However, the department in his hands now existed in name only.
The work they did now had nothing to do with investigating treasure troves. This... this couldn't be blamed on him! He was unaware, and the few officials of the Secret Treasury who were in the know were all King Rong's men and had long since lost their heads!
Emperor Mingxi sighed once more. The blade was too swift, the execution too early!
[Master, are you really not curious? Right now, within Great Yan, not only are the Tong family searching for their ancestral treasure, but several external forces are also looking for it.
On Xie family's side, although King Rong is dead, his supporters and surviving descendants are still alive and are also searching for the late Emperor's stored silver. As for Emperor Gaozu's treasure, they only inferred its possible existence from King Rong's few words before his death and aren't certain it exists, but they know for sure the stored silver does.
Moreover, based on the timeline, they will find the late Emperor's stored silver by the end of next year.]
"Next year's end is still far off, no rush!"
Great Yan's Emperor and Officials: Immortal Lord, you're not in a hurry, but we are! Scratching ears and cheeks in anxiety
"Little Pearl, even if I knew the location, could I just go and dig it up? I'm not short of money. As for the Yu family, they aren't rebelling. Having such treasures would be a curse, not a blessing. So it's better not to invite disaster upon the family!"
Yu Chongshan nodded frantically in his heart. Yes, yes, Fuguang is right, their family wasn't short of money either.
None of the family, old or young, had ever considered rebellion. Getting their hands on that scorching-hot money would be useless.
[If this money isn't dug up and spent, wouldn't it just become hoarded savings? Then it truly becomes a dead asset!
How about this, Master, after Great Yan falls, we help the Yu family conquer the realm for fun?]
Emperor Mingxi: Divine Artifact, listen to yourself! What do you mean 'after Great Yan falls, you conquer the realm for fun'?
Oh, the Divine Artifact is a divine being, an artifact, not human, alas! Then there's nothing to be done!
But the little Immortal Lord is human now, we can try to influence her!
Yu Chongshan, hearing the Divine Artifact's words, was utterly terrified. Conquering the realm and becoming emperor? Their family had never entertained such a thought.
At most, because of Yue Fuguang, they might think about strengthening the family clan, aspiring to become a millennium-old noble house!
System: Never thought about it before? How about thinking about it now? No rush anyway, Great Yan still has several years before it falls!
Yu Chongshan and Yu Zhongchun desperately shook their heads at Emperor Mingxi, who sat steadfastly on the dragon throne, his expression unreadable. Their family truly only wished to be a millennium-old house, not the ruler of a mere centuries-long dynasty!
"Forget it. The Yu family has no such ambition, and I have even less. A dynasty lasting a few centuries is just the length of one of our meditation retreats.
What's so great about that throne?
The emperor rises earlier than the rooster, works harder than the ox, sleeps later than the dog. Even if he wants to sleep with a beauty, he has to consider the ministers' opinions at court, ensuring 'the rain and dew are spread evenly'! Whoever wants this job can have it, but we certainly won't!"
Emperor Mingxi mentally repeated the phrases 'rises earlier than the rooster, works harder than the ox, sleeps later than the dog, wants to sleep with someone but has to mind others' opinions' and felt inexplicably that... it was a very apt summary. Please don't summarize it again next time! Shedding tears of grievance
The future emperor, current Crown Prince Xie Zhiyan: After hearing the little Immortal Lord's words, how come the throne suddenly seems less appealing?
If I said I didn't want to succeed now, would my royal father break my legs?
Father and son's gazes met in the air. Emperor Mingxi discerned the Crown Prince's thoughts and secretly fumed at his son's lack of resolve. How could he be swayed so easily by the little Immortal Lord's words!
Sigh! Why did he himself also feel that being emperor was rather bland and uninteresting?
[That seems true too. The king of ants is still an ant. How about leaking the Tong family's treasure location to Emperor Mingxi? With money, he might be able to stabilize Great Yan's declining fortunes.
It would also weaken the external tribes and internal rebel forces. Killing two birds with one stone!
As long as Great Yan doesn't fall, perhaps the common people can suffer less.]
Emperor Mingxi: Yes, yes, yes! Give it to me, I'll definitely spend the money where it's most needed!
Dong Qianli's eyes also lit up repeatedly.
"Little Pearl, why are you concerned about these things now? Didn't you say Great Yan's fall wouldn't affect us much? Why the sudden concern for the common people? Little Pearl, you seem to have developed a sense of empathy!"
[It's because I've been watching the films and reading the documents from the world of your last mortal trial recently.
Don't you remember, Master? In your last trial, that country, Xia, was prosperous and thriving, its people living and working in peace and contentment.
The people had faith, the nation had strength, the ethnic groups had hope. It was an extremely, extremely powerful country.
They too experienced a century of humiliation before their revival. That generation suffered too much. Little Pearl just thought it would be best if Great Yan didn't have to go through something like that.
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. Under such overwhelming forces, both the poor and the rich are as insignificant as grass. How many of these esteemed lords in this court would meet a good end?]
Great Yan's Emperor and Officials: Is the Divine Artifact going to speak of this again? Regarding their future 'demises', they felt both apprehensive and curious.
Afraid to hear, yet afraid not to hear!
Gu Yutong and Zhao Zhifeng, who already knew they would die unpleasantly, suddenly became the most conspicuous figures in the crowd.
The two straightened their backs. Knowing the outcome, they weren't nervous!
Crown Prince Xie Zhiyan, who knew he would be poisoned: Not being mentioned!
"Regarding my previous life, much of the memory was sealed by my master. I don't remember clearly either, only vaguely recall they had incredibly powerful weapons. A single projectile could flatten the entire Shangjing Capital.
They had countless types of such weapons—ones that flew in the sky, ran on the ground, swam in the sea—each possessing earth-shattering, destructive power.
If they came to conquer Great Yan, unifying the Six States wouldn't take a month!
Their population was also several times larger than all Six States combined. With so many people, every single one could eat their fill and eat well. Mmm... their food was truly delicious! And so many varieties!
They also had airplanes, trains, and automobiles that could travel a thousand miles a day, and ships several times larger than this hall..."
As Yue Fuguang narrated, Great Yan's Emperor and officials fell silent. They couldn't even dream of such a powerful country built by mortals existing in the world.
The people living there must be very happy—no war, no famine, not constantly fearing for their lives. For the ordinary people of Great Yan, that would be the best life they wouldn't dare dream of!
That was a life only immortals could live!
Meanwhile, Emperor Mingxi and generals like Huo Ying coveted the weapons of that Xia country. They didn't understand what a 'projectile' was, but something that could destroy Great Yan's largest and most prosperous capital with a single one... just imagining it told them how terrifyingly powerful it must be.
If they had such weapons, unifying the Six States in a month might be beyond them, but two months would definitely suffice. The time would just be spent on travel!
At the same time, they felt immensely relieved that Xia country wasn't their neighbor.
With such a populous, wealthy, and powerful behemoth next door, they'd have to sleep with one eye open.
[Master, you actually remember quite a bit. Did the Divine Lord intentionally leave these memories unsealed when he sealed the rest?]
