"My lord, do you think this little gold cake is big enough?"
Zhao Huan took the gold cake handed over by the member of the household department, Wailang, and looked at the member of the household department, Wailang, with a look that looked "silly" in his eyes.
"You said it's a little golden cake yourself, so of course it's very small!"
Seeing Zhao Huan confiscate the "little gold cake" in a matter of course, the member of the household department gnashed his molars angrily.
In order to protect the children of the Household Department, the chief clerk of the Household Department felt his heart bleed when he took out the jade pendant that he had treasured for many years.
As a result, before he could speak, Zhao Huan snatched it away.
"This jade pendant... its quality is too poor!"
The head clerk of the Department of Household Affairs almost burst into tears: "My lord, you are too ignorant. Look at the workmanship and artistic conception. It's worth two hundred taels of silver anyway!"
Zhu Lian was worried that if Zhao Huan continued to make trouble, the news would reach His Majesty's ears, so he coughed lightly and signaled Zhao Huan to stop.
Zhao Huan originally planned to take this opportunity to wipe out these corrupt officials in one go, but after hearing Zhu Lian's reminder, he had to give up reluctantly.
"Since all of you, your lords, are so affectionate and righteous, and are willing to help the palace, I will naturally reciprocate the courtesy."
Zhao Huan glanced at the boy from Hubu, stretched out two fingers, and made gestures on his eyeballs, the threat was clear.
If you dare to spy on my beloved concubine from now on, your eyes will be plucked out!
The boy from the household turned pale and couldn't help but retreat. He felt as if he was being stared at by a ferocious beast, and his whole body was hairy.
This tyranny made Zhu Lian's long-frozen heart feel loose.
The Ministry of Revenue officials present looked at each other in confusion.
Zhao Huan's sophisticated tactics would have been impossible to master without more than ten years of court experience...
But this guy, who spent the first half of his life idle and extravagant, was the first-class mediocre person in Bianjing.
Even if you gain enlightenment, you won't transform from waste to genius in an instant, right?
Everyone felt it was incredible, but they couldn't figure out what went wrong.
The originally noisy arch bridge became extremely harmonious due to Zhao Huan's thunderous suppression.
This is what Zhao Huan wants. His first goal is to let his married wife Zhu Lian live a good life and become Princess Ding, whom the entire Song Dynasty looks up to!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhao Huan threw all the blackmailed pearls, jade pendants and small gold cakes to Xiaochai.
"These things can be stuffed directly into my concubine's jewelry box."
The understatement made Xiaochai's eyes extremely hot, and she felt happy for her master from the bottom of her heart.
Zhu Lian's eyes also showed a touch of emotion that was not easy to detect, but in front of so many outsiders, she naturally would not reveal her feelings at all.
The singer on the boat witnessed Zhao Huan's every move and couldn't help but whisper.
"Wow, I'm so envious. I really didn't expect that Prince Ding would love the princess so much..."
"The rumors in the market cannot be trusted. Who said that the princess has been living in a boudoir for a long time and has been a widow? I don't know how loving she is in private."
"That's right! Husband and wife naturally love each other secretly behind closed doors. How can they show it off?"
"I really want to be pampered like this..."
"Quickly give up this thought. Princess Ding is the daughter of the Zhu family. She comes from a famous family and is the same family as the prince. We are just humble nightingales. How can we be compared with the princess?"
"It's all gone."
At this time, Zhao Huan and Zhu Lian had already arrived at the gate of Genyue. The officials from the Ministry of Etiquette who were guarding the gate to verify the admission qualifications did not even look at Zhao Huan seriously.
"To participate in the fund-raising meeting, at least three thousand taels of silver will be required."
Zhu Lian calmly took out all his belongings from his sleeves, then pointed to the patches on his skirt and the silk scarf on Zhao Huan's head...
"Master Zhou, it's exactly three thousand taels of silver."
Zhou Pu, the doctor in the Ministry of Rites, had a strange look in his eyes. He had seen ostentatious people, but never as ostentatious as Prince Ding’s Mansion!
Now that the treasury is empty, the Song Dynasty is in danger.
His Majesty has taken the lead in promoting diligence and thrift.
Using a thousand taels of silver notes to mend your clothes and tie your hair? Isn’t this a slap in His Majesty’s face? What’s more, it taints the elegance of the officialdom with the smell of money.
"snort!"
Zhou Pu did not hide his disgust: "No wonder Prince Ding's palace has a very bad reputation. It is natural for him to do such ostentatious things and be scorned by others."
"Since Prince Ding's mansion is so rich, a thousand taels of silver notes are just for decoration."
"Then if the admission qualification is raised to five thousand taels of silver, there must be no pressure, right?"
Facing Zhou Pu's deliberate difficulty, Zhu Lian not only did not feel angry at all, but instead looked calm and explained in a soft voice.
"The prince did this out of necessity. Please forgive me, Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Pu snorted coldly: "Why don't you forgive me! The people are hungry and the soldiers are short of food and pay. It's better for you. In order to show off, you are really shameless."
"How many people can be fed and how many weapons and armor can be purchased with two thousand taels of silver?"
"Yesterday King Ding spent all his money to help those in need, but now it seems that it was just a show, extremely hypocritical!"
After being scolded by Zhou Pu, Zhu Lian no longer defended himself.
Zhou Pu glanced at Zhao Huan, and his tone was unquestionable: "Five thousand taels, one penny less, please take it back."
The celebrities and dignitaries next to him were all suppressing laughter and looking at Zhao Huan with gloating.
They really want Zhao Huan and Zhou Pu to fight!
The result was a huge disappointment. Zhao Huan, who was fearless, actually had a smile on his face.
"Mr. Zhou, your anger is very harmful to your health. If you die young, wouldn't the Song Dynasty lose its pillars?"
According to the memory inherited from his predecessor, when Dingwangfu was in the most difficult time, it was this Zhou Pu who spared no effort to maintain Dingwangfu.
Even though he was only a fifth-grade doctor, he was a student of the Minister of Rites, and he was one of the only remaining "clean-legged ministers" in the Song Dynasty.
Zhou Pu is not targeting Prince Ding's palace, but he treats everyone with this virtue. Even His Majesty, if he sees this stubborn donkey who refuses to take any advice, he will walk around.
During the fund-raising meeting, Zhou Pu was responsible for verifying and maintaining order. He was expected by the public and could assume the role of a "low but powerful official".
Zhou Pu's eyes widened and he stopped talking to Zhao Huan at all: "Stop blabbering! The people behind are still queuing up. If you can't get the money, leave quickly!"
Zhu Lian sighed quietly in her heart. She didn't expect that she would be blocked by Zhou Pu at the last moment.
Just when Zhu Lian was about to turn around and leave, a burst of exclamations suddenly sounded from around him.
Zhu Lian frowned slightly and turned to look at Zhao Huan, his heart trembling.
This... this guy actually took out a thick stack of silver notes from his sleeve!
There were constant exclamations at the scene.
"What's going on?! Didn't Zhao Huan lose all his money? Why did he spend so much money again? Could he have robbed the bank in the city at night?"