Free Web NovelChapter 287: Chapter 213: Emperor’s Heart Skill
His Calligraphy Dao, having reached the Perfection Realm, made the four poems all the more dazzling.
As he unrolled them one by one, four distinct tableaus unfolded.
From time to time, a woman in red would appear in the illusory scenes.
It was none other than his wife, Xiao Jinghong.
Pei Guanli, Xiao Wuge, and the others watched with envy, clamoring for him to write them into a poem as well.
Chen Yi refused them all, and after finishing, he called it a day.
After instructing Xiaodie to have that mounter, Boss Dai, visit again after the Mid-Autumn Festival, he grabbed his homemade fishing rod and went straight to the pond.
Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunion and joy.
As a live-in son-in-law, he was supposed to stay in his place and keep a low profile.
But just as Chen Yi finished putting bait on his hook, he heard Xiaodie’s frantic voice from outside.
"Young Master, Young Master, something terrible has happened!"
Chen Yi glanced back at her. Seeing her anxious expression, he furrowed his brow slightly and asked, "What has you so flustered?"
Xiaodie was so out of breath from running that she could barely speak. After a moment of patting her chest to catch her breath, she managed to say, haltingly:
"The... The Capital Prefecture... an imperial edict has arrived! It says... to punish... the Old... Old Master... a-a six-month suspension of his salary."
Hearing this, Chen Yi’s brow smoothed out.
’The Hidden Guard must have reported the burning of the summer grain at Iron Wall Town and the conflict between the Xiao and Liu Families back to the Capital Prefecture.’
’It’s only natural that the Holy Emperor would be furious upon learning the truth.’
"The edict only mentioned the salary suspension. Was there anything else?"
Xiaodie nodded. "Yes, they’re also requisitioning ten percent of the summer grain from the Three Towns. The Capital Commandery has been ordered to transport it to the Capital Prefecture."
Summer grain, ten percent.
Chen Yi thought for a moment and understanding dawned on him.
Ten percent wasn’t too much or too little; it fell right within the normal range for grain tax collection in a Border Town.
’But this punishment doesn’t feel like a punishment.’
’It’s more like a rap on the knuckles, a warning, and an act of balancing the scales.’
This time, in their conflict with the Liu Family, the Xiao Family had gained three hundred thousand silver coins. This not only compensated for the losses at Iron Wall Town but even left them with a surplus.
In contrast, the Jing State Liu Family had lost Liu Wen, forfeited three hundred thousand silver, and been forced to withdraw from Shu State.
On the surface, the Xiao Family had won a resounding victory.
But after this punishment from the Holy Emperor...
The ten-percent grain tax, amounting to two hundred thousand shi of grain, was worth roughly one hundred eighty thousand silver at current market prices.
Add to that the grain burned at Iron Wall Town...
The three hundred thousand silver coins the Xiao Family had gained were now pretty much gone.
’In other words, in the conflict between the Xiao and Liu Families, aside from forcing the Jing State Liu Family to promise to withdraw from Shu State, the Xiao Family had gained almost no other benefits.’
Which meant...
’After all my hard work, did I just end up balancing the Xiao Family’s books for them?’
At this thought, Chen Yi’s expression darkened.
’Damn it.’
If he didn’t still have the two hundred ninety thousand silver he’d "liberated" from Lou Yuxue, all his efforts would have been for nothing.
Seeing his expression, Xiaodie, who was standing to the side, couldn’t help but grow nervous as well.
"Young Master, d-do you think something will... will happen to the family?"
"Just now, when I was coming back, so many people... so many people looked like the sky was falling."
Chen Yi snapped out of it and said irritably, "What’s there to worry about?"
"Whether it’s the salary or the grain tax, it just means spending a bit more silver. Nothing bad will happen."
After hearing this, Xiaodie’s expression eased considerably. She patted her chest in lingering fear. "Thank goodness, thank goodness. I knew it would be alright."
Chen Yi thought for a moment and asked, "Besides that, the edict didn’t say anything else, did it?"
"Oh, right, there was more."
"The Holy Emperor also bestowed a suit of armor upon the Old Master, saying something about it being the Mid-Autumn Festival and the rites and customs stipulating whatnot."
’Armor...’
Chen Yi recalled that the Old Master had been wearing a suit of armor when he went to see Liu Hong.
Now the Holy Emperor was bestowing another suit of armor. The implication was obvious.
The Holy Emperor was simply telling the Old Master—I know everything you have done in Shu State!
’Impressive. It really is impressive to be the Emperor.’
With just a few words, the fruits of Chen Yi’s half-month of painstaking planning were mostly wiped out.
And he’d given the Old Master a rap on the knuckles in the process.
"Also, the Holy Emperor bestowed something on the Second Miss... a sword of some kind. He said it was a divine weapon, and that a great sword belongs to a hero."
After hearing Xiaodie’s report, Chen Yi curled his lip. "Give a beating then hand out a sweet date. Classic Emperor’s Heart Skill."
’No doubt about it.’
’It’s definitely because Xiao Jinghong revealed her strength when she killed Black Tooth, attracting the attention of the one in the Imperial City.’
’"A great sword belongs to a hero" is just empty rhetoric.’ freёweɓnovel.com
’If Xiao Jinghong’s Cultivation wasn’t so high, Shu State would be in even more chaos than it is now.’
’At that point, no matter how many great swords were sent, it would be like making a wedding dress for someone else to wear.’
Just then, Xiao Wan’er arrived at Spring Lotus Garden with Shen Huatang and others in tow.
"Brother-in-law."
Chen Yi rose at her voice. Seeing that Xiao Wan’er’s expression was also tense and solemn, he guessed she only had a partial understanding of the Xiao Family’s current situation.
With that thought, Chen Yi performed a slight bow and greeted her with a smile.
"The poetry gathering is still a ways off. What brings you here at this hour, Eldest Sister?"
Xiao Wan’er shook her head and said worriedly, "Just now, the Holy Emperor issued a decree to punish Grandfather. I... I don’t quite understand..."
Chen Yi didn’t immediately try to comfort her. Instead, his gaze fell on the Sword Box in Shen Huatang’s hands behind her. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is that the great sword bestowed by the Holy Emperor?"
Xiao Wan’er was taken aback. She glanced behind her, then nodded hesitantly. "The Holy Emperor bestowed it upon Second Sister."
"Let me see."
Without waiting for an answer, Chen Yi took the Sword Box from Shen Huatang, removed the Long Sword from within, and examined it.
"Not bad. It is indeed a divine weapon."
Most weapons of this era were forged by famous smiths in the Jianghu. While it was a cliché to describe them as sharp enough to cut a falling hair, it was no exaggeration.
However, with the existence of Martial Arts, the effectiveness of a divine weapon depended on who wielded it.
Take the one in Chen Yi’s hands, for example—it was three chi and three cun long, weighed thirty jin, and was three fingers wide at the blade, making it a bit wider and thicker than a typical Long Sword.
