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Chapter 674: Big Rat (Part )

Not to mention the chaos in the Ministry of Revenue, let’s just talk about Doctor Wan, who was forced to enter the palace with a group of imperial guards.

Qin Hu went in to pass on the message, and Doctor Wan stood outside the Zhaohe Hall waiting. Perhaps because the weather was still hot, beads of sweat kept flowing down Doctor Wan's forehead, and his official uniform on his back was also wet and stuck to his body, which was quite unsightly.

However, Doctor Wan was no longer concerned about these things. He raised his hand from time to time and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"The Emperor summoned Doctor Wan to come in for an audience."

Doctor Wan managed to calm himself down and took a step forward. After entering the Showa Palace, he did not dare to look up, but bowed deeply and saluted: "Your Majesty."

The clear and cold voice of Her Majesty the Empress reached his ears: "Doctor Wan, do you know why I summoned you here?"

He was not allowed to stand up, so he had to maintain this posture and answer: "Your Majesty, I don't know."

As a veteran official, Doctor Wan did not believe in "leniency for confession". As long as he insisted that he was doing his job according to the Ministry of Revenue's regulations, at most he would be accused of incompetence. Once he admitted it, he would be guilty of corruption and embezzlement, and he would be sent to prison.

Jiang Shaohua pulled the corner of his lips, his eyes flashing with sarcasm: "I know everything you did in the Ministry of Revenue."

"As a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue, you are responsible for selling the farms and shops of the Gaoliang Palace to exchange for cash to fill the national treasury. You are also very dedicated. Within a few days, you found a lot of buyers and completed most of the work."

"Minister Ji has told you not to embezzle too much. You relied on Prime Minister Wang as your backer and didn't take Minister Ji's words to heart. Or rather, you didn't fear my anger at all. You still followed the 'custom' and embezzled a large amount of money."

"A farm worth thirty thousand taels of silver in the market, even if it is sold at a discount, there are still many buyers, and it can be sold at a 10% discount. In the end, you sold it for only eighteen thousand taels of silver. Just from this transaction, you dared to take nearly ten thousand taels of silver. It is really audacious!"

"Minister Ji came to you personally and asked you to sell it again. You paid an additional 4,000 taels. The selling price went from 18,000 taels to 22,000 taels. In your opinion, giving up half of the benefits is already very unfair. If I continue to pursue you, wouldn't I be ungrateful? Do you think that I will not punish you for my concern for Prime Minister Wang?"

Doctor Wan was sweating profusely and could no longer stand. His legs softened and he knelt down: "Your Majesty, please calm down! Please listen to me."

"I am in a position that is not without its own difficulties. The property of the Gaoliang Palace needs to be sold, and many court officials have sent their relatives to the Ministry of Revenue to inquire. I dare not offend this or that. In the end, I had no choice but to sell it at a low price..."

"I have absolutely no intention of disrespecting the emperor! I would never dare to do that! Please calm down, Your Majesty!"

While crying and kowtowing, he begged for mercy.

Jiang Shaohua stood up from the dragon chair and looked at Doctor Wan coldly: "The right and wrong of this matter will be known at the first trial. You are responsible for selling farms and shops, and there are others who are responsible for the account books. Even if you are in collusion and refuse to confess, there are more than 40 officials in the Ministry of Revenue, and there must be someone who knows the inside story."

"Come here, send Doctor Wan to the Ministry of Justice and convey my oral order. Order Minister Dai to open a case for interrogation overnight. I want to see the case file at the morning court tomorrow!"

Qin Hu responded with a "yes" and strode forward, dragging Doctor Wan, whose legs were weak. A dozen other imperial guards immediately followed.

This was the benefit of having someone in her power. As soon as she gave an order, someone would immediately carry it out without hesitation.

Jiang Shaohua was in a bad mood, and ordered Minister Ji to come to the palace for an audience. The elderly Minister Ji hurried into the palace and stood in the Zhaohe Hall, where he was angrily rebuked by the Empress. He was ashamed and said, "I am an old minister who is useless and cannot control the officials of the Ministry of Revenue. Please let the Emperor decide."

Jiang Shaohua said coldly: "I have said that within three years, there will be no major war. Whether it is the Prime Minister's Party, the Empress Dowager's Party, or the Neutral Party, it is the same to me. I want to see your ability to do your job and your loyalty."

"Minister Ji, I will give you a favor this time and only ask you to come to the palace in private. Next time, I will ask you in the court how you are the Minister of Revenue and how you manage the national treasury!"

Minister Ji's face was red, sweat was pouring down his face, and he couldn't even lift his head: "I know I was wrong. I will work hard in the future and manage the Ministry of Revenue well."

After Minister Ji took his leave, Jiang Shaohua sent Wang Jin back to the Wang family to tell Prime Minister Wang, who was recuperating in bed, about the sentencing of Doctor Wan.

In the past, Prime Minister Wang would never sit idly by and watch his followers being punished. But now, he is a prime minister in name only, unable to even get out of bed, what else can he do?
Furthermore, Wang Jin had previously discussed with him that he wanted to restrain the Wang family. Even the Wang family had to keep their tails between their legs, and who was this Doctor Wan? He didn't even understand the situation. He dared to reach out at this time! He would become a target for the new emperor to establish his authority!

Before the new emperor ascended the throne, he promised not to engage in war for three years. But this promise was only given to important officials of the third rank and above. Doctor Wan was a fourth rank doctor, so he was not qualified to be treated with high regard.

Wang Jin stood beside the bed and sighed, "In order to raise sufficient military funds, the emperor used the confiscated property of the Gaoliang Palace and several other palaces to fill the national treasury. For this purpose, he also vacated two positions for the Zheng family to appease the Empress Dowager. Doctor Wan dared to take advantage of this military fund. He is either foolish or blinded by the money."

"The Emperor will definitely punish him severely and make an example of him. Father, you must not get involved in this mess at this time."

Prime Minister Wang listened with annoyance and impatience: "I don't need you to explain this to me. When you go back to the palace and report, tell me that the emperor is wise and decisive, and I am convinced."

……

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

Doctor Wan was taken away and put into the Ministry of Justice prison, where he was interrogated overnight.

The Ministry of Justice was next to the Ministry of Revenue, and people would come from time to time to "invite" people from the Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of Justice to cooperate in interrogations and investigations. The account books that the Ministry of Revenue had set up separately for the Gaoliang Palace were also moved away.

The officials were in no mood to go home and basically stayed in the government offices, waiting for news in fear.

Minister Ji is no exception.

The long-time attendant was standing guard outside the door, listening to his master's occasional frightened mumbling in his sleep, and his heart felt heavy.

The Ministry of Revenue was in chaos, and the Ministry of Justice was not much better.

Minister Dai had not been involved in the specific affairs of the Ministry of Justice for several years, and was just a general supervisor on weekdays. This time, the emperor issued an order, ordering Minister Dai to personally investigate the case.

Doctor Wan is a member of the Prime Minister's Party. Coincidentally, Minister Dai is also a member of the Prime Minister's Party and is the real backbone of the party. The emperor wants the Prime Minister's Party to cut off one of their own arms!
Minister Dai had a clear mind, but he could not refuse. While trying the case, he sent someone to Wang's house. Prime Minister Wang quickly sent a message.

Handle cases impartially!