It doesn’t matter, my boyfriend is a eunuch!

Chapter 137 Military Expenditure

Lin Zhihe hid in Liu Li's arms, her tears soaking his clothes, covering a large area.

"I knew she would not want to pay attention to me, I knew..." Lin Zhihe sobbed, and others were afraid that they could not hear what she said.

Liu Li didn't say anything, but just kept stroking her back with his hands, again and again, very gently.

"Cry, it will be better if you cry..."

Lin Zhihe tried her best to snuggle into his arms, as if only here could she be isolated from the world and let herself vent her emotions to her heart's content, venting the resentment and separation that did not belong to her but were imposed on her by fate.

She doesn't care about the injustices, or the jokes that fate has played on her again and again. She only cares about the people around her, Xiao Taohong and Liu Li.

Xiao Taohong was on the heavenly side, and she was on the human world, separated by yin and yang.

"It's all my fault. I failed to protect Xiao Taohong." Lin Zhihe lay in Liu Li's arms and said the words he had said a thousand times.

"I don't blame you. How could I blame you? You couldn't defend yourself against Lin Zhiqiang's harm. Could you kill her under the circumstances? She would never give up if you couldn't kill her." Liu Li explained to her slowly with some anger.

In fact, Liu Li has repeated this sentence thousands of times.

"You won't give up... Why don't you come and take my life? Why do you let Xiao Taohong bear it for me..."

Liu Li sighed and looked at Xiao Taohong's tombstone. "If I can choose, and someone must sacrifice a life, then I will choose death to keep you safe."

“But I can’t choose…”

Lin Zhihe cried for a long time, as if her soul was drained out. Her brain and eyes were blank, and she let Liu Li lead her to the carriage.

The carriage swayed, and her heart rose and fell with it, but she became more resolute in the decision she had made many times - she wanted Lin Zhiqiang to die.

Not only Lin Zhiqiang, but Lin Yingchen as well will die together. On this road, whoever stands in the way will be killed.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the Vermilion Bird Palace, I saw several eunuchs standing in front of the door, guarding the Palace like door gods.

The fifth prince is here.

Why is he here again?

Lin Zhihe was in a bad mood, and his face was a little gloomy. He walked slowly to the inner courtyard and saw Xiao Wuzi sitting there, looking like a gentleman.

The Fifth Prince was about to come over to pay his respects, but when he saw Lin Zhihe with a bad look on his face, he paused and glanced at Liu Li.

Liu Li's expression became even worse, which confused the Fifth Prince. He could only bow as usual, "Your son pays respects to your mother."

"what's up?"

The Fifth Prince's air of being a royal noble suddenly disappeared and he became extremely respectful, even a little timid.

For the Son of Heaven, especially the Fifth Prince, such expressions are rare.

Lin Zhihe didn't want to be a person who took her anger out on others, but she really wasn't in the mood to deal with the Fifth Prince.

The fifth prince looked at Lin Zhihe's face and said in a low voice, "I know that mother is in a bad mood because she went to visit an old friend today, so I came here specially to accompany her."

"My dear mother, I know that you are the most kind and filial. I am in a much better mood now. If you have nothing else, please go back to the palace first." Lin Zhihe ordered them to leave.

At this moment, she was not in the mood to play the role of loving mother and filial son with the Fifth Prince, and she had no time to cooperate with the Fifth Prince to establish his character.

"Son, please stay with mother." The fifth prince was very stubborn and didn't want to leave.

He turned around and said to Lin Ping who was standing behind him: "You go out first. I will stay here with my mother."

This kid must have something to do again, otherwise he wouldn't have sent Lin Ping away.

Lin Zhihe winked at Liu Li, who immediately understood and sent the servants out of the inner hall, leaving only the three of them.

"Just tell me what's the matter." Lin Zhihe said in an impatient tone.

Seeing this, Liu Li hurriedly poured her a cup of tea, trying to ease her mood.

"Today is the seventh day after the death of that palace maid." The fifth prince said with certainty.

Hearing this, Lin Zhihe felt a little surprised, but also inexplicably moved - there are still people in this world who remember Xiao Taohong.

Lin Zhihe finally corrected him: "Her name is Xiao Taohong."

"Mother, now we are truly in the same boat."

Looking at the stern-faced Fifth Prince, Lin Zhihe thought for a moment and guessed that he already knew about the dispute between her and Lin Zhiqiang, and also guessed that she had broken up with Lin Zhiqiang.

Only by breaking with Lin Zhiqiang would he stand in the same trench with the Fifth Prince.

Did he see it clearly now or did he make it clear now?

But it doesn’t matter to Lin Zhihe, she doesn’t care.

"Just to say this?"

"If you have nothing to say, just go back to wherever you want. I'm really not in the mood today." Lin Zhihe said, extending his hand and deciding to wave goodbye.

Seeing this, the Fifth Prince quickly spoke again: "No, no, no... Mother, I have other things to do!"

"Mother, do you know why the eldest prince came to Kyoto this time?" The fifth prince had a stern face and a very solemn expression.

This topic is indeed a serious matter and it deserves the Fifth Prince's strict attention. After all, it involves his future.

"How should I know why?"

"Why don't you just say it directly?" Lin Zhihe looked at him with an expression that said "I gave you a favor", even glaring at him.

The fifth prince sensed the chill and said directly, "My eldest brother is here for military pay."

Lin Zhihe nodded. This was exactly the same as the rumors in the palace.

It seems that the people in the palace are still quite something.

"That's not right. Since you're short of money, can't you just write an 800-mile express letter and send it to Kyoto as fast as you can? Why does the eldest prince have to come in person to ask for it? And the Duke of Yan is the only one who can leave the border to him?"

Xiao Wu's face darkened even more. "This is exactly what I am worried about. If it is for the military pay, why should we let Big Brother go to Kyoto? It is totally unnecessary."

That proves that it's not just about military pay, there are other more important things.

Or in other words, this "more important thing" is the main thing, and returning to Kyoto to ask for military pay is just a bonus.

Lin Zhihe suddenly remembered and stared at the fifth prince and asked, "Why is the military pay gone? Was it because they didn't give enough at the beginning or because they overspent?"

The fifth prince shook his head.

"You don't know?" Lin Zhihe was a little surprised. As a prince, a man who coveted the throne, he didn't know.

"Isn't it natural for such military tasks to happen?" The fifth prince spread his hands helplessly.

That's right, he is just twelve years old and doesn't even hold an official position in the court, so these things are indeed difficult.

"Could it be that the court has run out of money and didn't give enough money in the first place, so they come here to get money now?" Lin Zhihe made a bold guess.

"The court's expenses are indeed tight, but not to the extent that the military budget cannot be raised. Moreover, if the military budget is insufficient, then the harem expenses will definitely be reduced first, and the funds can be used on the front line."

"The harem's money hasn't decreased a cent, which proves it hasn't reached that level."

What the fifth prince said does make sense. Even a fool knows that when there is no money, the harem should be the first target. After all, the concubines and maids in the harem are suffering a little, and everyone is just making a few complaints.

However, if there is less money at the border, then it is very likely that the country will be destroyed for this reason.

When faced with two evils, everyone knows what to choose.

Harem expenses... military expenses...

Lin Zhihe caught a glimpse of a strange sense of familiarity in his mind, but it was fleeting.

Who mentioned the expenses of the harem a few days ago?

Lin Zhihe suddenly slapped his thigh and looked at Liu Li with wide eyes, "I know!"