Chapter 19: Those who see it shall have a share; all property shall be confiscated.

Chapter 19: Those who see it shall have a share; all property shall be confiscated.

Inside the west warehouse, the moonlight was dim.

But for Tang Li, this place was even more magnificent than the imperial palace.

The heavy, cool touch in her arms made her feel as if she were holding not an inanimate object, but the freedom of braised pork for the next fifty years.

Tangli pouted and was about to kiss the gold ingot covered in mud with deep affection.

Even if it smells of earth from the previous dynasty, even if "Lucky Charm" just stepped on it, in the eyes of a starving pauper, it smells delicious!

However--

Just when her lips were 0.01 centimeters away from the gold ingot.

A sinister, hoarse, and chilling voice, carrying the hues of someone just waking up, echoed softly behind her:

"In the middle of the night, instead of sleeping, you sneak into my treasury... to steal?"

"..."

Tangli's pouting lips froze in mid-air.

The joy that had just thrilled her was instantly replaced by a bucket of liquid nitrogen poured over her head, freezing her from the top of her head to her heels.

The "Lucky Cat" and its rat offspring, who were originally cheering and jumping around her feet, possess the most acute intuition as animals.

The moment they heard that sound, without even a greeting, they squeaked and transformed into several streaks of gray lightning, instantly disappearing back into the burrow without a trace.

What a disloyal bastard!

Tang Li swallowed hard, her neck making a cracking sound like a rusty gear, as she turned her head with great difficulty.

All that could be seen was the dilapidated entrance to the warehouse.

Pei Yunjing, dressed in a dark nightgown with a black fox fur cloak draped over it, stood with his hands behind his back.

The night wind rustled his clothes, and he stood quietly in the shadows, like a beautiful ghost crawling out of hell to claim a life.

Meanwhile, the gyrfalcon "Lightning" on his shoulder tilted its head, staring intently at the gold in Tang Li's arms with its sharp eagle eyes, before rolling its eyes in a remarkably human manner.

【Coo coo. You idiot.】

Both the man and the eagle looked at her as if she were an idiot.

In reality, Pei Yunjing wasn't in a good mood.

I was sleeping soundly when suddenly the string of "tranquility" in my mind snapped.

That damned tinnitus returned like a tidal wave, giving him a splitting headache.

As soon as I opened my eyes, sure enough, the "medicinal ingredient" had run away.

Despite his morning grumpiness, he followed the faint scent of herbs and searched for her, initially thinking she was trying to escape.

As soon as I entered, I saw the little white rabbit, who had gotten itself all muddy like a monkey, squatting in the pit, hugging a dirty piece of gold and grinning foolishly.

That pathetic look of his was simply...

His stupidity even eased his headache a little.

Pei Yunjing strode in slowly.

As he approached, the calming aura emanating from Tang Li took effect again, and the buzzing in his head finally subsided.

He stopped three steps away from Tang Li, looked down at her, his gaze falling on the pile of gold ingots in her arms, and raised an eyebrow:

"Explain?"

Tang Li's body stiffened, her mind racing.

What should you do if you get caught stealing?

I need help urgently!

She subconsciously stuffed the gold ingot in her arms into her sleeve, trying to use her not-so-wide sleeve to cover the dazzling light.

Then she raised her little face, covered in soot, and gave a smile that looked more like a grimace:

"Your Highness...you're awake?"

"I...I'm just worried that this west warehouse is old and dilapidated and might collapse one day and damage the flowers and plants."

Tang Li spoke nonsense with a straight face: "So... I came here specifically to inspect the foundation and see if it needs repair. That's called... being prepared for a rainy day!"

"Oh? Repairing the foundation?"

Pei Yunjing looked at her with a half-smile, his gaze sweeping over the large hole in the ground: "Fix it with a shovel? Fix it in the middle of the night? Fix it with rats around?"

Tang Li: "..."

We can't talk today.

Pei Yunjing was too lazy to waste words with her.

He extended a hand, palm up, long, slender fingers slightly curled, his tone indifferent yet undeniable:

"Give it to me."

The alarm bells are ringing loudly in the pear orchard!

She abruptly took a step back, clutching the gold ingot in her arms tightly with both hands, like a hamster guarding its food, her eyes full of vigilance.

"Take what? Nothing! I dug this up!"

"This is something I dug out in the middle of the night, with all my hard work, blood, and sweat! I dug it with my own skill, why should I give it to you!"

This is her braised pork!

It's her roast duck!

It was her means of survival in the Prince's mansion!

Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he couldn't steal her hard-earned money!

Seeing her "money over life" attitude, Pei Yunjing laughed.

This woman's fear of him is fake; her love of money is real.

"Based on skill?"

Pei Yunjing snorted coldly and took a step closer.

The huge height difference created a strong sense of oppression, casting Tang Li in his shadow.

He bent down, his handsome yet dangerous face getting close to Tang Li, his nose almost touching hers.

His eyes held a hint of amusement, and his voice was deep and magnetic as he explained the "unfair terms" to her, word by word:

"Tangli, have you forgotten where we are?"

"This is the Regent's Palace."

Pei Yunjing stretched out his fingers and slowly but forcefully pried open the fingers she was tightly guarding, forcibly prying out the largest gold ingot from her bosom.

"Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king."

He took out another ingot.

"Within the whole land, all are subjects of the king."

Tang Li watched helplessly as her "braised pork" left her, tears welling up in her eyes: "That belongs to the imperial court, this...this belongs to the previous dynasty..."

"What belongs to the previous dynasty also belongs to me."

Pei Yunjing ruthlessly interrupted her, continuing to rummage through her bosom while slowly saying:

"Every blade of grass and every tree in this palace, every ant on the ground, every piece of gold in the soil..."

Only after he had plundered the last piece of gold from her bosom did Pei Yunjing straighten up and casually toss the heavy pile of gold ingots to the guards behind him.

He looked again at Tang Li, who was empty-handed and looked like she had been struck by lightning, and a smile that was both extremely wicked and extremely charming appeared on his lips.

He reached out a finger and gently scraped the black ash off the tip of Tang Li's nose, whispering:

"And you."

"They all belong to me."

Tang Li: "!!!"

"So..." Pei Yunjing patted the dirt off his hands in high spirits and gave his final verdict:

"Everyone who sees it gets a share. It's all confiscated."

Having said that, he flicked his sleeve, turned and left, his steps light and graceful, showing none of the gloom he had felt when he first woke up.

"What are you standing there for? Get on my heels!"

His lazy voice came from ahead: "If you stay too far away from me, I'll break your legs."

Tang Li stood there, looking at the empty pit, then at the bandit's departing figure, trembling with anger, almost unable to catch her breath.

Confiscated?

Confiscated entirely?!

Is this what they call "everyone who sees it gets a share"?

It's clearly a case of "take everything that comes your way"!

"Pei Yunjing! You skinflint! You wicked capitalist!"

Tangli let out a scream in her heart, like a groundhog.

Wait!

She'll get her revenge sooner or later!

We must make sure he eats and dresses in the rice bins of his palace!