After refusing marriage, she was pampered by the prince who acted as a shield.

Chapter 495: Disappearance

The magistrate had not expected this to happen. After letting out another muffled groan with all his might, he could no longer see the figure.

After leaving the cell, Lin Rusi wiped her fingers with a handkerchief again and again, trying to erase the sensation.

Just as they finally stopped wiping his hands until they were red and raw, they heard another guard approaching.

Knowing that it was someone close to Li Jingyang, Lin Rusi sighed again, turned her head to look in the other direction, and was about to leave.

He knew that if he didn't chase after them now, he wouldn't be able to say a word, so he quickly rushed forward.

Just as they were about to get close, the guards appeared and blocked their way.

"lady!"

Hearing Li Jingyang's call, Lin Rusi didn't hesitate for a moment and walked out in two quick steps.

He was naturally unwilling to watch the person leave, so he raised his hand and pushed the person away.

Just as he was about to resort to his persistent pestering, a letter appeared in front of him.

"Madam said she wanted to give this to you so you could read it before deciding whether or not to pursue it."

"What's there to hesitate about? Of course we should catch up and see together. You get out of the way right now."

Li Jingyang had already raised his hand, ready to make a move the moment the man said something, when he saw another guard appear in front of him.

These people are clearly his subordinates, so why do they all listen to Lin Rusi?

As if knowing why the crown prince had that expression, the person who followed immediately spoke up to explain.

“You said that we follow Madam’s orders. If Madam doesn’t want you to come forward, then we must stop you.”

Tell me everything else she said, word for word.

The two exchanged a glance, clearly not wanting to speak, and even wanting to give the other the information.

But the two didn't linger for long before they were startled by the sound of something breaking and could only look away, turning their heads to the other side.

"To tell or not to tell."

“It’s not that we are unwilling to say it, but you certainly don’t want to hear it.”

"explain."

Li Jingyang hesitated for a moment before squeezing out these words through gritted teeth.

Upon hearing this, everyone opened the envelope without hesitation and read the words inside.

"This matter has shown me what you're thinking. I think we need some time to calm down and think about some issues. Don't come looking for me, or you'll never see me again."

"Are you done talking?"

"The lady only said that you kept pressing her for answers, so she read the letter aloud, and said nothing else."

Upon hearing this, Li Jingyang realized he really couldn't figure out Lin Rusi. Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair, but in the end, he didn't chase after her. Instead, he turned and left.

The two who remained exchanged a glance, then left in opposite directions, one to the left and one to the right.

Just as they returned to the magistrate's courtyard, they heard Lin Rusi sigh.

"What is it that you are worried about, Madam?"

"He went back?"

Is the lady doubting the weight of her words?

Although the guard was full of doubts, he nodded to indicate that Li Jingyang had turned and left.

After confirming several times that no one had secretly followed her, Lin Rusi breathed a sigh of relief and looked again at all the ledgers she had taken out.

There are quite a few people involved, and he can handle it just as well.

But Li Jingyang will definitely handle it personally; she doesn't want anyone to be troubled or even harmed by it.

This incident is the best proof.

After all, Lin Rusi had already given him the item, but he hadn't made any move, which was enough to make him anxious.

Thinking of Li Jingyang, who had been found like a corpse, she felt a pang of fear and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

"Ahem, now that the matter has been mostly resolved, we can leave the rest to His Majesty."

"You mean to send them all to the palace?"

"Can't do it?"

The secret guards certainly could do it, but looking at these thick ledgers, they felt that the court was about to undergo a major purge.

After much hesitation, he decided that this was the most appropriate course of action, so he put the account books into a wooden box and quickly sent them out of the city.

"There may not be many things to do, but there are quite a lot to deal with."

After watching the ledger being sent away, Lin Rusi sighed, unable to recognize it, and closed her eyes to rub her throbbing temples.

But that wasn't enough. She suddenly exerted force, but let out a soft cry of pain as her nails scratched her skin.

"Please have some, Madam."

"Let's go, find all the remaining items, and deliver a fatal blow to those adults who are sure to be struggling to survive."

The guard saw Lin Rusi walk straight into the study and was about to say that everything inside had been cleared away when he saw her hand land on a vase.

Her slender fingers made a slight exploration, as if she had found something, and quickly fiddled with it.

When a familiar pattern appeared before him, the study had also undergone subtle changes.

The guards immediately opened the box that had been pushed out, revealing a box full of jewels and precious items inside.

"He only hid some gold and silver jewelry?"

Neither of them believed that this was the only thing, and they raised an eyebrow and looked around again.

However, after searching for a long time in the vicinity, Lin Rusi still couldn't find it, so she had no choice but to reach into the jewelry with her hand.

She thought it was impossible, but when her fingers touched something, her expression immediately changed.

"I only remember that there are some things that no other official besides those in the capital would have."

"Indeed, Madam. What have you found? Perhaps I should do it. If there is anything to present to you, Your Highness..."

Lin Rusi seemed not to have heard the name, waved her hand, and directly pulled out a piece of extremely rare fabric.

It's not that these things wouldn't be available elsewhere, but they were all tributes, which confirms the county magistrate's collusion with foreign powers.

The guards, worried that there might be something else inside, pushed aside all the gold and silver and found many more items that had been deliberately hidden underneath.

Lin Rusi was not angry at all; in fact, she laughed even more happily.

"With all of these around, none of them can escape. It's great that they all like to leave themselves vulnerable."

With the second batch of evidence delivered to the palace, the emperor was now fully confident and summoned all the officials with problems to the palace according to the account books.

Before anyone could understand what was happening, they were subdued by highly skilled guards and thrown into the dungeon.

"Your Majesty, there are ten people in total."

"This is enough to make an example of them. Oh, and remember to send them some things so they know they didn't get away with it this time."

Without uttering a sound, the men each chopped off an official's arm and sent the object to a slightly better official.

The next day.

His arms had completely disappeared, and the emperor's presence caused many officials to turn pale.

Knowing that the action had served as a warning, the emperor said nothing more and proceeded with his morning court session as usual.

But just as everyone thought everything was alright and was preparing to leave the court, he suddenly coughed lightly.

"The Crown Prince has captured a traitor. I wonder what my ministers think should be done with him?"

“Of course he should be torn to pieces. After all, the Emperor takes such good care of his people, yet he still dares to repay kindness with enmity.”