Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 677: Chapter 544: First-Rank Marquis, Hereditary without Replacement

After a two-day delay at Jin Hai Guard, mainly for the unloading of gold and silver, crates of gold and silver were moved from the ships to carriages. When Yang Zhenshan left Jin Hai Guard, he was followed by more than two hundred carriages laden with treasure.

On the way to the Capital City, there were no mishaps. However, at the entrance of the Capital City, many officials from the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of War came out to welcome him.

”Welcome back to the Capital City, Marquis!”

A group of jubilant officials greeted Yang Zhenshan.

They were naturally happy.

A victory in battle surely meant commendations for the Ministry of War.

And with Yang Zhenshan bringing back so much wealth, the Ministry of Revenue naturally kept a watchful eye.

However, Yang Zhenshan couldn’t be bothered to talk much with these people. After some brief courtesies, he said, ”This old man needs to enter the palace for an audience with His Majesty, after which we will deal with the other matters!”

”Yes, My Lord, please proceed!”

The officials raised no objections and hurriedly ushered Yang Zhenshan into the city.

As Yang Zhenshan entered, many city dwellers also came to watch the excitement, hearing that the court had won another battle and that Marquis Jing’an had seized a large amount of gold and silver treasures, they all came to watch in high spirits.

Looking at the carriages loaded with wooden crates, the citizens were abuzz, guessing how much gold and silver were inside.

Riding ahead, Yang Zhenshan couldn’t help but smile at their discussions.

The amount of gold and silver he had brought back, if revealed, might indeed give many a shock.

And the spoils of war seized this time were an even more enormous figure.

Even if the Star Moon Sect was impoverished, it was still a major force and a domineering presence in the East South Sea Domain.

They might not have had much cash on hand, but they had a considerable reserve of various materials.

Additionally, Yang Zhenshan had wiped out dozens of pirate groups, each contributing several tens of thousands of taels of silver, amounting to millions.

The fifteen surnames of the Star Moon Sect were also significant contributors. The sect’s lack of funds didn’t mean these families were poor, as they also valued the distinction between public and private wealth.

Upon reaching the Wu Gate, Yang Zhenshan had the soldiers escorting the treasure wait on the street, then entered the Imperial City with Xue Chang’an, Deng Yuehe, Wang Mingjian, and Li Chengzhang.

As for the others, the Four Seas Navy had not yet disbanded, including the Tenglong Advanced Guard, all still stationed at Zhao Wu Guard. Xue Chang’an and Jin Hai Guard had the advantage of being stationed closer to the Capital City, which is why they had the opportunity to follow into the city.

Innate Martial Artists like An Yuxing and others had also returned, but after reaching Jin Hai Guard, they vanished without a trace.

A group of Innate Martial Artists was beyond Yang Zhenshan’s control.

During the battle at sea, Yang Zhenshan could still command them, but now that the battle was over, they no longer heeded his commands.

There was nothing he could do; they were his seniors, after all.

In the side hall of Taiji Palace, Emperor Yanping had already gathered his important ministers, awaiting Yang Zhenshan.

”Minister Yang Zhenshan greets Your Majesty and wishes you good health!”

Yang Zhenshan, along with Xue Chang’an and the others, entered the palace to pay their respects.

Emperor Yanping, beaming with joy, said, ”Marquis Jing’an, you have worked hard! Haha, rise, dispense with the formalities!”

Yang Zhenshan stood up and presented the ledger, ”Your Majesty, this is a list of the wealth seized from the campaign against the Star Moon Sect, including twelve thousand three hundred taels of gold, three million four hundred eighty thousand taels of silver, eighty-three thousand strings of copper coins, one hundred eighty-nine thousand strings of inferior coins; in addition, there are eighty-four thousand jin of various medicinal herbs, over one hundred forty thousand pieces of armaments, as well as copper ingots, iron ingots, timber, grain, silks and satins, among other things. Please peruse it, Your Majesty!”

The gold and silver wealth in the Star Moon Sect’s warehouse was only a small part of what was seized; in reality, most of it was in the fifteen main families’ mansions of the Star Moon Sect.

The heritage accumulated by the Star Moon Sect over hundreds of years was actually stored in the mansions of the fifteen main families, with only a small portion of wealth within the sect itself.

Out of all the seized assets, Yang Zhenshan took out fifty thousand taels of gold and one million taels of silver to reward his soldiers. He also left some money and provisions for Luo Jingsong.

Apart from these, he also pocketed about two million taels of gold and silver and many precious items.

Originally, he planned to take less, but he couldn’t help himself amidst the vast amount of goods.

Today, a ship of treasure is delivered, and he selectively took some; tomorrow, a few more ships arrive, and he again took some. After more than a month, the hillside in the Spiritual Spring Space was filled with a mishmash of items.

The most important thing was that Yang Zhenshan took only the finest items, such as the Jade Dew Spirit Peach, which was worth a fortune.

He also obtained dozens of Treasure Medicines he had never encountered before, with twelve kinds that could be grown in the Spiritual Spring Space.

This time, Yang Zhenshan made a huge profit, and so did Da Rong, of course.

Hearing the figures reported by Yang Zhenshan, everyone in the hall was astounded.

Even Xue Chang’an was profoundly shocked.

Although these treasures were transported by the ships of Jin Hai Guard, in reality, the Tenglong Advanced Guard was in charge of the shipment. Once the goods were on board, they were sealed, and Xue Chang’an and the soldiers of Jin Hai Guard had no idea about the actual quantity.

Perhaps the only ones not surprised were Wang Mingjian and Li Chengzhang, as they had a better understanding of the Star Moon Sect’s assets, and their families had also contributed significantly to these riches.

Yang Zhenshan had been very generous to them, leaving a fair amount of wealth, but most of their treasures had become war spoils of Da Rong.

Zhang Mingzhong approached, took the ledger from Yang Zhenshan, and handed it to Emperor Yanping, who looked over the contents with a delighted smile.

”Excellent! Marquis Jing’an has shown outstanding loyalty and bravery. I must reward you generously!”

Emperor Yanping looked at Yang Zhenshan with a beaming smile, like one would look at a beloved lover, which made Yang Zhenshan feel a bit awkward.