Chapter 516: The Furious Qi Emperor Gao Ying

In early February, Jinyang still retained its chill.

Evening.

The lingering sunlight filtered through the palace windows, casting mottled light and shadow upon the golden brick floor.

The palace lamps in the outer corridor had not yet been lit, and the hall was already dim with a somber gloom.

In the side pavilion, the thirty‑something Qi Emperor Gao Ying wore a dragon robe, a jeweled belt at his waist, his dark hair tied with a golden crown; his face, which should have radiated vigor, was now clouded with gloom.

He propped one hand on the imperial desk, while the other impatiently flipped through the stacked memorials.

Each page was filled with reports of "soaring prices" and "people unable to make a living," causing his brows to knit tightly and his breathing to grow heavy.

At that moment, the faint footsteps of an inner attendant came from outside the hall; a servant in blue palace attire bowed and entered, his expression respectful yet cautious: "Your Majesty, Minister of Revenue Lou has arrived, already waiting outside the hall."

Upon hearing this, Gao Ying narrowed his eyes sharply, a flash of harshness passing through his gaze; the pent‑up fury instantly found an outlet, and he slammed the imperial desk, bellowing, "Bring him in at once!"

"Yes! I'll go right away!"

The attendant dared not delay, immediately bowing and hurrying away, scrambling to summon him.

A moment later, a figure hurried into the hall—it was Minister of Revenue Lou Ting.

He was about fifty, usually composed and capable, but now wore an anxious expression; upon entering he stepped forward quickly and, facing Gao Ying, bowed deeply: "I, Lou Ting, have seen Your Majesty!"

"Hmph!"

Gao Ying let out a cold snort, his gaze like a blade fixing on Lou Ting; before he could even rise, he erupted in anger, demanding sharply, "Lou Ting! Tell me why, in recent months, prices have risen so rapidly?!"

He sprang to his feet, the hem of his dragon robe sweeping across the imperial desk, rattling the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone atop it: "I have just read the reports—land prices compared with November last year have already multiplied fivefold! Food prices have risen more than eightfold!"

Because of the preoccupation with moving large carts, plus the busy New Year festivities and numerous banquets, the less conspicuous economic issues had not been given much thought…

And it was left to this point, developing to an absurd degree!

Lou Ting was startled by the sudden fury, his knees went weak, and he nearly fell to his knees.

He forced himself to steady his mind, straightened his back, yet dared not lift his head to meet Gao Ying's gaze; he kept his head down, fine beads of sweat already beading at his temples.

"Your… Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Lou Ting's voice trembled with panic as he tried to soothe the emperor's wrath: "Price fluctuations are commonplace; perhaps… perhaps it is because our great Qi has recently enjoyed thriving commerce, frequent north‑south trade, and abundant material circulation, leading to a normal price increase…"

The moment he spoke, the hall fell into dead silence.

Gao Ying stared at Lou Ting, the fury in his eyes nearly bursting forth.

As an emperor, even though he resided in the inner palace, he understood the people's livelihood; an eightfold rise in grain prices had long exceeded any "normal increase."

Lou Ting's explanation was clearly a perfunctory excuse!

"Nonsense!"

Gao Ying's angry shout rang through the hall like thunder, shaking the palace lamps in the corridor so that they trembled slightly.

He kicked the leg of the imperial desk hard, and the heavy desk emitted a resounding "clang!"

Brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone scattered across the floor, the black ink splashing onto the bright yellow memorials, spreading large stains.

"What the hell are you saying?!"

Gao Ying pointed at Lou Ting, his chest heaving with anger, the golden threads on his dragon robe flashing dazzlingly in the dim light.

He grew increasingly angry, his voice suddenly rising, bearing imperial authority and seething rage: "These wildly soaring prices—how could they be normal?!"

Lou Ting was so frightened his face turned pale; with a "thud" he fell to his knees, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold golden bricks, his whole body trembling like a shaken sack.

He knew any defense now was futile, yet dared not reveal the truth; forced to steel himself, he racked his brain for a ridiculous excuse, his voice as thin as a mosquito's: "Your… Your Majesty, please calm your anger; perhaps it is because Your Majesty's benevolence spreads far, the world unites under you, even Heaven aids our great Qi, so prices naturally… naturally rise with the tide…"

After all, behind the soaring prices were not only wealthy merchants hoarding goods, but also many members of the Imperial Clan, including himself, covertly stoking the surge and seizing the opportunity to amass wealth…

If such inside information were revealed, it would be a capital crime!

"Silence!" Gao Ying barked, his eyes full of contempt and impatience.

He paused, inhaled deeply, suppressing the raging fury within, his gaze like a cold blade piercing Lou Ting, his tone icy and resolute: "Lou Ting, I don't care what methods you use, you must tightly control all prices and bring them back to reasonable levels!"

"I… I obey!" Lou Ting lay on the ground, his voice trembling with sobs, his forehead already bruised red, "I will spare no effort, and will not fail the trust You Majesty has placed in me!"

Gao Ying cast a sideways glance at the uncle, waved his hand with disgust, his tone laced with impatience: "Step back! Don't be an eyesore here!"

"I withdraw!"

Lou Ting, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly knelt and stepped back a few paces; when he rose he nearly stumbled, staggering as he bowed and exited the hall.

The hall doors were gently closed by the inner attendant, and the hall instantly returned to silence, leaving only Gao Ying's heavy breathing.

Gao Ying furrowed his brows, murmuring to himself: "There must be something fishy in here; such an outrageous increase could not have arisen from nothing…"

He thought of this, then abruptly looked up, his gaze turning toward the deep shadows within the hall.

There, a tall figure stood, clad in Xuanse Jinshen, almost merging with the darkness; without close observation, one could not even perceive its presence.

"Send word to Ku Di Gan," Gao Ying's voice was low and powerful, "order him to immediately investigate the price surge covertly, starting from the major money houses, merchants, and grain shops, and be sure to root out all the behind‑the‑scenes instigators!"

"No matter who is involved, even members of the Imperial Clan, all shall be severely punished without mercy, no leniency!"

The shadowed figure bowed slightly, responding in a hoarse, low tone: "As you command!"

As the words faded, the figure slipped away like Guimo, silent, and the hall once again fell into quiet.

Gao Ying walked to the window, pushed open half of it, and a biting cold wind mixed with fine snowflakes surged in, his eyes filled with depth…

——

PS: A Little Time‑Travel Classroom on What Inflation Is? And How to Reasonably Use Inflation?

To aid understanding, Wan Feng tells a short story.

There was a village where the village head opened a noodle shop, selling a pound of noodles for one coin; everyone lived peacefully.

One day, the village head secretly printed ten thousand coins, but being clever, he did not distribute them directly; instead he first approached his cousin and brother‑in‑law.

He lent each of them three thousand coins to start businesses, with very low interest.

The brother‑in‑law used the money to buy all the village's salt, and the cousin used his to purchase all the good land in the village.

A month later, the villagers noticed something strange: noodle prices rose to two coins, salt to three coins, land prices multiplied fivefold, and everyone cursed the dreaded inflation.

But looking closely at this inflation, who made money? The village chief printed 10,000 yuan, spending first and profiting first; the brother‑in‑law stockpiled salt, monopolized it and raised the price; the cousin bought assets that appreciated; the other villagers' wages didn't rise, so their purchasing power was greatly reduced.

And seeing this, as wise as each of you godfathers, you must already understand the cause of the malignant inflation in Qi State.