Volume 1, Chapter 12: Greater Retribution Is Yet to Come

"Your Majesty, what should we do?" Yun Jinhua asked in a lowered voice.

Sigh, the Emperor’s martial arts had not improved even a little bit. Anyone could track his movements.

"Just hand me over! But I cannot be branded a thief in vain. Here, take this golden medallion." Xiao Jin'an shoved a circular token into her hand.

It was a gleaming, brilliant gold medallion, engraved with two dragons playing amidst clouds, with a ruby embedded in the center. It radiated imperial majesty. As Yun Jinhua held it, she could still feel the warmth of the Emperor’s skin on it. She instinctively wanted to throw it away. This thing was scorching hot!

"Jinhua, if you want to drink and chat or spar with me, you are welcome to enter the palace at any time. Just like in the old days—no need to stand on ceremony." Xiao Jin'an’s tone was gentle, and his eyes shimmered with faint, scattered starlight.

"All right!" Yun Jinhua quickly tucked the medallion into her purse.

When the Emperor was still the Prince of Ping, she had been free to enter and leave his estate at will. As time flowed, years passed like blooming flowers. They both must have missed those days of harmony and sincere companionship, right?

Xiao Jin'an walked out with his head still bowed, so no one could see his face clearly.

Jing Hang, the commander of the Imperial Guards, cupped his hands in a salute: "Marquis of Wu'an, thank you for helping me apprehend the thief. I apologize for the disturbance. I shall take my leave."

"Commander Jing, you have worked hard," Yun Jinhua replied with a return salute.

The two exchanged a knowing smile as the Emperor was led away.

"My Lady, could Commander Jing and his men have caught the wrong person? That thief didn't have much skill—he couldn't even beat me—so how could he break into the Imperial Palace to steal treasures? Oh, could it be that the thief was severely wounded and hid in our estate? My Lady, regardless of your past friendship, you should cut ties with him! You are a Marquis personally enfeoffed by the Emperor, and the General’s Mansion of Protecting the Nation has been loyal for generations. You cannot be implicated for no reason and let that thief tarnish the Yun family’s reputation," Qingdai kindly urged.

Yun Jinhua’s mouth twitched slightly: Your mistress’s marquis title was bestowed by that very same "thief"!

"Qingdai, don't talk nonsense. Brother Huang is a friend I’ve known since childhood. He is not a thief, but a chivalrous hero who robs the rich to aid the poor. All the money he obtains goes to help the impoverished. From now on, treat him with respect whenever you see him," Yun Jinhua instructed sternly.

"A chivalrous hero? Isn't that still a thief? Robbing the rich to aid the poor? That's not right. Nobody's money falls from the sky. If he wants to do good deeds, why steal other people's silver? My Lady, you are quite wealthy yourself now, aren't you? Does having more money mean it's deserved to be stolen?" Qingdai was deeply puzzled.

Her mistress was usually upright and hated evil, so why was she defending this thief so vehemently? They were an official family; if it were known that they were colluding with outlaws, they would lose both their rank and their reputation.

"He is not a bad person. Don't stop him if he comes again," Yun Jinhua said, deciding not to explain further. It was impossible to explain clearly.

"He's coming back? Committing a major crime like that—it would be a mercy not to have one's entire clan executed. My Lady, you should not have this friend anymore," Qingdai shook her head firmly.

Yun Jinhua thought: *He is the only one who has the power to execute others' clans!*

"Your Majesty, your subject arrives late to provide rescue. I beg for your forgiveness," Jing Hang knelt in a dark alley outside the Yun residence.

Xiao Jin'an stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed. He had been prepared to talk through the night with the young girl, but before even a quarter of an hour had passed, he had been dragged away by Jing Hang under a very disreputable label. How infuriating!

"Your Majesty, are you injured?" Jing Hang asked with concern.

"Would Yun Jinhua hurt me?" Xiao Jin'an’s displeased tone seeped with coldness. Others might not know the depth of his relationship with Yun Jinhua, but had Jing Hang forgotten it too?

"Your Majesty, your subject was only worried that the maid might act recklessly and hurt you," Jing Hang felt a chill in his heart and quickly explained. In the Emperor’s eyes, Yun Jinhua was like the warm sun of winter—bringing warmth and light without ever scorching him.

"Am I that useless?" Xiao Jin'an scoffed coldly. He had let himself be caught on purpose. As the golden and precious Emperor, he had climbed a wall to visit a subject. If that alert little maid had cried out, and some busybody had reported it to the authorities and he had been recognized, he would have no face left to show.

Jing Hang shut his mouth. The Emperor was in a foul mood today! Anything he said would be wrong.

"Return to the palace!" Xiao Jin'an kicked Jing Hang. He lifted his foot high but let it fall lightly, unable to bring himself to use force. He would not mistreat the person who had walked with him through the abyss of bitterness.

"Your Majesty, I heard that the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion owes the Marquis of Wu'an over a hundred thousand taels of silver. Unable to pay, they are currently selling off their properties!" Jing Hang chuckled with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Find a way to suppress the prices to the lowest possible level. It would be best if they couldn't sell them at all," Xiao Jin'an commanded calmly. Since the little girl had broken ties with the Su family, there was no need for him to continue looking after the Marquis of Pingyang's estate. The so-called "vast imperial grace" was merely a matter of showing respect to the master for the sake of the servant.

Jing Hang nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. Not kicking someone when they were down was like failing to return home in glory—it simply wasn't the way. The person the Emperor wanted to hold on the tip of his heart had been wantonly bullied by the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion. Now, were they finally reaping what they had sown?

Hmph, even greater retribution was yet to come! The Marquis of Wu'an was a straightforward person who took revenge on the spot, but his master was someone who liked to settle accounts after the autumn harvest. If they only returned the principal without interest, wouldn't that be a loss?

Three days later, Ling Meijuan looked at the jewelry and silver notes of varying denominations piled on the desk, feeling utterly helpless. Despite mobilizing every resource, she had only managed to scrape together fifty thousand taels of silver. That wasn't even a fraction of the debt!

"What should we do? Today is the final deadline. If we can't pay the silver, will Yun Jinhua empty out our entire mansion?" She was anxious, unable to think of a solution.

"Does she dare? This is the capital, a place with the rule of law. How can she be allowed to act recklessly?" The Marquis of Pingyang spoke with feigned ferocity. But he knew, that girl, she truly would dare! With that arrogant and domineering nature of hers, and now with the Emperor backing her, she might just dare to poke a hole in the sky.

"Mother, those shops and farmland estates yield good profits; is it really that hard to sell them?" Su Ziwen flipped through a few property deeds.

"I don't know why, but the people who came to negotiate yesterday all changed their minds. They are suppressing the prices so low. It's almost like giving them away for free; we'll suffer a huge loss." Ling Meijuan clutched the deeds, unable to bear selling them for a pittance.

"Profiteers! Isn't this taking advantage of someone in trouble?" Su Ziwen cursed angrily. Since when could anyone step on the Su family? That bitch Yun Jinhua—it was she who had forced the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion into a dead end.

"Reporting to the Marquis..." a servant of the mansion rushed in to report.

"Not seeing anyone!" The Marquis of Pingyang waved his hand irritably. This debt collection was worse than life-taking!

"Marquis, Prince Jing is here," the messenger finished, looking nervous.

"Oh? Ziwen, quickly follow your father to welcome the Prince." Su Hao raised his hand to straighten his cap and belt, plastering a smile on his face. Prince Jing was known for his generosity and righteousness, and he loved to act with kindness. Perhaps he had come to help the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion out of its predicament?