Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1764 Untitled 2
Because the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel carries much more weight than that of the Deputy Provincial Governor of Hebei and Henan, even though they are nominally of the same rank, in practice, being promoted from Deputy Provincial Governor to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is considered a promotion.

Therefore, it was difficult to convince the public and was likely to cause controversy when Zhang Yilin was promoted to Vice Minister of Personnel shortly after being promoted to Deputy Provincial Governor of Hebei and Henan, and without having made any significant contributions.

In Gu Sansi's view, this is why Ye Mingsheng has been hesitant to make a decision.

Just as Gu Sansi was feeling helpless, knowing that he would have to endure this extra workload every day Ye Mingsheng didn't appoint a new Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, his personal clerk, Feng Wei, also strode into the cell and said:
"Sir, the steward Peng Xinjian says he has urgent business to discuss and wishes to see you immediately!"

Gu Sansi was somewhat confused upon hearing this. His mind instinctively began to wander, wondering if there was anyone named Peng Xinjian in the Ministry of Personnel. After a moment of fruitless thought, he asked:
"Who is this Peng Xinjian? Is there such a person in the Ministry of Personnel?"

"Your Excellency, this Peng Xinjian was transferred from Liaoyang about a year ago. He is outstanding in appearance and has a refined demeanor. He currently works under Vice Minister Shen."

After Feng Wei's reminder, Gu Sansi, who was still wondering who Peng Xinjian was, also asked again:
Did Peng Xinjian say what he wanted to report?

"Peng Xinjian didn't say anything, he just said he wanted to see you immediately!"

As Feng Wei spoke, his face was filled with helplessness. The person in charge was a mid-level official, the lowest rank in the Ministry of Personnel, and there was a three-tiered difference between him and Gu Sansi: Assistant Minister, Minister, and Vice Minister. According to custom, he couldn't report directly to Gu Sansi alone…
But to everyone's surprise, after Peng Xinjian came to work at the yamen today, he seemed to have taken the wrong medicine and found Feng Wei in the internal canteen, expressing his desire to meet Gu Sansi.

Since Peng Xinjian was only in charge, Feng Wei, who was Gu Sansi's full-time secretary, gave a very formulaic reply, which was to ask Peng Xinjian to report to his superiors if he had any issues, and not to try to report to higher-ups.

After sending Peng Xinjian away in the cafeteria, Feng Wei didn't really take it seriously. However, he never expected that Peng Xinjian would stick to him like a leech. No matter how much Feng Wei said that Peng Xinjian was not of high enough rank and was not qualified to report directly to the Minister, Peng Xinjian insisted that he had an extremely urgent matter to discuss with Gu Sansi and begged Feng Wei to make an exception.

Despite Peng Xinjian's best efforts to persuade him, Feng Wei remained steadfast in his duty and refused to grant Peng Xinjian this favor. Feng Wei also warned Peng Xinjian that if he continued to persist, he would report the matter to Vice Minister Shen Changhong and have him charged with deliberately interfering with the Minister's work.

Seeing that he couldn't get help from Feng Wei, Peng Xinjian even tried to sneak into Gu Sansi's cell, but he was discovered by Feng Wei after only two steps. Feng Wei was speechless at his crazy behavior.

Although Feng Wei wanted to report the matter to Vice Minister Shen Changhong immediately, he was also curious about what Peng Xinjian's crazy behavior was, and what he repeatedly emphasized was that this was an extremely urgent matter that he had to tell Gu Sansi in person and that he could not tell him at any other time. So, in addition to his anger, Feng Wei was also curious about what important matter Peng Xinjian could have that would make him risk being convicted to report to Gu Sansi alone.

In order to avoid making a mistake, Feng Wei decided to report the situation to Gu Sansi and let Gu Sansi decide for himself whether or not to meet Peng Xinjian.

Of course, before doing so, Feng Wei also gave Peng Xinjian a serious warning: You had better really have something extremely urgent to report to Gu Sansi, just like you said. Otherwise, if you dare to play me, I guarantee you won't be able to stay in the Ministry of Personnel!

Peng Xinjian, however, patted his chest and said that this matter was extremely urgent. If the Minister did not care about this matter, he would not only be willing to give up his job in the Ministry of Personnel, but he would also be willing to give his head to Feng Wei.

With some skepticism, Feng Wei went to Gu Sansi and reported the matter.

Seeing Feng Wei's helpless expression, Gu Sansi was also curious about what news this junior manager had to tell him, and then he gave the order:
"Let this Peng Xinjian in!"

"Yes!"

At Gu Sansi's command, an unremarkable middle-aged man entered the cell. Upon entering, he immediately knelt down and bowed, saying:

"Your humble servant Peng Xinjian greets Your Excellency the Minister!"

Gu Sansi, who was processing official documents, looked up at Peng Xinjian kneeling on the ground when he heard this. With just that one glance, Peng Xinjian felt as if he had been completely seen through.

Just as a sudden sense of unease rose in his heart, Gu Sansi spoke calmly:

"Get up!"

"Thank you, Minister Xie!"

"You said you had something extremely urgent to discuss with me, now you can speak..."

Upon hearing this, Peng Xinjian immediately spoke up:

"His Majesty has issued an order for fifteen renowned accountants from the Ministry of Revenue and the Da Dong Sheng Bank to travel to Shandong overnight!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Sansi, who was reading official documents, immediately stopped what he was doing, but on the surface, he still asked calmly:

"Where did you hear this news?"

Peng Xinjian hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, but after a few seconds, in order to gain Gu Sansi's trust, he gritted his teeth and said:
"The Attendant's Office!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Sansi gave Peng Xinjian a deep look, then continued to press for answers:

"Who are the Attendants?"

Seeing that Gu Sansi was determined to get to the bottom of things, Peng Xinjian was even more conflicted. Although he wanted to protect his source of information and not tell Gu Sansi who he was, feeling Gu Sansi's gaze, Peng Xinjian felt he had to seize this opportunity to gain Gu Sansi's trust. So, while reassuring himself that things had come to this point, he figured Gu Sansi could find out who he was even without revealing his identity, he lowered his resistance and began to speak:
“My brother-in-law, Wang Feng, a second-class attendant in the Attendant Department, told me last night when we were drinking that something big was going to happen in Qilu. I was very curious and asked him about it. Wang Feng then told me about His Majesty’s transfer of the accountant to Qilu!”

Although Gu Sansi was initially skeptical of what Peng Xinjian said, now that Peng Xinjian had even mentioned names, he felt that the news had a degree of credibility.

After pondering for a moment, Gu Sansi turned to Peng Xinjian and said:
"I understand! You can go back now, but come back immediately if there's any new information..."

"Yes!"

Hearing Gu Sansi's indifferent tone, Peng Xinjian was also somewhat disappointed. He had thought that Gu Sansi would treasure this top-secret information and reward him handsomely, or even promise to promote him!

After all, this time he betrayed his own brother-in-law!
If the investigation reveals that such a crucial piece of information was leaked from Wang Feng, then Wang Feng would be punished for leaking secrets and his life would be in danger!

If Wang Feng is beheaded, Peng Xinjian's sister will become a widow, and his nephew and niece will become fatherless children!
After paying such a high price, all I got in return was a simple "I know" from Gu Sansi. This is really hard to accept!

At this moment, Gu Sansi noticed the change in Peng Xinjian's expression and realized what he was thinking. However, he ignored Peng Xinjian's thoughts and only glanced at Feng Wei beside him. Although Gu Sansi did not give any instructions, Feng Wei, as Gu Sansi's full-time clerk who had been by Gu Sansi's side for several years, immediately understood Gu Sansi's thoughts and immediately led Peng Xinjian out.

After leaving the cell, Feng Wei took out three ten-tael silver notes and handed them to Peng Xinjian, saying:
"Take this money first! Consider it a reward for your hard work! If your information is true, then you're in for a treat..."

Peng Xinjian, who had initially regretted reporting the matter to Gu Sansi, felt a sense of relief as he looked at the silver notes handed to him and listened to Feng Wei's words. He immediately assured him:

"Secretary Feng, this is what my brother-in-law told me himself, there's absolutely no mistake!"

"Then you should treat your brother-in-law to a few drinks and make him happy. If there's any new information, you must report it back immediately!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Leave this to me!"

After settling Peng Xinjian, Feng Wei returned to Gu Sansi's side. Upon seeing him return, Gu Sansi immediately asked:
Is this Peng Xinjian reliable?

Feng Wei hesitated for a moment before speaking the truth:

"My lord, I don't know much about this Peng Xinjian either!"

Gu Sansi didn't speak, but sat in his chair with a serious expression, as if he was thinking about something very important.

Assuming Peng Xinjian's words are true, and His Majesty has indeed transferred accountants from Da Dongsheng Bank and the Ministry of Revenue to Qilu, it means that His Majesty may very well want to investigate the accounts in Qilu. To be honest, Gu Sansi is not very familiar with the situation in Qilu, but he feels that since Ye Mingsheng wants to investigate, there is likely something wrong with the matter!
Thinking of this, Gu Sansi immediately wanted to verify the authenticity of the news. If it was true, he needed to promptly inform his senior brother, Ma Runchuan, so that he could prepare in time and avoid being caught off guard by a surprise attack…

With this in mind, Gu Sansi was about to give the order when he suddenly realized that things were getting a little too late. Those accountants had been gone for several days. To verify the authenticity of the information, he would need Feng Wei to have a meal with those people from the Ministry of Revenue and the Da Dong Sheng Bank. Only then would he have a chance to get the information out of them. Therefore, if he waited to verify the authenticity of the information now, it might be too late!

If we want to arrive in Hebei and Henan before the accountants who are responsible for auditing the accounts, we must send someone off right now, otherwise it will be difficult to make it in time!
Thinking of this, Gu Sansi immediately made a decision. Although he didn't know what his good senior brother had been doing in Qilu, based on his understanding of Ma Runchuan, he was sure that Ma Runchuan was not clean in Qilu. If he was caught off guard by those auditing the accounts, he would cause a lot of trouble.

Having this thought in mind, Gu Sansi felt it was better to believe it than not, and then said to his clerk Feng Wei beside him:

"I didn't sleep well last night and have a bit of a headache, so I'm taking the day off to go home and rest. I'll leave the daily work to Minister Shen. If there's anything important, just come to my house to let me know!"

Feng Wei nodded upon hearing this:
"Understood, sir! Please go home and rest well!"

Gu Sansi nodded slightly, then tidied his desk a bit before leaving the yamen. An incense stick later, he returned to his residence.

As soon as Gu Sansi arrived at the mansion gate, he saw a group of people going in and out of his house, seemingly carrying something. Curious, Gu Sansi went over to investigate. He saw that everything was wrapped tightly in cotton quilts. He randomly opened one of the quilts and found inside were fresh vegetables such as cilantro, cucumbers, and chives…
Gu Sansi was somewhat surprised to see these vegetables, as it was December, the time of year when the north was covered in ice and snow, and seeing fresh vegetables was a rare treat. Just as Gu Sansi was wondering where these fresh vegetables came from, Wang Xiaodong, a steward of the Gu family, came over and respectfully said:
"Master, you're back!"

Gu Sansi pointed to the fresh vegetables and said:
"What's going on with these vegetables? Where did they come from?"

"Your Excellency, these vegetables were sent by Governor Zhang!"

"Provincial Governor Zhang? Zhang Zhiwen?"

"Zhang Yilin, Deputy Provincial Governor!"

Upon hearing that it was delivered by Zhang Yilin, Gu Sansi asked with even more doubt:

"Why did he suddenly think of bringing me vegetables?"
"I heard from the vegetable deliveryman that a few days ago, the lady complained that she was tired of eating potatoes, cabbage, and radishes every day and wanted to eat fresh vegetables. When Governor Zhang heard the news, he immediately arranged for some local vegetables to be delivered so that the Minister and his wife could enjoy some fresh vegetables!"

Upon hearing that Chen Wanting wanted to eat fresh vegetables, Zhang Yilin immediately arranged for someone to deliver them. Gu Sansi also sensed that something was amiss, but he didn't say much on the surface. He then returned to his residence and sent his trusted servants to Licheng to deliver a message to his senior brother, Ma Runchuan, and also arranged for someone to inquire about the situation at the Da Dong Sheng Bank.

Just as Gu Sansi finished making these arrangements, Chen Wanting came over and asked with a mixture of concern and doubt:
"Husband, they said you didn't sleep well last night and have a headache? Should I ask the doctors from the medical school to come and take a look at you?"