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No wonder he had warned her that his plan might disturb the harmony. This move was indeed ruthless!

But she couldn’t deny the satisfaction she felt.

Back then, Qianlong had deeply insulted her, and now Yang Yi had struck back with a blow that would leave the Qing Emperor reeling.

She felt vindicated, almost refreshed by the turn of events.

Wu Zhao contemplated for a moment, her gaze turning shrewd.

“You’ve taken all that money, and Qianlong will not let this go easily. How should our Great Zhou respond?”

Yang Yi chuckled, his confidence unshaken.

“The Qing Emperor recently proposed a marriage alliance with our Great Zhou—a blatant insult. We cannot allow that to stand! I implore Your Majesty to issue an immediate edict and declare war on the Qing!”

The room fell silent. They had just swindled the Qing people out of a fortune, and now they were planning to declare war?

The villain was striking first and crying foul! Qianlong would surely explode with fury.

Wu Zhao’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“How could I have nearly forgotten about this perfect excuse?”

She raised her phoenix-like brows, sneering.

“Qianlong dared to humiliate Great Zhou in such a manner. Now it’s time for us to demand an explanation.”

With the newfound wealth, the Empress was emboldened. War required funds, and now, with these resources, Great Zhou could support a full-scale conflict against the Qing.

The Qing Dynasty, meanwhile, was in chaos, with Qianlong struggling to contain the turmoil. He wouldn’t have the means to fight back against Great Zhou.

…

At the same time, within the walls of Great Tang, in the Imperial Hall of Supreme Jurisdiction, the atmosphere was no less tense.

“Your Majesty…”

Changsun Wuji burst into the hall, displaying a surprising nimbleness despite his rotund figure.

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow at his haste.

“What is it, Wuji?”

Changsun Wuji’s face was painted with an odd expression.

“Your Majesty, Yang Yi has fled with the loan money!”

“What?!”

Li Shimin’s voice rang out in disbelief. The other officials of Great Tang were equally shocked.

He absconded?!

Fang Xuanling furrowed his brow.

“Wuji , is this true?”

Li Xiaogong, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, and the others all stared at Changsun Wuji, eager to hear more.

Changsun Wuji sighed wryly.

“The news has caused an enormous uproar in the Qing Dynasty. Right now, there are tens of thousands of people outside the Qing Palace, demanding their money back. Qianlong must be losing his mind.”

A collective gasp filled the room as Li Xiaogong, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, and Gao Shilian all absorbed the shocking revelation. No one had expected Yang Yi to be this audacious!

Li Shimin’s eyes widened as he grasped the edges of his dragon throne.

“He actually ran off with the money!”

His disbelief was palpable, mirrored in the faces of his officials.

The Imperial Hall fell into a long, heavy silence.

Finally, Fang Xuanling broke the stillness with a sigh.

“So that’s the real story…”

“No wonder Yang Yi was selling bonds in the Qing Dynasty.”

Everyone turned to Fang Xuanling, puzzled.

Li Shimin stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Xuanling, are you saying…?”

Fang Xuanling nodded with a wry smile.

“Your Majesty, weren’t we all perplexed as to why Yang Yi was posing as a wealthy playboy in the Qing capital?”

Li Shimin nodded instinctively, his eyes narrowing as realization dawned on him.

“You mean, he had planned this from the start? Using high interest rates to lure investors, while his true goal was always their principal? He never intended to pay the promised returns!”

“Precisely, Your Majesty,”

Fang Xuanling said, his tone tinged with admiration for the boldness of the plan.

“He used a classic pyramid scheme—paying earlier investors with the funds from the new ones. He was simply robbing Peter to pay Paul, and when the cash flow was at its peak, he disappeared.”

“In this way, he could create the illusion of high investment and high returns,” Fang Xuanling continued, his voice tinged with a mix of awe and trepidation.

“Once people saw the profits, they would invest even more, spreading the word and drawing in more investors. As more people joined, Yang Yi amassed a huge sum. But the longer the scheme continued, the more unsustainable it became.”

“In the end, it was just robbing Peter to pay Paul, not truly generating wealth. So, he chose to flee at the height of his success, when everyone believed the bond business was thriving and least likely to collapse. He caught everyone off guard and made a clean exit!”

Fang Xuanling sighed deeply.

“This man has a profound understanding of economics and human nature—a natural talent for leadership. But his scheme is malicious and insidious. It could ruin tens of thousands of families in the Qing, potentially impacting millions of lives!”

With Fang Xuanling’s words hanging in the air, the hall fell into an eerie silence. Changsun Wuji, Li Xiaogong, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, Gao Shilian, and the other high-ranking officials of Great Tang sat in stunned disbelief.

It was unbelievably audacious!

Here was a strategist who had personally stepped into the game, woven a web of deceit, preyed on human greed, and cast a net wide enough to trap the entire Qing Dynasty—only to escape with unimaginable wealth right under their noses.

This was a legendary, textbook scam!

Even the seasoned minds of Great Tang couldn’t help but admit that if they had been in the same situation, they, too, might have fallen into the trap. Yang Yi’s brilliance was terrifying.

Li Shimin’s gaze turned contemplative, filled with a mix of admiration and unease. After a long pause, he let out a heavy sigh.

“Such a strategy, such boldness… why is he not serving as a minister of Great Tang?”

The room fell silent again. Even the proud officials of Great Tang couldn’t deny the anxiety they felt before such a genius.

Faced with Yang Yi, none of them could confidently say they would outsmart him.

…

Meanwhile, in the Ming Dynasty…

“Good, good, good.” Zhu Yuanzhang’s piercing eyes glimmered with amusement.

“That boy has truly given the Qing people a beating. It pleases me greatly.”

Zhu Biao, standing beside him, remained silent, curiosity piqued about this Minister Yang of Great Zhou.

The Ming and Qing had always been mortal enemies. Back when Zhu Yuanzhang fought Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang, and other rivals, the Qing Emperor had tried to take advantage of the chaos and invade.

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang had swept aside all challengers and established the Ming Empire, solidifying the enmity between the Ming and Qing.

Now, seeing Qianlong in such turmoil, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn’t help but feel vindicated.

As the laughter in the hall subsided, Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his chin thoughtfully. “However, this Yang Yi from Zhou is indeed a formidable character. I hope our Ming Dynasty never has to face him in the future.”

Turning to his son, he mused,

“Brother Biao, I hear he’s an orphan. What do you think of sending someone to the Zhou Dynasty to bring him here? Perhaps we could marry one of your sisters to him and make him one of our own.”

Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.

“This young man isn’t very old, and he could be a great help to you in the future. The young officials we have left in Ming are far too disappointing.”

Zhu Biao blinked, momentarily speechless.

“…”