Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 674: Plague Rat (Part 2)

Let us not speak of the chaos within the Ministry of Revenue, but only of Doctor Wan, who could not resist and followed a group of Imperial Guards into the palace.

Qin Hu went in to report, and Doctor Wan stood outside Zhaohai Palace waiting. Perhaps due to the continued heat, beads of sweat kept rolling down Doctor Wan’s forehead, and his official robes were wet on the back, sticking to his body, looking quite unsightly.

However, Doctor Wan couldn’t care about that at this moment. He frequently raised his hand, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.

"The Emperor summons Doctor Wan for an audience."

Doctor Wan barely calmed his heart and stepped forward in response. After entering Zhaohai Palace, he dared not lift his head, bowed deeply, and performed a salutation: "Your servant greets the Emperor."

The bright and cold voice of the Empress entered his ears: "Doctor Wan, do you know why I summoned you here?"

Without allowing him to rise, he maintained this posture to respond: "In reply to Your Majesty, your servant does not know."

As a seasoned official, Doctor Wan absolutely did not believe in the policy of leniency through confession. As long as he insisted he was following the regulations of the Ministry of Revenue, at most, he’d be accused of incompetence. Once he confessed, it would be a grave crime of corruption and embezzlement, warranting imprisonment.

Jiang Shaohua slightly curled her lips, a mocking look in her eyes: "Everything you’ve done in the Ministry of Revenue, I know clearly."

"As a Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, you were responsible for selling the fields and shops of the Gao Liang Prince Mansion and converting them into silver for the National Treasury. You’re considered diligent, having found many buyers and completed most of the task within a few days."

"Minister Ji had instructed you not to excessively embezzle. You relied on Prime Minister Wang as your backing and utterly dismissed Minister Ji’s words. Or rather, you were not afraid of My wrath at all, continuing the ’usual practice’ of embezzling a large sum of silver."

"A field manor with a market price of thirty thousand taels could easily be sold even at a discount of ten percent. Yet, you sold it for just eighteen thousand, pocketing nearly ten thousand taels from just this transaction, truly audacious!"

"Minister Ji personally sought you out, asking you to resell it. You merely added four thousand taels, raising the sale price from eighteen thousand to twenty-two thousand taels. In your view, giving back half of the benefits seems quite unfair, doesn’t it? If I continued to pursue, would that not be unreasonable? Did you think that I would be hesitant to deal with you due to Prime Minister Wang?"

Doctor Wan, drenched in sweat, could no longer stand and knelt down weakly: "Please, Your Majesty, quell your anger! Please hear your servant’s plea."

"In this position, your servant indeed has my difficulties. With the family assets of the Gao Liang Prince Mansion to be liquidated, many courtiers sent relatives to inquire at the Ministry of Revenue. I dared not offend this one, nor that one. In the end, I had to sell at a low price..."

"Your servant absolutely harbors no disrespect for the Emperor! Your servant would never dare! Please, Your Majesty, quell your anger!"

He lamented while repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Jiang Shaohua stood up from the Dragon Throne, coldly looking at Doctor Wan: "The truth of the matter will come to light after one trial. You were responsible for selling the fields and shops, while others handled the accounts. Even if you all refuse to confess, there are over forty officials in the Ministry of Revenue, there must be someone who knows the inside story."

"Guards, escort Doctor Wan to the Ministry of Justice, convey My decree to Minister Dai to establish a case overnight. I want the dossier on tomorrow’s morning audience!"

Qin Hu responded affirmatively and stepped forward, dragging Doctor Wan, who was too weak to stand. Over a dozen Imperial Guards immediately followed.

This is the advantage of having personnel at her disposal. Once she gives a command, someone will execute it immediately without fail.

Jiang Shaohua, feeling displeased, gave orders again, summoning Minister Ji to the palace for an audience.

An elderly Minister Ji hurriedly entered the palace and stood inside Zhaohai Palace, where the Empress angrily reprimanded him. Ashamed and embarrassed, he said: "This old minister is useless and cannot manage the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, please, Your Majesty, deal with them."

Jiang Shaohua coldly said: "I have said before, within three years, there will be no major conflicts. Be it the Prime Minister Faction, the Empress Dowager’s Faction, or the Neutral Party, all are the same to Me. I want to see your capability in your roles, to see your loyalty."

"Minister Ji, this time I grant you this face, only summoning you privately to the palace. If it happens again, I will question you in the court, how you perform as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, how you manage the National Treasury!"

Minister Ji’s face turned red, sweating profusely, unable to lift his head: "Your servant understands the mistake. I will certainly dedicate myself to the job in the future, to manage the Ministry of Revenue properly."

After Minister Ji withdrew, Jiang Shaohua dispatched Wang Jin to the Wang Family to inform the bedridden Prime Minister Wang about the handling of Doctor Wan.

In the past, Prime Minister Wang would never have stood by and watched a member of his faction being dealt with. But now, as a figurehead prime minister who can’t even get out of bed, what can he do?

Moreover, Wang Jin had previously conned with him to restrain Wang Family members. The Wang Family must keep a low profile, so what significance does Doctor Wan hold if he doesn’t see the situation clearly? At such a time, daring to reach out! Isn’t he just a target for the new emperor to establish authority!

The new emperor, before ascending the throne, promised not to wage any wars for three years. But this promise was to the senior ministers of the third rank and above. Doctor Wan, a fourth-rank officer, does not have the privilege of being looked upon with high regard.

Standing by the bedside, Wang Jin sighed softly: "To raise sufficient military funds, the Emperor has confiscated and deposited the assets of the Gao Liang Prince Mansion and other prince mansions into the National Treasury. For this reason, two positions had to be allocated to the Zheng Family to appease the Grand Empress Dowager. Doctor Wan dared to lay hands on the military funds. Either he’s confusedly foolish or blinded by Silver."

"The Emperor must deal with this heavily, to serve as a warning to others. Father must absolutely not wade into these murky waters at such a time."

Prime Minister Wang listened with annoyance and impatience: "No need for you to tell me this. Return to the palace to report, just say that the Emperor is wise and decisive, this old minister acknowledges submission."

...

That night, almost no one in the Ministry of Revenue could sleep.

Doctor Wan was taken away, entered the Ministry of Justice Prison, questioned overnight.

The Ministry of Justice’s offices were next to the Ministry of Revenue’s, with people frequently coming from the Ministry of Revenue to "invite" individuals to cooperate with the investigation at the Ministry of Justice. The account books specially set up for Gao Liang Prince Mansion at the Ministry of Revenue were also moved away.

The officials had no mind to return home, most stayed in the offices, anxiously awaiting news.

Minister Ji was no exception.

The long-term follower stood outside, listening to his master occasionally murmur frightfully in his dreams, feeling heavy-hearted as well.

The chaos at the Ministry of Revenue wasn’t much better than the Ministry of Justice either.

Minister Dai had not been involved in the specific affairs of the Ministry of Justice for several years, mainly serving as an overseer. This time, the Emperor decreed him to personally interrogate the case.

Doctor Wan belonged to the Prime Minister’s Faction, and coincidentally, Minister Dai was also from the Prime Minister’s Faction, and a true core member. The Emperor wanted the Prime Minister’s Faction to sever one of its limbs!

Minister Dai, clear-minded as a mirror, was powerless to refuse. While conducting the trial, he sent someone to the Wang Family. Prime Minister Wang quickly sent back a message.

Handle the case impartially!