The Demon Prince

The bloodstains left by Gu Chenjun had just been washed away.

The Vice Minister of Revenue knelt below Li Taiping. Li Taiping raised his hand, and a female official presented him with a black wooden box.

The box was opened, revealing a section of dark gold thin copper tube, a roll of soft silver wire, and several translucent glass shards. When the candlelight fell on them, the light shattered into several pieces.

The Vice Minister of Revenue couldn't help but raise his eyes:

"Your Highness, is this a piece of fire-patterned bronze from the Ministry of Works' collection?"

Li Taiping glanced at him.

The Vice Minister of Revenue immediately bowed his head: "Your subject has spoken out of turn."

Li Taiping picked up a shard of glass; the edges of the glass were extremely thin.

"Fire-patterned copper, soft silver wire, celestial mirror glass, and a batch of dismantled parts from old firearms from the Ministry of Works."

Li Lingxi will definitely like these things.

The female official whispered:

"Now that Her Highness has acquired the Xiaoqi Workshop, these materials are indeed just what she needs."

Li Taiping chuckled softly:

Xiao Xingyue wanted to campaign for votes, and Lingxi's vote was the closest he could get right now.

If he wanted to curry favor with Lingxi, he would definitely give these materials to her.

The Vice Minister of Revenue whispered:

"Does Your Highness wish to have Xiao Xingyue deliver the gift on your behalf?"

Li Taiping put the glass shards back into the box: "Not only that."

She looked at the female official beside her:

"Has the medicine been administered?"

The female official whispered:

"As Your Highness instructed, the powder was not applied to the surface of the utensils, but only to the inner layer of the wooden box."

After opening the box, the fragrance will slowly diffuse, causing a feeling of heat and agitation.

Li Taiping nodded: "Very good."

The Vice Minister of Revenue lowered his head even further.

Xiao Xingyue then gave the materials to the Sixth Princess, who would surely be delighted to see them.

The two were in the same small workshop. As soon as the drug was released, the young man and woman, whose relationship was already ambiguous, naturally did what happened without anyone pushing them...

Li Taiping lowered his eyes:

"Then we'll find a few gossipy writers and let them witness with their own eyes that the Sixth Princess has become Xiao Xingyue's woman, with witnesses all present..."

The Vice Minister of Revenue respectfully said, "Your Highness is wise."

Li Taiping tapped the wooden box:

"Send it to the Prince of Zhenguo's Mansion, and write the reason: Gu Chenjun was impolite, and Taiping Mansion apologizes."

If you lower your stance, Xiao Xingyue will take advantage of you, and he won't refuse.

The next morning.

There was another traffic jam in front of the Zhenguo King's Palace.

Zhao Yuanbao had just eaten half a steamed bun when he heard the gatekeeper report, and he almost choked to death:

"Again?"

A female official from Taiping Prefecture stood at the gate, followed by four carriages covered with blue cloth. When the cloth was lifted, the cold glint of metal made Zhao Yuanbao's eyes widen.

"Your Highness."

The lady-in-waiting bowed:

"His Highness the Fifth Prince, mindful of the many breaches of etiquette by Taiping Prefecture yesterday, has specially sent fire-patterned bronze, soft silver wire, celestial mirror glass, and a cartload of dismantled old firearms from the Ministry of Works as a token of his apology."

I hope Your Highness will accept this.

Zhao Yuanbao turned and ran into the courtyard.

Xiao Xingyue came out of the study, glanced at the carts of materials, and was taken aback at first. Then, he pondered and made up his mind:

"The Fifth Prince is truly generous."

The female official smiled:

"His Highness said that the Crown Prince is now in charge of the investigation."

The Prince's Mansion is in dire need of repair; these materials may be helpful in its restoration.

Xiao Xingyue touched a piece of fire-patterned bronze; it was indeed a good item.

If Li Lingxi were here, she would probably be jumping for joy.

"Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious," Xiao Xingyue thought to himself, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

He gestured to Zhao Yuanbao:

"Go, bring out the gong."

Zhao Yuanbao was taken aback, and immediately went to get the gong.

Soon, a loud bang echoed in front of the Prince's Mansion, and Zhao Yuanbao shouted at the top of his lungs:

"The Fifth Princess of Taiping Prefecture."

In gratitude for the difficult repairs to the Prince's Palace, we hereby present thirty catties of fire-patterned copper, ten boxes of soft silver wire, twenty pieces of celestial mirror glass, and a cartload of dismantled firearms from the Ministry of Works to support the construction of the Prince's Palace.

The entire Zhenguo Royal Palace is grateful to Her Highness the Fifth Princess.

All pedestrians on the street stopped.

The smile on the Taiping Prefecture official's face froze; she hadn't expected Xiao Xingyue to do something like this!

This was meant for him to give to the Sixth Princess, not for him to publicly ask the Fifth Princess to support the construction of the Prince's Palace.

Zhao Yuanbao shouted even more enthusiastically:

"The Fifth Princess is magnanimous, the Fifth Princess is kind, and the Fifth Princess offers help in times of need."

Xiao Xingyue nodded in agreement.

The female official of Taiping Prefecture turned green with rage.

When the news reached Taiping Prefecture, Li Taiping was reviewing Gu Bing'en's old accounts. Upon hearing the news, her pen stopped in mid-air, and ink drops fell onto the paper with a pattering sound.

The female official knelt on the ground, not daring to raise her head:

"Your Highness, Prince Xiao publicly rang the gong to express his gratitude, and also said that you supported the construction of the Prince's Mansion. Now half the street knows about it, and the news is spreading."

A cold glint flashed in Li Taiping's eyes:

"He's using my gifts to embarrass himself?"

The Vice Minister of Revenue stood to the side and whispered:

"The Crown Prince's actions are likely intended to use Your Highness to encourage other princesses to follow suit."

Li Taiping's eyes turned cold.

Sure enough, less than half a day later, the Ninth Princess's residence, which was the first to refuse to admit defeat, sent a batch of top-quality incense, candles, and white silk.

Zhao Yuanbao continued to strike the gong:

"The Crown Princess, showing her consideration for the Prince's funeral arrangements, specially sent incense, candles, and white silk. The Prince's Mansion thanks the Crown Princess for her kindness."

The Seventh Princess sent over a batch of wound medicine.

"The Seventh Princess, a physician with a kind heart, has specially sent a batch of excellent medicines. The Zhenguo Royal Palace is grateful to the Seventh Princess."

By evening, all the princesses except the eldest princess had given a small gift.

As Li Taiping listened to the reports, his face grew colder and colder. Finally, with a snap, he broke his pen in two.

"Xiao Xingyue, you are insatiable."

She originally intended to use the gift to send Xiao Xingyue and Li Lingxi together, but Xiao Xingyue turned around and used her as an example. Other princesses, not wanting to appear stingy, also followed suit.

Xiao Xingyue did nothing, yet received a bunch of benefits for nothing!

The Vice Minister of Revenue spoke cautiously:

"Your Highness, he should at least deliver the materials to the Sixth Prince."

After all, those things wouldn't be of much use in the Prince's mansion.

The Crown Prince needs the Sixth Princess's vote; he couldn't possibly be pocketing it, could he?

But as it turns out, Xiao Xingyue really dared to line his own pockets; none of those materials were sent to the Ordnance Bureau's small workshop.

When Li Taiping heard the report, his eyebrows twitched sharply.

"Fine, if he won't send it, I'll make him send it openly."

Day two.

Another carriage has arrived from Taiping Prefecture.

This time, the gift list was also written more clearly:

"When the Fifth Prince heard that the Sixth Prince had acquired a small workshop, he originally intended to personally present the materials to him."

However, Your Highness's subordinates in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works are currently being investigated. If we send them directly there, it might cause gossip.

"Now that the Crown Prince is in charge of the investigation, he is certainly innocent. Please convey this to the Sixth Prince on his behalf, to preserve our sisterly bond."

After hearing this, Zhao Yuanbao's eyes widened, and his tone was regretful:

"Your Highness, this time it's not good to keep it."

Xiao Xingyue quickly checked the second batch of materials:

"Your Highness is very thoughtful."

The female official bowed her head:

"Your Highness is also trying to avoid suspicion."

Xiao Xingyue nodded:

"Rest assured, I will certainly convey this sisterly affection."

After the female official left, Zhao Yuanbao approached:

"Your Highness, could there be a trap here?"

Xiao Xingyue glanced at him:

Remove the word "possibly".

Zhao Yuanbao immediately took two steps back: "Then what should we do?"

Xiao Xingyue tapped the wooden box:

"Think about what Xiao Xingyue would do."

"Huh?" Zhao Yuanbao asked in confusion.