Chapter 385: You are clever

Don't be fooled by their pleasant conversation; they were sizing each other up, and their words were cautious.

They didn't consider who the Emperor was—a man who could fight a hundred officials single-handedly, a cunning hunter. How could they possibly take advantage of him?

He handled everyone present by himself, saving the Empress and the other two the trouble.

They just sat and listened, too lazy to even touch their tea.

Qiao Mai had checked the food and wine today; there were no issues, and it was safe to eat and drink, yet they still barely touched their chopsticks.

After they were full, they hadn't gotten a straight answer out of anyone. Finally, with no other options, they asked Qiao Mai about buying tea and ice.

"That tea was something I obtained by chance. I don't have much on hand, and I only brought a little with me, so I can't do business with it. As for the ice, we used special methods to transport it all the way here, just for our own use on the road. I truly apologize to you all."

"You are too kind, too kind. If the deal doesn't go through, the friendship remains."

"Thank you all for your hospitality. We shall take our leave."

The Emperor and his party boarded their carriage and left. The people upstairs sat there, looking at one another.

"You are truly bold, daring to touch even the Empress's maiden family."

The Commander of the Golden Dragon Guard suddenly revealed his token. "Open your eyes and see what this is!"

"If he can treat you with such humiliation, he has the ability to kill you. If you want to court death, no one will stop you, but don't drag the Rong family down with you."

The main battlefield: the rooftop, the main combatants: the men in black and Heizi.

"Not a single one left."

This time, it wasn't as easy to get down as it was to get up. Once the Rong family discovered she was missing, they sent people to search the entire city, only spotting her at the city gate when dawn broke.

"After thinking it over, we had better be cautious. Let's give up on this piece of fat meat."

"Father, why are you so stingy? Don't forget, the Empress comes from our family."

"I have the same intention."

"Yes!"

"Hmph, we refuse to accept this."

Prefect Wu lowered his head in resignation. He had said it—that person looked very familiar that day; it really was the Emperor.

From that day on, no one came to disturb Qiao Mai and the others again, but the spies in front of the Guest Inn were not withdrawn.

"Your Majesty, should the main culprits be tried publicly or...?"

"I want to file a complaint! You arrested us by force!"

The Golden Dragon Guard left the inn in the night rain with the Emperor's orders. The rain continued to fall without stopping.

Even the most profitable shops in the city didn't escape. For three consecutive days, the city was quiet. On the night of the third day, a heavy rain began to fall.

"Your subordinate is here."

Upon receiving the evidence of their crimes, the Emperor immediately dismissed the garrison commander outside the city and arranged for a replacement from among the generals at the border.

"Action tomorrow night. Not one of these five families can be let go. First, throw them into the jail, then raid their homes. Do not miss a single place. If they have businesses, go to the shops and the manors to search. It is imperative that everything aligns with the account books."

The Rong family had lost face in a big way. The Rong Clan Head had her woken up and asked sternly.

Inside the government office, the heads of the five great families of Luzhou knelt below the hall. At the official desk sat the Commander of the Golden Dragon Guard and the garrison commander from outside the city.

"Shall we go and watch the spectacle?"

The Emperor already knew about them running opium dens and harming the common people. Sigh!

"After the trial, follow the Great Ming Law. Those who should be beheaded, behead them; those who should be exiled, exile them. Remember, all the poppies outside the city must be pulled out by the roots, and post a public notice: whoever grows this stuff again, death!"

The Emperor sat in the inn, looking at the thick stack of account books, rubbing his temples in a headache.

It rained for a full day and night before stopping. On that very night, the five great families of Luzhou City were surrounded by government troops. Any resistance was met with immediate execution on the spot by the Golden Dragon Guard.

"Did you go and provoke those people again?"

The Golden Dragon Guard left, and the Emperor found Qiao Mai. "In-law, everything has been handled."

This time, the common people feasted their eyes; they saw every birthmark on every part of their bodies clearly.

"You had better be honest."

The Rong Clan Head and Prefect Wu were both unconvinced. They stiffened their necks, especially the Rong Clan Head.

At the same time, the Rong Clan Head also thought of this problem. He looked at Prefect Wu. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

The peaceful days hadn't lasted two days before another batch of uninvited guests came to the inn at night.

From the five great families, 16 million taels of silver were confiscated, along with countless jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy, and precious medicinal herbs were as numerous as cow hairs.

"Hmph, under the vast heaven, is there any land that is not the King's? This law was revised by the Emperor. The Emperor said that the Son of Heaven who breaks the law is punished the same as a commoner. You are not yet the Empress; you are just a relative of the Empress. Can you compare to the Emperor?"

It took a tremendous amount of effort to get her down from the city gate.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The next day, she was hung outside the city, face up, stripped naked in a spread-eagle position.

"Yes, my daughter sent people over yesterday. She won't give up until she gets him."

The Old Emperor wasn't angry; instead, he grinned.

Result: The men in black died collectively, their corpses were dumped at the Rong mansion, and Qiao Mai let the Second Miss of the Rong family witness what it meant for one's word to be as heavy as nine tripods.

"Anyway, the mountains are high and the Emperor is far away; they can't manage things here."

The Emperor and his party still went out every day to stroll, sightsee, eat, and listen to music. There wasn't a single sign of anything unusual, which couldn't help but put the people of Luzhou City at ease.

"How wonderful. They were saving up silver to give me a gift. After collecting this batch, why worry about the national treasury not being full? If more batches of people like this come, I'll be rich. From now on, I won't have to worry about silver anymore."

As soon as dawn broke, the common people entering and leaving the city only needed to lift their heads slightly to see everything clearly.

"Fart! That comes from the main family. The Empress is not the Emperor. Didn't the previous Empress also step down? She still strictly demanded things of her own maiden family, let alone us, this branch?"

"These four people are definitely not ordinary. That old man has such a powerful aura; as soon as he arrived, he took charge and suppressed us. His wife looks like she came from a humble background, and there is another pair of man and woman who seem ordinary but are not afraid of the old man's aura at all. It seems their status is not low. I heard they have twenty guards escorting them, and the servant girl by their side is no ordinary goods either."

Everyone was locked in the government jail, and the government office had long since been taken over by the garrison commander from outside the city.

"Golden Dragon Guard."

Then, the troops outside the city remained still, while the Golden Dragon Guard infiltrated Luzhou City to investigate family by family.

The Rong Clan Head was so angry he revoked all her authority and sent people to watch her. Without his orders, the Eldest Miss Rong was not allowed to act recklessly.

A group of four arrived at the Prefect's government office. The common people stood three layers deep, all wanting to know their final fate.

When the Rong Clan Head and Prefect Wu saw the token, they all collapsed to the ground. The Golden Dragon Guard—how could they not know the Golden Dragon Guard? Those were the Emperor's Golden Guards, specifically for protecting the Emperor and obeying the Emperor's commands. In other words, they owed their current fate to the Emperor's blessing?

One day later, the Golden Dragon Guard transferred 10,000 elite troops from the border. Following the Emperor's instructions, they first conducted a sweep of the 5,000 government troops outside Luzhou City, and then took over.

"Hmph, you are clever."

For a full night, 15,000 government troops searched. When dawn broke, they began to count the wealth. It wasn't until noon that the Old Emperor received the news.

To let them see clearly, Qiao Mai pointed her finger, and the people automatically parted to form a line. The Emperor led the three of them inside.

"The human evidence and material evidence are all here. You can't refuse to accept it even if you want to."

"Yes, yes, that is our intention as well."

"Hand them over to you and the garrison commander outside the city to try together. I don't want to see this group of parasites. Have those opium dens been raided?"

"I just thought of it too."

Prefect Wu suddenly widened his eyes, looking at the Golden Dragon Guard above. "Is the Emperor in Luzhou City right now?"

The Rong Clan Head suddenly turned around, looking at the common people outside the government office. He saw the Emperor and his party at a glance.

The Emperor looked at him calmly. The Rong Clan Head looked at the Empress again; she was also staring at him expressionlessly.

He couldn't say a single word of what was on the tip of his tongue.

What could he say? The Emperor wanted to punish him, and he couldn't run. Two days ago, he was still calling people brothers, and now he had become a prisoner.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 386 =====