Chapter 76

“Mm…”

Yun Yaoyao changed her expression in an instant. Fanning herself with a folding fan, she put on the appearance of a clear-eyed yet foolish rich young master—an easy mark with more money than sense.

“Tsk. What a useless piece of trash. Take him away.”

The Dragon Shadow Guard had no idea what their emperor intended, so they first dragged Gao Chongguang away and pressed his philtrum to revive him.

Yun Yaoyao lifted her chin slightly and cast the men a disdainful glance, her face full of arrogance. “I’m here to buy people.”

“Twenty girls and twenty boys. They must be healthy and clean.”

“Do you have them?”

Most of the suspicion in the burly men’s hearts faded. Tsk, another rich young master with nowhere to spend his money. No wonder he had brought such a large entourage.

“Of course. The Children’s Charity Bureau has no shortage of children.”

One of the men shouted toward the inside, “Manager! We’ve got customers!”

The burly man led the group into the inner hall. A man with a goatee soon came out.

Seeing the luxurious clothes and expensive accessories worn by Yun Yaoyao and the others, he smiled obsequiously and named his price. “Thirty taels of silver per person. Since Young Master is buying so many at once, I’ll take the liberty of giving you a discount. One thousand taels will do.”

“Money is no issue. Where are the children? I want to choose them myself,” Yun Yaoyao said grandly.

“The children are resting in their rooms. I’ll have them tidy themselves up now. Young Master, please wait a moment. I’ll bring them out to meet you shortly.”

With that, the goateed man walked down the corridor toward a room.

Just as he was about to open the door, Yun Yaoyao signaled the Dragon Shadow Guard to rush forward and pin him to the ground!

“What are you doing?” the goateed man shouted furiously.

Hearing the commotion, the burly men immediately charged in with weapons in hand.

The Dragon Shadow Guard subdued them in just a few moves.

Yun Yaoyao stepped forward and opened the door. A foul stench immediately struck her.

Inside, dozens of children were packed tightly together on shabby straw mats and piles of hay.

All of them wore tattered clothes and were divided into several groups.

Some held broken bowls containing a few copper coins. Their hair was tangled, their bodies filthy, and each of them suffered from a different disability. It was impossible to tell whether they had been born that way or made so by someone else.

Some wore little more than thin gauze over their exposed skin, with crude rouge smeared across their faces. They sat blankly where they were.

Others curled up in the corners. Some seemed to have been ill for a long time, so weak that they did not even react to the sound of the door opening.

Pair after pair of young, timid eyes turned toward them. Alongside the fear, there was something even more chilling—numbness.

With one glance, Yun Yaoyao closed the door and steadied her breathing.

What a fine Children’s Charity Bureau.

The homeless and abandoned children thought they had found a warm refuge that could shelter them. Little did they know that the moment they stepped inside, their nightmare began. A group of villains would squeeze every last bit of value from them—even the ashes of their bones would not be spared.

So many great evils could be born in the little corners of the world she could not see.

Yun Yaoyao resumed her arrogant young-master act and viciously planted her foot on the goateed man’s back. “So it’s true! Your Children’s Charity Bureau really does sell children and abuse them. This young master is going to uphold justice and send every one of you to the authorities!”

The goateed man struggled and cursed wildly. “Kid, that’s not how you uphold justice! Do you know who’s backing us?”

“If you don’t want trouble, get lost right now!”

Yun Yaoyao let out a mocking laugh. “Then do you know who I am? Don’t think you can intimidate me by invoking someone else. This young master isn’t afraid!”

“You, go report this to the authorities. The rest of you, take these men and march them through the streets with this young master. Let everyone see how I punish evildoers and uphold justice!”

The goateed man panicked and roared, “Kid, the person above me is from the Du family! The Du family—the number one aristocratic clan in the capital! Crushing you would be as easy as crushing an ant! I advise you not to meddle in matters that don’t concern you!”

“You’re backed by the Du family? Then I’m the emperor!” Yun Yaoyao replied as though she had just heard the most hilarious joke in the world.

The Dragon Shadow Guard desperately held back their laughter. His Majesty was at it again.

By now, how could they still fail to understand? His Majesty was fishing for information, deliberately provoking the man into revealing who was truly behind the Children’s Charity Bureau.

The Dragon Shadow Guard played along at once, chiming in with amused laughter.

“Then we’re the most elite army under the emperor’s command!”

“And I’m the King of the Xiongnu. Hand over one thousand taels of silver, and I’ll give you the entire Xiongnu!”

“The Du family you’re talking about—could it be the neighbor of the second aunt’s son-in-law’s cousin’s distant relative?”

“Hahahaha! What a liar. You don’t even bother drafting your boasts before saying them. You’re quite entertaining.”

The goateed man was utterly enraged. He began spewing curses without restraint. “You ignorant little brats who don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth!”

“Listen carefully. The person above me is the Du family's fifth young master—the fifth young master of Duke Du, Minister Du’s household!”

“Anyone who dares oppose the Du family is dead!”

The goateed man thought that once he revealed this, the arrogant group would tremble with fear and frantically beg for mercy. After all, throughout the entire capital, the Du family was the most powerful—powerful enough to crush anyone beneath them.

Yet he never expected the group to remain completely calm after hearing his words.

The arrogant, foolish young master withdrew the foot she had planted on him. Her gaze suddenly turned cold and fierce.

“So it’s the Du family's fifth young master.”

Confusion and suspicion filled the goateed man’s face. Why weren’t they afraid? Did they even know that he was talking about the Du family—the foremost aristocratic clan in the capital?!

“Have the patrolling Imperial Guards arrived yet?” Yun Yaoyao asked.

The Dragon Shadow Guard was just about to report when a series of hurried yet orderly footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

A contingent of Imperial Guards had arrived in haste.

“Your Highness, they’re here.”

The Imperial Guards rushed in and immediately took the goateed man and the burly men into custody. They also searched the entire Children’s Charity Bureau once more.

The goateed man spotted someone in the Imperial Guard contingent with whom he had a little acquaintance. He immediately called out to him and signaled with his eyes.

Who would have thought that the man would treat him as though he were invisible, ignoring him completely?

The goateed man utterly broke down.

Didn’t this man know that he was from the Du family and had even fawned over him before?

What was going on today?

They clearly knew that his backer was the Du family’s fifth young master. How dare they still act like this? How could they?!

After the search was complete, the Imperial Guard officer respectfully bowed deeply to Yun Yaoyao.

“Your Majesty, we found nine people in charge of the Children’s Charity Bureau, as well as one hundred and three children!”

Yun Yaoyao nodded. “There should still be a group of children who were sent outside to earn money. Find them and bring them back as well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Your… Your Majesty?!

The goateed man’s pupils contracted. The last sliver of hope he had been clinging to finally collapsed.

“I told you just now.”

Yun Yaoyao’s sharp, icy gaze swept across the goateed man, and her voice was like the hand of a vengeful ghost come to claim his life.

“I am the emperor.”

Whoosh!

The goateed man’s face went pale. Under the impact of his violently surging emotions, he fainted on the spot.

At that moment, Gao Chongguang woke up groggily.

Seeing that His Majesty had already dealt with the matter, he immediately began buttering her up and loudly denouncing the Children’s Charity Bureau.

Yun Yaoyao said, “The matter concerning the Children’s Charity Bureau has had a highly detrimental impact. The people involved must be dealt with properly. The bureau must undergo a thorough overhaul, and these children must also be given suitable care and shelter…”

“Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. Leave it to me, and I will certainly handle it properly!” Gao Chongguang declared.

But when he heard that the mastermind behind the Children’s Charity Bureau was the Du family’s fifth young master, Gao Chongguang froze.

It involved the Du family. In that case, perhaps he had better not get involved.

“Your Majesty, this matter is of enormous importance. Would it be appropriate for me to handle it alone…?”

Yun Yaoyao interrupted him.

“Lord Gao, are you worried because this matter is connected to the Du family, and you’re afraid of offending them? Your father is a Vice Minister of Personnel, serving under Du Guanliu, the Minister of Personnel—is that right?”

Gao Chongguang hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”

Yun Yaoyao spoke earnestly, her eyes filled with gentle concern, as though she were looking at one of her most valued ministers.

“Lord Gao, I sincerely admire your abilities.”

What a load of crap.

“Since Lord Zhou and Lord Lin began serving under me, they have both risen to the rank of minister. As for Lord Di, he is quite satisfied with his current post and has no desire for a change.”

“That leaves only you.”

Gao Chongguang’s face filled with emotion. Who wouldn’t say that he was His Majesty’s true favorite after hearing something like that?

“I have always wanted to give you an opportunity for promotion. That opportunity has arrived today.”

“Your father spent his entire life rising no higher than Vice Minister of Personnel. But you—might you be able to use this incident involving the Children’s Charity Bureau to take the position of Minister of Personnel?”

“...Yadda, yadda, yadda…”

“Whether you accept this assignment or not is entirely up to you.”

The combination of heartfelt trust and an enormous, irresistible promise hit Gao Chongguang like a barrage of punches. He felt his breathing grow rapid.

The position of minister—who wouldn’t want it?

Not a single minister had ever appeared in the Gao family genealogy. If he truly had a chance to attain that position, he could start a new genealogy with his own name!

But the Du family would not be easy to deal with…

Who cared whether they were easy to deal with or not? He would deal with them first and worry about the rest later. He would go home and persuade his father to switch sides!

From beginning to end, Gao Chongguang—who was always brimming with confidence, radiating self-assurance, and could only despise others without ever doubting himself—never once questioned whether he was worthy of the position of minister.

Seeing that Gao Chongguang was already tempted, Yun Yaoyao said no more. She merely smiled faintly.

Her encouragement had done its job. Now, all that remained was to see whether Gao Chongguang could give her a pleasant surprise~

As for Pei Qianhuo, he remained dazed the entire way after leaving the Children’s Charity Bureau, as though he were walking on clouds.

The first powerful patron he had ever managed to latch onto was actually His Majesty?

What kind of incredible luck had he stumbled into?

With His Majesty as his backer, who would dare obstruct him from doing business in the future?

More importantly, he could gain access to the latest information and seize the trends, riding the fast ship of the court’s political decisions!

If he had known from the beginning that the person was His Majesty, why would His Majesty have needed to threaten and entice him?

Even if His Majesty had asked him to offer himself, he could have gritted his teeth and agreed!

As Pei Qianhuo reveled in his delight, a sense of crisis suddenly rose in his heart.

His Majesty must have plenty of talented people around him. He was certainly not the only businessman.

If he performed merely averagely among all those talented individuals, His Majesty would surely abandon him. Where else would he find such an incredible patron afterward?

No!

For the time being, he would cut his rest time in half and devote himself wholeheartedly to his business. At the very least, he had to get the business on the right track before he could afford to slack off!

Money-Making Huohuo fears no hardship!

Charge!