Chapter 668
Squeeze?
Squeeze, my ass!
How am I going to squeeze out that much?
What you are doing is practically squeezing away half of our lives!
However, nobody dared to protest or utter a sliver of disagreement right at the scene - they did not even dare to display the slightest hint of their displeasure on their faces!
Who was this Yun Yang that stood before them?
He was none other than Young Master Yun, the young heir of the Residence of King Yun!
Who, then, was behind the Residence of King Yun?
Yun Xiaoyao - King Xiaoyao!
If King Xiaoyao had not agreed to this, would Young Master Yun dare to pull such a stunt?
It was obvious that he must have given the green light to go ahead with this!
Who was behind King Xiaoyao, then?
It must be, without a doubt, the emperor, His Majesty himself!
If the Emperor himself had not given his consent for this open extortion of property, would King Xiaoyao have dared to make a move as massive as this?
One could only imagine that it was a hundred percent guarantee that he must have agreed to it!
Regarding the fact that Yun Yang had to have discussed this with Marshal Tie, the reason would be nothing more than the inconvenience for King Xiaoyao and the Emperor to step forth personally. Once they put their foot out, how inappropriate it would be! Those two still needed to retain their dignity.
One could say that it was the appropriate thing to do, a complete utilization of talents for Marshal Tie to assume responsibility for this so that Yun Yang could step forward to announce it.
Bloody hell, who would dare to disobey?
Let's not talk about the malevolence of the Empire of Yutang's top two powers. Yun Yang alone was needed before the imperial court could enforce any law and judgment. Otherwise, before Marshal Tie Zheng could find any fault, one would already have lost his head in the midst of slumber during the dead of the night...
What? Was it all done by Young Master Yun? What evidence do you have to prove it?
Assuming that you do have evidence, the receiving party could erase its existence with a wave of his hand. This would then be followed up with a further question - do you still have any other evidence?
A thing like this was completely possible and completely imaginable as well.
That would simply mean dying in vain!
What?
Are you are saying that Yun Yang's donation drive was at the behest of the Emperor himself? Do you have proof? If you don't, that was basically slander, defamation - you have no respect for your benevolent ruler! You have no regard for the law, you are challenging the sovereign, you are attempting to incur a rebellion...
If that was the case, you will not be the only one who would be punished; your whole family will lose their heads as well!
Do you have evidence? Waiting to present the evidence, perhaps? With or without proof, death awaits you, either way...
Everyone felt like they were being pushed over the edge; speechless and exasperated, they felt like they were going into a momentary state of shock.
A few of the known rich households involved longed to weep, but they no longer had any tears left.
It was still relatively acceptable if others had to donate ten million taels, but for their own families to also donate ten million taels... you should just wait until you die!
Although there was no official appointment of names... do these things even require a proper appointment of names?
"Alright, alright, as I said before, I believe all here are good, understanding men, so we shall commence the donation now. Do note that this is a donation, not a loan." Yun Yang gave a good-natured laugh. "So, do consider how much you will be donating, and please, please remember this figure in your heart - this money will not be returned!"
Silence reigned supreme.
"All along, I have never had many earnings, to begin with. How I wish I could spend a penny by breaking it into two halves. However, the empire is at stake right now - naturally, I feel responsible for it. This young brother has already forked out my entire savings - twenty million taels." Yun Yang made an example of himself, launching a massive sum as a start.
"Since big brother has said so, and although I was never born a citizen of Yutang, I was a comrade to many Yutang-born men as we rode into battle together. I still remember the bloody battle at the Fortress of Resilience... No matter how tight my finances are, I am willing to fork out twenty million taels!" Xia Bingchuan offered generously.
"This young brother shall donate twenty million taels."
"This young brother shall donate twenty million taels as well."
"I will donate thirty million taels. On behalf of my uncle, I shall donate even more. However, due to my limited finances, I can only afford to fork out ten million taels more than my brothers, Don't laugh - do excuse my limited capabilities," said Qiu Yunsan.
With that, the four noble young masters livened up the atmosphere, taking the task earnestly and laughing collectively.
However, how could the rest of the young masters afford to join in this playful jest? They could not even begin to voice their unhappiness at the situation at hand, and could only wade in their woes privately.
"I will donate ten million taels..."
"Me too... sob..."
"Why are you crying? I will donate ten million taels!"
No matter how reluctant everybody felt, they still paid up the designated amount eagerly.
Everyone could clearly comprehend that this sum, in other words, was a guarantee to keep their lives.
If nothing was given... well, one could just wait and see.
After three rounds of wine, Yun Yang stood up to excuse himself. "Everybody here is the hope of the empire. It is an honor to have all of you so kindly involve yourselves to help our country go through these difficult times. I hereby convey gratitude on behalf of Marshal Tie."
...
Then, Yun Yang took his leave gracefully, his sleeves now laden with wealth. He had just rounded up a huge sum of a hundred and fifty million taels into the bag within the space of a meal. It was equivalent to placing numerous gold mines into his pocket!
Basically speaking, he had almost dug up the entire reserve of finances of these fellows before him.
Regarding Tie Zheng... of course Tie Zheng had never gone to him to discuss these matters. Yun Xiaoyao and the Emperor were not even informed about this either- this scheme was solely hatched and executed by Yun Yang alone. That was all.
The donations, however, remained genuine donations!
In recent years, Yutang had sacrificed thousands and millions of generals. In only a span of this one year alone, four million militants had already lost their lives on the battlefield, never to return home again!
One year!
What an unbearably brutal number!
If one and half billion silver taels were to be divided equally among the four million soldiers, only three hundred taels or so would be allocated per head at the very most - what about those men who were still serving at the front lines?
This sum of money seemed abundant, but in truth, it was not completely infinite after a thorough calculation.
Even when the sum obtained from the last raid along their journey was included, the total was still far from adequate. It was a bit of an exaggeration to say that it was terribly lacking, but it was really only sufficient after Yun Yang forked in a considerable amount of his own stash.
On that very same night, Yun Xiaoyao took the sum to the royal palace. With the opening of his ring and a swoosh, the Emperor's study was flooded with banknotes.
The two brothers were literally bathing in a sea of banknotes.
"Sh—ooot!" His Majesty wanted to say; sh*t! However, he thought twice before those words left his lips, and changed it to shoot instead...
"Where did you get so much money from?"
"Cough... it was Yun Yang. The child had the audacity to call for a donation! Well, you do know that he is rather a people person..." Yun Xiaoyao declared the whole truth naturally, putting the blame on his son.
This truth could not be placed on anyone else, anyway.
"Brilliant child, what a brilliant child!" The Emperor's hands trembled, overwhelmed with excitement.
The royal authority could never be challenged. The Emperor's precious orders were the final word. His every bid and call dictated the law. Yet, only the individual involved - in this case, the Emperor himself - knew that when the situation became too overwhelming, he could only compromise. How could he be like Yun Yang, living as carefree as he wished, passing out judgment as he saw fit, unperturbed?
The Emperor understood the justification provided; Yun Xiaoyao more so than anybody else.
"This chap meant to have this sum to be used for a specific purpose..." said Yun Xiaoyao. "He meant to spend it as compensation for the families of the fallen soldiers... t-this..."
"Allowed!"
His Majesty made the call without any further advice or input.
"If this matter has a different course of events..." Yun Xiaoyao began.
"I will be accountable for everything!" The Emperor declared resolutely.
It was only then that Yun Xiaoyao could exhale a sigh of relief. A responsibility like this was still best thrown to the Emperor himself, and with that, he could finally feel his entire body relax.
Although Yun Xiaoyao knew that Yun Yang would not pay much mind to these, trouble should be avoided at all costs if there was no need for it.
"If that is all, allow me to excuse myself." Without further matters to discuss, Yun Xiaoyao wished to take his leave.
"Aye, we are rarely bestowed with such fortunate news! Will you not join me for a drink before you leave?" asked the Emperor.
"I will pass..." Yun Xiaoyao let out a bitter smile. "My head is spitting with a terrible headache right now. There was the appearance of a dragonhide treasure map in the city - it was complete chaos out there! The emergence of such an item, compounded with the Dictum of Death, will only worsen the situation further..."
Whatever Yun Xiaoyao mentioned was not wrong at all - the whole of Tiantang City was already a scene of complete chaos!