Ding!
【A new day has begun!】
【Current Great Qi National Fortune: 84,929】
【National Fortune Change This Cycle: -3,071】
【Estimated Settlement Reward: 307,100 taels of gold】
【Remaining Time: 20 days】
For the next two days, Li An holed up in the Bureau of Fundraising and did absolutely nothing—sleeping the days away without the slightest movement.
This left the officials’ spies who had come to watch the spectacle utterly disappointed.
Little did they know that Li An had already secretly raised the full two million taels of silver, which was why he was resting so comfortably.
But to outsiders, his laid-back attitude looked like complete surrender—like he had run out of options and given up.
…
The ten-day deadline had arrived.
The plaza before the Golden Throne Hall was already packed.
Even many imperial relatives and nobles who hadn’t attended court in years had donned their formal robes and made their way to the hall.
Today was the day Li An had to fulfill his wager of selling offices.
The entire court was holding its breath, waiting to see the downfall of the “Office-Selling Madman,” Li An.
“Do you think he actually managed to scrape together two million taels?”
“Scrape together my foot! Who would buy those trash posts? You couldn’t even give them away!”
Prime Minister Wang Fu stood at the head of the civil officials, his face dark on the surface, though inwardly he sneered.
“Those useless posts couldn’t even be given away for free. If he gathered the money, I’ll eat my hat.”
On the other side, Grand Commandant Sun Qian muttered to his confidant:
“A traitor to the nation like this! I’ll personally impeach him for deceiving the throne.”
The three factions all harbored their own schemes.
But they shared one thing in common—
They were all waiting to laugh at Li An’s failure.
…
Just then, from afar came the sound of synchronized footsteps.
Everyone looked up.
And the entire plaza fell silent.
Li An appeared, dressed in official robes, striding forward.
His pace was steady, unhurried.
A faint smile rested on his face, confidence radiating from him far beyond what the officials had expected.
But what truly left them dumbfounded was—
There were four people following behind him.
The first was a burly man with a fierce face; just standing there, he exuded bandit energy.
“That’s… Jin Daya?! The leader of the Golden Sand Gang!”
The second was a thug with a broadsword at his waist, looking like he ruled the world.
“Zhao Dadan! Owner of the biggest gambling house in the city!”
The third was an elderly eunuch in black robes, pale-faced, letting out eerie chuckles from time to time.
“Eunuch Liu? That sinister old eunuch?! Why is he wearing official robes?!”
The fourth was a young nobleman, eyes gleaming with fiery enthusiasm.
“That’s… the son of the Minister of Revenue? Qian Xiaohai?!”
Ding!
【The “Great Qi Calamity Squad” makes a collective appearance at the Golden Throne Hall!】
【Court officials stunned speechless!】
【Great Qi National Fortune -100】
【Current National Fortune: 84,829】
The court erupted.
This lineup…
A street thug! A gambling boss! A deranged eunuch! A rebellious rich brat!
It was like a gathering of demons and monsters!
Prime Minister Wang Fu’s expression changed instantly.
“He… how dare he? Sell offices to these scoundrels and then brazenly bring them to court?”
Minister of Revenue Qian Tong’s face turned ashen as he glared at his disappointing son.
“That unfilial brat…!!”
Qian Xiaohai winked at his father and whispered, “Father, I bought the Maritime Inspection Commissioner post. From now on, I’ll be sailing under imperial orders. You can’t stop me this time.”
“You!!!”
Qian Tong nearly fainted from anger.
…
Just then, a eunuch’s voice rang out from inside the hall:
“His Majesty has arrived!”
The officials instantly composed themselves and knelt in unison.
“Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long live!”
Zhao Ling’er, clad in dragon robes, ascended the throne and took her seat.
“Rise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Zhao Ling’er spoke first. “Today is the day the Bureau of Fundraising reports its results. Minister Li, how much silver have you raised?”
Li An stepped forward and cupped his hands. “Your Majesty, I have not failed in my duty. I have raised a total of 2.1 million taels of silver.”
The court exploded.
“Two point one million?!”
“Impossible!!”
Prime Minister Wang Fu immediately stepped out. “Your Majesty! He speaks nonsense!”
Grand Commandant Sun Qian followed up. “Your Majesty! I request a thorough investigation! This is clearly deception of the throne!”
Li An remained calm.
He turned to the four behind him. “Gentlemen, how much did you each spend on your offices? Why not report it to your colleagues?”
Jin Daya stepped forward first, grinning. “Reporting to Your Majesty! I spent one hundred thousand taels to buy the Superintendent of Street Administration!”
Zhao Dadan said, “I spent one hundred fifty thousand taels for the Director-General of the Trade Market Bureau.”
Eunuch Liu chuckled darkly. “This servant spent two hundred thousand taels to become the Interrogation Officer of the Imperial Prison.”
The entire court shuddered.
That lunatic eunuch in charge of the Imperial Prison?
Anyone who fell into his hands…
Eunuch Liu seemed to sense their fear and laughed even more eerily. “Hehehe… rest assured, my lords, I am a man of rules…”
Finally, it was Qian Xiaohai’s turn.
He puffed out his chest proudly. “This young master spent three hundred thousand taels for the post of Maritime Inspection Commissioner!”
“From today onward, I am the empire’s maritime officer! The seas of Great Qi will be guarded by me!”
Minister Qian Tong’s face turned completely green.
“Ungrateful son! You spent three hundred thousand taels on that post?!”
Qian Xiaohai grinned. “Father, I’m serving the court under imperial orders. You should be happy.”
Qian Tong trembled with rage. “Li An! You tricked my son!!!”
Li An spread his hands innocently. “Minister Qian, your son bought the office of his own free will. Signed and sealed. No deception involved.”
Ding!
【Four “eccentric officials” formally unveiled!】
【Jin Daya (Street Administration), Zhao Dadan (Trade Market Bureau), Eunuch Liu (Imperial Prison), Qian Xiaohai (Maritime Inspection)】
【Court order in chaos! Official system collapsing!】
【Great Qi National Fortune -150】
【Current National Fortune: 84,679】
…
Emperor Zhao Ling’er sat on the throne, watching the farce unfold below, struggling not to burst into laughter.
How interesting!
She had worried Li An wouldn’t raise enough silver.
Not only had he succeeded—he had exceeded expectations.
And he had sold offices to this group of eccentrics.
But thinking carefully…
Jin Daya, though a street thug, had survived in the capital for years—he must have real ability.
Street Administration dealt with sanitation. What noble family heir would stoop to such dirty work?
But thugs? They specialized in “handling troublesome commoners.”
Zhao Dadan ran gambling houses—dealing daily with all sorts of shady characters. Sending someone like him to the frontier might produce unexpected results.
Eunuch Liu, though mad, had served in the palace for decades. He had seen every scheme imaginable. Put him in charge of the Imperial Prison, and any inmate trying tricks would regret it.
As for Qian Xiaohai—
He genuinely wanted to sail. To make something of himself.
And he was the Minister of Revenue’s son.
He had money. He could invest. He wouldn’t fear losses.
Li An was using unconventional people for unconventional tasks.
Scholars couldn’t manage the frontier—perhaps a gambling boss’s ruthlessness could.
Stubborn capital citizens and officials were hard to govern—only ruffians truly understood them.
Maritime bans had stagnated for years—maybe a spendthrift willing to pour in money could break the deadlock.
Brilliant!
While raising funds, Li An was also showing her that the old ways no longer worked. The court needed “unorthodox paths.”
He was breaking the aristocratic monopoly over officialdom!
This man… truly had the makings of a prime minister!
Ding!
【The Emperor once again “over-interprets” Li An’s intentions!】
【Subjectively believes he is employing extraordinary people for extraordinary tasks!】
【Ruler and ministers drifting apart; Emperor misled!】
【Great Qi National Fortune -100】
【Current National Fortune: 84,579】
…
Li An nearly laughed out loud.
This young emperor sure had an imagination!
“Using extraordinary people for extraordinary tasks”?
Please. These four disasters? What extraordinary feats could they accomplish?
He was counting on them to wreak havoc after taking office so the national fortune would plummet even faster.
Glancing at the system panel:
【Today’s National Fortune Change: -350】
【Cumulative Change: -3,421】
【Current National Fortune: 84,579】
【Estimated Settlement Reward: 342,100 taels of gold】
Three hundred forty thousand taels of gold already!
And today he had done nothing—just brought four people to court to show their faces.
National fortune had dropped by 350 points!
Beautiful.
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