I won't kill you, I'll just punish you, how about that?

There were only a few words in this sentence, but they were full of twists and turns. Each time they touched upon Xue Shu's most private point, each time they lingered on his emotionally charged heart.

The slightly hoarse voice and the deliberately drawn-out tone intertwined into an ambiguous web that enveloped him. There was nowhere to escape, and he didn't want to escape.

Reason was willing to be trapped in the net, and the imprisoned beast was about to break out. Xue Shu was tense, his pupils were dark, and the hostility and desire in his heart were surging.

He grabbed Yin Chengyu's wrist with great force. Because the last bit of rationality had not yet been broken, under extreme repression and restraint, the muscles in his arm bulged slightly, and even the bottom of his eyes were bloodshot.

Like a hunting wolf, it will pounce on its prey in the next moment and bite its prey's throat with its sharp canine teeth.

"Your Highness, you can punish me in any way you want."

Feeling a slight pain in his wrist, Yin Chengyu retreated, not missing the desire spreading in his eyes.

As expected, young people are full of hot temper.

He hooked his lips wickedly, lowered his eyes to look at the wrist that was being held, and ran his fingertips across Xue Shu's forearm, along the bulging blue veins all the way to the back of his hand, and tapped lightly with his fingers: "You hurt me, and you deserve an even greater punishment."

Although he said that, there was still no trace of anger in his tone.

Xue Shu's eyes moved and fell on the white wrist. Yin Chengyu's skin was too white, and red marks could be seen with a little force. Now that he was holding it so tightly, it was already red.

He subconsciously loosened his hand and saw the clear red fingerprints on the delicate and beautiful wrist.

Add a bit of beauty.

Xue Shu's eyes darkened again, and he had to grit his teeth to hold back the impulse that was coming up again.

Yin Chengyu moved his wrist lightly and glanced at him sideways: "According to the laws of Great Yan, violating etiquette and rites is considered disrespectful and should be beheaded. Tell me...how should I punish you?"

Xue Shu's jaw was clenched and he said nothing.

Yin Chengyu narrowed his eyes, admiring his restrained and tense posture. After a long while, he sighed and said, "Forget it. I have always been magnanimous. I will forgive you this time. I am going to sleep. Go make the bed and warm it up. That will make up for my sin."

He looked at Xue Shu and said with a half-smile, "It's very cold and humid on the boat. You are very angry. Please help me to drive it away."

With his hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists, Xue Shu looked at him and felt like he had fallen into a bottomless vortex.

The whirlpool made him confused and dizzy, but he was willing to get caught up in it just for a moment of intimacy.

He looked away with difficulty, stood up slowly, and said "yes" in a hoarse voice.

"Go ahead, call me when you're done." Yin Chengyu waved at him, brought the plate of peeled walnut kernels in front of him, picked up one and put it in his mouth.

Yin Chengyu squinted his eyes comfortably; the pecan nuts really tasted delicious.

Xue Shu stayed in the inner room for nearly three quarters of an hour before coming out.

Yin Chengyu leaned on the imperial concubine's couch, flipping through a book, and ate a small plate of walnut kernels with tea. She felt quite sleepy. Seeing him come out after making the bed, she sent him out and went to the inner room to rest.

The pillows and quilt on the bed were neatly spread out. He reached under the quilt and felt around. Sure enough, the cold and damp air was gone, and it was replaced by a warm temperature. He took off his coat with satisfaction and got into the quilt.

Judging from what he said before, Xue Shu is really good at warming the bed.

After coming out of the house, Xue Shu went straight back to the cabin where he lived.

He locked the door and hid himself in the darkness before he finally let go of his pent-up emotions and breathed heavily.

After a long time, the chill of the spring night permeated, and the surging restlessness gradually subsided.

Xue Shu walked to the table, lit the lamp, filled a basin with water, took out the dirty handkerchief from his sleeve, and washed it carefully.

The white handkerchief was soaked in water, but Xue Shu was a little absent-minded.

By this time, His Highness should have gone to bed.

The bed was only so big, perhaps His Highness was now lying in the place where he had slept, enveloped by his warmth and...smell.

Xue Shu raised his hand and sniffed his fingertips, but there was no smell.

He is very careful, Your Highness shouldn't find out, right?

Maybe it doesn't matter even if he finds out. Xue Shu lowered his eyes, picked up the wet handkerchief and rubbed it gently. Anyway, even if His Highness is angry, it means punishing him.

Thinking of today's punishment, he licked his dry lips, feeling anticipation in his heart.

The ship returning to Beijing took two days and one night to travel on the canal before arriving at Tongzhou Wharf.

The prince's carriage and procession had been waiting at the dock for a long time. The stolen goods on the ship were counted by people sent by the Ministry of Revenue, while Yin Chengyu returned to Ciqing Palace first.

Xue Shu also wanted to take Wan Youliang and others to the Dali Temple and not return to the palace with him.

"If the emperor summons you, you know how to answer, right?" Yin Chengyu said in a low voice as he passed by him.

"Don't worry, Your Highness." Xue Shu nodded slightly.

He had always been a smart man, so Yin Chengyu's advice was enough. He did not say anything more to him, got on the carriage, and went back to Ciqing Palace.

Xue Shu stood there until the car was out of sight, then he turned around and went back to his business.

Yin Chengyu first returned to Ciqing Palace to change his clothes, and then went to Wuying Palace to report to Emperor Longfeng on the situation of his trip to Tianjin Wei.

Probably knowing that he would return to the capital today, except for the Prime Minister Yu Huaian who still claimed to be ill and did not go out, the other ministers all found various excuses to gather in Wuying Hall, waiting to find out the news.

Although there has been a constant flow of news from Tianjin Wei in recent days, the two places are separated by distance, so the news is inevitably delayed. The news from the prince is the most accurate.

As soon as Yin Chengyu entered the room, five pairs of eyes fell on him.

His expression remained unchanged as he stepped forward and saluted Emperor Longfeng: "I am very fortunate that you have fulfilled your mission."

"Get up. You've been away for nearly a month. The Empress and I have missed you very much." Emperor Longfeng called him up cheerfully, looking at Yin Chengyu with eyes full of kindness.

He had known from the report sent back by Fang Zhengke that the amount of dirty silver seized this time was as high as 15 million taels. Even though he had always disliked his son surpassing him, he couldn't help but smile a little more when he thought of that huge sum of silver.

After ordering Gao Yuan to move a chair for Yin Chengyu to sit down, Emperor Longfeng asked about the situation in Tianjin Wei.

Yin Chengyu did not conceal the chaos in Changluyan's administration and told everyone the whole situation.

"There were spies in Changlu. On the one hand, they forged documents, issued excessive salt permits, and withheld taxes. On the other hand, they colluded with salt merchants and transported official salt to the south to sell it, making huge profits. Guan Haishan and others even colluded with pirates. As a result, the fields in Tianjin were abandoned, the army was relaxed, and every household was not doing their jobs. They even set up pots in the yard to boil salt."

"In the Changlu Salt Field alone, there are dozens of officials involved. It is hard to imagine what the situation is like in Huaibei, Lianghuai, and Liangzhe." Yin Chengyu emphasized his tone, stood up and bowed his head, saying, "Salt tax is related to the foundation of the country. If the rats are not removed, the national treasury will not be prosperous. I hope that the emperor will order a strict punishment and a thorough investigation."

"It should be thoroughly investigated." Emperor Longfeng showed anger on his face. "It is because there are too many corrupt officials that the national treasury is empty. The officials involved in the Changlu case will be severely punished, their property will be confiscated, and they will be executed as a warning to future generations. Also, send a guard to the rest of the Salt Administration to conduct a thorough investigation, and no corrupt officials will be spared."

His casual words startled several ministers.

In addition to Changlu, Dayan also had five salt commissioners' offices in Lianghuai, Liangzhe, Shandong, Fujian, and Hedong, each of which had several inspection offices. The interests involved were so huge and the number of officials was so great that it was inestimable.

If we really want to investigate thoroughly, how many people will be implicated?

Especially in Lianghuai, Liangzhe and Fujian, which all belong to the south. Among the four ministers present, three are officials from the southern faction and are deeply involved in the officialdom of the south.

Several cabinet elders exchanged glances, and finally the deputy assistant Shao Tian spoke up, "Please think twice, Your Majesty. The ancients said that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. The illegal salt production has existed since ancient times. Although it is necessary to punish and rectify it, it must not be done too hastily. If it is severely punished, it may cause chaos. It is better to adopt a gentle policy and only execute the main culprit. As for the rest of the followers, those who voluntarily hand over the dirty silver will be considered as a deduction for their crimes, and only fine the silver but not dismissal. This move can easily make the salt administration officials self-examine and reflect, and it can also enrich the national treasury. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"

"What the Second Assistant said makes sense. It is said that the law does not hold the masses responsible. Now there are too many officials involved. If they are all killed, firstly, the local government will have no one to use. Secondly, a hundred years later, Your Majesty may be branded as cruel." Chang Qi, the Grand Academician of Wenhua Palace, also echoed the words.

They all knew Emperor Longfeng's temperament very well. He killed them all without thinking, not because he really hated corrupt officials, but because he was angry that these corrupt officials put all the money into their own pockets.

Ultimately, it all comes down to who gets the money.

Sure enough, Emperor Longfeng, who had been furious just now, hesitated again after hearing this and began to seriously think about the feasibility of what Shao Tian said.

Yin Chengyu looked at this scene without any surprise.

Only a hint of sarcasm flashed across his lowered eyes.

Emperor Longfeng was such a person, with mediocre education and no opinions of his own. Although he was the ruler of the world, he only cared about his own interests.

For the money in the pockets of those corrupt officials, he could send him to thoroughly investigate the Changlu Salt Administration and leave no official involved alive; of course, he could also ignore the law and disregard the law for the money in the pockets of those corrupt officials.

Yin Chengyu did not say anything, but Jianji Hall Grand Academician Lu Jing could not stand it any longer. As the Minister of Personnel, he knew the harm of these corrupt officials the best, and he refuted them, saying, "What do Shao Cifu and Chang Ge Lao mean by their words? If corrupt officials are not punished, in the long run, this will encourage evil practices, and won't everyone dare to be corrupt?"

"Mr. Lu Ge's words may have been a bit alarmist..."

Song Guangxuan, the Grand Academician of Wenyuan Pavilion who had never spoken, also joined in.

The four of them argued endlessly, refusing to give in to each other.

Emperor Longfeng was annoyed by the noise and slammed the table heavily, saying, "Forget it. We'll discuss this later."

After saying this, he glanced at Yin Chengyu, who had remained silent from the beginning to the end, and his previous kindness was gone: "Prince, you have worked hard these days, so go back and rest."

After saying this, he waved his sleeves and returned to the Qianqing Palace.

After returning to the palace, Emperor Longfeng thought about it and felt that Shao Tian's proposal was indeed good. Now the treasury was empty, and he had no money to build several longevity pagodas before. If he really investigated the salt envoys and fined the accomplices several times, it would be more than enough to build a palace, not to mention building a few pagodas.

Moreover, there are precedents of selling official positions in all dynasties, and his action can be regarded as following the ancestral system.

The more Emperor Longfeng thought about it, the more he felt that it was feasible, and he said to Gao Xian, "Go, summon Xue Shu over."

After Yin Chengyu came out of Wuying Palace, he did not return to Ciqing Palace immediately.

He stood in the corridor for a long time, looking at the grass growing and the birds flying outside, the spring scenery was in full swing. After a long time, the anger in his chest gradually subsided.

He slowly let out his anger, walked in the shadow of the sunlight, and went to Kunning Palace.

The author has something to say:

Gou Gou: I'm standing up.

Your Highness:?