166 Raid

” Achoo!” Zhai Tianyu who was far away in his imperial palace sneezed as he looked at the plan that the special army has come up with to raid Liu Hui Ying’s father’s treasury. ” Do we need to do this now?” He asked Zhai Heng who was sitting in front of him when he saw that his brother was looking at him with a confused look on his face. ” And you don’t have to look at me like that, I am simply asking this because I am worried that the Queen will stop the investigation.”

” I know that this is not the time to do this but the special army needs funds to function and you know that we won’t be able to get any funds from the imperial palace, the finance ministry is completely in control of the left prime minister and the Dowager Empress.” Zhai Heng reported the situation as it was to Zhai Tianyu who pursed his lips in silence. ” You do understand that if we were to bring the petition of funding the special troops what we will get right?”

” I understand.” Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes, he did not want to raid the house of the Queen’s father tonight given that he still needed her help but given that the special troops needed funds he could not ignore it. His eyes glinted sharply as he looked at the astronomical amount that was in front of him, he would be lying if he did not find it humiliating.

He was the Emperor, there should be nothing that he could not buy but the truth was that he was still a mere puppet in the hands of the Liu family. They did not even let him have enough money to squander, he did have a budget but that budget was nowhere enough for him to use on his special troops.

It would not be wrong for him to say that compared to him who was the Emperor, Liu Hui Ying who was the Queen was a lot richer given the dowry that she brought with her was bigger than his monthly budget.

” We will raid Minister Liu’s house tonight, you can make preparations according to it, Vice commander.”

....

” I feel a chill crawling up my spine,” Liu Hui Ying who was holding her chopsticks suddenly spoke causing Jia Li and the others to pause as they all turned to look at her in confusion and said, ” Since when did you start to have chills ?”

Li Gang asked as he took his seat and then picked up the chopsticks that were kept in front of him. He rolled his eyes and added, ” You are the only one who can bring chills to others–”

.....

A loud bang echoed in the room as Li Gang was sent toppling to the ground when a talisman was thrown at the back of his head. He groaned in pain but neither Jia Li nor Granny Lan Fen had any sympathy for him, in fact, Jia Li even rubbed salt on his injuries by calling him an idiot.

” I just feel like I am going to make a loss today,” Liu Hui Ying picked up the pickled pig feet and then brought it to her mouth before taking a bite as she pursed her lips and slowly chewed it. ” I don’t understand how I am going to take a loss today. As far as I know, it should be the opposite of making a loss right?”

She thought over what she had done today and no matter how she thought over it, she couldn’t think of anything that will make her face a loss.

But her instincts were telling her that something was wrong, was it not? But if something was going to go wrong what was it?

” Your majesty,” a voice came from the other side of the sliding door and Liu Hui Ying raised her head to look at the delicate door that was closed at the moment and asked, ” What is it?”

” Your majesty, Concubine Ji is here to see you,” the maid who was standing outside answered and Liu Hui Ying clapped her hands and pointed at the sliding door and exclaimed, ” I knew that my gut feeling can never make a wrong guess.”

” Your majesty?” Because her voice was not soft at all, the maid who was standing behind the door heard her and was startled causing Liu Hui Ying to soften her voice as she said, “It’s nothing, send her in.”

” As you say, your majesty.” The maid walked away and Liu Hui Ying waited until the maid was gone before she turned to look at Li Gang who was now rubbing his head and said, ” You see? My instincts are not wrong at all.”

” I still think that compared to that delicate woman, you are much scarier –Woah!” He was once again interrupted when he was turned upside down with his legs dangling over his head, thankfully he was no longer alive or all the blood in his body would have rushed to his head. ” What are you doing?” He asked Liu Hui Ying who shrugged her shoulders and said, ” What do you think I am doing ?”

Li Gang wanted to demand that she get him down from the ceiling but as he opened his mouth he realised that he could not speak anymore, his mouth that was opened, and closed immediately and he could only make ‘Mhmm’ sounds as he motioned wildly with his hands.

Again no one sympathised with him and Jia Li shook her head as she spat one word that was directed solely at Li Gang and that was, ” Moron.”

And Li Gang started to flail even wildly as he looked at Jia Li and fervently as if trying to tell her that she was a moron.

...

The door of the room was slid open by the maid and then Ji Yu who was standing outside with her maid walked inside Liu Hui Ying’s room and bowed appropriately before speaking in a soft voice, ” This Concubine greets her majesty.”

————