Chapter 12: This Prince Has Nothing Else, Just Plenty of Money

Chapter 12: This Prince Has Nothing Else, Just Plenty of Money

Xiao Ce looked toward Lin Zhong who was standing to the side.

Uncle Zhong looked surprised and said, “Prince, you want me to prepare cash so you can hand out the Military Pay?”

Xiao Ce nodded. “Go get it!”

Yesterday, he didn’t know the people arriving were Death Row Prisoners.

However, he understood clearly that the simplest way to win people’s loyalty was money.

So last night, he had Lin Zhong exchange some of the silver notes given by the Prince of Zhenguo, Xiao Dingshan, for cash.

He was guarding against the Emperor going back on his word, and the Emperor truly didn’t let him down.

Lin Zhong thought Xiao Ce was squandering the family fortune.

But the imposing manner when he slapped Xiao Yang earlier was truly impressive.

Lin Zhong nodded and clapped his hands.

Several servants immediately stepped forward; these servants were also trusted subordinates Lin Zhong had brought with him.

Not long after, fifteen boxes were carried up.

The boxes were opened uniformly.

Under the sunlight, the Silver gleamed brightly.

The Death Row Prisoners watched, their eyes wide and hands rubbing together in anticipation!

Xiao Ce continued asking, “Do you want to do this? Those who want to, come get the money!”

“Do it! Do it! Do it!”

Xiao Ce was not at all surprised by their reaction!

After all, a thousand words weren’t as good as something direct!

“Good! Don’t be in such a hurry yet!”

The Death Row Prisoners, seeing they could get money immediately, naturally regarded Xiao Ce, their patron, with deep respect.

“Since there’s a great reward, there naturally must be severe punishment!”

“Our Imperial Father ordered This Prince to build an elite force, one that dares to fight, can fight, and wins battles!”

“So, no matter what you were before, man or ghost!”

“Listen carefully to the military discipline for what comes next! There are only three rules!”

“First, all actions follow orders! Anyone who disobeys orders, beheads!”

“Second, do not harass civilians, do not take a single needle or thread from the common people! Anyone who violates this, beheads!”

“Third, anyone who shows cowardice in battle, who retreats, beheads! If the whole team retreats, behead the Captain! If the Captain dies in the line of duty, behead the whole team!”

“In summary, it’s obedience! Absolute obedience to This Prince!”

Xiao Ce said each word clearly, “Those who can do this, line up on the left. Come be soldiers who resist the Turkic and guard the borderlands.”

“Those who cannot, stand on the right. This Prince will take you to the Northern Desert and, according to your crimes, have you executed after autumn!”

As soon as Xiao Ce finished speaking, everyone rushed to line up on the right.

Lin Zhong immediately sent people to distribute the Silver taels and have them sign or make their marks.

And as Xiao Ce ordered, they recorded each person’s crimes one by one.

Xiao Ce would also make specific arrangements based on these people’s crimes.

…

Xiao Yang originally wanted to leave but was continuously blocked by Da Lei.

His two personal bodyguards were tied up by the Death Warriors like zongzi.

Seeing Xiao Ce look at him, Xiao Yang couldn’t help but feel a chill.

“Xiao Ce, what do you want to do! You…”

Xiao Ce looked at Xiao Yang’s fearful expression and couldn’t help but give a cold laugh.

“Don’t be nervous! Don’t you just want to go tattle? Da Lei, let him go!”

Xiao Yang was afraid Da Lei would grab him back.

After running a good distance away, he pointed at Xiao Ce, his face swollen, and said, “Xiao Ce, just you wait… you’re dead. You’re dead! If This Prince lets you leave the Capital City unscathed, This Prince will take your surname!”

After Xiao Yang said this, he saw the original line of Death Warriors all looking at him with unfriendly eyes.

He then fled in a panic.

Xiao Ce thought Xiao Yang really was angered into confusion; weren’t they both surnamed Xiao?

Watching Xiao Yang flee in panic,

Lin Zhong, who was originally busy handing out money, saw this and walked over. “Prince, why did you let him go? No matter what, we should have let him go after we left? Letting him go now is just asking for trouble, isn’t it?”

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, “I beat him up openly and publicly, this news will definitely get out. It can’t be hidden! Don’t worry, Uncle Zhong. Go hurry and hand out the money, I have my own plans!”

Seeing Xiao Ce’s confident expression, Lin Zhong went back to his own tasks.

Xiao Ce then had Da Lei move an Official’s Armchair and sat right at the entrance.

He originally thought three thousand people wasn’t many, but just handing out the money took over two hours.

…

In the Imperial Study of the Imperial Palace.

Xiao Yang knelt before the Emperor’s desk. “Imperial Father, Xiao Ce has no respect for you. Your Son went to reward him in your name… he actually publicly beat me up.”

Xiao Dingbang looked at Xiao Yang with heartache. “Yang’er, that beast actually beat you like this. Quick! Quick, call the Imperial Physician!”

“But, how dare that waste hit you! Is he crazy?”

Seeing this, Xiao Yang became even more agitated and tearfully recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

After listening, Xiao Dingbang said with a face like thunder, “Was the Prince of Zhenguo there?”

Xiao Yang, his face swollen like a pig’s head, shook his head and said, “Imperial Father, Ninth Uncle wasn’t there… but Ninth Uncle’s old Steward Lin Zhong is working for that waste Xiao Ce.”

Xiao Dingbang nodded after hearing this and said, “Then that explains it. It must be the Prince of Zhenguo behind the scenes, giving that waste Xiao Ce advice! Yang’er, you fell into their trap!”

Xiao Yang still didn’t quite understand. “Imperial Father, what do you mean?”

Xiao Dingbang slapped the table. “Yang’er, that waste of a beast must have gotten pointers from the Prince of Zhenguo! This is putting you in the hot seat. You shouldn’t have impulsively insulted those Death Row Prisoners.”

“After all, I gave those Death Row Prisoners to that waste of a beast; they also count as soldiers supporting the Northern Desert. You must know, in the Imperial Court, what I promised that beast was three thousand elite soldiers. I originally wanted him to swallow this bitter pill quietly.”

“And he did swallow it! But you openly insulted those Death Row Prisoners, and Xiao Ce deliberately fanned the flames. He made this incident escalate and spread, letting the soldiers and civilians of the Northern Desert know that on the eve of the Turkic’s major invasion, the Emperor sent a team of useless Death Row Prisoners. What will the soldiers and civilians of the Northern Desert think? It would have been fine if he just swallowed this bitter pill quietly! By the time they barely make it to the Northern Desert Region, he’ll have plenty of hardships. You, you were still too impulsive!”

Xiao Yang said with great resentment, “Then Imperial Father, you mean… Your Son just has to take this beating for nothing?”

Xiao Dingbang shook his head, a fierce light in his eyes. “Of course not. That beast dared to hit you. It’s like hitting me! Don’t be impatient! Once he leaves the Capital, I’m afraid he might encounter an ambush from the White Lotus Sect rebels!”

Hearing this, a lewd smile appeared on Xiao Yang’s face, swollen like a pig’s head, and he quickly prostrated himself on the ground. “Thank you, Imperial Father!”

….

Outside the Crown Prince’s Mansion to the side.

A group of Death Row Prisoners had finished receiving their Military Pay.

Each holding their pay, their expressions were indescribably happy.

Originally, hearing they were being assigned to the King of Northern Desert’s Northern Desert Army, they thought it must be some kind of cannon-fodder unit.

Later, some among them who were well-informed heard that the King of Northern Desert was the former waste Crown Prince, and they were even more disappointed.

Because the Crown Prince was deposed, although granted a princedom, his fief was the Northern Desert, that godforsaken place.

Being granted a princedom was practically the same as exile!

However, based on Xiao Ce’s actions just now, standing up for them, personally beating up the Second Prince…

Was this the waste Crown Prince from the rumors, the one even a dog could pee on?

Looking at the five bright, shiny Silver taels in their hands, these Death Row Prisoners were convinced.

The talk of the Crown Prince being a waste was a rumor! Definitely a rumor!

Xiao Ce observed the mental state of the Death Row Prisoners who had received their money; it was completely different from before.

Money was indeed a good thing.

Xiao Ce got up from the Official’s Armchair. “Warriors, as long as you listen to This Prince. This monthly five taels of Silver is just the beginning! As long as you do well, ten taels, fifty taels, even a hundred taels per month! This Prince can also give it!”

“This Prince has nothing else, just plenty of money!”

…

Xiao Ce gave a spirited speech full of promises, which was also his specialty!

Just now, when he saw Xiao Yang threaten this group of Death Row Prisoners, the fearless look in their eyes…

Xiao Ce felt these Death Row Prisoners were not simple.

Earlier, when looking through their criminal records, he found these Death Row Prisoners.

Some were garrison soldiers or yamen runners from various surrounding prefectures who, unafraid of powerful authorities, had offended the nobility and Noble Clans.

And most were those who, during the suppression of the White Lotus Sect, were ineffective, letting the White Lotus Sect escape, and were made scapegoats by their commanders. Not a single one had truly committed an unforgivable capital crime!

Xiao Ce was extremely excited. They weren’t ordinary Death Row Prisoners, but a group of treasures.

The person who did this should be the stern judge Xing Shoulu from the Department of Justice and Punishment.

He probably couldn’t openly oppose the Emperor.

But he also couldn’t stand the Emperor’s actions, so he specially selected these Death Row Prisoners for him.

Seeing he had dazzled these Death Row Prisoners until their eyes shone, Xiao Ce continued, “Just now, the Second Prince said! Our Imperial Father attaches great importance to the Northern Desert Region! He is also very attentive to the matter of resisting the Turkic! He even rewarded This Prince with one hundred thousand taels of Gold, one million taels of Silver, and five hundred thousand dan of provisions! This Prince couldn’t refuse even if he wanted to!”

“Just now, the Second Prince said, since the Imperial Father’s Imperial Edict has been issued! But now, those government offices dare to hand us a mere slip of paper to fool us! The Imperial Father’s rewards are not for This Prince! They are for the soldiers and civilians of the Northern Desert! Those officials in those government offices dare to treat the Imperial Father’s decree as nothing!”

“Do you agree that the government offices defy the decree and withhold the provisions and pay that belong to you?”

At this, the Death Row Prisoners immediately boiled over! One must know, an ordinary soldier in Great Xiao earned less than eight hundred copper coins per month per person.

Here with Xiao Ce, it was five taels of Silver per person, more than six times that amount.

And they had each received real Silver in hand.

Naturally, everyone was howling.

“We don’t agree! We don’t agree!”

“Then This Prince will lead you to go ask them for the rewards the Imperial Father promised us. How about that!” Xiao Ce continued to incite.

“Good! Good! Good!”

Xiao Ce said, “Since it’s settled, everyone, fall in! Follow This Prince to demand the Military Pay, money, and provisions the Imperial Father gave us!”

After saying this, Xiao Ce waved his arm grandly and walked at the very front.

The Death Row Prisoners, each wearing prison uniforms, followed behind Xiao Ce with aggressive momentum.

In a Carriage to the side, Yin Pan’er looked worried and said, “Father, Xiao Ce, has he gone mad? What is he doing, is he rebelling?”