Exile at the start? The princess is no ordinary woman.

Suddenly, she felt weak in her limbs and almost fainted, but fortunately, two other maids reacted quickly and caught her.

"lady"

"Quick, take me to see Yue'er! Quickly, call the royal physician and fetch a doctor!" However, the blows that had come that morning were too great. This person, who had enjoyed smooth sailing in recent years, was so overwhelmed by the successive news that she fainted.

"lady"

"lady"

The master had fallen unconscious, and the servants hurriedly put him back on the bed.

On the other side, Gu Honglang, supported by the butler and servant, finally arrived at the study. Enduring the pain, he opened the secret room inside the study, only to find four walls and two empty shelves.

He couldn't catch his breath, coughed up blood, and fell into a coma.

Immediately, the Ministry of Personnel was plunged into chaos and turmoil.

at the same time,

The Prime Minister's residence and the Eastern Palace were also in chaos, the only difference being that no one in their respective residences was injured; however, apart from the people inside, the mansions were completely empty.

Meanwhile, the servants in the mansion all endured the wrath of their masters, who were furious that no one had noticed the theft.

No amount of rage could change anything. Aside from the money, everything else in the mansion was gone; there wasn't a single trace of a burglary. It was as if the entire mansion had vanished into thin air.

Ultimately, the only recourse was to report it to the authorities for investigation.

It was simply destined that they would never find out; even professional investigators would struggle to find any trace of the thief in the mansion.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Compared to the chaos and turmoil within the various mansions, the situation outside the palace and within the imperial city was far from peaceful. All of this stemmed from the information written on the papers that Gu Nanzhi had released.

At sunrise at dawn, the imperial city, which had been asleep all night, gradually began to awaken. Shops opened their doors, people took to the streets, and the scattered papers were gradually discovered and picked up.

"Hey, what is this? How come it's still here?"

"Hey, pick it up and take a look. It looks like paper."

"What kind of paper is this? How can it be made so white?"

"Yes, this paper is so white, I've never seen anything like it before."

"Hey, there are words on it. Don't move. See what it says."

"Let me see," one of the literate people said, picking up the paper and examining it closely. But what he saw startled him; his hand holding the paper trembled.

Seeing his reaction, the others became even more curious about what was written on it and kept asking, "Hey, tell us, what does it say?"

"Tell me, what exactly is written on this?"

"Speak quickly, speak quickly!"

Seeing the curious looks on everyone's faces, the literate man steadied himself and said, "The higher-ups...they say...that the current emperor, in order to amass wealth, has been embezzling from his own office, committing bribery and corruption, and emptying the national treasury...and will issue an edict to increase taxes under the pretext of replenishing the treasury, ordering all ministers to plunder and present the wealth to the emperor..."

"Speaking of the emperor... the emperor is incompetent and tyrannical, unfit to be emperor. We urge the people to prepare countermeasures in advance."

These words were so audacious that reading them made him tremble with fear; his palms sweated as he gripped the paper.

"Wha...what? You're going to increase taxes?"

"Is this for real? How are ordinary people like us supposed to survive if they increase taxes?"

"Isn't the current emperor said to be virtuous and capable?"

"..."

Ordinary people don't understand imperial politics; what they want is a stable life. A good emperor is one who can provide that stability. An emperor who only cares about himself, disregards the lives of his people, and increases taxes is not a good emperor.

Wouldn't this cost the lives of ordinary people like them?

Around the same time, all one hundred sheets of paper that Gu Nanzhi had released had been picked up, and the information on them spread among the people like a surging tide.

The morning in the imperial city was slightly different from usual because of this news.

In twos and threes, people gathered to chat about the news, regardless of whether they knew each other or not. The area in front of the wall that Gu Nanzhi had painted also became a gathering place for people.

With rumors spreading outside the palace, how could things possibly be peaceful inside the Golden Palace?

After all the civil and military officials had risen, it was time for those who had matters to report. Before anyone else could present their reports, the Imperial Censor had already stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, this is something I obtained on my way to the palace. The contents written on it are extremely frightening. Please take a look."

The Imperial Censor presented two sheets of pristine white paper with neat, clearly visible red characters on them.

Upon hearing this, the officials on both sides also looked at the paper in the Censor-in-Chief's hand. Some of them also had the same paper, which they had obtained on their way to the palace. The matter was too serious, and they were all preparing to submit a memorial, but they were not as quick as the Censor-in-Chief.

Now that things had come to this point, those other people also stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I also have some here, and I was just about to present it to you."

"Your Majesty, I also have some."

Four people stepped forward, each holding an identical piece of paper.

The officials, unaware of the situation, were all curious about what was written on the white paper, as was the emperor. With a single glance from the emperor, the eunuch below immediately reacted, bowing his head and hunching his back, respectfully taking a piece of paper from the Grand Censor's hand.

Presented with both hands, it was offered to the high and mighty emperor.

On the dragon throne sat a man in his forties, a mature and composed age. Clad in a dragon robe, he exuded solemnity and majesty, inspiring awe in all who beheld him.

Only after the presented item was handed to him did he slightly raise his hand to take it and place it in front of him to examine it.

Upon reading the contents, he was instantly enraged, and with a sudden burst of strength, he swung his arm forward.

"Nonsense"

As the emperor flicked his hand, the light paper floated up and finally landed back at his feet.

In other words, the paper was too light; if it were anything heavier, it might have been thrown directly at the officials below.

Faced with the emperor's fury, all the civil and military officials knelt on the ground in fear, pleading, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

The wrath of the emperor can cause millions to die and blood to flow for miles.

Who wouldn't be afraid? Who wouldn't be terrified? Especially since they still didn't know what was written on that piece of paper. Something that could instantly enrage the emperor was definitely not good news. If it concerned them, they might not escape their doom.

Those who had secrets were especially terrified; everyone was on edge.

The emperor suppressed his rage, his eyes icy cold. "Rise, all of you."

"Minister Yang, tell me, where did this thing come from?"

The one whose name was called was the first Imperial Censor who stood up to report.

He bowed respectfully to the emperor in a trembling manner before explaining what he knew, "Your Majesty, this item was found by me on Zhengyang Street when I entered the palace, and the news has already spread among the people..."

Such news, if it spreads, will damage the Emperor's prestige. It is hoped that Your Majesty will send someone to investigate and handle the matter with utmost care...

Just as the Imperial Censor was presenting his report, other court officials had already circulated the contents of the report.

Upon seeing the contents, everyone was shocked and had various thoughts: some wondered if the national treasury was still safe; others wondered who was behind it; and still others were relieved that the news had nothing to do with them.

Since the contents of the document were irrelevant to them and concerned the emperor, the court officials, who had been feigning indifference, instantly became lively again, one after another stepping forward to express their opinions.