Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

"Please have a seat, Master Ji."

Xiao Ye spoke calmly, raising his hand.

"Since we've met by chance, let's have a couple of drinks together."

Ji San thanked him and sat down with an air of authority.

The attendants behind him sat down at a nearby table and went to greet other acquaintances in the martial arts world.

The shop owner was already yelling at the top of his lungs towards the kitchen:

"Little Liu! Bring up two more pounds of beef! And open another jar of Sanliangye!"

After shouting, he turned around, rubbed his hands together, and laughed:

"Since you're friends of Qianji Hall, you're like family. Tonight, I'll treat you to the best rooms upstairs!"

"Let's have a good drink tonight. If you have any questions, just ask."

"Our Dragon Gate Inn deals in the buying and selling of intelligence."

"I dare not say about anything else, but when it comes to information, no one is better informed than us."

Gu Mingli felt relieved.

He refilled Xiao Ye's empty cup with wine, then picked up a cup himself and raised it towards the shop owner.

"Thank you in advance, boss."

"You're welcome!" The shop owner raised his bowl and clinked it against his.

After a drink, the atmosphere became lively.

After Ji San sat down, he chatted with Gu Mingyue in a low voice for a few more minutes.

It turns out that he came to Longmen City this time on a different mission ordered by Alliance Leader Hanyuan.

I arrived two days ago, and I didn't expect to run into you here.

Seeing that Ji San indeed breathed a sigh of relief, Gu Mingyue smiled and nodded.

She couldn't ask too many questions about matters of the martial world.

The food and drinks on the table were replenished round after round.

The shop owner's surname is Tao, and he is known as Manager Tao. He is indeed the deputy head of the intelligence station in the Cold Abyss Alliance.

Although he and Ji San were not in the same faction, they were sworn brothers who had known each other for many years.

With Ji San as a foundation, Manager Tao's attitude towards this group of people was almost no different from that of his own brothers.

After several rounds of drinks...

Xiao Ye put down his wine cup and pushed the gold ingot he had just placed to buy the information towards Manager Tao.

Gu Mingli knew that the real show was about to begin.

"Manager Tao."

Xiao Ye looked at the middle-aged man opposite him, whose cheeks were already slightly flushed.

"Let me continue with what you just said."

"What exactly happened to the former Qi dynasty in the end? What did it leave behind in this land?"

Manager Tao's hand, holding the wine cup, froze in mid-air.

He squinted and scrutinized Xiao Ye for a long time.

Ji San gave him a wink and nodded.

Shopkeeper Tao drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

"It's a long story."

He put down his wine cup, placed his hands on the edge of the table, and leaned forward.

The warm smile on his face vanished, replaced by a sigh tinged with the vicissitudes of time.

"Since you gentlemen wish to inquire about the past of the previous dynasty, then I will begin from the beginning."

"More than forty years ago, the last emperor of the Great Qi Dynasty, Guangxian, was on the throne."

"How should I put it, Emperor Guangxian?"

Shopkeeper Tao rubbed his short beard, carefully choosing his words.

"If it were a peaceful and prosperous era, he might have been a sage ruler who would be remembered for all time."

"But he was born in the era when powerful clans were at their peak. He had too many things he wanted to do, and too little time for them."

Xiao Ye held his wine cup without moving, listening with his eyes lowered.

Gu Mingli noticed that the fingers holding the wine cup tightened slightly.

After all, the founding of the Great Yong Dynasty was under the pretext of "eliminating a tyrannical ruler".

People might say that the last emperor of the previous dynasty was a wise ruler, but what about the founding emperor of the Dayong dynasty?

Gu Mingli nudged Xiao Ye lightly with his knee under the table.

Xiao Ye took a deep breath, slowly put down his wine cup, and became humble in his tone.

"What exactly did Emperor Guangxian do?"

Shopkeeper Tao continued.

"Emperor Guangxian accomplished three major tasks after ascending the throne."

"The first thing: abolish the recommendation system and promote the imperial examination system. This broke the monopoly of aristocratic families on the channels for entering officialdom. Children from poor families now had a way to rise in society. Suddenly, there were many more capable officials in the court."

"The second thing: a ruthless fight against corruption. Investigate corrupt officials throughout the country, from the Six Ministries in the capital to the local prefectures and counties. Anyone found guilty of embezzlement will have their property confiscated. No matter which powerful family is behind you, or who pleads for you, it will be to no avail."

"The total amount of private property confiscated from these aristocratic families at that time..."

Shopkeeper Tao held up one finger.

"Seven hundred million taels of silver."

"Seven hundred million?!"

Gu Mingli couldn't help but speak up.

He stared wide-eyed and exchanged a glance with Gu Mingyue!

"That's right." Manager Tao nodded.

"Seven hundred million taels were deposited into the national treasury. Emperor Guangxian was now more confident with the money in his hands."

"We started to vigorously develop infrastructure. We built water conservancy projects, opened official roads, promoted education, developed agriculture, and did everything."

"However, he overlooked one point. These implementation methods are all controlled by the powerful clans, and the money that is poured in flows into the treasuries of these powerful clans."

"The third thing, and the most fatal one."

Shopkeeper Tao lowered his voice.

"He placed all the newly promoted officials from humble backgrounds into key departments, replacing a large number of old officials from aristocratic families."

"This is tantamount to putting a knife to the necks of all the powerful clans."

Gu Mingli stole a glance at Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye rubbed his fingertips, his face revealing no emotion.

But Gu Mingli had known him for so long that he knew the emperor was reflecting on himself at that moment.

Because the three things Emperor Guangxian did were almost identical to what Xiao Ye wanted to do after ascending the throne.

Xiao Ye was simply more cunning and patient than Emperor Guangxian, and his methods were more like slowly boiling a frog in water.

"And then?" Gu Mingli pressed.

"And then?" Manager Tao sighed deeply. "Then the powerful clans joined forces."

"The Cui, Liu, Jia, and Wang families... the four major clans and more than a dozen aristocratic families all put aside their internal strife and secretly joined forces."

"In the fifth year of Emperor Guangxian's reign, powerful clans, in alliance with regional princes, launched a palace coup."

"The Imperial Guards betrayed the Emperor, and the capital fell. Emperor Guangxian's trusted confidants were slaughtered overnight. The capital was besieged for seven days and seven nights."

Shopkeeper Tao picked up his wine cup and took a sip, as if he were pressing something down.

Gu Mingyue keenly sensed something amiss and frowned as she asked:

"Why couldn't Emperor Gwanghyeon have been captured simply by entering the palace? Why then did they besiege the capital for seven days?"

Shopkeeper Tao sighed deeply, shuffling the wine cup in his hand across the table twice.

"On the day the city fell, Emperor Guangxian committed suicide by poison."

"Only one thing remained that drove the world mad."

Gu Mingli blurted it out.

"Seven hundred million taels of silver in the national treasury?"