After their minds were read, the entire court trembled with fear.

Chapter 247 Missing

The Empress Dowager, who was feeling smug, was stunned.

What?

What did she hear?

There is none on the second floor.

How can this be.

The Empress Dowager, holding a cane, limped along, yet moved with astonishing speed, running towards the second floor.

This frightened the old emperor.

"Mother, you're getting on in years, please slow down."

"You brat, shut up! I look younger than you."

[This eighty-year-old woman has such energy and spirit; she's definitely younger than the old emperor who sits around reviewing memorials all day, haha.]

The old emperor shut up this time.

A group of people followed them up to the second floor.

When the Empress Dowager saw that the golden money tree that had been placed in the center of her room was now empty, she was shocked to find it completely bare.

She kicked her legs and sat down on the ground with a thud, slapping her thighs and crying for her parents.

"Oh my god, where is my money tree? Which bastard stole my money tree?"

The scene left Shen Zhiyi and her group, who had rushed over, speechless.

[This... is this the legendary Empress Dowager?]

Shen Zhiyi, who considered herself the least experienced, silently turned her head to look at Chen Decai and Zhang Sheren beside her.

At this moment, the two men's mouths were slightly open, clearly seeing this situation for the first time.

Shen Zhiyi immediately felt better.

The old emperor coughed awkwardly a few times and stepped forward to help the Empress Dowager up, but she dodged him.

"Mother, get up."

"What are you getting up for? My precious money tree is gone!"

"I will have someone investigate this matter thoroughly immediately."

[A two-meter-tall money tree couldn't have been completely moved in one go, indicating it couldn't have been an outsider; it must have been an insider.]

The old emperor nodded in agreement.

Shen Zhiyi is indeed the most quick-witted when it comes to gossiping.

The Empress Dowager wiped away her tears, grabbed the old emperor's sleeve, and got up from the ground. She turned to look at her personal maid, Xin'er, and said with a gloomy face, "Immediately summon everyone in the palace and question each and every one of them carefully."

"Here."

[Let me see which thief is so bold! This money tree is meant for the old emperor! And most importantly, ah, every branch is hanging with gold ingots—perfect gold ingots!]

Shen Zhiyi felt it was a great pity that she didn't get to see such a beautiful golden money tree live.

Who is this guy?

The Empress Dowager was startled.

It's a man!

She opened her mouth, wanting her personal maid to replace everyone with men, but stopped herself under the old emperor's gaze.

At this moment, the system thoughtfully labeled the man in the surveillance footage with a name for Shen Zhiyi.

[The Marquis of Pingyang, the son of the old emperor's deceased younger brother.]

Everyone: Why not just say he's the old emperor's nephew or the empress dowager's grandson?

The Empress Dowager was dazed and subconsciously shook her head.

How could it be the Marquis of Pingyang? This voice is utter nonsense!

After the old emperor's younger brother died, the Marquis of Pingyang was cared for by the Empress Dowager. Later, when he came to Luozhou, he was brought with him.

[Tsk tsk tsk, a little kid, or more precisely, a little boy, if left to be raised by a grandparent, will most likely turn into a little devil.]

The Empress Dowager's hand, which was holding her cane, began to stir restlessly.

The old emperor knew his mother too well and quickly reached out to stop the person.

The Empress Dowager lowered her voice and said, "She's cricketing at me."

"The child doesn't understand, please pretend you didn't hear it."

Look at the birds raised by the Marquis of Pingyang! When they were young, they climbed trees to steal bird eggs; now that they're grown up, they steal the bird eggs from the servants around him.

Everyone instinctively brought their legs together and slowly looked at the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager retorted, "I did give her the money."

[When I was little, my grandmother did everything for me, from eating to dressing. Now that I'm grown up, I still can't do things for myself. In my twenties, I still need to be fed and dressed. Ugh, disgusting.]

The old emperor disapproved: "Mother, you're spoiling her too much."

The Empress Dowager continued to argue: "Your nephew lost his parents when he was young, and no one cares for him except me. Besides, he is a dignified marquis, so what's wrong with having people serve him his clothes and meals?"

As a child, the Empress Dowager gave him whatever he wanted, which led to her reluctance to give him the golden money tree when he grew up. This prompted the Marquis of Pingyang to conceive the idea of ​​stealing the golden money tree.

The Empress Dowager rolled her eyes in anger.

"I didn't expect it to be this brat. I'll make him bring the money tree back right now."

No matter how important a grandson is, he is never as important as one's own son, especially the son of an emperor.

The Empress Dowager knew perfectly well which was more important.

[The Marquis of Pingyang knew that the golden money tree was too big to carry away all at once, so he started by taking only one gold ingot, then two, and as he grew bolder, he quickly took all the gold ingots.]

The Empress Dowager was so angry that she jabbed the ground with her cane.

“Those lackeys, they didn’t even report this to me.”

After collecting the gold ingots, they started dismantling the branches, and finally the trunk. It took them five months to move the golden money tree.

The Empress Dowager couldn't stay in the storeroom any longer, so she took her cane and went to the small courtyard where the Marquis of Pingyang lived.

Shen Zhiyi was still staring blankly at the monitor when Zhang Sheren finally spoke up, making her realize that they were about to leave the warehouse.

"Where is the Empress Dowager?"

Zhang Sheren: "It seems we've found out who stole the golden money tree."

Shen Zhiyi nodded.

[I never expected Zhang Sheren to be called the Golden Money Tree.]

Zhang Sheren chuckled awkwardly, his heart pounding with anxiety.

He quickly interrupted Shen Zhiyi's thoughts: "I heard it's the Marquis of Pingyang, do you think it's possible, Shen Lang?"

"It's hard to say."

Zhang Sheren took a deep breath.

changed.

Shen Lang, you've changed.

Who exactly led Shen Lang astray?

[Of course, this was done by the Marquis of Pingyang. That guy didn't try to hide it much. The Empress Dowager can find out who it was with a little investigation. So the Empress Dowager is on her way to find that Marquis of Pingyang.]

However, it's no use for the Empress Dowager to rush over now, as the Marquis of Pingyang isn't even in his own courtyard.

Upon hearing this, the old emperor prepared to return to the courtyard that the Empress Dowager had prepared for him to rest.

Once the Empress Dowager discovers that Marquis Pingyang is not here, she will surely come looking for him eagerly.

Before they could even settle in, the Empress Dowager arrived in a flurry of activity.

"That bastard, I wonder where he's off gallivanting off to again."

"Here, have some tea to calm down."

The Empress Dowager had absolutely no taste in tea; she would simply gulp it down in one go.

“I’m still furious. He dared to steal the things I left for you. He deserves a beating. Don’t worry, son, when he comes back, I’ll make sure to break his hands.”

"They need to be taught a good lesson."

[If possible, we suggest interrupting the Marquis of Pingyang's son, the Marquis of Pingyang, as well~]

The old emperor and Zhang Sheren suddenly felt a chill in a certain place.

Zhang Sheren quietly distanced himself from Shen Zhiyi.

Chen Decai didn't have this concern; after all, he didn't.

[This Marquis of Pingyang has been spoiled rotten by the Empress Dowager! I was wondering why he needed so much silver. What a ridiculous hobby!]