Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1475 - 926: Purging the Spirit Source Land

Yang Mingzhao regarded the document within his grasp, then glanced at the subsequent roster, his countenance rapidly darkening.

"All these individuals are to be apprehended?"

"Precisely!"

"And what are the stated offenses?"

"Insubordination towards regulations and the abuse of authority for personal enrichment!"

"Is there no leniency to be found?"

"My sole purpose is to execute directives!" Yang Qinhua responded curtly.

Yang Mingzhao's lips quivered, yet he ultimately gestured, commanding, "Proceed with their arrests, make the arrests!"

The document bore the official seal of Ziwei Tower and the signature of Yang Chengmao. As the fourth uncle, direct contravention was an impossibility.

"Arrest them!" Yang Qinhua signaled to the soldiers positioned behind him, and a contingent of them surged upstairs, proceeding to detain individuals named on the roster without deviation.

"Hold, Yang Jilin must also be apprehended!" Yang Mingzhao interjected, observing a young man being escorted by the soldiers.

"Ancestor, spare me, ancestor, save me!" The young man's desperate pleas echoed upon sighting Yang Mingzhao.

"Apprehend everyone designated on the list!" Yang Qinhua reiterates his order.

A frown creased Yang Mingzhao's brow as he re-examined the document, his disquiet deepening with each passing name.

Indeed, the roster contained a substantial number of individuals, with seven alone originating from Kaiyang Tower. Astonishingly, the list also encompassed names from the adjacent Heavenly Treasure Tower.

"What transpires here?"

A sense of bewilderment permeated his thoughts.

No prior consultation had occurred regarding this matter, and as the tower lord of Kaiyang Tower, his responsibilities typically involved a passive observance rather than active engagement.

"Very well, cease this commotion; you shall accompany them for now!" Yang Jilin's cries for assistance had begun to grate.

This Yang Jilin was Yang Chengmao's grandnephew, the biological grandson of Yang Chengxian. Not yet forty years of age, his tenure at Kaiyang Tower had spanned merely a few years.

Yang Mingzhao resolved to journey to Ziwei Tower to seek clarification.

Such a significant undertaking, and yet he received no advance notification; it was truly an affront.

However, the moment Yang Mingzhao departed Kaiyang Tower, he discerned that the day's events far surpassed his initial imaginings!

The thoroughfares teemed with armored soldiers, and the clamor of arrests echoed incessantly, casting a pall of panic over the populace.

Yang Mingzhao shook his head and proceeded towards Ziwei Tower, where the scene was even more chaotic, with throngs of people converging.

"Brother!"

Yang Mingzhao spotted Yang Mingcheng and called out.

"Fourth Brother, you are here as well!"

"Indeed! What is transpiring?"

"I possess no knowledge of the situation!"

"You claim ignorance entirely?" Yang Mingzhao regarded Yang Mingcheng with disbelief.

"Nay, I do not!" Yang Mingcheng replied, shaking his head. "Several of my subordinates have been taken into custody!"

The two brothers entered Ziwei Tower, and prior to an audience with Yang Chengmao, they were directed to the uppermost floor.

Upon entering the study, they encountered a familiar figure.

"Father!"

Yang Zhenshan occupied his desk, meticulously reviewing the roster pertaining to the ongoing arrests.

Ignorance had preceded this inquiry; the subsequent revelations were profoundly disturbing.

Since the commencement of the large-scale population relocation to Spirit Source Land over sixty years prior, the realm had experienced steady development, outwardly appearing prosperous and well-managed.

Yet, with the passage of time, a pervasive corruption had inevitably taken root. Yang Zhenshan had remained oblivious to the alarming extent to which this rot had infiltrated Spirit Source Land.

Malfeasance ran rampant, authority was exploited for personal gain, illicit transactions governed resource allocation, and all culminated in the embezzlement of vital spiritual materials.

"Kneel over there!" Yang Zhenshan gestured to a designated spot, issuing the command.

"Ah!" Yang Mingcheng expressed his shock.

"What? You are unwilling?" Yang Zhenshan lifted his gaze, fixing a stern glare upon them.

"No, no ~"

The two immediately complied, assuming a kneeling posture.

Yang Zhenshan paid them no heed, his attention fully occupied by the litany of issues brought to light by Tianshu Tower. The transgressions were manifold, and while most involved financial impropriety, some instances were particularly egregious.

"From which lineage does Yang Jilin originate?"

Yang Mingzhao responded, "Jilin is the grandson of Chengxian, holding the thirty-seventh position within the Ji generation!"

"Heh, the forceful abduction of women, the oppression of the honest and upright, hmm, a truly commendable grandson of the Yang family! If such a degenerate holds a position in Kaiyang Tower, Mingzhao, are all your subordinates of this ilk?" Yang Zhenshan fixed his gaze upon Yang Mingzhao.

Prolonged periods of peace invariably breed complacency.

Yang Mingzhao stood as a prime illustration of this phenomenon.

In his capacity as the tower lord of Kaiyang Tower, his days were characterized by indolence; when not engaged in angling, he pursued game, subsisting on a life of untroubled comfort.

Yang Mingzhao lowered his head, admitting, "Father, the failing is mine for not adequately disciplining my subordinates!"

At that precise moment, two additional figures entered the chamber, none other than Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao!

"Timely arrivals, join them in kneeling!"

Yang Zhenshan beckoned with his chin, signaling the two to kneel.

Upon observing their elder and fourth brothers already kneeling, the remaining two brothers promptly followed suit without a word.

Once they were on their knees, Yang Zhenshan closed his eyes to recuperate.

In truth, while the issues within the Spirit Source Land were considerable, they were predominantly rooted in corruption, with only a sparse number of truly egregious transgressions.

Such matters are an unfortunate inevitability; any organization, no matter how strong, will encounter similar predicaments, and the Spirit Source Land had, by comparison, managed relatively well.

Yang Zhenshan found himself without a simple resolution for these persistent problems.

Nevertheless, a form of punishment was certainly still warranted.

Particularly for the four brothers before him, it was their own excessive leniency that had led to the Spirit Source Land's current diminished state.

After a short interval, Yang Chengye and Yang Chengmao arrived in tandem.

"Grandfather!" The pair glanced at their kneeling uncles and father, offered a respectful bow, and then greeted him.

"Have all the culprits been apprehended?"

"They have all been detained!" Yang Chengmao confirmed.

"Offered no resistance?"

"None whatsoever!"

"Hmph, at least they had the good sense to yield!"

Yang Zhenshan let out a cold snort and instructed, "You two shall handle the remaining affairs. Punish them strictly according to the law!"

"This…" Yang Chengmao appeared somewhat hesitant.

"What troubles you?"

"Does Jilin also face punishment under the law?"

Yang Zhenshan responded with indifference, "Forced abduction of women, preying upon the innocent and upright; how should such acts be judged by the law?"