Chapter 120: The Youngest Debt Collector in History
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Summon those old foxes to the hall!”
The Emperor’s face darkened, his fists clenched tightly.
The imperial treasury was barren, disaster relief funds couldn’t be found, and yet these shameless fools refused to repay their debts!
“Proclaim the decree…” Eunuch Wang announced, calling in a throng of ministers.
Every single one was an aged official, their hair and beards snow-white.
Heads bowed low, they entered the hall and prostrated themselves.
“Your Majesty, this humble servant is willing to serve North Zhao with all my heart and soul, to the very end of my days. But truly, I have no money left!” One minister began to weep bitterly, even lifting his robe to reveal patched-up clothes underneath.
Starting with cries of poverty—how convenient, shutting down the topic of debts before it could even begin.
The Emperor’s expression grew colder.
The old minister straightened, resolute. “Your Majesty, I am willing to donate three years of my salary to aid the disaster-stricken people of North Zhao!”
Another stepped forward, voice quivering. “Your Majesty, I dare not engage in corruption. I live frugally on my annual stipend. As for the money I owe, I fear I cannot repay it. But I can donate my estate—my family and I… will rent a house to live in.”
The Emperor thought bitterly: [Marvelous. Then the rumor will spread that I mistreat my officials.]
“Your Majesty, this humble servant still has 1,200 taels in savings. I am willing to donate all of it!”
“Your Majesty, my wife has some dowry left…”
Seeing the conversation grow increasingly pitiful, the Emperor raised a hand to silence them.
“I will ask you all just this—can each of you produce 30,000 taels?” Among the eighteen who owed debts, if each could return 30,000 taels, the court could recover a significant sum.
The officials’ faces darkened further.
An oppressive silence filled the imperial study.
The Vice Minister of Revenue groaned inwardly. “My lords, please! You collectively owe millions of taels, loans taken decades ago! Now that North Zhao is in dire straits, it’s time to repay.”
These debts dated back to the previous emperor, who, in his benevolence toward his founding ministers, had issued them all promissory notes.
For example, the Minister of Personnel owed the least—30,000 taels—but had taken countless invaluable paintings and calligraphy from the treasury, priceless beyond measure.
The Prince Heshuo, being the late Emperor’s only brother, had been granted 100,000 taels!
The Protectorate Duke owed 50,000 taels.
The Imperial Brother-in-law Xiao owed a staggering 150,000 taels! Among those present was this very Imperial Uncle—the Emperor’s maternal uncle.
Even the Minister of Rites had borrowed a modest sum of 20,000 to 30,000 taels.
These were all senior officials who had rendered extraordinary service to North Zhao.
In total, the late Emperor had issued over a million taels in loans upon ascending the throne.
To this day, not a single copper coin had been repaid.
The sheer scale of the debt made the Emperor’s head throb.
Kneeling beneath him, the officials trembled with fear, while Lu Chao Chao munched noisily on a sandwich biscuit in the corner.
The one-and-a-half-year-old child already had nine tiny teeth, like grains of rice, adorably neat.
But she couldn’t handle anything too hard.
“I am only asking for 30,000 taels!” the Emperor demanded again.
“Your Majesty, I have labored tirelessly for North Zhao, dedicated and loyal, even at the cost of my life! But truly, I have no money left!”
“I am willing to shed my blood for North Zhao, to serve the court, but 30,000 taels…”
The Imperial Brother-in-law Xiao sighed deeply. “Your humble uncle is truly powerless.”
[Hahaha!] Lu Chao Chao’s inner voice laughed wickedly.
The Crown Prince discreetly massaged his temples. These were all elderly ministers who had served the late Emperor; their feelings couldn’t be hurt too harshly, lest their loyalty waver.
[They could live for North Zhao, die for North Zhao, but producing 30,000 taels? That’s impossible.]
[Even though they definitely have 30,000 taels! Hahaha! That Imperial Uncle—acting all helpless—he’s the wealthiest of them all!] Lu Chao Chao gleefully ridiculed them inwardly.
Her tiny mouth, like a squirrel’s, kept munching noisily.
“Get out!” the Emperor bellowed, his face darkening as he watched his elder ministers leave the chamber.
“A bunch of stubborn old relics! Using their seniority to suppress me!”
The Crown Prince sighed and poured the Emperor a cup of tea. “Father, calm your anger. Even the Late Emperor couldn’t reclaim this debt. How could you succeed now?”
When the Late Emperor passed, he, too, had mentioned this debt. Not a single coin had been recovered.
Now, the old ministers had grown frail but still relied on their past contributions to the founding of the dynasty. The Emperor hesitated to act harshly, unwilling to earn the infamy of mistreating the empire’s founding heroes.
“This empire belongs to the Xie family. Who are they to act so insolently? A group of senile fools exploiting their age!” The Emperor’s fury remained unabated.
“Your Majesty,” the Crown Prince advised gently, “why risk harming the bond between ruler and subjects over this? Better to let someone else handle it.”
Eunuch Wang, noticing the Emperor’s anger, quickly interjected, “Someone else, Your Majesty? The Ministry of Revenue’s officials are nothing but whining beggars. They cry about empty coffers but have no skill in debt collection. Useless, the lot of them! Why do you even keep them?”
The Vice Minister of Revenue quietly lowered his head, inwardly lamenting his predicament. If even the Emperor didn’t dare to press the matter, how could he?
The Crown Prince’s eyes drifted to Lu Chao Chao, the tiny child swinging her legs happily from her seat, munching on snacks. A bold idea began forming in his mind.
“Father, I have a plan.”
The Emperor raised an eyebrow.
“If they wish to exploit their age and behave unreasonably, then we should send someone equally unreasonable,” the Crown Prince suggested with a faint smile. His gaze landed on Chao Chao.
“A child is young and innocent. If she says or does something inappropriate, it won’t offend anyone. Besides, Chao Chao’s abilities are extraordinary. You’ve witnessed her summoning gods before.”
The Emperor’s skeptical eyes settled on his granddaughter. Could a one-and-a-half-year-old really collect debts? Was the Crown Prince out of his mind?
But the Crown Prince’s confidence in Lu Chao Chao was unwavering. He lifted the little girl and placed her on the desk atop a stack of imperial memorials.
“Chao Chao, can you help your elder brother, the Crown Prince, with a task? If you succeed, I’ll reward you handsomely,” Xie Cheng Xi said with a sly smile, resembling a cunning wolf.
“What reward?” she asked without hesitation, caring only for the prize and not the task.
“Whatever amount you recover, I’ll give you a ten percent share. How about that?”
Chao Chao immediately straightened up, her chubby fingers stretching out to count. When ten fingers weren’t enough, she removed her socks to use her soft, round toes. Still, she felt something was amiss.
Frustrated, she knocked herself lightly on the head. [How annoying! This darn Heavenly Dao keeps reverting me to my childlike state!]
The Crown Prince chuckled. “If you recover ten thousand taels, one thousand is yours. Recover a hundred thousand taels, and you get ten thousand. Deal? Plus, I promise your mother won’t take this money from you.”
“And if you achieve such a great feat,” the Crown Prince added with a mischievous glance at the Emperor, “father will grant you a special honor.”
The Emperor’s eyes sparkled. He spoke solemnly, “If you can truly recover this debt, I will adopt you as my honorary daughter, inscribe your name in jade, and officially declare you a princess. How does that sound?”
He secretly rubbed his hands in delight, impressed by his own cleverness. The debt would be reclaimed, and Chao Chao would finally become his daughter.
Chao Chao gave him a disdainful look. “Gotta ask Mama’s okay first. Can’t just call anyone Papa. Mama’s slaps hurt a lot.”
The Emperor nodded quickly. “Fine, fine.”
“Alright then,” Chao Chao relented.
The Emperor immediately issued an imperial decree: Lu Chao Chao was tasked with collecting the debt.
Thus, history recorded its youngest debt collector—a one-and-a-half-year-old child.
Hi how many tiers there are?
Does 5USD enough to read the book until its finished?
Nah, except 1st one which 1usd i think, every 5usd you got +1 unlocked chapter ahead. Like, you give 5 you got 1 unlock, give 60 you got 12 unlock chapters etc.