LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 132
Chapter 132 The one you should never mess with from now on is Prince Bei
The Emperor Xia noticed how direct Qin Bei was, so he decided to be equally straightforward and prepared to announce the punishment for Qin Bei’s intrusion into the harem and the injury caused.
“Alright, as long as you admit your guilt! Then…”
However, before Emperor Xia could finish his sentence, Qin Bei raised a golden medal high in the air.
“I know I was wrong, but I won’t change — what are you gonna do about it?”
While speaking, Qin Bei targeted Qin Xiu with his gaze.
There was no hidden meaning here; he was directly provoking Qin Xiu!
Seeing this, Qin Xiu was so furious that he shook his hand, pointing at Qin Bei, wanting to say something.
“You!!!”
Hu~~ cough cough cough cough!
But he almost choked halfway through, nearly passing out, leaving him so frustrated that he couldn’t utter even a single harsh word.
Emperor Xia, seated in the highest position, watched Qin Bei’s defiant demeanor and started gritting his teeth.
“Outrageous! Don’t think a gold medal makes you untouchable!”
Emperor Xia slammed the armrest and shouted loudly.
This wasn’t a pretense; he was genuinely angry.
Qin Bei was completely ignoring the rules.
The proper process should have been to announce the crime, after which Qin Bei would present this gold medal, begging for leniency using its privileges.
But what about now?
After obtaining the gold medal, Qin Bei was utterly unrestrained, even daring to provoke Qin Xiu at this moment.
What kind of audacity was this?
Relying on privilege to be reckless?
Is there even a hint of remorse for his mistakes?
No, Qin Bei didn’t recognize his errors at all; he even thought what he did was entirely justified…
“Father, didn’t you say that with this gold medal, as long as it’s not a major crime of treason, I can be directly pardoned? And I can use it three times; I’ll use it for the first time now.”
Qin Bei, disinterested in further arguing about this matter, stated plainly, as for procedures, let’s jump to the final step.
Seeing Qin Bei directly utilize the immunity medal, Qin Xiu realized the worst outcome had finally materialized.
But he absolutely could not concede like this!
“Father! This is unacceptable! Lord Artifact Spirit is clearly biased! Such a serious crime is dismissed with just a gold medal? What will royal regulations mean in the future? Can’t Qin Bei trample on them whenever he likes? I implore you, Father, take back the gold medal and severely punish Qin Bei!”
Weak but steadfast, Qin Xiu’s words were clear, showing great distress for the royal family. He even bowed heavily, hoping Emperor Xia would use the majesty of the throne to suppress the influence of this medal.
Emperor Xia looked at Qin Xiu, then glanced at the other officials present in the hall.
Now the decision regarding Qin Bei was simply a matter of his word.
Huh~
Emperor Xia took a deep breath.
“Although this is a gold medal granted by the Artifact Spirit, it originally belonged to our ancestors. Though I am the ruler of the nation, I must adhere to the legacy left by our ancestors.”
“Moreover, Ling Yu was at fault first in this incident. Qin Bei is young and impulsive; since he displayed the gold medal from the previous emperor, we shall not pursue this matter further.”
Hearing this, Qin Bei couldn’t help but smile.
The Artifact Spirit is as impressive as ever, and its gifts are truly effective.
Even my lenient father is powerless against me.
I wonder what the reward for the eighth level will be; I’m really looking forward to it.
“Father!”
Distracted by his thoughts, Qin Bei was pulled back by someone calling “Father” beside him.
“Though Mother was at fault first…”
Before Qin Xiu could finish, he was interrupted by Emperor Xia.
“Enough! My decision is made!”
“Yes, Your son obeys!” Qin Xiu bowed again, tears flowing down his face.
But he didn’t dare speak further.
Qin Bei noticed this and also bowed.
“Thank you, Father!”
Having concluded, Qin Bei was about to rise, but before he could fully do so, Emperor Xia’s imposing presence pressed him back down.
“Have I permitted you to rise?”
What does that mean?
Qin Bei stared at Emperor Xia, a bit confused about the current situation.
Didn’t he say there would be no accountability?
“Serious crimes can be pardoned, but this time you resisted arrest! You also mocked your brother, causing serious injuries to Qin Xiu, and dozens of palace personnel suffered casualties; this crime cannot be overlooked!”
“And the Minister of Revenue recently reported that your North Prince’s Manor is excessively extravagant, and you yourself lavishly spent millions of spiritual stones just to admire foreign objects.”
“Multiple crimes will be punished concurrently, and all royal allocations shall be confiscated!”
Emperor Xia watched the stunned Qin Bei below, amused internally.
Stinky boy! Just because I let you get away once doesn’t mean I’ll let you off a second time! You think money can make you stronger? I want to see what happens when I cut off your funds; will you revert to being that useless prince you used to be!
How could Qin Bei be happy hearing this?
The royal allocations were his source of spiritual stones — and now just like that, they’re gone?
That’s impossible!
“Father! I have objections! Why should I be punished with confiscation? I’m willing to accept other penalties! Just don’t confiscate my spiritual stone allocations!”
“This is an imperial decree; do you dare to defy it?”
Emperor Xia fixed his gaze on Qin Bei.
Qin Bei: …
Ouch~ What the heck!
“Father! I want to use it once more…”
Qin Bei attempted to use the immunity gold medal again to absolve himself of this crime, lifting the medal as he spoke. But halfway through, he discovered he couldn’t move…
He couldn’t even utter a word.
In the end, Qin Bei successfully avoided felony charges but had his allocations confiscated.
Qin Xiu then received an additional allocation of 100,000 spiritual stones each month as compensation from the royal family.
After everything was announced, the crowd dispersed.
Qin Bei first spent the afternoon with Ling Fei and Qin Xuan before finally leaving the palace.
Let me just say, the things granted by the system are fantastic! Though they’re a bit pricey, they are indeed quite effective.
Ling Fei’s injuries had basically healed up completely, to the point even Emperor Xia was amazed.
…….
As Qin Bei walked out of the palace walls, he glanced back.
He remembered!
The Minister of Revenue?
That scoundrel has cost me my allocation!
It was one thing to have a quarrel with the Minister of Revenue, but now even the Minister has stepped in?
Then the entire Ministry of Revenue should be wholly reshaped!
Anyone who obstructs my Qin Bei’s path to wealth is obstructing my cultivation! Must die!
…….
Less than an hour after this matter was settled, the ministers within the court pretty much learned about it.
Few ministers truly understood what that immunity gold medal was all about.
But that didn’t impede their comprehension of one fact.
The Artifact Spirit was clearly favoring Qin Bei.
After all, such coincidences couldn’t be mere chance.
It’s not as though no one had ventured through the seventh level. Each royal family member who made it through received different rewards, but to have such an immense privilege like this? Royal family members hadn’t even heard of such benefits previously.
To be exempt from punishment unless it was treason?
What does that even mean?
Does it imply that, with this gold medal in hand, Qin Bei could commit murder against a high official, and as long as he displayed this medal, he’d be deemed innocent?
Some even speculated that this incident was due to Ling Yu offending Qin Bei.
But what about next time?
What if it was the imperial concubine? Or the queen?
Would Qin Bei, in a rage, kill them and still get away with it by showing the gold medal?
Because none of these would count as treason.
Others, with even more audacity, wondered—if one day Qin Bei killed a prince or another nobleman, would he escape conviction as well?
And rumors circulated that Prince Bei was particularly fond of wealth and beauty.
What if he someday pilfered the national treasury? What if he forcibly abducted the daughter of a noble family?
Wouldn’t he still be free from condemnation?
There’s never a shortage of talented conspiracy theorists.
The key point is that Qin Bei still has two more opportunities like this. Suddenly, everyone realized that the person they should be most wary of in the capital seemed to have changed overnight to Qin Bei.
Thus, to prevent any of their foreboding predicaments from coming to fruition, many high-ranking officials entered the palace that day, hoping Emperor Xia would rescind that immunity gold medal.