I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

Zhang Dequan's words have made things very clear.

The death of County Magistrate Liu was by no means due to fear of him, the county magistrate.

Although the two are in a superior-subordinate relationship, they are only half a rank apart. If the county magistrate and the county assistant magistrate can't get along, it's hard to say who will stay and who will leave.

The reason why Magistrate Liu chose to commit suicide in front of the court was simple: there were more and bigger figures behind this incident.

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard's mission ends here, they can return to the capital to report back, and everyone can save face.

If we dig deeper, more and more officials will be implicated, and the consequences will be unimaginable!

Having spent many years in officialdom, Luo Yangxing certainly understood this principle.

In the past, perhaps he would have stopped there and quit while he was ahead.

But everything changed three years ago!

He had personally witnessed how His Majesty gradually revived the corrupt Ming Dynasty and led it to a period of revival.

From then on, he understood a principle: to oppose His Majesty is to court death!

Zhao Dequan thought Luo Yangxing was scared, so he said, "Commander Luo, you should think twice before you act!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Yangxing smiled and said, "It seems I was being presumptuous. Since this matter involves so many people, then..."

He paused here, then Zhang Dequan beamed and continued, "Please rest assured, Commander Luo, once I inform my superiors, you will certainly receive your share!"

"Then..."

Luo Yangxing smiled at first, then suddenly his face darkened.

"Take this bastard down with you!"

Zhang Dequan, held down by two captains, panicked: "Commander Luo, didn't we just agree on something? Why are you suddenly going back on your word?"

Luo Yangxing's expression was dark and cold as he slowly said, "Who said anything to you?"

Zhang Dequan struggled fiercely: "You, you...we clearly agreed on this just now!"

Luo Yangxing sneered, "I only heard you admit that there are many more officials involved behind this! Men, escort Qi Dong County Magistrate Zhang Dequan and all the stolen goods back to the capital!"

Zhang De's face turned deathly pale, and he said urgently, "I never said that! Don't make false accusations!"

Luo Yangxing ignored them and turned to the kneeling registrar Wang Heling and the clerk Zhao Shouyi: "If you confess now, I might show leniency and punish you lightly. Otherwise, escort you all back to the capital. Once you're in the imperial prison, let's see how many of you can survive!"

Wang Heling and Zhao Shouyi exchanged a glance, then simultaneously knelt and kowtowed: "Your humble servants are willing to confess! We confess everything truthfully! This matter was indeed done by Magistrate Zhang, and County Magistrate Liu and we were all forced to participate!"

Luo Yangxing immediately asked, "How much money did you get?"

Wang Heling said in a trembling voice, "This humble official only... took thirty taels..."

Zhao Shouyi then said, "This humble official only received twenty taels, and Magistrate Liu only took fifty taels..."

Luo Yangxing couldn't help but sneer, saying, "Of the 1,500 taels of compensation, only 100 taels were given to the three of you? The rest was all embezzled by Zhang Dequan? And you still want to protect him like this?"

Wang Heling suddenly looked up: "Commander Luo, you may not know this, but of the 1,500 taels, Magistrate Zhang will not receive more than 500 taels. The real destination of the rest of the money and grain..."

Zhang Dequan quickly interrupted, "Nonsense! Do you want to die?!"

Wang Heling was startled and realized he had spoken out of turn, so he quickly fell silent.

Luo Yangxing pressed, "Tell me! Where is the real destination?"

The two men shook their heads repeatedly: "We truly don't know, we only know there are people above us..."

After a moment's hesitation, Luo Yangxing suddenly announced loudly, "Considering that you are not the main culprits and have shown remorse, you are hereby ordered to immediately hand over the stolen silver and write a confession identifying your masterminds. This will be considered a meritorious service, and the matter will be forgiven!"

The two looked at each other, completely at a loss.

Seeing the situation was turning against them, Zhang Dequan hurriedly shouted, "Don't be fooled by him! They are the Embroidered Uniform Guard, ruthless and heartless. How could they possibly let bygones be bygones?"

Seeing this, Luo Yangxing continued, "Zhang Dequan, the magistrate of Qidong County, has deceived his superiors and embezzled the pension funds for soldiers stationed on the border. He is now being escorted back to the capital by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. For the time being, the affairs of Qidong County will be handled by the Registrar Wang Heling, with the Clerk Zhao Shouyi assisting. Appointments will be made after this commander reports to the court!"

Wang Heling and Zhao Shouyi exchanged another glance, both showing expressions of surprise.

If it were just a matter of the Embroidered Uniform Guard making accusations, it might be considered a tactic of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. But the current appointment is entirely different!

This is an opportunity to choose sides, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard represents the imperial court and His Majesty. Standing with the Embroidered Uniform Guard is equivalent to standing with His Majesty.

Thinking this through, the two men no longer hesitated and kowtowed, saying, "Please rest assured, Commander Luo, we will certainly not fail in our mission!"

Luo Yangxing smiled and waved his hand: "Take him away!"

"You two scoundrels, how dare you betray me! Have you forgotten who promoted you?"

Zhang Dequan's loud shouts were meaningless; he was simply dragged out of the hall like a dead dog.

"Luo Yangxing! You think arresting me will close the case? You have no idea who you're up against! I'm warning you, you won't leave Shandong..."

Luo Yangxing ignored him and strode towards the outside of the county government office.

The onlookers spontaneously made way for him, and Old Man Li, along with his family members, knelt in the middle of the road, repeatedly kowtowing: "Your Honor, the Judge!"

"Please rise, esteemed elders."

Luo Yangxing helped the old man up and declared loudly, "His Majesty has decreed a thorough investigation of corrupt officials. No one can take away your pensions!"

The people kept wiping away tears; it was clear they had been oppressed for far too long.

Luo Yangxing stopped, turned around, and said, "Registrar Wang, according to the roster, process the pensions for the elderly!"

Wang Heling asked doubtfully, "But the compensation money hasn't been recovered yet..."

Luo Yangxing pointed to the large box on the ground and said, "Didn't they find contraband silver? Distribute it from there first!"

Wang Heling said with difficulty, "Commander, that's all... it's contraband. If we distribute it now, the amounts might not match when the case is closed..."

"Just send it when I tell you to. If anything goes wrong, I'll take care of it!"

"This, this... okay!"

Wang Heling said no more and immediately instructed the servants to notify the surviving family members on the list to come and collect their pensions.

Luo Yangxing added, "If anyone has difficulty walking, you should personally deliver it to their door!"

Wang Heling scratched his head: "It's not that I'm being lazy, it's just... some people live in very remote places..."

"Um?"

Luo Yangxing didn't say anything, he just glared at him.

Wang Heling immediately changed his tune: "Please rest assured, Commander, no matter how remote the people's dwellings are, I guarantee with my life that the full amount of the compensation will be distributed, and I will personally deliver it to every bereaved family member! If anything goes wrong, Commander, you can come back and take my head!"

"That's more like it!"

Luo Yangxing snorted and ordered, "Leave two people to supervise; the rest of you, come with me to Jinan Prefecture!"

Wang Heling quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Commander, are you... really going to Jinan Prefecture?"

"Nonsense! Qidong County's superior is Jinan Prefecture, of course we have to investigate!"

"What I mean is... you'd better prepare in advance."

"What preparations?"

Wang Heling glanced around and lowered his voice even further: "It would be best to transfer a few garrison troops over, just in case!"

Luo Yangxing thought for a moment and asked, "Are you worried that someone might rebel?"

"This...cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents; we must be wary of it!"

"Yes, that's true!"

Luo Yangxing thought for a moment and said, "The nearby garrisons..."

"No way!"

Wang Heling quickly interrupted, "Don't alarm the local garrison; it's best to transfer them from another province!"

Luo Yangxing immediately understood and nodded, saying, "You're quite clever, lad. It seems I didn't misjudge you!"

"Thanks to your esteemed guidance, Commander, I would never dare to shirk my duties!"