The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Qi Yitang paused in her reading, then frowned.

Lu Linbai... what's he doing here?

Didn't you get enough of a beating last time?

Even if he were an elder, there was no reason for him to meet with the emperor's concubines in private. However, after careful consideration, Qi Yitang decided to see what this guy was planning.

It was late autumn, and the Imperial Garden was desolate with withered grass and trees, all bare and for no apparent reason.

When Qi Yitang arrived at the Imperial Garden, Lu Linbai was already waiting for her in the Listening to the Rain Pavilion.

Today, he stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a frosty white brocade robe, his robes fluttering in the wind. After many days, the scars on his face had completely healed, and he had regained his former appearance, as graceful as a spring willow and as bright as the moon.

Putting everything else aside, just looking at his appearance, Lu Linbai is in no way inferior to Xie Jingyu, the former male lead.

Qi Yitang sat down lazily, offering little welcome. "I didn't know Prince Anning had graced me with his presence. What business do you have with me?"

Lu Linbai didn't put on airs of an elder and got straight to the point.

"I have come today to ask Your Majesty for a small favor."

Qi Yitang glanced at him sideways, a half-smile playing on her lips, a forced smile. "What, you want me to put in a good word for you with my cousin?"

Ning Nishang is the only point of intersection between them, which is also the most likely thing Qi Yitang guessed.

Lu Linbai did not deny it.

"Then Prince Anning must have come to the wrong person. I am not the kind of person who is happy to help others, much less the kind of benevolent child who will answer anyone who comes to me."

Qi Yitang snorted coldly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Didn't the Dowager Princess Anguo say that the master predicted you were destined to be widowed and unfit for marriage? Although my cousin and I aren't blood sisters, I would never have pushed her into a fire pit."

Lu Linbai replied, "It was just a joke at the time. I have never married, so how could I be said to be a jinx to wives?"

"Oh?" Qi Yitang drawled, her tone mocking. "So, your great-uncle went to great lengths to ask His Majesty for Qin Xinxi to join his household. Now that she's adding fragrance to your life, doesn't that mean good things are just around the corner?"

"A beautiful woman adding fragrance to one's sleeves? Consort Qi is joking."

A cold glint appeared in Lu Linbai's eyes. "Qin Xinxi is the one who impersonated Xuan Niang that day. I'm just giving her a lesson she deserves."

How dare you call me "Xuan Niang"?

Besides, it was clearly your own stupidity that allowed others to take advantage of the situation, yet now you're shifting the blame onto a woman. What a display of masculinity!

Just as Qi Yitang was about to continue her sarcastic remarks and say a few more sarcastic things to him, Lu Linbai said, "If Your Highness is willing to lend a helping hand, I will reward you handsomely."

Qi Yitang scoffed disdainfully, "What do you take me for? Do you think I need your measly little bit of money? Even if I did—"

"One million taels," Lu Linbai stated directly, revealing his sincerity. "Gold."

How many?!

Qi Yitang's voice caught in her throat: One million taels—gold!

How much silver would that cost?

Her mind raced, the abacus beads clicking away, but the numbers were too large, leaving her dizzy and completely disoriented.

The live chat exploded with comments: "[My god, I just did a rough calculation: 1 tael equals 50 grams, so 1 million taels multiplied by 50 grams is 50 million grams, or 50 tons of gold. Even at the current gold price of at least 1,000 yuan per gram, that's—a fortune! My goodness!]"

[Dad, do you need another daughter? One who can eat by herself and walks home on her own when it rains.]

【Um, dear Dad, actually I just have an extra "class" in my name, so I can totally be a daughter. Do you think it's still possible for me to change my surname?】

[I admit, my voice was a bit loud earlier. (smiling apologetically) I'll never call him "Little Fatty" again.]

The screen was flooded with comments, densely packed.

Qi Yitang suddenly understood why everyone said Lu Linbai and the female lead were a perfect match. He was so rich that a hundred male leads combined couldn't even compare to a fraction of his wealth.

I knew he was incredibly wealthy, but I never imagined he was incredibly, incredibly, incredibly wealthy!

Qi Yitang swallowed hard, looking utterly pathetic.

Lu Linbai added, "I know that Xuanniang cares deeply for Your Highness. If Your Highness is willing to say a few good words for me in front of her, the reward of one million taels of gold will be given without fail."

[Female supporting character, hurry up and agree! Don't mess with money, no matter who you're after!]

I really wish I could go in and say yes for her.

"Ahem, actually," Qi Yitang cleared her throat, her cold face instantly transforming into a warm, spring-like smile, "Uncle-in-law has a keen eye for people. Although I'm not exactly a warm-hearted person, I certainly love playing matchmaker. It's not like I can't discuss matchmaking and saying nice things—"

As she spoke, she called out to the outside, "Yunzhu, have someone serve tea!"

Yunzhu responded from outside and ran off.

The Imperial Garden was spacious, and the Listening to the Rain Pavilion was open on all sides. The autumn wind blew in from all directions, and it was actually a bit chilly after sitting there for a while.

But Qi Yitang wasn't cold at all.

Not only was she not cold, she even felt her whole body getting hot, even her palms were burning, and her blood was pumping.

That's a million taels of gold!

Silver is the foundation of a nation. Throughout history, wars required money, disaster relief required money, dikes and dams required money, and even the concubines in the harem needed money to compete for beauty and to bribe their superiors and subordinates.

In the years since Xie Ling ascended the throne, he has worked diligently to govern the country, but the national treasury is still not very strong.

The military expenditures in the Northwest, the canal transport in the Jiangnan region, and the river works in Annam—each of these was an astronomical sum.

But now, a million taels of gold have appeared out of nowhere, enough to pay the military expenses of a million-strong army for several years, or to buy tens of millions of acres of fertile land.

Anyone who hears this will gasp in shock.

Although she spoke well of Lu Linbai, she had a vague feeling that she was selling out the female lead, but Qi Yitang was a vulgar person and couldn't help but bend over backwards for money.

Besides, she was just saying a few words on his behalf; she wasn't holding a knife to the female lead's neck to force her to agree. Ultimately, it depends on the female lead's own decision.

If she is unwilling, then it's because Lu Linbai is useless, what does that have to do with Qi Yitang?

By then, the gold will already be hers, and it will not be returned.

Hey hey hey.

Hee hee hee.

Most importantly, this guy can easily produce a million taels of gold, and who knows how much more he has at home.

If he and the female lead get together in the future and they have a fight, he'll definitely get paid handsomely if he asks her to be the peacemaker.

Qi Yitang turned to Lu Linbai with a beaming smile, appearing incredibly obedient. "Uncle, it's still early today. Why don't we have some pastries and tea, and discuss the matter of this one million taels of gold?"

That fawning face is just as bad as Zeng Xiaoxian's.

[The female supporting character is indeed shrewd; life is only a few short decades, so she'll be lustful when rich, fickle when poor, and subservient when powerful!]

Qi Yitang was all smiles, as if she could already see those boxes of glittering gold beckoning to her.

Suddenly, she felt a chill down her back.

A chill ran down her spine from the back of her neck, making the hairs on her body stand on end.

She subconsciously glanced back at the pavilion and saw only withered trees, broken branches, and fallen leaves scattered on the ground—nothing else.

Qi Yitang was puzzled. The first snow hadn't even fallen yet, so why was it so cold?