"Your Excellency, Minister."

"Minister Hu."

Scholar Hu greeted Minister Fan with a beaming smile.

The officials in charge of investigating the Ministry of Revenue also gathered around, offering condolences to the Minister on his recovery from illness. Even Minister of Personnel Yan Xingshu couldn't stay away, his old face filled with genuine concern. The people from the Supervisory Council investigating the Ministry of Revenue were even more careful, shielding Minister Fan from the drafts from the door, exceedingly attentive.

Regardless of whether the court really wanted to investigate the Ministry of Revenue, regardless of whether His Majesty really wanted Minister Fan to resign, as long as Fan Jian remained in court for one day, as long as His Majesty hadn't broken the bond of childhood friendship, as long as... Fan Xian in Jiangnan was still alive, none of the officials in court dared to slight Minister Fan in the slightest.

So the scene at this time had a touch of absurd comedy. The Minister of Revenue, who was supposed to be under investigation, was instead being cared for and pampered by everyone.

Especially the Supervisory Council's investigating officials, who were all from the First Bureau, led by Mu Tie. The First Bureau was still Fan Xian's direct subordinate department, and Fan Jian was their top boss's father. How could they dare to do anything?

The Crown Prince's face was alternating between green and white as he watched this scene, a great unease welling up in his heart. Fan Jian had been absent from the Ministry of Revenue for several days, claiming illness, but the moment he arrived today, he seemed to attract everyone's attention. This minister, who usually kept a low profile, seemed to carry a certain aura about him.

Even as the Crown Prince, the future ruler of Qing Kingdom, he still had to stand up, put on a gentle smile, and comfortingly say, "Minister, are you feeling any better?"

The Crown Prince wasn't afraid of Fan Xian, nor did he care about the Supervisory Council. It was simply that as a member of the royal family, especially as the heir to the throne, he had to show a certain magnanimity. The relationship between the Fan family and the Li family was too deep. There was still an old woman in Danzhou watching from afar. The Crown Prince didn't know how much affection the Emperor still held for his old wet nurse.

Fan Jian smiled apologetically and said, "The affairs of the Ministry of Revenue all originated with me, yet it has troubled Your Highness and Minister Hu to expend so much effort. It is truly my fault."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone took their seats. Although Fan Jian was on the side being investigated, no explicit decree had been issued to target the Minister of Revenue, so he sat down in the very center, upright and unapologetic.

This was the Ministry of Revenue, Fan Jian's territory.

…

…

After everything had returned to calm, everyone's gaze turned to the Ministry of Revenue's Vice Minister – Fang Li.

Everyone's eyes held different meanings. Yan Xingshu was gloating, the Crown Prince was hesitant, Scholar Hu was indifferent, the Supervisory Council was frowning, only Minister Fan looked calm, as if he hadn't imagined how many people this man named Fang Li would implicate.

At this point, the Crown Prince finally understood everything. Fan Jian was a shameless, cunning, treacherous, silent old fox!

When the court began investigating the Ministry of Revenue, no! It should be said that years ago, when the Crown Prince reached out to the Ministry of Revenue, Fan Jian had already been watching this scene coldly, then using extremely seasoned methods, he had quietly covered up this matter, not letting anyone notice. But on the other hand, he deliberately left a small, inconspicuous tail, and with a gentle flick, he had flung it into a certain department within the Seven Bureaus…

In this way, he not only shielded the Crown Prince, but also held the Crown Prince's weakness. Most importantly, this cover-up concealed even the Crown Prince's own officials. Thus, the 400,000 taels of silver became a non-existent entity, erased exceptionally cleanly, so cleanly that even Fang Li thought there were no more problems.

Coupled with the collapse of the Ministry of Rites, and a touch of the Crown Prince’s own foolishness.

Only Fan Jian knew the entire process, and this Minister, with extraordinary shrewdness, didn't directly throw it out to attack the enemy, but left a trace of that thread in the messy grass.

Like the winter clothing worn by the soldiers in the northern snowy fields, like the siege machinery that wasn't needed on the Southern Yue front.

And when the court began investigating the Ministry of Revenue, they would find that thread, gently pulling and pulling... until they finally pulled off their own pants.

This was a scheme buried for several years.

Fan Jian didn't need to do anything. He only needed to wait until he was threatened, create a certain situation, let certain people grab the waistband they had long forgotten, and then give it a hard pull.

A good scheme.

————————————————————————

The investigation into the Ministry of Rites had also begun. Although Guo Youzhi had been tied to death in the heavenly prison, the Ministry of Rites had undergone a major reshuffle, and all the documents were somewhat chaotic. But under the strong investigation of the court's investigation team and the meticulous search of the Supervisory Council, the requisition slips issued by the Ministry of Rites and the receipts secretly kept by the Ministry of Revenue corresponded.

The 400,000 taels of silver had indeed been issued to the Ministry of Rites. The problem was, the Ministry of Rites had allocated 400,000 taels of silver in fourteen installments to repair schools and the autumn examination yamen… Where had the repairs been done?

Scholar Hu had inspected various roads throughout the country for a long time. After entering the Imperial Secretariat, he knew that the schools in various prefectures and roads throughout the country were still in such disrepair, and the autumn examination yamen in many places still leaked rain. So his face became increasingly ugly as he asked the officials of the Ministry of Rites, "Who can tell me, where has this 400,000 taels of silver gone?"

Scholar Hu glanced faintly at the Crown Prince and sighed inwardly.

In fact, everyone present knew the situation in the court a few years ago. The Ministry of Rites had always been the Crown Prince's backyard, and the Ministry of Rites didn't have the guts to falsely requisition 400,000 taels of silver to spend everywhere. Everyone could guess that the money had flowed into the East Palace.

But since the investigation had reached the East Palace, it seemed that this matter was difficult to continue.

After pondering for a moment, Scholar Hu said, "The most important issue at hand is to find out where this 400,000 taels of silver has gone."

The Crown Prince was shocked, but he smiled gently and said, "Minister Hu is right."

Mu Tie of the First Bureau of the Supervisory Council wasn't qualified to sit next to these ministers, and stood on the side. He looked at the face of the old Minister Fan sitting in the center and suddenly said, "The silver did arrive at the Ministry of Rites, but the official who handled this matter died in the spring examination case the year before last."

The Crown Prince was silent on the side. Guo Youzhi was dead, Guo Baokun had been exiled. Now, the Supervisory Council had confirmed the death of the specific handler. Even if Princess Chang knew his involvement with the 400,000 taels of silver, she wouldn't be able to find any evidence to give to Scholar Hu, so he felt slightly relieved. In addition to this relief, there was also some sadness and anger. Aunt! Why did you do this?

But Mu Tie's next sentence chilled the Crown Prince's heart.

He said in a solemn voice, "But there are always clues to be found. Scholar, do you think the Supervisory Council should investigate the Ministry of Rites?"

Investigate the Ministry of Rites?

Everyone in the hall was shocked, thinking, "Let this group of wolves and tigers from the Supervisory Council investigate the Ministry of Rites?" The court's investigation of the Ministry of Revenue would obviously make the young Master Fan in Jiangnan extremely angry. If the Supervisory Council investigated the Ministry of Rites, under the remote control of the young Master Fan, the poor officials of the Ministry of Rites would probably not survive.

But Mu Tie's request seemed very reasonable at this time.

Fan Jian stroked his long beard lightly, his face expressionless, but in his heart he was thinking that Anzhi's confidant's brain seemed to be working better than before. He could actually guess his intentions.

Fan Jian's thinking was very simple. Didn't the court want to investigate the Ministry of Revenue? In order to protect itself, the Ministry of Revenue had to widen the front and drag more departments into it... The Ministry of Rites was just a beginning. After all six ministries were found to have problems, that extremely wise Emperor would not want to dismiss all the ministers.

Minister of Personnel Yan Xingshu glanced at Fan Jian, admiring this old fox very much. He quickly shook his head and refuted, "The court's clear decree is to investigate the Ministry of Revenue. It's not good to spread the scope too widely."

Fan Jian said with a fake smile, "Reasonable, reasonable."

Everyone could hear how sarcastic these two words "reasonable" were. Yan Xingshu's face flushed, knowing that his proposal was unreasonable. Since the Ministry of Revenue's deficit involved the Ministry of Rites, of course the investigation should continue.

Scholar Hu also looked embarrassed and persuaded, "Let's discuss it some more, discuss it some more."

If he authorized the Supervisory Council to investigate the Ministry of Rites, it would eventually lead to the Crown Prince. Therefore, Scholar Hu, as the chief investigating minister, didn't dare to make this decision before entering the palace to seek instructions.

At this moment, the Crown Prince gritted his teeth and said, "The affairs of the Ministry of Rites must always be investigated. But there is an order of priority. The Ministry of Revenue's deficit has not been investigated yet. Spreading the scope too widely will probably hinder His Majesty's decree."

Fan Jian was still smiling and said, "Your Highness is right, right."

Scholar Hu sighed inwardly and said, "Regarding the matter of the Ministry of Rites, we will enter the palace later to ask for a sacred edict. According to Your Highness's intentions, the Ministry of Revenue should continue."

…

…

If the investigation continued, the Ministry of Revenue would definitely find more problems. The 400,000 taels of silver was just the tip of the iceberg. The Crown Prince simply didn't believe that the Fan family would be so clean in the Ministry of Revenue!

The Ministry of Revenue was certainly not clean. The schemes set up by Minister Fan and the threads he had buried certainly weren't just for the Crown Prince.

As the investigation deepened, several more departments were successfully dragged down by the Ministry of Revenue. The Court of Judicial Review was the first to bear the brunt, and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, who had been silent, immediately changed his expression and was extremely embarrassed.

The Ministry of Revenue wasn't just a mess of accounts, but had too many secret accounts. Deficits were pointing to the misappropriation of funds by certain factions in the court.

In the end, even the Imperial Academy, a clear-water department, couldn't escape!

Minister of Personnel Yan Xingshu began to be vigilant. Although the problems found in the Ministry of Revenue at this time hadn't involved Princess Chang and the Second Prince, because his side had always used the Internal Treasury for money, who knew if Fan Jian would be insidious enough to use some kind of excuse to implicate the Second Prince?

"Let's stop here for now." Yan Xingshu said, frowning, "After entering the palace to ask for instructions, we will continue tomorrow."

"Reasonable." Fan Jian was still saying these two words with a smile.

Scholar Hu looked at the officials in the investigation team with a cold face, thinking, "How could the court become so corrupt?" If His Majesty was really determined to investigate, Minister Fan would naturally have to resign. But as long as the investigation didn't reach Jiangnan, he wouldn't need to bear too much responsibility. As for the other officials in the court, they would probably be in for a lot of trouble.

————————————————————————

In the imperial palace in late spring, the occasional apricot blossoms peeked over the low inner palace walls. The green trees and beautiful flowers reflected each other, the beautiful scenery entering the curtains and reluctant to leave.

The time was late, and darkness was imminent. The doors of the imperial study were opened and closed repeatedly, and several batches of ministers who had discussed matters came and went. In the end, only the lonely Emperor remained in the room.

There was also that old eunuch, and a bright candle.

With a "slap!" The Qing Kingdom Emperor's eyes were filled with anger as he slammed his palm on the wooden table, but didn't spill a single drop of tea. He said in a cold voice, "What a Ministry of Revenue, what an East Palace! Do they really think We don't dare to kill anyone?"

The ministers who had previously entered the imperial study to discuss matters were the officials in charge of investigating the Ministry of Revenue after receiving the decree. After listening to their reports, the Qing Kingdom Emperor's anger gradually arose. His original intention was just to investigate the Ministry of Revenue, and to use the matter of the Ministry of Revenue transferring silver to Jiangnan to persuade Fan Jian to step down, and to re-establish the balance in the court in this relatively upright manner.

But he never expected that the Ministry of Revenue would be much cleaner than he had imagined, Fan Jian was much cleaner than he had imagined, but the other five ministries and three courts in the court didn't know how much benefit they had gained from the Ministry of Revenue, especially the East Palace!

Scholar Hu had previously secretly reported the matter of the Ministry of Rites and hinted sadly that it was best not to continue the thorough investigation of the Ministry of Revenue, otherwise it would really lead to political unrest. The Ministry of Revenue might not have had time to bear the guilt they should bear, and the other ministers of the various ministries should all start eating prison food.

In addition to being furious, the Emperor couldn't help but feel chilled by the methods of the Ministry of Revenue. In his opinion, since Fan Jian had known about these things for a long time, why had he been hiding them until he was ready to move the Ministry of Revenue, and then suddenly threw them out, catching the ministers off guard... Wasn't this also catching him, the Emperor, off guard!

He and Fan Jian had grown up together since childhood, so of course he knew the abilities of his chief steward. He wasn't surprised by the Ministry of Revenue's so resourceful response. What angered him was that the ministers in the court were unworthy and had been tied to this big ship by the Ministry of Revenue. What angered him even more was that the Crown Prince was so foolish. How could he dare to pass this world on to him?

Of course, the Emperor was even more angry at Fan Jian's sharp counterattack, because this "partner" was…

"He's threatening Us!" The Emperor frowned and said coldly.

Hong, the old eunuch with a face full of age spots, shook his head and sighed, "Your Majesty, forgive this old slave for saying too much, but people… are always selfish. Even a loyal minister like Minister Fan has to think of ways to protect himself in such a dangerous situation."

The Emperor's voice was slightly sharp, and he said with a sneer, "He also counts as a loyal minister since he's been playing with schemes?"

Old Eunuch Hong sighed and said, "President Chen is even more adept at playing with schemes, but when it comes to loyalty, I'm afraid even this old slave wouldn't dare to claim to be above him."

The Emperor slowly closed his eyes and said, "Chen Pingping has saved Our life countless times, how can Fan Jian compare?"

"What did Minister Fan do these years to quietly smooth out all the hidden dangers in the Ministry of Revenue? Isn't it for the peace of the court?" Old Eunuch Hong sighed and said, "If Minister Fan really had any disloyal intentions, the evidence in his hands is enough for him to do too many things, but he hasn't taken any action, which shows that he just doesn't want the court to be turbulent."

"He should have told Us at least." The Emperor said coldly.

Old Eunuch Hong said softly, "According to the news that has been sent back from the Fan residence in recent years, the reason why the Minister hasn't reported the matter to the palace in detail is that he doesn't want Your Majesty to worry… Your Majesty should still remember the news that came a few days ago."

The Emperor paused slightly, and when he thought of the news reported by that person named Zheng Tuo, his mood gradually calmed down, and he regained a little goodwill towards Fan Jian. He frowned and asked, "But the Ministry of Revenue must still be investigated, otherwise, if it ends so hastily, where will the court's reputation be put?"

"The key is Your Majesty's attitude towards Minister Fan now." Old Eunuch Hong asked with his head lowered.

The Emperor shook his head: "He can no longer be the Minister of Revenue. We can give him compensation in other areas... But he can no longer lead the Ministry of Revenue. Anzhi is far away in Jiangnan managing the Internal Treasury, and from any point of view, Fan Jian is no longer suitable to continue serving as the Minister of Revenue."

Old Eunuch Hong felt a sense of sadness in his heart and was somewhat sympathetic to the Minister who had been working so hard these years. He said tentatively, "There is something that this old slave doesn't know if I should say or not."

"Say it."

Old Eunuch Hong said in a slightly high-pitched voice, "Young Master Fan is a genius, and it is truly knowing people and making good use of them to arrange for him to take over the Internal Treasury and the Supervisory Council. As for Minister Fan, according to normal circumstances, he should no longer be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, but… Your Majesty may still remember that in the first year of Qingli, right in this imperial study, Fan Jian, who was still a Vice Minister at the time, had a big fight with President Chen. Minister Fan, in fact, doesn't want Young Master Fan to be in charge of the Supervisory Council from the bottom of his heart."

"Um, continue." The Emperor frowned, knowing what Old Eunuch Hong's words were alluding to.

"Minister Fan was, after all, a talented and romantic person in his early years." Old Eunuch Hong said with a smile, "He is a sentimental person, and this old slave presumptuously believes that all sentimental people can also become a bond for others. If Minister Fan stays in the capital and Young Master Fan acts in Jiangnan, it will be much more stable."

The Emperor's face was calm. After a long while, he said, "Previously in the Empress Dowager's palace, the Empress Dowager also said this, first, for the sake of the wet nurse in Danzhou, the palace should always give the Fan residence more blessings, and second, it would indeed be more reassuring for Fan Xian to work in Jiangnan if Fan Jian stays in the capital."

What is reassurance? It's just a hidden precaution and threat.

"A duke or marquis can be awaited." The Emperor said coldly at last, "We will not mistreat the Fan family, but We will not let the matter of the Ministry of Revenue end here."

Exchanging a marquis's title for a minister's power, it was unknown whether Fan Jian was at a disadvantage or taking advantage.

…

…

In the Fan residence.

Fan Jian closed his eyes, drank sour plum juice, enjoyed Liu's massage behind him, and sighed, "I'm afraid His Majesty will misunderstand that I'm threatening him, which is not good."

Liu's face dimmed slightly, knowing that this matter was extremely difficult to resolve. Although the palace wouldn't treat the residence too harshly, it seemed that the Master would have to step down from the position of Minister of Revenue. His Majesty's intentions had been accurately and cautiously conveyed to the Fan residence again through Consort Yi.

In the past few days, the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue had been proceeding boringly, involving more people, making the entire court a muddy pool. The civil and military officials were panicked, and the Supervisory Council had arrested many people. The Ministry of Revenue itself had also been found to have some problems, but the efforts of certain forces had not yet achieved results, and no one had been able to find the secret silver route between the Ministry of Revenue and Jiangnan.

Many people, including Princess Chang, began to feel a strong sense of unease. Was it possible that the silver used by Fan Xian in Jiangnan was really not from the Ministry of Revenue? As long as there was no such major crime, even the Emperor wouldn't be able to forcefully demand Fan Jian to resign and plead guilty.

"The summer flood season is coming soon." Fan Jian said with a smile, "The court will need silver, and the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue will slow down. I will delay with His Majesty again. As long as I can delay until Fan Xian returns to the capital during the New Year next year, there won't be much of a problem."

Liu smiled, and then she knew that what the Master had been waiting for was just the flood that God would send down.

Using the might of heaven against the might of heaven, His Majesty was not a foolish ruler, so he would naturally know which was more important.

"I just don't know how the situation is on Fan Xian's side." Fan Jian said with a little worry, "Transferring silver to the river works has drained a lot of his strength, and the Ming family is not so easy to swallow in one bite."