The Ministry of Revenue's investigation continued. As the front broadened and more personnel were投入 from various departments, they finally found some clues in those old account books that could be exploited.

The ministers of the investigation team were finally relieved. Regardless of how many problems those leads could uncover within the Ministry of Revenue, a good start would at least shatter the image of perfection that Minister Fan Shangshu had cultivated.

The first problem arose from the winter coat money sent to Cangzhou in the fourth year of Qingli, though the amount wasn't significant.

However, tracing this lead upwards was like rolling a snowball. The gaps that the old officials of the Ministry of Revenue had concealed with layers of cover grew larger and larger, eventually exposing themselves in a shocking manner to the investigating officials.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Minister of Personnel Yan Xingshu were overjoyed. They disregarded Grand Scholar Hu's demand for a more cautious approach and ordered their subordinates to dig deep and relentlessly, tracing the complex lines from the county level all the way to the capital. The evidence they gradually gathered was closing in on Kyoto, meaning it was closing in on the senior officials within the Ministry of Revenue who had the real signing authority.

The left and right Vice Ministers, who were responsible for accepting the review within the Ministry of Revenue, also began to feel apprehensive. They had originally planned and reviewed the winter coat accounts, but they never expected that the mere ten thousand taels of silver for the winter coats would lead to so many other things.

Whether it was the court or the merchants who were managing the accounts, their forte was to shatter large gaps into countless small scraps of paper and scatter them among vast projects, disappearing like salt into a snowstorm, like water into a vast river.

No one expected that the burdens scattered for the winter coats had not been properly managed, and instead revealed a flaw.

The left and right Vice Ministers spent a night at the Ministry of Revenue with grim faces. When it was time to leave work the next day, they prepared to disregard criticism and seek advice from the Minister's residence. Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince spoke coldly, ordering that no officials from the Ministry of Revenue were allowed to leave before the matter was thoroughly investigated. He also deployed the Surveillance Council and several trusted aides to keep an eye on the two Vice Ministers.

Since entering officialdom, Fan Jian had worked in the Ministry of Revenue. Regardless of how the Ministry's name changed before and after the New Policies, or how the personnel structure in the court changed, he had risen from a minor official to the point where, nine years ago, he was already the left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. At that time, the Minister of Revenue was old and ill, and was resting at home. His Majesty favored Fan Jian but didn't want to promote him out of order, so he forced the sick old Minister to stay in his position, preventing other factions from placing their people, thereby allowing Fan Jian to lead the entire Ministry of Revenue in the capacity of Vice Minister.

In the blink of an eye, nine years had passed. During these nine years, the Emperor of Qing was extremely gracious to the Fan residence, and Fan Jian used these nine years to manage the entire Ministry of Revenue into an ironclad interest group.

A very quiet and unremarkable interest group.

So, when the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue began, all the officials of the Ministry were looking upwards, watching their Minister, knowing that as long as the Minister didn't fall, nothing would happen to them.

But today, the Ministry of Revenue seemed to be in danger. The left and right Vice Ministers couldn't enter the Fan residence, and for a time, the officials of the Ministry were in a state of anxiety and unease.

————————————————————

The left and right Vice Ministers couldn't come, but Fan Jian had been operating in the Ministry of Revenue for a long time. He fully understood the tense situation of the past few days. That night, he already knew that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the investigating adults had found a deadly weapon in the Ministry of Revenue – the winter coats for the northern soldiers.

"This won't affect me," Fan Jian said, sitting in his study and drinking sour plum juice, his eyes narrowed. "No matter who inspects Cangzhou, the coats worn by the soldiers are all of the highest quality. I'm not so bad as to profit from the hardships of the soldiers guarding the border."

Today, he wasn't talking to a portrait. Sitting opposite him was a living person, a guest scholar under Fan Jian's patronage, Mr. Zheng Tuo, who had always been highly valued by Fan Jian.

Back when Fan Xian was fighting black fist lawsuits in Kyoto Prefecture, it was Mr. Zheng Tuo who was in charge of the matter. This person used to be an old official in the Ministry of Revenue. Because he was efficient, Fan Jian simply let him leave the Ministry of Revenue and follow him as a guest scholar, a more convenient identity to work with.

After thinking for a while, Zheng Tuo frowned and said, "That batch of winter coats was not only not defective, but the workmanship was extremely careful, and the materials used were also very particular. The cotton was of course from the three major workshops of the inner treasury, and the cotton cloth was also from the top-grade production of the inner treasury. Some other accessories were even specially transferred from Dongyi City. The court can't say that the Master is at fault in this regard... however..."

He hesitated.

Fan Jian smiled and said, "You've been with me for so many years, you should know that I'm cautious in my work, but when analyzing things, I don't hesitate to consider the worst possible angle."

Zheng Tuo smiled bitterly and said, "However, the materials used for that batch of winter coats were good, so the price negotiated by the Ministry of Revenue later was also quite high. The silver transferred from the national treasury... seems to have been a bit too much."

"Just be more direct."

"Yes, Master," Zheng Tuo said, "The Ministry of Revenue embezzled a lot of silver from that batch of winter coats, and later it was all used to fill other gaps."

"Not bad," Fan Jian said expressionlessly, "Some silver was indeed embezzled from this batch of winter coats. At that time, even the salaries of the Kyoto officials for the month were almost not enough to be paid. His Majesty didn't know about this situation, and I couldn't bear to trouble His Majesty with this matter. The inner treasury hadn't allocated the silver at that time, and preparations had to be made for the second year's rewards for the western expeditionary army. The Ministry had no choice but to embezzle some silver from this batch of winter coats."

He waved his hand and said with a smile, "However, the amount of this silver is not large, and filling other places didn't fill it up completely."

"That's right, Master," Zheng Tuo said with a worried face, "The winter coats are just one end. This time, the court is investigating the Ministry, and such things will only be found more and more. If these transfers of silver to fill the deficits are gathered together in the capital, I'm afraid... they will eventually point to that batch of silver that the Ministry last transferred to Jiangnan."

...

...

Fan Jian sighed and shook his head, "There's no way. Actually, this time, the silver was transferred to Jiangnan mainly for the inner treasury bidding. This doesn't have much to do with Anzhi. It's just that as the Minister of Revenue, I also want the inner treasury's profits to be better. If the court doesn't spend money to counteract the Ming family, how can the Ming family be willing to offer so much silver?"

He lowered his head and said softly, "Actually, at the beginning, I went to the palace and told His Majesty about the transfer of this batch of silver."

The study was as silent as death. Zheng Tuo was stunned, and couldn't say anything for a long time. Now, the excuse for investigating the Ministry of Revenue was that the Ministry secretly transferred national funds to Jiangnan to seek profits. Who knew that the transfer of this large amount of silver... was actually known by the palace!

It took him a while to calm down before he frowned and said, "Master, since it's something that His Majesty tacitly allowed, why not just make it clear?"

Fan Jian shook his head very resolutely, "His Majesty has his difficulties... It would be too unsightly for the court to harm the wealthy Ming family of Jiangnan through underhanded means. However, the officials in the court are all speculating about that matter, and His Majesty is always forced to investigate."

He sighed and said, "Since that's the case, how can we make it clear?"

"Then what do we do?" Zheng Tuo said in shock. The meaning of this sentence was very clear. The emperor himself was in charge of the matter. Could it be that just to appease public opinion, Minister Fan was forced to be the scapegoat?

Fan Jian said calmly, "As a subject, of course, I have to share the worries of the Holy Emperor. The Ministry of Revenue's silver transfer was too large, and it can't be concealed in the end. If the Ministry is eventually found out, I will have no choice but to stand up for His Majesty and settle this matter."

The means used by the court to deal with the Ming family were very dishonorable, and there were countless court officials behind the Ming family as backers. For the sake of the stability of the Qing Kingdom's court, the specific details of this method, which was tacitly allowed by His Majesty, could not be announced to the court.

Zheng Tuo showed a look of emotion and sadness, thinking that Minister Fan was indeed a pure and loyal official, and was still thinking of maintaining His Majesty's dignity and the interests of the court at such a critical moment.

"Master, resign," Zheng Tuo said sadly, "It's already come to this point, there's no need to keep holding on."

Fan Jian shook his head, feeling dispirited.

Zheng Tuo painfully劝说 again, "I know that you are not someone who is greedy for wealth and position. Looking at the current situation, His Majesty has long planned for you to resign, and then stop the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue. As long as you resign from the position of Minister, it will be considered a conclusion to the matter of transferring national funds. I believe that the Second Prince and the Eldest Princess will no longer pursue it relentlessly, and Grand Scholar Hu and Grand Scholar Shu will also speak up for you..."

In fact, regarding the issue of resignation, Zheng Tuo, as Fan Jian's confidant, had suggested it many times, but Fan Jian had never agreed. He sighed faintly and said, "Some things, you can clearly do them and then retreat unscathed... but you just can't do them."

Fan Jian lowered his eyes and said, "The Ministry of Revenue has always been managed by me. The court has been fighting wars for years, spending countless amounts of silver, and the Great River has been breaking its banks for three consecutive years. No one knows the extent of the national treasury's emptiness better than I do, and no one understands the current critical situation better than I do. All the officials think that it's still a prosperous age, but who knows the dangers hidden beneath the prosperity?"

"But... Master Fan has already gone to Jiangnan. As long as the inner treasury returns to the right path, the national treasury's crisis will be alleviated," Zheng Tuo said anxiously.

Fan Jian laughed inwardly. If the situation in the inner treasury hadn't been completely controlled by Fan Xian, if His Majesty wasn't confident in reversing the situation of the Qing Kingdom's national treasury within two years, how could that Holy Son be willing to let him resign?

That was what he was thinking in his heart, but his face was extremely sad as he said, "It is precisely because Fan Xian has just taken charge of the inner treasury, and the situation is very good, that's why I can't leave at this time..."

Fan Jian sighed, "One is because it's a critical period of transition from decline to prosperity, and I can't let go. I still want to manage it for His Majesty for two years. The other... is that this kid Anzhi, he seems calm and indifferent, but in reality, he is a passionate and ruthless person. If I really resign, and it's because of the matter of transferring silver to the inner treasury... with his temperament, I'm afraid he will immediately resign from the position of Director of Transportation of the Inner Treasury and return to the capital to seek justice for me."

Zheng Tuo was shocked, and after carefully considering it, what Minister Fan said did have some truth to it.

"It's getting late, you should go back first," Fan Jian said with his eyes closed, "As for the matters in the Ministry, don't worry too much. Although the sparks are igniting in each department, one day they will burn to the office, and even to me. But as long as I can hold on for one day, I will stay for one more day. And when the fire gets bigger, who knows how many people will be burned?"

Zheng Tuo sighed, deeply admiring the Minister's dedication to the public good. He didn't say anything more and left the study.

He left the Fan residence, got into his carriage, and returned to his home. He spread out a piece of paper, wrote a secret letter, and handed it to someone in the mansion. Then, he lay on his bed, with his eyes open, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

Fan Jian's guest scholar, Zheng Tuo, until this day, he asked himself, and still couldn't determine what kind of person he was.

——————————————————————

Minister of Revenue Fan Jian also didn't know what kind of person his confidant, Mr. Zheng Tuo, who had been following him for so many years, was. But he only knew one thing.

Zheng Tuo was not his man.

Zheng Tuo was the Emperor's man. He just didn't know whether he was placed by the Surveillance Council, or through the inner court.

But regardless of which route it was, Fan Jian knew that his every move had been watched by that man in the palace all these years. So all of Fan Jian's actions all these years had also been performed for that man to see.

Including this tonight's solemn and righteous analysis.

Fan Jian wasn't Lin Ruofu. He wouldn't be defeated by the people closest to him, because from that night many years ago, amidst the horns of the west, he had made up his mind that he would absolutely, absolutely, never trust anyone in Kyoto again.

The Ministry of Revenue did transfer a large amount of silver to Jiangnan, and the transfer of this silver was indeed tacitly approved by the Qing Kingdom's Emperor. So when the palace was furious about this matter and ordered the three divisions to investigate the Ministry of Revenue, Fan Jian was outrageously angry and felt a sense of absurd drama.

He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The national funds transferred to Jiangnan were certainly not for use to counteract the Ming family. Fan Jian knew that his remarkable son had already amassed a large amount of surprisingly large amounts of silver, but he just didn't know where this silver came from.

Fan Jian's transfer of silver to Jiangnan was actually just to cover up for Fan Xian. Old Fan's thinking was more sophisticated than Little Fan's. He simply didn't believe that Fan Xian could use the excuse of the Ye family's inheritance to convince the Emperor that Xia Qifei suddenly had a large amount of silver.

Every time he thought of this, Fan Jian couldn't help but sigh. Fan Xian's actions were indeed becoming bolder and bolder, daring to join hands with Qing Kingdom's long-time enemy, Northern Qi!

The son was making a fuss, so the father had no choice but to cover it up. And in order to ensure that his son's plan could proceed smoothly, the Ministry of Revenue had to inject some silver into that Qian Zhuang to ensure that money could be withdrawn at any time.

This was the whole truth about the Ministry of Revenue's private transfer of national funds to Jiangnan.

In this plan, although the amount transferred by the Ministry of Revenue was large, very little of it was actually spent. The vast majority of the share went to Jiangnan for a circle and had already returned to the Ministry of Revenue. So Fan Jian was not worried that the Crown Prince and the Minister of Personnel could really find out anything.

In addition, Fan Jian deliberately leaked some to the River Conservancy Office.

If the Emperor wanted an minister without any significant flaws to resign, he only needed to create momentum and subtly imply it through certain people, and that minister would have to resign.

Even the cunning former Prime Minister Lin Ruofu had fallen into this arrangement.

Fan Jian didn't want to accept His Majesty's arrangement now, and he didn't want to return to Danzhou to retire so early. So he left the Ministry of Revenue for people to investigate. Only by muddying the waters could he demonstrate his cleanliness even more.

At the same time, he wanted to use Zheng Tuo's mouth to prick that man sitting on the dragon throne again.

Only when that man believed that Fan Jian was loyal, stupid, and indispensable, could Fan Jian continue to stand proudly in this dark Kyoto, watching Fan Xian's growth with a loving father's gaze.

"Is everything under control?" Fan Jian scrutinized the letter, which was addressed to his son far away in Jiangnan, before speaking.

A man in black stood before him, bowing deeply, "Zheng Tuo and Yuan Boan are both childless. I reckon they're both people from the Surveillance Council."

Fan Jian frowned and said, "Yuan Boan really from the Surveillance Council? No wonder my in-law fell so quickly."

The man in black said in a deep voice, "But Zheng Tuo has a nephew. According to my subordinates' investigation... it should be his biological son. However, he's afraid that the palace will use this son to threaten him, so he hasn't dared to acknowledge him."

Fan Jian raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Very good. We can threaten him now."

The man in black nodded silently, his hands flat at his sides. On the man's right hand, below the tiger's mouth, was a very long callus. If Fan Xian saw this detail, he would definitely be able to think of the calluses formed by Gao Da and those Tiger Guards from holding the handle of a long knife for many years.

Fan Jian looked at the man in black and said, "Following me, there really isn't much to do. You've been bored all these years. Don't blame me."

The man in black laughed and said sincerely, "Eleven years ago, this subordinate's defense was weak, allowing the madman to kill the palace maid next to the Empress Dowager, and I deserved to die. All thanks to Master thinking of the old friendship, secretly saving me. If it weren't for Master's life-saving grace, I'm afraid this subordinate would have been underground counting maggots for these years."

Fan Jian shook his head with a smile and said, "You just have this frivolous nature. You're not like a Tiger Guard at all. No wonder His Majesty didn't like you the most back then."

Then he said, "Keep an eye on Zheng Tuo. When necessary, send his son's right hand to his room."

...

...

(I've been sick for the past few days. Yesterday, I took an early flight, so I left home at five o'clock, went to the airport, boarded the plane, and the plane flew for a long time. Then, the stewardess's gentle voice came: "Yichang has heavy snow, and we can't land." So the plane turned back to Guangzhou, stayed at the airport, and was pulled to the hotel to eat Hunan cuisine. Then, I was notified that we could land, and I was overjoyed. I went to the airport again, boarded the plane, and the plane flew for a long time, plunged into layers of snow clouds, and landed in Yichang at minus three degrees... It was very cold. I took a bus back to the city, got off the bus, couldn't find a taxi, and took a public bus... It is said that the Yichang Yunji Tunnel collapsed and was completely blocked. The public bus detoured through 403, and it is said that there was a traffic accident somewhere at 403, causing a traffic jam. When I got home, the sky was completely dark, and I was extremely weak.

So the reason was that Yichang had heavy snow and couldn't land, which caused these problems. It wasn't that there was heavy snow in Guangzhou as the leader said when he helped me ask for leave... You must know that if there was heavy snow in Guangzhou, then my grievance would have been too heavy. At that time, Guangzhou was full of sunshine, the sky was blue, and I was cursing the wind and snow in Yichang in the bright sunshine of the south.

The story is not over yet.

When I got home, the hard drive had a problem. I had known about this for a long time, and I had bought a 250g hard drive in Guangzhou, so I didn't take it seriously. But when I installed the new hard drive, I was stunned to find that I didn't have an optical drive. How could I install the system? I tossed around for half the night, found my brother-in-law's optical drive, spent a long time installing the new system, and then was stunned to find that the original old hard drive couldn't be recognized when I plugged it in... Then how could I copy the things on it?

Don't worry, I still have a USB drive. This thing is good, but in the end, it was confirmed that the original old hard drive seemed to be broken.

Finally, I had the first suspension since I started writing Qing Yu Nian. I felt a little strange, as if a record had been broken, as if the Celtics had finally lost a game.

Then I was very surprised, when did I become such a diligent person?

I didn't sleep until very late, and I got up very late today.

There's still my brother-in-law's computer at home that I can use, so writing is no problem. But I'm very sad, very scared. I'm very scared that the data on the original old hard drive can't be recovered... There are many things on it, my Age of Love, my Dream Couple, my Godfather, my Alien, and the most terrible thing is that there are all the things I've written in these seven years, Yingxiu, Roast Chicken, the original drafts of Qing Yu Nian, the beginnings, some small essays, like nonsense... The most, most terrible thing is that there are my experiences in these years, including letters, screenshots, chat records, archives.

The USB drive is good, but it only has Qing Yu Nian on it.

Qing Yu Nian is only a very small part of my life.

That hard drive contains the traces of my life for the past seven or eight years. I simply cannot bear the fact that they might disappear.

So I'm going to fix the hard drive. I'm in a very bad mood.

I'm going to fix the hard drive tomorrow. Please, Wu Zhu, protect me. I might write less roughly these two days. Please understand.)