The Prime Minister Seduced Me to have Babies!-Chapter 740: Drained Dry

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue awkwardly walked over and whispered, "Lady Wu, I have been assigned a task to collect silk and horses from various provinces."

Lady Wu replied indifferently, "If I were Mr. Wu, I would rather go fight against the Jin Country people than come begging for things like this."

The Vice Minister Wu lowered his head, "Madam, I am also in favor of fighting."

Lady Wu sneered, "In favor of fighting? Then why don’t you say that in the court?"

"You people only see that the emperor doesn’t want to fight, so you either choose to remain silent or to cater to the emperor."

Vice Minister Wu lowered his head with a bitter smile.

How could one serve at the court without considering the emperor’s thoughts? Not everyone has the status and courage of the Duke!

Lady Wu waved her hand, "Forget it, I am too lazy to talk to you."

"Don’t forget, you will forever be sinners of Great Chu!"

Vice Minister Wu’s face twitched, but he didn’t dare refute Lady Wu.

Then Lady Wu nodded at Yun Jiao, who instructed Ah Yun, "Bring out all the personal soldiers’ horses and give them to Mr. Wu."

She then instructed Housekeeper Lin, "Go open the warehouse and move out all the silk inside."

"Also, the few carriages in the mansion, take away the horses that pull them too."

After Vice Minister Wu left, Lady Wu worriedly said, "The Duke left a letter saying he went to assassinate Wanyan Zhang and then fled, and there’s been no news, I wonder—" whether he’s alive or dead?

Yun Jiao comforted her, "Mother, rest assured, the Duke is highly skilled in martial arts. Even if the assassination fails, retreating with his life should not be difficult."

"Perhaps he is just having difficulty returning to the city for a while."

Lady Wu shook her head and said nothing more, though her brows remained furrowed.

Half a month passed, and the court emptied both the National Treasury and the inner treasury. In addition to what they had plundered from the populace, they raised a total of six hundred thousand taels of gold, nine million taels of silver, over two hundred thousand bolts of silk, and ten thousand horses and mules.

When horses and mules couldn’t be gathered, the Military Department and the Inspection Bureau’s horses were requisitioned.

That morning, the Minister of Revenue, along with several vice ministers of the ministry, clutching the royal decree with the Jade Seal for the cession of three towns, headed outside the city.

The procession halted abruptly at the city gate.

The Minister of Revenue, who was sitting in the sedan chair, saw the procession unexpectedly stop and hurriedly asked, "What’s going on ahead? Is the city gate not open yet?"

A voice suddenly came from outside, "Minister Xu, come out this instant!"

Minister Xu was startled and heard the servant outside say, "Sir, it’s the Princess blocking the way."

Minister Xu reluctantly lifted the sedan curtains and stepped down from the sedan chair.

He saw the Princess riding a horse in the distance, looking majestic, and he felt a rush of panic, quickly trotting over.

The Princess glared at Minister Xu from above.

Minister Xu quickly forced a wry smile, "What is this, Your Highness?"

The Princess said coldly, "Hand over the decree and the map!"

Minister Xu gaped, "What does Your Highness want with these?"

The Princess squinted her eyes, "Hand them over, or I will take them by force."

Minister Xu sighed, quietly instructed the servant, who quickly took a bundle from the sedan chair.

The Princess’s maid accepted it, opened it, and after a glance, nodded to her.

The Princess snorted, turned her horse, snapped her whip, and left.

Minister Xu stood dazed for a moment by the roadside before saying, "Let’s go."

The horses and carriages left the city, with soldiers on the city walls on high alert.

The convoy soon reached the Jin Country’s military camp a few miles from the city.