The Crown Prince's heart tightened as he watched Yun Shu walk away with the Imperial Guards. On his repeated meetings with her, he had never gained even the smallest advantage. Now he was desperate to learn what had happened. But none of the eunuchs would speak, and Yun Shu certainly would not volunteer any information.
His only faint comfort lay in seeing Yun Chuhuan trailing behind her. If the matter were truly serious, surely they would not have brought along such a useless burden…
Yet Yun Chuhuan, ignorant of his position, hurried off after exiting the palace. His first act was to send Xiao Anzi to the Ministry of Works, seeking Xiao Yuanzi's advice on how to break down cement. Meanwhile, he trailed behind Yun Shu with relish, his young mind filled with excitement.
As the Waterworks' Langzhong, Tang Bingfu was hardly a high-ranking official, and his residence was not on the grand avenues of court nobles. When Yun Shu and her escort finally neared the Tang residence, she paused in doubt.
"Commander Ye, are you sure this is the place?"
"Does Your Highness think this Tang residence looks poor?"
Ye Yunhu responded with a knowing smirk. "When I first began conducting household confiscations, I thought the same thing. Over time, I realized these scoundrels grow bold with their greed. They know their actions risk their lives, so they never reveal their wealth openly. Their houses look ordinary—until the walls are torn down, and every brick may conceal gold."
Yun Shu had never encountered such a case before, but it made sense.
"But if they cannot use the hidden silver openly, what is the use of hoarding it?" she asked thoughtfully.
"Appearance matters," Ye Yunhu replied, raising an eyebrow. "They cannot use it publicly, but they can spend it quietly."
He paused before adding, "I also heard that Tang Bingfu is not only guilty of embezzlement but also of selling official posts."
At the gates of Tang residence, Yun Shu halted once more, musing whether the bricks themselves might conceal gold. Ye Yunhu dismounted and kicked the gate open, his manner fierce and commanding.
"Men, search the house!" he ordered.
Yun Shu blinked in surprise. She had expected scholarly finesse, but this felt more like a bandit raid.
"So this is the excitement of a confiscation," she murmured.
Meanwhile Yun Chuhuan was filled with childish excitement, exclaiming, "That kick was awesome! If I had done it, it would have been even better!"
"That would not be suitable," Yun Shu gently corrected. "You have no martial training. If you kicked at the gate, it would likely bounce off and leave you bruised."
Yun Chuhuan pouted. "Then I can just team up with Commander Ye!" he insisted. He pictured the two of them together kicking down doors in grand spectacle.
Yun Shu rolled her eyes. "You two together would only highlight how short your legs are."
A commotion rose from within the Tang residence. Yun Shu ignored it, turning to Yun Chuhuan.
"Kicking open doors remains Commander Ye's role. You would likely only miss and kick thin air."
Yun Chuhuan glared in confusion—his heroic image ruined in seconds.
To distract himself, he noticed a small crowd gathering to watch. He seized the chance.
"You all want to throw rotten eggs or vegetable scraps, right? This Tang Bingfu neglected his duties to build the dike and kept the silver intended for the people."
A voice from the crowd retorted, "He took government money—not ours."
Another joked, "But rotten scraps can feed our chickens."
"Whose silver is it?" Yun Shu stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
"The government's silver comes from taxes paid by all of you. The Tian Sheng Dynasty exists for the people as much as for the throne. Projects like roads and dikes are funded by your hard-earned coins. Tang Bingfu stole eighty thousand taels meant for dike construction. It is very possible that some of your taxes went to that."
"That was our silver?" someone gasped.
"I paid over three taels in tax last year. Could that be squandered here in the Tang household?"
"Then when they confiscate Tang's silver, shouldn't it go back to us?" one asked uncertainly.
"You are foolish," another replied sharply. "The silver comes from our taxes to benefit us all. The stolen money will be used to rebuild the dike. That protects everyone."
A skeptic piped up, "But what use is a dike in the capital? It hardly ever rains here. It seems like a waste of money."
"True enough," someone else nodded. "I'm in my thirties and have never seen the dike serve any purpose."