GBP Chapter 385 Cleaning up the Ministry of Revenue
Chapter 385 Cleaning up the Ministry of Revenue
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, I...I..."
The emperor threw the account book in his hand into the tray in the hands of the eunuch, and the atmosphere in the entire court suddenly became depressing.
"Lu Qing, don't tell me that these things are gone?"
Lu Yi said nothing, kneeling on the ground and kowtowed, unable to get up.
The emperor let out a long sigh, and everyone felt that the air in the hall had become colder. This was not a good sign.
The superior does not need to lose his temper; a gentle tone can change the world.
"Come here, open the treasury for me."
The chief eunuch bowed and saluted, then led more than ten people outside the hall to open the treasury. The civil and military officials were extremely tormented during this waiting process.
No one dared to speak. This was a life-or-death situation. They didn't even dare to breathe loudly for fear of implicating others.
After two sticks of incense had passed, the chief eunuch returned and reported loudly beside the emperor so that everyone in the hall could hear.
"Your Majesty, the boxes in the treasury are all empty, and all the financial records in the accounts have disappeared.
As for the account books kept by the Minister of Revenue, I have asked someone to check them one by one. Where did all the money go? I will definitely find out clearly.
After the eunuch finished speaking, the emperor's eyes were cold. Even though he had known this would happen, he could not hold back his anger when he exposed it openly.
"Lu Yi, I handed the national treasury over to you to manage, and you actually tried to cut off my funds. Fine...fine...
How can I face my people when Dongxia has a minister like you?"
Xiao Chu has already lost the Zhang family, and he really doesn't want to lose Lu Yi, his money bag. If he can't even protect Lu Yi, it will only discourage the ministers who support him, and it will be difficult for him to take a step forward in the future.
"Father, there are still many doubts regarding the national treasury. Minister Lu once asked me for help, saying that someone in the Ministry of Revenue had stolen money, and the culprit had not yet been found.
Minister Lu was wronged. He was so focused on making up for the money owed to the Ministry of Revenue that his family was barely able to make ends meet.
Your Majesty, this matter was due to his negligence, but it is not entirely his fault. Moreover, he is sincerely trying to make amends, so please be lenient with him."
With the facts before his eyes, Xiao Chu could only let Lu Yi plead guilty first and then find a scapegoat.
Originally, they planned to pull Lin Ting into their camp and wanted Lin Ting to fill up the treasury.
But after the Zhang family got into trouble, Xiao Chu had been dealing with the relationship between the ministers and put Lin Ting aside.
He now regretted why he didn't subdue Lin Ting earlier. If he took a wrong step, he might lose the Ministry of Revenue, which was his big boss.
"Make up for it? Chu'er, do you know what you are talking about? The national treasury is the foundation of the country. Do you know what it means for the national treasury to be passive?
If King Xi Luo knew about this now, would they still only dare to test it in the border town as they do now?
Lu Yi is the Minister of Revenue. I will investigate every person implicated in this matter. Anyone who dares to touch the national treasury must be executed."
The emperor's voice penetrated the hearts of everyone in the hall. Today, Minister Lu might not be saved.
"Come here, arrest Lu Yi and all the members of the Lu family, and confiscate all of the Lu family's property.
Anyone involved in this matter will be detained and thrown into prison, and I will personally interrogate them."
Lu Yi was stunned, her body went limp, and she was dragged away by the guards.
"Father..."
Xiao Chu knelt down and wanted to ask the emperor for a few more days. He would go back and discuss with his mother how to save Lu Yi.
"Seventh Prince, could this matter be related to you as well?"
The emperor did not give Xiao Chu a chance to speak. If he dared to answer the emperor incorrectly, he would be the next one to be dragged out.
"Your son dare not, your son just wants to get to the bottom of this matter...your son..."
Xiao Chu's evasive words only made the emperor angrier. Cleaning up the Ministry of Revenue was the purpose of today's court session, and the emperor would naturally not let Lu Yi, the parasite, go.
"I have said that I will investigate this matter myself. The emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people. I will not let anyone off the hook when it comes to matters concerning the national treasury."
Watching Lu Yi being dragged away, the people in the court lowered their heads in silence, waiting for the court to adjourn.
But after waiting for a long time, the eunuch did not shout to dismiss the court.
"My dear ministers, last year, I received a pair of ice crystal vases. At that time, I was curious. Aren't these things in the national treasury?
How did it end up on the market and finally come back to me? I thought I had received a counterfeit, but after verification by a specialist, it turned out that this ice crystal vase is the same pair from the national treasury."
The eunuch cooperated with the emperor and took out the ice crystal vase and showed it to all the ministers. The emperor had someone specially retrieve it for this day.
"My dear ministers, how could this thing be lost? I find it very strange. Since that incident, I have placed my own people in the Ministry of Revenue.
I know exactly where the lost items in the treasury went and where they can be found now."
The emperor stopped talking here. If someone has something to hide, the little actions he shows will be different from others.
"I will investigate this matter with the Ministry of Justice. Please adjourn the court."
The chief eunuch walked to the front and shouted: "Withdraw from the court..."
Coming out of the palace, everyone had their own thoughts. Today, they received too much information during court, the court was in chaos, and there was a war in the border town. All the ministers were having a headache.
......
During the morning court session, Lin Lin and Lin Ting were also working on the behind-the-scenes affairs of the border town army.
Xiaoman managed the production of the garment workshop, and Lin Ting went to find the best fabric suppliers to cooperate with.
Lin Lin arranged for the packed goods to be transported in trucks to the army that was specifically responsible for transporting supplies.
Because there was a lot of cargo and the army was short of manpower, a lot of porters were hired. These people were cheap and strong, and they were willing to work as long as they had something to eat.
However, even if you are willing to do it, you can't avoid complaining.
"I'm exhausted. I only make eight coins and two steamed buns for moving so much cargo a day. I can't even make as much as I did working in Wenzhu County."
During the lunch break, Li Ergou finished drinking the water and threw the ladle into the wooden barrel, feeling very resentful.
The person next to him was with him. He picked up the water scoop, drank the water, and then tugged at the corner of his tattered clothes.
"It's good to have a job now. The work in the government pays less than the merchants, but you still have steamed buns to eat. Just be content."
Li Ergou and Acai leaned against the earth wall to rest. Since he divorced Lin Lin, he has traveled to many places just to find Xiangliu.
Finally, he found out in Yunzhou that Xiangliu was not pregnant with his child at all, and she had cheated him of all his land deeds and property.
Hearing that she had run away to the capital again, Li Ergou chased her to the capital again, but two years passed and there was no news of Xiangliu.
His mother was sick and he abandoned her. He was struggling to stay alive, so how could he have the energy to take care of his mother, who was a burden?
In the past two years, Li Ergou has been begging and doing hard labor to survive. He often doesn't have enough to eat or warm clothes to wear. He fantasizes every day about picking up gold. Then he will become rich and won't have to live such a hard life anymore.