Towards the conclusion of Minister Fang's memorial, he even proposed that the royal court provide compensation to the Zhang family and cover the funeral expenses.
That, in itself, was tolerable. After all, the deceased had pa.s.sed away within the Ministry of Justice's prison, and for some inexplicable reason, the royal court had taken responsibility. So why not allocate funds for the funeral expenses?
The real issue, however, was Minister Fang's suggestion regarding the delayed 5,000 spirit currency. This? Did the royal court truly need to cover this cost?
Upon hearing the baffling compensation amount of 5,000 spirit currency, Mo Liusheng couldn't help but burst into laughter, his mirth laced with irritation.
Although the lower-ranking ministers dared not speak, the expressions of the Kang Prince, Va.s.sal King of Jianping, and others in the front row visibly twitched as they suppressed their own amus.e.m.e.nt.
Were these n.o.ble lords secretly reveling in someone else's misfortune?
Mo Liusheng cast a knowing glance at the Kang Prince.
Quit the pretense. You can't even hide the smile on your face!
Mo Liusheng entertained the idea that if the young stoic were present, he might be tempted to personally administer a sound beating!
The Divine Province Emperor, on the other hand, regarded Minister Fang with an indifferent expression.
Fang Hongliang's heart felt like a small boat adrift on a vast sea, laden with such weight that it threatened to sink to the bottom.
He strained to hear the Emperor's cold, repet.i.tive p.r.o.nouncement: "Approved!"
A wave of relief washed over Fang Hongliang.
The Emperor then addressed him in a stern tone, "Inform the Crown Prince Consort to return to the Imperial Academy before noon! She shall not return for two days after her cla.s.ses."
All present silently lowered their heads, their lips twitching in unison.
The Emperor was so exasperated that he wished to avoid encountering the young Crown Prince Consort altogether. He simply desired for her to leave and refrain from returning for the time being…
After everyone departed from the court, they privately chuckled at the Emperor's expense.
The Emperor had been bested in front of the young couple, and if this continued, he feared he might fall ill from suppressing his frustration.
In the Imperial Academy, Mo Lian, who was attending cla.s.ses, gazed at the eastern horizon and sighed.
Why hadn't his wife returned yet?
"Good morning, Crown Prince!" Little Fatty, sweating profusely, dashed over from the backyard and greeted Crown Prince Mo with a wide grin, displaying two rows of pearly white teeth.
"Good morning," Mo Lian replied. He looked at Little Fatty and inquired, "When did you return last night?"
Little Fatty, while wiping his face, froze for a moment. He mechanically turned his head and glanced guiltily at the Crown Prince. "Huh? What?"
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow. "Have you noticed that guy didn't even have a guard around him?"
Realization dawned on Little Fatty, and he stiffened slightly. He quickly moved closer to the Crown Prince and whispered, "Your Highness, did you do it?"
"Do I appear to be so dull?" Mo Lian shot him a mischievous glance, then turned and left. Today, the weaponsmithing instructor wanted them to arrive early. After covering the theoretical aspects yesterday, they were likely to craft lockers today.
Lockers were indispensable in the sprawling Tempest City.
Almost all the lockers in the central district of Wind Thunder City were handcrafted by students from the Imperial Academy's weaponsmithing department.
While lockers might seem insignificant, their construction was intricate and time-consuming. As a result, crafting a locker was one of the most challenging practical courses in the weaponsmithing department.
Because the storage s.p.a.ce size and the amount of magnet.i.te needed for each individual's locker varied, any storage item requiring more than ten magnet.i.te was typically deemed subpar.
After all, lockers could only be stationed in one location, rendering storage somewhat inconvenient.