Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

046 12,000 gold

If you had to describe Ye Mo's feelings at this moment in one sentence...

That means I highly suspect Shen Lang has lost his mind!

I've always been the one receiving money from others; I've never experienced giving money to others before.

But today, he witnessed it firsthand.

The eighteen-year-old boy in front of me actually made such a request so openly, and his attitude was so refined and easygoing.

"Commander Shen, you don't actually think you can figure out the truth with just a few of your wildest ideas, do you?"

Ye Mo's eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone gradually became impatient.

Shen Lang chuckled lightly: "Prime Minister Ye can also choose to refuse, but afterwards, the court and the public..."

Even rumors and gossip circulating in the martial arts world are beyond my control.

Ye Mo: "Commander Shen, I feel it's necessary to remind you that you may not be able to bear the responsibility of slandering and spreading rumors about the current prime minister."

Shen Lang retorted, "What if what I said wasn't a rumor?"

After speaking, he took out a thick letter from his pocket.

"Prime Minister Ye, this is the process by which your son embezzled the raw materials for the gold-threaded silk garment. You can see for yourself whether I am spreading rumors or not."

Ye Mo opened the envelope with some skepticism and glanced at its contents.

Gradually, Ye Mo's expression grew increasingly gloomy.

He was clearly somewhat convinced of what was being presented to him.

The time, place, and people all match up.

This……

How do you know all this so clearly?

After reading it, he finally couldn't help but ask.

"No need for Prime Minister Ye to worry about that. Just one question: does this count as spreading rumors?"

Shen Lang would never tell Ye Mo that this was part of the intelligence system capabilities he obtained from Yang Fan after killing him.

It can glean the entire course of events from the slightest clues, with impeccable logic.

The study fell into a deathly silence.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ye Mo finally spoke: "How many portions do you have left?"

"That depends on whether Prime Minister Ye is willing to cooperate," Shen Lang replied calmly. "If Prime Minister Ye supports His Majesty and is willing to give me, Shen Lang, some face..."

"Then the copy you have is the original. If you don't cooperate, everyone in the court and among the common people will have a copy in a few days."

Ye Mo narrowed his eyes, putting away the accusation that had damaged the Ye family's reputation: "How much money do you want?"

"One million taels of gold."

"You really dare to say that!"

Upon hearing the number Shen Lang wanted, Ye Mo practically gritted his teeth as he uttered each word.

"Shen Lang, I understand that you want to please His Majesty, but you'd better be more realistic. One million taels of gold? Do you think I have mountains of gold and silver?"

"Prime Minister Ye, please don't get agitated. As far as I know, your Ye family has been doing business for so many years..."

"The Ye family has a presence in every industry of the Great Chu. Is one million taels of gold really that much to your family?"

Ye Mo remained silent, staring blankly at Shen Lang.

Shen Lang continued, "If Prime Minister Ye feels that this deal is not enough to sway you, how about I add another bargaining chip?"

"Oh, what?"

Ye Mo asked in a cold voice.

Shen Lang opened his mouth and silently uttered a few words.

Ye Mo, who was an expert in lip reading, immediately narrowed his eyes and stood up abruptly: "How did you know about this!"

Shen Lang shook his head: "It seems that Ye Xiang cherishes his own reputation more than his son."

If this gets out, can you still be considered a model for the head of the civil service?

"I'm afraid your Ye family will be disgraced by this, and from now on, people will gossip behind your back and call you immoral."

Ye Mo's expression turned cold: "Perhaps, eliminating you is the better choice."

Shen Lang smiled slightly: "Does Prime Minister Ye mean the peak Innate Realm expert hiding behind the screen? You can let him try and see if he can kill this humble servant."

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure rushed up behind Shen Lang at incredible speed.

A cold glint appeared, and a sharp longsword appeared two inches from Shen Lang's neck.

But the sword did not continue to approach; instead, a bead of sweat dripped from Ye Xiang's forehead.

Because at his dantian, the tip of a dagger held in reverse was firmly pressed against him, and with the slightest movement, it could pierce his body directly.

Shen Lang didn't even turn his head, his expression remaining calm and composed.

His gaze never left Ye Mo, as if the sword pressed against his neck didn't exist at all.

"Prime Minister Ye, are you really going to tear off our relationship over such a trivial matter?"

Ye Mo frowned, then said to Ye Xiang, "You may leave now."

Ye Xiang felt as if he had been granted a pardon. As he withdrew his sword, Shen Lang's dagger also left his dantian.

In a battle between masters, the moment of truth is all it takes. Ye Xiang was certain that Shen Lang would plunge his dagger into Shen Lang's dantian before Ye Xiang's sword could slice open Shen Lang's neck.

After Ye Xiang left, Ye Mo softened his tone: "One million taels of gold, I can give it to you."

But you must promise me that you will keep this matter, along with my son's, completely and permanently buried inside your heart.

Shen Lang: "Prime Minister Ye, you can rest assured on this point. I only seek peace and have no desire to be your enemy unless absolutely necessary."

Ye Mo thought for a moment, then turned and went into the inner room.

Before long, he returned to his desk with a receipt and a Ye Ji seal.

"Take this note and this seal to my Ye Family Bank, and they will exchange it for one million taels of gold for you."

"Thank you, Minister Ye, for making this possible."

Shen Lang accepted the gold and seal without hesitation and got up to leave.

"Shen Lang, I have reviewed your resume and have a question that has been lingering in my mind for a long time. You may choose to answer it or not."

Ye Mo suddenly called out to Shen Lang.

"Please speak, Minister Ye."

Ye Mo thought for a moment and asked, "On that day at Fengsui Fortress, when you personally killed those ninety-nine comrades you had spent every day with, did you feel even a little bit of remorse?"

Shen Lang fell silent, a rare occurrence.

After a moment, he shook his head and asked in return, "May I ask, Prime Minister Ye, would you be willing to watch your own child defect to the enemy and bring disaster to more of your comrades?"

Ye Mo remained silent.

"If they don't die, the entire Bingzhou defense line will collapse. If they don't die, the world will forever condemn them as traitors, even if from their perspective they might not be wrong; they just wanted to survive."

But as long as one serves in the military, one must uphold one's duties; no reason is an excuse for treason.

So there's absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. Even if I had to do it all over again, I would still make the same choice.

After saying that, Shen Lang left the Ye residence without looking back.

Ye Mo pondered for a long time before sitting listlessly at his desk.

"Shen Lang..."

……

Weiyang Palace, the inner hall of Changle Palace.

"Your Majesty, have you gone mad? This is the dowry the late Emperor prepared for you!"

When the maid Qingwen saw Jiang Mengxuan take out all the pearls, jade and agate, including a thousand-year-old cold jade bead that could prolong life, intending to auction it off, she couldn't help but try to stop her and dissuade her.

Jiang Mengxuan smiled and said, "As the ruler of a country, what do I need a dowry for? Besides, these material possessions..."

They're useless to me anyway, so I'd better sell them for some money to start the planning for the west of the city.

"What does it matter if I lose this much money, as long as the State of Chu can become strong?"

Since Shen Lang said the day before yesterday that he would settle the land in the west of the city in three days, Jiang Mengxuan thought about it again and again and still felt that it was unreliable.

Therefore, he made preparations in advance, using all his savings along with the money in the imperial family's personal treasury, intending to acquire that piece of land.

They were even prepared to humble themselves and beg Zeng Qian to sell them land.

Seeing this scene, Qingwen, another maid of Jiang Mengxuan, couldn't bear it and felt extremely distressed, so she burst into tears.

"Qingwen, why are you crying?"

"Your Majesty, what emperor would sell his own dowry for a piece of land?"

These are all the prestige the late Emperor left for you in choosing a husband. If they're gone, Your Majesty, aren't you afraid of damaging the Empress's dignity?"

She was genuinely saddened by the Empress's current predicament.

"Silly girl, don't cry. Trust me, when the country is stronger, we will have many more of these material possessions."

Jiang Mengxuan personally wiped away Qingwen's tears.

Seeing that she still couldn't stop crying, he deliberately got angry: "You little brat, are you still crying? If you cry again, I'll just find someone to marry you off to."

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Qingwen immediately wiped away her tears and said, "Your Majesty, I will not marry. I only wish to stay by Your Majesty's side for the rest of my life."

"In the future, after Your Majesty marries and has a son, this servant will help Your Majesty take care of the little prince."