Chapter 20: Sneaking into the Treasury and Emptying It

Consort Shu glared fiercely back, stamping her feet in frustration, gritting her teeth. No matter how much she took care of herself, eating countless bird’s nests and all the best skin care, she couldn’t compare to the Empress Dowager’s pale skin and scheming ways. Every time, she could always take the emperor away.

Consort Shu, soft and graceful, bowed to try to regain some dignity: “Your Majesty, will you be coming to visit me tomorrow?”

The emperor didn’t respond. Instead, he picked up the fragile beauty in his arms and gave a look to Eunuch An, ordering, “Xiao An, reward Consort Shu for her service. Go to the storeroom and bring some fruits from the Western Regions for her to try.”

In the space, Xie Zhizhi was lounging with her legs crossed, biting into a large, fragrant Hainan mango. She couldn’t help but feel pity for the concubines. A night in bed, and all they got was a few fruits?

How stingy.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Eunuch An nodded and followed the emperor’s steps, leaving Shuning Palace.

Consort Shu, seeing that the emperor didn’t even glance at her, threw her handkerchief to the floor and stomped on it several times. Her eyes followed the Empress Dowager’s retreating figure, burning with resentment. After a while, she unwillingly returned to her quarters.

Tsk tsk, that look had the flavor of a palace drama.

Xie Zhizhi thought she might witness a grand show, but the emperor was useless—he didn’t even give them a chance to argue. He was so caught up in his own desires, he couldn’t even look away from her beauty. What a useless ruler.

But, Eunuch An was heading to the storeroom, which must have been the emperor’s private treasury. The national treasury couldn’t be too far off either!

She followed Eunuch An, keeping her distance, until they arrived at the treasury.

Meanwhile, the emperor and Empress Dowager sat in a palanquin carried by palace servants, heading toward Zhaoyang Palace, but halfway there, they were intercepted by the palace guards with urgent news.

“Your Majesty, the officials from the Imperial Censor’s office have come to report an emergency.”

The emperor’s face darkened, his anger bubbling up. The raid had gone terribly wrong today. Coldly, he asked, “What’s going on?”

A soldier stepped forward and reported, “Your Majesty, when we were counting the money and valuables in the Imperial Censor’s residence, everything of value was gone.”

“The Censor’s study and storeroom have been emptied, and there’s nothing left in the women’s quarters either. I suspect the Censor was prepared and moved everything out beforehand.”

The soldiers weren’t stupid. They felt something odd and mysterious about the disappearance, but they dared not mention supernatural things in front of the emperor, or their heads would be on the chopping block.

The emperor’s first reaction was that someone was playing tricks on him again, challenging his authority. Enraged, he barked, “Gone? How could so much valuable stuff be moved without a sound? Are you all just eating free meals? Useless!”

“Qin Wei, immediately investigate and send word to the messenger. We must find out where the Censor’s valuables went!”

The emperor’s once-improved mood was shattered. Xie Xiaohu had already been secretly supporting the Left Chancellor. He had his eyes on the situation, ready to strike if the Chancellor dared to intervene. But now, there was no movement, and the raid on the Imperial Censor’s residence had failed!

The storerooms were emptied!

The study was emptied!

Even the General’s residence was hit!

Only one Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War hadn’t been affected yet.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The emperor took a deep breath, still enraged. “Useless! All of you are useless! What good is it to keep you around?!”

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!” The palace maids and eunuchs all knelt in fear.

Qin Wei, the palace guard, waited until the emperor finished his tirade and then quietly responded, “I understand, Your Majesty.”

The emperor thought for a moment and ordered again, “Send two hundred more soldiers to escort the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War! If anything like this happens again, bring their heads to me!”

“Yes!” The soldiers and palace guards responded, terrified.

The Empress Dowager, overhearing all of this, felt relieved. At least the Left Chancellor wasn’t too close to her son, or this situation would have made things worse.

“Lift the palanquin.”

The procession of palace servants continued their journey back to the Empress Dowager’s residence.

Everyone knew that the emperor would rest in Zhaoyang Palace tonight.

…

Meanwhile, Xie Zhizhi followed Eunuch An into the vast storeroom, expecting it to be the emperor’s private treasury.

However, she was taken aback by the sheer size of the storeroom. This wasn’t a private treasury—this was the national treasury!

Looking down from the palace above, the storeroom was divided into four sections and covered a massive area of over a thousand square meters.

At the front gate, there was a team of over a hundred soldiers on patrol.

Eunuch An greeted them and easily entered.

She followed Eunuch An inside and was amazed at what she saw.

The room was decorated with ornate beams and painted pillars, with a large plaque inscribed with the words “National Treasury” hanging high.

Inside, there were four sections: tribute storage, grain storage, weapon storage, and gold storage.

The emperor had privately seized the national storage!

This was getting a bit suspicious. She hadn’t heard anything about it, but it worked to her advantage!

“Is there anything I can do for you, Eunuch An?” A guard smiled and asked.

Eunuch An, hands clasped behind his back, walked toward the door on the left and spoke in a stern voice, “The emperor sent me to get some fruits from the Western Regions. Open the door.”

“Of course.” The guard unlocked the door.

Xie Zhizhi followed behind and entered.

She guessed this area was meant for storing tribute, and sure enough, she saw jewelry, odd trinkets, rare treasures, and herbs from high mountains.

The fruits Eunuch An mentioned were sitting in the middle of the room. Just as Xie Zhizhi thought it might be some rare fruits she had never seen before, Eunuch An grabbed a bunch of grapes and some lychees, packed them in a basket, and left the storeroom.

Was that it?

Grapes and lychees?

And he just left?

She hadn’t even stored them in her space yet!

Xie Zhizhi immediately reacted, beginning to collect the rare treasures, exotic garments, and even the fruits the emperor cherished into her space.

Just as Eunuch An was about to leave the storeroom, Xie Zhizhi had emptied it completely.

Then, she threw a pile of cloth strips from her space, spilled a bucket of oil, and threw a fire starter that wouldn’t go out.

Whoosh!

Flames erupted!