The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

These two places have been one place since ancient times, and were only separated later. But even after they were separated, their folk customs and traditions are still similar, and they are related by blood and inseparable.

If Guangxi rebels, Guangdong might not follow suit, but if Guangdong goes into chaos, those physically strong men in Guangxi, once their blood boils, will grab their hoes and join the rebellion.

Therefore, Guangdong cannot be allowed to descend into chaos; if it does, chaos will spread to both places.

Cao Rong is the Guangdong Military Commander. They don't know how deep his influence is in Guangdong. If he is arrested, will his accomplices take a desperate gamble?
This is only one aspect. The deepest concern is whether this move will anger the military officers and create a greater rift between the two camps of civil and military officials.

Not everyone can be like Xue Shao, who only considers the interests of the country and the people, without thinking from the perspective of his own camp;

Not everyone can be like Pan Yun, adhering to their own bottom line and treating everyone equally.

Pan Yun placed one hand on a gold brick, which disappeared before the three of them's eyes. She said, "Never mind that, let's take the stuff away first."

The third brother saw this and immediately moved gold bricks for her.

An Chen kicked him in the butt, exasperated: "Gold is worthless."

The third brother was bending over when he was kicked and fell face-first onto the gold bricks. He rubbed his backside and went to bring Pan Yun a box of jewelry, but his eyes still couldn't help but dart towards the gold bricks.

Pan Yun paused in her hand as she moved the gold bricks, then turned to grab the pearls piled up in boxes next to her under An Chen's gaze.

Xue Shao snapped out of his reverie and said quietly, "These confiscated items are evidence for his conviction. Keep them until someone is arrested and then confiscate them again."

"No way, what if something goes wrong?" How could she let the gold she had her eye on get away, especially since several pieces had already entered her spatial dimension? She couldn't let them escape either.

Pan Yun said, "You haven't even thought of a way to arrest him, let alone confiscate his property. What if he's cunning and has already transferred his assets before you arrest him? Or what if you arrest him and the wealth is transferred by someone else the very next day?"

"Once you've arrested someone, your manpower will be mainly used to prevent military unrest, collect evidence, and deal with his accomplices. Where will you find the extra manpower and energy to ransack his home?"

The third brother raised his hand to speak, but An Chen secretly kicked him. Pan Yun also glared at him: "Your Embroidered Uniform Guards are also busy. How many Embroidered Uniform Guards can you mobilize in three days?"

That really doesn't happen.

The third brother silently withdrew his arm.

An Chen also stood with Pan Yun: "This is all national property. Since we now have the ability to take away the embezzled funds, then let's take them."

Xue Shao was not an obstinate person and was immediately persuaded. He glanced around the treasure room and said, "You can take them, but you must make a record of what you took and how much you took. Record everything carefully. When Cao Rong is escorted back to the capital, the record, the items, and these account books should be handed over to the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review."

Pan Yun and the two Imperial Guards happily agreed and immediately began moving the gold.

Since I'm going to take it all anyway, I don't care about the price; I'll just take the gold I like best first.

Xue Shao reached out to stop her and took out a brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and scale from his own space.

Everyone stared blankly at the large scale that had appeared out of nowhere, speechless for a moment.

Pan Yun: "Why do you carry a large scale with you at all times?"

An Chen: "Lord Xue, how come you also know how to use the Hidden Space in Your Sleeve?"

An Chen and the third brother stared intently at Xue Shao, their hearts pounding so hard they felt like they would jump out of their chests. If Xue Shao could do it, then couldn't they too?

Pan Yun glanced at them and said, "The Celestial Master's Mansion has created a new cultivation method and wants to promote it in the army, but the ministers in the court have been blocking it, so it cannot be implemented. Your talent for cultivation is not high, and it is difficult for you to achieve the Great Dao, but since you have such martial arts, it shows that you can cultivate Yuan Power."

“Like internal energy, Yuan power can enhance strength and prolong life. Of course, it can also be used to cast spells.” Pan Yun said, “The so-called cultivation realm, in essence, is the realm of Yuan power. Those with abundant Yuan power can fly and escape into the earth like me, while those with shallow Yuan power can, with a little practice, use the Qiankun Bag like Xue Shao.”

An Chen said angrily, "If they can't practice themselves, or they don't want to practice, what right do they have to stop others from practicing? Once we get out, I'll write a letter to Lord Yun. We can't control the others, but the Embroidered Uniform Guards must practice."

The third brother nodded repeatedly, emphasizing, "Grand Preceptor, we can begin first. Lord Yun will definitely not stop us from cultivating."

Pan Yun smiled and replied, "Okay, I'll teach you once we get out of here."

See, the new approach has opened up a new paradigm!

Xue Shao then spoke up: "Take out the gold bricks you just collected."

Pan Jun accepted three pieces, each weighing about ten pounds. She held them in her arms with a great sense of satisfaction.

Xue Shao took out two boxes from her space, which were full of books. She put all the books into her space, weighed the boxes and noted the weight. Then she had An Chen and Lao San move the gold bricks into the boxes, lift them up, weigh them, and note the weight before letting Pan Jun put the gold bricks into her space.

An Chen and Lao San packed another box and carried it over to be weighed.

This process was repeated until the two boxes were used to weigh all the gold bricks piled up on the floor of the house.

There were rows of unclosed boxes next to it, filled with silver ingots and gold coins. One box had a pile of silver ingots that reached a peak, and there were also some scattered around the box.

Xue Shao swept down the top pile, arranged them neatly, closed the box, and had Pan Jun put them away. He simply counted the remaining scattered pieces to see how many ingots there were, recorded them, and then handed them to Pan Jun to put away.

Gold cakes are collected after being uniformly named.

After collecting the gold and silver, it was time to collect the jewelry, which was usually done by the boxful.

Cao Rong even used the finest sandalwood to pack them.

Pan Yun knew that in later generations, this sandalwood box would be extremely valuable.

"Keep it, keep it," Pan Yun sighed, "He's really generous. I wonder where he got so much money."

Xue Shao pondered for a moment: "Cao Rong served as the Guangdong Military Commander for twelve years. Before, when you investigated the case of collusion with Japanese pirates, there were members of the imperial family and powerful figures involved in Shandong, Jiangnan, Fujian, and even the Central Plains and the capital, but things were calm in Guangdong."

An Chen: "Although Guangzhou Prefecture also has maritime trade, it is far less than that of the southeastern coast. Even if there is smuggling, it cannot stockpile so much gold and silver jewelry."

Xue Shao glanced at him and said, "A few years ago, I traveled through Chaozhou Prefecture and Guangzhou Prefecture, and my opinion was exactly the opposite."

“Guangzhou Prefecture is located in the south of the Lingnan region, which is too far from the capital. It has a small population and a large population. The country’s policy of banning the sea is more focused on the southeast coast,” Xue Shao said. “The people here are fierce and therefore less bound by rules. In Fujian and Zhejiang, fishermen have to avoid the Thousand Household Offices when they want to go to sea. But in Guangdong and Guangxi, fishermen dare to carry their fishing nets and pass by the gates of the Thousand Household Offices. The soldiers just pretend they don’t see them.”

The Imperial Guards stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "They are so blatantly disregarding the law..."

Xue Shao said, "In these two places, the chieftain's words carry more weight than the imperial court's." (End of Chapter)