SBCEJM -Chapter 74 The End of Glory and the “Salty Fish” Manifesto

In a flash of realization, Zhao Defu understood something.

He had thought of his only remaining bargaining chip—the very last one he had left.

He stopped kowtowing. Blood from his forehead mixed with cold sweat and slid down his face.

He raised his head, eyes bloodshot, voice trembling violently.

“Your Majesty…”

“If you can pardon my son’s sentence of military exile…”

He clenched his teeth. Every word was forced out of his throat.

“I…”

“I am willing…”

“To resign from my post as Minister of Revenue, retire to my hometown, and never again enter officialdom!”

After shouting out the final sentence, Zhao Defu felt completely drained.

He collapsed onto the golden floor tiles of the hall, unable to hold himself up any longer.

The moment those words fell, the entire hall fell into dead silence.

Then came a wave of suppressed gasps.

Minister of Revenue!

The man in charge of the empire’s finances and grain supply!

A pillar of the court, holding immense power over fiscal affairs.

A position countless people spent their entire lives scheming for—and still couldn’t reach.

And he was just… throwing it away?

Just like that?

All for that sick, useless son of his?

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel widened his eyes so much they looked ready to pop out.

The Minister of War was also stunned, subconsciously touching his official hat.

This old man’s gone mad.

In the ranks, Feng Zexuan was also completely shaken.

【Oh my god… he’s going this far?】

【Even his official hat is being thrown away?】

【This dad is way too extreme!】

The system chimed in at that moment.

【Host, don’t forget—he’s a son-doting maniac. What’s an official position compared to that…】

Feng Zexuan sighed inwardly.

【He’s not a good person, and not a good official either… but he is a good father.】

The system followed along.

【Human nature is complicated! A coin has two sides. Even the worst people might hide a bit of light somewhere.】

【Hmm… true.】

Feng Zexuan nodded.

【People usually only manage to be one thing.】

【If you can’t be a good official, then be a good father.】

【If you can’t be a good father, then at least be a good official.】

【If you’re neither… then that’s a bit hard to justify.】

These thoughts echoed through the hall, leaving all the officials in mixed emotions.

They couldn’t help but ask themselves: were they good fathers?

For the sake of career and power, how much had they neglected their families?

Yet they still considered themselves loyal officials serving the emperor and the people.

Human energy was limited—who could truly be perfect?

The Minister of Rites glanced at Zhao Defu lying on the ground, his expression complicated.

The Minister of Works also shook his head silently, unable to describe his feelings.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the emperor’s final judgment.

Emperor Xiao Juechen looked at the prostrate man in silence for a long time.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne.

Tap. Tap.

Each sound struck the hearts of everyone present.

Zhao Defu lay there trembling, awaiting his fate.

Finally, the tapping stopped.

“Granted.”

Two words—light as air, yet heavy as a mountain.

Zhao Defu felt as though all strength had been drained from him. He collapsed completely.

Two imperial guards stepped forward.

One removed his official hat.

The other unfastened the clasps of his brand-new official robe.

Clack.

A soft sound.

The hat symbolizing supreme honor rolled to the ground, stained with dust.

The once-mighty Minister Zhao was now left in nothing but his inner garments.

The guards lifted him by the arms and dragged him out of the Golden Throne Hall.

His figure disappeared beyond the hall doors—never to return.

A court official who had long been suppressed by Zhao Defu finally let out a silent breath of relief.

It was over at last.

The drama was finally finished.

Feng Zexuan quietly moved her stiff ankles in the ranks.

Standing this long had made her legs go numb.

【System! System! Quick—report the earnings!】

【I turned off the “gossip value notification sound.” How much do we have now?】

The system’s voice was bursting with excitement.

【Ding! Congratulations, Host! Your current gossip value balance has reached 650,000!】

【Just from the Zhao family alone, we earned a whopping 100,000 points!】

【Hahahaha! I knew it!】

【He really is the fattest sheep of the year!】

Feng Zexuan was already laughing internally like a villain.

【System, listen carefully—only 350,000 more to go until my 1,000,000-point retirement plan!】

【No time to waste! For my dream of a lazy life full of counting money until my hands cramp and sleeping until I wake naturally…】

【Bring on the next gossip! Big one! Heavy stuff!】

This passionate declaration of retirement echoed through the Golden Throne Hall.

The officials, who had just been immersed in philosophical thoughts about “human complexity,” were all stunned.

What?

The young Master Feng… who stirred storms across the court, exposing scandal after scandal…

All of it…was just to retire early and become a salted fish???

Wasn’t that dream a bit… too modest?

Prime Minister Lin Zhengyan’s fingers trembled as he gripped his ivory tablet tighter.

What on earth is this child thinking?

Even the Minister of War looked confused.

So all of this chaos… was just for a lazy life?

Emperor Xiao Juechen adjusted his posture slightly, concealing his brief loss of composure.

This kid’s way of thinking was truly incomprehensible.

He swept his gaze across the hall and spoke slowly, pulling everyone back to reality.

“The Minister of Revenue controls the empire’s finances. He is the lifeblood of the nation.”

“Now that Zhao Defu has been removed from office, this position is vacant.”

He paused, eyes scanning every official in turn.

That single glance made many people shiver.

The position of Minister of Revenue was now open.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Dear ministers, in your opinion—who among you is fit to assume this post?”

The hall fell into complete silence.

Everyone’s heart rose to their throats.

Who didn’t want it?

But who dared to speak first?

One wrong recommendation could bring disaster.

They exchanged glances, none willing to step forward.

Feng Zexuan stood among them, already grinning in anticipation.

【Hahaha, another round of gossip begins!】

【Now they’ll all fight like old foxes over this position!】

【My gossip points are about to skyrocket again!】

And just then—

A voice rang out.