Chapter 34: He Actually Played the Poverty Card on Us!

Qianqing Palace.

Old Zhu slowly rose from his bed, and Wang Jinghong hurried forward to support him.

"How long has the Eldest been kneeling outside the palace?"

"Nearly two hours, Your Majesty."

"The time is right; let him in."

Wang Jinghong understood perfectly well that Old Zhu did these things for the benefit of others. Inside and outside the palace, were there not countless eyes watching? The Crown Prince was the Emperor’s most beloved son. Never before had he been so heartless as to let Zhu Biao suffer such hardship and torment.

Old Zhu merely wanted the Hu faction to believe there was a rift between himself, Zhu Biao, and Qin Feng, thereby lowering their guard. Only then, when the day came for Old Zhu to close the net, could he strike unexpectedly and bloodlessly.

Supported by Wang Jinghong, Zhu Biao entered the palace. Just as he was about to speak in defense of Qin Feng, he was interrupted by Old Zhu.

"I know what you want to say. You want to say that Qin Feng considers the interests of our Great Ming in everything he does and does not deserve such treatment, is that it?"

Zhu Biao replied, "Master Qin has worked diligently for the Great Ming, yet Father Emperor has lost trust in him due to a few slanderous remarks from court officials. How could this not be disheartening?"

"Do you think I don’t know how great Qin Feng’s contributions to our Great Ming are? Do you really think I am a muddled ruler who confuses right and wrong?"

"I did all that to protect Qin Feng! Do you understand, you silly boy?"

"Everything in the court earlier was just for those people to see."

Zhu Biao was stunned and asked in confusion, "Father, you say this is to protect Master Qin? Your son does not understand!"

"You had the Ministry of Revenue investigate the newspaper office to see if Master Qin was embezzling funds. What if they frame him?"

"These treacherous people are all full of malicious intent. If they act against Master Qin, it will not only delay the progress of gathering treasury funds but also put Master Qin in grave danger."

Old Zhu gave a wry smile and said, "Then do you know how many eyes are watching me outside the court?"

"If I had protected Qin Feng forcefully today, do you believe he would be a cold corpse by tomorrow?"

"Do you think I don't know the minds of these old foxes? If I didn't understand them, I wouldn't be fit to be this Emperor."

Upon hearing Old Zhu's explanation, Zhu Biao gasped. Was his father suggesting that the investigation into the newspaper's accounts was actually a form of protection for Qin Feng? As he slowly processed this, Zhu Biao could not help but feel that Old Zhu’s methods of protection were far more sophisticated than his own.

"I deliberately left a flaw for those old dogs to exploit; the worst that happens is that Qin Feng suffers a little grievance."

"You don't need to worry about them framing Qin Feng, because I issued a secret decree and sent intelligence agents from the Imperial Guard to oversee the matter."

"If those old dogs dare to frame Qin Feng, I will send them straight to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution. Tell me, what is the penalty for framing a court official and sabotaging the imperial treasury?"

Zhu Biao suddenly realized the truth and quickly bowed, saying, "Father is wise! Your son was overly worried!"

Old Zhu patted Zhu Biao on the shoulder and said earnestly, "I know you admire Qin Feng’s capabilities. But you must remember: in the future, he is a subject and you are the sovereign. You must never forget the nature of your relationship, lest you give others cause to gossip."

"You lost your temper in court today; do you know how much dissatisfaction that caused among the officials?"

"A ruler must not reveal his emotions; you must learn to be subtle and impenetrable. Do you understand?"

Zhu Biao nodded. "Your son understands. However, Master Qin entrusted me with one thing: he hopes Father can grant him some salary."

"He has earned so much for the imperial treasury, yet he has not seen a single cent of salary."

"Could Father grant him some silver as a reward?"

Old Zhu, hearing this, flew into a rage. "Bullshit!"

"When the newspaper was founded, I gave him one hundred thousand taels from my private treasury. Has he spent it all already?"

"And I give him ten thousand taels every month for the Shanglin Garden. Is he still crying poverty to me?"

Zhu Biao was silent.

"If he managed to save costs to found the newspaper, I would be impressed. Even if he kept the remaining silver for himself, I would have nothing to say—it would be his reward."

"But does he think I'm a fool, holding out his hand for more money?"

"Investigate! We must thoroughly investigate whether he has embezzled treasury funds! Crying poverty to me, is he? Then we shall investigate to the very end!"

Zhu Biao’s mouth twitched awkwardly, and he advised, "Father, we must not reveal our emotions; we must learn to be subtle and impenetrable."

Old Zhu froze and stared blankly at Zhu Biao.

The brat!

He was waiting for me here?

He’s actually trying to lecture me?

...

At this moment, inside the newspaper office, Qin Feng, who was editing the next issue of the *Great Ming Daily*, had no idea what had happened in the palace.

In just ten days, by renting out advertising space on the paper, he had made a net profit of one hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver. Of the one hundred thousand taels Old Zhu had initially granted him, he had spent less than half.

Now that the newspaper’s unit price had risen, it was self-sustaining and required virtually no further investment. Old Zhu had also hinted to him early on that if the project succeeded, the funds provided could be kept as a reward.

Qin Feng was holding over fifty thousand taels of silver in his hands, yet he insisted on crying poverty to the Crown Prince. Could he admit he was rich? Clearly not!

What was the point of him working himself to the bone to start a newspaper? Was it not to make a profit?

Ever since he transmigrated to the Great Ming, he had decided that he would never work for the Emperor forever. Now that he had his initial capital, he could eventually become wealthier than the entire nation if he exerted himself within the Great Ming.

But he had already considered that with his relationship with Old Zhu and Zhu Biao, there were countless eyes on him. If he hoarded too much, he would surely make countless enemies in Yingtian Prefecture, which would be extremely detrimental.

Therefore, he could never let others know he was truly wealthy. Instead, he wanted others to believe he was wealthy because he was backed by the state, making it impossible for others to touch him.

As he was halfway through editing the *Great Ming Daily*, a large group of people suddenly arrived at the door to apply for work.

"Master Qin, there are people outside saying they are here to apply as guards."

Guards?

Qin Feng’s eyes lit up.

Could it be that martial arts masters had arrived?

Money makes the world go round—that saying was truly correct. Even the most formidable martial artists would find it hard to refuse the high salary he had advertised.

Ten thousand taels of silver a year—that was equivalent to a monthly salary of eight or nine hundred taels! Who knew how many people were drooling over such a lucrative job?

But unfortunately, such a high salary was not for just anyone to claim. Being a guard often meant risking one's life; if you didn't do the job well, you might get the money but have no life to spend it.

Qin Feng followed his servant out of the office. A large crowd had gathered at the entrance, all there for the high-paying jobs.

With so many applicants, there were surely some who were just there to make up the numbers. What if they weren't martial arts experts? If they turned out to be useless, wouldn't they get him and Zhu Di killed?

Qin Feng looked at the crowd of applicants and said, enunciating each word clearly, "I will select the most capable among you! You will spar with one another, and only the final winner stays!"