The young boy ran home crying the entire way. The woman who was cooking saw her son's expression and asked in confusion, "What happened to you, child?"
"Mother, can't you persuade Father to be a good person?"
"Who told you to say something like that? Your father is a merchant!"
The woman's expression changed drastically as she hurried to correct him. If others heard such words, their family would be ruined.
But the boy cried and said, "But doing wrong things is still wrong. Everyone in the street says the treasure-stealing group are beasts who only rob others and do sneaky, despicable things."
"And… and people always ask what my father does. How am I supposed to answer?"
The boy cried so hard it tore at the heart, and the woman gradually fell silent. There is a saying that a good person cannot deceive themselves, especially since she had read the manga Fox Spirit Matchmaker today, and Yan Ruyu's story had deeply affected her.
Taking the wrong path is not scary; the scary thing is never turning back. Recently, the Qianyan Army's strength had increased, which everyone could clearly see. If her man were captured, what would they do?
After a long silence, the woman hugged her son and said, "Then tonight I'll discuss it with your father."
"Mm. I don't want to be a bad man's son anymore."
At night, a sneaky figure appeared on the street. He was very cautious, glancing around for a long time. When he saw no one watching, he slipped into the house.
"Wife, I'm back. What happened to you two? Were you bullied?"
The man pushed the door open. He had expected to see a warm meal, but instead he was met with his wife and child, both with red, tear-swollen eyes. What was going on? Had someone bullied them?
The woman wiped her tears and said, "The child's father, can you turn yourself in? We can't live in fear like this anymore."
"What nonsense are you saying? Without me doing things outside, how would you have the life you have now? Besides, I'm only delivering some information now and then. It's not like I'm killing people or committing arson!"
The man argued desperately, because he knew if he was caught, all his Mora would be confiscated.
But his son shook his head and said, "Father, doing bad things is wrong. As long as you repent, we can work hard together. Life won't be worse than now."
"Stupid brat, what do you know? If your old man hadn't joined the treasure-stealing group, how would you live so comfortably? Watch out before I beat you."
His words had barely fallen when the door was kicked open. He looked toward the entrance in anger, but the moment he saw who had come, the previously arrogant man immediately collapsed to the ground, because the ones outside were the Qianyan Army.
Seeing the man's reaction, the blue-haired woman leading them showed a look of contempt. "I didn't mishear earlier, right? This gentleman said he's an intelligence operative for the treasure-stealing group. Take him to the prison. I'm sure he'll confess."
"Yes, Lady Yelan. What about the woman and the child?"
"They still have some conscience. With proper reformation, they'll be fine. Let's go, next location."
She had plenty to do tonight. She didn't have time to waste here.
At the Jade Chamber.
Ningguang was in her office handling government affairs when Baiwen walked over and said, "My Lady, the cleansing operation is extremely successful. Lady Yelan is personally leading the team. They have already arrested five hundred people. It's predicted that before dawn, all the spies within the city will be cleaned out."
"Mm. Tell the Qianyan Army not to relax outside the city either. Before dawn, clear out all the bandits near Liyue Harbor."
"Understood. But, My Lady… with so many criminals, the prison may not be able to hold them. What should we do?"
This arrest operation was something Ningguang and Su Han had planned for a long time. It was meant to test the Qianyan Army's growth and crack down on crime to increase the people's sense of safety so they wouldn't have to worry about attacks from the treasure-stealing group.
But today's results truly exceeded Ningguang's expectations. It was only nine o'clock, yet they had already captured five hundred people. If they included the bandit dens outside the city, the count would exceed three thousand. Figuring out how to deal with them was indeed a problem.
Seeing her Lady fall into thought, Baiwen's eyes shifted and she quietly suggested, "Should we ask Lord Su Han? He shouldn't be asleep at this time."
Ningguang's eyes lit up. She thought, Right, why didn't I think of Su Han? He always has strange and clever solutions. Maybe I should go ask him.
"Let's go. We're heading out."
"Where to?"
"You know exactly where. If you talk too much again, this month's salary is gone."
"Aah, My Lady, how could you be like this…"
Her secretary's previously proud face instantly collapsed, while Ningguang walked ahead with a satisfied look. If she didn't discipline these girls, they would all get too full of themselves.
Twenty minutes later.
Ningguang arrived at the Yujing Terrace branch store. Seeing the shop closed but the lights still on upstairs, she smiled. "Seems he's still awake. Let's go."
"Yes, My Lady."
At this moment, Su Han was cultivating. Hearing someone knock on the door, he felt puzzled. Based on the time, Shenhe should already be asleep. But when he opened the door, he saw Ningguang and her secretary.
Because of the hot weather, Ningguang had unexpectedly not worn her qipao today. Instead, she chose an elegant light-blue long dress. Her waist-length hair was pinned atop her head with gold hairpins, giving her an unexpected married-woman aura.
Seeing Su Han stunned by her appearance, Ningguang said proudly, "What? Never seen me like this before?"
Su Han retracted his gaze and nodded. "Indeed, I haven't. This dress is more charming and less regal than usual, so I couldn't help looking twice."
"You really are smooth-tongued. No wonder you can create fox-spirit stories that so many girls like. Alright, let's go inside. If you like this, I can wear it more often."
"Please, go ahead."
Su Han understood that Ningguang must have come with a purpose.
Inside the room, she didn't waste time and directly explained the situation.
After hearing it, Su Han fell into thought. After a moment, he raised his head and asked, "Are the crimes of these treasure-stealing group members serious?"
"Some are extremely serious. They have killed people. The rest are mainly guilty of robbery, excavating ruins, and stealing public resources."
Ningguang took out a thick stack of documents. They contained all the crimes the group had committed over the years. The worst offenders were notorious individuals with high strength who frequently stole government supplies.
Su Han skimmed it and sneered. "I see. The solution is simple. I think tomorrow you can do this: parade every captured member of the treasure-stealing group through the streets. The ones with the gravest crimes should be publicly executed!"
"As for the rest, punish them according to their crimes. And remember, don't send them to prison. Reform them physically. Isn't Guili Plains lacking workers? Make them do labor. If they perform well, reduce their punishment or even let them start anew."
"As for those stubborn and unrepentant ones, execute them, and announce every crime they've committed. Imprisoning them won't make them understand their sins. Confessing is not the same as redemption. They must atone."
Ningguang's mind cleared. She said with emotion, "No wonder former members of the group, even when caught, always return to crime after being released. They lacked the steps of redemption and understanding their crimes. You're right. Guili Plains lacks manpower. These criminals should labor for reformation, not eat for free. And we can spread the message that people who turn themselves in will have their crimes halved."
By the end, Ningguang already grasped the bigger picture. She even intended to use public messaging to dismantle more of the treasure-stealing group.
Su Han smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Exactly. Especially those with families and children. They're very easy to persuade."
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