Chapter 226: Don’t Know How to Earn Money, but Still Don’t Know How to Spend It?

Ever since waking from his coma, Ji Xuanmo had been sulking. He refused to eat or take his medicine, making only one demand: "I want to see the Emperor."

Unfortunately, the Emperor wouldn’t see him, so he refused to communicate, threatening to hunger strike to death. Then, he learned that Ji Feifei had been captured.

He scrambled to his feet and began pounding on the door, begging the Emperor to let her go.

"She’s innocent! She’s innocent... Let her go! How can you do this to her?"

"If you have a problem, come after me! Don’t hurt an innocent person!"

But no matter how much Ji Xuanmo yelled, no one paid him any mind, aside from the daily delivery of his food and medicine.

The people who brought him his things were as if their mouths had been sewn shut. No matter what they heard or saw, they never said a single word in reply.

With his pleas for help going unanswered and being locked up indefinitely, he finally broke down. "Tyrant!" he screamed. "You’re a tyrant!"

"I don’t even want to return to my ancestral clan anymore! What more do you want?"

"What will it take for you to let me go?"

But no matter how hoarsely he shouted, no one came to acknowledge him.

The might of the Imperial Family was no joke. Whether he wanted to rejoin the clan or not was no longer up to him.

He was being held in a palace, guarded in shifts by over a hundred members of the Imperial Guard. Until the full truth came to light, he wasn’t going anywhere, and no one would pay him any mind.

As for rescuing him, that was even more impossible.

The Imperial Palace was not a place just anyone could waltz into these days.

Xiao Yang wasn’t worried. She set him aside and tended to matters of the court first.

She held a small banquet for the seventy-two new scholars, then sent them to the Six Ministries for rotational training.

Once they passed the training assessment, they would be formally granted official posts and dispatched to various regions to gain experience. After they had achieved some results, they would be evaluated on their performance and slowly promoted. How high they could ultimately climb depended entirely on their own abilities.

’Historically, the imperial examinations were held once every three years. Xiao Yang felt that was too long. With systematic learning, they could be held annually. That way, the old guard would feel the pressure of the newcomers nipping at their heels—a great motivator to keep them working hard.’

----

The fifth day of the fourth month was the Emperor’s birthday.

While preparing for the imperial examinations, the Ministry of Rites was also preparing for the Emperor’s birthday banquet.

The Minister of Revenue this year was Mu Yunlian, who was, if nothing else, obscenely rich.

The Ministry of Rites had never had such a lavish budget to work with; they were practically dizzy from all the money being thrown at them.

Lord Mu had laid down the law: Her Majesty had missed her coming-of-age hairpin ceremony and would have no capping ceremony, so her eighteenth birthday was to be treated as her official coming-of-age celebration. It was Her Majesty’s most important day, and everything had to be the best. If they messed it up, they could forget about getting another cent from the Ministry of Revenue for the rest of the year.

It was a clear message. They might not know how to earn money, but they certainly knew how to spend it.

The people from the Ministry of Rites went all out, coming up with one extravagant idea after another on how to burn through the money. By the Emperor’s birthday, they had assembled a giant dragon carved from gold and jade, a lotus throne of pure gold, and enough flowers to blanket the Imperial Garden. Human-height stalks of blood coral were used as tree branches, and even the pendants on the wind chimes lining the paths were made of solid gold.

Lotuses that should bloom in the seventh month were blooming in the fourth, and the lake’s surface was so densely packed with them it looked as though one could walk on it.

Xiao Yang was left speechless.

’This is what you get from a bunch of men’s aesthetic sensibilities. I’m not seeing much beauty, just the gaudy taste of the newly rich.’

Xiao Yang stared at them, dumbfounded, while their eyes, one and all, were filled with pride and expectation.

They were proud of the sheer luxury they had created and expectant of the Emperor’s praise.

Xiao Yang felt a pang in her chest from exasperation. She turned to Mu Yunlian. "You just let them waste money like this?"

Mu Yunlian wasn’t entirely satisfied, but it was clear he still thought it was quite good.

"If Your Majesty wishes to enjoy beautiful scenery, what scenery in this world is beyond your reach? But today is Your Majesty’s birthday. The goal is to create something ordinary people will never see in their entire lives."

"We must let everyone know of Your Majesty’s wealth. We must make them remember the luxury and grandeur of this day. Elegance and prettiness are not what’s needed at this moment."

Rong Yin and Li Wei were standing nearby and expressed their agreement. Clearly, they were of the same mind on this matter.

Everything Her Majesty possessed should be the most noble, most luxurious, and most difficult-to-obtain things in the world.

If they could, they would have replaced every brick, pillar, and tile of the Imperial Palace with solid gold.

Xie Liuzheng seemed to understand what they were getting at. "Your Majesty, in a Dragon Nest, gold is piled up like mountains. It requires no special arrangement or design, yet it draws everyone in the world to flock to it. The same principle applies here."

Whether it was tacky or not was unimportant. What was important was that it was dazzling enough to blind every last guest at the banquet today.

The Imperial Palace represents power, status, and supreme authority on earth. It cannot be merely elegant; it must be magnificently resplendent.

Just then, a brilliant flash of light glinted off the decorations and into Xiao Yang’s eyes. ’So, my eyes don’t matter, is that it?’

Mu Yunlian and the others hadn’t just decorated the surroundings to be dazzlingly brilliant; they themselves had also prepared their attire with special care, each one more handsome and exquisitely dressed than the last.

Everything belonging to the Emperor should be top-tier. That included her men.

Mu Yunlian was dressed in purple and gold, his black hair held by a golden crown, looking as beautiful as a princely fox spirit. Rong Yin wore black and gold, exuding a cold, handsome, and naturally noble air. Li Wei was in an ink-blue robe embroidered with the totems of fierce beasts, his presence imposing and majestic. Xu Xingchen was in snow-white robes embroidered with gold thread, looking both innocent and dashing.

Each of the four men had his own unique charm, and together, they were a dazzling sight to behold.

But their gazes followed only one figure—the one in gold and red.

As the star of the birthday celebration, Xiao Yang wore a bright red Dragon Robe. It was tailored for a woman, without a train, and her hair was adorned with a hair crown and golden pins.

Beautiful and exquisite, noble and magnificent.

Mu Yunlian’s eyes were nearly overflowing with adoration. "Your Majesty keeps saying today is too extravagant, but I feel that all the luxury in this garden cannot compare to Your Majesty alone."

No one refuted his words.

Xu Xingchen couldn’t help but bite his lip, his bright eyes holding a morbidly obsessive glint. ’I want to hide Her Majesty away, but I can’t. In that case... could Her Majesty hide me away instead?’

As Li Wei turned, he caught a glimpse of Xu Xingchen’s expression and paused.

’Those other two already seemed unhinged, but this one, who looks so innocent, might be even crazier.’

’But it seems the Emperor is quite fond of these three unhinged men.’

Li Wei, who considered himself the normal one, began to question his own life.

Preparations for the Emperor of Da Wei’s birthday had begun long in advance. Envoys from various nations had rushed over. Of the previous seven countries, Beimeng was now gone, but with the addition of the Longchuan Country and the Qiang Kingdom, there were now eight nations represented.

With the precedent set by Xirong and Beimeng, the eight nations were now on their best behavior. They did whatever the officials from the Ministry of Rites instructed, entered politely, let themselves be blinded by the splendor, bowed respectfully, presented their gifts, and then took their seats.

Everyone had put a great deal of thought into their gifts for the Emperor, but alas, Da Wei was now so prosperous, and Mu Yunlian so wealthy, that all their presents seemed rather shabby in comparison.

In the end, all the gifts were handed over to the presiding Ritual Officer to be put away, rather than being presented publicly and causing embarrassment.

"We congratulate Your Imperial Majesty! May you have great health and endless fortune, may your empire be everlasting, and may you live a life without bounds!"

"You may all rise."

The music began and the banquet commenced. Palace Attendants streamed in with fine wine and delicacies, and the entire Imperial Garden buzzed with lively activity.

The banquet proceeded with exceptional smoothness.

In truth, with that ’Son of Fortune’ in the palace, Xiao Yang had expected him to escape and cause a scene. But he never appeared, not even by the time she left the banquet.

What she didn’t know was just how speechless the Commander in charge of the guards was at that moment.

First, General Li had come by. He checked that the prisoner was still there, gave the guards a stern lecture, and repeated his orders to watch him carefully several times before finally leaving, still looking unconvinced.

Then, Heir Lv arrived, gave a few instructions, and left.

After that, Prince Jing, the Regent King, and Xiao Hong all came by, one after another.

The original single layer of guards became a double, then triple, then quadruple layer. Finally, Doctor Han delivered a bowl of medicine that knocked Ji Xuanmo out cold.

The guard Commander: "..."

He didn’t know how to describe the feeling. In short, he was utterly speechless.