Even Yun Yaoyao was shocked by this group of drama queens.
A bunch of actors, worthy of Oscar gold statues!
Tu Shanjin stood to the side, coldly observing everything. He took a sip of fine wine and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"You're trying to appeal to their emotions, but they're just putting on an act for you. It's not too late to change tactics."
Yun Yaoyao quietly replied to him: "It's fine, I'll continue to play along with them."
Yun Yaoyao's gaze fell on Yun Liang, who was trying hard to minimize his presence.
"Minister Yun, what's your opinion?"
Yun Liang's lips quivered before he finally said: "Your Majesty, the Yun family doesn't have much savings either. If Your Majesty is determined to undertake water conservancy projects, this humble servant will tighten our belts and donate 100 taels of silver on behalf of the entire Yun household!"
Yun Yaoyao secretly rolled her eyes. The old fox still wanted to curry favor with Prince Ze.
By using the number 100 taels, he was trying not to offend the emperor while also showing Prince Ze that he only donated this much, proving he wasn't truly loyal to the emperor.
Subsequently, when it was Di Shunzhi's turn, to Yun Yaoyao's surprise, he donated 200 taels without much hesitation.
When it came to the few royalists, although they didn't truly support immediate water conservancy projects, they still donated a little due to their position.
As for the vast majority of officials, they didn't part with a single coin!
Thus, despite Yun Yaoyao's persuasive efforts, using both carrot and stick, she only managed to squeeze out a pittance from the hundred officials.
For such a massive project as water conservancy, it was merely a drop in the ocean.
Seeing Her Majesty's frustration at being unable to deal with them, the officials were secretly pleased, even drinking a few more cups of fine wine at the table.
Even when drunk, they didn't forget to cry poverty.
They say "a man is most sincere when slightly tipsy," and as they lamented their poverty, they almost started to believe their own homes were truly destitute.
Yun Yaoyao also downed several cups of wine in succession, her body radiating anger and coldness, causing the palace maids serving around her to shiver involuntarily.
She supported her forehead with her palm, seemingly hiding her angry expression, but in reality concealing the corners of her mouth that were about to fly up to the sky.
Calculating the time, they should have completed their mission by now...
Hehe.
Turning back time a bit.
The Dragon Shadow Guards lurking in various parts of the capital all received secret orders from the palace.
The moment they opened the secret orders, their expressions were full of seriousness and excitement. Her Majesty had finally issued secret orders again!
What kind of bloody storm would sweep through the capital this time!
But after reading them, their expressions were hard to describe.
After making preparations, when evening came, it was finally time for the Dragon Shadow Guards to carry out their secret orders.
They changed into night-crawling clothes, carried large boxes, and with a fierce... no, stealthy demeanor, snuck into the mansions of various ministers.
That's right, the secret order was to steal money, valuables, and even food from the homes of all ministers except a few honest ones!
They were to be like geese plucking feathers or a plague of locusts, leaving nothing behind!
The Dragon Shadow Guards, carrying out such thievery for the first time, felt very ashamed and uneasy at first. But once they got the hang of it, they started to feel quite justified.
From treasuries and granaries down to the jade bracelets still on the ladies' wrists and leftover steamed buns in the kitchen, they stole it all!
They took whatever they saw, even uprooting the cabbages planted in the ground, taking everything away!
In their dreams, no one could have imagined that the most powerful elite force in the entire Yanchi Dynasty was robbing their homes...
As the moonlight deepened, Yun Yaoyao was still "persuading" and threatening the hundred officials to donate money.
The officials claimed they were drunk. What money to donate? What water conservancy projects?
They couldn't understand a word!
The women accompanying the officials hurriedly apologized, saying their husbands were completely drunk and it was getting late, so they needed to take them home to sober up and rest.
The officials thus muddled their way through and returned to their own mansions.
They were still smugly congratulating themselves on their superb acting skills when they saw their stewards approach, pale-faced and grief-stricken, dropping to their knees with a thud.
"M-master, our home has been robbed, all our valuables and food have been stolen!!!"
Once they understood the situation, the ministers sobered up completely, their vision going dark.
Now, their homes were truly destitute!
"My money... my money!!!"
The officials cried poverty with genuine sincerity this time.
Meanwhile, Yun Yaoyao used the excuse of needing someone to attend to her drunkenness to bring Tu Shanjin to her chambers.
A new letter appeared on the table, exclusively for the Dragon Shadow Guard. Tu Shanjin immediately picked it up.
The more he read, the more he couldn't maintain his composure.
"So... you dispatched the Dragon Shadow Guard just to steal money and food from the ministers' homes?"
Tu Shanjin found it unbelievable and was greatly shocked.
He had imagined several possibilities, thinking Yun Yaoyao might use her silver tongue to launch a fundraising campaign. He also thought she might exploit the ministers' weaknesses.
But he never imagined she would choose to simply steal.
Thinking of those iron-blooded warrior men of the Dragon Shadow Guard sneaking around in the dead of night like petty thieves, then furtively hiding their loot in the secret passages of the imperial palace...
The scene was too beautiful to imagine.
"Why not? They have superb martial arts and excellent lightness skills. It would be a waste not to use them for this kind of thing," Yun Yaoyao was very satisfied with the Dragon Shadow Guard's performance today!
"You..."
Tu Shanjin's mouth twitched, wanting to speak but stopping himself. In the end, thousands of words became one sentence: "Your thinking really is different from ordinary people..."
Yun Yaoyao was extremely proud: "Thank you for the compliment. I told you, I'm the Book of Life and Death!"
Tu Shanjin: "..."
However, he had to admit that this method saved him a lot of trouble, eliminating the need to painstakingly negotiate with those old foxes.
With the initial funds and provisions for the Grand Canal excavation secured, water conservancy projects could now be put on the agenda.
The rough estimates in the secret letter of the amount of money and valuables stolen from each official's household were staggering. The wealth embezzled by this group of corrupt officials far exceeded his imagination.
Moreover, it was highly likely that some officials had multiple hiding places, with even more concealed wealth yet to be discovered.
The wealth of the Minister of Revenue alone could rival that of an entire country. He would find an opportune moment to make an example of him sooner or later!
Soon, rumors spread throughout the capital that a group of master thieves called the "Demon Thief Gang" from foreign lands had infiltrated the city. Each was said to possess unique skills – some could shrink their bones, others could burrow underground, and some even carried a treasure called the "Universe Bag" on their waists, a small pouch that could hold an entire mansion!
Nightwatchmen and beggars claimed to have witnessed this, adding credibility to the rumor.
Moreover, after a thorough house-to-house search, the stolen valuables were still nowhere to be found, leading even the officials to believe this rumor.
For a time, the capital was in a state of panic, with various rumors spreading one after another. Security at the city gates was tightened, and the number of patrols on the streets increased three or four-fold.
Of course, this was all part of Yun Yaoyao's pre-arranged plan, with people hired to spread false information.
When Prince Ze heard this news, he was also surprised for a long time, but he had a vague feeling that something wasn't right.
His instincts told him that this matter might be related to that person in the imperial palace...
