Chapter 60: Black Dragon Cavalry
"It’s rare to see you with so much time on your hands. Aren’t you off keeping an eye on the Little Emperor?"
In a private room on the third floor of a teahouse, two men, one in black and one in white, sat facing each other. Rong Yin, dressed in embroidered black robes, silently brewed tea, his movements fluid and graceful. The Immortal-like Meng Xuechen, robed in moon-white, held an account book in one hand and a golden abacus in the other, the gold and jade striking each other with a sharp CLACK.
Fortunately, both men were exceptionally handsome, making the dissonant scene a strangely pleasant one to behold.
Rong Yin passed the freshly brewed tea to Meng Xuechen. "She’s grown up."
Meng Xuechen chuckled. "You sound like a stuffy old man. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were her father."
For some reason, Rong Yin’s expression turned even colder.
Meng Xuechen, unbothered by the icy air emanating from him, continued flipping through his ledger. "The Ministry of Revenue’s deficit is huge. So huge that even with my heaven-defying abilities, I can’t possibly fill this hole."
"If the wealth confiscated from the Chen Family had gone into the treasury, we might have had a chance. But now, it’s impossible. Salaries are due in three days. Forget about extra rewards—we can’t even pay out the regular salaries this year. Apart from those from the great aristocratic families, most lower-ranking officials depend on these salaries to live. If there’s no money, the Little Emperor is going to be in big trouble."
Rong Yin was silent for a moment. "There is a way, but I’m afraid she won’t be willing to trust me."
Meng Xuechen finally deigned to put down his abacus, slowly lifting his teacup. "Actually, you don’t have to worry so much. Perhaps she’s smarter than you imagine."
His gaze drifted casually downward, just in time to see a procession passing by. He recognized the youth at its center in a single glance, and his eyes darkened slightly. "Your Little Emperor has left the palace."
Rong Yin immediately turned his head. Sure enough, he saw the Little Emperor on horseback. The tall figure beside her was Li Wei. The two were laughing and talking as they rode forward, in a direction that seemed to lead out of the city.
Rong Yin immediately stood up and gave chase.
Meng Xuechen lifted his teacup, his gaze falling upon his abacus. It was as if he were looking at it, yet also as if his mind had drifted off to some unknown time and space.
’Little Emperor, you truly have an incredible face...’
-----
Li Wei, who had been missing for most of the night, suddenly entered the palace. His eyes were burning with intensity. "Your Majesty, please come with me somewhere."
He showed no hostility, only the eager anticipation of someone hoping to be praised.
Xiao Yang didn’t refuse. "Where are we going?"
Li Wei replied, "You’ll know when we get there."
The two rode out from the west of the city and arrived at a military encampment in less than an hour.
The horses stopped at the gate, and Li Wei led Xiao Yang inside.
As they passed through, all Xiao Yang could see were soldiers clad in black armor. Their entire bodies were covered in black that glinted with a cold light, adorned only with golden totems on their shoulders and chests.
Each man was tall and powerfully built, their gazes like torches, radiating an imposing aura.
Li Wei led Xiao Yang to the training ground at the very center and up onto a high platform.
Below, soldiers were training. Following the drill instructor’s commands, they all shifted formations while simultaneously brandishing the weapons in their hands.
The sound of weapons slicing through the air, the clang of armor, and the thud of feet stamping on the ground were all perfectly synchronized—mighty and awe-inspiring.
Xiao Yang seemed to understand. "This is your Black Dragon Cavalry?"
Li Wei raised his hand and passed a Black Dragon Token to Xiao Yang, his expression solemn. "This is Your Majesty’s Black Dragon Cavalry."
He knelt on one knee, raising the token above his head with both hands. "Your Majesty, please accept command!"
Xiao Yang’s casual expression vanished as she solemnly took the Token.
"Raise the flag!"
At the loud cry, the banner at the top of a nearby flagpole suddenly unfurled. Golden threads depicted a massive black dragon’s head.
As the banner fluttered in the wind, all the soldiers saluted in unison. "We welcome Your Majesty!"
The next moment, war drums sounded, and the ground trembled.
A troop of well-trained warhorses ran up in neat formation from the rear. The soldiers swiftly vaulted onto their horses, dismounted, then switched horses and mounted again, finally leading the animals through formation drills.
Just moments ago, the men alone had achieved perfect synchronization. Now, they controlled not only themselves but their horses as well.
The sheer pressure exerted by these highly trained cavalrymen was immense.
Even the most listless person would feel a surge of adrenaline witnessing such a scene.
Li Wei said, "This is the First Battalion of the Black Dragon Cavalry, an elite force I personally selected. From now on, they will be stationed here. Your Majesty need only fire a single signal flare, and they will immediately enter the palace to guard you. They recognize only this Token and Your Majesty."
"We swear to serve Your Majesty to the death!"
The sky-shaking roar was enough to stir the blood.
Xiao Yang took a deep breath to calm herself. The reason she had given the money to Li Wei in the first place was simply that the army was short on funds, and she didn’t want the money to end up in the Ministry of Revenue, only to be embezzled.
Her talk of wanting a Black Dragon Cavalry was merely a way to have Li Wei use that money to train a powerful army. That way, even if the nation was corrupt, it wouldn’t be so weak as to be invaded and humiliated by foreign enemies.
As for how this would benefit her personally, she hadn’t considered it at all.
But she was the Emperor, and Li Wei was her subject. He acknowledged her as his Emperor, so everything he did would, through his loyalty, ultimately return to her hands.
Xiao Yang couldn’t help but laugh. "You truly are..."
"Is there still enough money?"
Li Wei didn’t expect Xiao Yang to suddenly change the subject. His relaxed expression grew a little heavy. "Your Majesty... I previously arranged for the military pay to be distributed to the Four-direction Camps. There is indeed not much left..."
He had torn the Chen and Liu Families’ properties apart, confiscating a total of over thirty million taels of silver.
This was a colossal sum. Nowadays, two taels of silver were enough for a family to live on for a year. This amount of money could support tens of millions of families.
But the Da Wei army numbered four hundred thousand. When you factored in three years of military pay, plus winter clothing, armor, and weapons, it still wasn’t enough.
The fact that there was anything left at all was the result of his deliberate restraint.
The army needed money, but the court had always been harsh on the common soldiers. Whether it was equipment, pay and rations, or death benefits, it was never enough. Many soldiers risked their lives for nothing, dying in vain and getting nothing in return.
The Li family came from a long line of generals. Li Wei’s father and brothers had spent their entire lives fighting for the nation. No one cherished the soldiers more than he did.
He wanted the soldiers to receive the hard-earned pay they deserved.
Soldiers can die, but they should die heroically killing the enemy. They shouldn’t freeze to death, and they certainly shouldn’t die because their blades aren’t sharp enough, their armor isn’t strong enough, or their stomachs are empty.
He was grateful that Your Majesty had pushed aside all opposition and resolutely entrusted him with distributing these funds. But he also knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Your Majesty was too young and had only just begun to rule directly. The National Treasury was empty, the Ministry of Revenue had no money, and the nation was decadent. No one could predict what the future held.
But the Little Emperor was willing to protect them this one time, so he would risk his life to ensure her safety.
Xiao Yang didn’t know what he was thinking, but his expression was pained yet resolute.
’An army is all well and good, but it costs too much money,’ Xiao Yang, in truth, also had her own concerns.
’It’s not that I can’t make money. It’s that being a woman is like a ticking time bomb. I don’t want to find ways to make money to support them, only to be betrayed because I’m a woman, with their blades ultimately pointed at me.’
’No matter how capable I am, I can’t fight this many people. I can’t imagine what a frustrating death that would be.’
As soon as the thought arose, a nameless fire erupted from within her.
’I’m so sick of this disguise as a man.’
’If I were an openly declared Princess, I would fight for the throne with unconcealed ambition. But this throne, won through deception... the more I think about it, the more infuriating it is.’
She let out a heavy, fiery breath. ’Forget it. There’s no point in dwelling on this.’
’I’ll just focus on what’s in front of me. The future can wait.’
"I understand."