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He was a servant in Prince Rui’s household and had come on his master’s orders. Although each person was allowed to buy bonds only once, the nobles had no trouble using others’ identities to make additional purchases.

As Zhang Lei reached the residence, he noticed a large crowd gathered in front, murmuring among themselves.

“Huh, why isn’t it open today?” someone asked, frowning at the closed gates.

“I’m not sure,” another replied.

“I heard there was a grand banquet for the Crown Prince yesterday. The Zhou envoy probably attended and got drunk. They’re probably just opening late today.”

“Good point,” someone else chimed in.

“Should we come back this afternoon?”

“I can’t believe it’s not open,” grumbled another.

“I was hoping to make more money today.”

“Yes, looks like we have no choice but to leave for now.”

Zhang Lei listened to the chatter around him, but something felt off. The Zhou envoy rarely showed up in person, and even if he was delayed, his subordinates were always there to manage things. Still, with the residence closed, there wasn’t much he could do but wait.

Half a day passed, and the crowd outside the residence only grew larger. Many citizens gathered, buzzing with excitement, eagerly discussing how much money they hoped to make from their bonds.

“Tsk tsk, it’s Brother Liu! I bought almost three thousand taels worth of bonds for one month!” one man boasted.

“Only one month? I invested five thousand taels for a year,” another said proudly.

“By next year, I’ll have earned fifty thousand taels.”

“I really envy you,” a third lamented.

“I can’t make that much money.”

“We’ve poured all of our family’s savings into this,” someone else admitted.

“Opportunities to make money like this are rare; we have to seize them while we can.”

“But why hasn’t the residence opened yet?” one woman wondered aloud.

“It’s been a whole day with no activity. Do you think something might have happened?”

“Don’t scare me like that!” another cried, anxiety creeping into their voice.

As evening approached, the sky turned a brilliant red, and though some in the crowd were anxious, the atmosphere remained mostly upbeat.

But as night fell, with stars dotting the dark sky and a lone moon hanging high above, the mood shifted. The faces of the people outside the residence began to look worried. Some were there to buy bonds, while others had already invested and brought friends and family along, eager to join in.

But now, Yang Yi’s villa had been eerily quiet for an entire day. Despite the growing crowd and the commotion outside, not a single servant had come out to address them. The unsettling silence cast a dark shadow over everyone’s hearts.

“Could they have run away?” someone muttered, voice laced with fear.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Zhang Lei swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead. His master had invested nearly hundreds of thousands of taels in bonds. If something had gone wrong…

The mere thought of it sent a shiver down Zhang Lei’s spine. The crowd began to grow restless, their conversations turning into nervous whispers.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd suggested,

“There’s no sound at all from inside. Why don’t we go in and take a look?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd nodded in agreement. Despite knowing it was wrong to barge into someone’s villa, the silence from Yang Yi’s residence made them uneasy about their entire fortune.

Yet, even with their concerns, no one moved. After all, trespassing was illegal, especially when it came to the residence of an envoy.

Seeing that no one dared to act, Zhang Lei gritted his teeth and stepped forward, gently pushing the door. He didn’t have time to waste. If something had indeed gone wrong, Prince Rui would not spare him.

To everyone’s shock, the door, seemingly unlocked, swung open effortlessly, revealing an empty courtyard inside.

Zhang Lei’s heart skipped a beat. The door wasn’t even locked? He dashed inside, and the scene that greeted him nearly made him faint.

The courtyard was empty, and the doors of the house stood wide open. Inside, there was nothing left. It was as if the entire place had been ransacked. The envoys from Da Zhou had fled!

The crowd behind him surged forward, pouring into the courtyard. As they took in the scene, a heavy silence fell.

Everyone’s breathing grew rapid, their hopes crumbling before their eyes. Zhang Lei turned and was startled by the sight. The eyes of those around him were bloodshot, like volcanoes on the verge of eruption.

For three breaths, there was only silence. Then, someone’s voice, hoarse and filled with despair, broke the quiet.

“They ran away!”

The words were like a spark in a powder keg, and the crowd instantly erupted into chaos.

“They ran away? What about my money!”

“Impossible! How could they run? How could they possibly escape?”

“What’s going on? Where are the bonds? Where’s my money? That was my father’s life savings!”

“They’ve all run away! Report this to the authorities!”

In an instant, panic spread like wildfire. People screamed and shouted, their hopes dashed. Those bonds represented everything they had.

Zhang Lei’s head buzzed, his vision dimming. Could it really be true? Had Yang Yi truly run away?

As far as Zhang Lei knew, it wasn’t just Prince Rui who had invested. Other princes, like Prince Kang, Prince Zheng, and Prince Su, had also poured tens of thousands of taels into these bonds.

Now that Yang Yi had fled, it felt as though the sky had collapsed.

In the Imperial Palace, within the Golden Throne Hall, Fu Cha Fu Heng rushed in, his face pale and frantic.

“Your Majesty, something terrible has happened.”

Qianlong paused, his brush freezing in mid-air as he studied his usually composed minister. Fu Cha Fu Heng had been by his side for decades and had never appeared so distraught.

What could have happened to shake him like this?

Qianlong attempted to calm him,

“Fu Heng, what’s wrong? Speak slowly…”

Fu Cha Fu Heng wiped the cold sweat from his brow with his wide sleeve, his hands trembling.

“Your Majesty, Yang Yi has fled.”

Plop.

The brush slipped from Qianlong’s grasp, staining the paper below with a large blot of ink, ruining the freshly written script.

But at that moment, he couldn’t care less. His eyes widened in disbelief, his scalp tingling as the full weight of the news sank in.

“Fled?”