Zhu Yunwen did not believe that he, the grandson of the Ming emperor, could not handle the local gentry and nobles.

So he decided to personally meet this guy called Old Sun. Zhu Yunwen always believed that suppressing local gentry and landlords was something that had to be done.

He had previously stated that the local gentry and clans should not be allowed to so brazenly mock the imperial court and the people.

This matter must be resolved completely.

So Zhu Yunwen took the county magistrate with him and went directly to the outside of the Sun family's residence.

As a prominent local family, the Sun family's mansion was extremely luxurious.

Zhu Yunwen narrowed his eyes and said:

“It is clearly abnormal that a third-rank official could develop such a large family and business in just over ten years.”

According to the salary standards of the Ming Dynasty, even a third-rank official in a local government, after serving for more than ten years, might only earn a few hundred or a thousand taels of silver at most.

This is within the normal range.

However, putting everything else aside, just looking at this old man Sun's house, it would probably cost tens of thousands of taels of silver to repair.

On what basis is this spending power, which far exceeds his salary level, based?

Even if he acquired some land for himself during his time in office, which increased his income, it certainly wouldn't be this much more.

Such a consumption level, far exceeding wage income, is inexplicable from any angle.

Zhu Yunwen snorted coldly and said with a smile:

"It seems that this old man Sun is really quite wealthy."

The county magistrate beside him sighed, then whispered:

"Your Highness, he is more than just rich; he wields absolute power in this place. Calling him a local tyrant is no exaggeration at all."

Zhu Yunwen snorted and walked directly to the gate of the house. Immediately, a gatekeeper stepped forward and said:

"What brings you two here? Whom are you looking for?"

The county magistrate stepped forward and said, "I am the local county magistrate."

That man immediately bowed and said:

"Please wait a moment, Magistrate, I will go and inform my master."

After speaking, the doorman quickly went inside and came out a moment later, saying to Zhu Yunwen and the county magistrate:

"Gentlemen, the master invites you."

Zhu Yunwen walked in front, with the county magistrate following behind, and they quickly entered the house.

Once inside, Zhu Yunwen casually surveyed the layout of the house; even from the outside, one could only tell that the house was very large.

But once inside, all you see are pavilions, flowing water, small trees, and gardens—everything you could want.

For a moment, Zhu Yunwen even felt as if he were in the imperial garden of the palace.

To be honest, Hekou County is not a wealthy place, and many of its people live in poverty.

But this old man, Mr. Sun, is so extravagant; he's definitely not poor at all.

Zhu Yunwen's expression was somewhat unpleasant. At that moment, in the luxurious hall opposite, an elderly man in his sixties or seventies with white hair stood at the entrance, smiling and cupping his hands in greeting, saying:

"So it's the magistrate who's here! I'm so sorry for not welcoming you properly."

He walked up with a smile as he spoke, and the county magistrate smiled slightly and said:

"Master Sun, there's no need to be so polite. By the way, let me introduce you. This is His Highness the Crown Prince of our Great Ming Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Old Master Sun, who had been smiling and stepping forward to offer a perfunctory greeting to the county magistrate, suddenly changed his expression.

He suddenly looked at Zhu Yunwen, and the next moment he immediately knelt down on the ground and said:

"This humble subject pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Yunwen smiled and stepped forward to help Old Master Sun up, saying:

"No need for such formalities, Elder Sun. You are advanced in years and a retired official of the court. There is no need for such excessive politeness."

Then Old Master Sun stood up and looked at Zhu Yunwen, saying:

"Oh dear, I never expected that Your Highness would actually come to Hekou County. Alas, I never expected that you would come to my humble home. It is truly an honor to have my home here."

Zhu Yunwen laughed heartily, and then said:

"That's not necessarily true, Elder Sun. Your mansion is so luxurious and grand. I was worried that I might dirty your environment when I came here."

The implication in those words made Old Sun's heart skip a beat.

He immediately regained his composure and, still smiling, said to Zhu Yunwen:

"Your Highness, please come inside. Oh, I didn't know Your Highness had the time to come to Hekou County?"

Zhu Yunwen said as he walked inside:

"The sweet potato and potato seeds of the people in Hekou County keep disappearing inexplicably. I don't know who stole them. I had nothing to do and happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd come and see what was going on."

"I heard that Elder Sun was originally a senior official of the imperial court, and now that he has retired, he is spending his retirement here. I came here specifically to visit him, to show the court's consideration for retired veterans."

Moved, Old Sun said:

"Ah, the court has not forgotten us old ministers. This kindness is truly touching. Even if I die, I will have no regrets."

Zhu Yunwen smiled and said, "Old Master Sun, please don't say such things. You have such a large family and business; what would happen if you died?"

Old Sun's body stiffened, then he smiled and said:

"Your Highness, have some tea..."

Zhu Yunwen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then continued speaking:

"Speaking of which, the official conduct of our Great Ming Dynasty has always been very upright. The imperial court has always been very strict in its control over officials who embezzle, accept bribes, and exploit the people. I am also very strict about this, and I believe Elder Sun understands that, right?"

Old Sun, pretending to be confused, said:

"Of course I understand. Officials must not be corrupt. Corruption is not a good thing."

However, Your Highness, please rest assured that when I was an official, I never embezzled a single penny.

Besides, Your Highness, you should know that I was originally a local military and political official; there's not much of a kickback or personal gain in the army.”

He laughed as he spoke, and Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly, saying:

"That's right, there's really no money to be made in the army. Many things are provided directly by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, so it's indeed believable that Elder Sun didn't embezzle during his tenure."

However, since Old Master Sun didn't embezzle any money, these mansions must have been passed down from his wealthy ancestors, right?

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Old Sun was taken aback. It was clear that Zhu Yunwen was constantly probing Old Sun during their conversation.

Old Sun hesitated for a moment, then said:

"To be honest, Your Highness, my family was indeed quite wealthy in the past. That's why we were able to build such houses here."

Zhu Yunwen looked as if he had just realized something, and said:

"I see. It's good that it's a family heirloom. It's good that it's a family heirloom."

As Zhu Yunwen spoke, Old Man Sun frowned slightly, sensing something was wrong.