The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 339 - 288, the imperial envoy departs with justice and integrity

"It's you... it's you..."

In the inner hall of the Zhao family's residence, with the door tightly shut, this casually uttered sentence from Mo Chou struck Mr. Zhao like a bolt of lightning.

Damn... I ended up flattering the wrong person... The remaining hint of tipsiness in Zhao Douan's body suddenly vanished.

Deflated, he dragged a chair over and sat down with a heavy sigh, feeling gloomy.

Mo Chou found this amusing, delighted to see him in such a state. She asked with a laugh,

"What exactly did you write that provoked such a reaction from Your Majesty?"

"No comment."

Zhao Douan scowled and dismissed her.

Fine, I'll just find out tomorrow from someone else... Mo Chou snorted, indifferent to his lack of response.

Disappointed though he was, Zhao Douan still asked,

"What exactly is going on with this Taicang Silver Mine?"

Seeing him bring up serious matters, Mo Chou put aside her joking demeanor, worrying that he might bear a grudge. She finally gave an explanation,

"Alright, that last comment was mostly in jest.

How could His Majesty punish you just for a poorly written poem?

I think this issue might be more complicated and related to the new policies. His Majesty trusts only your ability."

Then the female chancellor described the situation unhurriedly and in detail.

The matter was not complex.

"The Taicang Silver Mine," located to the southwest of the Capital, in Taicang County, is better described as a mining pit than a mountain.

It falls under the jurisdiction of Linfeng Road adjacent to the Capital.

It belongs to the court for the extraction and smelting of silver, which is then transported to the Capital to be cast into silver ingots.

It's also one of the few major silver mines within Great Yu, having been operational for many years.

The mine supervisor is also the County Magistrate of Taicang.

Today, around noon, the Imperial Court of Supervision received a whistleblowing letter from someone in Taicang.

The whistleblower, a low-ranking official in the mine, reported that the County Magistrate of Taicang, leading a group of officials, is embezzling silver under the guise of 'loss by fire' and even harboring Jianghu people to carry out many filthy acts.

"Upon receiving the letter, Mr. Yuan placed great importance on it and presented it to His Majesty in the afternoon.

His Majesty was furious and has already ordered the Inspector of Taicang Prefecture to arrest the County Magistrate of Taicang, but the authenticity of the letter and the extent of the corruption, involving which officials... still require further investigation by an imperial envoy," Mo Chou explained.

Zhao Douan fell silent for a moment, then realized,

"Is His Majesty worried that the corruption involves more than just the County Magistrate of Taicang?"

Mo Chou nodded, her eyes cold,

"According to the whistleblower's letter, this has been ongoing for several years, even during the late Emperor's reign. Could a minor seventh-rank official have the capability to cover the skies with one hand for so many years? His Majesty suspects that this County Magistrate might just be the tip of the iceberg... and that is the crux of the issue."

Zhao Douan stroked his chin and said,

"I'm actually more intrigued by the timing of this whistleblowing letter. It's quite intriguing."

Mo Chou paused, looking at him, "What do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing serious, just curious," Zhao Douan said nonchalantly,

"I tend to be suspicious, and besides, it explains why. Over the past half-year, His Majesty's presence has grown stronger, and all the officials have seen it. After arresting Mr. Wang last time, he even ordered a general amnesty in the political arena, a show of great vigour...

Thus, officials outside the Capital believe His Majesty to be a wise ruler and are willing to take risks to align themselves with him... This makes sense."

Mo Chou gazed at him,

"There's another point, on the 'silver' itself, you surely understand why His Majesty especially values this case."

Zhao Douan remained silent.

Of course, he knew.

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It was crucially linked to the "Golden Three Strategies" he had proposed, explicitly switching Great Yu from a "Copper Coin standard" to a "silver standard."

This meant that the silver mines of Great Yu suddenly became incredibly important.

Moreover, as the court was looking to implement new policies according to his vision, planning to open "trade markets" to attract merchants and stimulate the economic flywheel... initially, the court first needed to finance it.

Therefore, corruption at the Taicang Silver Mine, serving as the court's "money bag," in minor terms, was a case of worms causing trouble.

In major terms, if not handled well, it could drag down the "new policies."

Furthermore, official corruption was also part of the content covered in the "Golden Three Strategies" through the implementation of the "Examination Method" among officials.

Zhao Douan even faintly suspected, given the timing of exposure, whether this case was as simple as it appeared on the surface.

"In any case, although the Taicang corruption case involves just one mine, it is closely related to the new policies, and as the proponent of these policies, you should be aware of the weight of this matter," Mo Chou said solemnly.

Zhao Douan rubbed his face and let out a bitter chuckle,

"I can go, but isn't there danger in leaving the Capital? Not to mention certain people in the court, but the Kuangfu Society would rather see me dead. Shouldn't you assign me a guard? I think Eunuch Hai would be a good choice…"

"…" Mo Chou suppressed the urge to retort and smiled,

"But you are already in the Divine Chapter Realm, haven't His Majesty mentioned that Martial Artists seeking to enter higher levels must face adversities head-on? It's not achieved by hiding."

True... One must confront challenges head-on to embody the Heart Realm of a Martial Artist...

In the Divine Chapter Realm, one isn't even qualified to be a Lu Ding, I need to step into the "World" Realm soon to engage in Dual Cultivation with Zhenbao... darn, to return the Dragon Essence to its rightful owner...

As for danger... With my current cultivation level, unless something unimaginable happens, no Divine Chapter Cultivator can defeat me in an instant, and even if a "World" powerhouse targets me, I can rely on the "Dragon Essence" to hold on for a while...

And if I get a chance to breathe, I can simply crush the "Transmission Jade" and teleport back to the Imperial Palace... No big problems...

Besides, I've been fishing continuously for some time, the Kuangfu Society also needs to weigh whether they continue sending men to their demise...

With many thoughts flashing through his mind, Zhao Douan was about to agree.

Mo Chou, seeing him silent, silently pulled out an imperial envoy waist card and tempted,

"With this command, you can mobilize the local military and the regional commanders must also obey your orders, is this safe enough now?"

You should have said this earlier... Mischievous... Zhao Douan covered the waist card with his large hand and declared,

"For His Majesty, I am loyal even unto death, not to mention facing just a few enemies!"

Mo Chou rolled her eyes and walked away,

"You don't have much time left."

Zhao Douan personally saw her off, suddenly remembering something, he asked,

"Am I going incognito, or should I..."

Mo Chou casually threw out a sentence,

"His Majesty said, the imperial envoy proceeds with dignity and might."

…