Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Shen Lang left the Imperial Study and quickly went to the Archives to retrieve the documents related to Wang Yuan and carefully read through them.

It wasn't until I read the passage, "In the 29th year of the Yuan Shou reign of the Great Chu Dynasty, in July, Wang Yuan was executed and his family property confiscated for treason," that I began to savor the details.

Later, when he saw that 3,700 acres of land were auctioned off by the imperial court and ended up falling into the hands of a local ruffian named Niu San for a mere 500 taels of silver, it caught Shen Lang's attention even more.

Continuing on, Niu San later sold these ancestral lands of the Wang family to Zeng Qian for 572 taels of silver.

Having seen this, Shen Lang roughly understood the operational process.

According to the laws of the Great Chu Dynasty, when the imperial court confiscates assets, gold and silver will be registered and put into the treasury. As for real estate, it will be auctioned off at a low price within a specified time.

However, officials of the Great Chu were not allowed to participate in the bidding. If discovered, they would be severely punished, ranging from dismissal and investigation to imprisonment.

The original intention of this move was to allow the properties of these corrupt officials to flow into the hands of the common people, providing merchants and new landlords with certain benefits and weakening the pressure of aristocratic families on imperial power.

But the truth is, there are always ways around policies.

Human greed is boundless; driven by self-interest, people are capable of anything.

Although officials cannot openly acquire these bureaucratic assets, they can obtain these properties through the intervention of third-party forces.

Those underground banks and local thugs who operate in the gray area have become their best partners.

It is perfectly reasonable to transfer property from local thugs and bullies to one's own name, and the amount required is less than a fraction of the original price.

This is one of the ancestral homes of Wang Yuanzu.

"Hehe, Zeng Qian, right? You were the loudest opponent when the Empress ascended the throne."

"Dare to mess with my God of Wealth? This time, if I don't skin you alive, I'll write your name backwards!"

Then, Shen Lang opened the family records related to Zeng Qian.

Finally, a huge bug was discovered.

"No wonder..."

Shen Lang's smile was extremely sinister.

"The chief auctioneer at the Royal Auction House is actually your daughter-in-law's family member. You've really walked right into my line of fire."

He closed the documents on his desk, immediately got up, and headed towards the Jingwei Division.

……

"Miss Su, when are you going to pay back the money you owe me, Xie?"

Inside a brothel in Xicheng District, Su Yun stood in front of a group of shirtless men covered in various tattoos, appearing exceptionally vulnerable.

These men chuckled as they sized up Su Yun, who had a beautiful figure and stunning looks, their eyes filled with greed.

Su Yun took a deep breath, took out five taels of silver from her pocket, and handed it to the burly man covered in tattoos who was leading the group.

"Thank you, please give me a few more months. I will definitely pay back the money I owe you in full. Consider this five taels of silver as interest for this month."

Xie Bao took the silver and weighed it in his hand, then couldn't help but laugh and say, "Miss Su, you're a government employee, after all. If you were to be a little more flexible each month, you could earn more than this, right?"

"I will not do anything that involves embezzlement or breaking the law!" Su Yun replied coldly.

"Wow, that's ambitious! You're truly a woman who's just as capable as any man."

Xie Bao's words immediately drew a burst of laughter.

Clearly, no one took Su Yun's words seriously.

"But Miss Su, ambition alone can't put food on the table."

Xie Bao changed the subject and tossed the silver in his hand into the plate beside him.

"The agreed-upon monthly interest was ten taels of silver, but now it's only five taels. This is completely against the rules."

Upon hearing this, Su Yun suppressed the humiliation on her face and said in a low voice, "Thank you, boss. Please do me a favor. My mother's illness has worsened recently."

"I need a lot of honeysuckle to survive. Once I get through this, I'll definitely pay you back with interest."

"Miss Su's filial piety is truly touching. Who wasn't raised by their parents?" Xie Bao slowly stood up and walked to Su Yun. "But I also need to eat, as you can see."

I have to support so many underlings, and I also have to take care of the prostitutes in this brothel.

After all, I am also their parent. If I make an exception today, what will happen if others follow suit?

"What will my fellow gangsters think of me, Xie Bao? How will I ever be able to face them again?"

Su Yun frowned even more deeply.

Seeing this, Xie Bao immediately put on a smile again: "Miss Su, there's no need to worry too much. I have a way to help you pay back all the money once and for all."

This could also fulfill your filial piety, it just depends on whether you're willing to do so.

As he spoke, he moved closer to Su Yun and took a deep sniff.

Su Yun forced herself to back two steps, suppressing her disgust: "Manager Xie, what do you want?"

Xie Bao said, "Female officials are rare in the Great Chu, especially one as beautiful as Miss Su. If you'd like..."

I'll make arrangements for you. I'm sure someone will be willing to pay a hefty price to try it. Will you still be short of money then?

"impossible!"

Su Yun refused sternly.

"I would never do such a shameless thing!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

"Stop!"

Xie Bao shouted loudly.

"Su Yun, don't think you're something just because you're wearing this suit."

"Let me tell you the truth, I've been eyeing you for a long time! You must do as I say today, or you won't leave this room!"

After he finished speaking, the door to the brothel was slammed shut.

"What are you going to do?"

"Hey hey hey..."

Su Yun quickly drew two Emei daggers from her waist for self-defense.

But the burly men around them continued to close in, and even the prostitutes on the second floor who had just finished their business were watching with a detached, gossipy attitude, cracking sunflower seeds and looking on with amusement.

Xie Bao laughed upon seeing this: "Miss Su, you don't need to be afraid. Women will have this day sooner or later. They might even find that it's a quick way to make money and be happy."

Su Yun: "Don't come near me, or don't blame me for being impolite."

Upon hearing this, Xie Bao became even more excited: "Really? Then I'd like to see just how impolite you intend to be?"

As he spoke, he began to unbuckle his belt.

The burly men around them also let out mocking whistles.

Su Yun felt a sudden dizziness, as if she were a helpless sheep trapped in a wolf's den, and a sense of panic welled up in her heart.

The instant Xie Bao's outer pants hit the ground, revealing her underwear, Su Yun instinctively closed her eyes.

"Come here, I'm definitely going to drink the first soup from this crevice today, hehehe..."

Xie Bao seized the opportunity and pounced on Su Yun like a hungry tiger.

"Let me go, you beast, let me go!"

"a ha ha ha--"

“Ohhhhhh——”

For a moment, Su Yun's struggles and curses mingled with the cheers of the burly men around her.

In the shadows on the second floor, Zhao Ang watched this scene expressionlessly.

"Su Yun, you are mine. When you're no longer pure, and the whole world despises you, you'll realize that I'm the one who cherishes you the most."

Don't worry, I won't mind that you're dirty, because I like you, I really like you.

His twisted mentality and shockingly outrageous values ​​are truly appalling.

boom--

Just as Su Yun was being carried horizontally by Xie Bao towards the table, the tightly closed door was suddenly flung open.

The two leading karaomis were knocked unconscious on the spot, and the scene was in chaos.

"Who goes there! How dare you be here!"

puff-

A flash of cold light, a single strike to the throat.

The guy who shouted the order got killed on the spot!

The entire room fell silent instantly.

“Shen… Commander Shen…”

The moment she saw the man appear, Su Yun broke free from Xie Bao's embrace and ran towards Shen Lang.

At this moment, Shen Lang was as enormous as a towering tree in her mind.

"Get behind me, you disgraceful piece of trash."

Su Yun, who had intended to seek comfort through a hug, was abruptly interrupted by Shen Lang's sharp shout.

Shen Lang rolled his eyes at him, then raised the bloodstained dagger and said to Xie Bao, "Your name is Xie Bao, right? I'm taking him away. Do you have a problem with that?"

"May I ask who you are? And could you please leave your name?"

Having just killed his subordinate with a single strike, Xie Bao knew his opponent's strength was unfathomable, and immediately began to yield.

Shen Lang clenched his left fist, pointed his thumb behind him, and said, "Shen Lang of the Jingwei Division, that girl is my subordinate."

If she has any problems in the future, you can come to me for advice. Of course, advice doesn't guarantee an agreement.

So it's best to avoid contact. I have a bad temper and a tendency to abuse my power.

If any trouble arises, you'll be the one who suffers.

Now that I've said all that, you can say what you're thinking now, otherwise, wait until I leave this room...

There won't be another chance to talk, do you understand?

After he finished speaking, the brothel fell silent instantly.