I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

After successfully dealing with those ministers who lent money at high interest rates, opened pawnshops and gambling houses privately, Chen Jue and the Crown Prince did not stop collecting debts.

They then turned their attention to another group of ministers who were entertaining guests, giving gifts, and seeking official positions.

These ministers were corrupt officials who borrowed money to buy their positions. Their actions seriously undermined the court's ethos and the country's stability.

Chen Jue and the prince led a group of people and came to the residence of one of the ministers who was suspected of buying and selling official positions in a threatening manner.

Although this mansion is not as luxurious as the mansions of the previous ministers, it also exudes an air of wealth.

The guard at the door saw Chen Jue, the prince and others arriving, and ran into the mansion in panic to report.

After a while, the minister came out in a hurry, his face full of fear, his body trembling slightly, like a frightened rabbit.

He quickly knelt down and saluted, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, Lord Chen, I didn't know you were coming. I hope you will forgive me for not welcoming you."

The prince looked at him coldly and said, "Do you know why we are here today?"

The minister's face turned even paler, and he stammered, "I...I don't know."

Chen Jue stepped forward and said seriously, "You obtained official positions by entertaining guests, giving gifts, and buying positions, and you also borrowed money from the national treasury to satisfy your selfish desires. Now that the country is in trouble, you have no intention of giving back, and you even want to default on your debts. Your crimes are unforgivable."

After hearing this, the minister was so frightened that his whole body went limp and he almost collapsed to the ground.

He kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Your Highness, Lord Chen, I know I was wrong. I am willing to return the money I owe you, please spare my life."

Chen Jue and the prince looked at each other and knew in their hearts that these people were spineless and would surrender obediently with just a little intimidation.

The prince said, "If you truly repent, you will immediately pay the debt. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences."

The minister nodded repeatedly and said, "I will pay the debt immediately. Your Highness the Crown Prince and Lord Chen, please rest assured."

A few days later, the minister paid back the money he owed. He said, "Your Highness, Lord Chen, these are the money I am going to use to pay back the money you owe. Please take a look."

Chen Jue said: "Although you have paid the debt, your crime is unforgivable. We will punish you accordingly based on your ability and the severity of your crime."

After hearing this, the minister begged for mercy again: "Your Highness, Lord Chen, I will definitely turn over a new leaf and become a new man. Please be lenient with my sentence."

Chen Jue and the prince ignored his pleas for mercy and continued to go to the residences of other ministers who were suspected of corrupt officials.

When these ministers saw Chen Jue and the prince coming, they were all frightened and lost their minds. They handed over the money they owed and asked for leniency.

Chen Jue and the prince recorded the situations of these ministers one by one, and then returned to the palace to discuss how to punish them.

The prince said: "The behavior of these ministers is really abominable and must be severely punished."

Chen Jue nodded in agreement and said, "Your Highness is right. We should punish them according to their abilities and the severity of their crimes. For those ministers with weaker abilities and lighter crimes, they can be demoted and asked to reflect on their mistakes in grassroots positions; for those ministers with more serious crimes, they can be dismissed from their posts and allowed to return to civilian life; and for those ministers with heinous crimes, they should be imprisoned and punished by law."

The prince thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's do as you say. We must let these corrupt officials know that those who break the law will be punished."

Therefore, Chen Jue and the crown prince, according to the results of the discussion, punished those ministers who entertained guests, gave gifts, and ran for office and bought positions. Some ministers were demoted to remote areas, some were dismissed from their posts, and some were imprisoned. When the people heard the news, they applauded and praised the crown prince and Chen Jue for their righteous actions.

Through this action, Chen Jue and the prince not only recovered a large amount of debts for the country, but also rectified the atmosphere of the court.

After successfully dealing with a number of ministers who violated laws and disciplines, the crown prince and Chen Jue focused their attention on those who borrowed money just to eat, drink and have fun, and those who took empty salaries and showed off their wealth. These people usually spent money extravagantly, completely disregarding the safety of the country and the suffering of the people.

After discussion, the prince and Chen Jue decided to deal a heavy blow to these people. They knew that if they did not severely punish these people, the country's financial crisis would not be resolved and the people in the disaster area would continue to suffer. So they began to collect evidence and prepared to deal with these people severely.

After the evidence was conclusive, the prince and Chen Jue took decisive action. They ordered the seizure of these people's property, deprived them of their official positions, and imprisoned them according to law.

These people lost their source of income in an instant, and they fell into despair, like birds with their feathers plucked out.

However, these people were not willing to accept defeat. They united and started to cause trouble. They brought a group of "old brothers" who used to eat, drink and have fun together, and went to the emperor to cause trouble again.

After the prince and Chen Jue learned the news, they immediately sent people to pursue and intercept them.

When the rioting crowd tried to push their way into the palace, the guards around the Crown Prince and Chen Jue immediately took action, like an indestructible wall, guarding the dignity and tranquility of the palace.

The guards stood tall and straight with determined eyes. They quickly formed a tight human wall to separate the rioting crowd from the palace entrance.

The captain of the guards had a stern expression on his face. He raised his spear high and shouted, "Don't get close! If you take another step forward, I will kill you without mercy!"

His voice was loud and commanding, echoing in the air and sending shock waves through the hearts of the rioting crowd.

The other guards also clenched their weapons, some holding spears, some holding swords, ready for battle.

Their standing posture was as solid as a rock, their feet firmly planted on the ground, as if they were one with the earth. Facing the shoves and shoves of the rioting crowd, they did not flinch, using their body strength to resist the impact.

Whenever a troublemaker tried to force his way through the defense line, the guards would quickly move in and force him back with their spears. Their movements were clean and neat, showing both great strength and a sense of proportion.

A troublemaker suddenly rushed forward, and a guard nimbly dodged to the side, then gently pushed the man with the butt of his spear, causing him to stagger back.

During the process of blocking the crowd, the guards remained highly alert. They kept their eyes on the rioters and paid attention to everyone's actions. Once they found any abnormal situation, they would take action immediately.

A few troublemakers tried to go around from the side, but the guards immediately adjusted their positions and quickly blocked the gap, leaving them no chance to exploit.

Although the rioters were emotional, shouting and pushing each other, the guards remained calm.

The businessman, with a face full of anger, waved his fists and shouted loudly: "They are pushing us into a dead end! What's wrong with us borrowing some money to enjoy ourselves? Is there no way for us to survive in this world?"

An official in a gorgeous robe nearby also shouted: "The Crown Prince and Chen Jue are clearly targeting us on purpose. We have worked hard for the country for many years, but now we have ended up like this. Where is justice?"

A thug-like man with a face full of flesh was even more arrogant. He rushed to the front, pointed at the prince and Chen Jue and cursed: "What right do you have to cut off our financial resources? If you don't give us an explanation today, we will never let you go!"

The prince looked at the chaotic scene, his face gloomy as if water could drip out. His eyes widened with anger, and he loudly rebuked: "You borrowed money just to eat, drink and have fun, and you also took empty salaries and showed off your wealth. This is a serious violation of laws and disciplines. The country is in trouble now, not only do you not help, but you are also making trouble here. Do you still have any conscience?"

The prince's voice was like a loud bell, echoing in the air, trying to calm down these troublemakers.

Chen Jue also stepped forward and said seriously: "We are handling you in accordance with the law. Your actions have brought great harm to the country and must be punished."

Chen Jue's expression was very serious, and his eyes were fixed on those who were causing trouble.

However, these people ignored the words of the prince and Chen Jue. They started to argue with each other, and the scene was very chaotic for a while.

"We don't care. We just want our money and official positions back."

"You can't do this to us, we have to live too."

Some people even started to push the guards around the crown prince and Chen Jue, trying to rush into the palace. The guards hurriedly stopped them, and the two sides fell into a stalemate.

The prince saw this and shouted angrily: "If you continue to act unreasonably, don't blame us for being rude."

"Humph, what can you do to us? There are so many of us, are we still afraid of you?"