Prince Yu insisted, "If you truly cannot resolve it, go to Chang Le Palace and find my mother, Consort Mei. Take this token," Prince Yu slipped a piece of mutton-fat jade into Bai Sheng's hand.
Seeing Prince Yu's firm stance, Bai Sheng no longer wished to refuse. After all, Prince Yu had his pride.
Just as she was about to put the jade pendant away, Lu Ye took it. "This jade pendant is a bit heavy; it's safer for me to carry it."
Bai Sheng was naturally very willing. She already wore a jade pendant, and if she added another, the sight would be too magnificent.
Prince Yu glared fiercely at Lu Ye. This fellow...
The group then pondered the future movements of the Empress and the Crown Prince, as well as strategies to counter them.
Prince Yu thought it necessary to procure some carrier pigeons, as their communication was too limited otherwise. Tasha Commandery also had people who specialized in raising carrier pigeons, and Prince Yu planned to recruit one of them.
His idea received unanimous approval from everyone.
After the discussion, everyone returned to their respective carriages.
As dusk approached, they finally reached the county town. A journey that would have taken less than half a day at full speed took the carriages a whole day.
Lu Ye and Bai Sheng prepared to take everyone to an inn, but Prince Yu immediately vetoed the idea.
Prince Yu's villa was vast; why would they stay in an inn?
Prince Yu instructed Lu Ye and Bai Sheng to go directly to Prince Yu's mansion, while he, along with A Qiu, A Bian, Ji Chenghe, and the guards, immediately headed for the County Magistrate's residence.
He intended to kill County Magistrate Guo and confiscate all his property, now! Immediately!
Bai Sheng felt that Prince Yu's manpower would surely be insufficient, so she asked Lu Ye, Yang Ming, Tong Tie, and Bao Yu to stay and assist.
Bao Yu could not speak, but he could guard prisoners and search for valuables.
She herself, along with the women and children, escorted by a guard, would return to Prince Yu's mansion first.
Lu Yun and the five children also wanted to stay and help, lingering and refusing to leave.
Bai Sheng thought for a moment and agreed.
She believed that having the five children personally follow Prince Yu in confiscating the County Magistrate's home would definitely broaden their horizons, increase their experience, and hone their abilities.
Such an opportunity was truly rare!
Originally, Bai Sheng worried that they were children and would be too tired from the journey, but she did not expect them to not see themselves as children. They were very enthusiastic about this matter, so it was perfect for them to stay and train.
Prince Yu considered it and felt that Bai Sheng's arrangement was indeed more prudent. Perhaps County Magistrate Guo, when cornered, would dispatch some assassins, and with Lu Ye around, everything would be foolproof.
Thus, led by Prince Yu, with Lu Ye, Yang Ming, A Qiu, A Bian, the five boys, and a large white wolf following behind, and the guards trailing even further behind, a group with murderous intent headed straight for the County Magistrate's residence.
Pedestrians on the road saw this scene and were all panicked, scattering to avoid them. They did not know why the handsome man at the front of the procession, radiating noble氣質, was so furious, his face looking so grim.
Inside the County Magistrate's residence, County Magistrate Guo was still pacing back and forth in his study, awaiting news from the assassins. As evening approached, why was there no news at all?
The manpower he had dispatched, along with the people Zheng Wei brought, totaled over a hundred, two to three times the number of Prince Yu's men. Moreover, the people Zheng Wei brought were elite fighters from the palace, so it was impossible for them to fail.
However, County Magistrate Guo had also made contingency plans. If no one returned to report by nightfall, he would flee with his family and their fortune.
Just as he was anxiously rubbing his hands until they felt like they were on fire, heavy footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Ah, they're finally back!"
County Magistrate Guo exclaimed excitedly and went to open the door, but just as he reached the doorway, the door was kicked open with a bang.
County Magistrate Guo was flung onto the desk piled with documents by the door panel.
He couldn't get up for a long time.
Trembling, he raised his head and saw Prince Yu, leading a group of people, stride in menacingly.
It's over, it's all over! At this moment, County Magistrate Guo wished he could faint immediately, at least so it wouldn't hurt when his head was cut off.
He shook his head, trying to faint, but failed.
Ah, he was about to personally experience Prince Yu's madness and perversion, how terrifying.
Prince Yu winked at A Qiu and A Bian. The two stepped forward, each taking an arm of County Magistrate Guo, and then escorted him before Prince Yu.
Prince Yu had been playing this game since he was a child, and the rapport between him and Qiu Bian was perfect.
Prince Yu rolled up his sleeves high, blew into his palm, took a deep breath, clenched his fists, shouted "Yah—", and landed a heavy punch on County Magistrate Guo's soft and slightly elastic belly.
County Magistrate Guo felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Ah, why... why wasn't he unconscious yet?
County Magistrate Guo bent backward like a plump shrimp, and for Prince Yu's convenience, Qiu Bian considerately pulled his stomach forward again.
Lu Yun and the five children watched, giggling.
Then, Prince Yu swung his fists like raindrops, treating County Magistrate Guo like a sandbag.
County Magistrate Guo was beaten until he foamed at the mouth, but he still could not manage to faint.
At this moment, he deeply resented his overly resilient body, which made him experience so much pain in vain.
Prince Yu, tired of beating him, and finding the foaming County Magistrate Guo too dirty, ordered two guards to drag him out and hang him outside the city gate to death!
You bastard, a county magistrate as insignificant as an ant dared to try and assassinate even this prince! Who gave you the guts? This prince will not let you live!
The female family members of the County Magistrate saw their patriarch foaming at the mouth and being dragged out like a dead dog by two guards, and they all began to wail.
Miss Guo, the County Magistrate's daughter, had once been secretly in love with Prince Yu, loving him to death and dreaming of marrying him to become his principal wife. At this moment, she only felt that Prince Yu was a demon from hell, making her shiver and dare not look directly at him.
Prince Yu turned to the guards behind him and said, "Arrest everyone in the mansion! Lu Ye, take your men to search the treasury and confiscate everything valuable!" From now on, he, Prince Yu, would also learn from others and be thrifty.
Lu Ye nodded and led Yang Ming, Tong Tie, Lu Yun, the five children, and Bao Yu to search and confiscate the treasury.
Prince Yu then said to Ji Chenghe, "Ji Chenghe, tonight, you and your mother will stay at the County Magistrate's mansion. From this moment on, you are the County Magistrate of Tasha Commandery. I will write a memorial to the emperor reporting this. Here are 1000 taels of silver notes. You will go tomorrow to buy some gatekeepers, sweepers, maids, and also recruit some accountants, scribes, and yamen runners. I will allocate a batch of guards to you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Yu," Ji Chenghe was now impressed with Prince Yu and never expected him to act so decisively, not delaying a moment.
Old Madam Ji, having also experienced the world in Hongshu Village, actively assisted in the confiscation of property and the interrogation of prisoners.
She couldn't do heavy work, but she was an expert at accounting for the confiscated treasures. Following Du Min for so long had not been in vain.