my little darlings, hahaha!

Clouds Drunk and Moon Slightly Asleep (Revised Edition) Volume One: When We Met, We All Shared Joy

Chapter word count: 2700 Update time: 08-12-20 15:52

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Finally, it's time to rest again. A vacation every two weeks is so rare, so we should cherish it all the more.

I seriously doubt if I've become a conjoined twin with Fox and Erlinzi, because not only do I see them every day on weekdays, but they never let me off the hook on my days off either, treating me like a baby. Just thinking about that classic advertising slogan, "Dabao, see you every day!" sends chills down my spine.

"Hey, big brother, second brother, what's going on today? I finally got a day off, and you're making me work overtime." I was full of resentment.

"Overtime?" Two more bewildered faces appeared. Look at this, look at this, communicating with people of this intelligence is exhausting.

"If you use your time that should be for rest to do official business, then you have to pay the person who did the work double the amount of silver." My annual salary divided by the number of working days, then multiplied by two, seems like I don't even get much silver for working overtime for a day. It's frustrating, it's super unprofitable.

"Money again, money again, how come your mind is full of money? Besides, we came to see you today not to discuss business." Erlinzi rolled his eyes at me, which was rare for him.

Not business? Then what is it? Eating, drinking, and having fun? It seems like it's been a long time since I went on a night boat trip on Longze Lake to enjoy the breeze and the moon. How about we go again today? I looked at Dragon Fox with anticipation.

"That's good, you'll like it." The fox smiled calmly, still keeping everyone in suspense.

"Since that's the case, I'll play along." I closed my eyes, letting the carriage speed through the streets. "Hmph, they can't possibly sell me!" A moment later, I felt the carriage stop. I flung open the curtain and leaped down with surprising agility. "Hmph, let's see what you two are up to!" Huh? Isn't this my Qianzui Residence? When did guards appear at the gate?

I looked at Longhu and Erlinzi, who had followed me off the carriage, with a puzzled expression. I had been thinking of finding a few people to guard my little treasure trove just a couple of days ago. How come they came to my door on their own before I even went out to find anyone?

The two guards at the door bowed respectfully upon seeing Long Huli and Erlinzi, saying, "Master!"

"Damn it! Fox, Erlinzi, you've gone too far! This is my house. I could forgive you for hiring guards without my permission, but the guards you hired only recognize you, not me! They don't know I'm the owner of this house! This is absolutely outrageous! This is intolerable! I strode up to the two guards and shouted, 'This house is mine! I am the owner of this house! I am your master!'"

The two goose guards looked puzzled and remained silent, their eyes involuntarily glancing at the fox, as if waiting for its instructions.

Before I could lose my temper, the fox lazily said to the two dumbfounded guards, "He's right. From now on, he is your only master, but your monthly salary will still come from me."