I am a living immortal.

"Of course it's not enough. And with so much silver, if Jizhou doesn't have an army, then the secret must be really big. Apart from the army, what else needs to use so much silver? Four or five million taels every year for four or five years, more than 30 million taels, this silver can be piled up into a small mountain, at least enough to bury Prince Cheng's Mansion. How can it disappear without a trace?"

"Have you found any caravans that are closely connected to King Cheng?"

The shopkeeper nodded and said, "Yes, we checked the Heng family's caravan, but there wasn't any large-scale movement."

Chen Tao shook his head and said, "It doesn't necessarily have to be widespread. You knew before that Prince Cheng had no intention of rebelling. Besides, Prince Cheng is so old now. Even if he did, how many years could he remain emperor?"

"If it's not a large-scale collection, then it must be a small but extremely valuable item, such as a magical medicine or rare treasure."

"You mean... That's right. At such an old age, besides the throne, there must be only one thing that makes Prince Cheng so obsessed - immortality!!"

"Speaking of which, when we were investigating Prince Cheng's background, we also heard about the unusual changes that occurred when the previous emperor of the Yan Dynasty passed away. Prince Cheng was unusually sad at the time, but it's very likely that he wasn't sad about the previous emperor's death. He was afraid that he would become like the previous emperor and never open his eyes again one morning."

"King Cheng is looking for immortals!!!" The shopkeeper said this after he figured everything out.

"No, he's not looking for an immortal, he's seeking one. He wants to become an immortal for eternity, and he has something that could help him succeed. I remember Prince Cheng got a torn scroll of immortal books a few years ago."

"he......"

"It seems we know their purpose. Let's go investigate. Are there any powerful magicians among Prince Cheng's staff? Even though the Heng family's search for rare treasures may not be very loud, they will definitely leave some traces."

Chen Tao held his forehead and said, "Now we have a general idea of ​​what Prince Cheng is going to do, and we also understand the reasons for the selfless dedication of those officials."

"It is indeed the most primitive pursuit engraved in people's bones."

What Chen Tao didn't mention was that Old Goat had warned him to be careful. Judging by the increasing tax revenue year after year, Prince Cheng must have figured something out, which was why officials were flocking to him and pouring money into Prince Cheng's palace at all costs.

"Let it out a little." Chen Tao said.

"You mean to reveal what we have guessed?"

"Yes, this way, if we guess wrong, the other party won't react. If we guess right, we will force them to come to us. Do it covertly." Chen Tao instructed.

"Understood. We will leave some accounts behind when we investigate whether the Heng family is collecting rare treasures, and let them report it themselves."

Chen Tao nodded, and the shopkeeper and his men filed out.

He knew that this guess was very likely correct. Prince Cheng was not the main target; the main goal was to find the person behind Prince Cheng. This was the key point.

If King Cheng knew we'd uncovered his secret, his first move wouldn't be to negotiate, but to annihilate him. We don't know what's coming, but from what Old Goat said, it's probably a monster. He's never fought a monster before, so hopefully it'll be interesting.

......

The changing situation in Jizhou had little to do with the people; they could only pray for a shorter winter. Fortunately, Jizhou was not short of food; it could be bought anywhere. As long as one had money, one would not starve to death.

As long as you don't reach the point where you can't survive, you have to grit your teeth and swallow these bitter fruits.

However, this year the officials seem to be even more upset than the people.

"We are being urged to pay back the grain every day, but we can't sell the grain to the Shenzi Trading Company. Where do we get so much money? It's like a bottomless pit. We have invested so much money in these years. We should have millions of taels, but what have we got in the end? Does Prince Cheng's Mansion treat us as fools?" An irritable official slammed the table and said viciously.

"There's not even a hint of the promised longevity elixir, and now you're still asking for it?"

"Anyway, we don't have any money, so let Prince Cheng speak for himself."

"You also know how much money we have invested in Prince Cheng's Palace. Now that the autumn harvest has just come, the price of grain cannot go up, and you said that we cannot sell it to others because you are afraid that others will use the business channels of the Shenzi Trading Company. Now we can only sell it bit by bit, and we really can't come up with that much money." No wonder.

Facing the furious gazes of several adults, one glance after another swept across the face of the chief steward of Prince Cheng's Mansion, making him sweat profusely.

The butler wiped the stiff smile from his face with a piece of silk. Prince Cheng had reached a point of madness. If he couldn't get the money, he would be torn into pieces by five horses when he returned. However, these gentlemen were also not easy to deal with. None of them were fools. They kept pouring money in, but there was no result. How could this be possible?

Their feigned anger was intended to force King Cheng to share his achievements. Of course they had the money, but they were just not ready to show their hand until they saw the rabbit.

"This... Our prince said that he should be given some time to ensure that everyone is satisfied."

"Then tell your prince that we can't come up with so much silver in a short time, and we need to give us some time."

As for the time, it must be when the results are produced that they will pay.

Seeing that the other party was hesitant.

Another person said, "Forget it, we won't beat around the bush with you. Let's be frank. We've heard you've made some new progress. Show us and we'll continue paying you. Otherwise, forget it. If the higher-ups find out about this money, you'll be beheaded. We gave it all to your prince without spending a single cent. You should understand us."

"But..." The butler wanted to argue, but was interrupted abruptly.

"Okay, come on, show him out."

And then he was thrown out. Being a steward in the palace was truly frustrating. Not only did he have to cater to everyone, but if he didn't do a single thing well, his life was in jeopardy. It was a helpless situation; this position of chief steward wasn't what he wanted.

He was already the third chief steward, and the two previous ones were long dead. Prince Cheng's personality had been getting increasingly erratic lately, as if he had gone completely mad.

I didn’t get the money this time, and I guess I won’t live long.

He sighed deeply. "If only I could die sooner, it would be better than living like this." He hoped Prince Cheng would give him a quick death. With this thought, the steward strolled back into the palace. The vast palace was gloomy and eerie, blocking out all the bustle. No one dared approach, and the desolate atmosphere made it even more uncomfortable. But what was to come would eventually come.