The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The atmosphere at the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office on the back street of the Nanchang Prefectural Government Office was completely different from usual today.

Starting at dawn, squads of constables from the Provincial Surveillance Commission, each carrying a standard-issue sword at their waist, filed out from the side gate.

They split into three groups, one of which headed straight for the private residence of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Duan Xi.

They proceeded to the rear residence of Ma Wencai, the prefect of Nanchang.

They hurried to the residence of Sun Zhiyuan, the prefectural magistrate of Nanchang.

The sound of horses' hooves shattered the pre-dawn silence, startling several stray dogs at the alley entrance into barking incessantly.

Duan Xi was woken up by the housekeeper while he was sleeping.

He stood barefoot at the bedroom door, wearing his nightgown, and saw the courtyard filled with constables carrying swords.

Leading the group was a young constable who had been promoted from the bottom by Xu Jie, who was announcing in an official tone that Xu Jie, the Vice Commissioner of the Provincial Surveillance Commission, was acting on orders from the Censorate.

All property and documents belonging to the Duan family have been seized. Lord Duan is requested to proceed to the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office for questioning.

Duan Xi felt a sudden dizziness, and if the butler hadn't caught him in time, he would have collapsed to the ground.

He never imagined that the "handling" Li Shaoyuan promised him would end up with him being the one "handled" by Xu Jiexian.

The constables didn't give him much time to be shocked.

They acted swiftly, sealing all the letters and ledgers in the study and confining all dozens of people in the Duan household to a side courtyard to register them one by one.

In the chaos, the steward took advantage of the servants' inattention and crawled out through the dog hole in the backyard. He stumbled and ran all the way to Wangjiang Tower and told Li Shaoyuan the news.

Li Shaoyuan was leisurely drinking tea in a private room on the third floor. After listening to the butler's tearful complaint, he simply nodded slightly and told him to go back first, saying that he had his own arrangements.

The butler left, expressing his gratitude profusely, and the door to the private room closed again.

Li Shaoyuan examined the tea leaves floating in the teacup, then suddenly sneered and gently placed the teacup on the table.

The old eagle beside him sat in the corner and asked in a hoarse voice what the young master planned to do.

Li Shaoyuan did not answer directly, only saying that he had promised Duan Xi that he would help him "deal with" Xu Jie, but he never said that he would help him "get off the hook".

It's two different things.

Duan Xi messed up the case himself and was caught red-handed. This is his own incompetence, and he has no one to blame but himself.

The Li family never cleans up the messes of incompetent people.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and Duan Xi's butler returned.

Holding a letter written by Duan Xi in his hands, he knelt on the ground and held the letter above his head, saying that Lord Duan begged Young Master Li to help him out of consideration for their past relationship.

Using the influence of the Li family of Jinyang in the court, the impeachment petition was suppressed, and Xu Jie was transferred away. As long as Young Master Li was willing to take action, the Duan family was willing to offer up all their assets.

Li Shaoyuan took the letter but didn't open it. He simply placed it gently on the table and remained silent for a long while.

Then she stood up, walked over to the butler, bent down to help him up, and said in a gentle tone the coldest words: "I appreciate your master's kindness."

"But go back and tell your master that it's not that I'm unwilling to help him, but that His Majesty wants to take action against him."

"When His Majesty said 'I have been keeping an eye on things' during the morning court session, he was trying to tell everyone that Duan Xi's life was no longer in his own hands."

"If I were to intervene now to suppress his petition, I would be going against His Majesty."

"The Li family has come this far with great difficulty. I cannot sacrifice the entire family to save someone who is already doomed."

"You are an old servant of the Duan family. Please pass on a message to Lord Duan: Madam Li will not mistreat those who have done things for him."

"I will arrange for someone to take care of his family; I will also take care of his businesses in Jiangxi."

"As for him... I tell him to relax, admit the guilt he should admit, take the responsibility he should take, and not implicate those who shouldn't be implicated. That's all I have to say."

He released the butler's hand, turned around and went back to the window, waving goodbye to the butler with his back to him.

The butler collapsed to the ground, his lips moving for a long time before he finally understood what was happening. He scrambled to his feet, looking utterly dejected, and stumbled away.

After the butler left, Li Shaoyuan stood by the window for a long time, then suddenly turned to Eagle Elder and said...

Duan Xi knew too much—the accounts he handled for the Li family in Jiangxi over the years, and the money transactions between him and Zhao Huan.

If the profit-sharing agreement with the Li family on salt and iron were to be revealed during interrogation in the capital, it would lead to many problems.

When Eagle Elder asked if they should get rid of it, Li Shaoyuan shook his head and said it wasn't possible now.

Xu Jie had just sealed off the Duan family mansion and was in the limelight; taking action against Duan Xi at this time would be tantamount to admitting guilt.

Tell them to escort Duan Xi to the capital first, and then arrange for someone to be taken to the Ministry of Justice prison once he arrives.

It's cleaner to let him commit suicide in prison out of fear of punishment than to do it on the street.

He finally instructed Elder Ying that he would set off for Jiujiang that day.

Under the name of the Li family, transport contracts were signed with several of the largest local shipping companies, and the cooperation with the shipping terminals remained unchanged.

Before Duan Xi fell from power, he had already approved the cooperation agreement in the name of the Provincial Surveillance Commission. This agreement was the official document of the Nanchang Prefectural Government, and it was stamped with the official seal of the Provincial Surveillance Commission.

Even if a new provincial inspector takes office, he cannot easily overturn the legal documents signed by his predecessor.

Duan Xi may die, but the words he signed and the seals he affixed must live on for him.