Although the Emperor's gaze only lightly brushed past, it landed in the eyes of many observant people in the court. However, at this time, the palace treasury bidding documents had arrived. Fan Xian, who was far away in Jiangnan, had raised his official reputation to a terrifying level because of the 20 million liang of silver. Presumably, the Emperor would be happy.
Were they going to investigate the Ministry of Revenue's debts at this time? The silver that the Jiangnan palace treasury had sent was enough to smooth everything out. Furthermore, if they investigated the Ministry of Revenue at this time, would it appear that they were not giving Fan Xian face?
In reality, the officials all knew that the Ministry of Revenue had to be investigated in the end because rumors of the Ministry of Revenue's deficit had spread for a long time. The so-called wind from an empty cave might not be without reason. Furthermore, the emptiness of the national treasury before and after the year seemed to faintly confirm this point. If this matter was not cleared up, the Qing Kingdom's court would not have a stable footing. However, investigating was investigating. As for when to investigate, that would require great wisdom to decide.
Fan Xian had just performed a great service. Immediately, these officials jumped out to accuse Fan Jian. It seemed a bit unreasonable. They didn't know what the Emperor meant.
No matter what, there needed to be someone taking the lead. Thus, after the court had calmed down slightly, an official rose and knelt on the ground to report to the Emperor about the Ministry of Revenue's deficit. He spoke with certainty as if how much money was missing from the national treasury had all fallen into his eyes. No one knew where this official got his confidence from.
The Emperor's meaning was very unclear. Listening to the official's words, he furrowed his brows and nodded. For a moment, the officials didn't know whether the Emperor wanted to investigate or not.
The officials didn't dare stare at the Emperor's expression, so they all secretly glanced at the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, in the ranks. They saw that Fan Jian still had a serious expression. Amidst the solemnity, there was a hint of contentment. They couldn't help but cooperate with this official's composure.
"The matter of the Ministry of Revenue … after the discussion in the royal study, an edict will come down."
The Emperor coldly finished these words and announced the end of the court meeting. With a wave of his dragon robe, he moved behind the screen.
The officials walked out of the Palace. Along the way, they couldn't resist whispering and guessing what the Emperor was thinking.
… …
That afternoon, in the not very spacious royal study, under the dragon couch, there were a few embroidered stools. The scholars of the Hall of Governmental Affairs, the Minister of Appointments Yan Hangshu, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Works were all seated. Next to the dragon couch, the Crown Prince, the First Prince, and the Second Prince stood respectfully on the ground with their hands hanging by their sides.
The Emperor sat on the flat couch. With a calm expression, he flipped through the memorials the court officials had presented. Actually, since last night, there had been an endless stream of officials who had begun to send in memorials to accuse the Ministry of Revenue of running a deficit and officials misappropriating national funds. However, after the banknotes Fan Xian had sent, this powerful wave of attention was immediately stopped. The Emperor also did not allow the officials to debate this matter in the court conference.
Sitting on the embroidered stools, Shu the Scholar and Hu the Scholar quietly met each other's eyes. They knew that the Emperor had placed the matter of investigating the Ministry of Revenue in the royal study to discuss because he wanted to give Minister of Revenue Fan Jian some face. However, why was Minister Fan not in the royal study today? If the Emperor truly had the intention of returning to the Fan manor, he should have allowed him to defend himself here.
The two scholars' hearts were slightly nervous. Looking at the Emperor's arrangements, it seemed to be different from what they had guessed. The deficit of the Ministry of Revenue looked like it was real and not another of the Emperor's little tricks. It looked like Minister Fan was truly going to be pushed to the heart of the struggle.
"Fan Jian is sick."
Seeming to guess what the officials were guessing, the Emperor didn't even raise his head as he spoke in a quiet voice. However, it was difficult to suppress a faint anger in his lightly raised voice.
The officials smiled bitterly and thought to themselves that this chief steward of the Qing court was truly a wonderful person. Every time someone in court accused him, he never did anything. He was too lazy to care about any alliances. He even seemed disdainful of entering the Palace to defend himself. It was just such a simple move … to escape from illness.
Minister Fan's courage … it looked like it was not as small as people had previously thought.
"Everyone, speak." The Emperor threw the memorial in his hand to one side and said, "Regarding the matter of the Ministry of Revenue, what do you all think?"
The faces of these elders in the center of the Qing court were calm. Their eyes were on their noses, and their noses were on their hearts. Even if they were beaten to death, they would not be the first to jump out and offend the Fan family. Although they all thought that the Ministry of Revenue needed to be investigated for the sake of the court, these people all had good relationships with Fan Jian. In addition, since the entire court suspected the Ministry of Revenue, there would always be someone who couldn't hold back their anger before them.
Unexpectedly, the elders all had good self-control skills. After a moment, no one spoke. The royal study sank into an incomparably awkward silence.
The Crown Prince looked at this strange scene and couldn't help but laugh in his heart. He thought to himself that the officials only wanted stability, but they had not expected that this kind of behavior would probably make his father more and more unhappy in his heart.
At this moment, it was time for him to show off. He quickly coughed and glanced at Shu the Scholar.
Shu the Scholar paused and also felt that the situation was a bit delicate. The Emperor had asked a question, yet none of the officials dared to reply. Where would the Emperor put his face? He quickly opened his mouth and said, "Your Majesty …"
He only had time to say two words before the Emperor's suppressed anger exploded out. He scolded, "The memorials to investigate the Ministry of Revenue were submitted by you!"
He picked up the memorials beside him and waved them around, angrily scolding, "At this time, the ones who are acting like dead birds in front of me are also you! What use does the court have for you silent gourds? "
The officials in the royal study were afraid. They quickly left their seats and bowed to admit their guilt with bitter smiles.
The Emperor drank a bowl of white fungus soup and slightly calmed the anger in his stomach. He huffed coldly and waved his hand to indicate for them to sit.
Since the Emperor had become angry, the limelight was clear.
Shu the Scholar had a good relationship with the Fan manor. He felt that he was wholeheartedly working for the public and did not have a personal grudge against Minister Fan. Additionally, he did not want anyone to use the matter of investigating the Ministry of Revenue to attack the Fan manor. He took the lead and said, "The matter of the Ministry of Revenue is very important. This is where the court's finances are located. Although I don't know where the recent rumors came from or where the Imperial Censorate learned that the Ministry of Revenue owed so much, since there is such a reason, it must be investigated. Let's see how Your Majesty intends to investigate. "
Shu the Scholar considered his words and smiled slightly. "These years, Minister Fan has always been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. Although he was an assistant minister a few years ago, because the old minister was always sick in bed, the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue were all handled by him. You must know that the matter of the Ministry of Revenue is the most trivial, so the court officials often overlook its importance. Managing the Ministry of Revenue is difficult to achieve merit, but if something happens … it is too easy. In the end, it is nothing more than a hard job. Sir Fan has managed the Ministry of Revenue for many years. Although he has not achieved merit, he has never made a mistake. This is actually a great merit for the court. I hope Your Majesty can understand Sir Fan's hard work and show me more leniency. Even if you want to investigate, you cannot be too negligent. "
With these words, everyone knew Shu Wu's position. The Ministry of Revenue had to be investigated, but it could not become a mess. The Crown Prince laughed coldly in his heart, thinking that Shu the Scholar's two paragraphs were beautiful. Since he didn't know where the rumors came from, it was hinting that even if the Ministry of Revenue owed something, perhaps it was someone in court who wanted to use the opportunity to do so.
Hu the Scholar also nodded in agreement. "The investigation must be investigated."
The Emperor's face was calm. He asked the Minister of Works, "What do you mean?"
A cold sweat trickled down the Minister of Works' back. He smiled bitterly and said, "These two years, the Ministry of Works has acted according to Your Majesty's edict and the procedures of the Hall of Governmental Affairs. When moving money to the Ministry of Revenue, it has often not gone smoothly. However, official business does not interfere with private matters. I do not think that the Ministry of Revenue is purposely making things difficult for me. Perhaps the Ministry of Revenue really does sometimes find it inconvenient to move."
This was a critical argument. If the Ministry of Revenue did not have a deficit, how could it be inconvenient to move?
Immediately after, the Minister of Appointments, Yan Hangshu, also clearly expressed his attitude. He was in charge of the examination of officials and the appointment and removal of personnel. Of course, he suggested that the Emperor should thoroughly investigate the Ministry of Revenue. If there were problems, he should punish them. If there were no problems, it would reduce the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue.
The Emperor listened to these officials' secretive words and felt slightly annoyed. He furrowed his brows and used his finger to gently knock on the low table on the couch. Pointing at the thin memorials on the table, he said, "Memorials from Jiangnan. You all take a look."
Eunuch Yao calmly stepped forward and accepted the memorials, handing them out to the officials' hands.
For a moment, in the royal study, only the sound of the officials flipping through the memorials and the gradually heavy breathing could be heard.
After a long time, the officials finally finished exchanging and reading. They raised their heads with shock on their faces. Shu Wu and Hu the Scholar met each other's eyes and quickly turned their heads away. Neither of them could hide the deep worry in their hearts. If what the memorials said was true, then Minister Fan's daring was truly too big!
"Jiangnan Road Imperial Censor Guo Zheng has written that Fan Xian chose a puppet surnamed Xia to control during the palace treasury bidding. At the same time, he provided a large sum of silver for the Xia person to enter the palace treasury door. On one hand, he allowed the Xia person to snatch six of the Treacherous Path's bids. On the other hand, he allowed him to clash with the royal merchants and forcefully raise this year's bidding silver."
The Emperor's calm voice rang out again. It was so calm that it was as if he was talking about a topic that had nothing to do with him.
"Guo Zheng suspects where the large amount of silver in Fan Xian's hands came from."
The Emperor looked at the officials and smiled coldly. "I am also suspicious. Putting aside the matter of Fan Xian allowing his subordinates to compete with the royal merchants for profit, which official can tell me, where did he get so much silver? "
Shu Wu's throat was dry. He couldn't speak. Only now did he know why so many court officials were certain that the Ministry of Revenue's deficit was enormous. It was because of the Jiangnan problem. The Emperor's meaning was also very clear. Fan Xian was able to completely control the situation of the palace treasury bidding and use his subordinates to secretly control the six Treacherous Path's bids. The enormous amount of silver involved in this matter probably came from the Ministry of Revenue, from his father's hands.
The officials were silent. At this moment, they were not afraid of offending Minister Fan. They were still immersed in this kind of shock. Looking at the inscription on the memorial, it should have arrived in the Royal Palace last night. The Emperor should have long known that Fan Xian had used some dishonorable methods in the palace treasury bidding. However, the Emperor's joyous expression in the court earlier was not fake. The Emperor's silent endurance and deep foresight were indeed not something an official could guess. Perhaps, the Emperor liked Fan Xian earning silver for him, but did not like Fan Xian using the court's silver to earn silver for him?
Only the Emperor could move the court's silver. No one could move it on their own. It looked like the Fan family had truly touched the Emperor's reverse scale this time.
Amidst the silence, the Second Prince, who had only been allowed into the royal study again in February, smiled slightly and said, "Father, I have something to say."
"Speak," the Emperor said coldly.
A calm smile rose to the Second Prince's gentle and beautiful face. He bowed to the officials and quietly said, "I have some grievances with Commissioner Fan, but I do not dare to not express my opinion because of this matter. I believe that since Fan Xian is far away in Jiangnan and has the identity of an imperial envoy, there is naturally no one holding him back. However, he allowed his subordinates to steal the court's silver for his own use, which is a great crime. The Ministry of Revenue's private transfer of national funds to Jiangnan is even closer to rebellion. "
This was setting the tone. Everyone knew he was targeting the Fan family, but no one could refute anything.
The Great Prince, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Jiangnan Imperial Censor Guo Zheng has an old grievance with Fan Xian. Back then, in the great hall of the Ministry of Justice, he was almost punched in the back by Fan Xian."
After saying this, he didn't continue to speak.
Shu the Scholar sat on the bench and listened. He thought to himself that this was an opportunity that had to be seized. Otherwise, if it really was as Guo Zheng said in his memorial, not only would the Ministry of Revenue be in chaos, Fan Xian in Jiangnan would also not have a good ending. With both sides in chaos, who knew how many heads would fall to the ground? The Qing court could not endure such a large disturbance.
He quickly followed the Great Prince's words and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I am not afraid to speak rudely about Guo Zheng, but I will say one more thing. This person rejoices in grandiose achievements and has done many rash actions. Last year, he was demoted to Jiangnan by the Emperor. It is difficult to guarantee that he will not purposely exaggerate the matter and frame people because of his old grievance with Sir Fan junior. "
Once the words "old grievance" came out, everyone couldn't help but glance at the Second Prince who had the deepest grievance with Fan Xian. Although the Second Prince still maintained a beautiful smile on his face, in reality, his face was beginning to heat up. He glanced at the Great Prince with hidden bitterness. Since his youth, he and the Great Prince had a deep brotherly relationship. He completely didn't understand why his big brother had to stand on that bastard's side.
…
…
There were some things to do today and in the next few days.
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