Chapter 16 — When the General refused to kiss me on my wedding day, I used 10 miles of red pages to buy a royal family

In his eyes, a genuine smile finally appeared. Like the surface of an icy lake, with a small crack. Although fragile, it is enough for sunlight to penetrate. He only said one word. But stronger than any promise. He put down the jade block, picked up the cup of hot tea I had just poured, and drank it all in one gulp. It was like drinking a cup of pact.

“Where to start?” I asked.

If you have formed an alliance, you must have a plan. He looked at me.

“Start with the royal palace.”

“This royal palace is like a sieve, everywhere are the eyes and ears of others.”

“If we don't clean it up, whatever we do will immediately reach the queen's ears.”

I nodded.

“This matter… leave it to me.”

He seemed a bit surprised.

“Do you have a way?”

“Have you forgotten where I come from?”

“Communicating with others, winning people's hearts... is the housekeeping ability of our merchants.”

“In three days, I will make the entire royal palace... recognize only me as master.”

He looked at my confident expression, a glint of appreciation in his eyes.

“Okay, my king, wait and see.”

The next day, the first thing I did was call Mama Trieu to Thanh Tam Uyen. I brought the completed books and pushed them in front of her.

“Zhao mama, please look.”

She just took one look and her face immediately turned white as paper. Above is a clear record of every item she embezzled over the past three years. Time, place, people involved. Authentic, irrefutable evidence. She made a "thump" sound and fell to her knees. The whole body trembled like falling leaves.

"Your Majesty, please spare your life! Your Royal Highness, please spare your life!"

"This old slave is just temporarily confused. Please, princess, remember that this old slave has served the royal palace for many years. Please forgive the old slave this time!"

I picked up the tea cup and slowly took a sip.

“Forgive you?”

"According to the rules of the royal palace, a self-directed supervisor and embezzlement of the head of the family's property... what is the crime?"

She trembled, speechless. Next to him, Tri Xuan spoke coldly.

“Truong is dead.”

Mother Trieu's whole body went limp and she collapsed to the ground. I put down the tea cup. I change my voice

"I miss you serving the royal palace for many years. Even if you don't have merit, you will still suffer."

“The crime of death… can be waived.”

In Mother Trieu's eyes, a light of hope immediately lit up. She kept banging her head.

"Thank you, Princess! Thank you, Princess, for not killing me!"

I said again.

“The sin of living… is difficult to escape.”

"You have embezzled fifty-three thousand two hundred taels of silver, not one penny is missing... you must give it up."

“Also, this position of manager, mama… is no longer needed.”

"Go to Hoan Y Department and become a washerwoman."

"When you wash all the royal clothes up and down... then come see me."

That statement sounds like a way to live... but in fact it is a path with no way out. This punishment is more cruel than death. From a motherly manager who was once respected by everyone... she fell straight to the lowest status - a washerwoman at Hoan Y Department. But the so-called "cleaning everything"... is inherently something that can never be done. It's not just punishment, it's a lifetime of imprisonment in humiliation — each day, each day worn down to the very end. This is the heart. But she did not dare to resist. I can only cry and accept my fate.

“Yes… this old slave obeys…”

I dealt with Mother Trieu, without hiding it, and without going around trying to avoid it. But right in front of the entire administration royal government, publicly condemn and publicly punish. A knife is lowered, not to kill someone... but to establish prestige. Kill the chicken to scare the monkey. Effective, immediately obvious. That very afternoon, many administrators proactively came to Thanh Tam Uyen. Kneel before me, confess every crime, and at the same time hand over all the money you embezzled, not daring to hide even an inch. For reasonable people who admit mistakes like that, we do not intentionally push them into a corner. They only punished them for half a year of benefits and forced them to write a commitment letter. If you commit a repeat offense, voluntarily accept any punishment and never complain. In just one day, the power to manage the internal government... completely fell into our hands. But that's still not enough. Rewards and punishments must be clear. Grace must go hand in hand. What we need is not just the fear they have for us. What I also want... is true loyalty. That night, I ordered the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous banquet. At the same time, from his dowry, he took out a large amount of gold, silver, jewels, silk and brocade. Summon all the servants in the royal palace and arrange a long banquet right in the middle of the courtyard. In front of everyone, I slowly announced. From next month, the salaries of all servants in the royal palace... will double. On holidays and New Year, there are extra bonuses. If there is a sick person in the house, the royal government will pay for treatment. If their children reach school age, the royal government will sponsor them and send them to school. As soon as these things were said, the whole royal palace was immediately shocked. The cheers rose like thunder, resounding endlessly.