NOVEL WEB Chapter 30
Chapter 30: My Big Mistake
Returning home, Qin Bei didn’t sleep but instead organized the gains from this venture.
Before he set out, his strength was actually less than 600,000 jin, but now it had stabilized at 600,000 jin, and he could utilize it perfectly.
His mastery of the technique Extreme Cold Gaze had improved significantly, evolving from its initial form to complete proficiency.
“I’m getting closer to the goal of one million jin of strength,” Qin Bei remarked lightly.
What he desired most now was to break through to one million jin and then go on a krypton gold spree to exchange for cultivation.
His cultivation was alarmingly low compared to geniuses of his age.
“Wanting to do what others can’t accomplish really comes with more benefits than drawbacks.”
Qin Bei sighed.
It’s all thanks to his background as a prince of Great Xia; otherwise, he wouldn’t dare to try such uncertain actions easily.
…
The next day, early morning.
The morning court of Great Xia starts impressively early; long before dawn, civil and military officials were already making their way from their residences to the court.
On his way, Qin Bei encountered many officials; most were quite polite, though some had a snarky edge.
For instance, the Minister of Revenue…
Just as he arrived outside the Golden Luan Hall, he ran into an acquaintance.
Beast Lion!
Beast Lion was kneeling outside the Golden Luan Hall, looking as gloomy as a thundercloud. When he laid eyes on Qin Bei, his expression darkened even further.
The death of Beast Cry had resulted in a fierce reprimanding from the Sect Master that lasted all night. On top of that, he had his power stripped away.
These issues were all part of the Sect Master’s arrangements, making him feel more wronged than Dou E from the old stories.
It was clearly the Holy Demon Dynasty that messed up—after all, they hadn’t provided accurate intel.
However, on closer inspection, it was hard to blame the Holy Demon Dynasty; who would have thought someone from the Tempering Body Realm could actually defeat a beast master with a fourth-level demon beast?
They weren’t in the wrong; it was Qin Bei who had erred!
Fortunately, Emperor Xia hadn’t taken any action yet, which indicated that the Beastmaster Sect’s secrets hadn’t been exposed, so all was still salvageable.
…
Inside the Golden Luan Hall.
When the officials saw Qin Bei arriving for court, they could basically predict what would transpire next.
“The Emperor is indeed fair. Even if a prince errs, he must admit it publicly.”
“Isn’t this the majesty we all respect?”
“Hey~ Look over there, isn’t that Beast Lion from the Beast Taming Sect?”
“What’s he doing here? This is a court, not a place for outsiders!”
“It seems something must have gone awry in the Beast Taming Sect; otherwise, why would a powerful elder be kneeling outside the palace?”
“Seems like he’s in trouble. Could the tribute for this year have a problem?”
…
As the ministers debated, Emperor Xia made his timely appearance.
Everyone immediately halted their chatter and bowed to the Emperor.
“Your subjects greet Your Majesty!”
“Rise!”
“If you have something to say, report it; if not, leave the court!”
The eunuch bellowed as per usual.
At this point, those with matters to discuss needed to step forward.
And Qin Bei was the first to charge right in.
“Father, I have something to say.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Emperor Xia looked at Qin Bei with approval—a good kid still.
The ministers present were also aware of the impending drama, especially since most had contributed to the report against Qin Bei.
“Father, I splurged recklessly at the Langya Auction House a few days ago, so I ask for your permission to make a self-reflection in front of so many ministers. I now know I was in the wrong.”
“Well~ that’s good. Knowing your mistakes and correcting them is admirable. Now, tell me where you went astray.”
Emperor Xia cooperatively urged.
“I have made a grave mistake, nearly unforgivable. I can’t bear to face you…”
Qin Bei proceeded to lay into himself.
The surroundings were filled with confused looks.
This… While wasting money is indeed a faux pas, it doesn’t seem that serious, right? Is Prince Bei being overly courteous?
In truth, most who reported him merely wanted to curb Qin Bei’s rising star without any real malice.
But then how did Qin Bei turn it into something so egregious?
Emperor Xia was also speechless—this performance was over the top…
“I was wrong to spend the Saintess’s dowry on the Celestial Silkworm Attire, worth two hundred thousand spirit stones but utterly useless. How could a prince like me, whose annual allocation is only twenty-five thousand spirit stones, justify buying such luxury? Don’t you all agree?”
Qin Bei posed the question to the surrounding ministers.
“Absolutely right! That’s gross waste! If you cashed those spirit stones, how many ordinary people in Great Xia could you help? Such extravagance mustn’t be tolerated!”
While other ministers held their tongues, the Minister of Revenue had no qualms about speaking out loud!
“That’s exactly right! Though there are many cultivators in Great Xia, there are even more ordinary people, especially those in the border areas who desperately need help! Thus, I feel deeply remorseful! Starting today, I, King Bei, will not take a single cent from the royal allocation as punishment for this extravagance! The Celestial Silkworm Attire will be sold, and the spirit stones will be used to assist the ordinary people in the borders!”
Qin Bei declared with righteous fervor.
“No need for that! Isn’t the Minister of Revenue being a little too aggressive? This is, after all, Prince Bei’s own money, and spending the Saintess’s dowry on her is entirely reasonable. Plus, Prince Bei aimed to appease the auction staff, which really is the crux!”
“Quite true! While we shouldn’t allow extravagance, who doesn’t have a few pieces of Celestial Silkworm Attire? That’s understandable.”
Qin Bei’s decision struck the assembled officials as excessively harsh; they merely wanted to gently remind him, not genuinely punish him. After all, those spirit stones were minor sums for most present.
Hearing the surrounding reactions rendered the Minister of Revenue speechless.
It seemed this wasn’t him forcing anything, right? Qin Bei said it all himself.
Besides, he remembered none of them were slacking off while making the reports!
“Prince Bei, this isn’t as serious as you think. Buying Celestial Silkworm Attire for the Saintess isn’t wrong; people consider you extravagant because you dropped hundreds of thousands on a common map and significantly overpaid for a blood-red fruit. That’s the real issue!”
The Minister of Revenue couldn’t hold back and chimed in.
“what? Impossible! I didn’t purchase a worthless map; it’s a treasure map! The Beast Lions outside are willing to pay tenfold to get their hands on it—how can that be wasteful? Besides, what I bought was not a blood-red fruit; it was clearly a Blood-red Heart! Is it a huge loss to buy one for four hundred thousand?”
After which, Qin Bei showcased through a jade slip the scene of him devouring the Blood-red Heart. Those present could clearly witness Qin Bei chowing down on the blood-red fruit bite by bite, ultimately revealing the Blood-red Heart…
“This…”
Suddenly, the entire audience was left gaping.
It truly was the Blood-red Heart, and Qin Bei just ate it raw… ate it…
“No way! Since it’s the Blood-red Heart, it’s a major win, and with the map also being a major win, reporting Prince Bei for his extravagance is absurd! Yet he knew this entire situation and still admitted fault—this… smells like a conspiracy!”
In an instant, all the ministers sensed something amiss.
Not just them; even Emperor Xia on the throne felt the same ominous vibe.
“This kid, didn’t he agree to admit his fault? Why is this suddenly becoming about pointing out wrongs? This script is entirely off!”