LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 164
Chapter 164: If You Don’t Move, I’ll Move First
Beside Qin Bei, the Ninth Prince frowned as he surveyed the items on the auction platform.
If others were in the dark, how could he possibly be unaware?
He didn’t even need the auction house’s guarantee; he knew these items genuinely belonged to Emperor Xia’s Nurturing Residence.
“What’s going on? Is my elder brother planning another major move?”
The Ninth Prince muttered under his breath.
He then glanced over at Qin Bei.
“Have you heard if His Majesty has announced any new policies lately? Like the royal family needing to earn their own expenses? No more allocations from the national treasury?”
The Ninth Prince thought that when it came to financial matters, Qin Bei should know even more than he did.
“What does my royal uncle mean by this? I don’t quite get it,” Qin Bei admitted, feigning ignorance.
“Still unable to see the issue? Just look at how many items on today’s auction block belong to the royal family! Now even my brother’s own possessions are up for auction. What does that imply?”
The Ninth Prince pressed.
Qin Bei tentatively replied, “Does that mean Father is short on cash?”
The Ninth Prince rolled his eyes at Qin Bei.
“Although my brother’s private treasury is separate from the national treasury, the wealth he possesses is beyond what anyone can imagine. Do you really think he’s starving over these measly trinkets?”
The Ninth Prince felt Qin Bei was underestimating the current emperor’s resources.
Tens of millions of spirit stones wouldn’t even make Emperor Xia move a finger.
“Then what’s this all for? Just to earn a little pocket money?”
Qin Bei, while somewhat privy to the situation, decided to play the fool.
He couldn’t just blurt out, “These are all items I, Qin Bei, snuck out! I’m the one short on cash!”
“Tsk~ Can’t you see? In my view, it must be because he felt the benefits from confiscating some allocations from royal family members last time. Now he wants to reclaim all their distributions. He’s setting an example by selling his belongings to raise funds, telling royal members that even an emperor has to earn his keep. Who would dare complain then?”
The more the Ninth Prince spoke, the more convinced he became of his theory.
At the same time, his expression grew increasingly grim.
Qin Bei, standing nearby, wanted to interject and tell him he was overthinking it. Father might be stingy, but he wasn’t that stingy!
“That’s too much! If royal family members lose their allocations, how can they still call themselves royalty? The Great Xia royal family has maintained this status after generations of effort. They can’t casually strip that away! Does he no longer take royal bloodlines seriously?!”
“Always insisting royal family members should fend for themselves—what’s the point of our ancestors’ hard work if not to provide a better life for us younger ones?”
“Those who should work hard know it; those who don’t can just mooch off the royal family, living the good life. What’s wrong with that? Isn’t it better to be a carefree noble?”
The Ninth Prince was already envisioning a big confrontation with Emperor Xia in the near future.
“Nephew, don’t you agree? For those of us who don’t want to diligently cultivate, isn’t it all about enjoyment? Your father’s ideas this time really go too far!”
Qin Bei looked at the Ninth Prince, who was passionately defending his right to a laid-back, carefree existence, and couldn’t help but smile bitterly in his heart.
Hasn’t he always been hailed as a youthful hero, a rising genius?
When did he start to associate with just lazing around?
Yet, reflecting on it, perhaps he hadn’t practiced as hard as Qin Chen had.
…
However, at that moment, Qin Bei started to understand why the Ninth Prince managed to hold onto control over the royal family.
Such a mindset may be unsuitable for other tasks, but it was perfect for overseeing the royal family.
After all, the royal family’s sole responsibility was to look after its members—one part supervision, the other safeguarding their interests.
The royal family’s principle is simple: if outsiders are faced with a 10 million loss, the royal family can snag a million, and that’s business as usual.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it exceedingly selfish.
“Uncle Huang is absolutely right; I support you!”
Qin Bei pumped his fist in encouragement.
Since Emperor Xia had already set himself up to take the blame, might as well let him wear that label indefinitely.
“But my father, really now, selling junk instead of anything valuable? Are we all idiots? Who’s going to fall for that?”
Qin Bei scoffed.
Inside, he was kicking himself.
Had he known this would happen, he would’ve spent more time in the Imperial Garden, gathering some rare treasures to sell.
Surely, anything would be worth more than these personal items that couldn’t fetch a price.
“Tch! How else can you call him stingy? If he pulled out items of real value, I’d have my doubts; but this? This is so his style. He did the same back when he was the prince!”
“But compared to his time as prince, the current emperor is quite a bit more magnanimous. Look at that chessboard and its pieces; they’re actually quite valuable. At least buying them wouldn’t feel like a total loss, right?”
The Ninth Prince had no concerns about anyone reporting him to Emperor Xia or speaking ill of him behind his back.
Because, in front of Emperor Xia, he still dared to say…
“What do you mean? Father has such a dark history?”
Qin Bei was shocked.
He’d never expected that; he thought he was the first to tarnish Emperor Xia’s reputation.
Turns out, Emperor Xia had pulled similar stunts himself.
“Right. Look, nobody’s bidding now. That’s because these people aren’t sure if these things are being sold by His Majesty willingly. They’re scared of offending Him after they buy them, which is why they’re holding back.”
“Oh~ now I feel more assured after hearing that.”
Qin Bei understood. Apparently, these folks were scared that if Emperor Xia wasn’t informed about this sale, it would seriously backfire, and they’d end up offending him. That would truly be counterproductive.
“Feel assured?”
The Ninth Prince looked perplexed at Qin Bei, unsure of what he meant.
“Oh~ I mean I see now.”
Qin Bei snapped back, nearly spilling the beans.
The next moment…
“What are you doing?”
The Ninth Prince was baffled as he watched Qin Bei hit the bid button.
“Since no one dares to bid, I’ll lend them a hand. Once they see the royal uncle bids, they’ll surely believe this stuff is sold by my father, and then they’ll feel free to compete!”
“Tch, wouldn’t it be just perfect if it didn’t sell at all?”
The Ninth Prince remarked dryly. While he knew that was unlikely, he still had to act indifferent.
Sure enough, no matter how much Fei Fei explained, it was futile.
Without solid proof, nobody would be convinced.
And with No. 1 auction room making a bid, it was clear evidence supporting Fei Fei’s claims.
Everyone knew this esteemed No. 1 room belonged to the Ninth Prince.
Since he hadn’t stepped in to halt the auction but instead placed a bid, it certainly indicated that the royal family was aware of this auction event.
“No. 1 bids 10 million spirit stones!”
The Ninth Prince’s bid eased Fei Fei’s anxiety considerably.
‘Looks like this sale isn’t just Prince Bei’s nonsense; it’s actually been authorized by Emperor Xia, which puts my mind at rest.’
…