Lu Ye, with his meticulous thinking, keen observation skills, and the great assistance of Yang Ming, Baoyu, and Wu Wa, unearthed all the money and assets hidden by Magistrate Guo, both openly and secretly, even discovering his hidden chambers. Not a single cent was left.
There was silver alone amounting to 100,000 taels, and 50 taels of gold. Not to mention paintings, calligraphy, and antiques. For a magistrate in a remote and impoverished area to possess such a vast sum of real silver and gold, one could see how much he had extorted from the people and how many bribes he had accepted.
He never inquired about the lives of the common people. For this magistrate, even hanging him at the city gate would be too lenient. Prince Yu felt he should be flayed and boiled in oil, though that would be a waste of oil.
Prince Yu said to Qiu and Bian, "Settle accounts with the people in the manor. Those innocent shall be released, and those who are utterly wicked shall be executed on the spot! Those with lesser crimes shall be sent to the Tianshui Town mine to serve as corvée laborers, regardless of gender!"
In Prince Yu's heart, only three women were considered women: his royal mother, Xiao Hei Lian, and his goddaughter, Hua Hua.
"Yes!" Qiu and Bian nodded.
After the assets were accounted for, they were loaded into carriages box by box and transported to Prince Yu's manor.
Prince Yu left Qiu and Bian, along with Ji Chenghe, to interrogate the manor's residents. He, however, along with Lu Ye, Yang Ming, and some guards, moved on to the county deputy's residence.
Although Deputy Magistrate Shen did not directly participate in the assassination attempt on Prince Yu, he was in cahoots with the magistrate and was no better. This time, they intended to eradicate them completely and efficiently.
Deputy Magistrate Shen's family had just finished their meal when Prince Yu's confiscation team arrived.
Without a word, the guards rounded up everyone in the residence.
Deputy Magistrate Shen's daughter, Shen Shiqing, cried out, "Why are you confiscating our home? My father is a good person!"
Prince Yu sneered, "If you are not a good person, how can your father be? Speak any more nonsense, and I will cut out your tongue!"
Shen Shiqing immediately fell silent, weeping mournfully.
Similarly, Lu Ye and Yang Ming thoroughly searched the residence for valuables. The guards screened every individual. Those found innocent were released, those guilty of serious crimes were executed immediately, and those with minor offenses were punished with corvée labor, sent to work in the Tianshui Town mine.
The county yamen's prison was instantly overflowing.
The residents of the two households, upon meeting, did not forget to greet each other.
Upon hearing that Magistrate Guo had been personally beaten hundreds of times by Prince Yu and then hung outside the city gate, Deputy Magistrate Shen instantly felt blessed and content.
After the confiscation of both families' properties, it was already deep into the night.
Prince Yu then led everyone back to his manor.
When Bai Sheng arrived at the manor that afternoon, the cooks were all very happy. They had excitedly come out to welcome Bai Sheng, but upon seeing the four little ones, their interest immediately shifted. They abandoned Bai Sheng and swarmed around the little ones, cooing and murmuring incessantly.
The four little ones were very good at charming people; they giggled uncontrollably no matter who tickled them.
It wasn't until the cooks had to prepare dinner that they reluctantly left the little ones, remembering the children's mother.
Bai Sheng, of course, did not feel jealous of her own children. With a wave of her hand, she wrote down many more recipes for the cooks.
Since Prince Yu and the others were busy with the confiscations, Bai Sheng didn't know when they would return. She asked the cooks to prepare the meal in advance so that Prince Yu and the others could eat directly upon their return.
At this time, although it was late at night, the people in the manor had not slept.
Seeing Prince Yu and his group return, the cooks immediately served the warm dishes. Bai Sheng had also brewed a lot of spiritual spring water, giving everyone a large bowl of tea to relieve their fatigue.
Lu Yun and Wu Wa, with their boundless energy, were all extremely excited and showed no signs of weariness.
Only an enlightened sister-in-law like Bai Sheng would allow five children to accompany the adults on such outings.
However, while experiencing things was important, they also needed to control their mouths; they must absolutely not speak carelessly to outsiders.
Bai Sheng pulled Wu Wa aside and solemnly instructed him.
Lu Yun said, "Sister-in-law, I understand. Speaking too much leads to trouble. When we are outside, we must not speak carelessly. Don't worry, Sister-in-law, I will take care of my little brothers."
Bai Sheng affectionately patted Lu Yun's head.
When the dishes were served, everyone rushed to the table.
Prince Yu, having "sheared a lot of wool" today, was in a great mood and did not observe the manor's usual formalities. He joined everyone in devouring the food.
Everyone was starving, and the prepared meal was completely wiped clean.
After eating, everyone quickly returned to their rooms to wash up and rest, as there were many matters to attend to tomorrow.
Bai Sheng nestled in Lu Ye's arms and asked if he was tired.
How could a man admit to being tired? He had only done a small amount of work.
Lu Ye said ambiguously that his physique was capable of doing very strenuous activities, lasting for days and nights without sleep.
Bai Sheng gave him a reproachful look and then, steeling her heart, pulled him out the door quietly.
The two of them went together to the small courtyard on Xinghua Street.
Before giving birth, Bai Sheng had stocked the rooms with provisions. After several months, more than half of the stored food had been consumed. It seemed the grain shops in the county town were doing very good business.
After replenishing the rooms with grain again, Bai Sheng also poured some spiritual spring water on the old trees on Xinghua Street.
A gust of wind blew, causing the old trees' branches and leaves to sway slightly. Bai Sheng felt very pleased.
Then, the two of them sneaked into the granary warehouse and filled it with grain as well.
All these stored provisions should be enough to sell for more than half a year.
It did not take long for them to return to Prince Yu's manor.
They still had to meet Wen Zhimu tomorrow, so they would depart from Taisha County the day after.
The next day, everyone slept until well past the morning.
Prince Yu, accompanied by Qiu, Bian, Yang Ming, Tong, Tie, Lu Yun and the five little ones, along with the guards, continued to busy themselves with county affairs.
Yang Ming and the five little ones had earned Prince Yu's admiration. Hongshu Village was truly a good place for cultivating talent, and even Old Madam Ji was now a capable individual.
Lu Ye and Bai Sheng, along with the four little ones, went to visit Wen Zhimu.
Upon meeting at Wen's residence, both parties were shocked.
What shocked Wen Zhimu was how incredibly beautiful the four little ones born to Sister Bai were!
In his life, he had never seen such beautiful and adorable babies.
The babies were almost 4 months old, their features exquisitely formed, all fair-skinned, plump, and very fond of smiling. Since entering Wen Zhimu's residence, the laughter of the four little ones had not stopped.
Everyone in Wen Zhimu's manor was captivated by the four little ones, unable to stop looking at them.
What shocked Bai Sheng, Lu Ye, and Baoyu was that after several months apart, Wen Zhimu had transformed from a gentle and refined man into a strong, rough, muscular man. His muscles were clearly visible through his thin clothes.
Even his speech, demeanor, and expressions had taken on the aura of a strong man.
Alas, the former delicate, elegant, and slender "fresh meat" was gone forever!
However, Bai Sheng's aesthetic preference was not for effeminate pretty boys, but rather for men like her husband, who looked thin when dressed, had defined muscles when undressed, were strong yet symmetrically and beautifully built.
Wen Zhimu, as a muscular man, looked alright; not too much to bear.