“Whose name did Your Majesty call out in dream last night?”
The voice of Empress Sun Ruoxi was quiet, yet it struck Li An like a thunderclap.
He froze completely.
What the hell?
The emperor called someone’s name in a dream?
What does that have to do with me?
He lifted his head and met the empress’s playful gaze, feeling a chill run down his spine and a sudden nervousness in his chest.
“Em…Empress, I do not know.”
Li An tried to make his voice sound as normal as possible.
“I was not the one sleeping next to His Majesty, so how could I possibly know who he called out in his dream?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he immediately regretted them.
How did that sound… a little ambiguous?
Sure enough, the empress’s eyes grew even more meaningful.
“Lord Li, you are quite straightforward.”
Sun Ruoxi walked slowly, her phoenix robe trailing behind her, drawing a graceful arc along the palace path.
“I just find it strange. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has never called anyone’s name in his dreams.”
She paused deliberately, building suspense:
“Yet last night, he called a certain person’s name the entire night.”
Li An felt every hair on his body stand on end.
The entire night?
Is the little emperor that idle, calling out names even in his dreams?
And it couldn’t possibly be…
Me, Li An, right?
No way, right?
Impossible, right?
He’s a manly man! Although the emperor seems a bit effeminate, it wouldn’t really…
“Empress.”
Li An swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly.
“I… I really don’t know anything! I am completely pure with His Majesty! There has been absolutely no improper conduct!”
Hearing this, Sun Ruoxi could barely hold back a laugh.
“When did I say it was you, Lord Li?”
“……”
Li An was momentarily speechless.
Right, the empress hadn’t actually said it was him.
It was his own guilty conscience talking.
But clearly, the empress was hinting at him!
“Lord Li.”
Sun Ruoxi approached Li An and lowered her voice.
“I do not care whose name His Majesty called in his dream. I only want to remind you of one thing.”
“Please speak, Empress.”
“His Majesty is simple-minded and accustomed to trusting his ministers.”
A sly smile flickered in Sun Ruoxi’s eyes as she continued:
“If someone were to betray His Majesty’s trust, I… would not let it go easily.”
Li An nodded vigorously.
“I understand! I will absolutely not betray His Majesty’s trust!”
Yet in his heart, he was silently cursing: Are all you royals crazy?
The emperor daydreaming all sorts of things about me is one thing, but now the empress is joining in?
Is she giving me drugs on one hand, and on the other hinting that the emperor has… those kinds of thoughts about me?
Watching Li An’s utterly confused expression, Sun Ruoxi had her own thoughts.
This Li An… still doesn’t know the emperor’s true identity.
He thinks the emperor is a man, so naturally interprets the emperor calling his name in a dream as… a romantic or sexual interest.
So right now, he’s probably feeling all awkward and flustered inside!
Heh, that’s fine.
Let him continue to misunderstand.
As long as he remains loyal to His Majesty, the misunderstanding doesn’t matter.
“All right, I’ve said what I needed to say.”
Sun Ruoxi turned to leave, then paused.
“By the way, how is the money for the exposition being spent?”
Li An froze. Right! The exposition was mostly ready, but the five hundred thousand taels the emperor just gave him had to be spent quickly.
Five hundred taels! And not much time left.
With the empress stirring things up, he almost forgot this urgent task!
“Your servant was about to take care of it, Empress!”
“Then go,” she said calmly.
“Do not disappoint His Majesty, and do not disappoint me.”
With that, she and the accompanying palace maids left gracefully.
Li An stood in place and exhaled.
Damn, this palace is a den of dragons and tigers!
The emperor wants to sleep with me, the empress wants to undermine me… how is life supposed to go on like this?
No, I need to spend this fifty thousand taels quickly, lower the national fortune, and avoid punishment missions first!
Ding!
【First cycle countdown: 46 hours 31 minutes】
【Current national fortune: 143,779】
【Warning: National fortune continuously high!】
Li An glanced at the system panel, feeling even more anxious.
Forty-six hours!
I must bring the national fortune down within forty-six hours!
He sprinted toward the Imperial Household Department.
Imperial Household Department.
“What? Lord Li wants to build… a pool of wine and forest of meat?”
The chief eunuch Liu froze at Li An’s request.
“It’s not a pool of wine and forest of meat, it’s a Garden of International Customs!”
Li An slapped down a fifty-thousand-tael silver note.
“Specially approved by His Majesty! Here is the imperial edict!”
Liu took the edict, looked at it over and over, and confirmed it. His expression grew even more spectacular.
“But Lord Li… this… this pool of wine and forest of meat…”
“It’s the Garden of International Customs!”
“Yes, yes, the Garden of International Customs. But… isn’t this a little inauspicious?”
Liu spoke cautiously.
“King Zhou’s downfall was because of something like this!”
Li An grinned inwardly.
Exactly! Inauspicious! Make everyone in the empire complain!
But outwardly, he maintained a stern face.
“Eunuch Liu, your words are mistaken!”
He cleared his throat and began to ramble.
“King Zhou’s pool of wine and forest of meat was criticized because he used the people’s hard-earned money! But what am I using? The emperor’s private funds from the treasury!”
“This…”
“Moreover, I am building this Garden of International Customs to show other nations how prosperous Great Qi is! To let them know how much wine and meat we have! So much that it can be used for pools and forests!”
Li An grew more excited the more he spoke.
“This is the grandeur of a great nation! This is the splendor of a prosperous era! Eunuch Liu, do you understand?”
Liu was stunned by his words.
…Huh, it kind of makes sense?
“But I worry the people will complain…”
“Complain about what?!”
Li An waved his hand grandly.
“I now order that all wine merchants in the capital be summoned! Tell them the court is buying their wine, and the price… will be twenty percent higher!”
“Tw… twenty percent higher?”
Liu was shocked.
Wouldn’t the court normally drive prices down when purchasing? How come they’re raising the price?
“Yes! Twenty percent higher! Fast! In one hour, all the best wine in the capital must be moved to the imperial garden!”
Li An continued issuing orders.
“And meat! Notify all butcher shops and restaurants in the capital. I am buying all their cured, smoked, and roasted meat! Price also increased by twenty percent!”
“Sir, this is…”
“I want grandeur! I want spectacle! I want the feeling of spending gold like dirt!”
Li An’s face was full of righteous determination.
“A mere few thousand taels difference? What does it matter? Speed is key! Let the whole empire know how generous Great Qi is!”
Though confused, Liu could not argue. The edict was real, and the silver notes were real.
Half an hour later.
Imperial Garden.
“Pour! Pour it all into the pool!”
Li An stood atop the rockery in the imperial garden, directing a group of eunuchs to pour jar after jar of fine wine into the freshly dug pool.
The pool, originally used for koi, now held… wine.
The fragrance of wine filled the entire garden.
“Whoosh—”
Amber liquid cascaded, glinting enticingly in the sunlight.
A young eunuch trembled as he carried a jar.
“Eunuch Zhang, do… do we really have to pour this? This is imperial wine…”
An old eunuch glared at him fiercely.
“Lord Li said pour, so pour! Didn’t you hear? Hesitate and risk your head!”
The young eunuch gritted his teeth and tipped the jar, tears welling up.
This one jar was worth ten years of his salary…
Ding!
【Detected host squandering emperor’s treasury!】
【Imperial garden’s precious koi forcibly relocated, royal prestige diminished】
【Great Qi national fortune -500】
【Current national fortune: 143,279】
Li An’s eyes lit up.
It’s dropping!
The national fortune is finally dropping!
Even if it’s just 500 points, it’s a good start!
“Pour more! That bamboo leaf green wine over there too!”
“Sir, that bamboo leaf green wine is thirty years aged! One jar costs 500 taels!”
The eunuch next to him winced.
“500 taels? Pour it!”
Li An waved his hand.
“Today I am wasting! I am extravagant! Let the whole empire know how wealthy Great Qi is!”
The eunuchs had no choice but to continue pouring.
“Glug… glug…”
The thirty-year aged wine intensified the aroma, enveloping the entire garden in a heady scent.
In the distance, a few minor officials sent from the Ministry of Works stood dumbfounded.
“Old Zhao, do you see this? They’re… pouring wine into the pool?”
“I see it… but I can’t believe it.”
“Lord Li must be crazy! How much money is this?”
“At least tens of thousands… no, over a hundred thousand taels!”
An older official shook his head and lowered his voice:
“You don’t understand! Lord Li is carrying out His Majesty’s orders! There’s an imperial edict!”
“But… isn’t this way too extravagant?”
“Shut your mouth! How dare you say that? Be careful someone hears you!”
The official glanced at Li An, standing proudly atop the rockery, thinking to himself: This Lord Li… he must have a grudge against money or something.
Ding!
【Thirty-year aged Bamboo Leaf Green liquor wasted!】
【The people are outraged by the court’s extravagance!】
【Great Qi National Fortune -800】
【Current National Fortune: 142,479】
It dropped again!
Li An’s heart leapt.
Yes! That’s the feeling! Keep going!
“Bring them here! Hang all the meat on the trees!”
He pointed at the piles of cured, smoked, and roasted meat.
“I want every tree in this Imperial Garden to be laden with meat! I want the whole garden covered in meat!”
The eunuchs exchanged glances but obeyed.
“Ah, these branches are too thin—they can’t hold the meat!”
“Fool! Use thicker branches!”
“Sir says to hang them all—this tree needs at least twenty or thirty jin!”
“Twenty or thirty? Look over there—the old locust tree is holding nearly a hundred jin!”
In no time, eunuchs were climbing trees to hang meat all over the Imperial Garden.
The scene was… surreal.
Meanwhile, news was quietly spreading.
Outside the palace walls, a few wine merchants waited in line to be paid.
“Old Zhou, did you hear? The court bought up all our wine! They’re pouring it into a pool!”
“Pour it into a pool? Are you kidding me?”
“Really! I saw it with my own eyes when I delivered the goods! That pool is full of wine! Red, white, yellow, all kinds—so colorful!”
“Good heavens… how much money is that?”
“More than we’ll make in a lifetime!”
Another meat vendor joined in.
“Don’t even mention it—I just saw eunuchs hanging meat on the trees! Each tree had so much!”
“Hanging meat? On trees?”
“Exactly! They said they’re building a ‘meat forest’!”
The merchants stared at each other, dumbfounded.
After a while, Old Zhou scratched his head and muttered:
“Is… is the court just too rich to know what to do with money?”
Ding!
【Imperial Garden transformed into a ‘Meat Forest’!】
【Royal prestige continues to decline】
【Great Qi National Fortune -10,000】
【Current National Fortune: 132,479】
Li An looked at the ever-falling National Fortune, a slight smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Yes! Exactly like this! Again!
“Eunuch Liu! Have all the wines in the capital been collected?”
“Reporting, sir—they’ve collected eighty percent! The remaining shops… say they want to raise prices.”
“How much?”
“Double.”
“Double it! Buy it!”
Li An didn’t even blink.
“I have plenty of money!”
Eunuch Liu sucked in a breath.
Lord Li… is spending money with unprecedented ruthlessness!
He’d served in the palace for decades and seen plenty of spendthrifts, but never anyone like this.
He’s treating silver like water!
“Also, spread the news! Say the court has built a wine pool and meat forest in the Imperial Garden! Let everyone in the capital know!”
“Sir?”
“Do as I say!”
Li An said proudly.
“I want the whole world to see what a great nation looks like!”
Eunuch Liu thought to himself: Great nation? This is just blatant waste!
But he didn’t dare argue. Lord Li had the imperial edict—he could only rush to obey.
The news quickly spread across much of the capital.
In teahouses, storytellers banged on their gavel, eyes wide and animated:
“Ladies and gentlemen! Do you know what grand event occurred in the palace today?”
“What? Tell us!”
“Today, the top scholar Lord Li, by imperial decree, built… a wine pool and meat forest in the Imperial Garden!”
“A wine pool and meat forest?!”
The room erupted in astonishment.
“Isn’t that what King Zhou did?”
“Exactly!”
The storyteller lowered his voice mysteriously:
“I heard the pool is filled with thirty-year aged wine—one cask worth five hundred taels! The trees are hung with premium cured meats, even better than the palace kitchen!”
“My heavens… how much money is that?”
“At least hundreds of thousands of taels!”
Everyone gasped.
An old man shook his head and sighed:
“Ah, the court really doesn’t know how to treat money as money…”
…
Two hours later.
The wine pool and meat forest in the Imperial Garden were taking shape.
Fragrant wine wafted from the pool, and the trees were laden with meat.
Under the sun, the pool shimmered invitingly, and the meat forest smelled delicious.
Who would believe this was real if they didn’t see it themselves?
Li An stood atop the rockery, overlooking his “masterpiece,” full of anticipation.
This should make the National Fortune plummet, right?
The people must be furious at the emperor, right?
He eagerly checked the system panel.
【Current National Fortune: 132,479】
What? Only dropped this much?
What the heck is this supposed to accomplish?
Just as he was puzzling over it, Chief Eunuch Wang Hai rushed over.
“Sir! Bad news!”
Li An’s heart leapt.
Here it comes!
The people must be cursing the emperor!
“What is it? Are the people angry?”
“No…”
Wang Hai panted heavily.
“It’s… it’s the capital’s wine merchants and meat vendors…”
“What happened to them? Did they curse?”
“No… they… they are kowtowing at the palace gates, giving thanks!”
“What?!”
Li An nearly fell off the rockery.
“They say His Majesty is benevolent to merchants, buying their goods at twenty percent above market price—truly a wise ruler!”
“…”
“And some aged wine and cured meats that had been unsold for years were also all purchased by the court! The merchants nearly cried! They said the court helped clear their inventory—it’s the greatest blessing!”
“…”
“And now, at the palace gate, merchants are kneeling and shouting ‘Long live His Majesty!’”
Li An felt his blood pressure spike.
Clear inventory?
Benevolent to merchants?
I’m literally building a wine pool and meat forest!
I’m acting like a debauched tyrant!
How could you possibly imagine I’m helping you clear inventory?!
Ding!
【Capital merchants grateful for imperial favor!】
【Business confidence rises; investment enthusiasm surges!】
【Great Qi National Fortune +5,000】
【Current National Fortune: 137,479】
Li An stared at the skyrocketing National Fortune, stunned.
It increased again?
Does this broken system have it out for me?
“Wang Hai!”
He grabbed Wang Hai by the collar.
“Tell me—didn’t a single person curse?”
“Re… really, no one cursed!”
Wang Hai was shocked.
“And… some even said… the wine pool and meat forest are auspicious!”
“Auspicious?!”
Li An was completely dumbfounded.
“What the heck do you mean ‘auspicious’?”
“They say… the common folk believe the wine pool symbolizes our prosperous brewing industry, and the meat forest represents our thriving livestock industry! It’s a symbol of a flourishing era! A sign of peace!”
Wang Hai looked at Li An cautiously.
“Sir… you’ve inadvertently created a new symbol of good fortune!”
Li An released him and collapsed on the rockery.
A symbol of good fortune…
The wine pool and meat forest became a symbol of prosperity…
I was trying to act like a tyrant, and it turned into a blessing…
What kind of terrible luck is this?!
Ding!
【‘Wine Pool and Meat Forest Auspicious Sign’ spreads among the people!】
【Public confidence in the court skyrockets!】
【Great Qi National Fortune +10,000】
【Current National Fortune: 147,479】
【First Cycle Countdown: 44 hours 17 minutes】
【Note: National Fortune continues to rise; profits continue to shrink!】
Li An stared at the system panel, utterly desolate.
Five hundred thousand taels of silver…
Just gone…
No, worse than gone.
He spent half a million taels, and the National Fortune didn’t drop—it rose.
This deal… is a massive loss!
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