Leaving Zhang Guojin's room, Chu Chen jogged to the entrance of the cellar and waved his hand, setting up a soundproof barrier around his body with spiritual energy.
The suppressed laughter finally burst out, and he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha~ I'm dying of laughter. Zhang Guojin's wife was so amusing just now. Did she really think I would be interested in such a withered flower?"
"However, it felt quite good to play the bad guy once by imitating certain scenes. No wonder some people who live well like to do this."
After laughing for a while, Chu Chen recovered.
He lowered his head and carefully examined the ledger in his hand. It clearly recorded in which year and month, when his family or clan members committed an offense, how much was bribed to a certain person to cover up these matters, and how much was bribed by a certain person to keep silent and turn a blind eye, and even acts of bullying and land expansion.
It was conclusive evidence, irrefutable proof.
"Very good. With this ledger of crimes personally written by Zhang Guojin, the last piece of physical evidence is also in place."
Chu Chen put the ledger into the Qiankun Ring with satisfaction, then waved his hand to remove the soundproof barrier, waiting for the secret police to confiscate the property.
Box after box filled with silver ingots were transported out, and cart after cart was loaded.
On this Qingzhou Continent, one tael of silver was fifty grams, no different from Chu Chen's previous life.
One hundred and eighty-eight thousand taels of silver was eighteen thousand eight hundred jin. A horse-drawn cart could carry two thousand jin, so the silver alone required ten carts to transport.
As for the gold, it had already been transported away earlier and sent to the imperial palace to be shown to the Empress as preliminary evidence.
Jewelry, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques used three carts.
The secret police, believing they had completed the confiscation, reported to Chu Chen.
Chu Chen pointed at the surrounding rockeries and some rooms in surprise and asked, "Are you sure you've completed the confiscation? Why do I still see valuable things? This rockery alone must be worth dozens or hundreds of taels of silver, right? Isn't that money?"
"In those rooms, the tables, chairs, teacups, and vases, aren't they all valuable? Continue to confiscate and move them for me! Until I can't see anything of value!"
"Yes!"
Although the secret police showed no emotion, they were deeply speechless at this moment.
However, they said nothing and obeyed the order.
The confiscation continued for two hours until there was nothing valuable left in the Zhang mansion.
Including all the furniture in every room, even the floorboards, candles, bowls and chopsticks, bedding and clothes, goldfish, chickens, ducks, dogs, and seemingly valuable flowers and plants, everything was plundered.
Now Chu Chen had nothing to say and left with his hands behind his back, satisfied.
Outside the Zhang mansion, the soldiers of the Five Cities Patrol Department guarding outside saw Chu Chen emerge and collectively retreated several steps, as if they had seen a demon.
"What are you looking at? Do your jobs and guard this Zhang mansion!"
"Yes!"
The leading captain replied with a forced smile.
Watching Chu Chen head towards the imperial city with the last batch of items, the people of the Five Cities Patrol Department dared to speak only after Chu Chen's figure disappeared.
"Captain, this Vice Minister Chu is too terrifying. This subordinate has never seen anyone confiscate property so thoroughly, even taking chickens, ducks, and dogs, as well as flowers!"
"Yes, when other ministers preside over confiscations, they only take cash, valuable antiques, and jewelry. This one, however, is like a bandit raid."
The captain nodded in agreement.
The adjutant glanced at the wide-open gate of the Zhang mansion and said with lingering fear, "If it weren't for the fact that dismantling the roof beams would cause the house to collapse, and the house itself is not subject to confiscation, perhaps even the stone tiles, roof beams, and pillars would have been taken down!"
"Terrifying indeed. From now on, we must avoid Vice Minister Chu. We must never be caught by him, or even mice will cry and leave our homes."
"Exactly." The adjutant nodded in agreement and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Uh, Captain, avoiding him is useless unless we stop doing those things. Otherwise, it feels quite precarious."
"..."
The captain couldn't say anything and waved his hand, signaling him to leave, but his heart was very conflicted.
Outside the Qiankun Palace, the Empress and Princess Xin Yue, who had heard the situation, were both present.
The two looked speechless at the carriages.
The first ten or so carriages were relatively normal, with silver, furniture, jewelry, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques.
But what were the rest? Why did they confiscate everything during the raid?
Hearing the buzzing of dogs and chickens in her ears, Princess Xin Yue couldn't stand it first and interrupted Chu Chen's smug report.
She asked with surprise and a hint of dissatisfaction, "Chu Chen, why did you even confiscate the livestock? Those few horses are fine, but why did you bring back chickens, ducks, and dogs? What are they worth?"
"Hey, you can't say that. Chickens, ducks, and dogs are not worth even one tael of silver to Your Highness, but they are very valuable and good for ordinary people."
"Confiscation means taking whatever is valuable, and that is the true essence of confiscation!"
Seeing Chu Chen's infuriating demeanor, the Empress couldn't help but sneer, "Then does that mean the people I sent to confiscate your property before were not thorough enough? They still left you so much wealth that you could rise again and buy a house?"
"Uh~ Your Majesty, this minister is wrong."
Chu Chen awkwardly admitted his mistake.
"Forget it, it's not entirely wrong, in fact, it was done very well."
The Empress sighed, "It's just that the scope was a bit excessive."
Then she waved her hand and called out, "Someone, send these bedding and clothes back to the Zhang mansion. No matter what, they shouldn't die of a cold before their sentencing."
"Yes!"
The eunuch quickly complied.
Chu Chen muttered in his heart, "I at least left Zhang Guojin's wife a bathtub for bathing and clothes for changing, of course, others don't have this treatment."
"Chu Chen, you didn't even bring this princess along for such a fun thing as confiscation?"
At this moment, Princess Xin Yue asked reproachfully.
"It's an injustice, Your Highness. This minister sent people to invite you, but you were in seclusion. Unless it's a matter of great importance or Your Majesty summoned you, or I personally came, you wouldn't see anyone!"
Chu Chen's explanation made Princess Xin Yue pause and turn her head away embarrassedly.
Ever since Chu Chen sent her a bottle of a hundred pills for the Ancient Martial Realm last time, she had become engrossed in cultivation and couldn't extricate herself.
One pill after breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bed, her cultivation was full of discipline.
This kind of diligent momentum even made Chu Chen feel ashamed, sighing that he was not as good, and then intensified his pill-consuming cultivation progress at night.
Now, he was not far from the Qi Transformation Realm.
"Alright, stop your nonsense," the Empress reprimanded helplessly, then asked, "Chu Chen, how do you think Zhang Guojin should be dealt with?"
"Your Majesty, this minister believes that he should be dealt with severely, to make an example of him. As for the others involved, arrest a group of insignificant ones to make up the numbers."
"The rest will be temporarily suppressed and warned. If they are still disobedient after the imperial examinations, we will settle old scores."
Chu Chen pondered for a moment and gave his suggestion.