Chapter 284: I Say You Are Tired

"Truly a land of wealth, a place of prosperity!"

Stepping into the home of the Changguan Marquis, the moment one entered, a delicate and elegant fragrance rushed to meet them.

The place where Shen Yu appeared was right next to a pond as clear as crystal, filled with pale pink lotus flowers, each one standing tall and graceful, truly captivating.

The courtyard beside the pond was planted with even more flowers, looking like scattered stars from afar. A gentle breeze blew toward this side, emitting waves of faint fragrance that made one feel refreshed upon smelling it.

Shen Yu had once obtained the "Hundred Herbs Classic" through check-ins, which contained detailed records of the habits, effects, and even the mutual generation and restraint of various exotic flowers and herbs in this World.

He could clearly see that many of the flowers in that courtyard were exotic species, each one worth a fortune.

No wonder the fragrance was so intoxicating and mentally stimulating. Being long exposed to such floral scents even had the miraculous effect of improving one's constitution and boosting one's spirit.

One had to admit, the Changguan Marquis was truly extravagant. Unfortunately, most of this was the fat and blood of the people, rather than wealth accumulated over generations.

Around the pond, the landscape was winding, with artificial mountains piled in layers and exquisite, slender rock peaks. These rockeries and peaks were crafted with unique and superb skill, clearly the work of a master.

It gave one a feeling of solemnity yet elegance, perfectly integrated with the surrounding scenery.

Above the pond, a thin layer of mist seemed to rise under the sunlight. For a moment, there was even a sense of being ethereal and immortal; it was truly beautiful.

The decorations inside the Changguan Marquis's residence were exquisite and elegant; they appeared no different from those of other dukes and marquises, but in reality, every single item was worth a thousand pieces of gold.

In the past, the ancestor of the Changguan Marquis fought on the battlefield, invincible, and was a man who cherished the people, his loyalty filling the heavens and earth.

Years ago, before the ancestor of the Changguan Marquis was titled as such, he once led three thousand old and weak soldiers to resist eighty thousand cavalrymen to cover the escape of a city's people, fighting to the death without retreating.

With those three thousand old and weak, he forcibly crushed the eighty thousand cavalry, becoming famous from that one battle.

After this battle, the arrowheads removed from his body weighed over ten jin, and the scars on his body were countless; even he himself fell into a coma due to severe injuries.

Yet, when he woke up, the first question he asked was whether the people of the city had escaped.

Unfortunately, his descendants were unworthy. By the time it reached the current Changguan Marquis, the family tradition had gradually soured, the house style had decayed, and they began to prey upon the people and bully the good.

If the old Changguan Marquis knew his descendants were like this, he would likely take up a three-foot sword and come out to purge the family himself.

According to the intelligence provided by Liang Ruyue, this Changguan Marquis was not simple. At first, he was cautious in his plundering, but later his courage grew. Eventually, he even dared to embezzle disaster relief grain at will.

Yet for so many years, while many of his subordinates had been arrested for corruption and bribery, he alone remained standing.

There was no help for it; everyone knew he was not clean, but there was simply no direct evidence. Every time, someone would volunteer to take the blame, and it would never implicate him in the slightest.

Precisely because there was no evidence, even Chen Xing, a Three-Dynasty Elder, could do nothing to him, only glaring at him in anger each time, helpless even while grinding his teeth in hatred.

However, although he could not be taken down, removing his position to vent some anger was still possible.

More than ten years ago, when the Changguan Marquis Mou Qing was still in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, Chen Xing had him stripped of all his posts.

Now, this Changguan Marquis was idling at home, drinking and making merry every day, living quite happily.

It was said that the Changguan Marquis Mou Qing was over eighty years old this year, yet he showed no signs of aging and could still handle three women a night. A corrupt official, living a life that made one want to beat him just hearing about it.

The intelligence from Liang Ruyue also lacked direct evidence to prove he was a massive embezzler, but he was still listed at the very top.

The greed of the Changguan Marquis was practically known to all, and even he himself sometimes admitted that he was indeed a corrupt official. But there was just no way to deal with him; one simply could not find decisive evidence.

Afterward, if he denied it, he would just say it was a drunken joke—what could you do to him? You couldn't take down a dignified First Rank Marquis just because of a joke.

Even the Black-Clad Guard was at a loss for what to do with him; one had to admit this old fellow truly had some tricks up his sleeve.

"Marquis, come, let this official toast you once more!"

At this moment, the Changguan Marquis Mou Qing was hosting guests at home, with dancing girls fluttering about, each one charming and alluring.

The sound of strings and bamboo drifted into his ears, seemingly making one feel refreshed and clear-headed; it was evident that the musical technique was already at a supernatural level.

Inside the room, the guests were drinking and exchanging cups, all of them in high spirits, their eyes burning as they watched the dancing girls.

Who didn't know that the dancing girls in the Changguan Marquis's house were all raised from childhood? Thousands of young girls with outstanding looks were trained for over a decade, and finally, the most excellent few dozen were selected from among them.

Truly one in a hundred, each one was proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, not losing at all to ordinary young ladies of noble families.

At this moment, although the Changguan Marquis Mou Qing was over eighty, he looked no different from someone in his forties or fifties, and even his hair was only slightly gray.

At this time, his clothes were half-open, acting in a dissolute manner, half-reclining there while two beautiful maids carefully served him.

Holding a wine goblet in one hand, he looked at the crowd below with their burning eyes, a flash of disdain crossing his own. If he didn't have use for these people, why would he ever associate with this bunch of trash?

"If you colleagues are drunk, then why not let these dancing servants send you back later!"

"Many thanks, Marquis!" Hearing this, everyone below had a look of joy; Mou Qing's meaning was self-evident—they would divide the dancing girls present, and from then on, they would be women of their own chambers.

Although there was a possibility of being monitored, these girls were truly beautiful, and a bed of gentleness was always something one could not resist!

"Truly extravagant!" Shen Yu had already sensed the scene inside the room; calling it debauched and licentious would not be an exaggeration at all.

Shen Yu had even seen a few of these people before; had the officials of the Ministry of Revenue become this blatant now?

"Marquis, this time the position of Minister of Revenue is yours for the taking. Besides you, Marquis, who else can make up for the emptiness of the national treasury, and who else can support the court's finances!"

Amidst the drinking and toasting, someone had already begun to flatter him. Chen Xing, the Minister of Revenue, was seriously ill in bed; he had been attacked because of the empty treasury and, feeling mentally exhausted, had requested to retire to his hometown.

Consequently, the position of Minister of Revenue was now vacant, and many had their eyes on it, including, of course, the Changguan Marquis before them.

If it weren't for this matter, these few items before him wouldn't be worth his effort to win over.

"That's right, that old fellow Chen Xing relied on his seniority to suppress you, Marquis, these past few years; it's truly detestable."

"In the past, when you, Marquis, were in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, when did the Ministry ever lack money? But now, they lack money every few days, they have deficits every few days; it's just because they are useless!"

"In my opinion, only you, Marquis, have the ability to turn the tide. This position of Minister of Revenue, besides you, Marquis, who else could sit in it!"

"Hahaha, come, drink!" With a hearty laugh, Mou Qing did not take up the topic, but instead raised his wine goblet to the crowd below and drained it in one gulp.

Even he felt that this position of Minister of Revenue was his for the taking.

In the vast imperial court, how many people were there who had the means to make up for the treasury's deficit and support the entire court's finances? And how many dared to oppose him?

I am determined to take this position, and no one can stop me!