LOT – Chapter 163 Untitled Draft

The items from the Chen Duke’s residence were being moved out one by one, and it certainly attracted a lot of attention.

The common people didn’t know exactly what had happened, but judging by the scene, they assumed the house was being confiscated.

“Has the Chen Duke’s mansion been raided? Did they commit some crime to get their house seized?”

“I don’t know, haven’t heard of them committing any crime. But the people from the Duke’s household have always been annoying—arrogant, overbearing, and acting like they’re above everyone. Last time I was passing by my vegetable stall, their eldest son thought my stall was in his way. He kicked it over! When I asked for compensation, he only gave me ten copper coins. I was furious!”

“Serves them right. But after confiscating the house, will they be thrown in jail? There’s no decree saying what crime they committed yet.”

The crowd gathered outside the Chen Duke’s mansion, chattering loudly. Nobody inside dared to come out.

“It’s over, it’s over! How are we supposed to live now? Everything’s gone!”

The Duke’s wife wailed miserably, looking as if she had just lost her husband.

Others also hung their heads, sobbing quietly. They were all used to this luxurious lifestyle, and being forced back to a normal life was a shock too great to bear.

Among court officials, many were wealthy, especially those whose families had accumulated wealth over generations, like Lin Mo’s family. The Lin family came from a scholarly and noble lineage, tracing back three generations. The wealth accumulated over these generations was immeasurable.

Moreover, the Lin family was always generous with donations. Even though they were wealthy, the emperor never said anything, nor did he covet their property or attempt to seize it.

After all, their wealth was honestly earned by their ancestors; everything they had was legitimately theirs.

In contrast, it was only natural that wealth obtained through dishonest means would be confiscated.

At some point, Lin Mo and Bai Xiao had managed to blend into the crowd, craning their necks to watch.

“Wow, so many nice things. I bet when the previous emperor bestowed gifts, it must have been even more. They must have used a lot of it already.”

By now, more than a dozen loads had been moved out, and items continued to be carried out.

Bai Xiao whispered, “Do you want to sneak in and take a look? I know a way in.”

They exchanged a glance and happily set off to find the secret path.

At the back of the Chen Duke’s mansion was a small door, usually guarded. But today, with the chaos, nobody had been assigned to it.

Besides, guarding it wouldn’t matter anyway—there was nothing valuable left inside to protect.

Lin Mo and Bai Xiao snuck over and slipped inside.

Once inside, they were greeted by sounds of wailing and crying.

“Wow! They’re really crying their hearts out.”

Lin Mo’s voice made the Chen family stop crying for a full two seconds.

“How did this little rascal get here? Did she come specially to laugh at us?”

Chen’s eldest son wiped his tears and was about to look in their direction, seemingly wanting to walk over. But he was promptly smacked by the Duke.

“Stop staring! If you want to cry, then cry properly!”

The Duke knew his eldest son was impulsive. If the boy discovered that Lin Mo could hear their inner thoughts, it wouldn’t just be a matter of returning the confiscated goods—they could be punished severely.

No matter how angry one was at this little devil, one had to keep a smile in her presence. She was truly not someone you could afford to offend, even slightly.

The eldest son, slapped by his father, felt deeply wronged.

If it weren’t for her, their family wouldn’t have suffered this upheaval. He could still have been the wealthy eldest son of the Duke’s household.

And now his father was punishing him because of her—what kind of logic was that?

“Wow, after they moved everything out, their house is really empty. How rich was the previous emperor? Even Chen Taifei wasn’t the most favored, just moderately so. The favored consorts had to support their families too. Imagine how much money that takes!”

Lin Mo couldn’t even imagine the previous emperor’s wealth. Chen Taifei wasn’t the most favored; she was somewhere in the middle.

Bai Xiao thought for a moment and started counting on his fingers.

“When the previous emperor first ascended the throne, the treasury was at its fullest. He personally had a lot of wealth, and his maternal family was wealthy too. His mother was the only daughter of the richest merchant in Dayong. Do you see? Of course he was rich.”

The only daughter of Dayong’s richest merchant—no wonder the emperor was wealthy. It came from his grandfather’s fortune.

“The previous emperor’s mother entered the harem because of her wealth. It’s like she was completely consumed by the palace. She was granted the rank of Noble Consort and died when the emperor was fifteen, leaving all her wealth to him.”

“You’ve got to admit, the previous emperor was remarkable. The treasury had been filled by his grandfather; the state hadn’t spent that much. Yet, after ascending, he spent all that inheritance.”

Bai Xiao didn’t know what to say, only that the man was selfish.

They weren’t unaware of the fierce struggles in the harem, but he looked down from above, watching the women compete over him. When he was pleased, he rewarded them; when displeased, he sent them to the cold palace.

If the women in the harem were villains, then he was the villain among villains—the one who forced them into such a position.

And thus, the Chen family was forced to witness it all firsthand.