Chapter 204 The Imperial Academy is full of bandits!
Having said that, he didn't wait for Shen Yulou to reply.
With a bang.
The door was slammed shut, almost hitting Shen Yulou's nose.
Shen Yulou, who had been given the cold shoulder, stood at the door, his smile not diminishing in the slightest.
He looked at the tightly shut door and sneered.
"Alright, buddy, you've got guts."
"I hope you don't regret it."
...Shen Yulou turned and walked towards the Imperial Academy, his smile growing brighter along the way.
Playing dirty, are we?
Do you think I, Shen, make a living by reasoning?
Returning to the Imperial Academy, he directly dragged out the Ninth Prince, Zhao Heng, who was playing 'eagle catching chicks' with a group of children in the backyard.
"Ninth Prince, there's a way to make a fortune. Gather the people; we're going to pull off a job soon."
When Ninth Prince, Zhao Heng, heard this, his eyes immediately lit up.
He was already tired of coaxing children and longed for some excitement every day.
Now, finally, there was an opportunity.
"Let's do it! Mr. Shen, what do you want to do?!"
Shen Yulou leaned into his ear and quietly gave him a few instructions.
After listening, the Ninth Prince's small face flushed with excitement. He patted his chest and vowed confidently.
"Mr. Shen, just you watch! I'm good at this!"
Confiscating property!
This is fun!
Bullying men and oppressing women was the Ninth Prince's forte.
Without another word, the Ninth Prince ran to the center of the courtyard, pulled a small whistle from his Huai, and blew it hard!
Beep—
The piercing whistle echoed through the academy.
The next second, all the children who were playing, reading, or dozing off, became as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
They dropped what they were holding and rushed over like flying.
"Assemble! Everyone! Males aged eight and above, step forward!"
The Ninth Prince stood on a stone table, hands on his hips, with an air of commanding the world.
"Brothers!
Minister Shen has ordered that Governor Zhou's Mansion in the west of the city owes our academy five thousand taels of silver and refuses to pay!
Now, we are going to collect the debt!"
"Roar!!!"
A group of half-grown boys howled excitedly, as if they were going on a spring outing.
Soon, a debt-collecting team of mischievous children, led by the Ninth Prince and composed entirely of sons of princes and nobles, surged out in a mighty procession.
The Ninth Prince even rode a horse, majestically leading the way.
The scene was such that anyone who didn't know might have thought a mountain bandit king had descended... At the entrance of Governor Zhou's Mansion.
Bang!!!
The Ninth Prince didn't even think about knocking; he simply kicked the vermilion lacquered gate to smithereens.
"Charge!!!"
"Yaxi gege!"
At his command, dozens of mischievous children swarmed in.
Like a pack of huskies rushing into a cotton factory, they instantly turned the originally quiet mansion into a chaotic mess.
"This blue and white porcelain vase is good! It's probably worth five taels of silver! Take it away!"
"That calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall is also good! Although it looks like a ghost drawing, the frame is gold! Dismantle it! Count it as five taels!"
"Holy cow! Zhang Tianbao! Are you even trying to move the rockery?!"
The arrogant steward from earlier was now completely dumbfounded.
He stood with his mouth agape, watching these little ancestors plunder the mansion like bandits. He wanted to act, but he didn't dare!
Each and every one of them was either an Imperial Prince or a Little Prince, or at the very least, a son of a general or a prince.
Forget about hitting them; even touching them would cost him dearly!
They were all royalty and nobility!
Each one was a precious treasure.
What if he touched one of them?
He scrambled and crawled into the backyard, crying and dragging out his master, Zhou Kui.
"Master, come out quickly; there are bandits in the house!"
When Zhou Kui saw the scene, he almost fainted on the spot from anger.
He pointed at the Ninth Prince on horseback and roared.
"Ninth Prince! What are you doing?!"
The Ninth Prince sat on horseback, looking down at him from a height, and snorted coldly.
"Governor Zhou, aren't you asking the obvious?
The Emperor Ren, with his golden words, said he would let Mr. Shen come here to take things as payment for debt. Yet, you locked Mr. Shen outside and refused to acknowledge it.
There's no other way; we can only enforce it.
This is the Emperor Ren's will.
You owe our Imperial Academy money, five thousand taels of silver!
Since you won't pay in money, we can only take things!"
He casually pointed, his gaze also falling on a beautiful and high-grade coral tree ornament in the garden.
"I think your red stone looks decent; I'll grudgingly count it as ten taels of silver!"
When Zhou Kui heard this, his eyes turned red.
"Ten taels?! That's a blood coral I bought from a Western merchant for eight hundred taels!!!"
"Ninth Prince, I think you're going a bit too far!"
The Ninth Prince picked his ear, looking like a profligate young master, and directly quoted Shen Yulou's classic saying.
"I don't care what you think; I care what I think."
He then pointed at a Zitan wood carved screen that two wealthy young masters were jointly carrying.
"And that broken wooden board, at most twenty taels!"
Zhou Kui was so angry he almost spat blood, his beard nearly bristling.
"That's top-grade golden-thread Zitan! Worth a thousand taels!!!"
The Ninth Prince ignored him, waving his small hand.
"You say a thousand taels? I say it's only worth twenty."
"Don't just stand there! Hurry up!
To gather four thousand five hundred taels, I think we'll have to pry up all the floor tiles in this courtyard!"
"Alright!"
With the Ninth Prince leading the way, these little tyrants howled with excitement, working even harder.
Zhou Kui stood in the courtyard, watching his home being ransacked.
His cherished antiques, calligraphy, and paintings were being thrown out like trash by these little rascals, making him tremble with rage, and a sweetness rose in his throat.
Pfft—
He spat out a mouthful of old blood and fell straight down... Half an hour later, the furious Zhou Kui, gnashing his teeth, stormed into the imperial palace.
He knelt at the entrance of the Imperial Study, sobbing and complaining.
However, Emperor Ren didn't even see him.
Emperor Ren also hadn't expected that Zhou Kui, a military general, would be unable to deal with Shen Yulou.
Minister Shen certainly had some ability.
Eunuch He Shun walked out from inside, conveying the Emperor Ren's will with a forced smile.
"Governor Zhou, His Majesty said that one must honor a bet.
A true man keeps his word; how can one agree in front of all the civil and military officials and then turn around and act shamelessly?
This is improper.
You, well, please return."
Zhou Kui knelt on the ground, listening to He Shun's sarcastic words, on the verge of tears.
This was truly losing both the wife and the army!
What a calamity!
This Shen Yulou was not human!
The value of the things taken from him today, let alone five thousand taels.
It was already fifty thousand taels!
...Having dealt with Zhou Kui, Shen Yulou was in a great mood, humming a tune as he strolled to Li Hui's doorstep.
Li Hui wasn't home, so he didn't feel right going in, and instead invited Madam Li out.
The two sat down at a tea stall by the entrance, and Shen Yulou mysteriously discussed something with Madam Li.
Madam Li listened, first stunned, then looked at Shen Yulou, a hint of solemnity flashing in her eyes, finally nodding and agreeing.
That evening, Li Hui returned home, exhausted. As soon as he entered, he smelled the enticing aroma of food.
On the table were four dishes and one soup, all his favorite foods.
Madam Li was gently serving him rice.
Li Hui felt warmth in his heart, holding his wife's hand, and said with lingering fear.
"Madam, you were truly too adventurous in court today! You scared me to death!
That Tie Niu and Song Hu were evenly matched; I was next to them, and my heart was in my throat!"
Madam Li smiled sweetly, putting a piece of food on his plate.
"With Lord Shen there, I didn't think anything major would happen."
Li Hui ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, feeling that his wife was a little strange today