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

That night, Shen Lang and Jiang Shangxian did not sleep, nor did Zheng Bisheng and his son.

"What exactly is Shen Lang up to?"

Sitting by the bed, Zheng Bisheng held a cup of tea, but the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiaoru, with his dark eyes wide open, said impatiently, "Dad, it's almost dawn. Have you made up your mind yet?"

Zheng Bisheng shook his head: "Son, I always felt this matter was somewhat difficult."

Shen Lang openly showed me the account books he had just acquired. What exactly is he trying to do?

Zheng Xiaoru yawned: "What else could you be doing? You just want to take advantage of the situation and make a quick buck, don't you?"

"Aren't these imperial relatives taking a lot of tribute from us every year?"

Zheng Bisheng shook his head: "But I always feel that it's not that simple. Shen Lang doesn't seem like the kind of person who is greedy for money."

Zheng Xiaoru, unable to bear it any longer, said: "Father! If you're really afraid that Shen Lang will cause any trouble, I'll send someone to confront him right now."

"He's just a member of the royal family! I refuse to believe he's so hard to kill, even with nine lives!"

"Nonsense!"

Zheng Bisheng sternly stopped his son's outrageous behavior.

"When are you going to change your temper? You're always yelling about fighting and killing, what kind of behavior is that!"

"What's there to be afraid of? The Empress Dowager protects us in the palace, we have people in the Ministry of Justice in the main hall, and the Jiangnan region is our domain."

Even if someone does something extremely outrageous, it will only result in an order to urge them to rectify the situation.

This has been the case for so many years. If they really dared to take action, they would have done it long ago. Why wait until now?

"Keep your voice down!"

"Dad, you've changed. You've become conservative and timid! Maybe it's because you're getting old."

Since you are so uneasy, why not submit a memorial to the court requesting to resign and recommend me for the position of head of the Governor-General's Office!

"Enough! Stop talking!"

Seeing that his son's words were becoming increasingly outrageous, Zheng Bisheng immediately spoke up to stop him.

"You've messed things up, and my train of thought is all jumbled up."

He then picked up a roster and handed it to Zheng Xiaoru.

"When it's light, you should personally visit those people on the list."

Tell them that as long as they are willing to confess and plead guilty, I will definitely protect their families.

Zheng Xiaoru took the roster, a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Father, are you really going to give in to Shen Lang?"

"Go quickly!"

Zheng Bisheng roared impatiently, and Zheng Xiaoru could only put away the roster, shake his head, and walk out of the room.

……

The following morning, Shen Lang arrived at the Governor's Mansion as agreed.

"Minister Zheng, did you sleep well last night?"

"Thanks to the Duke of Zhenguo, I was truly terrified that night."

"Haha, it seems that Minister Zheng's vision is not broad enough, unlike me, who sleeps very soundly."

"This humble official is old and naturally cannot compare with the young and promising Duke Zhenguo."

After a sarcastic exchange of pleasantries, the two went directly to the hall.

As soon as he sat down, Shen Lang went straight to the point: "Minister Zheng, what have you thought about the matter we discussed yesterday?"

Zheng Bisheng cupped his hands and replied, "The Duke of Zhenguo has given his orders, and this humble official would naturally not dare to disobey in the slightest."

This afternoon, Liu Wu will be released from prison and handed over to the Duke of Zhenguo for disposal.

As for those corrupt officials, I have urged them to surrender themselves to the authorities as soon as possible. Please wait a moment, Duke Zhenguo.

Shen Lang feigned indifference and added, "That's it? What about the money?"

Zheng Bisheng: "Duke Zhenguo, please forgive me. The amount of embezzled silver is simply too great."

"I've been calculating all night, but I still haven't figured it out. I beg the Duke of Zhenguo to grant me a few more days."

Shen Lang snorted coldly: "Minister Zheng, you know the situation is different now. What if you cause some trouble?"

"Not only you, but even I can't bear the consequences. If I were to have a knife to my neck like that one day, my life would be over."

Zheng Bisheng closed his eyes briefly: "Please rest assured, Duke Zhenguo, I will take care of what I promised you as soon as possible."

Shen Lang calmly picked up the teacup on the coffee table and gently slid the lid down.

"Minister Zheng, although there is no war in the north at present, Northern Yan is always a thorn in His Majesty's side. It is only a matter of time before the two countries resume war."

Her Majesty also urgently needs this money to fund the military. The sooner she sees your sincerity, the sooner I can put my mind at ease.

"The reason I took this job as the emperor's son-in-law is, in essence, to please His Majesty. If she's happy, my life will be more comfortable, don't you think?"

The meaning is simple: if you don't make me comfortable, then nobody will be comfortable.

In short, it means taking out all the money, not a penny less.

Anyone who has spent a few years in officialdom can understand this.

"You jest, Duke Zhenguo. You and Her Majesty are so loving, how could you possibly upset her?"

As Zheng Bisheng said this, he cursed Shen Lang in his heart.

Now he is quite certain that releasing Liu Wu and punishing a group of corrupt officials are just a smokescreen.

What they really want is to get a share of the pie and embezzle some money.

If money could settle things, that would be fine, but the problem is that Shen Lang's appetite is a bit outrageous.

Demanding half of the salt tax embezzled over the past twenty years is a death sentence for the entire Suzhou aristocratic family; they simply cannot raise that much money in a short time.

If it weren't for that salt register, he really would have liked to break ties with Shen Lang right now.

Just then, Zheng Xiaoru returned.

Upon seeing Shen Lang, his face darkened instantly. He gave a perfunctory bow and whispered something in Zheng Bisheng's ear without saying a word.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Bisheng immediately stood up and said to Shen Lang, "Duke Zhenguo, those who have been executed are already waiting outside the mansion. Shall we invite them in to plead guilty?"

"No need. Send them all to my post station. I will deal with these parasites on behalf of His Majesty."

Shen Lang got up to leave.

But Zheng Bisheng quickly stopped him: "Duke Zhenguo, please wait."

"Is there anything else Minister Zheng wants to tell me?"

Zheng Bisheng rolled his eyes and then said, "Duke Zhenguo, you may kill these people, but I hope they can die in Suzhou City."

Shen Lang's eyes narrowed slightly: "What Minister Zheng means is..."

Zheng Bisheng: "Duke Zhenguo, you are a smart man, so there's no need for me to spell it out for you."

"I further request that the Duke of Zhenguo personally write a letter to His Majesty, so that the Ministry of Justice may issue the execution order."

"I understand. Since Minister Zheng is so pragmatic..."

I will naturally reciprocate in kind, and will write a letter to His Majesty in person.

His Majesty only wants a result; as long as the evidence is conclusive, he will likely agree.

"Then I thank the Duke of Zhenguo in advance."

Zheng Bisheng smiled, then whispered, "Duke Zhenguo, I have prepared some small gifts for you. Please enjoy them when you return to your residence."

Shen Lang: "Oh, then I'll wait and see. I hope the gift from Minister Zheng won't disappoint me."

"It's natural."

Zheng Bisheng's smile was very strange.

After seeing Shen Lang off, the smile on his face vanished instantly.

Zheng Xiaoru leaned closer to him and said, "Father, letting Yunniang serve him is really letting him off easy. I really can't bear to do it."

Zheng Bisheng raised his hand to stop him from continuing: "It's alright, whether or not Shen Lang can agree depends on Yunniang."

Zheng Xiaoru still looked reluctant: "Father, thinking about it, it's still too wasteful. With Yunniang's skill, one time is enough to keep the two of us weak in the knees for half a month."

"Giving such a stunning beauty to Shen Lang like this is such a waste! Shouldn't we reconsider?"

"Alas, how could I bear to part with her? Yunniang has made your father feel like he has rediscovered the youthful vigor of his younger days, and has experienced a second spring in his life."

But there was no other way; compared to Yunniang, the Zheng family's fortune was the most important thing.

Zheng Bisheng couldn't help but sigh.

……

The main hall of the guesthouse was filled with dozens of local Suzhou officials of all ranks kneeling.

Yuan Shouchang was among them.

"Lord Zhenguo, we confess our guilt. We were blinded by greed when it came to the Suzhou salt tax."

Having succumbed to greed, we are now willing to submit to the law. We humbly request the Duke of Zhenguo to order our execution as a warning to others.

These Suzhou officials were naturally threatened by Zheng Xiaoru and had no choice but to sacrifice themselves to protect their families.

This is also the way of survival for aristocratic families; the safety of the family is far more important than the life of an individual.

Although they are indeed very afraid of death.

After they had calmed down enough, Shen Lang waved his hand to signal them to be quiet.

"Gentlemen, I have verified all the crimes you have committed. In fact, the tax silver you embezzled..."

At most, he'd be exiled to Bingzhou; his crime doesn't warrant death. Why would he want to die?

"What? Are you serious?"

"Do I really need to joke about something this important?"

The officials looked at each other, somewhat at a loss.

This is different from what Zheng Xiaoru conveyed. Judging from what the Duke of Zhenguo said, it seems that no one will have to die?

But why...

In an instant, a terrible thought flashed through everyone's minds.

The Zheng family is trying to seize their own assets!