TPITWOHEF

Chapter 46

Outside the courtyard of Ritual Master Xu.

Separated by a wall, all the ministers were dumbfounded.

They looked towards the wall in disbelief, gazing upon the densely grown tall bamboo trees within.

"Ritual Master Xu, I never expected you to be this kind of person."

"Burying silver under the upright and virtuous bamboo!"

"This is simply outrageous, simply outrageous!"

A resounding voice came from Master Liu.

"The monthly salary of the Ritual Master of the Imperial Academy is fifty-nine taels and three qian and three fen, and six dan of rice!"

"Where did you get this whole chest of silver?!"

The ministers standing outside were stunned.

Xiao Yunzhou snorted coldly, then pretended to be surprised as he walked in.

The other ministers suddenly snapped out of their trance and followed him.

The old man guarding the gates of the Xu mansion wanted to block them and go report the news, but was stopped by Wei Zheng who summoned the guards to usher him aside.

The entourage of the Emperor passed through without obstruction, directly entering the bamboo grove courtyard behind the Xu mansion.

They heard Ritual Master Xu still raging at Master Liu, as well as his evasive defense, "Master Liu, don't bully me too much!"

"Even though you have been promoted to a fourth-rank official working in the Censorate, without the Emperor's edict, and not being part of the Imperial Guards, on what grounds can you search my home?!"

Ritual Master Xu and Mrs. Xu stood firmly in front of the Liu couple.

At the feet of Old Madam Liu, the soil pit had already revealed the lid of a redwood treasure chest.

This wooden chest was opened about a third of the way, and the dazzling official silver within was neatly arranged, gleaming in the sunlight.

"This is a chest of silver I have painstakingly accumulated over twenty years of being an official. I just like burying it under the bamboo garden, to protect it from thieves at home and abroad! And now even you, Master Liu, want to get involved?"

Ritual Master Xu cried out hoarsely.

"Preposterous! Nonsense, the Ritual Master's monthly salary is fifty-nine taels."

Old Madam Liu stepped forward and spat right in Ritual Master Xu's face.

"Aside from the money spent on buying houses in the capital, and the daily expenses of feeding and maintaining horses, carriages, servants, and the whole family, at most there is only over a hundred taels left!"

"This chest of silver, you would need to save for at least ten years to accumulate, let alone the fact that what is exposed and discovered by us is at least dozens of chests!"

Old Madam Liu's fighting spirit was even stronger than her husband Master Liu.

After all, she was the one managing the household, so she understood much better than her husband how much of the Imperial Academy's salary could be saved.

"Our Liu family is still renting carriages in poverty, while you, Ritual Master Xu, have already used ten chests of silver to grow bamboo!"

Old Madam Liu's eyes reddened as she launched a barrage of sarcasm at Ritual Master Xu.