Chapter 10

Yi Ming's eyes sparkled as he looked at the sixteen low-grade Warrior Pills in his hand, his mind filled with wild thoughts.

Two taels of gold turned into sixteen taels of gold, and it only took me one hour, which is two hours. At this rate, even if I only spend ten hours a day refining pills, I can refine about eighty low-grade Warrior Pills, which is eighty taels of gold!

Eighty taels of gold a day, eight hundred taels in ten days! Eight thousand taels in a hundred days!!!

I'm rich! I'm rich!

Suddenly, a series of golden mountains appeared before Yi Ming's eyes, making him chuckle foolishly.

After a while, Yi Ming finally snapped out of his enchanting fantasy. After waking up, he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth inconspicuously and silently told himself: Calm down! Calm down! I need to stay calm!

Although Yi Ming kept telling himself to stay calm, when his eyes fell on the six low-grade Warrior Pills again, he began to laugh maniacally.

"Hehehe! I'm rich! I'm rich!"

...

While Yi Ming was laughing maniacally, a eunuch from the palace entered the Duke's residence with an imperial edict.

This story starts from this morning. It was when Yi Ming had just arrived at the pharmacy.

After yesterday's discussion, Chancellor Wu and General Li arrived at the palace gate early in the morning.

As time passed, more and more officials arrived for the morning court session. Every time a familiar face to Chancellor Wu and General Li appeared, General Li would pull them over to Chancellor Wu, who would whisper a few words. The officials who were pulled over would nod in agreement after hearing Chancellor Wu's words.

As time went on, more and more officials gathered around Chancellor Wu. This made the officials who were not close to Chancellor Wu feel uneasy, and they began to huddle in small groups, whispering to each other.

Soon, with the announcement of "Court is in session!" by the Grand Secretary, the numerous officials at the palace gate immediately checked their appearances and entered in an orderly manner.

The Tianyang Hall, where the Emperor of Tianyang Kingdom convened the court and handled state affairs, was extremely spacious, capable of accommodating thousands of people at once.

The floor was paved with white jade, and the golden walls were adorned with numerous dragons and phoenixes. The most eye-catching were the dozen dragon pillars, each carved with a golden dragon. The lifelike eyes and fierce heads of the dragons were extremely realistic, evoking awe.

At this moment, the Tianyang Hall was filled with all the powerful ministers of the current Tianyang Kingdom. At the very top of the hall, on the imperial throne, sat a middle-aged, imposing man wearing a nine-dragon golden robe, a purple-gold dragon crown, and dragon boots made of golden silk. His arched eyebrows and jet-black eyes shone with authority, his handsome face illuminated by the morning light, exuding a divine and noble aura, radiating the majesty of a king.

This man was none other than the current Emperor of Tianyang Kingdom—Lin Wanjun!

After the court session began, perhaps intimidated by Lin Wanjun's regal presence, the numerous ministers were extremely quiet, standing motionless in the hall.

After the ceremony, the Grand Secretary beside Lin Wanjun shouted in a high-pitched voice, "Those with matters to report, step forward; those without, retire!"

After a while, seeing no movement from the ministers, the Grand Secretary was about to announce the end of the session when General Li stepped forward and bowed to Lin Wanjun, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a matter to report!" He then took out a memorial.

Seeing this, the Grand Secretary immediately bent over, took the memorial from General Li, and passed it to Lin Wanjun.

Lin Wanjun, who had been expressionless, finally showed some reaction after reading the memorial.

After finishing the memorial, Lin Wanjun frowned and glanced at Chancellor Wu, recalling Yi Ming's "great achievements" from yesterday, feeling somewhat helpless.

Although the memorial was presented by General Li, Lin Wanjun could tell from the handwriting that it was written by Chancellor Wu. The content of the memorial, though lengthy, was quite clear. It basically accused Duke Wu's grandson, Ye Yiming, of bullying the people and committing all sorts of evil deeds under the Duke's name.

Although the memorial ostensibly criticized Ye Yiming, the underlying message was more subtle. It was undeniable that Chancellor Wu, as the top civil official, was skilled in writing. While describing Ye Yiming's misdeeds, he subtly implicated the Duke.

Seeing that Lin Wanjun had finished reading the memorial, Chancellor Wu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Ye Yiming, relying on the Duke's name and past contributions, disregards the law and behaves extremely poorly. If he is not punished, it will damage the nation's prestige!"

"Yes! Your Majesty, Chancellor Wu is right. If Ye Yiming is not punished, it will indeed damage the nation's prestige!"

"Your Majesty, please consider this!"

"Your Majesty, please prioritize the nation!"

...

After Chancellor Wu's words, more than half of the ministers bowed, all speaking ill of Ye Yiming.

Isn't it just a fight between children? Is it really that serious?

Ha! Disregarding the law and the emperor's authority, you might as well say you're dissatisfied with the Duke. When Lin Wanjun understood Chancellor Wu's intentions, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Besides, when has the old man ever respected me? And even if the old man makes a mistake, it's not my business!

Since Lin Wanjun ascended the throne, the Duke's attendance at court sessions has been very rare, almost non-existent. Most people assumed that Lin Wanjun was considerate of the Duke's old age, but few knew that it was actually because Lin Wanjun feared the old man.

However, some things cannot be said, nor should they be said. The relationship between the Lin and Ye families in Tianyang Kingdom is not a simple one of ruler and subject.

Lin Wanjun was in a dilemma. He dared not summon the old man, and it would be a relief if the old man didn't cause trouble. But if he didn't handle the matter, it would disappoint many ministers.

Seemingly sensing Lin Wanjun's hesitation, Chancellor Wu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Ye Yiming's current behavior is a disgrace to the Duke's name. His character is poor, and if this continues, he will not be a suitable choice for the princess."

After Chancellor Wu's words, and considering what happened to his grandson yesterday, the ministers understood the situation. Lin Wanjun also realized something.

So that's it!

Once Lin Wanjun understood, he immediately grasped Chancellor Wu's intentions. Chancellor Wu had likely calculated that Lin Wanjun would not punish Ye Yiming, but by tarnishing Ye Yiming's reputation, he could create issues with the engagement to the princess, ultimately aiming to dissolve the marriage.

Lin Wanjun also understood that Chancellor Wu was doing this for his second grandson, Lin Yaolong. Objectively speaking, Lin Wanjun was quite satisfied with Lin Yaolong, who met his criteria for a son-in-law. Unfortunately, the marriage between his daughter and Ye Yiming was not his decision to make.

The more Lin Wanjun thought about it, the more he felt a headache, and his resentment towards Ye Yiming, his future son-in-law, grew.

If it weren't for you, would I have this headache?

In the end, Lin Wanjun decided not to think about it anymore. He turned to the Grand Secretary beside him and said, "Xiao Dezi, issue an imperial edict to summon Ye Yiming to the hall." After writing the edict, he sealed it with the imperial seal and handed it to the Grand Secretary.

Xiao Dezi, the Grand Secretary, took the edict and rushed to the Duke's residence. At this moment, Ye Yiming had just finished refining the sixteen low-grade Warrior Pills.

"What? I have to go to the palace to see the emperor?" Ye Yiming looked at his grandfather, who was sitting in a chair, with a very surprised expression.

I was just planning my wealth strategy! Now I have to go to the palace to see the emperor. This is quite a contrast! I've seen fake emperors on TV before, but I've never seen a real one! This feels a bit unreal.

It seemed that Ye Yiming's grandfather noticed his nervousness and said nonchalantly, "Why are you so nervous? It's just meeting someone. What's there to be nervous about?"

Hearing his grandfather's casual words, Ye Yiming was taken aback for a moment, then scratched the back of his head and said, "Right! It's just meeting someone! One nose, two eyes, I've seen them before. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Ha ha ha! Well said! One nose, two eyes, what's there to be afraid of!" Hearing Ye Yiming's unexpected response, his grandfather laughed heartily.

Seeing the two generations completely disregarding the emperor, Xiao Dezi was sweating coldly. However, he didn't say anything, keeping his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, pretending not to see.

It wasn't that Xiao Dezi was indifferent; he simply didn't have the courage.

In the past, Lin Wanjun had a favorite eunuch. During a visit to the Duke's residence to deliver an imperial edict, the eunuch, angered by the Duke sitting while listening to the edict, accused the Duke of disloyalty and treason. The Duke had the eunuch beaten and sent away. The next day, the once-favored eunuch was sent to the pigsty to raise pigs. This was why Xiao Dezi didn't mind when the Duke sat while listening to the edict.

...

When Lin Wanjun saw the Duke and Ye Yiming entering the hall together, he was so surprised that he almost jumped off his throne. Fortunately, he was a seasoned emperor and quickly regained his composure, but he still hurriedly ordered, "Bring a seat for the Duke!"

The Duke, hearing Lin Wanjun's words, first raised his eyebrows at Chancellor Wu, then sat down leisurely.

The Duke's actions made the ministers who were standing with Chancellor Wu subconsciously move away from him.

This scene shocked Ye Yiming, as he had a vague feeling that the emperor and the ministers seemed to be afraid of his grandfather!

This thought startled Ye Yiming. The emperor afraid of a minister? That seemed impossible! However, he still had a vague belief in his guess.

"Bold! Ye Yiming, you see the emperor and do not kneel? Do you want to rebel?" Just as Ye Yiming was pondering his relationship with the emperor, a loud voice startled him.

Looking up, Ye Yiming saw a general in armor glaring at him as if they had a deep grudge.

After squinting at the man for a while, Ye Yiming remembered that this was Li Feng's father, General Li Tao.

Seeing General Li's appearance and the indifferent look on Chancellor Wu's face, Ye Yiming suddenly understood.

I see, no wonder the emperor called me here for no reason! It's because something happened.

Ye Yiming glanced at his grandfather, who was smiling at him but with a supportive look in his eyes. After some thought, Ye Yiming had a plan. He looked at the angry General Li and smiled.

Little punk! Who are you trying to scare? With my grandfather here, you're just a nobody.

---

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