Chapter 137 Chunhe

The prince was scolded, the scope of the investigation was narrowed, the Ministry of Revenue was temporarily safe, and the Supervision Bureau raised his back again. This is so interesting. Whether the waist of the Supervision Bureau can be straight now depends on the angle between the Minister of Revenue and the ground.

Grand Secretary Hu slapped the table in the Secretariat of the Secretariat, pointed at the faces of the six officials, and scolded the uncles of these officials for being unclear. Anyway, he was still young and angry, and he did not need to always show off his senate style and demeanor like Shu Wu. What His Majesty needed was Grand Secretary Hu's reputation and motivation. However, in the matter of investigating the Ministry of Revenue, Grand Secretary Hu did not fully meet His Majesty's requirements.

Because in his opinion, at least from the investigation, the Ministry of Revenue... is really not easy. What made Grand Secretary Hu angry the most was that the matter had come to this day, and some officials in the court were still obsessed with it, wanting to find some evidence of guilt related to Jiangnan from the Ministry of Revenue's account.

A sound of slapping the table sounded again. Grand Secretary Hu frowned deeply, stared at the officials beside him coldly, and said in a deep voice: "Do you transfer silver to Jiangnan? Where is the silver? Isn't it still stored in the Ministry of Revenue Warehouse? There is no evidence in the future. Don't talk about these false things, so as not to make the officials' hearts cold."

He looked at the officials with rustle faces and snorted coldly: "Sir, please take care of yourself."

After saying this, Grand Secretary Hu brushed his sleeves and walked out of the small room next to the palace, leaving many officials looking at each other in the room.

Everyone felt deeply regret and embarrassment. After checking the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Revenue was clean. On the contrary, countless problems were found in the faction of these people. The backers behind these officials were closely related to Jiangnan. From the situation in Jiangnan, these big figures determined that Fan Xian used the silver used to hedge against Xia Qifei and the Ming family, and must have been transferred out of the national treasury.

It is precisely because of this judgment that these people dare to launch an offensive against the Ministry of Revenue so surely. Since so much money still exists in the treasury Transfer Department, the treasury will definitely not be able to be erased.

But... there is no trace!

These officials were so angry that their teeth were itchy. They were scolded by Grand Secretary Hu and did not dare to retaliate. Who told them that they were shouting loudly, but in the end they could not find any problems!

The father and son of the Fan family are too sinister.

It was early morning, and the sun in the east had not yet risen. The Secretariat of the Ministry of Revenue was just planning a memorial to today's court meeting. The officials looked a little tired. Most of them had not slept all night. They just thought about the struggle at the court meeting immediately. Everyone had to raise their spirits. The first stage of the Ministry of Revenue's investigation site was obviously ended with the complete failure of the two factions, the eldest princess and the East Palace, but... how can we save some of the situation?

Intentionally or unintentionally, these officials turned their attention to a young official who had been sitting in a dark corner.

The young official's surname is He Zongwei, who is a new celebrity in the court. He has some previous connections with the eldest princess East Palace. Now he is deeply appreciated by His Majesty.

Because Grand Secretary Hu did not want to make a big fuss about the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, His Majesty had many unspeakable intentions that could not be handled smoothly through the officials, so he was transferred to the new left censor He Zongwei, to the investigation team of the Ministry of Revenue.

The officials looked at He Zongwei, naturally wanting to know from the young official that the matter was ready to be dealt with in the palace.

This person has been specially ordered to listen to the affairs of the Secretariat of the Sect for three days and has always been stable. He has always been polite to Grand Secretary Hu and all the ministers, without saying much or doing anything wrong, and has achieved the samadhi of calmness.

He Zongwei knew that he had to show some abilities not only for himself, but also for His Majesty.

"It's a mess." He sighed and said to several officials gently: "It seems that this matter has to be continued slowly. Grand Secretary Hu was also a little anxious before. Don't worry too much, sir."

The slow toss and turns shows the attitude of the palace. The Fan Mansion responded ingeniously and toughly, which made the palace unable to find a good way to replace the Minister of Revenue. There was no choice but to wait for another chance.

The officials were silent. They felt a little unwilling and a little worried.

Since Fan Jian's status remains unchanged, he and his leading officials will naturally have to pay the corresponding price.

At the subsequent court meeting, the eldest princess and the officials of the East Palace launched a final offensive, not to kill the enemy, but to protect themselves. Even if the Ministry of Revenue is clean, it was always caught by the inspection team. Especially with the guidance of He Zongwei who joined afterwards, the ministers abandoned the horrifying charges and just kept some small problems in the Ministry of Revenue, such as unclear accounts, such as... a small amount of silver was missing.

Although they are all small problems, it at least shows that the people who are the ones who checked the Ministry of Revenue not to retaliate against revenge, but to really want to find the Ministry of Revenue.

At the court meeting, listening to the ministers' passionate accusations, Grand Secretary Hu sneered in the first line in his left hand, Shu Wu was worried beside him, and Yan Xingshu, the Minister of Personnel, said nothing.

The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, looking at a person in the civil service team with some complicated eyes.

Today, Fan Jian, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, also came to the court meeting.

The emperor looked at Fan Jian's slightly gray hair below, sighed in his heart, and asked, "Where did that 180,000 taels of silver go?"

Fan Jian left the list without defending himself or explaining, and showed his old attitude, bowed and apologized directly.

The 180,000 taels of silver had already been sent to the Governor of Heyun!

The court suddenly felt an uproar. The Ministry of Personnel and relevant officials, who were strongly investigating the Ministry of Revenue, were hiding their faces as soon as they appeared and did not understand why the experienced Minister of Revenue would confess to privately transferring treasury silver into the Heyun Governor's Office in front of His Majesty. But they knew that this was an opportunity that could not be missed!

For a time, officials came out one after another, accusing the Ministry of Revenue with a righteous intent, and pointing the finger at Fan Jian.

In this world, only His Majesty’s will can be used to mobilize the national treasury and no one else can do it. Fan Jian asked the Ministry of Revenue to transfer silver into the Heyun Governor’s Office, but he did not have the imperial approval in hand. No matter from any perspective, it was a crime of deceiving the emperor and doing something wrong.

The emperor stared at Fan Jian's tired face, and a faint light flashed in his eyes, but he did not seem to hear the voices of the ministers in the court asking for punishment from the Ministry of Revenue.

The emperor did not listen, but some officials heard it clearly. The deepest part of his heart was filled with anger!

The deficit in the Ministry of Revenue is very closely related to the officials who attacked the Ministry of Revenue. Even if this move is inappropriate, he is forgiven. This is a pain point for the court and the people, but it has become a shameful place for those shameless villains to attack!

Shu Wu's brows were trembling with anger in his eyes, and he turned around and glared at the civil servants who had left the list.

In fact, these senior officials in the Secretariat knew that the procedures for the imperial court to remove silver were really complicated. If they really wanted to ask for an order to transfer silver to the river, I was afraid that the river would have been missing. In the deep winter, Shu Wu once complained to the emperor about this matter. Although he did not know the details, he dared to conclude that this had nothing to do with personal interests.

No, it’s a big deal! He revises money to build the river, and his old Fan family has no fields on both sides of the river, so he can get nothing better!

Shu Wu forced his anger in his chest, stood up and saluted the emperor in the dragon throne.

Seeing the respected Grand Secretary leave the list, the officials who attacked the Ministry of Revenue stopped and retreated to the queue.

The emperor glanced at him and said, "What is the crime of privately treasury silver?"

Mr. Old Shu raised his head and said directly: "Your Majesty, if you ask Qinglu, you should ask the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple. The old minister was walking under the Secretariat, but he was not very familiar with Qinglu."

The emperor said with a smile: "What did the old bachelor want to say?"

Shu Wu bowed again, turned around and looked at the young men in the court with contempt, and then slowly said, "The old minister thinks that Shangshu Fan has no fault in this matter."

“How to say it?”

"The matter of river engineering has been tight, and this year I am lucky to be lucky. The spring flood is not as popular as in previous years, but the summer flood is coming soon. As for the Ministry of Revenue transferring silver into the Hegong Office."

Shu Wu took a deep breath and said respectfully: "It was a memorial that the old minister approved by the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue and transferred it directly to the Ministry of Revenue. Therefore, the old minister actually knew about the transfer of the silver from the Ministry of Revenue."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was another uproar in the court!

Grand Secretary Shu was willing to take a big risk and tied himself to the Fan family together? Why is this?

Shangshu Fan seemed a little surprised, looking at the old Grand Secretary in front of him.

The emperor frowned slightly, and then suddenly laughed after a moment, "Oh? Why don't I know about this?"

"It's the old minister who is so confused. Please forgive me for your crime."

Grand Secretary Shu was not a fool. He had a lot of discussions in the court before. He couldn't see it. His conscience was churning in his heart. He was so old that he was still firm and his conscience was churning. He rushed to let him stand up to protect the Ministry of Revenue. But after he woke up at this time, he realized that His Majesty certainly did not like his subordinate, the Secretariat, would be a security guard for the Six Ministry. He smiled bitterly and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty is poor that the old minister is old. He drank two more drinks yesterday. He talked about a little young maniac. At this time, he couldn't take it back even if he wanted to shut up."

When the emperor saw a grand grandson pretending to be a clown, he couldn't help laughing, and the unpleasantness of being confronted gradually dissipated.

It is impossible to take away the Minister of Revenue and a Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue just because of a mere 180,000 taels of silver.

"Hu Xuzhi." The emperor asked with a smile: "In your opinion, what is the crime of the Ministry of Revenue?"

Mr. Hu took the lead and after a little consideration, he whispered: "The crime of deceiving the monarch."

There was a buzzing sound in the court.

The emperor raised his eyebrows and asked with interest: "How should we punish him?"

"No." Grand Secretary Hu owed his body very low.

“Why?”

"The Ministry of Revenue transfers silver into the He River is a public heart and a loyalty to serve Your Majesty. Although it is a deception of the king, it is a deception of the king." Hu Grand Secretary Qing said lightly: "Qinglu determines people to be guilty of their crimes, they care about understanding the truth and setting the situation, and knowing the truth and understanding the situation. The officials of the Ministry of Revenue and the Minister of the Shangshu are open and sincere, and Your Majesty is clearly aware of it."

"Oh?" The emperor seemed very interested in this statement and said with a smile: "But the rules are here, and they are not handled according to the laws. How can we calm the mouths of the people in the world and how can we calm the thoughts of officials obeying the laws?"

"The mouths of the people in the world are endless, so don't need to be blocked." Grand Secretary Hu replied in a harmonious voice: "As long as the mouths of the river and the long embankment can be blocked, the people can see, hear, have things to fill their stomachs, and have a place to live in peace, they will naturally know Your Majesty's painstaking efforts."

The emperor was moved and nodded.

Grand Secretary Hu continued, "As for all officials..." A faint smile suddenly appeared on the corner of his lips, "It would be fine if all officials really abide by the law. In my opinion, although the Qing Dynasty is important, it is more important than the words of the Holy Emperor. If Your Majesty compassionate with the hard work of the Ministry of Revenue and lenient, all officials in the court will feel the holy heart."

He finally said softly: "Your Majesty. It has been raining continuously recently."

The last sentence was extremely low, and no one could hear it except the officials close to the dragon throne.

The emperor fell into deep thought and knew that the reason why his closest disciples, the Secretariat, stood on the side of the Fan family today was for the sake of the court and for the money of his own Daqing Dynasty. He frowned and thought that Hu Shu and the other two did not know my true intentions, and were agitated by Xiuhe. He came forward to protect the Fan family, but... Is his approach this time really a bit inappropriate?

Do some conscientious officials in the court think that Fan Jian should stay?

He frowned and gradually stretched out his brows. Looking at His Highness Fan Jian, he asked softly: "I don't want to hear what others say. Come and tell me. Why did he transfer silver to the Heyun Governor's Office without my permission?"

Fan Jian sighed, walked forward a few steps, bowed to the ground, and replied simply: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's too late."

This money was actually part of the money sent back by the Ministry of Revenue to Jiangnan. The emperor knew it. Fan Jian naturally knew it. Today, the emperor was attacked by officials in the court as an opportunity. However, Fan Jian insisted on not defending himself, and did not try to let the emperor share the burden for him.

For the benefit of the people, he dared to privately adjust the treasury and silver to build the river. He was really a very righteous minister in the Daqing Dynasty. No wonder he moved the two great scholars, Hu Shu.

For the sake of Your Majesty, you dare not defend yourself from facing serious crimes. It is really a rare slave of pure loyalty in the Daqing Dynasty. No wonder His Majesty the Emperor was also a little moved.

The emperor pondered, then nodded slowly.

After the court meeting, the decree was issued, and the Ministry of Revenue was seriously deficit. His Majesty was furious and the supervision order continued the investigation. However, the problem of the land was found and the supervisory authority and the Dali Temple were handed over to the Supervisory Office and the Dali Temple for trial.

Fan Jian, the Minister of Revenue, was removed from his second-level title, fined his salary and remained in his post.

It's funny that this second-level title was the court's grace after Fan Xian saved the emperor in the Hangkong Temple. As for the salary fine, plus the salary fine last time, Fan Jian should not be able to get a salary for two years.

But... he still sat steadily in the position of Minister of Revenue.

Correspondingly, the deficit that the Ministry of Revenue has found implicated many officials, and a vigorous investigation began. All forces began to be forced to cut off their own hands and feet, so as not to be suppressed by the Ministry of Revenue for so many years and cut off their heads.

The prince's 400,000 taels of silver was transferred by the empress dowager in the palace to fill in the private bank.

However, the officials of other sects were not as good as a grandmother. Whether it was the East Palace or the Princess, a large number of officials were dismissed, and some fresh blood, such as young people like He Zongwei, began to gradually enter the court.

Last fall, a group of court officials had been eliminated due to the war between Fan Xian and the Second Prince.

In the late spring of this year, due to the war between the Ministry of Revenue and the eldest princess, the courtiers were wiped out again.

Abandoning and giving up became the main style in the battle for a while.
To be continued...