The first thing the Emperor’s investigators did was confiscate the residence and villa of the Duchy of Riagan in the capital.

“Confiscate, what do you mean all of a sudden?”

Duke Riagan’s younger brother and relatives, who lived in the capital and managed the mansion, asked in surprise.

However, the investigators did not give a proper answer.

“Take them all out and arrest them. The head of the household is to be taken to the interrogation room, and the family is detained. Only children under the age of five are admitted to designated temporary nurseries.”

The mansion was already completely under siege.

Those who knew the situation shut their mouths as soon as they heard the word coarse salt. Those who did not know were clamoring and crying.

“Employees are no exception!”

Boertz was the first to realize that things were wrong.

As soon as the Emperor’s investigator opened the mansion gate, he changed clothes with a servant and tried to run away.

He was not sure exactly what was going on, but he knew that he shouldn’t have been caught.

He was the one who brokered the secret agreement between the Grand Duke Roygar and Duke Riagan.

If the information was blown open, there were too many people to get hurt.

But he was caught in a warehouse with a secret passage. This is because the Emperor’s investigators had already known about all the secret passages in Riagan’s mansion from 19 years ago.

The junior investigator who caught him exclaimed with excitement on his face.

“I have caught a servant trying to escape through the secret passage!”

Investigators rushed in.

To know a secret passage that even the Duke’s younger brother, who was now acting as the owner of the mansion, didn’t know, he must have been a big fish.

Boertz squeezed his eyes shut.

＊＊＊

The coarse salt crisis spread throughout the Capital on the same day.

But even the nosy pokers shut their mouths all at once. Because it was such a terrifying situation that it was impossible to speak of it as a matter of interest.

They were more afraid now than when the temple was accused of treason for trying to kill the heir of Grand Duchy Evron.

At that time, it was clear who was involved. Even if the gates were blocked by soldiers and knights surrounding the temple, no civilians were taken away.

But now those involved are taken away every day. Bloody wind blew in the very street where the citizens walked.

From treasury officials who took bribes from the Duchy of Riagan to help with the ledger manipulation, to those who once worked in salt mills were taken to prison.

Investigators obtained a confession by inflicting torture regardless of the severity of the crime.

If they were questioned for about three or four days, not just one or two people died even after being found not guilty.

The Emperor did not treat this as a political matter from the outset.

He was bitten by a dog he raised. His anger was immeasurably deep apart from the financial loss.

“I bestowed great favor on Duke Riagan. He would have been nothing if I didn’t help him build up the crumbling Duchy by inheriting the title, and entrusting him with the country’s most important business.”

The Emperor chewed and spoke.

“Even after paying the salt tax, the remaining income would have still been enormous. In addition to that, I gave him the freedom to use 10% of the salt from the South Sea, so he would have been able to do business for his family with that amount. How dare he deceive me?”

A confiscation order was issued for all the family fortune of the Duchy of Riagan.

It was only a matter of time before Duke Riagan was captured from the South as soon as the decree had been issued.

This would not have been possible if the Empress’ parents were still alive.

Even if the Capital tried to confiscate the family fortune, the resistance would have been extreme.

The nobility and the court would have stopped it, saying that the Emperor’s investigator should not act in this way. Even to protect their rights.

The Southern Army wouldn’t have listened even if they were asked to bring everyone from the Duchy of Riagan.

However, the present Duke Riagan was nothing without the support of the Emperor.

The Southern Army was in a state of disintegration. At this time, the Southern Conquest Army was an army sent from the Capital.

Everyone looked at the Empress’ Palace.

When the Duchy of Riagan was attacked by the Eimmel Kingdom, the Empress turned away.

But this time, it was the Emperor who wanted to wipe out the Duchy of Riagan. In fact, he is trying to dispose of the Duke as his own slave.

There were many people who thought that even if the Empress was angry, she would stop it.

But no one dared to come forward to the Empress and ask what she would do.

The Empress was quiet as usual. She took walks, read books, drank tea, and looked after the Peschers’ children.

The attendant delivered the Emperor’s letter, but the Empress did not reply to it. No one knew what was written in the letter.

The Empress’ Palace was as quiet and gentle as always. It’s like a world out of touch with reality.

Until the third daughter of Duke Riagan, who had married the Capital’s nobleman, bowed in front of the Empress’ palace, carrying her six-year-old child, to beg for their life.

“Please have mercy, Your Majesty the Empress.”

When the Emperor’s investigators arrived, her husband and in-laws risked their lives to let the mother-and-son escape.

The other families were fine. They were nobles. The interrogation was not an excuse to kill all the nobles just because they were relatives.

They will be questioned and their house will be searched. However, if it becomes clear that they were not involved in the coarse salt business, they will be deported from the Capital for a certain period of time or the additional property will be deprived.

However, Duke Riagan’s biological daughter and grandson were different.

It was a friend of the in-laws who hid the mother-and-son in the carriage and took them to the Empress’ palace.

The way out of the Capital was a long one. If they try hiding in the Capital, they will not be able to last more than three or four days and they will be taken away.

But if the Empress takes them, she will be able to save their life.

It rained that day and the weather was cold.

The Emperor’s investigators could not invade the Empress’ palace, so they surrounded from a distance and watched the mother-and-son.

So were the Empress’ old friends and Riagan’s vassals. They would rather tear their mouth than to call her the Lady of Duchy of Riagan, but still the Empress’ Palace could not have a person who claims to be a blood relative of Riagan be led away to the Emperor.

The woman cried out loudly in front of the Empress’ Palace for a long time.

“Please have mercy! Save the child!”

Only the ignorant child whined to go home. She put her head on the ground, lifted it, and she cried again.

The gates of the Empress’ Palace were opened when the rain that had been falling all night stopped, the morning sun rose, and the rainwater that soaked the ground had dried up in the sun, leaving only puddles in places.

The Empress was wearing a black dress. The dress, embroidered with dark gray silk thread, and with a wide open collar and cuffs made of bright silver fabric, was noble and glamorous.

But everyone who saw the dress remembered the mourning dress the Empress had been wearing for a long time.

“How long are you going to make a fuss?”

Countess Martha scolded her.

“This daughter will pay for her father’s sins! Please forgive my son!”

As the woman cried, she pleaded. The voices that shouted all night were broken and cracked.

The Empress looked down at her with cold eyes.

“With what qualifications can you, who is neither a representative nor an heir, be able to replace your father? If you’re guilty, why have you come to ask for forgiveness now?”

“I know it’s a shameless plea. So I will not dare to ask you to have mercy on me.”

The woman held out her six-year-old child. The child was exhausted and was asleep.

“But this kid was only six years old at most. Please save him. Please understand a mother’s heart.”

“……. “

“What is wrong with your child?”

“The child is not guilty.”

The Empress looked down at the woman’s tear-soaked face. And she said in a low voice.

“By the way, where were you when my child died?”

“I, I…….”

“Where and what were you guys doing when my parents died?”

“Your, Your Majesty…….”

“So whether your parents, or your child die, I will not be there.”

The woman screamed in a fit.

“That was what His Majesty the Emperor did. What could we have done!”

“Yes. This is also the work of His Majesty the Emperor. What could we have done?”

And the Empress turned back.

The ladies-in-waiting followed the Empress first, followed by the former vassals of the Duchy of Riagan, who had guarded the mother-and-son until then.

The door to the Empress’ Palace was closed. That was the answer.

The Emperor’s investigators pulled out the mother-and-son.

＊＊＊

Cedric returned home at dawn and was very tired.

“I heard you stayed up all night.”

Artizea met him up in the lobby and asked.

Cedric pulled Artizea’s waist and kissed her on the cheek. And he sighed.

“What were you doing without sleeping?”

“In this situation, can I fall asleep so easily?”

Cedric sighed again.

“What else are you working on?”

“No. A little while ago, I got a call from the Empress’ Palace. One of the daughters of Duke Riagan is holding her child and begging for forgiveness in front of the Empress’ Palace.”

“Ah……. Is it a child over five years old?”

“He is six years old.”

“Oh my…….”

Cedric sighed. In fact, it was because of that problem that he was in the Imperial Palace until this time.

He had nothing to do with the subsequent handling of the incident. The ledgers will be handled by the Ministry of Finance, and the investigation will be carried out by the Emperor’s investigators.

Pressure was being put on the whole government organization. However, the Ministry of Finance could not draw up a budget, and the security forces were all supported by the Emperor’s investigators, so Cedric’s work was almost suspended.

But it was impossible for him to let go of his hand.

Chancellor Lin and he were begging the Emperor to abate at least the collective punishment.

“It is a serious crime to deceive Your Majesty and embezzle national tax, but the system of collective punishment is originally applied only to treason. It would be too much to take in close blood relatives of Duke Riagan and not only those who were directly involved in the crime, but also the relatives of the employee.”

“It was deceiving the monarch. If that’s not treason, what is treason?”

“How about if the person who has a long-standing relationship be investigated by the Public Security Office?”

“If there is no guilt, what does it matter where the interrogation takes place?”

The Emperor’s will was clear.

It seems like he was dealing with this emotionally, but that’s not all. The Emperor was also setting an example of how to execute the traitor.

Both Cedric and Chancellor Lin knew it. However, they couldn’t give up there.

At least, he had been kneeling in front of the Emperor’s office to raise the age of the collective punishment to at least ten, not five.

“Do you think Her Majesty the Empress will take it in?”

Artizea shook her head.

Cedric sighed.

It would be nice if she had mercy, but no one could make such a request to the Empress.