"What? Are you surprised?"

The old king glanced at his eldest son and asked meaningfully.

"yes……"

The eldest prince was about to nod when he quickly added, "No, Father's recovery is a blessing for the entire Kushan Empire. I am happy for you!"

"Alright!"

The old king waved his hand and said coldly, "If I hadn't pretended to be sick, these clowns probably wouldn't have jumped out so quickly!"

"Now that they've all come forward, it's time to close the net!"

As he finished speaking, a murderous glint flashed in the old king's eyes, and his slightly hunched body exuded a chilling aura.

Seeing his father, who suddenly seemed like a completely different person, the eldest prince couldn't help but tremble.

"Guards, summon the Third Prince to the palace immediately!"

"yes!"

Upon hearing the old king's order, the two guards in the hall quickly ran out.

Then the old king looked at his eldest son: "My son!"

"Your child...your child is here!"

Upon hearing the old king's greeting, the eldest prince quickly bowed his head in response.

The old king took out a token and came to the eldest prince.

"I hereby order you to immediately take my token and lead five thousand royal guards to seize all the assets of the Nami and Kate families, and arrest all members of both families and interrogate them in prison!"

Anyone who dares to resist or disobey will be killed on the spot!

"Yes, Father!"

The eldest prince's face lit up with joy. He respectfully accepted the token and then quickly retreated.

Soon, the eldest prince, holding the old king's token, mobilized five thousand guards and divided them into two groups, charging towards the Nami and Kate families.

The large troop movement immediately alarmed the people of the capital.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the soldiers running through the streets, not understanding what was happening.

Meanwhile, the two families were still busy transferring their assets.

Although the two families transferred a considerable amount of their assets during the recent relocation, their businesses are still so vast that a significant amount of wealth remains hidden in their homes.

The Kate family's estate outside the city.

Looking at the more than fifty large carts already loaded with valuables in the yard, the head of the Kate family waved to the butler standing to the side.

"How much stuff is left in the manor that hasn't been taken away?" Kate asked.

The butler took out an account book: "Right now, all that's left is the grain in the warehouse, the goods in the various shops, and the surrounding properties!"

"good!"

The head of the Kate family nodded, then asked, "Young Master and the others, are they almost there?"

"Young master and the others left with the first batch of valuables; they should have arrived by now!" the butler replied.

"That's good!"

The head of the Kate family breathed a sigh of relief and then instructed, "I will personally take these valuables with me today. The rest is up to you to manage. Make sure to handle it as soon as possible!"

"Yes, Master!"

Just then, a gatekeeper servant suddenly rushed over.

"Master, something terrible has happened! According to reports from the watchtower ahead, a large number of guards are heading towards our manor!"

"What?"

Upon hearing the servant's shout, the head of the Kate family's expression changed: "How many of them are there? Who is leading them?"

"There are... there are more than two thousand people, and His Highness is leading the group!" the servant replied breathlessly.

"Your Highness..."

Kate's face darkened: "Is this the last straw, and they're finally going to attack us?"

The butler stepped forward and said, "Master, you should escape through the tunnel before they arrive!"

Upon hearing this, the head of the Kate family glanced reluctantly at the carts laden with valuables, but finally nodded and ran towards the backyard.

Soon, the head of the Kate family, accompanied by several guards, arrived at a woodshed in the backyard and opened a hidden door.

Just before entering the secret door, the head of the Kate family turned to look at a trusted servant beside him.

"Take men immediately and burn everything that can be burned in the granary and the manor!"

"Yes, Master!"

The servant agreed and then turned and ran out of the woodshed.

"Your Highness, one day I will definitely come back to take my revenge!"

After glancing at the manor, the head of the Kate family immediately led his men through a hidden door and ran out of the manor.

Shortly after Kate left, the eldest prince arrived at the manor with his entourage.

Looking at the tightly closed manor gates, the eldest prince shouted, "Five hundred men, block all the exits of the manor! The rest of you, charge in!"

"yes!!"

The guards agreed and immediately got to work.

Soon, more than twenty soldiers, each carrying a thick log, rushed toward the gate.

"Boom boom boom!!"

After being rammed several times, the gate finally collapsed with a crash.

The guards behind them immediately filed in and rushed into the manor.

As soon as the eldest prince stepped through the gate, he saw thick smoke rising from the manor.

"Oh no!" the eldest prince exclaimed, shouting, "Quickly, put out the fire! Anyone who tries to stop us will be killed without mercy!"

"yes!"

The guards agreed and rushed toward the various fires.

The servants and guards of this manor have all lived with the Kate family since childhood, and are not much different from assassins.

Upon seeing the guards rushing in, the servants and guards also picked up their weapons and charged forward to fight them.

Soon, shouts and screams echoed throughout the manor.

Although the servants and guards remaining in the manor were no match for the guards, they still slowed them down.

After the last guard in the manor was killed, the manor was engulfed in flames that could no longer be extinguished!

"That damn guy!"

Feeling the constant heat waves, the eldest prince couldn't help but curse. He hadn't expected that the head of the Kate family would be so decisive.

Looking at the fifty cartloads of stolen goods, the eldest prince's face was also filled with resentment.

Although the amount of these assets was considerable, it only accounted for about 20% of the Kate family's wealth, far less than they had expected.

Of course, most importantly, the head of the Kate family actually got away.

Subsequently, the eldest prince dispatched several hundred men to escort the valuables to the palace, while he led his men to conduct a thorough search of the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, another group of people heading to the Nami family were also having a rough time.

Although the head of the Nami family was killed, the Nami family manor was also turned into a sea of ​​fire, and hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain and countless valuables were burned to the ground.

Meanwhile, the third prince, Damoshi, was also leading more than 500 servants to collect taxes in a small town 30 miles east of the capital.

"Listen up, all of you! His Majesty has decreed that, in order to defend against the barbarian invasion, all subjects of the Kushan Empire must devote their entire fortunes to supporting the soldiers at the front. Anyone who dares to withhold any funds will be executed for treason!"

Upon hearing Damoshi's words, the townspeople trembled.