Empress in her second playthrough: Something's not right with this plot!

"This humble official understands."

Li Yunsheng sat in the chair, leaning slightly forward.

"I'm quite curious about what conditions Wei State offered that made you, a high-ranking official, become a spy for another country."

Taishu Xingchang kowtowed to the ground, tears streaming down his face.

“I don’t want it to be like this either, but they are giving me just too much.”

Li Yunsheng asked tentatively.

"One hundred thousand?"

"Two to two hundred thousand per year."

Hey!

Li Yunsheng was not short of money, but he did not expect Wenren Xu to be so willing to invest.

A mere Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies receives 200,000 taels of silver annually.

"The list says that you have been a spy for Weiguo for eleven years, and your annual salary is 220,000 taels of silver."

Taishu Xingchang simply knelt on the ground, not daring to respond to the question.

Li Yunsheng stood up and said.

"Send two million taels to my residence tomorrow, and the position of Grand Tutor will remain Grand Tutor."

"this--"

Taishu Xingchang was getting anxious; two million taels was almost all of his savings.

"Prime Minister Li, I have spent a lot of money over the years and I don't have much left."

"Two and a half million taels."

"Prime Minister Li, this humble official truly cannot afford that many..."

Three million taels.

"I'll pay!"

Taishu Xingchang's eyes turned red. With just two sentences, he managed to get an extra million taels of silver. His heart was bleeding.

After more than a decade of hard work, I'm back to square one, just like before I became an official.

Li Yunsheng patted him on the shoulder.

"That's more like it. Treason is a crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire family. Is it worth three million taels to buy a life?"

Taishu Xingchang forced out a single word through gritted teeth.

"value!"

"Please tell Wenren Xu that I will visit him one day."

As he was leaving, Li Yunsheng pointed at the shop owner and said to Taishu Xingchang.

"With a shop owner like this, your business will never grow big. You should change it as soon as possible."

After saying that, he led Wei Xiang out of the store without looking back.

……

"Can you still move?"

"active."

Liu Quan stood upright in the hall, while Li Yunsheng pointed and gestured at him.

Wei Xiang wouldn't teach him acupressure, and Li Yunsheng kept thinking about it all night.

He had seen Su Wanwan yesterday when he asked her for help.

So as soon as we returned from the West Market, I dragged Liu Quan along to give it a try.

However, we only grasped the form, not the true meaning.

Liu Quan had been poked all afternoon, and his chest was starting to hurt.

He could only plead with Wei Xiang with a bitter face.

"Grandma, please teach the Prime Minister."

Li Yunsheng listened intently to Wei Xiang's reaction. The reason he practiced in front of Wei Xiang was to subtly probe her.

Wei Xiang held out her hand: "Photo paper."

Well, Li Yunsheng finally understood; without photographic paper, he could forget about learning.

He simply stopped practicing and sat on the stool, asking curiously.

What exactly do you want to film?

"photographic paper."

Li Yunsheng: ...

……

Snap, snap, snap...

A cacophony of sounds erupted within the Jingzhao Prefecture.

The constables, in pairs, were slapping each other, muttering: "Learn from this, learn from this..."

"Does it hurt?"

"pain."

Tian Dezhi angrily rebuked him, feeling utterly disappointed.

"So you guys still feel pain? You bunch of good-for-nothings!"

I constantly remind you to be extremely cautious while serving in this important capital city.

Be more careful and discerning; those who kowtow and beg are all high-ranking officials.

You guys are the ones who keep causing me trouble!

This capital city is so big, you can go anywhere you want.

Wherever Prime Minister Li goes, you will go!

Last time, during the Flower Moon Gathering, they went to Miaoyin Tower and dragged me into it.

This time, they even dared to draw their swords against Prime Minister Li.

Do you think I'm living a comfortable life?

Is it easy to become an official?

I really wish I could—"

Tian Dezhi raised his hand high, and the constables immediately covered their faces.

"Keep hitting me! Keep hitting me! Beat you all to death, you bunch of ungrateful bastards!"

Chapter 47 I Want His Majesty's Treasury

Liu Quan walked out, rubbing his throbbing chest, and soon returned.

"Your Excellency, His Majesty has returned to the capital. All officials in the capital must go to welcome him."

Li Yunsheng looked up.

"Why is she back so soon?"

Hunts usually last several days, but he only stayed at the hunting grounds for one day because of the assassination attempt.

As soon as he returned, the Empress also returned the very next day.

"It seems they still don't trust me."

They feared he would return and seize control of the entire capital.

Li Yunsheng opened the system and glanced at his pitiful emotional value again.

It's time to grab some freebies, otherwise I'll be so poor I can't even afford a piece of photographic paper.

Outside the city gate, officials bowed to welcome the emperor.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

Jiang Qingying reined in her horse and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that everything in the capital was normal.

Just as Li Yunsheng had guessed, the Empress felt uneasy as she pondered the situation in the hunting palace.

She feared that once she returned to the capital, the entire city would be under Li Yunsheng's control.

The Imperial Guards of the capital were her last resort, and she could not afford to lose them.

Therefore, as soon as Li Yunsheng left, she set off to return to Beijing.

However, Li Yunsheng traveled almost day and night, so he arrived a day earlier.

"All of you, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Jiang Qingying glanced at Li Yunsheng, who remained calm, out of the corner of her eye.

"Minister Li, accompany the Emperor into the palace."

Li Yunsheng was already plotting how to manipulate the Empress's emotions.

Also, the punishment for the assassination in the hunting grounds hasn't been given yet.

Unexpectedly, the Empress summoned him to the palace as soon as she returned, it seems she couldn't wait any longer.

……

Weiyang Palace.