Puppet Emperor 09

The rebel forces in the south of the State of Li merged. For a time, they formed a standoff with the army of the State of Mang. Unable to break through anytime soon, the Mang forces could only focus on sorting out the immediate situation before them.

"This is Grand Commandant Yi," General Ah introduced to Fang Zhiyi at the banquet table, holding up his wine cup.

Fang Zhiyi offered continuous praise and stood up to clink glasses. Grand Commandant Yi looked at the emperor before him; he had only heard rumors in the past, but he didn't expect this guy to be truly this absurd. The thought that he was now sitting on equal footing with an emperor made Grand Commandant Yi feel rather smug.

When the banquet ended, Fang Zhiyi meaningfully slipped him a generous welcoming gift, which pleasantly surprised Grand Commandant Yi.

He hadn't expected Fang Zhiyi to be so tactful. Moreover, the State of Li was indeed wealthy; to be so generous right off the bat? No wonder their Lord was worried about Teng Shuchang growing too powerful.

Grand Commandant Yi took over the court's administration, and in passing, also took over the supervisory affairs of the bank. Teng Shuchang could finally catch his breath; now he only needed to focus his energy on dealing with the Li Dynasty's army in the south.

As for Fang Zhiyi, his hidden spies were still keeping an eye on him. There was truly nothing new to report. Fang Zhiyi seemed solely dedicated to doing business and indulging in food, drink, and merrymaking. Teng Shuchang grew tired of listening to the daily reports and simply ordered that unless there was something special, they didn't need to report every day.

Fang Zhiyi opened several more shops, ranging from grain stores to pawnshops. He even bought a tavern for his own drinking convenience. He had seemingly achieved his ideal life, becoming a wealthy gentleman. His move with the bank alone was enough to make him a fortune.

Grand Commandant Yi's demands on him were also very low. He only needed to show his face in the court from time to time, mainly to sign surrender decrees aimed at cities that refused to yield. However, although the decrees were sent out, their effect was not very significant.

Fang Zhiyi's reputation had already hit rock bottom. As the Son of Heaven, he only knew how to enjoy himself and even worked for the enemy. Countless citizens of the Li Dynasty wore expressions of pure fury at the mere mention of his name.

But these things could not stop Fang Zhiyi's good days. Every day, he was either taking a stroll or making money, and then drinking heavily with the people of the Mang Dynasty. Previously he drank with the military generals, and now he drank with the newly arrived civil officials.

"It's so cold, why is this person kneeling here?" a Mang Dynasty official asked in confusion, looking at a woman kneeling by the roadside.

Fang Zhiyi took a glance and smiled, "You might not know this, but here, the dead must be laid to rest in the earth. Some families are simply too poor, so they will even sell themselves to bury their parents."

"Oh... so that means I can buy her if I pay?" an official asked with a wicked grin.

Fang Zhiyi, however, became interested. "Let me try first." He walked up, squatted down, and met the woman's eyes. The woman looked at the frivolous man before her, her eyes full of grievance. The absurdity of the Li Dynasty's emperor had already spread throughout the world.

"I like this one, she's mine!" Fang Zhiyi took out some silver and threw it on the ground.

"Hahahaha." Several officials burst into laughter. The Emperor of the Li Dynasty buying his own citizens—it would be a laughingstock if word got out. In their eyes, Fang Zhiyi was sometimes more of a joke, so no one took it seriously.

That day, after burying her father, the woman moved into Fang Zhiyi's small courtyard without causing any ripples.

And Fang Zhiyi seemed to have fallen in love with the feeling of throwing money at people. Today, he saw a man who had fled from the war zone and shoved a silver ingot at him to lead his horse; tomorrow, he would pick up a beggar with a high fever.

The officials of the Mang Dynasty didn't understand. Fang Zhiyi said, "I'm doing good deeds and accumulating virtue, so I won't have to be an emperor in my next life."

The crowd was stunned. Was that even a human thing to say?

Fang Zhiyi smiled again, "The most important thing is to let them know that I am rich! Hahahaha!"

No one thought there was anything wrong with Fang Zhiyi. These days, he was just short of carving the words "Rich Man" on his face.

But seeing Fang Zhiyi's behavior, no one stopped him. Several high-ranking officials of the Mang Dynasty knew that Fang Zhiyi's ultimate fate was death. No matter how much he earned, it would all belong to their Lord in the future.

Fang Zhiyi went to the palace as usual. First, he wrote a few letters of surrender, earnestly stamped them with his great seal, and then trotted back to the small courtyard he had bought, accompanied by the eunuch Dexiang.

At the courtyard gate were those hidden spies. Facing the silver thrown by Fang Zhiyi, the few men raised their hands to catch it, grinned at Fang Zhiyi, and then continued to immerse themselves in a simple gambling game. Originally, they just watched Fang Zhiyi play, but later Fang Zhiyi said it wasn't fun to play alone and pulled them all in. Gradually, they had all become somewhat addicted.

"You're saying you still have an old mother at home?" Fang Zhiyi looked at the cleanly washed beggar in front of him.

The beggar nodded.

"Do you know who I am?"

The beggar looked at Fang Zhiyi and said hesitantly, "I know. Everyone says you are the shameful emperor of the Li Dynasty."

Dexiang's expression changed. He was about to scold him but was stopped by Fang Zhiyi.

The beggar continued, "But I don't know anything about being an emperor or not. You gave me a full bowl of food to eat."

Fang Zhiyi was amused. "Here, there's also a hundred-tael silver note. Take it back to your mother."

Looking at the silver note pushed over by Fang Zhiyi, the beggar's eyes glazed over in shock.

Dexiang watched the beggar leave in confusion. "Your Majesty, what exactly are you trying to do? This old slave truly doesn't understand... You are, after all, the ruler of a nation, and this kind of person actually insults you to your face..."

Fang Zhiyi didn't turn his head. "Come on. In this entire Li Dynasty, is there anyone who doesn't curse me? Dexiang, even you—when you heard I was making money for the Mang Dynasty people, didn't you curse me too?"

Dexiang was momentarily speechless and dropped to his knees with a thud. "Your Majesty, this old slave deserves to be punished!"

"Get up. Tidy yourself up. We still have to drink with Grand Commandant Yi later. Afterwards, arrange for a few singing girls to liven things up."

Dexiang looked up at Fang Zhiyi, a hint of disappointment in his eyes, but he still nodded. "Yes."

"I heard the Emperor has been helping quite a few people lately?" Grand Commandant Yi teased.

Fang Zhiyi looked indifferent. "Otherwise, how would they know their emperor is so rich?"

"Hahahaha..." The officials at the table all laughed.

But after the laughter, Fang Zhiyi took out several envelopes. Everyone stared intently at the envelopes in his hands, their faces full of greed.

"This month's dividends are all right here, everyone," Fang Zhiyi narrowed his eyes. "You all know the rules, right?"

The entire table of people revealed tacit, knowing smiles.

Dexiang stood guard downstairs. Listening to the sounds of laughter above, he stared blankly into the distance. "Late Emperor, Great Li is truly finished."

But the actual situation was not as he thought. The Li Dynasty army in the south was exceptionally fierce, even stubbornly holding off Teng Shuchang's grand army, leaving them unable to advance a single step further.

"What the hell!" Teng Shuchang paced back and forth, cursing under his breath. "A year ago, they were clearly just a bunch of peasant soldiers who didn't even have full sets of armor!"

His subordinate generals looked at each other in dismay, none daring to speak.

Seeing the Lord's orders urging them to fight being delivered once again, Teng Shuchang felt his mind was about to explode.