“Seize everything!”
The wealthy families of the Imperial Capital were plundered once again.
Under Li Changsheng’s command, the rich households of the Imperial Capital had been stripped so thoroughly that not even a single servant could be hired in many of them. Even in Li Changsheng’s own residence, the total number of servants and maids barely reached ten.
As for the other affluent clans, they had been reduced to utter poverty. The moment any household hired a new servant, Li Changsheng would quickly set his sights on them.
Some families had begun washing their own clothes and cooking their own meals. They could not even afford a chef anymore.
Even certain gentry and nobles had taken to wearing patched garments.
They were truly impoverished.
“You dare! This is the Chen Residence. How dare you behave so recklessly here? Do you have a death wish?”
At the Chen Residence in the Western District, more than one hundred household guards and servants stood at the gates with swords and blades drawn. Facing the army brought by Li Changsheng, they showed no fear whatsoever.
Across the entire Western District, the Chen family was the wealthiest. The reason was simple. The Chen clan was a cultivation family of the Western District. They had once served as Prime Minister in the Great Shang Empire, and their ancestor had been a Saint-level Spiritual Practitioner.
“Those who defy the imperial edict shall be executed without mercy!”
Outside the gates, Li Changsheng let out a cold sneer.
The Chen family alone employed over one hundred servants. Previously, because they had been an influential ministerial household, Li Changsheng had refrained from touching them.
But now the Empire was in crisis. Money and grain were scarce everywhere. Li Changsheng had no choice but to move against these powerful official families.
“Li Wu, you are being outrageous!”
Just as the army prepared to storm inside, a sharp shout rang out.
Li Changsheng paused, lifting his gaze to see an elderly man in official robes standing suspended in midair.
“Lord Chen, it has been a long time.”
Upon seeing the old man, Li Changsheng cupped his hands in greeting.
The elder before him was named Chen Xiuzhen. He was the Imperial Tutor to the princes.
Simply put, Chen Xiuzhen was the teacher responsible for educating imperial princes and grandsons. At the same time, he was also the mentor of the current Emperor, Long Qianqian.
“Li Wu, you dare bring men to ransack this old man’s residence? You have some nerve. Are you trying to rebel?”
Chen Xiuzhen stared coldly at Li Changsheng. Spiritual patterns flickered around his body as the spiritual pressure of a King-level Spiritual Practitioner spread outward.
Li Changsheng’s reputation in the Great Shang Empire was immense. Since the time of the former Emperor, he had been a favored figure. Now, after serving more than a decade as Prime Minister, his influence had reached its peak.
He had offended nearly every noble house in the Imperial Capital. If not for the Emperor’s protection, he would have long been torn apart by angry enemies.
Throughout the court, countless officials despised him.
Yet after so many years of warfare, Li Changsheng had finally turned his blade toward his household.
One only needed to inquire throughout the Imperial Capital. Aside from the most powerful ministers still entrenched in court, nearly every other noble and wealthy household had been plundered by Li Changsheng to the point of ruin.
Chen Xiuzhen’s family had been loyal for generations. Their wealth had been accumulated year after year.
As for corruption and bribery, it was not that there had been none. But no one dared accuse him, and no one could produce evidence.
As the Emperor’s teacher and a high-ranking official, Chen Xiuzhen held tremendous authority. Yet today, Li Changsheng had come to confiscate his estate without the slightest restraint.
“The rise and fall of a nation concerns every citizen. Lord Chen, with so much wealth in your household, should you not contribute a portion?”
Li Changsheng wore a roguish expression. The Chen family’s fortune ranked first in the Western District.
Gold and silver, jewels, spirit jade, medicinal pills, talismans. While not quite rivaling the treasury of a nation, their wealth was vast beyond measure.
He knew very well that the Summer Moon Pavilion in the Western District had shares belonging to the Chen family.
When Li Changsheng had smashed the Summer Moon Pavilion years ago, the ledger of names had been preserved inside his storage pouch.
Every cultivator and official in the Imperial Capital was recorded. Not a single one could escape, and none were wrongly accused.
Though the Chen family kept a low profile, that did not mean they were innocent.
If they were truly innocent, how could they afford to hire more than one hundred servants and maids? If they were innocent, where had such an enormous estate come from? The antique porcelains, magical artifacts, medicinal pills.
Every object here, the artificial lake in the courtyard, the ornamental rockeries, the gardens, the hundreds of halls and pavilions. All of it represented money. Even if Chen Xiuzhen had served as an official for several hundred years, he could not have sustained such an immense household through honest means alone.
When Li Changsheng confiscated estates, he rarely needed elaborate justification. As long as it brought in funds, he could always find a reason.
“I’ll donate your mother’s head!”
Chen Xiuzhen’s face darkened. His family had served loyally for generations, and their ancestor still watched over them. Even if the former Emperor himself had arrived, he would not have barged in to confiscate their property as brazenly as Li Changsheng.
“I will make it clear today. Whoever dares step one foot into the Chen Residence shall be executed without mercy!”
Chen Xiuzhen’s expression turned icy as spiritual energy erupted from him, carrying terrifying spiritual pressure.
The mortal soldiers at the gates exchanged uneasy glances. Shock filled their hearts. None dared act rashly.
Having followed Li Changsheng for so many years, they had all profited handsomely. Each had grown wealthy. Yet they also understood that this kind of work, making enemies of powerful families, could not be done for long.
Every few years, Li Changsheng would rotate the troops. The previous batch of soldiers would inevitably be sent to the battlefield.
That was why Li Changsheng tolerated his subordinates lining their pockets. They were trading their lives for wealth to support their families.
“Very well, Lord Chen. Since you insist on defying the imperial edict, do not blame this Prime Minister for abandoning courtesy.”
Li Changsheng sneered and rose into the air as well. A flash of spiritual light flickered in his eyes. As his lifespan burned rapidly within him, blue spiritual patterns identical to Chen Xiuzhen’s surfaced across his body.
Chen Xiuzhen’s heart jolted at the sight. This Li Wu had once been merely a minor Spiritual Practitioner. Yet in recent years, he had advanced to the realm of a King-level Spiritual Practitioner.
No wonder he had become Prime Minister. With such talent and audacity, he was indeed capable of holding the highest office in the Great Shang Empire.
“Lord Chen, a wise man does not suffer immediate losses. If you truly defy the imperial edict, do you think you can escape?”
“Li Wu, you go too far! What has the Chen family done to offend you? You press us to the brink like this. Our wealth was accumulated through generations of hard effort. By what right do you simply confiscate it?” Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
Chen Xiuzhen glared at Li Changsheng in fury. The Chen family’s fortune had been amassed over more than 1,000 years. It was worth billions of spirit stones. How could he possibly hand it over?
It was not that he did not love the Great Shang Empire. But this wealth was the foundation of the Chen clan. How could he give it away for nothing?
“If the Great Shang Empire falls, what use will this wealth be? Over the years, I have obtained no less than your Chen family. Yet I have already donated it all.”
“You lose wealth, but other families have lost lives. How many citizens of the Great Shang Empire have gone to the battlefield? And you, a high-ranking official and the Emperor’s teacher, cling to wealth as if your life depends on it. If I report this to the Emperor, how do you think His Majesty will view you?”
“Li Wu, I cannot out-argue you. But remember this. I will remember this hatred. One day, I will reclaim it with double interest.”
Chen Xiuzhen’s teeth ground in fury. He had never seen someone so shameless, invoking patriotism and national duty as justification.
Li Changsheng understood clearly. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it had been precisely such gentry and nobles who refused to donate funds or pay taxes, ultimately leading to the dynasty’s collapse.
If the Ming Emperor had possessed greater resolve, it might not have fallen so easily.
“Move everything!”
With Li Changsheng’s command, the soldiers surged forward and stormed into the Chen Residence, beginning to plunder its wealth.
…
Cart after cart of gold and silver treasures, sack after sack of grain, were hauled out.
The soldiers scrambled greedily. Chen Xiuzhen descended to the ground, watching them with a cold gaze.
The household guards gripped their swords in anger. Family members wept openly. Women wailed in despair.
But they could do nothing. They could only watch helplessly as everything of value in their home was emptied out.
“Lord, there is an underground treasury here!”
A shout rang out from the distance. Chen Xiuzhen’s expression changed instantly as he flew toward the source.
“Outrageous! You have already taken everything. What more do you want? That area is forbidden. No one is allowed near it!”
Deep in the Rear Courtyard Plaza stood an ancient abandoned house. Overgrown with weeds and cluttered with discarded objects, it had long been uninhabited.
Seeing Chen Xiuzhen’s anxious reprimand, Li Changsheng’s brows furrowed.
Clearly, Chen Xiuzhen was hiding something.
Beneath the abandoned house lay a hidden treasury. Its entrance was sealed with thick iron plates and weighed down by massive stone statues.
“Open it.”
After a brief moment of thought, Li Changsheng gave the order.
“Li Wu, do not push your luck. You have already taken so much. Are you still not satisfied?”
Chen Xiuzhen’s voice was icy.
“Hah, Lord Chen. I am merely carrying out the imperial edict. If there is nothing here, why are you so nervous?”