Chapter 1014: Chapter 1014 Return To The Capital

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Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Although the corruption involved layers of exploitation, there were only three main criminals at its heart. The magistrate, the general judge, and the Salt Law Office played a key role. The garrison army, supposedly responsible for maintaining order, had also been compromised by bribes, turning a blind eye to the corruption. The regional governor was a coward, so he didn’t participate directly, but he did nothing to stop them, only attempting to smooth things over afterwards.

The people who chased after the Second Prince were a combination of enforcers from the Salt Law Office and members of the Salt Gang. Upon receiving this news, the Second Prince burned with fury. He never imagined the officials in Fuzhou could be so brazen.

However, he held off on immediate action. Instead, he started with the Salt Gang, meticulously investigating them until he finally unearthed the culprit— the He family, the Third Prince’s extended family.

“Hmph! I knew the He family was rotten to the core!” Guoguo exclaimed after receiving the letter. “They even had the audacity to visit Father when he was unconscious, pretending to be concerned.”

“Father knows about their involvement too,” Chenchen added. “But he didn’t catch them red-handed in the past, so he couldn’t punish them severely. Let’s see how they’ll squirm out of this one.”

“Our top priority is to prevent them from spreading word to the capital,” Chenchen emphasized. “Otherwise, all our efforts so far will be for naught.”

“Exactly,” the Second Prince concurred, nodding solemnly. “Then, I shall accompany Imperial Brother to seal the letter.” He swiftly penned a letter and entrusted it to a secret guard for immediate dispatch.

Equipped with the Emperor’s golden medallion as his symbol of authority, the Second Prince marched towards the Garrison Mansion. First, he arrested the corrupt garrison soldiers. Then, using his personal token, he reassigned all the loyal soldiers back to the military camp.

The main criminals and their families were apprehended and thrown into prison. Accomplices were documented but left unarrested for the time being. All the recovered silver and food were then distributed back to the people. Guoguo even seized the opportunity to request some seeds from Mother God to aid in a swift replanting effort.

With the Second Prince leading the way, the magistrate and several other key figures were escorted back to the capital under the watchful eyes of Guoguo and her siblings. Unexpectedly, their journey was interrupted by bandits.

Upon investigation, they discovered the mastermind behind the bandit operation was none other than the very magistrate they were transporting! Apparently, they had been lining their pockets with illegal government fees for years, leaving them with no shortage of money.

Enraged by this discovery, the Second Prince wasted no time dismantling the entire bandit operation. All the recovered funds were sent directly to the national treasury in the capital.

After a successful rendezvous with the First Prince’s men in the capital, Guoguo and her two siblings headed straight to the Second Prince to bid farewell.

“No, please hold on!” the Second Prince pleaded in a panic. “We haven’t seen each other in years. It’s a rare reunion! We must celebrate properly. At the very least, we must visit the palace and see my mother.”

“We can certainly meet in two days,” Guoguo offered. “I understand you’re swamped these next few days. We can head to the mountains and relax in the hot springs for a few days.”

“That’s a must!” the Second Prince insisted. “My mother will have my hide if I don’t bring you along. She’s been looking forward to seeing you all.”

“Alright, alright, we’ll definitely come,” Guoguo conceded with a chuckle. Following their conversation, Guoguo led Chenchen and Third Fatty directly into the mountains. Their first stop was the Mother Temple, where she reported her safe return to the Mother God. While there, she also took the opportunity to check on everything and ensure things were running smoothly. Satisfied that all was well, the three siblings gathered some fruits and proceeded to the hot spring villa for a relaxing two-day getaway.