I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 342 The Tyrant's Gold is Gone

The servant was usually a capable man, but after being scolded in public like that, he felt embarrassed and hung his head, not daring to utter a word.

"Alright, that's enough." The veiled girl tugged at the girl in the pink dress and softly instructed the servant, "Follow them from a distance and see where they're staying. It's getting late, so I'll bring gifts and personally visit them to express my gratitude tomorrow morning."

"Yes." The servant immediately accepted the order and left.

"Sister, although that man's guards saved you, they were too arrogant and impolite. They wouldn't even accept money offered to them. Why did you still try to curry favor with them?" The girl in the pink dress pouted and tugged at the veiled girl's sleeve, clearly displeased.

“In any case, it’s a fact that they saved me, and I should thank them.” The veiled girl patted her hand reassuringly, her beautiful eyes, visible through the veil, were as clear as water, and her smile was gentle. “It’s getting late. Let’s leave a few people here to tidy up and deal with the officials’ questions. Let’s go back first.”

"Alright." The girl in the pink dress followed her into the sedan chair that the servants had hired and they left.

On the other side, Chen Xing suddenly turned his head and looked back, just in time to see the servant turn sideways and hide behind the cloth stall.

"Young master, that servant was following us."

"Hmm." Xiao Jingfan didn't even pause. "Don't worry about it."

Upon hearing this, Chu Liuzheng couldn't help but turn around and look.

[Why does the tyrant sound like he knew all along that the other side would send people to follow? Could this Huang family be more than just a simple mansion?]

She sniffed, as if she could smell the melon.

Open the system immediately and start the overhaul!
The first message that caught her eye stunned her.

[Funny! The ship carrying gold, belonging to the swindler Han, has been hijacked by unknown individuals; the tyrant's gold is gone!]

Xiao Jingfan was so startled that he stumbled and almost fell to the ground if Lü Fei hadn't caught him quickly.

"Young Master!" Zhou Yuande rushed forward, looking at his foot with concern, "Did you sprain your ankle?"

"No," Xiao Jingfan suppressed the turmoil in his heart. "My shoe slipped."

There was some moss growing on the road, and no one doubted it when they heard this. Seeing that he was indeed unharmed, they continued to walk forward.

Xiao Jingfan pursed his lips, suppressing the urge to turn his head. He pricked up his ears, wanting to know who dared to rob his gold. Did they not want their entire family?

Coincidentally, Chu Liuzheng also wanted to know.

[Wow, who dares to steal the tyrant's gold? Who is this brave, unidentified individual?]

She quickly started searching through the system.

[Tsk, there are too many unknown people in the system. Can't we use a different alias?]

[Unclear... Hmm? The ship headed towards Wangyue Island.]

【Looking at the moon, the island... I've never heard of them before.】

Xiao Jingfan frowned; he had no recollection of this Wangyue Island either.

Wow, this Moon Gazing Island is quite mysterious. Local legend says immortals live there, so why isn't it called Immortal Island?

A familiar sense of helplessness welled up in his heart. Xiao Jingfan rubbed his temples. What the island's name is really not important!

[Oh, so it's because there's a Moon Valley on the island, which looks like a crescent moon from above, hence the name Moon-Gazing Island. Uh... isn't the word "gazing" a bit inaccurate? Shouldn't it be called Moon-Overlooking Island?]

[Moon-Viewing Island? Moon-Gazing Island? Hmm, Moon-Gazing Island sounds better.]

While Chu Liuzheng was struggling with the name, he didn't stop searching in the system.

[Wow! Good heavens, these so-called unidentified people are actually a group of pirates from the South China Sea! They're all ruthless and vicious, only interested in killing the fattest victims. No ship that falls to their noses escapes unscathed; very few survive.]

Looking at the shocking list of victims in front of him, Chu Liuzheng gained a clear understanding of the brutality of this group of pirates.

[Frog! There are so many victims already, is the Navy just sitting around doing nothing? Why isn't it doing anything about it?] Xiao Jingfan's face darkened upon hearing this.

Although he had never heard of Wangyue Island, he had some impression of the pirates in the South China Sea.

This gang not only robbed merchant ships, but also went ashore to rob and kill civilians. They were notorious and terrified the coastal people.

When he first ascended the throne, the then-General of the Navy, the Admiral, submitted a memorial denouncing the evil deeds of this group of pirates and requesting the court to allocate funds to suppress them. It took two years to completely wipe out this group of pirates.

Some were killed, others were exiled.

How long has it been? Why are you stirring up trouble again?

Or perhaps the pirates who stole his gold were not the same group as the original ones?
Just as he was thinking this, another voice echoed in his ear.

[Tsk tsk, this naval admiral is dishonest. He clearly didn't wipe out all the pirates; he even let the pirate leader and second-in-command escape. Yet he has the nerve to lie about his achievements and trick the tyrant into giving him a lot of rewards. The tyrant almost granted him a title.]

Now the pirates have returned with renewed force, and the naval admiral is panicked. He's sending men to deal with them while desperately trying to keep the matter quiet from the court, fearing the tyrant will find out. He wants to resolve the matter quietly.

[Tsk tsk, that might have worked two years ago, but that gang of pirates was able to quickly regain their strength and become a maritime power because they had a mastermind behind them. They weren't so easy to deal with.]

An expert?

Xiao Jingfan frowned. What kind of expert? Where did this expert come from?
[Now, Wangyue Island is surrounded by arrays and traps; approaching it easily is certain death. The naval admiral sent three waves of men to suppress the bandits, but all ended in total annihilation.]

[Tsk, so many lives lost, what a tragedy!]

Looking at the gossip in front of her, Chu Liuzheng frowned.

[Even at a time like this, you're still stubbornly holding on, afraid to petition the tyrant for support because of your own selfish desires. Bah! No wonder your hair is turning white!]

Looking at the list of fallen soldiers compiled by the system, Chu Liuzheng felt as if he had swallowed a piece of iron, his heart heavy and painful.

These people might not have had to die, but now they've all been used by this credit-seeking naval admiral to cover up the mess he made!

She took a deep breath, shut down the system, lowered her eyelashes, and slowly rubbed her chest.

Chen Xing noticed this and asked softly, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"I was startled just now, but I'll be fine after a while." Chu Liuzheng forced a smile and looked up at the tall, straight back in front of him.

This matter cannot be kept secret, but how can I let the tyrant know?

Having already learned the inside story, Xiao Jingfan's jaw tightened, his already dark eyes became even more intense, and his killing intent boiled within him, which even the Bodhi bead bracelet on his wrist could not suppress.

Lu Fei and Zhou Yuande, who were walking beside him, both shivered.

The two men glanced at their emperor, wondering why he was angry all of a sudden.

Chu Liuzheng, walking behind Xiao Jingfan, didn't notice that she had reopened the system, trying to find any useful information within it.

Ah! I've got it!

[It has to be Han the Conman! He's so thorough. I reckon the gold should be arriving soon. He even wrote a letter to the tyrant, and it should reach the capital in two days.]

[The guard will definitely deliver it to the tyrant. If they travel at top speed, the tyrant will know about the stolen gold in five days at most.]

[That stingy tyrant, if he finds out his gold has been stolen, he'll be furious! He'll definitely send an imperial envoy to investigate. If we can rescue the imprisoned general, the pirate activity won't be able to be kept secret anymore!]

Chu Liuzheng mentally gave Han Ruoyu a thumbs up; only a smart person knows how to handle things!

Five days... Xiao Jingfan's eyes flickered as he began to plan ahead.

The next day, after everyone had breakfast and was about to pack their luggage to leave, a carriage slowly stopped in front of the inn.