To civil officials raised on the works of sages, even those who supported the war only dreamed of reclaiming lost territory. Who had ever thought of a counter-offensive and plunder?
Gu Huaiyu didn’t need to look at their faces to know what they were thinking.
Great Chen had long since grown accustomed to paying annual tribute to Eastern Liao, treating the people of the north like honored ancestors.
Being able to stand in court with dignity and look the Eastern Liao envoys in the eye was already the furthest these scholar-officials could go.
As for taking another step—allowing them to actively seize the gold and silver of Eastern Liao—it was too much of a transgression for these men who had studied benevolence, righteousness, and ritual since childhood. It was simply too difficult.
He casually lowered his sleeve, looking down at the rolling terrain of the sand table. “Great Chen has paid tribute for seventy years. Initially, it was three hundred thousand taels of silver and thirty thousand bolts of Cloud Brocade annually. It has increased year by year, until it reached five hundred thousand taels and fifty thousand bolts—”
Wei Qingya immediately added, “A total of thirty-seven million taels of silver and three and a half million bolts of Cloud Brocade!”
The officials in the room weren’t entirely ignorant of these numbers, but no one had ever dared to lay out the accounts so plainly—baring the humiliation of generations for all to see.
Gu Huaiyu gave Wei Qingya a faint glance. Wei Qingya showed a rare trace of embarrassment, his ears turning red as he shrank back into his seat. “I apologize for the interruption, Your Lordship.”
If they were going to settle accounts, they had to be settled clearly.
Gu Huaiyu picked up a jade pointer from the sand table, the tip slowly tracing across the border towns of Eastern Liao. “Seventy years ago, this was nothing but pastures where the wind blew through the grass. Today, the streets are bustling and towers rise high, all built upon the blood and sweat of the people of Great Chen.”
“We are merely taking back the silver our ancestors gave away.” He scanned the room and asked calmly, “This was Great Chen’s money to begin with. Does anyone object?”
A dark fire burned within Pei Jingyi. If not for the presence of so many people, he would have pounced immediately and pinned the man against the sand table, kissing him passionately from head to toe.
How could someone… be so perfectly to his taste?
He sat up and pulled his robe down to hide his reaction, his voice sounding hoarse. “Your Lordship is wise. In this war, we can only win.”
If they wanted the soldiers to seize silver, the soldiers had to be capable of seizing it. If they couldn’t take the towns of Eastern Liao, everything was just empty talk.
Shen Jun was the first to show his stance, dropping to both knees. “This official is willing to plan for Your Lordship.”
Immediately after, the civil and military officials in the hall knelt in unison. Gu Huaiyu felt a surge of exhilaration. After so many years, power was finally in his hands, and no one dared to obstruct him.
Finally, no one dared to oppose him on such a major affair.
Eastern Liao, that tough bone, had finally reached the time to be gnawed.
“Dismissed,” he said, flicking his sleeve, his voice finally carrying a hint of relief. “Go and prepare.”
The servants of the Chancellor’s Estate had already been waiting outside the hall.
Once everyone had left, they filed in carrying boxes, skillfully clearing the desks, lighting incense, and preparing medicine. A brazier, a bowl of medicine, and a bloodletting knife as thin as a cicada’s wing were all laid out.
This was what Pei Jingyi had been waiting for. The wicked fire in him was burning bright. He pulled apart the ties of his shirt, sitting in the chair half-naked with his toned upper body exposed. He reached out—
“Wait.”
Gu Huaiyu suddenly spoke to stop him. He held a teacup and rinsed his mouth, then wiped his lips with a snow-white handkerchief before stepping toward the desk.
His gaze swept over the various instruments, finally landing on the thin blade.
Pei Jingyi’s “troublemaker” was acting up; he couldn’t get too close. He leaned back into his chair and arched a brow. “Is Your Lordship going to do it personally?”
He was half right.
Gu Huaiyu picked up the knife and used the blade to tilt Pei’s chin upward. “How does General Pei know the truth about the various Provincial Armies?”
Pei Jingyi didn’t pull back; instead, he pushed his neck forward, letting the blade rest against his Adam’s apple. “This official has many friends and many connections.”
Gu Huaiyu looked down at the line of bright red blood on the blade. He dipped a finger into the blood and touched it to his lips. A slight warmth flowed down his throat and into his chest. He closed his eyes, letting out a satisfied, soft hum.
Watching this, the blood in Pei Jingyi’s veins surged with heat, his lower body becoming even more unbearable. Just as he was about to speak, his jaw was suddenly gripped by icy fingers.
That flawless, snow-white face drew near. At a distance where their breaths mingled, Gu Huaiyu suddenly tilted his head and pressed his soft lips against the bobbing Adam’s apple.
In the next instant, Gu Huaiyu bit down on the wound and tore it open with a hint of ruthlessness, sucking with the intensity of a man who had been thirsty for far too long.
Pei Jingyi’s muscles suddenly tensed, a deep groan rolling from his throat as his fingers gripped the armrests of the chair until his knuckles turned white.
The servants nearby looked on as if their eyes were about to fall out, standing frozen like wooden blocks.
The Iron Eagle Guards, who had seen much in their time, turned away in unison, pretending they saw nothing at all.
Gu Huaiyu’s thin cheeks moved rhythmically as he sucked deeply. In his heart, he thought viciously: Red fruit? I’ll show you red fruit!
As the warm blood slid down his throat, he increased the pressure of his teeth in retaliation, feeling a satisfying tremor ripple through the body beneath him.
