Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 102: The top two candidates in the imperial examination, are you guys going to challenge me one by one?
Guo Mansion.

The lights are on at this moment.

Guo Huan was waiting, waiting for news from others.

Zheng Ao tiptoed back, looking unhappy.

Guo Huan didn't pay attention, closed his eyes, and said calmly: "How is it going?"

Zheng Ao lowered his head, his eyes flickering as he said, "My lord, everything has been dealt with. It was the new number one scholar Xia Zhibai who caused the trouble. However, after I told him that it was your request, he did not make any more noise. Your reputation is well known, and you are in charge of the accounts of the whole country, so how could Xia Zhibai dare not listen to me?"

"But Xia Zhibai is indeed arrogant."

"There was a sense of arrogance in his words. I couldn't get used to it and said a few more words."

"Please forgive me, sir."

Zheng Ao didn't dare to tell the truth.

Guo Huan's temper was not bad, but if he knew that he had not done a good job, his image in Guo Huan's heart would be greatly reduced. This was something Zheng Ao did not dare to face. Moreover, he was not lying. He did not go far at that time and still sent people to keep an eye on them. He did see Xia Zhibai disperse the crowd.

Guo Huan rubbed his temple, his tone sounding a little tired.

"Xia Zhibai?"

He thought for a moment, and seemed to remember who Xia Zhibai was, and said in a cold voice: "Which kid is speaking so arrogantly in the court?"

"How dare a mere sixth-rank official speak so arrogantly to me?"

Guo Huan opened his eyes, a cold and fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he said: "If he dares to be presumptuous again, you can take my seal directly, go to Yingtian Prefecture or the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, and tell them to check Xia Zhibai's salt shop. They will let Xia Zhibai know what it means to be a high-ranking official and crush someone to death."

Zheng Ao was delighted, but he remained calm and said, "I understand."

"I don't think he would dare to say such outrageous words again."

Zheng Ao knew the weight of Guo Huan's words.

Guo Huan was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. If he wanted to cause trouble for Xia Zhibai, it would be easy. He only needed to ask the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office to investigate. If there was a problem, it would be found; if there was no problem, the problem could also be found.

This is the power of my master.

Guo Huan nodded and didn't take Xia Zhibai to heart.

A top scholar who has fallen into depravity is not worth his attention.

He was worried about only one thing now.

Matters concerning the Hanlin Academy.

After closing his eyes for a while, Guo Huan could not help but urge, "Wang Daoheng, Hu Yi, haven't they sent any news yet?"

"Don't they really care at all?"

Guo Huan was a little annoyed.

He didn't dare to use too much energy to investigate.

Since the Empty Seal Case and the Hu Weiyong Case, Your Majesty has gradually resorted to extralegal punishments to solve the problem of official corruption, and the torture has become increasingly severe. He also set up the Jinyiwei to strengthen monitoring of officials.

In the past few years, he has heard a lot of rumors that many officials' servants are Jinyiwei appointed by His Majesty.

He didn't dare to act rashly at the moment.

Because there are so many people involved, any single move can affect the entire body.

If we are not careful and your majesty notices it, the imperial court will probably be in an earthquake.

He doesn't trust anyone in the mansion now, except Zheng Ao.

Zheng Ao was the one he brought with him since he started his official career, so it was impossible that he was a Jinyiwei.

As for other people in the mansion, he didn't dare to trust them, let alone tell them some of his intimate secrets, for fear that they would be leaked.

Zheng Ao smiled bitterly.

Wang Daoheng and Hu Yi were both ministers of the Ministry of Revenue.

How could he urge it?

However, Zheng Ao actually looked down on these two people.

Because Guo Huan had served as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and was the one who truly held power. Although he is only the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue now, his power is actually far greater than that of the Left Vice Minister Wang Daoheng.

Zheng Ao whispered tentatively, "How about I go and ask?"

Guo Huan's heart moved, and he shook his head again, saying, "No, the situation is not right now. His Majesty has already started checking the account books of the Ministry of Revenue. If I have close contact with them privately, it will definitely attract His Majesty's attention, and then it will alert the enemy."

"Just the same as before."

"They can get into trouble, but I can't. If something happens to me."

"Humph!"

A cold light flashed in Guo Huan's eyes.

talking.

Guo Huan looked at Zheng Ao, glared at him coldly and said, "You should keep quiet recently. Many people have complained to me about your private affairs. If you had not followed me all the way and knew me well, I would have sent you to the government long ago. You only care about ruining my reputation."

"If anything happens to me, you'll be to blame."

Zheng Ao's face turned pale with fright, and he became as timid as a quail, not daring to breathe.

His current status and position were given by Guo Huan.

How dare I express the slightest dissatisfaction?

Seeing Zheng Ao's fearful look, Guo Huan's expression softened.

He also felt that he was a little too nervous.

But he couldn't help but be nervous. His Majesty's handling was too horrible.

In recent years, under the pressure of Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has acted somewhat without scruples, and naturally there has been a lot of evil involved.

It would be fine if the imperial court didn't investigate. If they really got to the bottom of it, no one in the Ministry of Revenue, from top to bottom, would be able to escape. They would all be thrown into jail or beheaded. Only he knew what the Ministry of Revenue had done secretly over the years and how much money they had embezzled.

If it were any other dynasty, Guo Huan would be confident that he could escape unscathed.

But this is the Ming Dynasty.

Their emperor was called Zhu Yuanzhang.

This is what he fears most now.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang really dared to kill them, and he never showed mercy.

In such a state of fear, Guo Huan gradually fell asleep. Just when Guo Huan was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard footsteps all around him, like a ghost taking souls away, which woke Guo Huan up instantly.

He looked around suddenly, his face full of horror.

The lights in the house were still bright.

Only Zheng Ao came closer with a flattering look on his face: "Master, there was a message from Minister Wang just now."

Guo Huan took a deep breath, adjusted his ferocious expression, sat down again, and asked in a somewhat hollow voice: "What news did Wang Daoheng and the others send?"

Zheng Ao said, "The one who will be checking the accounts of the Imperial Academy this time is Hua Lun."

"Hua Lun?" Guo Huan frowned. He didn't have much impression of this name.

Zheng Ao quickly added: "Hua Lun was the runner-up in this imperial examination."

"Another batch of crappy Jinshi?! There was a top scorer before, and now there's a runner-up, and they're all targeting me?!" Guo Huan shouted angrily and slammed the table, his eyes full of hostility.

He was also completely annoyed.

I was distracted by Xia Zhibai in front.

Now the runner-up comes to check the accounts. Are the Jinshi of this session really going to compete with me?
Zheng Ao was also frightened by Guo Huan's sudden anger.

He shrank his neck and said nervously, "Minister Wang sent me news. They found out that Hua Lun seemed to have proposed a new way of settling accounts. His Majesty was very satisfied, so he specially asked Hua Lun to check the accounts. The people who checked the accounts this time were from the Hanlin Academy, and most of them were Jinshi this time."

Guo Heng snorted coldly, he knew this a long time ago.

What he cares about is not who checks the accounts, but what method is used.

This is the key. Guo Huan said: "Have they found out what method Hua Lun used to check the accounts? They can't just find a person's name, right?"

"There are so many people in the Hanlin Academy, they won't just tell me that this is all they have found out? Do they want me to mobilize the power of the six ministries to investigate?"

"If I really ask the Sixth Ministry to investigate, the matter will become a big deal."

"Right now, only the people in the Ministry of Revenue know about this. If we can investigate it in advance and push some people out, we can barely suppress the situation and prevent it from getting out of hand. If things really get out of hand, those people won't just sit there and wait for death. Then even I will be pushed out."

Guo Huan wasn't just saying that out of anger.

but facts.

At this point, we are just trying to survive by cutting off our tail.

As long as it doesn't involve other government agencies, at least it can have a decent ending.

Once the entire six ministries are involved, it will be impossible to cover it up, and the others who are dragged into it will never let it go.

The mess keeps getting bigger and bigger. If you can't clean it up, then everything is over.

It was the first time that Zheng Ao saw Guo Huan so angry. He also knew the seriousness of the matter and did not dare to relax at all. He said in a serious tone, "Master, Minister Wang did not find out what new auditing method Hua Lun and his men used, because these Hanlin editors do not interact with other people at all. They eat and drink in the palace and do not allow contact with the outside world at all."

"However, Minister Wang and his men did not gain nothing."

"Or maybe Hua Lun didn't hide anything."

"What do you mean?" Guo Huan frowned, not quite understanding.

Zheng Ao said: "Hua Lun's auditing method is indeed unknown to the outside world, but this auditing method was not proposed by Hua Lun, but by someone else. This person is not in the palace at the moment, and is not even in the Hanlin Academy."

Guo Huan's eyes lit up.

If he is not in the palace, there will be an opportunity to take advantage of him.

As long as he knew how to check the accounts, he only needed to check it secretly himself and find out what problems the court might find. Then he could shift the blame to other officials. This would not only protect himself, but also give an explanation to the court.

This audit storm has passed.

Guo Huan excitedly grabbed Zheng Ao's hand and said with ecstasy: "Tell me, who is this person?!"

Zheng Ao's eyes flickered and he didn't dare to look directly into her eyes.

Guo Huan looked at Zheng Ao coldly and said, "Does this man have a grudge against me?"

Zheng Ao quickly shook his head.

"Then why do you look like that?" Guo Huan asked dissatisfiedly.

Zheng Ao lowered his head and said anxiously, "This man is Xia Zhibai, whom you asked me to scold earlier."

Guo Huan suddenly looked at Zheng Ao and asked suspiciously, "Xia Zhibai?"

Zheng Ao nodded: "It was this man. Hua Lun did not hide it and told everyone about it."

Guo Huan sat on the chair and fell silent.

He has mixed feelings.

He was actually very annoyed with Xia Zhibai. If it weren't for Xia Zhibai's advice, the Ministry of Revenue wouldn't have been in this situation, but now he was asked to beg for help.

This is simply a huge joke from God.

If only.

He even wanted to kill Xia Zhibai.

But now I'm in trouble. If I don't resolve this matter as soon as possible, I'll get burned sooner or later.

Although he was extremely dissatisfied and resistant in his heart, as a court official, he was well versed in the court's politics. No matter how dissatisfied or unhappy he was, he could not show it. At least before the matter was resolved, he could not let Xia Zhibai feel anything unusual.

This is politics!
Guo Huan calmed himself down and thought in his mind.

He looked at Zheng Ao, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said in a cold voice: "Tell me the truth, what did you say to Xia Zhibai this afternoon?"

Zheng Ao's face changed slightly, and his body tensed up. He said anxiously, "I was just following the master's instructions. The master wanted peace, so I told the people at the Jingdu Salt Shop to shut up. But maybe my words were a little too extreme. Xia Zhibai was really too arrogant and didn't even take you seriously."

"Zheng Ao, do you want me to repeat it again?" Guo Huan glared at him, no longer having much patience.

Zheng Ao opened his lips, knowing that Guo Huan was angry.

If I don't tell the truth, I'm afraid it will be difficult for Guo Huan to trust me.

Zheng Ao lowered his head and told everything that had happened, not daring to hide anything.

After hearing what Zheng Ao said, Guo Huan was also so angry that he laughed.

"Okay."

"Did I ask you to pass on the message like this?"

"If I don't ask, are you still not going to tell me the truth?"

"How much have you been hiding from me before?!"

"This is really unreasonable."

"You're so embarrassed to tell me that the problem has been solved?"

"Is this the solution you told me about? Has Xia Zhibai ever looked you in the face? And you still have the nerve to come back and brag about it?"

Hearing that Zheng Ao was confusing right and wrong, Guo Huan was furious. It was really embarrassing that Zheng Ao couldn't even handle such a small matter under his own name.

Zheng Ao also looked aggrieved.

He also didn't think that Xia Zhibai would ignore him.

In the past, whenever he mentioned Guo Huan, no one would dare not look up to him, let alone dare to oppose him.

He was afraid of losing face for Guo Huan, so he didn't dare to tell the truth.

"Master, what should we do now?" Zheng Ao was anxious and asked tentatively, "How about I take the initiative to ask for forgiveness? Apologize to Xia Zhibai and make amends, and then invite Xia Zhibai to come? As long as it doesn't interfere with your business, I, Zheng Ao, can do anything."

Guo Huan didn't say anything.

He was also thinking about how to deal with this matter.

It is impossible to ask Zheng Ao to apologize and make amends.

Zheng Ao is his steward and represents his reputation, how could he be so servile?
If Xia Zhibai noticed something was wrong and threatened him, wouldn't he be controlled by Xia Zhibai in the future?
How could he, a third-rank official, bow down to a sixteenth-rank minor official?

What's more, this time it was Xia Zhibai who didn't buy his account. If anyone was to admit his mistake, it should be Xia Zhibai. How could it be his people who admitted the mistake? If he kept admitting his mistakes, it would only make Xia Zhibai more confident.

It's not me who's wrong, it's Xia Zhibai.

Verbally, his people could admit their mistakes, after all, it was Zheng Ao who spoke inappropriately.

But in other areas, there is no retreat.

Guo Huan pondered for a moment and said, "Doesn't Xia Zhibai sell salt? How much is the most expensive salt he sells?"

"It seems to be one hundred Wen?" Zheng Ao asked uncertainly.

"So expensive?" Guo Huan frowned.

Zheng Ao said: "I heard that this is special salt, the best salt in the world today."

Guo Huan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said, "Go to the storehouse and get 100 taels, buy 1,000 kilograms, and have Xia Zhibai deliver it personally."

"Isn't he a businessman? I'll give him face."

"Just consider it as an apology for your inappropriate words earlier."

"As for this inside."

"It depends on whether he has this awareness."

"If an official doesn't even have this awareness, his career will be doomed."

Zheng Ao's eyes lit up, and he understood Guo Huan's thoughts, and said quickly: "I'll remember it, I'll do it right away, and I will never let you down again."

Guo Huan said: "Go ahead, be nicer."

"But don't embarrass me."

(End of this chapter)