“Increasing taxes is the easiest option.”
Feng Zexuan spoke calmly, “But in the end, the ones who suffer are always the common people.”
【Brother once said: Those in positions of power should always put the people’s livelihood first.】
【I wonder if he’s asleep yet…】
Shen Sangsang sincerely admired her in her mind.
【Xiao Ling, your values are actually so righteous!】
【You’re completely different from those systems in novels that only know how to confiscate property!】
Feng Zexuan coughed lightly and restored her mechanical tone.
“Professional ethics, that’s all.”
【Hehe, your praise is making me a little embarrassed.】
Turning around, Feng Zexuan entered the imperial harem and swept away all the ill-gotten wealth hidden there.
Bribes from the imperial consort, illegal income from a certain prince’s underground businesses—every item had a shady origin.
On the system panel, the progress bar for “Assisting the Male Lead’s Career” changed from 0% to 10%.
【Still far from enough.】
【But no rush. I’ve got plenty of time anyway.】
Her fingers tapped lightly across the holographic screen as she pulled up the list of corrupt officials.
Every glowing red name represented mountains of wealth squeezed from the blood and sweat of the people.
“Come on. Let’s clean out the parasites.”
A cold smile curled on her lips.
With a thought, a flying carpet woven with intricate patterns appeared out of thin air, concealing her figure within the night.
It was a magical artifact she had specially picked from the system space.
Classic, practical, and equipped with an invisibility barrier.
“First stop: Minister Wang of the Ministry of Revenue.”
The carpet silently sliced through the night sky.
This Minister Wang was publicly famous for his integrity, yet behind the scenes he had embezzled over three hundred thousand taels of silver.
Feng Zexuan easily found the secret chamber hidden inside his manor.
The moment she pushed open the hidden door, the dazzling glow of gold and jewels nearly blinded her.
【Good grief, how many years has this guy been stealing?!】
Without hesitation, she waved her hand and swept the entire room of stolen wealth into her storage space.
Before leaving, a playful thought struck her.
She pulled out a slip of paper from her inventory and scribbled flamboyantly across it.
“Heaven’s justice always returns.”
【Hehe, leaving him a little souvenir~】
【Tomorrow morning, when he realizes his house has been robbed and sees this note, his expression is going to be priceless!】
Second stop: Minister Li of the Ministry of Justice.
This one was even worse—twisting the law for personal gain, trampling innocent lives, and piling his blood money into mountains inside his underground vault.
Raid complete!
In a single night, Feng Zexuan became like a cleaner of the darkness, emptying the fortunes of more than a dozen corrupt officials on the list.
She didn’t just take money.
More importantly, she gathered evidence.
Account books, secret letters, property deeds, forced confessions extracted under torture…
Anything that could convict them was carefully sorted and packed away.
To make things more entertaining, she left different notes at every house.
“Above your head, the gods are watching.”
“Greed is a blade hanging over your neck.”
“Good and evil are always repaid. If not by heaven… then by me.”
Watching this smooth and efficient operation unfold, Shen Sangsang’s admiration nearly overflowed from her consciousness.
【Xiao Ling, you’re way too thorough!】
【There’s nothing in the career mission list about raiding corrupt officials!】
“When you do something, do it completely. Leaving them a way out is just asking for trouble later.”
Feng Zexuan’s voice carried a lazy drawl.
“With this evidence, if the emperor decides to move against them, he’ll have complete justification and no one in the empire can object.”
【Besides, this counts as carrying out justice on heaven’s behalf.】
【When Brother finds out, he’ll definitely praise me for doing a great job!】
【Hehe~】
Shen Sangsang suddenly understood.
【I’ve learned something new today.】
By the time Feng Zexuan finished raiding the final mansion, dawn was already breaking across the horizon.
Her storage space was packed to the brim.
Gold and jewels, grain and cloth, medicinal herbs and weapons… an overwhelming abundance of riches.
In an excellent mood, she casually spent 10,000 points to upgrade Shen Sangsang’s tiny hundred-square-meter space into a thousand-square-meter one.
The upgraded space now included planting fields, livestock areas, an alchemy room, and several brand-new functional zones.
Shen Sangsang stared at the transformed space, so excited she could barely speak.
【This is amazing, Xiao Ling! Thank you!】
【With all this, even exile will feel like a vacation!】
“You’re welcome.”
Feng Zexuan replied calmly, though inwardly she was already calculating the growth of her own private fortune.
Before returning control of the body, she made one final trip to the imperial palace.
She organized all the evidence into categories and placed everything inside an exquisite sandalwood box, which she quietly left beside the emperor’s bed.
Carved onto the lid were four words:
“Heaven’s justice shines brightly.”
Shen Sangsang couldn’t help asking:
【What if the emperor reads the evidence… but refuses to punish them?】
Feng Zexuan chuckled softly.
“It’s fine. I made a copy.”
“You can think of this as a test for him.”
“If he doesn’t disappoint me… then we’ll play with him in a different way.”
When they returned to the Duke Zhenguo Manor, morning light was already filtering through the windows.
Feng Zexuan handed control of the body back to Shen Sangsang and returned to the system space herself, sprawling across a lounge chair without a care in the world.
【I’m exhausted… being a working person really isn’t easy.】
She pulled up the settlement panel.
【Mission Rewards:】
【Employment Fee: 8000 points (4 hours × 2000 points/hour)】
【Stage Mission Completion Reward: 2000 points】
【Total: 10000 points】
Feng Zexuan discovered that points could be exchanged for gossip-value currency at a ratio of 1:100.
One million!
【I’m rich! I’m rich!】
She immediately transferred the massive sum into her personal account, happiness practically overflowing from her heart.
【No wonder that stupid system loved attending court in my place so much. Outsourcing work is insanely profitable!】
【If I get a few more gigs like this, I can retire immediately!】
Completely satisfied, she grabbed an ice-cold cola and a huge bag of chips from the fridge, opened her tablet, and happily started browsing novels.
【Hmm… which one should I favor today?】
Meanwhile…
Shen Sangsang had already entered full drama-queen mode.
She took out an outer robe from her storage space.
It had been intentionally torn by Xiao Ling before leaving, and even sprayed with perfume carrying the realistic scent of dirt and crushed grass.
After putting it on, she staggered toward the bed and pushed open the door weakly.
“Husband… I’m sorry…”
She grabbed Xiao Zhanfeng’s hand and pressed it against her tattered sleeve.
Her voice trembled with tears as her body shook uncontrollably.
“I went into the mountains to look for medicine for you… but… but I ran into a wolf pack…”
“The wolves’ eyes glowed green in the dark… they lunged at me…”
“I ran as fast as I could… fell several times… even cut my hands…”
“I thought… I thought I was going to die there…”
She tightly clutched Xiao Zhanfeng’s hand as scorching tears fell onto the back of it.
“But I couldn’t accept it… I still hadn’t woken you up… I couldn’t die…”
“I managed to scare the wolves away with a torch… but the herbs… I really didn’t dare go deeper into the mountains…”
Her voice was filled with guilt and lingering fear.
“Husband… will you think I’m useless?”
She leaned against the bedside, shoulders trembling softly, looking both fragile and stubborn.
Xiao Zhanfeng’s inner thoughts exploded:
【Her sleeves are torn… she’s covered in the smell of dirt and grass…】
【She didn’t lie to me! She really went somewhere that dangerous all by herself!】
【And she even ran into wolves…】
【How terrified… how desperate must she have been back then…】
【Shen Sangsang… you fool…】
【Why are you going this far for me?】
【Ding! Favorability +10%】
【Current Favorability: 41%】
【Points +10000】
【Current Total Points: 23200】
Shen Sangsang secretly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and revealed the smile of someone whose plan had succeeded perfectly.
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