Issuing IOU Notes

Five years later.

Jin Capital, Jin Palace.

Emperor Leonard Li sat atop the lofty throne, his gaze cold and piercing.

There was no trace left of the frivolous young noble Leonard Li once was; now, he was shrouded in suspicion and icy hostility.

Five years had aged Leonard Li considerably. As he surveyed the hall full of officials, he wondered who could still be trusted.

Beside the emperor’s throne sat the seat reserved for his father, Lord Huainan.

In these five years, Lord Huainan seemed little changed. At his side, two young boys stood, one on each side.

They were Lord Huainan’s sons born late in life—Leonard Li’s younger half-brothers.

To protect his two youngest sons, Lord Huainan took them everywhere with him, never letting them out of his sight for fear of any mishap.

And the source of danger, of course, was none other than the high and mighty Emperor Leonard Li.

Back then, Empress Bella Bell was taken to the Kingdom of Qin while pregnant. So many years have passed, and there’s been no word—Leonard Li has no idea if Bella gave birth, or if it was a boy or a girl.

As an emperor who’s lost the ability to have children, Leonard Li has no heir.

Lord Huainan’s influence among the ministers far exceeds Leonard Li’s. At Lord Huainan’s urging, the ministers have pressured Leonard Li to name a crown prince—choosing one of Lord Huainan’s two young sons and granting him the title.

But Leonard Li knows all too well: once the crown prince is named, he’ll become an eyesore—just a stepping stone to be kicked aside.

So, the situation at court has been unbearably tense. For five years, Leonard Li hasn’t had a single restful night’s sleep.

He often lies awake at night, imagining: what if he’d never colluded with Lord Huainan, never used Alexander Hayes to seize the throne—what would his life be like now?

He’d still be a carefree noble, heir to Lord Huainan, living with Bella Bell and raising a whole brood of children.

But in a blink, cold reality swallows him whole.

He’s left in this vast, desolate palace—lonely, isolated, and slowly going mad.

Leonard Li has regretted his past actions more than once, but now there’s no turning back. If he can’t hold onto the throne, he’ll be eliminated—killed without mercy.

Just as Leonard Li was lost in thought, the minister responsible for reporting the annual revenues of the various vassal states began to present the situation for each fief.

Leonard Li had no interest in the other regions; his only concern was the situation in Qin.

When the minister finished the report on Qin, Leonard Li frowned deeply. "Another drought in Qin this year, and not a single grain harvested?"

The minister squinted, shaking his head and replying, "Your Majesty, Qin has been plagued by unrest and disasters for years. Two years ago it was locusts, last year floods, and now drought again—there’s simply no money to pay tribute! But King Alexander Hayes and Chancellor Evans have already issued IOUs, promising to pay in the future."

"IOUs, always IOUs!" Leonard Li looked at the minister, half amused and half exasperated. "All these years, Qin never pays tribute, just writes IOUs! I've never heard of a vassal state doing this year after year!"

And those IOUs have never been honored!

The minister stroked his beard, maintaining his calm demeanor. "Your Majesty, there’s really nothing to be done. Qin is a wild and barren land, plagued by disasters—it's just endless bad luck. In my opinion, we should simply accept the IOUs."

Leonard Li’s eyes widened as he pointed at the minister. "Listen to yourself! Are you still a minister of Jin?!"