Chapter 1619: Revenge Thriller

The figures in the new and old ledgers don’t reconcile. Zhao Xiao heard from a low-ranking official that even according to the old accounts, more than half of the grain in the government granary was falsely reported.

"There's an old saying, 'old sesame, rotten grain,' which refers to these public granaries," the Madam said, giving him a sidelong glance. "Surely he doesn't think this is something that's only happened in the last two years?"

Huang Rulin pursed his lips. "Brother Zhao didn't heed my warning. He planned to write this issue into an internal report to submit. He hadn't even finished writing it when he died."

"So what do you intend to do?"

"I just feel that Brother Zhao died so unjustly," Huang Rulin sighed. "It's obvious the granary accounts are a complete mess, yet everyone is still trying hard to sugarcoat the situation, going to great lengths from top to bottom. How long can this be kept secret? Once the King orders the granaries to be opened and grain distributed, won't it be exposed immediately?"

"That was then, this is now. Even if it's a ticking time bomb, it shouldn't explode in your hands!" the Madam said, hitting the nail on the head. "Before the King himself exposes it, whoever dares to ignite it will be blown to pieces! Isn't Zhao Xiao a prime example?"

"His death was meant to warn us. You and Zhao Xiao were always close; who knows, you might already be under surveillance!" the Madam said coldly. "Who knows what Zhao Xiao went through before he died, whether he was tortured for information. He told you the secret of the missing military grain, so you're also in danger."

Huang Rulin asked resolutely, "Wait a minute, didn't you just say this was a semi-public secret?"

"Even if it's a semi-public secret, it still can't be openly discussed, much less presented to the sovereign's desk," the Madam said, glaring at Huang Rulin. "As long as you're an official for one day, you must abide by the rules for that day. Behave yourself and stay out of trouble. Our son and I don't want to become orphans and a widow!"

"Understood, understood." Despite his words, Huang Rulin still looked dejected.

After serving as an official for several years, he not only couldn't help alleviate the sovereign's worries but also had to conspire with others to hide things from him. If Zhao Xiao knew about the granary issues, how could others not?

If everyone keeps quiet, then it's as if nothing happened.

"With your meager salary, which isn't enough to buy me three hairpins a month, you're worrying about the King?" the Madam scoffed. "Was the government granary emptied in a single day? Why weren't you worried days or years ago?"

Huang Rulin was speechless after being scolded.

"Besides, which year does grain not increase in price? Which year do displaced people not cause trouble? Which year are granaries not exposed? So what? No matter how big the deficit, it will eventually be patched up; no matter how difficult life gets, don't we always get through it?" The Madam almost reached out to poke Huang Rulin's forehead. "Tell me, what significant difference could there be between this year, last year, and the year before that?"

Every word she said made perfect sense. The national treasury was always depleted, and money and grain were always tight. Unrest among displaced people was commonplace; every two or three years there was a major incident, and Tianshui City had already developed routine responses. Huang Rulin muttered, "I understand."

"Don't stick your neck out, keep your mouth shut, and even if someone else takes the lead, don't follow them!" the Madam earnestly instructed. "Oh, right, tell someone to buy another thousand catties of grain. We're running low at home, and we might as well stock up a bit more! Don't you have a colleague who can still get cheap grain?"

"He, he doesn't have much left either, and the discount isn't as good," Huang Rulin replied. He was also relieved that no matter how high grain prices were outside, the common people just had to endure it. Fortunately, officials still had connections and could secure a basic supply at prices twenty or thirty percent lower than the market rate.

Twenty or thirty percent could well be the difference between eating and starving.

"Then go quickly!" the Madam sighed. "Grain prices change daily; these days are truly hard."

Relying solely on her husband's meager salary, feeding the family was becoming a problem.

As the Huang couple left the room, a small spider leaped onto the wall and swiftly slipped out of the Huang residence.

At the high wall behind the residence, someone was waiting to take it back to Yongquan Villa.

"Remote message, remote message!"

Outside, the flapping of wings sounded, and He Lingchuan immediately knew a large bird had landed in the garden.

Indeed, a few breaths later, a long beak poked through the window and tilted its head at him: "Island Master He?"

It was a blue-gray Demoiselle Crane, elegant in posture. The cluster of white ear-feathers behind its red eyes was particularly striking. Though smaller than other crane species, it was a champion of long-distance flight.

"It's me."

"A remote message from Yangshan Archipelago!" The Demoiselle Crane was straightforward; without another word, it regurgitated a small copper tube from its crop.

Ling Guang quickly handed over two bottles of elixirs and then asked, "I have a pot of mealworms, originally for experiments. Would you like some?"

"Yes!" Winter was not a good season for foraging, and this crane wasn't picky.

He Lingchuan took the copper tube, opened it, and pulled out two letters.

Hearing that the letters were from Yangshan Archipelago, he felt a surge of worry, unsure if there had been changes around Yangshan. So far, the archipelago remained his base, and nothing could go wrong there.

However, the content of the first letter was unrelated to Yangshan itself; instead, it relayed a piece of intelligence to him.

This intelligence came from the more distant west: the State of Yuan.

After King Yuan "passed away from illness," the royal army under his command fully came under He Chunhua's control. The Royalist Party, led by General Zhao Pan, also obeyed He Chunhua's orders, and his influence grew increasingly vast.

Over the past year or so, He Chunhua had been in constant conflict with Dong Haoming, the former imperial father-in-law and Grand Marshal of Yuan. They fought eleven battles, big and small, with He Chunhua gradually gaining the upper hand.

Finally, two months ago, He Chunhua defeated Dong Haoming's most trusted elite force, killing over eleven thousand enemies. He pursued the fleeing army, driving Dong Haoming into the Coiling Dragon Desert.

With no way out, Dong Haoming committed suicide.

After his death, the Wuzhou army surrendered, officials offered their cities, and knelt to welcome He Chunhua's arrival.

He Chunhua exterminated the entire Dong clan, including close relatives, totaling eight hundred and seventeen people.

Back then, the old King Yuan, feeling guilty after massacring the He clan, left He Chunhua alive. This proved to be a root of disaster for himself, as his descendants and dynasty were ultimately destroyed by He Chunhua. He Chunhua, of course, would not make such a mistake.

The civil unrest in Yuan ended, but the bloodbath in the capital had only just begun.

After consolidating military power, He Chunhua returned to the capital, or rather, advanced with his large army into the former Yuan capital. He demoted all former Yuan court officials to commoners, allowing each official family to keep a maximum of one hundred taels of silver, while confiscating all other family property. Those who were corrupt, treacherous, or took bribes had their property confiscated and were publicly beheaded.

Any officials involved in the past framing of the He family were drawn and quartered.

A new ruler, new courtiers. In the blink of an eye, the State of Yuan changed drastically. Those who were once prominent figures just half a year ago were now ghosts under the blade.

In those few days, heads rolled in the Yuan capital.

Before this message arrived, He Chunhua ascended to the throne with lightning speed, establishing the state name as "Shen."

Seeing this, He Lingchuan let out a long breath: "He Chunhua finally got his wish!"

The He clan was almost annihilated, and He Chunhua endured hardships for twenty years, finally achieving his revenge and rising to power!

How poor was his start? The He family was almost entirely executed, and the old King Yuan never admitted his mistake. The He family's injustice remained unaddressed. He Chunhua, as the surviving son of the He clan, was exiled to the frontier when he was still a minor. The old King Yuan's guilt towards the He clan only went as far as not making him a slave and allowing him to make his own living.

Yet, He Chunhua managed to turn the tide against all odds, step by step reaching this point, ultimately ascending to the highest position in the name of revenge.

From an outsider's perspective, He Chunhua's experience was like a protagonist's thrilling revenge drama with cheat codes.

He Lingchuan could imagine He Chunhua's triumphant relief and exhilaration at this moment!

Not only to destroy their clan but also to seize their kingdom—this was He Chunhua's style of revenge.

For him, hatred was the best motivation, and hatred was also the bitter cup he drank before savoring the fruits of his harvest.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror laughed, "Congratulations, congratulations! In the blink of an eye, you're the Crown Prince!"

"Crown Prince of what?" He Lingchuan scoffed. "This body merely shares a distant blood relation with He Chunhua. He would never pass the throne to me, and I have no desire for his position."

He Chunhua was in the prime of his life, and now, having ascended to the throne and enjoying great success, why would he consider appointing a Crown Prince?

From now on, He Chunhua would assume the imperial 'I'. Even if he favored his second son, He Yue, he wouldn't rush to appoint a Crown Prince.

To test human nature with benefits and prevent his sons from having improper ambitions—He Chunhua, being such a shrewd person, would surely understand such a simple principle.

"But Madam Ying has truly risen to power quickly." He Chunhua's original wife, Madam Ying, had been crowned Queen and taken residence in the palace. "Flourishing like flowers, witnessing purple qi in the morning and resting among clouds at night—heh, the top-tier divination lot from the Water Spirit Temple in Xianling Village certainly proved accurate. The State of Shen abandoned its old capital and established the new capital in Yuncheng."

Back then, when Madam Ying drew a lot at the Water Spirit Temple in Xianling Village, everyone else's lots were unfavorable, but hers was the best possible one.

He Lingchuan could imagine Madam Ying's triumphant look now.

However, he no longer harbored ill feelings towards Madam Ying and hoped she would find increasing peace and contentment in the future.

Returning to He Chunhua, He Lingchuan was not surprised that he could defeat Dong Haoming. This "bargain" father was ambitious, cunning, and capable, and had also gained the support of Nairuo Tian, giving him a greater chance of victory than Dong Haoming.

He picked up the letter and continued reading.

This letter was written by Li Qingge, who briefly recounted the course of several major battles between He Chunhua and Dong Haoming.

She hadn't been present at the battles, so details were lacking, but He Lingchuan could still discern that He Chunhua's army was relatively well-supplied in terms of manpower, funds, and provisions.

When King Yuan was in power, the treasury was riddled with holes, and the state was on the verge of collapse. The Ke-Zhao army couldn't even gather enough rations for the front lines and had to beg for alms in the Yuan capital. How then, under He Chunhua, could the army be well-fed and combat-ready?

Of course, there were many reasons and explanations for this.

Besides He Chunhua successfully managing his own territory and reorganizing his army efficiently, He Lingchuan also did not overlook Nairuo Tian's influence. His previous intelligence report had stated that He Chunhua received significant external aid, such as from southern states and even nearby sects.

Regardless of the source of this external support, on the surface, He Chunhua benefited from widespread assistance, while Dong Haoming fought alone, lacking new blood. Therefore, in He Lingchuan's view, Dong Haoming's defeat was only a matter of time.