Chapter 254
[The one on the left is called Qian Bao. He is the eldest grandson of the emperor's wet nurse. True to his name, he is the treasure of the Qian family.
Unfortunately, with the emperor as his backer, this person has been spoiled since childhood, developing a lawless temperament.
Lining his own pockets and treating the emperor's private treasury as his own storehouse, pocketing many good things—these are just minor offenses.]
Treating the emperor's private treasury as his own is considered a minor offense?
"Then what is a major offense?" Is he trying to ascend to heaven?
Yue Fuguang asked while following the Crown Prince inside, casually casting a discreet glance at the fawning Qian Bao.
This man's days were numbered!
The private treasury was vast, four or five meters high, lined with many dark wooden shelves and chests.
The air smelled of wood and old things.
Xie Zhiyan must have been a frequent visitor, as he skillfully found an incense burner on an empty table in the middle.
Before long, a faint scent of plum blossoms reached Yue Fuguang's nose, gradually diluting the stale air in the storehouse.
[Of course, it's raiding the emperor's home!]
Xie Zhiyan's hand trembled, almost dropping the jade ruyi in his grasp.
Xie Zhiyan felt helpless in his heart. The Divine Artifact Lord spoke so... so boldly!
Under the heavens, only the emperor raided others' homes. Who would dare to raid the emperor's home?
Yue Fuguang had the same doubt. "Little Zhu, are you sure you didn't say it backwards? Qian Bao, a minor seventh-rank official, raiding the emperor's home?"
[Master, Little Zhu is not speaking nonsense. Before the allied forces of the three nations broke into the imperial city, this Qian Bao used the convenience of his position.
Along with another minor official named Fei Wu and a few guards on duty at the private treasury, he secretly transported all the good things out of the private treasury.
Later, during the internal chaos of the imperial city, he gathered a group of eunuchs to rob and steal from various palaces, making off with a lot of valuables.
Does this not count as raiding the emperor's home?
The pair of jasper paperweights crafted by Master Mo, which the emperor liked most in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, ultimately fell into his hands.]
At this moment, Yue Fuguang rested her hand on a wooden shelf. The bottom tier of the shelf displayed beautifully shaped bottles of various colors—white, cyan, and multi-colored.
Unfortunately, after leaving this world, to Yue Fuguang, these things would be no different from ordinary flower vases.
Just like the calligraphy and paintings placed on the top tier, if antiques do not carry relevant history, what difference is there between them and other objects?
Therefore, she hadn't placed a single painting, calligraphy work, or bottle in her storage ring's collection. It was better to leave the civilization of this world right here.
Yue Fuguang merely admired them briefly before turning to walk further back. As she turned, she acutely noticed a flash of bright yellow passing by the open door of the private treasury.
With a guess in her heart, she couldn't help but agree with the system, "That is indeed no different from a raid. This Qian Bao looks honest and simple-minded; I didn't expect him to be such a bold and treacherous person inside."
[Master, don't be fooled by his appearance. Don't be deceived by how cautious and timid he acts in front of you and the Crown Prince right now.
Little do you know, behind the scenes, relying on the fact that the emperor drank his grandmother's milk, he bullies his colleagues at work. It's only because you two came today; if someone of a lower status came, they wouldn't even get to see him.
To enter this door, one would have to give a lot of bribes.
Outside the palace, he bullies men and oppresses women, committing many evil deeds. Despite his ugly appearance, it doesn't stop him from liking beauties.
And he is not picky about gender. He is a regular customer at both the Spring Hiding Pavilion and the Spring Painting Pavilion.]
Yue Fuguang came to a jade shelf. The jade wares on the shelf gathered the colors of the rainbow, and each piece was of premium quality.
Some were carved into various shapes, including jewelry and ornaments, while others were just raw stones waiting to be carved and polished.
On the next tier down, there were a few bronze objects with dark green rust on them.
A few paintings hung on the wall here, depicting landscapes, flowers, and birds. The paper looked a bit old, and there were seals stamped on them; they must be the work of masters.
Yue Fuguang thought for a moment and still picked a few beautiful paintings of flowers, birds, fish, insects, and landscapes, holding them in her arms.
Seeing that she had found things she liked, Xie Zhiyan walked over and said, "Lord Junior Preceptor, I will help you put them in the chest."
She looked in the direction Xie Zhiyan pointed. On the ground next to the incense burner table, several large chests had been placed at some point.
It must have been Xie Zhiyan who brought them for her to put things in.
"He plays that wildly? If I remember correctly, those two pavilions are also industry leaders, housing many top-tier courtesans and male escorts. They are genuine money-squandering dens.
How can a tiny seventh-rank official like him afford to frequent such places, even if he has some family wealth?
Does his family own a mine?"
Yue Fuguang guessed that his theft of items from the emperor's private treasury must have occurred during the later years of Emperor Mingxi. The emperor was still vigorous and energetic now; surely Qian Bao wouldn't dare to do it yet?
Yue Fuguang continued walking inward. On a shelf, she saw some weapons.
A sword rested in its scabbard, a bow hung on the wall, and next to the bow was a quiver containing a few feathered arrows.
"Little Zhu, give me the blueprints for the repeating crossbow when we get back."
[Master, I also have the blueprints for a siege crossbow here. Do you want them?]
"We are not laying siege to any city right now. Keep them for yourself for now."
Standing to the side, Xie Zhiyan really wanted to say that laying siege was only a matter of time, and there would definitely be a chance to use the siege crossbow.
Unfortunately, he didn't dare to utter a single word.
However, he quickly got over it. With the repeating crossbow, this trip to the private treasury was already very fruitful, not to mention learning about a national pest.
He had heard quite a few bad rumors about his imperial father's wet nurse, Madam Liu's in-laws. Last spring, the second branch of the Qian family, living in the suburbs of the capital, was even sued at the county office for embezzling their neighbor's land.
For his imperial father's sake, the county magistrate handled the matter leniently. If his subordinates hadn't encountered it while running errands, he wouldn't have known about it.
His imperial father indeed indulged the families of his two wet nurses, Madam Liu and Madam Wei, a bit too much!
Several large chests were placed in the corner with their lids closed. Not knowing what was inside, she looked at the dust accumulated on them, then at her own moon-white gauze dress, and Yue Fuguang's curiosity instantly vanished.
Xie Zhiyan walked up to a shelf on her left, picked up a small box, and opened the lid. Inside was a round bead; it was light green and not very bright.
He said to Yue Fuguang, "Lord Junior Preceptor, please look. This is a luminous pearl sent in as tribute by a foreign state."
Yue Fuguang looked at the pearl. Upon hearing the name 'luminous pearl,' her legs moved faster than her brain, unconsciously stepping back two paces.
Seeing her reaction, Xie Zhiyan's hand paused. Suddenly, he felt as if the pearl in his hand weighed a thousand catties. No, he couldn't hold it up anymore!
"Lord Junior Preceptor, do you think there is a problem with this pearl?"
He tossed the pearl back into the box. His movement no longer retained the careful caution he had when he first picked it up.
"Little Zhu, help me scan this. Is this luminous pearl made of fluorite, willemite, or a radioactive uranium mineral?"
Yue Fuguang shook her head. "I don't know if there is a problem with this pearl, but when I was at the Daoist temple, I heard that the light from some luminous pearls is toxic.
Even if a healthy person stays with it for a long time, it can cause illness, even terminal illness."