However, Ye Lingfeng did not intend to eliminate everyone in the court all at once, because he wanted to proceed gradually and stabilize the people in the court step by step. If he wiped them out all at once, who knew whose henchmen or behind-the-scenes forces the replacements would be? He would only take action if he was certain that the person was one of his own.
"Guards, take Zhou Nian and Zhao Zhu to the Ministry of Justice, search their family property, and confiscate everything."
At the emperor's command, Zhou Nian and Zhao Zhu fainted right there in the hall, without uttering a single word.
The arrest of Zhao Zhu caused tension among the people of the Prince of Anyang's mansion, as Zhao Zhu was a relative of the Yan family of the Prince of Anyang's mansion. If Zhao Zhu went to jail, they might be implicated, and if the Emperor were to take further action, their lives would not be easy.
In an instant, everyone in the hall felt threatened and dared not underestimate the emperor.
"Dismiss the court."
Ye Lingfeng gave a cold shout, then turned and left the Golden Phoenix Palace, returning to the Qingqian Palace.
Hai Ling had already gotten up. Seeing Ye Lingfeng's slightly upturned lips and cold expression, she knew that he must have raided the Zhou and Zhao families.
Since that's the case, why get angry anymore?
"Don't be angry. Didn't we confiscate their property? It's not worth getting sick from anger. On the contrary, you should be happy because the grain supply for Dengzhou is secured. But it's a troublesome matter to procure rice in the shortest possible time."
This was exactly what was troubling Ye Lingfeng—where was he supposed to get so much rice and grain all at once?
However, Hailin quickly thought of someone and said with bright eyes, "I have someone in mind. As long as he is willing to help, he will surely be able to raise the grain."
"who?"
"Xi Hanzhi, the heir of the Cangwang Mansion, has always been fond of business. He manages most of the business of the Cangwang Mansion. It is said that the people of Beilu call him 'the Abacus Prince' because his mind is even more powerful than an abacus. The Xi family's rice shops are not only spread throughout Beilu, but also to other countries. As long as we get his help, we can definitely raise rice in the shortest time."
After Hai Ling finished speaking, Ye Lingfeng didn't overlook one thing.
"Since he's known as the Calculator Prince, he must be shrewd and calculating, with the typical face of a businessman. If we want his help, we'll have to pay a hefty price. Do you think the money confiscated from the Zhou and Zhao families is enough to buy all that rice and grain?"
“I don’t need to spend a single penny. I only need to provide a piece of land, and I can exchange it for 200,000 dan of grain and 30% of his taxes.”
Hai Ling blinked her eyes, looking playful. Her rosy cheeks were like apples, making one want to take a bite. Ye Lingfeng didn't hesitate and took a bite, but when he got to her face, he sucked on it. Hai Ling blushed. Fortunately, there weren't many people in the hall, only Shi Mei and Shi Lan, but they still tried their best to suppress their laughter when they saw the emperor's actions.
Shi Mei and Shi Lan thought to themselves that they would never have dared to imagine in the past that their master would become such a charming and shameless person, and that their relationship was so good that it made others envious.
However, they were only happy; the more affectionate they were, the happier they were as servants.
Hai Ling gave a coquettish humph and pulled Ye Lingfeng, saying, "Let's go, let's get ready, and then we'll leave the palace together."
The two of them were so good-looking that they attracted attention as soon as they went out. That's why Hai Ling dragged Ye Lingfeng into the palace room to disguise him properly so that he wouldn't attract attention.
Ye Lingfeng sat on the soft couch, letting Hai Ling fuss over his face. He lowered his eyelids slightly, wondering what this girl was up to.
Once everything was ready, Hailin said, "All done."
When Ye Lingfeng opened his eyes, he saw Hai Ling's face full of barely suppressed laughter, which also made the two maids, Shi Mei and Shi Lan, in the palace laugh. It seems that the disguise that Ling'er drew for him is a bit strange.
At this moment, Hai Ling, still unwilling to give up, reached out and took the Luan Mirror, handing it to Ye Lingfeng and speaking with a smile.
"Look, now no one will recognize you as the emperor."
Ye Lingfeng took it and glanced at it. It turned out that his face had been blackened, thick eyebrows had been drawn on, and even a mustache had been stuck under his nose. At first glance, he looked like a middle-aged man. But the most important thing was not that. Instead, a large black mole had been drawn on the corner of his eye, which looked extremely strange.
Although Ye Lingfeng wasn't particularly fastidious, he was still quite uncomfortable and couldn't help but call out, "Ling'er."
"Your Majesty, there's nothing we can do about it. Do you really want people to recognize you?"
He's so good-looking; if he doesn't disguise himself, someone familiar with his appearance will definitely recognize him, which isn't a good thing.
As Hai Ling spoke, she began to disguise herself. Her disguise was much simpler: she simply darkened her face, drew her eyebrows thicker, and put on a set of men's clothing. She looked like a handsome young man with dark eyebrows and a dark face, which was more than ten times better than Ye Lingfeng's makeup.
Ye Lingfeng stood up, reached out and took a stone inkstone, then applied a large black mole to it, making it a perfect pair with his, one on the left and one on the right.
Hai Ling could no longer laugh, but Ye Lingfeng laughed happily, reached out and pulled her away.
"Let's go."
They are still a couple; to outsiders, they are just a pair of loving brothers.
Shi Mei and Shi Lan had already changed into men's clothing and simply disguised themselves.
This time when they left the palace, they only took four people with them: Shi Mei, Shi Lan, Shi Zhu, and Shi Ju. They didn't take anyone else. Fu Yue was left in the palace by Hai Ling. She was told not to let anyone know that she and the emperor had left the palace. She was told to say that they were resting in the palace. Now that they were getting married, even if they stayed in the palace, no one would care.
As the group walked along the main street of Beilu, they sensed an atmosphere different from usual. Although there were many people on the street, everyone was cautious and vigilant, and there were also many soldiers coming and going. It was clear that they were people who had come to search the Zhou and Zhao residences.
Ye Lingfeng was interested in searching the Zhou and Zhao residences, so he instructed Shi Mei to go to Hefeng Tower and asked the four heads of the Cold Demon Palace to wait for him. They would be there in a while.
Shi Mei accepted the order and left, while the rest of them went to the Zhou residence.
The once bustling gates of the mansion were now guarded by layers of soldiers. Inside the open gates, chaos could be vaguely seen within the Zhou mansion, with shouts and cries filling the air. The items confiscated from the Zhou mansion were being hauled away cart after cart. Not only were Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling furious, but the common people watching around them were also indignant and began to discuss among themselves.
"See that? This guy is too greedy; he has so much stuff in his mansion."
"Yes, they were all corrupt officials. Fortunately, the Emperor was smart enough to seize the evidence against them and then confiscate their assets."
"Yes, Your Majesty is wise. It seems that there is hope for our Northern Lu."
Whispers rang in Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling's ears. They quietly left. Ye Lingfeng had come to the Zhou residence to see how much they had and whether it was enough to prepare provisions for Dengzhou. But now that he saw it, he was no longer worried.
However, his expression was cold and unpleasant. Because he had been disguised, he was now serious and dignified. No one beside him spoke until his anger subsided a bit, at which point Hai Ling finally spoke.
"Alright, what's there to be angry about? Now you know that these insectoid creatures are the root cause of the damage to Beilu, so you don't need to hold back in your actions anymore. I believe Beilu will recover soon. This is a good sign."
That makes sense. Besides, it wasn't his business before. What he needs to do is focus on the present and figure out how to reorganize Beilu.
Furthermore, I left the palace today to meet the four heads of the Cold Demon Palace's Halls, so why bother with these petty people?