At the beginning, I became a county magistrate with greed of 500 million. The empress asked me to be

"Pass on my decree. All the craftsmen from the Craftsmanship Bureau who participated in this research will be rewarded with 1000 taels of silver, and the relevant ministers from the Ministry of Works will be rewarded with an additional 500 dan of annual salary."

"In addition, order the Craftsmen's Office to manufacture 5,000 flintlock rifles as quickly as possible. All money, food and supplies must be fully provided by the national treasury. No mistakes can be made!"

Looking at the rifle in her hand, the excited empress's eyes quickly became firm.

Although she has been the emperor for these years, she has always been cautious and careful, and often acts as if she is walking on thin ice.

Now that she has this magical weapon, she only needs to re-arm an army to eliminate the domestic hidden dangers in one fell swoop.

As for that bastard Xia Yun!

When the new army arrives, Xia Yun will be sent to the capital in prison!

She seemed to have seen the day when Xia Yun, the dog official, would be skinned and stuffed with straw!

"Slaves obey orders"

The empress's order made the young female official's heart skip a beat.

But as a subject, she still issued the empress's order as soon as possible.

On the night the order was issued, hundreds of craftsmen from the entire Craftsmanship Department were all immersed in the task of making guns.

At the same time, truckloads of supplies were transported out of the treasury gate and delivered to the warehouse of the Craftsmen's Bureau overnight.

Such an unusual move naturally attracted a lot of people's attention.

Several ministers from the Ministry of Revenue went directly to the Department of Craftsmen to check the details.

However, the Craftsmen's Division had already been taken over by the Shenjiying Camp, and was surrounded from all sides.

Without the emperor's order, no one can enter or leave at will.

……

"Your Majesty, according to my investigation, your Majesty went on an incognito tour a month ago, and the amount of money spent on the trip was as much as 20 taels of silver from the imperial treasury and 30 taels of silver from the national treasury."

"Now the Department of Craftsmen has also withdrawn a certain amount of silver from the national treasury. As the Minister of Revenue, I am afraid that there will be some mistakes, so I would like to ask Your Majesty for your instructions today."

In the southern study, beneath the golden nanmu desk, a minister in a red official robe and with white hair and beard knelt on the ground and bowed.

The empress looked at the ministers kneeling below and felt helpless.

She knew that if she could not explain clearly the whereabouts of the 50 taels of silver in the national treasury, these old ministers would definitely keep chasing her.

But at this moment, the flintlock rifle had just been developed and the Shenjiying had not yet completed its deployment.

Once the news leaks out, many accidents are inevitable.

"My dear minister, there is no need to say more about the matter of the treasury silver. We will know the result in thirty days."

After thinking for a few moments, the empress gave her answer.

"Your Majesty, I have received great favors from the late emperor, and my family has served Daliang loyally for generations. I beg Your Majesty to put the people of the world first and not be too extravagant or wasteful."

Obviously, the empress's statement did not satisfy the Minister of Revenue.

"I said, the result will be clear in thirty days!"

Suddenly, there was a hint of anger in the empress's voice.

The Minister of Revenue originally wanted to argue further.

But when he looked up and saw the emperor's cold face, he still felt a little scared.

"I obey your order."

Not long after, the Minister of Works left the Southern Study in disappointment.

The empress also breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before she could make any new arrangements, a dark shadow flashed in the house.

A figure in a black robe and black armor suddenly knelt in front of the table.

"General Manager of the Thirteenth Division of the Dark Guard, I pay my respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Flat body."

The appearance of the secret guards did not cause dissatisfaction among the empress.

The secret guards, a force absolutely loyal to the emperor, were inherited by her from the previous emperor.

Under any circumstances, there is no need to summon the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the secret guards have been ordered to investigate the secrets of Dai County, and have made some discoveries in recent days."

"This is the latest news from the spies. I present it to Your Majesty for your review."

As soon as the chief of the secret guards finished speaking, he bowed and presented a report to the desk in front of the empress.

The result so soon?

The empress raised her eyebrows slightly.

However, when she opened the report, she was stunned.

"The Thirteenth Division of the Secret Guard was ordered to investigate the corruption of Xia Yun, the magistrate of Dai County. On the third day of June, bandits attacked Dai County and the Li family and several other major families were slaughtered."

"After investigation by the secret guards, it was found that all the bandits came from the county government residence, and each of them was equipped with a mysterious weapon..."

The empress looked at the reward report and was shocked.

She never expected that Xia Yun would be so cruel in dealing with the local wealthy people.

What a great Xia Yun!

The empress then became furious.

Although she knew that most of the gentry and landlords were morally corrupt, the Daliang Dynasty had laws.

Even if the local gentry has committed many crimes, they still need to be judged by law before they can have the power of life and death.

It is absolutely illegal for someone like Xia Yun to send people disguised as bandits to kill local tycoons.

Soon, the empress finished reading the text of the report.

She originally thought that the mysterious weapons the secret guards were talking about were the flintlock rifles she had seen.

But then she saw a drawing in the envelope.

The content on the drawing is the appearance of the mysterious weapon drawn by the secret guard.

"This is……?"

The empress's heart was immediately stirred again, and her eyes unconsciously looked towards the chief of the secret guards in front of her.

"Your Majesty, this item was drawn by the secret guards. It is the weapon held by the bandits in Dai County. This item is extremely powerful. When used, it will emit flames into the sky. It can kill people with one long-range strike, and it can be used continuously."

Even though the Chief of the Secret Guards was a well-informed man, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear in his heart when he spoke.

This kind of powerful weapon was the first time he had ever seen it in his life and it was completely beyond his understanding.

Can it be used in bursts?!

After listening to the report from the chief of the secret guards, the empress quickly understood what was going on.

The style of weapon drawn on the drawing was extremely similar to the flintlock rifle she knew.

But a flintlock can only be loaded with one round of ammunition at a time.

Obviously, that bastard Xia Yun has improved the flintlock rifle, making it even more powerful!

How... did he do it?!

The empress was shocked, and her fear of Xia Yun became stronger.

She originally wanted to wait until the Craftsmen's Bureau produced 5,000 flintlock rifles before taking action against the wealthy gentry in Jiangnan and Xia Yun.

But now it seems that Xia Yun is much more difficult to deal with than she imagined!

Within a few breaths, the empress quickly rejected the previous plan.

No, we must not alert the enemy first!

The empress shook her head, and a feeling of helplessness and distress gradually grew in her heart.

How on earth did Xia Yun, that bastard, come up with these things? !

"Your Majesty, should the secret guards continue to monitor Dai County?"

Suddenly, a question from the chief of the secret guards brought the empress back to reality.

"Continue to monitor, but do not let anyone discover the existence of the secret guards, understand?"

The empress had no clue and could only continue to order the secret guards to conduct surveillance activities.

"Wei Chen takes orders!"

Soon, the chief secret guard retreated from the South Study.

In the room, the empress was the only one left, distressed and alone.