The empress disliked my achievements for overshadowing her own, so she turned her attention to the N

"But... but just ten days ago, when Chen Nan had just stepped down, Lord Jiang misappropriated disaster relief funds three times under the guise of military supplies..."

"The first time it was 300,000 taels, the second time 500,000 taels, the third time 1,080,000 taels... Now the disaster relief funds are less than 200,000 taels..."

"What!" Wu Fengluan and the Grand Tutor were both shocked.

The people in the court were also taken aback.

After all, when Chen Nan was in charge, no one dared to accept money like this!

Especially since it's disaster relief money!

When Chen Nan first took office, the officials of the Great Qian Dynasty were unaware of his methods of handling state affairs, and some even embezzled disaster relief funds.

As a result, Chen Nan discovered the truth, confiscated the property, beheaded the victim, skinned her alive, made her into a scarecrow, and placed on her way to court every day.

Those rows and rows were enough to send chills down one's spine.

Going to court every day is no different than going through the wringer of a meat stalk!

After that incident, who would dare to be so bold?

They don't even want the skin anymore?

Therefore, a consensus quickly spread throughout the officialdom of the Great Qian Dynasty: it's better to be greedy in ordinary times, but this disaster relief money must never be touched!

Therefore, no one expected that Jiang Hai would dare to embezzle disaster relief funds in this way!

It's true what they say: when the tiger's away, the monkeys reign supreme!

A collective sigh escaped their lips.

However, what's more than anything is a rekindled greed!

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hai immediately knelt before Wu Fengluan, his pale, delicate face behaving meekly and submissively.

"Your Majesty, after our defeat in the previous battle against the Northern Wei, I observed that most of the weapons of our Great Qian were worn out."

"At that time, tax revenue had not yet been collected, and the national treasury was empty. So, he took it upon himself to divert silver to completely renovate the army's weapons and armor, hoping to show Hongming his arrogance!"

Upon hearing the last sentence, Wu Fengluan's expression softened.

That last letter had caused her, a dignified emperor, immense humiliation and dealt a heavy blow to Hongming of Northern Wei's prestige; it truly struck a chord with her.

Thinking about it that way, she wasn't angry about the misappropriation of disaster relief funds anymore.

"Military supplies are urgent, so diverting them is flexible and not a big mistake," Wu Fengluan said casually, glossing over the matter.

The officials, each harboring their own ulterior motives, sneered.

Then Wu Fengluan said, "The tax collection has just ended, and the national treasury still has silver. It would be good to allocate it again."

Everyone looked at the Minister of Revenue, who said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, the national treasury is currently... the national treasury is empty..."

"What!" Wu Fengluan was shocked.

The Minister of Revenue explained in detail:

"Your Majesty may not know this, but three years ago, Chen Nan started a new type of bond in the country, issuing bonds to the public, which are called national bonds."

"When ordinary people buy bonds, it's like they're depositing all their money into the national treasury."

"Such a good thing?" Wu Fengluan and Jiang Hai were both surprised.

The two of them were always lazy when it came to politics. Jiang Hai, needless to say, was completely clueless about handling state affairs and didn't understand them at all; he just wanted to make money.

Wu Fengluan, on the other hand, has been plotting to get rid of Chen Nan all these years and has not put any effort into understanding Chen Nan's national policies.

"Then shouldn't there be a lot of money in the national treasury now?" Jiang Hai quickly asked.

"This...the money was all taken by the common people in a rush..."

"Hmm?" Wu Fengluan's expression turned serious.

The Minister of Revenue said with difficulty, "Ever since the Prince of Zhenbei was dismissed from his post, the people have been on the move... and as a result... they've all taken all the money..."

"The money that was already in your hands just flew away like that?" Jiang Hai scolded repeatedly, "Do you even have a brain? Do you know how to handle things? If the people come to collect it, you should just refuse to give it to them!"

“But… the Prince of Zhenbei instructed… if it’s not distributed, it could cause chaos in the country…”

"Alright!" The Minister of Revenue nodded obsequiously, but was immediately interrupted by Wu Fengluan after only a few words of explanation.

The Empress said coldly, "It's Chen Nan again. I think he's deliberately trying to create chaos in the country. If he hadn't gotten involved in these bonds, none of this would have happened!"

"Your Majesty is wise. Chen Nan has probably been planning this all along, all for this day. The empty treasury is all his doing!" Jiang Hai echoed.

"I only regret that I didn't bring him down sooner, which has caused so much trouble for the Great Qian Dynasty!"

A venomous glint flashed in Wu Fengluan's eyes as she spoke in a voice only she could hear: "He will surely die in a foreign land!"

Your Highness, the Minister of Revenue trembled with fear.

Hearing Jiang Hai and Wu Fengluan curse the Prince of Zhenbei like this, he sighed inwardly.

Back then, the purpose of issuing bonds was to replenish the national treasury and pave the way for infrastructure development!

But now, it's all been seen as an act of plundering the court!

Truly, both thunder and rain are acts of imperial favor!

However, he genuinely felt a little sorry for Chen Nan!

Even such loyal ministers and generals were suspected and forced to leave their homes.

What's he trying to show off now?

The best course of action is to live a quiet and unassuming life, and to play dumb to protect yourself.

Having made up his mind, the Minister of Revenue remained silent. Even though he knew about the methods Chen Nan had used before, he refused to utter a single word!

……

The capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

royal palace.

Chen Nanfu was deeply impressed by its magnificence as soon as he stepped into the place.

Jewels and necklaces, piled up like mountains.

But one thing made Chen Nan realize something was amiss.

The palace was enormous and magnificent, but there were only a few bare trees around it!

There wasn't even a single flower that was even slightly brightly colored!

It is evident that the land is barren!

He fell into deep thought when suddenly he heard a deafening sound of kneeling and worship.

Long live the Emperor! May His Majesty reign forever!

When Chen Nan looked up, he saw a tiny emperor, no bigger than the palm of his hand, staring at him blankly.

But when Chen Nan looked over, he saw rows of numbers hanging on the young emperor's forehead:

[Character: The young emperor of Northern Wei.]

[Favorability Rating: 10]

[Hate Level: 10086]

[System comment: The child isn't full...]

[System Mission: Assist the young emperor of Northern Wei in seizing imperial power]

[Reward: Hear the Young Emperor's Thoughts (Received upon accepting the quest)]

Chen Nan: Accept.

The young emperor of Northern Wei cried out, "I want to drink milk, I want to drink milk..."

Chen Nan: "..."

Behind the young emperor, a curtain cascaded down.

Behind the curtain was an exquisitely beautiful face, like the Queen Mother of the West, dressed in full regalia, her phoenix eyes slightly raised, captivating all who beheld her.

A dignified and authoritative female voice came from inside.

"So you are Chen Nan, the Prince of Zhenbei of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

Qingyu, who had just finished her task and was about to leave, suddenly widened her eyes.

"You! You! You're Chen Nan?"