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"Minister Ji's face froze at that moment."

An hour later, Chen Sheren returned to the palace to report, and described the scene vividly: "Tang Sili was also interesting. He said at the time that he was short-sighted and incompetent, and could not work alone. From now on, he will follow Minister Ji and run errands for him, pass messages, and serve tea and water."

Jiang Shaohua's eyes flashed with a smile: "Minister Ji agreed?"

"Minister Ji is not stupid at all. He reacted quickly and there is no reason for him to disagree." Chen Sheren laughed softly, "If he is not happy with this, the next person to come to the capital will be Feng Changshi."

With Feng Changshi's qualifications and ability to manage money, once he goes to the Ministry of Revenue, the position of Minister of Revenue will have to be replaced.

In the face of reality, Minister Ji bowed his head quickly and adjusted his attitude quickly. In front of Chen Sheren, he called all the officials of the Ministry of Revenue and introduced Tang Youyin to everyone.

Tang Youyin was just a lowly official. In the past, officials in the Ministry of Revenue would not even bother to look at him. But now that the Princess of Nanyang has become the emperor, officials from the Nanyang Palace are naturally more confident and more resolute than the court officials.

Tang Youyin was nothing, but with the emperor standing behind him, he could not take it lightly. He had to treat him as an "imperial envoy" and deal with him properly.

What is even more troublesome is that Tang Youyin is a capable official who can really do his job. He can read accounts and do calculations. He is familiar with the operating procedures of the Ministry of Revenue and is very familiar with all the tricks.

How could he not be familiar with it? He was originally a low-level clerk in the household registration office, and he knew everything about taking bribes and taking advantage of others.

With such a nail pressing on the Ministry of Revenue, wouldn't the officials in the Ministry be on edge?

"In the Daliang officialdom, the officials are too selfish, forming cliques for personal gain, everyone is greedy for money, and the administration is corrupt." Jiang Shaohua said: "I have promised that there will be no major war within three years. However, this does not mean that I will condone the evil and allow them to continue to make money."

"Let's start with the Ministry of Revenue and the military expenditure. If anyone dares to embezzle money from it, I will chop off his hand."

The last sentence was said with great power and domineering manner.

Chen Sheren was overjoyed when he heard this: "Right, that's the way it should be! I hope Minister Ji can think it through clearly."

Jiang Shaohua smiled faintly: "You underestimate Minister Ji too much. He has been able to sit firmly in the position of Minister of Revenue for more than ten years. He is definitely not a fool. He must have some real ability."

"Moreover, compared to other important officials, Minister Ji has always remained neutral. He has neither joined the Prime Minister's party nor the Empress Dowager's party. He has never wavered from one side to the other. In this respect, he is still a loyal official."

It's just that you're stretching your hands too far and being too greedy.

The amount of gold and silver that came in and out of the Ministry of Revenue was huge every year, and 10% of every penny of money and grain allocated was withheld. When added up, this was a terrifying and shocking number!

There were more than 40 officials of all ranks in the Ministry of Revenue, all of whom had rich families. Even Minister Ji himself looked skinny, but he had enough money in his pockets to eat. Compared with the Wang and Zheng families, the Ji family did not have many members, and was not ranked among the prominent families in Daliang. In terms of wealth, it was among the top five in the capital.

"Let bygones be bygones."

"However, from now on, he must be an honest and capable official. Otherwise, he won't be able to hold the position of Minister of Revenue for long."

……

Late in the middle of the night, Minister Ji woke up in a sweat.

The night attendant immediately came to the bedside and helped the Shangshu to sit up: "Did you have a nightmare?"

Minister Ji took a few quick breaths and asked, "Am I talking in my sleep?" Minister Ji had a little-known problem, he loved talking in his sleep. Because of this, whenever he slept in the Ministry of Revenue's office, he would always have his followers take turns to watch over him. The content of his sleep talk could not be heard by anyone.

The Ministry of Revenue has been busy lately, and Minister Ji stayed in the government office again tonight. As a result, he was awakened by a nightmare at three o'clock in the morning.

The attendant hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Yes, Your Excellency did talk in his sleep just now. I will never dare to do it again. Your Majesty, spare my life!"

Under the candlelight, Ji Shangshu's forehead was covered with cold sweat, his lips trembled a few times, and he waved his hand weakly: "Okay, keep this in your heart and don't tell anyone."

This long-serving servant had served Minister Ji for more than ten years and was his confidant. After responding in a low voice, he went to pour a cup of warm water and served his master half a cup.

"That Tang Youyin doesn't look very old, so why should you be afraid of him, sir?"

Minister Ji sighed and said, "What do you know? The Emperor first sent Chen Sheren to warn the Ministry of Revenue, and then sent Tang Youyin, a capable official of the Ministry of Revenue, to keep an eye on it. From now on, the Ministry of Revenue will act under the Emperor's nose."

"All the shady routines of the Ministry of Revenue must be put away. Otherwise, the next person sent to the Ministry of Revenue will not be Tang Youyin, but Feng Changshi."

Even the chief attendant was aware of Feng Changshi's great reputation.

He was able to manage the internal affairs of the Nanyang Palace, afford the military expenses of the Nanyang Army and the Imperial Guard Camp, and constantly settle the refugees. Feng Changshi's ability was definitely not inferior to that of Ji Shangshu... This was actually flattering his master.

When Feng Changshi was still working in the Ministry of Revenue in the capital, Ji Shangshu was also a low-ranking official. In terms of collecting money and managing accounts, Ji Shangshu was not as good as Feng Changshi.

Feng Changshi suffered from his ugly appearance, hot temper, and lack of support in the court. No matter how capable he was, he could only be an eighth-rank official. It was not until he defected to the Prince of Nanyang that he was given an important position in the Nanyang Palace and became a capable official in the eyes of everyone.

In terms of ability, Feng Changshi is only higher than Ji Shangshu.

In terms of the emperor's favor, Shangshu Ji is naturally inferior to Feng Changshi.

As for integrity... there is no comparison. Minister Ji has been the Minister of Revenue for more than ten years. Even Minister Ji himself cannot clearly tell how many farms and shops the Ji family has.

Feng Changshi lived with his old wife in the auxiliary courtyard of the Nanyang Palace and had not even set up any property.

If it weren't for the three-year promise, the emperor could have directly let Feng Changshi take over the position of Minister of Revenue. Why would he need to warn Minister Ji?

When Minister Ji thought about this, he felt dejected and let out another long sigh.

The attendant hesitated for a moment and whispered, "I am not very knowledgeable, but I know that a new emperor chooses new ministers. The current emperor is different from the previous one. He is very smart and powerful. Since you are so respectful, you should be more cautious in the future."

Minister Ji didn't say anything, he lay back on the bed, closed his eyes and fell asleep again. He tossed and turned, and finally fell asleep again at four o'clock in the morning.

The long-servant did not dare to close his eyes and stood guard outside the door, occasionally hearing faint mumbling sounds coming from inside the door.

"I dare not!"

"I will definitely be an honest and capable minister!"

The long-servant couldn't help but twitch his lips. His master had always said that he couldn't do it anymore and wanted to resign, but in fact, he just said it casually. How could he be willing to give up his high position, high salary, fame and future! (End of this chapter)