Niao Ni
Chapter 389: Picking Up a Huge Snowball
The description of a snowball rolling was very appropriate. In Cangzhou, where snow persisted year-round in the north, the winter coats worn by tens of thousands of soldiers didn't bring much of a financial deficit to the Ministry of Revenue. But starting from this, the tracing back to the capital revealed several old stories, and all the clues converged on the Ministry of Revenue in Kyoto.
And the discovered account deficit grew larger and larger. The wound of the Qing Kingdom, carefully concealed by the Ministry of Revenue officials, was brutally torn open and displayed for the officials to admire.
After the investigation team reported to the palace once, the intensity of the investigation was increased. Now even Grand Secretary Hu understood that the Ministry of Revenue could no longer be protected. If Fan Jian resigned now, the imperial court, out of consideration for Fan Xian, might still preserve some face for the Fan residence. If the stalemate continued, Fan Jian would face more than just being stripped of his official position.
Although Grand Secretary Hu and the civil officials were also alarmed by the deficit in the Ministry of Revenue, they ultimately did not want the imperial court to experience too much turmoil, nor did they want the temporarily balanced court to undergo some kind of tilting. Therefore, through some channels, they conveyed a goodwill message to the Fan residence.
As long as Minister Fan voluntarily resigned, Grand Secretary Hu and Grand Secretary Shu were willing to jointly vouch for his safety.
But this was just wishful thinking on the part of these ministers. For an old official like Fan Jian, who had been following the emperor for nearly thirty years, once he made up his mind, his response was stubbornly inflexible. The Fan residence expressed gratitude for the goodwill conveyed secretly by various residences, but Fan Jian himself never gave a concrete response to the goodwill itself.
He did not enter the palace to weep and wail to His Majesty, nor did he submit a memorial requesting resignation. Moreover, he was still sick, and his condition did not seem to be improving.
All the officials knew that Minister Fan was not sick, and the palace also knew. But this time, the emperor did not send the imperial physician and Hong Gonggong to visit the Fan residence. Perhaps the palace also understood that the Fan family was being wronged in this matter, so it tolerated Fan Jian's behavior of expressing his resentment through illness.
For several days in a row, the Crown Prince sat upright in the Ministry of Revenue, staring at the people below investigating the case. As a result, Grand Secretary Hu had to personally come to supervise as well. Those investigating the case and those being investigated were actually a bit exhausted.
On this day, the investigation into the Ministry of Revenue made another breakthrough. The silver in the accounts did not match the silver in the treasury. The huge amount of the deficit pointed to four directions, four unremarkable officials.
Finally, the specific executors were identified, and the specific deficit matters were identified. Upon hearing the report, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's eyes lit up, but his expression was extremely calm. He thought to himself, if he followed those officials upward, wouldn't he have Fan Jian completely in his grasp? Once it was traced all the way to Jiangnan, the court would remember Fan Xian's merit of twenty million taels of silver, but the corresponding charges would also make Fan Xian suffer greatly!
And Grand Secretary Hu, upon hearing the names of those four officials, especially the last one, also had his eyes light up, but his expression was also extremely calm. He thought to himself, Minister Fan's methods were so exquisite. It seemed that his and Old Shu's worries these days were a bit superfluous.
After all, the Crown Prince was young and not as meticulous as Grand Secretary Hu, nor did he have Grand Secretary Hu's ability to remember everything he had seen. Therefore, he did not see the trap inside. Under the guidance of the idea of pursuing the defeated enemy, he joyfully and unreservedly ordered the officials of his faction to launch a general offensive on this issue.
And Yan Xingshu, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, although vaguely stood on the side of the Eldest Princess and the Second Prince, was naturally happy to help out in this good situation, with the Crown Prince as the pioneer. He held a small flag beside the Crown Prince and shouted loudly, although he did not personally draw his sword, his shouts were loud and constant.
Grand Secretary Hu watched from the sidelines, smiling inwardly.
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The investigation into the Ministry of Revenue was proceeding to a crucial moment. In the main hall of the deep courtyard, the Crown Prince's triumphant laughter rang out. Holding the confession of an official in his hand, his tiger body shook, his imperial aura was unleashed, and a cold glint gradually appeared in his eyes as he pressed the Ministry of Revenue official kneeling before him:
"Speak! Where did the four hundred thousand taels of silver in this account go?"
In the deep spring season, the weather had already warmed up. The sixth-rank chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, kneeling miserably before the ministers, was drenched in sweat, and the color of his official uniform had turned dark crimson. Hearing the Crown Prince's stern shout, this person wanted to cry but had no tears. He thought to himself, he was just a person who handled the matter, how could he know where Minister Fan had transferred this silver to?
Seeing the official's panicked and bewildered expression, the Crown Prince looked at him with disgust, but then he thought of his purpose, so he had to say softly, "The transfer of this silver was signed by you. The subsequent path must always be explained. The silver of the imperial court cannot just be used recklessly like this."
Unable to withstand the coercion and this pressure, the official muttered, "It was the Jiangzuo Clearing Department's Vice Director... who ordered the arrangements."
The Ministry of Revenue had seven departments, each managed by a director and a deputy director, who were fifth-rank officials. The Jiangzuo Clearing Department's Vice Director was named Fang Li and was already a relatively senior official in the Ministry of Revenue.
This name, along with the other three Ministry of Revenue directors, were all targets that the Crown Prince's investigation officials had already grasped. Today, they were just to be interrogated in court to prevent the people of the Ministry of Revenue from being able to deny it any longer.
The Crown Prince was somewhat satisfied with the performance of this sixth-rank chief clerk, but his face darkened, and he said coldly, "Go down and wait to be impeached."
The chief clerk retreated from the hall in a panic, his face grief-stricken, not knowing what he was about to face.
"Bring in that person named Fang Li."
The Crown Prince was in high spirits at this time and did not feel that his behavior was somewhat overstepping. In addition to issuing orders, he did not even ask for the opinion of Grand Secretary Hu, the nominal chief minister.
Before long, the Ministry of Revenue's Vice Director named Fang Li walked in, saluted the officials of the various departments around him, and looked proud, as if he did not know what was about to happen.
The Crown Prince looked at this person's face and suddenly felt a thud in his heart, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar. After carefully examining him, he realized that he seemed to have heard the name of this official somewhere before.
But now that the person had already been brought to the hall, there was not much time for him to think. Grand Secretary Hu and Yan Xingshu still maintained their cunning silence, giving the entire stage to the Crown Prince, just letting him play alone.
The Crown Prince looked at the two senior officials beside him and snorted inwardly, thinking that the world would be his in the future. What did it matter to interrogate a few Ministry of Revenue officials? As long as he could implicate Fan Jian and connect these deficits in the four places with the silver in Jiangnan, even if the current appearance was a bit ugly and he lost the dignity of the Eastern Palace, he could not care so much.
So he slammed the table and asked coldly, "Report your name and official rank."
Fang Li, the Jiangzuo Road Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue, was stunned, his lips trembling twice. He looked at the Crown Prince with a completely bewildered expression, completely unexpected that the Crown Prince would be so harsh on him. His face flushed red, and he responded with great difficulty, "This humble official is Fang Li, Jiangzuo Road Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue."
The Crown Prince frowned and asked the officials of the Censorate to hand over the files they had found in the past few days and the confession of the official who had signed the silver transfer, and asked grimly, "Tell me, where did this four hundred thousand taels of silver go?"
Fang Li was struck by lightning, looking at the Crown Prince like an idiot, or perhaps... looking at the Crown Prince like an idiot?
He trembled for a long time before saying in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, this humble official really doesn't know."
The Crown Prince frowned, looking like he was worried about the country and the people: "Just saying you don't know... I'm afraid... that's not convincing..."
Fang Li was now truly dumbfounded. Especially when he heard the Crown Prince's "I'm afraid" with a twist, his heart fell into an ice cellar. He understood and saw that this prince... it seemed that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had not only forgotten who he was, but had even forgotten about the four hundred thousand taels of silver!
He felt sorrow in his heart, laughed at himself, felt helpless, and yes, what was he? Just a small official in the Ministry of Revenue. He had done things for the Crown Prince in the past and had drunk with the Crown Prince at the same table. How could the Crown Prince need to remember his ordinary face now?
And what was the four hundred thousand taels of silver? That year, the Crown Prince liked women, liked spending money on women, liked building gardens for women to play in, and liked rewarding confidant officials. Who was the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince was the future master of the country, and all the money in the world would be his in the future. He used it, and why should he waste his noble thoughts to remember where the money came from?
Fang Li's mouth was dry, and he looked at the Crown Prince with wide eyes, hoping that the other party could remember something to avoid the absurd and unbelievable situation from continuing to develop, developing to a point where it could not be salvaged.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince did not seem to notice the silent communication from this Ministry of Revenue official.
The interrogation work continued. Fang Li, Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue, knew that this matter was too big, and because it was being jointly tried in front of all the departments, once he spoke the truth, he would never be able to take it back. So he insisted on gritting his teeth and refusing to say another word.
The Crown Prince already felt a trace of oddity, frowning at this somewhat familiar official, not understanding where the other party got the courage. With the confession in front of him, he did not say a word... Could it be that the other party... wanted to carry all the things for Fan Jian? Or, there was originally an untold story in this matter.
At this moment, Yan Xingshu, Minister of Personnel, who had been silently watching, suddenly slammed the table and shouted sternly, "What audacity this man has! Someone! Drag him down and ask him properly!"
He turned to ask for instructions, "Master Hu, can torture be used?"
Grand Secretary Hu, who had been staring at the ants fighting in front of his shoes, seemed to have just understood what was happening. He opened his somewhat listless eyes and said, "Ah? Torture?"
The last word of "torture" did not have any tone, and it was not clear whether it was a question or an agreement. But Yan Xingshu could not wait to bow his hands and said, "Everything is up to you, my lord."
An official from the Censorate took orders and prepared to drag this Ministry of Revenue official, who refused to speak, out. At this time, Fang Li, who had been stubborn, heard that he was going to be imprisoned, and even heard the word "torture." In addition to being terrified, he finally could not control his nerves anymore, and shouted sharply, "Injustice, this official is a *Jinshi* from the Qingli first year! In four years, he was promoted to vice director, all thanks to the Emperor's great kindness, how dare he do such an illegal thing?"
A series of words spewed out, but this person was really capable. In such a tense moment, he still only looked at Grand Secretary Hu to defend himself, and refused to look at the Crown Prince.
When Yan Xingshu reversed his silence and jumped out to suggest using torture, the strangeness in the Crown Prince's heart deepened. When he heard Fang Li's own defense, he felt a chill in his back, piercing deep into his bones!
A *Jinshi* from the Qingli first year? The son of the former Minister of Rites, Guo, and Guo Baokun, the editor in the palace who had always been on good terms with the Crown Prince, came from the Qingli first year--Fang Li and Guo Baokun were classmates!
The Crown Prince was shocked, and countless things from the past resurfaced in his heart. In an instant, he remembered many things. Years ago, because of Guo Baokun's introduction, he condescended to have a meal with this small Ministry of Revenue official named Fang Li. Through the arrangement of the Eldest Princess, he had the other party promoted twice in the Ministry of Revenue.
Later, the Crown Prince hinted to Guo Baokun, and his confidant secretly transferred a batch of silver in the Ministry of Revenue with Fang Li for him to use.
It was just that several years had passed, and the silver had long been spent who knows where. Guo Baokun had long since disappeared, and the Crown Prince had already forgotten about this matter, and also forgot about this small official named Fang Li. He never thought that he would meet this person again today during the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue.
Could it be... that four hundred thousand taels of silver flowed into his pocket?
The Crown Prince looked at Fang Li, who was being dragged out of the hall by the Censorate official, with a shocked expression. His mouth began to turn bitter, and his heart began to tighten. He knew that he must not let this official be interrogated by the Three Departments, otherwise there would be a big problem! He understood that he had already made a most stupid mistake, and could not allow this mistake to continue.
He glared fiercely at Yan Xingshu, Minister of Personnel, who had a smile on his face beside him, and shouted angrily, "Wait!"
The mansion of the Minister of Rites, who had been brought down by Fan Xian, was nominally close to the Eastern Palace, but was actually a confidant of the Eldest Princess. The Crown Prince had already discovered this fact on the night he recited poetry in the hall. Since the other party was a member of the Eldest Princess, then Yan Xingshu would naturally know about the matter that he had borrowed silver in the Ministry of Revenue through Guo Baokun... His Royal Highness the Crown Prince thought bitterly, this old rascal didn't remind him and even wanted to kick him when he was down!
"Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, what's wrong?" Yan Xingshu looked at him with a smile.
The Crown Prince was speechless for a moment. He was already in a dilemma. He had caused this high-profile investigation, but in the end, he was the one who was investigated. How could he end it?
He frowned, squinted his eyes, and said, "It seems that this official has something to say. It's okay to ask him clearly first."
Yan Xingshu smiled and nodded. Grand Secretary Hu naturally had no objection.
Fang Li escaped death and knew that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince finally remembered him. He breathed a sigh of relief, but when he met the Crown Prince's deep eyes, they both knew that today's matter was really difficult to handle.
A flash of ruthlessness flashed in the Crown Prince's heart. Suddenly, he thought that Guo Baokun had long since disappeared. As long as he refused to admit it, and then found a way to shut this man named Fang Li up, he could clear his name.
After figuring this out, he said with a gentle expression, "Fang Li, you must think carefully about the whereabouts of this silver before speaking. This palace came to investigate the case by imperial decree, so of course I will not let go of a corrupt official, but... I will not wrong any good official either."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Fang Li's eyes. He knew that the Crown Prince was hinting for him to randomly implicate others. Since the account of the four hundred thousand taels of silver had been turned out, there was naturally no way to close it in front of Grand Secretary Hu, Director Yan, and the officials of the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate. Fang Li knew that this was the only way, lowered his head and rolled his eyes, made up his mind, but for a while, he didn't know who to push it on. After walking the accounts that year, he secretly destroyed the account books, but it was extremely difficult to find another item for such a large amount of silver.
Yan Xingshu glanced at the Crown Prince and sighed in his heart. He knew that the other party was preparing to sacrifice a pawn, and this pawn seemed to be prepared to sacrifice himself. He couldn't help but be a little surprised. How could a person as incompetent as the Crown Prince make this small official named Fang Li so convinced? The Crown Prince had clearly forgotten this person before.
He didn't understand. In Fang Li's heart, the Crown Prince was going to inherit the throne in the future. As long as he could survive this incident, there would always be a chance to turn over in the future. But... for four hundred thousand taels of silver, why would His Majesty cherish the life of a small vice director? Fang Li clearly didn't expect this.
……
……
Without letting Fang Li think for too long under the scrutinizing gaze of the full hall of officials, a slightly tired voice had already answered for him, helping him out of the siege, and at the same time, putting a rope around the Crown Prince's neck.
"I remember this account."
"That year, the Ministry of Rites issued a document stating that His Majesty issued an order to repair the autumn imperial examinations and schools in various districts, so it was necessary to transfer silver from the Ministry. A total of fourteen transfers were made, totaling four hundred thousand and seven hundred taels of silver."
"The silver has been sent to the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Rites should have a receipt. However, this official did not personally handle these matters. It will be clear after checking later. All matters were carried out in accordance with the Qing law and regulations. Please do not embarrass these poor officials under this official."
"As for whether there is a problem with this silver, just send a document to the various districts and states to see the repair status of the autumn examination schools in the past two years, and it will be clear at a glance."
Minister Fan, who had been sick for many days, finally supported his frail body and came to the Ministry of Revenue yamen, which he had been away from for many days. He leaned against the door, explaining to the officials in the hall one by one with a weak voice.
An official from the Censorate quickly stepped forward to support him. Grand Secretary Hu led Yan Xingshu and a group of investigators to quickly get up and salute. Although he was an official under investigation, no one dared to show the slightest disrespect.
The Minister, who had been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for nine years, came to the yamen for the first time. As soon as he opened his mouth, he defended his subordinates, but every word and sentence pointed out the whereabouts of the silver. As long as he investigated, the matter would come to light. Therefore, the Crown Prince's face turned pale and his eyes began to wander.
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(Seeing the book review area, I sincerely thank you all for your comfort and suggestions. Presumably, the injured heart of the hard drive lying next to me is also very comforted at this time. If I can't fix it today, it will really be gone forever, and it will close its eyes in peace in the underworld. Of course, I still have a strong desire to get it back. I won't be stingy about this matter. The things inside are too important to me. I only remembered it when I was clearing the accounts today. My dad's diary and records are also inside... three black lines.
Then I also found a lot of fellow villagers, some unexpected surprises. I don't have time to say hello one by one, so I bow my hands here. I will have time to eat small noodles with everyone when I have time, haha.
ps: I just went to take a look, and it seems like there are some ominous signs.)