Now this system knows how to play the game!

Meanwhile, in the Golden Hall, the silence was absolute, thick with stunned disbelief. Liang Jing's earth-shattering declaration had left everyone speechless.

Five million taels! Not only had he agreed, he had raised the stakes himself, and set a deadline!

This was no longer the power-hungry, greedy viper they knew. This was... a loyal statesman, willing to empty his coffers for the Empire and its people?!

The thought rose unbidden in the minds of countless ministers, feeling both absurd and deeply unsettling.

Grand Tutor Lin Wenzheng's face cycled between livid and pale. He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found all words useless against the colossal figure of five million taels, so casually tossed out by Liang Jing. To press further now would only make him look petty and unconcerned with the refugees' plight. A bitter, frustrated anger choked him, making him feel physically ill.

Liang Jing observed his discomfiture with cold satisfaction.

This is just the beginning, old man. Your Righteous Points are mine.

Turning his back on the deflated Grand Tutor, he addressed the Emperor, his voice returning to its flat monotone. "Your Majesty, relief efforts cannot wait. Now that funds are secured, we must immediately draft a plan and select capable officials to oversee the distribution in the north. We must ensure every grain of rice, every single coin, reaches the hands of the refugees."

Emperor Xia Lin Yuan looked at Liang Jing now with open excitement and... something more complex, harder to define. He nodded vigorously. "Your counsel is wise! This matter... is now fully entrusted to you! All ministries and officials must cooperate! If anyone dares to feign compliance while acting against you, you have the authority to deal with them summarily!"

"This servant obeys the decree." Liang Jing bowed.

He knew this was merely the first move in his grand game as the "Supreme Paragon of Justice," the first ripple destined to stir the stagnant waters of the Great Xia Empire.

The court session concluded in a profoundly strange atmosphere.

Officials filed out of the Golden Hall, their minds a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. Many unconsciously gave Liang Jing a wide berth, their glances fraught with newfound complexity.

His expression unreadable, Liang Jing, surrounded by his retinue of eunuchs, proceeded directly to his office within the palace—the private chambers reserved for the Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat.

The moment he entered and dismissed his attendants, a young, cold-faced agent of the Eastern Depot, a section chief, materialized silently before him and dropped to one knee.

"Commander."

"Report," Liang Jing said, settling into a rosewood chair padded with soft cushions and rubbing his temples. Merging memories and navigating the court had taken its toll.

"An urgent, eight-hundred-mile dispatch from the north," the chief presented a sealed letter. "The disaster is worse than reported. Refugees are massing in large numbers. The risk of a peasant uprising is high. Also... rumors circulate in the martial world. They say the 'Chosen of Heaven' has appeared, destined to reverse our fortunes and save the common people."

Chosen of Heaven?

Liang Jing took the letter, broke the seal, and scanned its contents swiftly, his eyes turning cold.

It seemed the chaos within Great Xia was more complex than he had imagined. It wasn't just the scheming of the court; there were ambitious players in the underworld, and now this, potentially real or not, "Chosen of Heaven."

All of them... potential sources of Righteous Points.

His supply was secured.

"Send the order," Liang Jing said, his fingertips tapping a light, rhythmic pattern on the desk. "All Eastern Depot agents are to focus on the situation in the north. Especially the leaders of these refugee mobs, and... any information related to this 'Chosen of Heaven.' Report any unusual activity immediately."

"Understood!" The section chief acknowledged. He hesitated, then added, "Commander, regarding your pledge of five million taels in court today... some brothers within the Depot also have... doubts. They worry..."

Liang Jing looked up, his gaze causing the bloodstained Eastern Depot chief to break into an instant cold sweat and lower his head.

"They doubt my ability to produce the funds?" Liang Jing's voice was deceptively mild.

"This subordinate would never dare!"

"Tell them this," Liang Jing stood and walked to the window, looking out at the square of sky confined by the palace walls. His tone was calm, yet carried an absolute, unshakeable confidence. "If they follow me, what they will witness in the future will far surpass a mere five million taels."

"As for the money..." He focused his will, his consciousness sinking into the system's inventory. Within that void, mountains upon mountains of silver seemed to gleam, stacked high, their luster deeply alluring.

Fifteen million taels! And this is only the beginning!

A genuine, unrestrained, and sharp smile finally touched his lips.

"What I lack the least," he declared, "is money."

"Go. Deliver the first installment of one million taels to the Ministry of Revenue. Let Grand Tutor Lin... broaden his horizons."

"Yes, Commander!" The section chief's spirit was ignited. Though he still found it hard to believe, his commander's unshakable composure made him choose faith instinctively.

Watching the chief retreat, Liang Jing took a deep breath.

The court's face, slapped. The antagonist's points, earned. The system's money, secured.

Now, it was time to truly spend.

Refugees of the north, wait for me.

The man you call the "Shadow Hand" will soon show you who the true "Savior" of Great Xia is!

And as for this so-called "Chosen of Heaven"... A sharp glint flashed in Liang Jing's eyes.

He'd better not stand in my way.

Otherwise, I'll be happy to teach him what a 'Righteous' beating feels like.